Evening star., 1934-05-20

~ USH LANNON teetered on the curb be-
! fore Veblens jewelry store, with one
x rock of shoulder against the sidewash
of the passing crowd and the other
- solid against taxi that had parked
10 minutes ago. Thus anchored
and braced amid the human torrent OF the
rush-hour on Borrigan street, he waited de-
spondently for Anne McElroy.
butte-bred wyoming man, this was Bushs
first trip to Chicago with cattle. He had been
here five days, but he still saw the life Of the
big town as an unbridled human stampede.
Only the hope about Anne McElroy had kept
Bush from hightailing for his home range.
The hope was to take Anne back to the
buttes as Mrs. Bush Lannon. spell ago
Bush had forked over the price of four bald
faced steers for a solitaire and plain gold
band, making the purchase from Annes boss.
with her brown eyes watching. So she knew
well enough what their dinner date was trailing
to- OF course, she had made the date
Maybe, though, it just to say last.
kind so-long. The fear kept hitting Bush, with
a sckening thud under his ribs. 1t was laying
him low He forced his eyes to Craze the
headlines of the paper he had bought down at
the corner. They made wild reading.
Crime and graft The Tooley mob on trial
for kidnapping An alderman a labor leader
and a college professor indicted for racketeer-
ing Pay roll hodups jailbreaks, Duke Fin
lister released after being questioned about the
killing of Three-Toed Jack Brown in the Cor
onet Club
so this" unused Bush Iannon, sis what
Anne calls civilization"
Here Anne lived, working for mean wages.
An unpaid school teacher college and culture
had left her nothing but Borrigan street.
I'm taking her home" said Bush Lannon
suddenly, grimly. He had remembered some
thing the good-luck silver dollar that had been
his prime pocket charm for seven years. He
had paid it over to Veblen, with the money Tor
the rings asking the jeweer to hold the coin
until tomorrow. An impulsive play for good
luck
OUEERLY, from nowhere, Bush Lannon was
struck by the hunch that the charm was
working. Tomorrow he repeated. I'm taking
her home"
The Borrigan street rush hour stormed on
to it's weary end.
It was the time for Frederick Veblen to lock
up the trays of diamonds and the cash on
hand in his big safe. The safe stood behind
the back wall of the store proper, and against
the blind end of the hall that served as the op-
tcian's waiting room.
Behind the closed door of the opticians
office sat q mouse faced sad-eyed little man
who spoke in a squeaky stammer. Doc Krusch
yanked the bars of new glasses over the little
mans ears with impatient hands. Three days
ago the fellow had come in at the closing hour
to be examined for the glasses. A nuisance,
such tardy patrons.
Now" snapped the optician. Look sharp
at the chart
A switch clicked. Shadows in the box of
room. Doc Krusch turned toward the illumi-
mated wall chart. The little mans right arm
jerked upward. He Tipped blackjack from
his sleeve as a card shark would flip out an
ace. sideswipe, and Doc Krusch simply
buckled in the middle The little man caught
his head then dragged him toward closet.
Old Veblen, STOPPING with his last tray OF
diamonds, heard nothing as a shadow Of
man fitted from the opticians door behind him.
AS he Strengthened up to close the safe he
struck thudding blackness.
Crouching over the jewelers. limp body, the
mousey yegg snapped a large briefcase open
His hands darted in and out the safe. The
trays were scooped clean. Two digs dredged
a bundle OF bills and bag of small change
from the cash box. The bag was dropped
back. The bills fipped into the gaping brief
case.
Something slipped something round and
shiny, from the bundle of bills. AS the spring
clasp of the case clipped shut the yegg stopped.
his gaze darting about his feet Then nothing
discovered he skipped about and fitted down
the hail.
Miss McElroy idly watched Doc KruSch's
late customer make his way to the door. A
who looked like a cheap, harried clerk.
, in a hat and suit of nondescript gray, she
would not have noticed him but for one thing.
The cuff of his right trouser leg was absurdly
hiked up the back of his shoe. It gave
the little man Chaplin touch. Funny, but
somehow pathetic. Miss McEroy was in
mood that was tender and sad And noble.