The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-03-20
The
Philanthropist
Continued from Page p

oOiiiSUhiiSo VoihCd pulS pOcJIy
That's the way it went for too
many mornings that I care to re-
member. A burned out warehouse
or shack and Mr. Benjamin Gustave
Savoy. on my doormat, impeccable,
imperturble
We could never prove that Bonnie
did any fire-bugging. The police
refused to track him and I couldn't
spare the men, and even the COM
missioner was appalled, when I
wanted to arrest him on suspicion
Hes a well-to-do respected CT
tizen," he said with velvet mixing
with the oil he used to slide into his
job.
One morning, after a particularly
costly fire that had developed into
holocaust after a mild beginning.
in which three of my boys were o.
vercome and one was burned bad
| ly. Bonnie did not appear even
though the blaze had been near
Station 1879 1 went after him, this
time. on fire myself with righteous
anger. Bonnie was gone He'd pac-
ked and left no address told his
business associates he'd write later
l suppose he did. e. he never came
back and Station 129 became a Sc
date place So sedate that 1 had to
rotate my men because they grew
fat and lazy there
Hello, Bonnie" 1 said again and
he turned jerkily.
oh hello, Chief Many seconds
have winged by on the metronomic
beat of the Bird of Time"
Yeah How many firemen have
you killed in Tokyo?"
Bonnie closed his eyes and looked
ainfully stricken.
He opened his eyes again and 1
was surprised to see trace of tears
Don't spoil this. paradise, Chief
learned my lesson the night 1 al
most killed three of your men and 1
operate differently. Let me show
you"
We walked out OF the shop and 1
took Mamie with us to a sWanky
English car with a Japanese chauf-
feur, Bonnie said nothing, just u
shered us in. told his driver where
to go and lapsed into silence.
About half an hour later we stop
ped in a section that was damned
with small, ramshackle wooden
houses Bonnie still didn't talk but
got out and started looking at the
houses. I watched him He work.
ed like a fire inspector and expertly
picked the worst risk of any house
there. but l noticed some differ
ence. He picked a house with a de-
cent interval between it and the
next Then he knocked, talked to
the people and went in. In a few
minutes he was out and the people
started bringing out all their fur
nishingS.
A few more minutes and the house
was empty of people and furniture
and then I saw Bonnie =. Bennie
the Bug, the connoisseur of incen-
diarydom. do his work Expertly he
circled the shack. daubing flame
with matches. like an artist splash
ing paint Then he stood back, a |
beatific smile on his Wizened face |
The flames crept swiftly and I
heard the gongs in the distance.
There wasn't chance they'd save
this house but Bennie had insured |
that no other would catch fire
Il watched dumbfounded and |
Mamie was speechless for once The
firemen arrived but the blaze was
too established and the house dWin-
died hotly to emberS. Then, as the
tlremen Changed away slowly, Bonnie
led a poorly dressed Japanese to me
This is what he got Bonnie said !
and the man showed me a Wad OF
Yen. I counted it, as best I could
with my eye and suddenly, I knew
what Bonnie the Bug was doing
The Yen was double the worth of
the So-called house. Bonnie had
gone legitimate. He was paying his
way. He was actually pursuing his
compulSion- hobby but he was con-
Quoting his own slum clearance, too.
From Nippon Times.