All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 113: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A THIEVES’ COMEDY. once more, and her father, mumbling drunkenly to the policeman who held him. And near the old murderer, almost brushing arms with Della, was Beans. I drew a sharp breath and my good eye opened wide. How he had come there so swiftly was a problem that staggered me, and at the same time led me to hope; and I almost laughed outright at the thought of Parks searching so care- fully and cautiously an empty house. All at once Alice laid her fingers on my arm. “You know who that is?” she asked, and shot a glance toward the shroud beside the taxicab. Margaret jerked her head up, and catching the wonder in my face, whis- pered: Who is’ it?” I gulped once, looked toward Alice in some bewilderment, and heard her say very quietly: “Your father, dear. \When the de- tectives come back let me explain, and don’t say a word.” ae My—" Margaret drew away from me slow- ly and stared at one glistening shoe- buckle that protruded from beneath the sheet. She shuddered, and_ I thought she was going to fall, but ere my fingers had touched her arm she steadied herself and, trembling vio- lently, moved slowly down the steps just as Parks came pounding up the basement stairs alone. “Fighth Avenue!” I heard him shout to the detective on watch in the hall. ‘‘ There’s an alleyway to them flats next to Schmidt’s saloon. Caff- ney just grabbed one of the gang goin’ over the back wall.” They came out and down the steps like an avalanche, and the crowd cheered and broke before the rush they made toward Eighth Avenue; and most of the people followed them, yelling all sorts of surmises, with the name “Rob Roy” sounding high above the din. 823° Margaret paused just long enough to allow them to pass, then, without a word, went down to the sidewalk. We followed instantly. Alice’s action, brutal it seemed to me, was puzzling; but the whole busi- ness was so queer and tangled, and the excitement so intense that I could not think out anything that was in the least involved. The doctor who had first examined Rollins leaned against the taxi, wait- ing, J supposed, for the arrival of the ambulance. A policeman, using his night-stick freely, kept the space be- fore the house cleared, while his two brothers in uniform waited with their prisoners and' helped him at the same time. The moment we reached the street the policeman holding Della barked: “Where you goin’?” And another equally gruff voice from behind and above us_ called harshly : ‘Hold them! Guess Parks ‘Il want to talk to the English guy.” Proving that I had not gone unno- ticed. I turned my head and saw a detect- ive, whom I presumed was Caffney, leading Billy down the steps. Margaret glanced up into my face and gripped my arm almost painfully. She was white to the lips and shaking as with ague, but she crossed the space to her father’s side without a second’s hesitation, taking Altice and me along. In an instant there was a policeman ready to push us back. “One moment, officer,” I objected as calmly as I could. ‘ This is his daughter.” “Cut the con, English!’ some one said roughly behind me, and I wheeled instantly with the blood rushing to my head. “You confounded—’ “Still as coarse as ever, Caffney?” a smooth, quiet voice upon Margaret's other side broke in, and the detective’s jaw dropped. He almost released his hold upon comicloooks.com