Show 1 10 fl T Telegram f. f C I i F. F Fiction LOVELY LITTLE T IL 1 FOOL CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN i starkly w f 7 By phy Phyllis Moore Gallagher CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN i SonIa lived in a big apartment apart apart- ment house near the capitol in the northeast It had been one of the most expensive and colorful hotels in Washington when It w was wa first built Congressmen senators cabinet cabinet cab cab- inet met members s and their families rich tourists International celebrities celebrities celebrities celeb celeb- had stayed there But that thai was a long Jong time ago It was old fashioned now with wheezy plumbing and rat rat eaten wainscoting and fire es escapes apes that ran from the roof to the first floor noor with a dr drop p ladder to the ground Tige Williams stood in the tho shadows of ot the tradesmen's alley staring at that fire tire escape and at the tho front apartment on the sixth floor that was lighted up The shades were ere ere drawn and the long windows were up a little from the bottom for air Occasionally the elongated shadow of a girl passed the windows inside the apartment from the kitchen to the bedroom through the parlor He waited now pow until the colored girl In uniform at the thc switchboard whom he could see through the lobby windows she was evidently a combined telephone operator and elevator girl girl no no one else was on ori duty duty duty- pulled the snakes out of their plugs got up and went in answer answer answer an an- to the insistent buzz of the elevator Then Tige ran down the alley Into the apartment house up one flight of stairs after another on the jump until he reached the sixth floor He hurried through the hall hail climbed out of the window onto the fire ire escape He glan glanced quickly toward the street It was quiet It had just begun to snow lightly He hugged close to the brick waIl wall so o that he couldn't be seen from below If anyone did chance to come along and picked his way carefully over over the iron grates grates' because the snow was making them slippery He went to the window that opened ned into Sonia's living room When he heard her go into the kitchen he raised the lower pane lower pane and squeezed silently through the opening taking his gun out of ot the shoulder h holster lster under his left arm beneath his coat The X Two Inside ho tiptoed cautiously across the the room room to the kitchen door swung it open and quietly stood on the threshold playing with the gunin gunin gun gunin in his fingers as carelessly as he might a case He said Hello Sonia Hows How's tricks Sonia who was taking a bottle of milk from the ice box swung around on h her r heel going as white as the milk in her hands her dark eyes standing out black and frightened frightened frightened fright fright- ened because because- of her sudden pallor She saw the veins in his neck that had swelled to livid welts the bloodshot eyes the gun glistening in his hand She knew that he had bad been drinking She said Tige And then more I calmly Theres a 8 bell on my door fellow Or Ot wouldn't you know ow how She tried to smile to ring a bell 1 but it vas was only nIya a a. a pitiful terrified I something that wavered red between I them i Tige said I aint much for fori ringing bells see I aint much uch for trustin squawking dames with tele tele- phones I dont don't suppose you know about tip the Feds got on me and the Willoughby sneeze You couldn't be the one that pulled the X two-X the cross You wouldn't want t to see your old pal burn would you kid hid 1 You aint got no motive Them smart motive dicks say you gotta have a before you pull a rubbing out job or turn squealer You dont don't like ah 7 that word squealer Sonia said the words choking in her throat and coming through her lips strained and quivering Take it easy Tige Take it easy Yeah that's what Im I'm gonna do see Im I'm gonna blow this to town n. n to to- to night But before I g go theres there's s just justa a little matter about mot motives ves that you and me have gotta discuss You I like to listen to stories sister Well Ven park It there and lemme lemma tell you one I The Only Decent Thing didn't move but stood When a she starkly w f 7 I p y frozenly still I II Tige gave her a powerful I and sent her sprawling into the kitchen chair She hung onto the milk bottle in In- and Tige leered at her and grabbed it from her I got gal popped on the once see Ste by that Seymour dame and I aint keen about them knots that bottles bottled brings out He threw It to the sink where the glass crashed on lite porcelain and the milk spattered o oyer oer er the wood-drain wood and against the pea green painted wall Tige said Ive lve spent a lot of potatoes on a dancer I know sec see A little who vho was hoggish who took a lot Jot and give Then I cough up to this twist a thousand Gs Ga see and I get to What's this d dame me doing with all aU that dough And I follows her She goes to the hospital hospital hos has pital every day and nights after the show to sec see a guy what's busted up in a plane And she cries on account account account ac ac- ac- ac count of ot he may be blind and aint got enough potatoes to save his lamps And then theres there's a Fed re reward reward reward re- re ward ballyhooed for the murderer of ofa ofa a a. a Park avenue shot shot shot-a a guy named Willoughby This is a clever dame see She riggers figgers Now 1 If I could get those hase ten Gs Ga in the reward I could save my sweeties sweetie's eyes and atthe at atthe the same time have this other mug I In m two minutes Id I'd be on velvet That's what the dicks call caU calla a motive see and that's what some guys Tige Williams calls a double xing rat A cross A-cross cross Suddenly Sonia jumped up from the chair Her face was white with the terror that clutched at her heart But her eyes eyes burned fiercely She cried out All AIl right All right All All' right To hell heU with you Tige Yes its it's the tho X double-X And its it's the only dec decent nt taing I ever did in my life Youre You're a lowdown guy Youre You're not fit lit to live And they'll get you Crime isn't the racket It used to be benot benot benot not not with the men G-men who are lawyers and deep thinkers tracking I down thick skulls like you and your hot shots Go ahead Tige give it to me Im I'm a goner and I know it Im I'm not good enough for that guy anyway Hes He's only 20 years old and Im I'm a J. J thousand thousand-a a thousand miserable miserable mis mIs- erable crable filthy years old What arc are you waiting for What are you you you- Ho Heard Us' Us Something went off in that little kitchen like spit-spit-spit spit and Sonia reeled against the table clung to the top and slowly slumped to the floor Tige standing over her with a smoking gun did not hear the tho faint words that came like a prayer through her lips already choked with blood Terry blood Terry Terry II Ho He watched her dark eyes flutter and then close H He stared at ather ather ather her feet Tap shoes Fluffy white satin bows tiny bows tiny feet that had twinkled t on the boards of a stage and would twinkle no more He was vas standing there going softer than than- he had ever been in his life Ufe when a dark shadow came through the window off the tho fire escape In Inless Inless less than 30 20 seconds another killer kUter leader of ot a gang one of ot the most notorious criminals in tho the wave of ot crime lay Jay dead on the floor not four Inches from the lifeless body of the little dancer A young man G-man who had seen the dead girl dancing at a legation reception one night in the fall bithis bithis bit bithis his lips and said The reward wont won't do o her much good now He was staring down at her thinking she was too young too pretty pretty- to go out like that Another man said I think she signed a paper that if anything happened to her the money was to togo togo togo go to some aviator at Emergency Cracked up or something May be blind Someone in the small smaIl parlor was saying Williams must have wanted to die He didn't even reach for his gun Just stood there like he was in a trance He heard us all right Look at those ears Big as a Sultans Sultan's Sultans Sultan's Sul Sul- tans tan's fan T Tomorrow I When Betsy Beby went back down the stairs stair to her room after atter leaving John she slipped out of her debut gown and into flower printed pajamas pa pa- jamas She lay awake in bed for fora a a a. long while looking at the snow frosting on op the window panes living liv liv- ing lag over again in de detail all that had happened since the moment when John had come to his door in answer answer answer an an- t to her knock When she had said sald You wanted to know what Im I'm going to do about you John Well if It you still want t to m marry rry me couldn't we we-tomor- we tomor tomorrow row row he he had come out into the hall ball had p put t his arms around her II hard and quick and tender He had kissed the tho cr crown wn of ot her head I and the the little curls curb on her temple She had thought What does anything matter Ho loves me I 1 cant can't hope to o be happy again but Ill I'll be peaceful peaceful peaceful He had begg begged holding her close to look Jook down into her eyes Betsy tell teU tell me do me do you love me really me-really really love me sue Betsy Beb What was the use to confess the truth all the ie reasons sons why she had come coral to him She had closed her eyes for a m moment ment against his I question When she hid had opened them they had been full of tears She had said Yes Ye John Johnl I do love Jove you feeling somehow that it wasn't want quite a lie Jie She did love him But not in the way he meant He had been dear and boyish then and little hur hurts out of his bUs past put had crept into his words I need someone like Uke you Betsy Someone Some Some- one who loves Joves me Ive I've never had that Ive I've nover never had love Betsy Father has always been lost Jost in memories in hi his work I never knew my mother When I 1 was a a kid I suffered because I thought that I had killed her she her she died when I 1 was born and I I. I I ached for loving arms around me a soft bosom to take tako my troubles to Boys need a lot of ot love Oh God I love you and need you so Strangely she had wanted to hold him close then hardly knowing knowing knowing know know- ing why She had wreathed her arms around his shoulders in an ecstasy new to her and found his lips Ups with her own A flush lush swept to h her r cheeks afterward afterward afterward after after- ward and she had whispered It seems Im I'm always kissing you you you-or or asking you to kiss me John And he had held her gently to his heart his lips on her hair and said All AU my pty starved lonely boyhood was paid for by that kiss Betsy And now in bed Betsy watched the snowflakes feeling cold and lost beneath the soft quilts that her mother had made And when whim she finally ln ly fell into a 0 troubled sleep the thought ganged all aU night through her subconscious mind If If I didn't think I could make John happy I wouldn't marry marry- him like ilko this To be continued Thursday Copyright for The Telegram |