Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-04-16

was incapable OF COLlHutJAlSi t4lC
David Hobson knew all this about
Michael Dale, but Michael Dale was
still at large, the real public enemy
No. L., the biggest criminal Of them
all While he was so. all of HobsOn' s
work might as well have remained I'M
done. With his power and his contacts,
he could renew his criminal activities
when the hue and cry OF an aroused
public sentiment had died down.
And as far as the night Hobson had
Just spent and the 20 preceding days
and nights he had given to the search,
1t looked as if Michael Dale would re-
main at liberty. David was personally
sure of nearly every criminal transac-
ton in which Dale had INDUCED. But
you couldn't get jury to convict mere
! ly on a district attorneys private,
/ personal knowledge or bunch. You had
to have the evidence.
David was not discouraged by this
realization. He merely told himself
! again that the task would be a long
one. But it would be interesting. 1t
never occurred to him that he might
fail in 1t. Looking up from deposit
/ ton he had just finished reading, he
! became aware of the soft impact OF
the dawn. He got up from his chair
and turned out the lights in the room
and, going to the window, looked out
at his beloved city. It was touched
now with rose and gold and ice. To
the south, lights were still tW1nkling
in the great building. 1t was, David
thought, a fine city in which and even
for which to die.
He yawned and turned from the
window and picked up the clarinet. 1t
was muted but easy to the lip. There
was difficult run Of triplets, all Of
them jumping four-note intervals. 1t
had tolrnF7 him Y1porfFy q RI F11nCfeT
that run in the days when his secret
ambition was to play in an orchestra
or swing band. He always played it
now.
That finished, he played a difficult
aria from "Thais," then, II Can't Give
You ANYTHING But Love, Baby" Fin /
ally, very thoughtfully, he swung into /
the strains Of "Over the Hills and Far /
Away"
In the next room, Ed Hargan, his I
first assistant, short, dark, blue-eyed I
and intense, grinned at AL Abrams, /
Hobson's big. heaviest, bodyguard. who
had been shifted from the detective
bureau for the difficult task. David
Hobson didn't like being guarded
''Uh. Uh," Ed grinned. There goes,
over the Hills and Far Away 1t
means the D. A. has had another I'M
successful night. He always plays that
TUNE when ne misses.
Whats the difference?" Al solilo-
quized. HE misses for 100 days and
nights and then he begins to click. And
whenever he begins to click, it's cur
tains for somebody Look at the way
he kept after Fat Levanti in the labor
racket. When he started, one would
get you a hundred he'd never catch
up with Fat. He was too strong with
the administration, too tough on his
own But where is Fat today? Up in
Sing Sing doing 20 to life. Here come
the papers. I'll bring them in"
David Hobson went over the morn
ing papers swiftly but carefully. All
four of them carried first-page stories
about him and his office. 1t was an
that he, himself, would not
prosecute Mary Drake, young beauty
accused Of numbering her lover. It did
not interest him, that story. Only one
other item did. It was a small note IN
the society columns announcing that
Michael Dale and his daughter. Ell
eanore, of Park avenue, would sail for
Europe on March 3.
Two of the papers carried Eleanore's
picture and Hobson studied II with
queer feeling uncomfortably like pity
beautiful girl Just starting out in
life and If he, David Hobson, were
successful in his present quest, her
abA4CA AA4Bltb uc III pklSOA Wlb4All b4lS
year. He thought OF his own three
title daughters. Adrienne, his Oldest,
night look like Eleanore some day.
A man should think Of his children
When he was planning any series of
Ictions which might bring him afoul
II the law. The feeling in him now
undoubtedly was pity, strong and I'M
omfortable. With an effort he
hrugged it aside. March Sd. He looked
,ainly around for q calendar and then
houted:
Hey, out there. What date Is today"
"It's the fourth, chief" AL said, APP
earring in the doorway. February the
ourth."
Michael Dale, too, was reading the
1orning papers, despite the earliness Of
be hour. Dressed in q silk lounging
obe, he was reading them in the
ybaritic bedroom Of his luxurious
ute In the MorndaIe apartments, one
the most exclusive on Park avenue.
list Of It's tenants read like two pages
I'm from tho Blue book.
Few knew that Dals owned the