The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1935-12-06
Public Enemy
BY p. M. VAN SLYCk
g Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.

Dick Norby of the Star said jubilantly
to his companion. Steve Carney of
the News.
"Yea-for us" agreed Steve wearily.
Come on, let's leg 1t over to Nick's
for snifter. / could stand one."
With the drinks before them on
the SCARED table top, the younger man
lifted his refectively You're lucky
mug" he said with good-natured envy.
How'd you happen to be sitting In this
dump when the cops plugged the
killer? Have tip off,"
Nope. Just killing off time. Matter
Of fact, | had date"
"A woman huh?" Young Norby
winked knowingly Funny, isn't 1t,
what chapll do for damef Our
Ate friend got his on account of q
date with a skirt
That's what / heard
"rll say one thing for him." Dick Of
fered, 'he never shot man in the
back; he always gave him a break"
$50 what?"
well, Observation-Disclosures |
udfCA Dtcu ut tliIS bdiHC dS tOnS d6
you have. Kind a gave me a shock to
see him laid out on the slab. Not bad
looking egg. was he, ever mug him be
fore today?"
Him? Outside of pictures, I'd new
er seen that face before in my life" !"
Steve answered. Have anotherY
NO, thanks. Got to be going" He
rose. Just the same, It's tough to be
knocked off that way: no warning
nothing"
Maybe. Maybe not. Worse things
can happen to a man than getting
rubbed out. Norby."
Alone, Steve Carney sat In moody
silence. At this early hour the place
was almost deserted. Cold sober he
felt, depressed. He poured himself a
drink.
He was getting old, soft. Yes. that
must be it. This shooting now-it had
got on his nerves. In fancy he again
heard the muffled fusllade, the taut
silence which followed. Then a pound
ing Of many feet along the street out
side, and he had bounded from this
very room to follow, his every sense
alert. A crumpled figure lay on the
sidewalk Dead An unfamiliar face
stared up at him. Flash news. Head
lines. And his story had gone In first.
But 1t had got him, this violent death.
Rudely 1t pierced his callous indiffer-
ance to life and death.
So he gave Norby pain, did he?
Just thick hided ex-doughboy, was
he2 HI, what did Dick know about
1t? A swell kid, Dick, but young. To
him, the war was at once q glamorous
crusade out Of the past and mer
cenary venture to be made light Of
Steye's eyes held a far-away look
The years rolled back
Death He'd laughed at 1t that slate
gray day off the Irish coast when the
troop ship, torpedoed, reared Itself In
mortal agony and plunged, bow down.
iRto a hungry sea- Cllnging with him
to raft, the Joisey kid caught his
eye and grinned back There was a
suy, the kid! Game
A Sroodlng look softened steve's
tired face.
And glamour There had been lit
tie enough of glamour IN that she'll
torn night fifteen-no, sixteen years
ago. Or was 1t seventeen? Never
mind.
The very air mouldy with death
Crouching, crawling. now lying fiat
against the broken, gas tinged ground,
the raiding party advanced.
Then, sudden contact with the en-
emy A fash Of steel through eerie
darkness. Beside him, the kid slumped
down. His own gun spoke
A dirty hand to-hand fight 1t was,
while 1t lasted. Then it was over.
Sweating, cursing, he somehow man
aged to get the unconscious kid back
to their lines.
The bayonet wound was bad On
the way back he'd taken a slug In the
bead A corpse, Steve thought BIT
terly, looking down at him with hope
less eyes
But the kid was tough Miraculous
~ ne pulleQ through, ana IN time re-
Joined the outfit. The same, he was,
and yet different. His head still both
cred him at times, he said
At Camp Merritt they parted. The
kids last words were: ''I'll be seein'
y'r tn fost chanct i get. | amt fer
got tn night y'u pulled me outa that
mess. You'n this ring | got to tank,
Steve"
And for the hundredth time he held
out his finger with its ring his tails
man, his most priced possession. Steve
had never seen another one just like 1t.
Yes, they'd planned to meet again.
But he'd moved, lost track Of the kid.
Life itself moved on. And yet, he'd
| thought, some day.
His reverie was interrupted by Nick.
Swell story you wrote on the killer, y
he complimented. Pretty smart, he
was. That plastic surgeon sure fixed
his mug up SOS his own mother
wouldn't know him."
pause. Then, curiously:
"Funny ring you got there, Mr.. Car
ney. Don't knows ever saw one like