Show I THE STORY OF A BOOTLEGGERS BOOTLEGGER'S WIFE As Told to Mary Margaret Margar-et McBride f L Co Copyright 1926 by Current News Features Inc S V THIN V-THIN THIN ICE OF DANGER The second day after 1 I had sent the telegram there was a timid ring at al my front doorbell It was what viat I I had been hoping for yet et perhaps not really expecting Johns expectIng John Johns John's s LIllian Lil LIl- lian han When rhen I opened the door I saw a pretty slight gir gIrL with brown eyes and brown haIr the eJ eyes s just now 1 with apprehension and near I to te tears s. s She held my telegram In her hand glancing from 11 It to me as asIf asif I If to verify what It contained Do you YO know could know could you ou tell teU me me- me meshe she began and then the tears began l to flow In In good e earnest rnest 1 I led Jed her inside and let her have her hel cry out but before I 1 told her anything As ts a matter of fact I 1 had not yet et made up my mind what I would say a anyway While hile we sat at there with th her head on my roy shoulder I Idec dec decided ded to lo leave the story to John Do ou cou ou really eally love him dear I askea asket gently Her fIe eyes lighted i and the tears teals stopped r as s suddenly sudden sudden- ly as they began GIRL STILL FAITHFUL I I 1 love him hm better than Uan anything In the he world word she he admitted grave grave- ly Iy I suppose you don dont know kno bur bm we had a terrible quarrel when Tack Jack came ame to New to-New New York an and I hav haven't nt I heard from him once Folks say he has been w wicked cled in the city bu buI I 1 I dont don't care what he has done I know he never could be very wicked i the right tight spirit I approved approved approved ap ap- ap- ap proved heartily Now Mow ow Im I'm going goin to take you t to a room where vou OU ou can powder your nose and then I Ishall Ishall IJ shall let you 1 0 see your John I dont don't know what they said those two but I think he be told her everything I hope hoe he always alway will for fOI S she is il a woman soman with wah infinite inC inC- nite possibilities for forgiveness and arid generosity John lovable and charming as he Is Is wit will be the weaker member of ot that household and I think he and ancl Lillian both know ow it Yes It Is JI a household hO now for LIlllan Lillian took John Jolla back backwith with th her and soon the they were married marred The boy was IJ not t yet f 10 so 0 enmeshed with doubtful characters that he ho stands any chance of or having ln the the- past vise r up to haunt hn So I hoi c awl and believe belleve be- be lieve they will wm be beN very N happy The thought is one of the few comforts I have ha GUARDED REAL SECRETS SECRa rs Although Ben never novel related to me any of his lliS exploits I imagine I missed ver very few of ot them thorn for he I was waR not so reticent with his friends I often wondered at the laxness of the mon In pouring out freely what vhaL seemed to tomo tonie mo nie most incriminating I details Vh When n I came to think of ot it it however I realized that 1111 mostly s n I they talked o of gay glY adventure m. lre rm i Ins with the law narrow escapes l an-l trickery er never by hy nn nay any chance the real renI secrets of If t method and arid operation If any of th people p. p I use used to know In Missouri read ih thIs change anga story of mine I r know exactly what their theft reaction will be fo for I am W was wasand wasand s sand and always shall be one of them They rhey will wil think Good heavens how could she sIt sSt up In Jn her o own n house and listen to these Jaw la Jawbreakers Jawbreakers breakers breaker Why Wh h didn't she he rush out and call the tile police pollee I r cannot annot explain wh why I 1 ne never did cUd further than to say that T I would no more mOI have ha thought o of calling alin the police to arrest m my husband a bootlegger bootlegger boot hoot legger gf than woud would the wife of amr any am r respectable bl liquor bootleg cl zen Sometimes It seemed seamed to me ne that I II II I was living in a a. of ot novel or that I was part of ot a good rousing melodrama such as used to come to the old opera house hOUM back In Mis Mia In that case then I was wa a a. avery avery very ery ancl vater ater with scarcely ever eve a line to speak and a 11 arole arole role that t called only for fOI shrinking often h heart heartsick sick non noninterference In Yet instead of going up 11 to m- m my lonely bedroom I often otten listened to I the bootleggers spin their yarns Well Yell Steve would yawn rawn I sure had my troubles with that load last night You know Imo we were tr tryIng try try- Ing lag out the now fUi Ul wagon disguise and its it's a nifty all right believe belie me But as luck would h have haveIt hoit It a tire had to come oft off right in ill front of a police booth on t the e ewa wa way In Moreover it rolled away into the dark Being the first time Id I'd ever carried a sofa over overstuffed with liquor or I was was- kind of r That cop op never I knew new it H. H though I went right up tl to him an and and- Us d I if he had seen a the tire fly by or He lie said he hadn't and told told n in Id I'd d better look in the field across rosS I the this way I sure hated to- to ave leave 1 j ol old Baldy the driver nil flit alone I I but when I got back he and the thai thol I cop were talking together LIke Ike bud bud- I dies des Baldy said the tile fellow nosed i a around but eviden evidently i wasn't wasn really j suspicious oe we rode away though I 1 saw him take a good j look 1001 at our ou outfit tra and i occurred d di i to rile rne that thIt he might be noticing we had on one light After Arter we were out o 0 of sight I thought It would be e a good i idea ea to get set that tha t other tight Ight fixed and beaming It I just jUK came une to me rae like a hunch th that I maybe this m man n might tip 0 off his hs I brother officer at the next booth I down the road to watch for a truck j i with ne one light We brightened ned theother the tho other gum lim and sure enough when I we came on to the tile next booth there was a a. copper walking wal jp ip and down lIe He gave our two lights tho on once e I over 0 and n 1 passed us us' us up I dont don't know why some nights ts seem longer longe than others but they do I was I glad when that one was over I STEVE WAS GOOD FIXER Steve was always alwa's he heard rd teepee teepee- fully fuMy by the men men for lor he Is 51 l' l reputed to bo be fhe he best fixer in the busl bust ness I have never known exact exact- ly l' what a fixer is Som Sometimes et mrs I I suspected that tha t Steve occasionally found somebody in an official po position po- po who was Vas willing to take tale a little small change and say ay nothing nothing noth noth- ing lag Certainly one reads of these thes cases In the newspapers newspapers Steve and the others though avoided this thi subject cL I dont don't J know now why buit bu but I it appeared u d to oo bo boone one topic the they neVer never wanted anted to talk on Another was tl the master m s er mind who 1 pu put up IW the the- cash for 01 all th Jr opera tiona 3 T They Y n ner er once his they o otI ot I him hini as as lh the tl boss bots 11 I hn imagined li he Ie wIts was tl elt either l' l a. a Wall street b broker broke the owner of a n hotel or 01 a big man man mah- I Iu u Perhaps he was all three I At east ea t the allusions to him in indicated in- in it Hes got ot to be car careful tul ul Be Ben Benl BenI I l' l explained because he has got s so 50 many deals on BOSS WAS SQUARE The men regarded their boss with wit considerable rind and loyalty They said he he was on on- the square anti and n never v r Wanted them to face fac any extra d danger for the sake o oa of t a little added profit However I II I gathered that bootlegging was a aI I pretty remunerative profession fo for forI him hInt Ke lie ran less risk than h his I men and his IIlo ts were from fromI I to any good week weel I Ben got 3 for or every Case cose h he heI brought In n from Rum Row an and I Joe who vho received the l liquor quor wa also paid 3 apiece pece for the eases case he turned satel safely over to Steve Ste fo for transportation Arent Aren't you scare scared every minute mInute min ute of your our life jfe that you'll be beI C caught I asked suddenly one I Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow-Taic Talc of Curious Hans I Copyright 1926 by bt Current News Fea Features tures Inc |