C. S. Montanye

“ The girl, young, comely and animated, had a face that drove men to the divorce courts, and a figure that was a soft symphony of warm curves and dazzling white skin. She was featuring a pair of eyes as blue as the laws the reformers were trying to put across, a smile that was as bright as one of the Big Street's electrical signs and a certain swinging, lithe grace that made the Kid feel like a Busy Telephone Wire. ”

“ Next the valet softly opened the drawers of the dressing table and explored them, frowning as they revealed no trace of the small leather wallet he sought. The wallet like the money, was the property of young Mr. van Pelt and to Williams it was a source of constant torment. His master never let it wander from his possession and it was for this reason the valet knew its contents were of value. All of the crookedness within him rose when he thought of the wallet. ”

“ Entering, Glendale stepped into a foyer alcove that was a sort of waiting room. It was filled with a scattering of ornate chairs; back and away from it, through hanging tapestries, was the main dining room and dance floor, well populated, despite the heat, by a gyrating throng.
As he went in and looked around, a girl got up from a cushioned nook and came toward him. Glendale drew a breath. In silhouette against the shaded table lamps of the restaurant and the dim sconces of the alcove, her loveliness was that of a star falling to earth. ”

“ Realizing what the wise opinion was pleased Ottie the same as a knock for Constantinople would a Turk, Looie Pitz ran out for a week-end, gave the comeback marvel a taste of inside gossip and fried him to a turn. For two days after Pitz had left for the Bronx with some Perfidious money to plant on Old Father Hubbard, conversation with Ottie was as scarce as oratory in a deaf-and-dumb academy. He said little, he ate little and he worked off his ill humor when the hapless Barney Sapp tottered out to take it in the orchard. ”

“ Ottie's gym in the rear of the place was quite a landmark with its brand-new secondhand fixtures that ran from rings and swings to rowing, chest and weighing machines. I was presented to Master Tin Ear O'Brien, who held the portfolio of all-around assistant and to six or eight hard eggs who handled the rub-down end of it on a weekly salary that consisted of board and whatever pockets they could pick. O'Brien was a tall Scandinavian with one of those pans that made the visitor wonder how any one could be so ugly and still exist. ”

“ In this age of dashing yachtsmen who make frequent trips to the West Indies on business, yeggs, eggs, race tracks, bobbed-hair bandits, to say nothing of all the strangers from out of town who take Broadway and make themselves eligible for doing time by lifting watches, head waiters, waiters with no heads, the tin-can pirates with crooked meters, chorus girls, cloakroom burglars and—finish it yourself—any one who can retain what good fortune, gray matter or Mistress Luck has bequeathed him deserves all the medals. ”

“ With his watch showing that five of the thirty minutes had been consumed, Glendale dropped the mysterious package into his pocket, extinguished the light, and let himself out.
The August twilight, thick, humid, and oppressive, had lowered itself over Manhattan's thirteen miles of table-land. Stars were beginning to swim mistily in the blue-black sea of the heavens; the moon crept up over the eastern rim of the world, hanging like a crystal lamp. Distantly, heat lightning glimmered like the swing of a saber in the hands of a whirling dervish. ”

“ He took a few steps toward the door, returned and picked up the seventy-five cents Big Harry Westley had laid on the table. He shoved it into his pocket, deciding he needed it more than the waiter.
Slouching out of the club, he descended the front steps and stepped onto the cracked pavement of Christopher Square. The late September afternoon was dying in a conflagration of sunset fire. The sky was brazen with raw scarlet, amethyst and silver-and-purple. Lights were winking in the waterfront rigging, a block distant. The river was boisterous with the voice of sirens and the shrill of whistles. ”

“ When Glendale opened the door of the booth and stepped out it was to find the blond youth of the grill circling the telephone switchboard like a wolf, drawing closer to bend a head in conference with the operator.
With a shrug Glendale sought his room. He collected hat and stick and wondered if it would be wise to arm himself. His shoulders moved once more. This was New York in an age of enlightenment, not some Western mining camp where it was dangerous to prowl at night without a weapon. He recalled the threats of the stoop-shouldered Winter and suppressed a laugh. ”

“ It developed that Cinderella had often read about Ottie in the Patrolman’s Gazette, knew prize fighting from Z to A and owned up to one blazing ambition. That was to kiss Dooley’s Lodge good-by forever, take a train for merry Manhattan and become a real New Yorker.
We learned that Mother Dooley kept the eye of an eagle trained on her, discouraged all possible and propable suitors and never allowed the girl any more riotous excitement than a movie once a month and a straw ride with some of the town’s Beau Brummels who were as much afraid of matrimony as they were of the sheriff. ”

“ While the sound of the running water continued, intermingling with the shrill, gay whistle of Mr. van Pelt, the valet laid out the evening apparel of his master, touching the pearl studs he inserted in the bosom of a glossy white shirt with itching fingers; thinking of the wallet guarded so zealously. ”

“ He began dining three times a day, ate between meals, bought another car whose wheels were all present and then began running up to my gym in the Bronx to snicker at the tomato-catchup sockers who were working their heads and hands off around the premises in order to get edged for some notorious prelim that was to start them off on the road to fame. Ottie had a laugh for the lightweights, the welters and the top heavies, a giggle for all his old pals and a sneer for Looie Pitz, the little fight manager, who, like the brook, went on forever. ”

“ Ottie buttoned his jacket, grinning like a foundling at the sight of a nursery full of toys.
“Baby, I'll tell the neighbors you certainly grow a delightful lettuce. We all eat vegetables, so we ought to get acquainted. The names over here are Scandrel and O'Grady. Stay just where you are for a minute and give us the low-down on the beans and parsley.” ”

“ Keeping a wary eye glued to Winter's accomplice, Glendale allowed his imagination to paint mental pictures of Marion North. Once more she was in the lobby of the Hotel King William, giving him the package. Once more she was radiant and beautiful against the shaded table lights and sconces of Au Printemps. Once more her little white hand rested in his in the blackness of the passage of the empty house. He felt himself strangely drawn to her, with heart and pulses quickening their beat. ”

“ Scandrel’s laughter made Pitz color up. He took off his hat, looked at it, put it back and made sure his suspenders were tight all around.
“What’s the matter with me, O’Grady?”
“The matter with you?” Ottie bellowed. “You’re a picture that no artist would want to paint. Look at that coat, Joe, will you? Treat yourself to the legs on them pants, and the shoes! Slant them shoes!”
“Still suffering from chronic dumbness!” Pitz snapped, making a pass at him with the blackthorn. “You’re the kind who wouldn’t give credit to the party who invented electric light. ”

“ The roof scuttle was unlocked and yielded to the touch of the crook's fingers. As he lifted it inhaling the warmer air that rushed out, bearing with it a peculiar odor of something that told of the presence of human beings and hidden menace, Gentleman Joe felt his pulses begin no throb. ”

“ Music still seeped out from the club. No loiterer shuffled through the shadows. He descended the areaway stairs. The door he had opened earlier in the evening confronted him. Quick inspection told Blumfeld it was locked and bolted on the inside in such a way as to make forcing it impossible. He muttered a curse and crept down the areaway. He climbed a fence and dropped down into an alley that fringed the building. He came upon the single window of the shop and drew a breath of satisfaction when he found the top pane was lowered an inch or two. ”

“ THE hottest place in Trenton was down at the ball park, and I discovered this fact about five minutes after I was in the box with my wife and her sister. A tissue-paper suit felt like a fur coat. Rosie watched the Tigers warm up and I watched the rouge on her cheeks melt. ”

“ The dangerous welter was a tough-looking proposition who wore a sneer, a smile as false as his teeth, one good ear and some burlesque clothing. Pitz seated him and tossed a grin at me.
“We just now signed for a roll over, O'Grady. I'm letting the kid earn a little pin money by sticking the count on some mate who copies us by going around as Left Hook Swain. He's a flashy proposition and the one round he stays will go swell with the scribes. Why shouldn't we take something soft while we're waiting for the champ to accept one of our daily challenges?” ”

“ Those who have followed the ridiculous career of the absurd Scandrel are aware that his success is more a matter of a horseshoe than a brain—but Ivan, the terrible mechanic, goes Ottie one better; with only half the brain he does twice as well, using two horseshoes. ”

“ Straining at his bonds and rewarded by a slight loosening of one rope, Glendale flushed with admiration for her courage. Transfixed, he watched Winter's face turn to brass, impenetrable, inflexible, creased by the gash of a grim smile.
“Is that,” he asked suavely, “your final answer?”
“I shan't tell you!” she repeated, closing her lips on a little sob that forced itself between her shut teeth.
Pushing back his chair, Winter got up. He tapped the ash from his cigar and frowned at his watch. “Then, my dear,” he said, with perfect urbanity, “you automatically commit a great crime. ”

“ As the morning bouts continued I wondered why Cinderella Dooley never displayed any interest. She never slipped down to see what it was all about and when Ottie gave her a dash of the progress he was making, at the kitchen door, she merely shrugged.
“I know quite a lot about boxing but I’m not a bit interested,” she confessed. “It’s all right for some one to make it a business if he isn’t good looking and don’t mind having his features changed. Otherwise it’s extremely foolish—particularly when there are so many other ways of making a living.” ”

“ My Dear Williams: I wish to assure you that I am not quite as stupid as you evidently believe. I have been perfectly aware of your petty pilferings. I have suspected, also, that your interest in this wallet is deep and overpowering. Take it, my dear Williams, if you think it will make you happy. Sincerely yours, Reginald Van Pelt.
P. S—Needless to say, I have withdrawn the real diamonds which I kept here. The tissue papers contain nothing more or less than bits of ordinary glass. Don't make a fool of yourself by trying to sell them. ”

“ Passing the house he had come to visit, he proceeded to count the successive buildings in order until he reached the apartment house on the street corner. With the certainty that characterizes a man who knows exactly what he is doing, Gentleman Joe descended steps that led down into a gloomy basement and cellar, wandering through dim corridors where rats scuttled noisily before the soft tread of his rubber-soled feet. ”

“ Miss Lamont lisped.
“No—faces! Get in, Stupid!” Scandrel hissed at Jepson. “So long, honey. Don't be sore because I wouldn't let you go inside. Remember—people who live in paper houses shouldn't throw scissors!”
The snappy little roadster purred away.
“I thought you were friendly with the blond Miss Biggs?” I said. “You're as fickle as a bigamist.”
Ottie curled a lip.
“Yeah? That's what you think. Can't I be polite without cracking a proposal? Picture me moving furniture around for a fair when I can take a walk with Amabel and not lift a finger. Beauty is beauty but hard work is labor. ”

“ Ottie hollered, producing one of his cards. “If I’m a flatfoot you’re a tenor and what a heck of a note that would be. Here’s my card. I’m running a clean and honest garage and I don’t expect your patronage—I demand it. Repair jobs are a specialty. Give us a fair trial and be convinced. When will you come in?”
“To-morrow,” was Morowitz’s answer. “Er—Looie and I just come in from Chi together and I ain’t made no garage arrangements yet. I’d rather I should do business with one of my admirers than some gypper who might think I was a lamp and try to trim me. Does Pitz do business with you too?” ”

“ It was brutal though comical until sympathy overpowered me and I drew Sapp around one corner of the barn to give him the benefit of some kindly advice.
“Listen, Brainless,” I said seriously. “Ottie Scandrel is a friend of mine but there are other limits besides the twelve-mile one which even friendship oversteps. In case you don’t know it I feel it’s my duty to tell you that you’re not being treated right. You're not getting a square deal. You don’t have to be a chopping block as long as you have a mouth and know how to use it. Tell him to raise your wages or tone down the knuckle music. ”

“ The anthracite magnate swept the room with a glance, handed Ottie a check and crossing to his son slapped him heartily on the back.
“Splendid, splendid, Jeremiah! I knew that once you learned the true identity of your opponent and he learned yours the bout would be sensational from the instant it began.”
“Hold everything!” Ottie bawled, shoving the check in a side pocket. “You're as mysterious as a detective going up a fire escape, Mr. King. What do you mean—the identity of his opponent? Who is Right Hook Lane?”
jerry King stretched languidly and smiled. ”

“ How was Glendale to know that some malignant fate had not overtaken the girl with the wistful brown eyes and the lustrous brown hair? Try as he might, he could not put from him the recollection of what she had termed Winter. “The most dangerous man in the world,” she had called him. And secretly, though he would not admit it, he felt that it was the hand of the round-shouldered man that had drawn the taxicab away from the entrance of Au Printemps. ”

“ Bain snickered. “Jerry is a pitcher. He’s a discovery of mine. I picked him up,two weeks ago when we were in Sawtel. Out there they call him the Million Dollar Money Hound. He has an income of a thousand berries a week. Not so bad, eh?”
“Not at all. I suppose he blows the thousand on candy and cigars and so has to play ball for a living,” I remarked.
“Jerry Duke,” Bain said imperturbably, “plays ball to keep his mind occupied, and because he’s one of these baseball fiends who is unhappy unless he’s in action. He can’t bear idleness, money or no money. ”

“ Paying no attention to the valet, who was busy tidying up the room, the young man strode to the space between the windows, pushed aside a frame etching by Morini, and exposed the dial of a small wall safe which reposed directly behind it. The valet's mouth opened as the young man clicked off the combination.
During the four months of his employment with Mr. van Pelt, he had never known of the existence of the hidden safe. His eyes blazed as he saw the other open it and withdraw the leather wallet. Then with a brief “Good night,” the young man tucked it into an inner pocket and went out. ”