Evening star., 1935-08-30
CHAPTER XVII.
h O.
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DenS1Ve ana cOlOTIul nOVeLS al WdSh-
ington when it was first built. Con-
gressmen, Senators, cabinet members
and their families, rich tourists, inter-
national celebrities, had stayed there.
But that was long time ago.
It was old-fashioned now, with
wheezv plumbing and rat-eaten wains-
coting and fire escapes that ran from
the roof to the first floor with drop
laCder to the ground. Tige Williams
stood In the shadows Of the trades
mems alley staring at that fire escape,
and at the front apartment on the
sixth floor that was lighted up. The
shades were drawn and the long WIN
dows were up little from the bottom
for air. Occasionally the elongated
shadow of a girl passed the windows
inside the apartment, from the kitchen
to the bedroom through the parlor.
He waited now until the colored girl
in uniform at the switchboard, whom
he could see through the lobby WIN
dows (she was evidently combined
telephone operator and elevator girl
no one else was on duty) pulled the
snakes out OF their plugs, got up and
went in answer to the insistent buzz
of the elevator. Then Tige ran down
the alley, into the apartment house,
up one flight Of stairs after another, on
the Jump, until he reached the sixth
floor. He hurried through the hall,
climbed out of the window onto the
fire escape. He glanced quickly toward
the street. 1t was quiet. 1t had just
begun to snow lightly. He Rugged close
to the brick wall so that he couldn't
be seen from below If any one did
chance to come along, and picked his
way carefully over the iron CRATES
because the snow was making them
slippery. He went to the window that
opened into Sonias living room. When
he heard her go into the kitchen he
raised the lower pane and squeezed
silently through the opening, taking
his gun out of the shoulder holster
under his left arm beneath his coat.
Inside he tiptoed cautiously across
the room to the kitchen door, swung 1t
open and quietly stood on the threshold,
playing with the gun in his fingers as
carelessly as he might cigarette case.
He said:
Hello, Sonia. How'S tricks?"
Sonia, who was taking bottle Of
milk from the ice box, swung around
on her heel, going as white as the
milk in her hands, her dark eyes
standing out black and frightened be-
cause of her sudden pallor. She saw
the veins in his neck that had swelled
to livid welts. the bloodshot eyes, the
gun glistening in his hand. She knew
that he had been drinking.
She said "Tige!" And then, more
calmly, There's bell on my door,
fellow. Or wouldn't you know how to
ring bell?" She tried to smile, but
it was only a pitiful, terrified some
thing that wavered between them.
Tige said: II amt much for ring
ing bells, see. amt much for trustin'
squawking danes with telephones. I
don't suppose you know nothin' about
that tip the Feds got on me and the
Willoughby sneeze? You couldn't be
the one that pulled the two-X. The
cross. You wouldn't want to see your
old pal burn, would you. kid? You
amt got no motive. Them smart
dicks say you gotta have motive
before you pull rubbing-out job or
turn squealer. You don't like that
word 'squealer,' eh?"
Sonia said, the words choking in
her throat and coming through her
lips. strained and quivering: Take it
easy, Tige. Take it easy"
"Yeah. that's what I'm gonna do,
see? I'm gonna blow this town to-
night. But before go there's just a
little matter about motives that you
and me have gotta discuss. You like
to listen to stories, sister? Well, park
1t there and lemme tell you one"
When she didn't move, but stood
starkly, frozenly still, Tige gave her a
powerful shove and sent her sprawling
into the kitchen chair. She hung on
to the milk bottle, instinctively, and
Tige leered at her and grabbed 1t
from her. II got popped on the konk
once, see. by that Seymour dame and
] amt keen about them knots that
bottles brings out!" He threw it to
the sink, where the glass crashed on
the porcelain and the milk spattered
over the wood-drafn and against the
pea-green painted wall.
Tige said:
'I've spent lot Of potatoes on a
dancer know, see. A little chiseler
who was hoggish, who took lot and
give nothin'. Then cough up to this
twist a thousand Gs, see, and get to
thinkin'. What's this dame doing
with all that dough? And I follows
her. She goes to the hospital every
day and nights after the show to see
q guy what's busted up in a plane.
And she cries on account of he may
be blind and amt got enough potatoes
to save his lamps. And then there's
Fed reward ballyhooed for the mur-
derer Of Park avenue shot-a guy
named Willoughby. This is a clever
dame, see? She figgers: Now if I
could get those 10 Gs in the reward I
could save my sweetie's eyes and at
the same time have this other mug
guzzled in two minutes. I'd be on
velvet! That's what the dicks call a
motive, see, and that's what some guys,
ineludin' Tige Williams, calls a double
King ratl A cross!"
Suddenly Sonia jumped up from
the chair. Her face was white with
the terror that clutched at her heart.
But her eyes burned fiercely. She
cried out: "All right! All right! All
right! To hell with you, Tige! Yes.
it's the double-X! And it's the only
decent thing I ever did in my life!
You're a low-down guy. You're not
Mt to live. And they'll get you. Crime
isn't the racket it used to be-not with
the G-Men who are lawyers and deep
thinkers tracking down thick-skulls
like you and your hot shots! Go
ahead, Tige, give it to me! I'm
pnsner and know I'll I'm not good