Evening star., 1936-07-29
AFRAID OF LOVE
By PHYLLIS Moore Gallagher.

tong 1t went, and SOUNDED IL SLOW
strokes that reverberated the damp
air. She stopped now, swayed on her
feet and looked around her. It was
very late and raining harder than ever.
She didn't know where she was Some
desolate section of New York where
clothes lines were strung from windows
and balconies and the smell Of vege-
tables and fish reeked from the wet
pavements. All at once she realized
that she was soaked to the skin and
with little chill, she stepped to the
curb and waited to signal a cruising
cab
One came presently and Patsy got
in. The driver was a loquacious
Irish fellow who went off into a
lengthy dissertation on the affairs Of
Government, the sort of man he
thought should be the next President
and the evils of a dictator. Patsy,
huddled and shivering in far corner
Of the taxi, answered hardly without
hearing him, Il agree with you," or
YES" and mo"
Then, as the car swung into Fifth
avenue en- route to the hotel, the man
began:
Sure an twas some hold-up over
to Shaw's jewelry store this marnin'
if we've been readin' the news. An
the curse of Cromwell on that poor
Warfield lass now. She'll be on the
spot for sure for tellin' them reporters
that she wouldn't sleep her fill until
the murderers were drove behind bars
like pigs to slaughter. 'Tis pleasure
to know that there's lass in this city
that has Irish grit enough to go to the
Rogues' Gallery, KNOWN she'll be
moved down by machine gun for her
trouble"
He waited for Patsy to speak and
when she did not, he thought: Faith
and some folks wouldn't give We a civil
word out O. their mouths if ye offered
them the keys O. the Kingdom of
Heaven in the one hand an brim-
min mug of beer in the other. Sure
an it's snob I'm carryin' in me cab"
Patsy drew her wet coat closed around
her shoulders and chill of something
more than the dampness went through
her. The fellow didn't know what he
was talking about, of course. But even
if there was any truth in his prophecy
nothing would stop her from helping
the police to track down the men who
had taken Courtneys life.
Patsy said then: I'm Patsy War
field. And the man who was killed
today was the best friend I ever had"
The driver didn't say anything. He
stepped quickly on the gas, shot up
the avenue like a streak. bending a
little tenSely over the steering wheel.
Patsy could see in the rear-vision mir
ror that the expression on his face
had changed. At the hotel he flung
open the door, and as she stood under
the canopy opening her purse, he
stepped on the gas again and sped
away without even waiting for his
money.
A fight was a fight, the driver
thought sagely, and he wasn't deny
in the pleasures of a good brawl.
shillalahs banging away, but there was
no sport in bein' in the way when a
machine gun moved down a brave
little lass
When Patsy reached her room and
put the key in the lock, she heard
the telephone ringing wildly inside. 1t
was probably DR.. Roger Tate. At the
hospital, when she had been waiting
for news of Courtney's condition-in
that same sun parlor where she had
sat the night she had seen Kitty
Cavendish lurking in the shadows
Roger had done everything he could
to encourage her, though vainly.
For Miss Mitchell, with all the poise
of an old trooper stealing the center
of the stage from the star of the show,
had stepped into the sun parlor. Her
starched skirts had rustled around her
erect ankles and she had said, draw
ing down her tight pale lips, II don't
believe in bolstering up hope, DR..
Tate. I am sure you heard DR.. Hard
esty say that Mr. Valance doesn't
stand one chance in a million of pull
ing through" And then to Patsy, 1T
is best to know the inevitable, child"
Roger had froWned, had squeezed her
arm reassuringly, "Ill ring you at the
hotel at midnight, when I'm off duty.
Patsy. Keep this up!" he said, tipping
her chin with his foreinger. Then
he had gone down that dim facade
into the elevator and to the operating
room. She hadn't seen him again.
AS Patsy picked up the receiver she
found herself hoping that it was Roger
She felt sorely in need of a friend,
some one with whom to talk a little
while. What the taxi driver had said
and the way he had acted in front of
the hotel had made her nervous, had
made her wonder just what the fate
might be now that she was involved
with a desperate situation. But it
wasn't Roger on the telephone Over
the wires came thin, rasping sound
a vaguely familiar voice-as If some
one was trying t. disguise it by hold
ing paper or gauze over the mouth
piece. 1t was impossible to tell
whether 1t was man or a woman.
Patsy's heart began to pound and
her legs went limp and fluid beneath
her. The voice said: This is warm
ing. Get out Of town tonight, see
Get as far away from New York as
you can. 1t isn't healthy around here
for you now. If you want to live-do
this-and tell the police nothing"
And then the connection was broken,
the voice was gone, and Patsy stood
there pale and shaken, holding the
receiver In her hand.
(To 20 Confipundl