The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-24


Il for the first time, Patrolman
Rine also squeezed on the arrogant.
case-hardened professionalism of
the quack. 1t was tolerated for a
while as rookie breach of depart
mental good manners But at length
1t began to appear that Rine was
that kind of guy.
cop KILLED BY BANDITS"
cop KILLED BY HIT AND RUN
DRIVER" These headlines, crying
to docile and preoccupied public
TO realize a situation, cause the
average cop to take a hitch in his
pants, grip his stick hard and at
least feel moderately abused. But
not Patrolman Rine.
AS one after another of his fellows
went up on the posthumus honor
roll, Patrolman Rine would COM
ment tersely: so what?" This sum-
narration of the martyrdom Of the
dead did not endear Patrolman Rine
to the living.
Rine didn't know any of the men
on the posthumus honor roll He
worked in quiet, residential pre-
cinct in which nearly nothing ever
happened. He had Is years to do
on the job.
He seemed to thrive on unpopu-
larity. His rejoinder to all raves,
peeves, taunts and eulogies was
maddening 80 what?"
The men Of his precinct felt to-
ward Rine much as a man feels to-
ward the one clean shirt in the
drawer on Saturday night-that one
which is inevitably a misht but
which nevertheless must go on.
DUT in spite of himself Patrolman
~ Rine had a friend. Name of
Ninety.
Ninety was a mongrel pup who
lived IN a garage and should have
had sense enough to have appre-
hended his fate. But Ninety was
not a garage dog by choice. The
garage was to him but the vulgar
means of subsistence-food and
shelter.
BY temperament, Ninety was a
cop lover. Uniforms bewitched him.
He awaited with trembling excite
ment the change of tours and he
played no favorites among the COPS
who shared Post Ninety for which
he had been named
Those who fed him hamburgers
took no precedence over Patrolman
Rine, who did not feed him anything
mot even the kind word which is
popularity supposed to be a CANNES
due.
Patrolman Rine, for his own part.
ignored Ninety as thoroughly as
possible without stepping on him.
Patrolman Rine was not to be won
over by ardent eyes of gold f1ecked
brown, which were Ninetys one
claim to pulchitrude.
Patrolman Rine saw only a
NANCY, flea bitten pup whose ap-
pearance reflected on the good taste
of his owners and on that of Pa
trolman Rine's own side partners,
who claimed for the dog almost leg
endary qualities of loyalty and in
telligence.
NEVERTHELESS. Ninety would
4 not be DISCOURAGED from
showering Patrolman Rine with
adoring awe.
1t happened few moments after
Rine had relieved his side partner
and had commenced his own tour
of duty.
Ninety was already whirling
about him in frenAied circles of
greeting: circles whose outer rims
ran up on doorsteps and around
ash cans and which skinned wide
loops a third across the street.
Once, briefly, Ninety sat down on
a doorstep ard painted happily.
Then presently he elected. like
well-trained deg, to sit down in the
gutter and pint there abstractedly.
his pink tongue Tapping. Ninety
was momentarily absorbed in dog
problems OF his own.
He did not see or hear. appar-
emily. the big car that swooped
around the. corner on two wheels.
skidoed riotously leftward across
the street to the forbidden zone.
clipped Ninety neatly and heaved
him high in the air.
The shrill, almost human shrek
OF agony that Wiped from Ninety's
throat was followed instantly by a
wild, unholy peal of laughter from
the flying car. The little dog in
the air turned grotesque somer-
sault and dropped almost at -
trolman Rine's feet.
Rine stood shocked into petre-
faction. for the fraction of a min
Ute 1t took for the car to scud
around the next corner and dis
appear.
He had not had time to register
moro than three things in that
crowded space of seconds. No time
for license numbers. color. make or
Sype OF car-certainly none for
,slfver or passengers. But he had
seen the hcious swipe that seemed
TO have been aimed at Ninety and
had tossed the dog into the air: he
had noted the curb jumping swerve
OF the wheels and---above all-that
laugh. That laugh-harsh, bragg
CART, void Of decency--a strident
yowl with q queer FLIP at the end.
DATRoLMAN RINE. frozen. stood
i staring down at the crumpled
little body at his feat daod tort,,.rx