The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-09-22

oil filtered up through the II
fiSh's eyes water.
He wondered if he should stop.
smoke a butt and let her cool off
but he decided against it. Shed
have plenty of time to do that
when this trip was over. The olo
bus could stand. rot and never
turn another wheel after this job
was all washed UP.
And the crate that would take
her place would be as long as a
high-hat wedding procession-a1d
twice as elegant because right be-
hind him. on the back seat OF the
old jilloppy. was sure fifty thou
sand bucks.
The Catfish grinned. Fifty thou
sand smackers-yeah, maybe
more. He'd ask for fifty G's in
the note he'd left in the kids
empty crib-but jeez, fifty could
be Just a starter. He could raise
the ante.
Sure-why not? What would a
lousy five or ten more grand mean
to a rich dame-and one OF those
high-sterical movie queens at that
if she really wanted to get her
brat back?
LET HER WORRY
The way to work it was to let
her stew in her own juice for a
couple of weeks-let her worry
and let the cops chase their tails
all over Southern California. The
radio at the shack would tip him
off as to how much stink was be-
ing raised over the snatch.
That dumb-bunny nurSemaid
must have discovered by this time
that the kid was gone. Yeah
and the guys on Hollywood Boule-
ward were yelling Stars Baby
" Kidnaped!'-and selling their pa
pSTS ike IlOL CdheS.
Sure. Stars Baby"
A splinter of sound caught the
Catfish'S ear. The sound couldn't
have been made by the brat rolled
up in his blanket on the rear seat.
" With that much chloroform in
his lungs he couldn't let out a
peep for another hour. The sound
j.: persisted and the Catfish listened
= intently.
It was a flat. Damitell. He
must have picked up a nail in the
left rear casing. The Kissing voice
- he'd been hearing was the air on
- its way out.
The Catfish brought the old car
- to shuddering stop and looked
!. at his watch under the dashlamp.
Half an hour and 10 miles to the
. shack.
The Catfish grunted. Too far
to travel on a flat. He'd have to
change it. Well-it was a break
that it hadn't happened before he
turned off the highway. Some
~ State cop might have come along
. and been nosey.
NO HURRY
% The Catfish switched off the
ignition and reached under the
dashboard. No need to hurry. He
might as well have a good stiff
slug before he started to work.
The whiskey cut like a buzz,saw
but the bottle had lost a third
d of its original content when he
replaced the cork.
" The tools were under the back
seat. The Catfish laid the blanket
wrapped baby on the floor of the
car and lifted the leather cushion
His hand found the jack-and,
after much putting and sweating
he got it placed in its proper po-
sition under the rear axle. That
., called for another drink,
The springs groaned and the
jack whined a protest as the Of
,~ tending wheel was lifted off the
road. BliSters and profanity broke
out on the Catfish.
= Imagine a guy with fifty thou
sand bucks having to bust his CUTS
out to change a tire! JeeZ-it
wasn't right! It was a lousy.
Sinking, hoodwinked have a
drink on that!
The Catfish threw the now
empty flask into the darkness and
= heard it shatter on some rock.
Then he started to explore the
tool box for lug wrench to finish
the job on the flat.
1t took some minutes of fun
bling to locate it. He was a trifle
dizzy and his legs were none too
.steady-a condition that the Cat
fish attributed to the altitude and
his recent exertions.
The loose end of the baby's
blanket on the floor entangled the
Catfish's feet as he was climbing
' down out of the car. He pitched
.headlong into the road and Law
there gasping and mounting
curses on the brat, the blanket,
his luck and the car.
On the car most of all. Jared
by his fall the nyoaroaocx, brolro