All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

A THIEVES’ “Vas. Serr.” *“ And Malone? ” “No, sorr.” uh! Frowning, the lieutenant went back to his paper. Evidently he and Parks were not of the same mind regarding “that dump,’ and I remembered that Parks was the central office man who had tipped his hat so respectfully to Campbell in the City Hall. ‘Leave him here and get back on your beat!” es. Sort,” Rafferty saluted and trudged out, leaving me suspended in mid air, as it were, before the desk. The lieutenant’s attention was di- vorced from his paper to me again by a | slow uplifting of his head, and he had eyes that went through one like gimlets. “Come over here!” I went to the rail that surrounded him as with majesty, leaning upon it. “What do you do for a living?” “Nothing at present. If you know any one who needs a chauffeur, though, I'd be glad to—” The clerk put his hand over his mouth and the lieutenant’s paper went down upon his desk with a crackling bang. Ate you trying to kid me; Mot ae. oll ok am serious.” For almost a minute he simply sat looking at me, and out of the corner of my eye I saw, through the open door of an adjoining room, several of what I presumed was the “ reserve squad” craning their necks to hear and see. “What did Parks pull you for?” “You mean the motorman?” I queried innocently. “ Huh! Motorman! That's ’nough! Anybody that Parks can fool with a get-up like that is a rube. But what did he pull you for?” “Climbing fences. A friend of mine and in went down to a beastly place on the corner of some avenue or other—I’m an Englishman, you know—” p72 perfectly COMEDY. 789 ““ Sure, I know.” “There was dancing and all that sort of thing. Then the lights went out. I didn't know what the dickens was up, but I was very near a door and [ skipped through it, and found myself in a yard. I started to climb fences looking for a way out, and had got over two when that idiot—” © Idiot!” The lieutenant repeated the word with relish and grinned his approval. “collared me and had me carted up here.” The lieutenant looked at me quiz- zically. “T bet Parks thought he’d grabbed a hot one!” he exclaimed, and filled the office with his laughter. But a commotion behind me ended it very abruptly. Swinging about, I saw a few in- quisitive people upon the sidewalk just below the green lights of the station- house, and in another half-minute a policeman appeared handcuffed to a little woman, who stared stolidly at the ground. I had seen the policeman a week )he- fore at the corner of Tenth Avenue and Fifty-Fourth Street. His pris- oner had been walking with me at the time. She was Beans Borrowman’s friend” —Mrs. Varelli! CHAPTER XXIV. THE FINISH. Her hair hung about her face in straggling disorder, reminding one of a Skye terrier. There was a spot of blood upon her cheek and red streaks on her hands; her torn clothing gave every indication of a struggle. It did not take me more than a sec- ond to realize that it would never do for either she or the policeman to recognize me. The story I had told the lieutenant and the fact that I had walked abroad with the owner of the “Clachan ”’ would not agree. Comicbooks. Conn