Evening star., 1940-08-28
CHAPTER VIII.

F'
CHAPTER VIII.
The moment Jiggs turned the
little car down the street on which
Steve's store was located 1t was ap-
parent to both him and Tom that the
police were taking extreme pains IN
guarding the place. Two officers
the sidewalk. Another, in plain
clothes but obviously policeman,
strolled stiffly up and down the
street.
step on it. Jiggs," Tom said. IF
we 60 by slowly they might get
suspicious"
Jiggs picked up speed and they
passed the store too quickly, and
assumed they had also got by too
quickly for the policeman to have
given them a second thought.
Now pull around the block" Tom
said. I'm getting out on the next
street over and take my chances
on slipping in the alley side The
door will be locked but 1 can try
a window"
Jiggs laughed shortly. It's crazy
thing to do, Tom Callahan" he said.
But If you do it, I'm goin' with
you"
You're not" Tom said fatty.
You'll stay in the car and wait for
the getaway. You'd Just make it
twice as hard for me by coming. 4"
How flatterin'." Jiggs said. But
that was all he said as they rounded
the second corner and pulled up
near the alley from which Tom had
emerged after his escape from the
store that morning.
Give me half an hour" Tom
said as he opened the door, If I'm
not back by then you'll find me at
the police station"
Quietly then he pushed the door
shut, leaving his cane inside. He
/ turned, looked up and down the
| darkened sidewalk, then hmped
across into the shadows of the alley
and disappeared from view
Encounters Man In Alley.
Jiggs waited in the car for what
seemed an hour but was actually
less than two minutes. Momentar-
lily he expected to hear a shout or
the sound of running feet. But
there was no sound Once in the
distance he heard the solemn, fore
boding moan OF ships horn in the
harbor: then as the seconds passed
ne fancied that he heard thousand
omlnous sounds emerging from the
darkness Of the alley. CleAching
the wheel of the car and griGting
his teeth at the helpless lole he
had been forced to play, be sud.
denly made a decision He'd take
look down the alley to make sure
everything was all right.
With stealthy caution equal to
Toms. Jiggs crossed the sidewalk.
His short legs moved with slow
smooth rhythm and his thick
/ shoulders hunched forward into a
crouch. He pulled his shapeless felt
hat down tighter on his head as he
moved into the pitch dark of the
/ alley.
| Feeling along the wall of the
building on his left, Jiggs moved
| along the alley, his eyes narrowed
/ to pierce the darkness, his ears at
tuned to the least sound. He had
progressed about so feet when the
| first definite noise reached him. 1t
sounded like mans body brushing
| against a basket or barrel a few
| feet away. Jiggs flattened himself
/ against the wall and waited.
Mystery Man Escapes.
Suddenly he felt hand touch his
and he heard a sharp intake of
breath. Automatically he drew back
along the wall; he started to whisper
Toms name. then realized that
would be madness. This might be
a policeman. He could make out
the mans figure now, but it was
just crouching, black outline.
In the darkness there was a sud-
den movement and the metallic
| click of a knife touching a coat
button, and in that instant Jiggs
lunged forward. his doubled fist
lashing out and up toward where
he thought the mans face would be.
But there was no impact: only a
soaring pain on the heel of his
hand. Then he was off balance,
stumbling awkwardly out from the
wall into the middle of the alley
And the man whose upraised knife
had caught his hand was running
toward the street.
Jiges started to pursue him, but
pulled up almost Immediately. 1t
would do no good 1t could only
attract more attention to the scene.
He felt of his cut hand and found
| it warm with blood, and pulling a
| handkerchief from his pocket he
bound it as tightly as he could at
the wrist, running one corner of the
cloth across his palm and through
the fingers and up the back to tie
it to the back side of the tourniquet.
Then he went on quickly toward the
rear entrance to the store.
His left hand, feeling along the
wall had encountered the fiat cold
surface of an iron door. which he
assumed to be the one Tom would
have used, when he felt it start to
move outward. He jerked his hand
back and waited. The door swung
open perhaps two feet-he could
just barely hear the grinding of the
hinges-and then he knew that a
man was emerging. This time he
spoke, but in a low tone.
Tom. ="
He could feel the squire in front
of him tense and he thought the
pounding of his own heart must be
audible for a dozen yards around.
Then a single word &. "Jiggs."
You all right?''
| Back to Car.
He felt Toms answering grip on
his arm, then felt the big pilots
body move a step forward as he
swung the door shut again. Then
they were moving back along the