The Washington times., 1934-05-02

SUES VI GLlG SGIeGG was d SuCCcSo-
sion of these vast crates filled
with crab; these stoves with
their steaming cauldrons ad-
Joining wide counters where the
cooked crabs were arranged
neatly in rows. A large sign de-
clared: very special! Fresh
cooked local crabs, 6 for $1.00."
Automobiles were parked
thickly, and to these machines
boys rushed out with trays OF
oyster cocktail, clam chowder,
lobster and shrimp.
It was Saturday afternoon.
Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran
cisco was very busy. The catch
Of crab was phenomenal. Prices
were cut. Boys kept darting
from the sidewalk to the auto
mobiles, shouting: "Crab to-
day, lady? Fresh prawn?"
Pippin and Gregg walked
back and forth along the mar
row bit of sidewalk that was left
between the street kitchens and
the fish markets. They peered
into the crates. Some Of the
crabs were very large, the
bodies, independent of the long,
thick legs, were eight and ten
inches across. The shells were
a lovely tortoise-shell brown
that turned red in the boiling.
The crabs moved sleepily, but il
you poked them suddenly, their
eyes, which were extended on
mounds in the front OF the
head, slid out from the lids like
black, fierce beads.
Gregg bought a bag OF
shrimps and absently pulled OH
the shells, now and then offer
ing the delicacy to Pippin. He
stopped before a table in front
of one Of the grottoes and
stared a long while at an odd,
hideous sea creature while the
fat, waddling italian, black
eyes and red lips flashing, kept
tossing vile crabs into the boil
ing water and humming softly:
La Donna e Mobile"
At last Gregg sighed, took
Pippin's arm and walked to
the end of a long wooden pier
to which a hundred blue ard
white fishing boats were
moored. They stopped to ex-
anime a small shark, safely
dead, its ugly mouth wide open
as it lay alongside a glittering
mound made of several hun
dred tiny, silver sardines.
They found a box where they
sat while Gregg deity pulled
the Shrimps from their many
legged shells. He ate and
stared vindictively at the boats
bobbing serenely in the harbor.
Pippin said: THAT was an
odd monster wasn't it? The
big eyes and the fine, thorny
ridges all over its body.
Wouldn't you hate to be SWIM
ming and find a hideous beast
like that crawling beside you?''
where? didn't see it,
"You didn't! Well-we
stared at it for fifteen minutes.
I thought you were planning a
shuddery mystery yarn with
the Great Spider Crab as the
hero. Like the gorilla in the
Murders of Rue Morgue.' "
IT never saw any Spider
Crab. I was thinking of my
story. I can't get it to go.
I've had the villain and the
heroine standing on the preci-
pice for three weeks. He won't
hurl her off. The whole plot
falls to pieces and there won't
be any thrill-any blood-curd-
ling suspense unless the girls
mangled body is found at the
foot of that cliff"
Why won't he hurl her
over?"
Hes fallen in love with her
and spoiled everything. I Gre
ated a perfectly callous, unim-
aginative villain and he's
walked out on me, leaving this
romantic sap who wants to
kiss the girl when need some
one to kill her! A swell mys'
terry gone wrong because I can't
make my characters do what
I've planned!"
Couldn't you have a loose
rock there? The girl, not real
izing the villain is no longer a
villain, sees the desire in his
eyes and steps from him in
terror. The ground gives-she
goes hurtling to terrible death.
The villain rushes down the
trail, reaches her before she
takes the last breath. He tells
her of his love. She dies in
his arms. The villain. though
all new and clean inside. knows
that his past will rise against
him. He will be accused
hunted down. He f1ees "a
tragic. bounded figure. He got
the kiss but you get the
Corpse!"
Gregg rolled a cigarette until
the tobacco shredded out; he
lit it and took a few quick,
excited puffs. II think have
it! I'll null that over" He
looked at Pippin with a wide,
happy grin. saying impulsively:
''I should have talked it over
with you long ago. Even when
I don't take your ideas. you
always suggest something that
gives me a new clue. I'll sell