Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 3 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

poz cops, all bigger than Flanagan even, who were rushin’ at me swingin’ their night- sticks. I couldn’t even feel Flanagan’s big fingers pressin’ into my arm. Then the buzz suddenly cleared up, and I.discovered it was merely Flanagan talkin’ in his deep bass. What I thought was the cops with nightsticks was only the lieu- tenant raisin’ a pen from its rack. “He come to my house,” Flanagan was sayin’, “said he was a cop and put me under arrest. I’m makin’ a charge of imper- sonatin’ an officer ag’in’ him!”’ Right away both my feet are on the ground. No wonder Flanagan was so easy and gentle with me all afternoon! No wonder he’d insisted on me arrestin’ him! He had an ace in the hole all the time. There he was, seein’ how far I’d go with him, laughin’ up his sleeve at me and just waitin’ for a chance to haul me into a sta- tion-house and have me pinched. “Tt’s a lie!” I yell at the lieutenant. “I didn’t impersonate no officer, I just told this big stiff he ought to be arrested—and he ought. Think of it—refusin’ to pay.a just debt for sixteen years. Is that the kind of a guy that ought to be protectin’ the lives and property of our citizens? A feller that won’t pay what he owes ain’t goin’ to—” “ Ahem!” interrupts the lieutenant. “There seems to be two sides to this story. What’s this debt you say Patrolman Flana- gan owes?”’ ‘“Tt’s almost five hundred bucks,” I say, ‘for house furnishin’s he bought from Fein- stein & Reilly.” ‘“ How about that, Patrolman Flanagan,” asks the lieutenant severe like. ‘“ Aw, the stuff was no good!” growls Flanagan. “I told them to take it away.” “Well, of course,” breaks in the lieu- tenant, ‘“‘ your private affairs are none of my business, Patrolman Flanagan, except that I ought to warn you that an officer of the law certainly should satisfy any obligation he contracts. But that’s aside from the case. If this young man claimed to be a policeman—” “T didn’t!” I yelled. “ He did!” charged Flanagan. ‘‘__if he claimed to be a policeman,” the lieutenant continues, ‘‘ that’s a serious mat- THE ARGOSY. ter and I can do nothing but hold him on your charge.” ‘““T didn’t claim to be a policeman!” I insisted. ‘‘I just told this big—that is, Patrolman Flanagan that he ought to pay what he owes Feinstein & Reilly, and he—” ‘Just a second,” says the lieutenant, holdin’ up his hand. ‘ What is it, madam ?”’ he asks, lookin’ over our heads. I turn around and see a nice-lookin’, stoutish, neat-dressed woman walkin’ to- ward the desk. “Is Officer Flanagan here?” she asks. “He forgot his— Oh, there you are, Mike!” she exclaims, spottin’ Flanagan. She reaches into her hand-bag. ‘“‘ You walked. out to-day without your badge,” she says, pullin’ a cop’s shield out of the bag. “I thought you’d need it when you went on duty and—”’ ‘“ All right, Molly; thanks!” says + face gan, grabbin’ his shield. ‘‘ Run along home now; I’m awful busy here.” The woman turns to go. The lieutenant raises his eyebrows like he was askin’ me a question, and I go on from where I was interrupted. ‘“ As I was sayin’,” I tell the lieutenant, “I told Officer Flanagan he ought to pay me the money he owes Feinstein & Reilly, and he—”’ ‘“What’s that?”’ sounds a voice behind me. I stop, and turn to see the woman who’d given Flanagan the shield walkin’ toward me. Her eyes is wide open and there’s a queer expression on her face. ‘“What’s that you’re sayin’?” she asks. ‘“What’s that about my husband—about Officer Flanagan owin’ money to—” ‘“He owes near five hundred bucks to Feinstein & Reilly for furniture.”’ ‘But he can’t!” she snaps. “ We only bought a little more than five hundred dol- lars’ worth, and we paid for it years ago, didn’t we, Michael 2” ‘Sure! Sure! Of course, we did!” Flanagan, lookin’ kind of woozy. ‘“ Not accordin’ to this you didn’t!” I tell hey takin’ the card that held the details of Flanagan’s transaction with Feinstein & Reilly out of my pocket. ‘ Look here,” says VNOOKS COMMUC (C@