Evening star., 1941-12-14
Il Short Story Complete in This Issue

worked on to be kept liuman mat is
- because they are running into one kind
of wolf one day and another the next, and
pretty soon they begin to think there is moth
ing but wolves in the whole human race.
So they turn into sour cops which means
they are always looking for trouble And the
next thing you know they turn into thick
GODS, which means they always find the trou-
BILE they are looking for. Of course, cop
that has wife to come home to and baby
to bounce on his knee is not so much exposed.
You can't be bothered with the human race
when YOU are talking baby talk and dinner
is coming up.
But the unmarried cops usually need work.
ing on. And right here is where Plainclothes-
man Dan McGarry is different. Before he
has chance to turn sour or get thick. some
one is sure to sing Mother Machree on the
radio, or he will find little lost kitten on
his way home, or he will drop in at Charles
place and Charlie and he will chin about the
good old days when they were kids together
Whenever anything like this happens, Dan
will trot off to see this mouse Kitty that he
is going to marry, and sing out cheerfully,
Lie Is d RIdHu OlO IdShCt, Oil H. AZ q
swell little apple we live on, 50 why don't
YOU get over to the piano 50 can sing Danny
Boy and put sob in that high note like
John Mccormack in his records?
Whenever he talks like this, Kitty always
looks worried. Any time he wants to 60 SEN
timental after working hours it is all right
with her. But she is scared to death he will
20 off on regular eight-day bnge of senti-
ment and she knows a cop in this condition
amt worth his salt. So she tries to harden
him up.
There are a lot of mugs living on this little
apple" she says, land they make an awful
mess of things. You can sing Danny Boy
all night long if you want to, if you'll only
remember tomorrow morning that crook
is crook.
"You are cynical little mouse" says Dan.
0HE puts her hand on his arm and says
gently, please don't get sore, Inspector.
I'm glad you're a sucker for this sentimental
stuff It makes you sort of nice. But you We got
to learn to take it or leave it alone. You
never heard of Sir Galahad on the plainclothes
squad, did you?"
Must have been before my time," says
Dan, shaking his head.
''Galahad was a knight of the Round
Table" explains Kitty. He was right
enough guy. but a little on the soupy side.
If lady fiuttered an eyelid at him he went
out and stabbed dragon for her, and he
always carried his girls handkerchief when he
went into battle. Galahad was tops as
knight, but he'd be too sentimental and
dreamy to make good cop today"
She goes on like this. making a bum out
of poor old Galahad, hoping to steer Dan
down the middle of the road. She is sure she
makes progress But when he kisses her good
night and goes home she can't find her best
handkerchief anywhere.
Still, he keeps in line. Then it gets to be
mid-December and Kitty is worried. Christ
mas is coming up, and there is no telling what
Christmas will do to sentimental guy like
Dan. And two days before Christmas it be-
gins to snow. 1t is one of those picture-pos
card snowstorms - big flakes fluttering down
and putting blanket on the streets that
gives traffic the old hush hush The wreaths
in the windows are pretty in the snow, and
the stacked Christmas trees in front of the
stores downtown are crusted with white like
marshmallow layer.
Dan walks along with Kitty on his arm,
doing the last Of his shopping. Jingle bells,
Jingle bells" he huns, and he drops quarter
into the basket of an old guy on the corner