Harris Dickson

“ Steady Bill seemed to shrink; then he opened the door: “Nellie,” he called, “come here. Walter's in jail again.”
“Oh, Daddy!”
“And I'm going to leave him there.”
“But Daddy, the shame of it—”
“Shame don't come from being in jail, but from deservin' it. I tell you, Frank, there aint no room on the railroad for a feller that drinks; Walter can't never pull my throttle when I'm gone. Good-by, Nell.” He took the girl into his big arms, “Frank, can't you sleep here to-night? I hate to leave Nellie alone.” ”

“ Kino explained; “members sit at these tables and talk. Of course if they want a lemonade, or something, they ask you for it—”
“Uhuh, 'cause I'm de gran' steward?”
“Precisely. Then you call through this window to the barkeep—the man in the next room; he fixes up what they want, puts it in this service-window and turns it around. You take out the drinks and serve them at the table—”
“Mister, wont he lemme turn it roun' sometimes? I loves to turn dis my own self.” Like a child, Parson Goober played with the whirligig and kept grinning. ”

“ TWENTY men made a break, and the little yellow Parson with his basket stood no show in a rushing mob of white men. Niggers last—that was the rule. Somebody switched off the lights—except one in the hall. Kino and his barkeeper had already stacked their stuff at the foot of the ladder and were passing it up through the scuttle. Once in a while a slim customer slipped by, between boxes. ”

“ Pete went first, and Parson followed, taking precaution to pass around the ladder, for it was a sure sign of bad luck to go under. Pete unbarred the partition door in the hall and then hooked back the door at the head of the steps and pointed in at the front room. “Remember, old man,” he cautioned, “you are the boss; you have charge of everything.” ”

“ And Nell, I wont have you ringin' up Denny McGill, begging him to get Walter out.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Then the burly engineer strode away with his bundle.
Frank and Nellie sat down on the steps. “Frank,” she asked, her eyes very big and black and serious, “Frank, you never drink at all?”
“Not often. Just a glass with a friend now and then.”
“That's the way Walter started, and—oh, Frank, I don't want to be foolish, but wont you promise, just for me, not to take any?”
“Why, Nellie, you needn't be afraid; liquor is no temptation to me.”
“I'm afraid of anybody that takes one drink. ”

“ McGill snatched aside the cloth which covered Parson Goober's basket, unveiling a ham-bone, several loaves of bread and the half-gallon jug.
“What you got in this jug?”
“Boss, please suh, don't pester dat jeg; dat's my wife's jeg.”
McGill lifted the jug, felt its weight and scowled at the police. “You boobs are letting this nigger get away with half a gallon of whisky. What better evidence do you want? Hold him as a witness, and sweat him until he tells who else was here.” ”

“ He knew they'd find Walter Sessions and didn't want to get tangled up in any dispute concernin' of a blue watch.
“Hi, fellers!” Dempsey shouted. Will Marsh ran in and found his partner stirring the drunk. “Here's our man.”
The two cops stood Sessions on his feet—or rather held him suspended so that his boneless legs could touch the floor. “Here, stand up!” Dempsey gave Sessions a shake, and a wad of newspaper fell out of his coat. Something clinked, and Marsh picked it up—a blue-enameled watch, a diamond bar-pin and four rings.
“The Claiborne swag!” three men exclaimed. ”

“ Together they bore the limp figure to the rear room, a perfectly empty room except for a tumble-down sofa in the corner. Lay him on dat,” Parson suggested; “he wont 'sturb nobody 'ceptin' when he snores.”
Kino didn't relish the idea of introducing a stranger behind the scenes. But it couldn't be helped, and he'd get the fellow down the back steps as soon as he was able to move.
Parson Goober hurried back to serve his clamorous customers and turned on the lights. There were probably twenty-five men sitting around. Parson liked his job. ”

“ Dubiously the Parson approached that whirligig contraption, tapped on the partition and whispered: Gentleman say he wants a drink.”
“Speak up, nigger; what'll the guy take?”
“Long toddy—two of 'em.”
Behind the partition Parson could hear the spatter of water and the rattle of ice. He wasn't so sure about this whirligig arrangement, but various audible symptoms gave him hope. Anxiously he listened to the thump of glasses being placed on the whirligig; then it began to revolve. There was no deception ”

“ McGill minced no words. “You've got to catch the thieves that plundered Judge Claiborne's house last night.”
“We've got a clue—”
“Hang the clues; get the man. Catch those burglars, or there'll be vacancies on the force—top to bottom—beginning at the top.”
A SLANTWISE sun glittered upon the western windows of Vicksburg and hurled a thousand yellow trails across the river. Parson Goober made his way gingerly down the steep sidewalk, turned, ducked into the alley below Washington Street and paused to observe if anybody noticed him. ”

“ As a matter of precaution, Shifty Pete carried very little liquor in this retail establishment, fearing a raid and confiscation. His reserve stock was stored in a safer place. Given five minutes breathing time, he could pack up and whisk everything out of that scuttle. Bully!
“Here! Old man! You go and hold that front door—”
“Who? Me? Dat do' is got to hold its own self!”
While Kino and the barkeeper flung drinkables into sacks and boxes, the nimble Parson galloped to the front for his basket—and the blue watch. Frank Ward detained him, forcibly, with the basket on his arm. “Wait, Parson! ”

“ The lure of it drew Parson closer. “I knows a heap 'bout burial-s'cieties an' sech—benefits an' so on.”
“We're looking for a good man to be grand steward.”
“Gran' steward! Huh! I used to be noble gardeen o' de Royal Circle o' David. What sort o' reegalia does I wear?”
Kino wasn't called “Shifty Pete” for nothing. By putting a red cap on the Parson's head and by calling him “grand steward” instead of barkeeper, Kino could secure enthusiastic service at five dollars less per week.
“Come along with me,” said Kino, feeling that he had his man hooked. “No ”

“ All you have to do is to look after members as they come in—”
“Let 'em in wid a password, an' de gran' hailin'-sign o' distress?”
“They'll be in distress, all right; distress is what brings 'em up here.” ”