The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-10-04
Cast of Characters in
Just Desserts"
MARIO ILBAN, maitre
d'hOtel Of the Spencer
Plaza.
VIVIAN. his secretary.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
AL TERRONE, mob leader.

when the jury tomorrow brings
in the only verdict decency al
lows. Judge Bennett will see that
justice is done. -"
wait a minute!" a voice cried
from the mezzanine. You amt
telling the Judge what to do"
! The Distict Attorney paused.
He turned his eyes up to meet
the gaze of AL Terrone.
Neither are you," he replied
calmly. Not any more in this
city, after tomorrow"
Mario leaped from his place at
the back of the hall to send a
waiter for the house officers. He
looked toward the box.
The two girls were still there,
but the chair between them was
empty. The district attorney con-
tinued, trying to be heard above
the excitement at the tables.
Sentence will be pronounced
no. alone upon The district
attorney got no further. A hand
reached up and tore away the mi
crophone. Al Terrone, in evening
clothes, his face beaming, his hair
diSheveled, leaned across the dais
and shook fist in his face.
You stop this smart talk, Mr..
District Attorney"
"Terrone," Judge Bennett inter
posed, this will only make it
harder for you"
Don't worry about that. Sit
down and shut up, both of you.
You need a crime to pin on me
before you put me away"
The district attorney kept his
feet, but his hands trembled on
the table top. Terrone looked at
him a moment, laughed and
picked up a highball glass.
Here's my testimonial, Mr..
District Attorney" He flung its
contents across the shirt fronts
of the lawyer and the judge
Instantly, as at signal, things
began to happen. Down the cen
ter aisle of tables marched eight
immaculate walters bearing be.
tween Mario Silbani's GROWING in
spiration. The chef had outdone
himself. This was colossal.
In tense silence the huge frozen
form was paraded toward the dais,
it's cleaning figure of justice lit
orally melting under Al Terrone's
. aStonished stare. Suddenly the
lights dissolved as the electrician
snapped himself into action.
A spotlight played on the pro-
cession. The walters came for
ward to deposit their burden at
the exact center where the be-
wildered District Attorney seemed
about to collapse.
SWINGS FIST
What the hell is this?"
screamed AL Terrone as the mute
cortege surrounded him. He
swung his fist at Arnold, whose
impressive expression did not alter
while he slumped to a prone posi-
ton on the floor.
The abused figure of justice
swayed perilously in the hands of
its seven remaining supporters
and started to slide
Terrone turned on the second
platter bearer. That party looked
as though he was about to desert
the dessert.
Justice tottered, tragedy i'm
pended, when a tall, impressive,
bemuStached figure struggled to
the center of the group, his eyes
on Terrone, crying fearful warn
ing in the stentorian tones of
Mario Silbani.
The Bonnie! Look out for the
Bombe!"
Terrone fell back for a moment,
then started wildly to escape,
plunging toward Mario Silbanl,
who stood guarding his master.
piece.
You shall not pass" came the
prayerful defiance of the maitre
d'hotel. AT least. please, not this
way" And he actually held the
gangSter helpless for a moment.
Then came a flash of steel as
Terrone snatched up knife from
the table beside him. An instant
later there was the CLEAN of
water pitcher which the District
Attorney brought crashing down
on Terrone's head.
1t took the house officers five
minutes to untangle Mario from
the unconscious Terrone. It took
the hotel physician a half hour
to stop the bleeding from the
wound Terrone's knife thrust had
inflicted.
But it took the Spencer Plaza
valet two weeks to remove all
traces of the Ice Cream Bombe
into which Mario had plunged
head first.
Vivian held him in more than
a Secretarial embrace as the doctor
bandaged his shoulder.
Did the District Attorney like
the dinner?" was the maitre
d'hotel's faint question.
"Of course, darling" Vivian as.
sured him. "He made another
speech and said that, thanks to
your courage, they were holding
Terrone for attempted murder
and without bail"
But why did every one rush
away?" Mario's voice came feebly
through a layer of ice cream.
Il guess you scared them with
your Bombe," Vivian said.
You know. my little goose, you
were right about that. In our