Show CHILD OF EVIL 0 OCTAVUS y ROY COHEN by OCTAVUS OC S ROY COIEN COHEN d CHAPTER kill continued 13 A half hour since the doors of the bon ton P pool ool room had swung open and mr erril ernie a watts had barged into the smoke laden atmosphere his first quest question lo n was directed at the house in g general and induced a solemn hush he asked who tore down that pitcher I 1 pasted on the window this afternoon A lanky young gentleman clad in a blue flannel shirt and decrepit trousers trouse is answered eagerly andy forrest tore it down how come he seen it on t the h e w window an C ome come t in n he r ripped I 1 it right off an then he said things what kind of things pool games ceased cues were racked and mr watts found himself the center of an avid group the y situation appealed to hl him m since he considered himself a r rather a th cince r tough person he hooked thumbs through belt straps and worded his question again what sort of things did andy forrest say ernie declared the tall one sadly he said terrible tur things he called yo you out of yo name me well he say you ezack ly on account of we admit yo you U done it but he said the teller feuer which did it was a was a was a what well I 1 reckon you can guess what he said he was mighty het up ernie tried to look grim what else did he say he said some day he was coln to find out who put that pitcher on the window an then he was goin to beat that teller feller up oh he said that did he he sho did ernie honest of cose we teu tell him it was you why not we e eflee ell we aim to git you in no trouble we know was you scared of him or not mr watts rose to the crisis he announced in a large and booming voice that he of nobody an least of oil all andy forrest somebody said you better had be andy said he was going to mop up with you ernie fancied himself a brave young man and a considerable fighter he realized that he was on trial that his reputation for or courage ft would st stand nd or fall all on the manner in which c h he handled this situation he inquired 1 loudly wheres andy forrest at now hes down to warners garage well im goin down there an find out if hes so dawg gone tough what im goin to do they applauded him they in I 1 formed him that he was some man they expressed apprehension for or andy they said go along and watch the combat aint goin to be no fight sneered ernie watts this andy forrest dont know noth in about fightlin figh tin they milled around the he corner of monument square and moved en masse down palmetto avenue warners sudden service garage was on the corner of that main thoroughfare and atlantic street it was a great cavernous place with gas pumps in front aront andy and kay and jim and margaret and barney were in the little lin ifie ine shop at the rear when the front entrance filled with young men barney said lightly customers andy business is picking up andy glimpsed the crowd and sensed its hostility his lips set firmly and his eyes narrowed A new dignity sat upon him and he spoke quietly you all stay right here something wrong yen yeh but I 1 can handle it kay put her hand on his arm she belf elt suddenly ill knowing the k answer to the question she was I 1 about I 1 to 0 ask something about me andy maybe but you all aint got anything to do with it clad in overalls and alight a light flannel shirt andy moved down the middle of 0 the old warehouse toward the men who were crowding through the door andy said what do you want ernie watts stepped orward forward im kind of cravin to have a little talk with you andy go ahead i you was in the bon aon ton this afternoon er oon you yes you tore a pitcher off the window you yes an you said you was gonna whip the man that put it there I 1 you 11 F somebody said andy seems to have been tellin you the truth marg margaret i ret hamilton had been watching the scene with quiet ob servant eyes she leaned close to K kay ay iy and whispered do you know afie sheriff yes why S telephone him quick theres going to be trouble kay wa walked aked into the machine shop and whirled the handle of the wall telephone she got the residence of sheriff floyd griffin and spoke swiftly v then by a faso fasci noted hirron she returned to the big outer room andy and ernie watts had moved closet closer to one another ernies arnies friends blends a score of them had surged in through the wide op open en door barney and jim owenby stood silent and tense eyes and ups lips grim waiting it was andy who dominated the scene he moved closer to mr watts H he said was it you who put that picture on the window yes it was an what are you goin to do about it it if you walk outside with me ill show you ernie watts was a good tactician without warning he leaped forward and struck the blow caught andy high up or on the forehead and spun him around and ernie came in behind it his second punch landed squarely on andys jaw and andy went down he was dazed for just an instant tie he sprawled then clambered to hands and knees shaking his head he staggered to his feet but before ernie could attack again something happened barney and jim owenby leaped forward the former pinioned ernie watts arms the latter grabbed andy andy said im all right let me go ernie watts struggled with barney sensing an easy victory he fought to tree free himself from barneys barneis Bar amazingly effi efficient clent grip he yelled to his friends make him leave got gol ganging met mel somebody took the cue leave him got but barney did not leave him 9 go 0 he clung tighter and jim owenby Q rl a ohl oh he said that did be did not relax his grasp of andy until the crowd moved forward someone struck barney hard in the face barney released ernie watts and swung there were shouts and oaths and the grunts of nen men fighting the noise sifted through to the street it came to the ears of an elderly man a tall quiet old man who had driven his ramshackle car up t to 0 one of the gas pumps doc morrison got out of his car and looked inside he saw a crowd of men punching kicking cursing he recognized barney hamilton and jim owenby and a half dozen of the disreputable gang that made the bon ton pool room its head more important he saw t two w 0 girls at the far end of the garage garag e crouching against the wall hands pressed against white lips eyes wide and staring doc morrison said heyl quit ill no one heard or if they did they paid no heed barney and jim and andy were struggling valiantly with fine but futile effect they fought silently grimly they wast ed no breath in words barney was bleeding there was a lump under jim Owen bys left eye he swung bt at the man who had inflicted that lump mashing his lips the man an howled bowled with pain and insets insensate ate fury ury he backed away and picked up a ti tire retool tool from the floor kay screamed look out as the man with the crushed lips threw V t tire tie ti e tool jim owenby ducked steel implement flew through air there was the sickening sound of its impact upon human flesh there was a brief groan and the thud of a collapsing body there was blood trickling sluggishly from the face of an old man A voice was raised above the me lee the voice said good god fellers youve kilt doc morrison I 1 there was a momentary cessation of fighting then before it could be resumed the sturdy figure ot of sheriff floyd griffin came in through the door margaret said something to him and he whipped out a gun git back evy damned one ot of YOU youl the sheriffs eyes were blazing he meant business and they knew it they backed against the wall earney barney and jim and andy stood in the I 1 center althe of the floor balt battered Pred and bruised and bleeding one of the poolroom pool room gang lay unconscious kay ran forward and dropped to her knees beside the bleeding form of the old man dabbing at the ugly wound with a pitifully inadequate handkerchief the sheriff looked down at the figure of doe doc borrlson Morr lson he asked who done this there was no answer sheriff griffin glared at the others 1 I know evy last one of you and goin to pay tor for this he bent over doe doc morrison Morr lson he placed the gun beside him on the concrete floor hes bad hurt announced the sheriff in a solemn voice im holding all of you an it if he dies the hoodlums had lost their belligerence ll li gerence even these young me men had known and loved doe doc morrison they were from households in which the venerable doc had done his greatest charity somebody said in a hushed voice godl I 1 have hurt doc tor for nothing not hinl the sheriff said this town has stood for or a lot but this is some thin it wont stand for in the days which followed the citizens of beverly did not gossip they talked talked soberly and sanely murder and violence and drinking and gambling had not done this but a serious injury to doc morrison Morr lson was more than enough even the young men who had comprised the mob the bon ton hangers on were awed by the enormity of what they had done awed and frightened the poolroom pool room itself was suddenly deserted as though because the raid upon andy forrest had started from there a sigma had been put upon it the young men who chronically infested the place lost their boisterousness they declared to one another that they was sho sorry that there want no one of them that would of hurt doc morrison to fo bothin and they meant it contributing causes were forgotten in the actuality of docs injury for the first time in a month kay forrest was not the chief subject of conversation they talked about doe doc and of the flight in which he had been injured the night of the third day the citizens held a mass meeting there was little oratory men of substance spoke gravely quietly and seriously the spirit of the town had changed this impending tragedy stripped the town of civic pretense and made it acute ly aware of certain internal lems on the morning of the fourth day the physician in charge announced publicly that doc morrison had re gained consciousness and would recover that morning the sun shone that morning citizens ot of beverly smiled again and today they dared talk of what they would have done had doc died they had been afraid to speak of that before lest as some of them expressed it lest they put bad mouth on him A new wave of protest and indig nation swept the more distant distan t sec C tons ons of beauregard county pene brating deep into big and little moccasin swamps well meaning but definitely illiterate preachers once a gain again impressed upon their tiny congregations gregat ions that this was the work of the devil that the injury to doc had been the final warning of a providence roused to wrath they yelled hellfire and damnation A and in fil beverly itself the same sent ments were expressed though in di dit ferent and perhaps less violent la lan guage resolutions were passed petitions were circulated A special meeting of the town council was called aft er which mayor alee alec roberts tild held i a icing and earnest discussion with wit hS solicitor gabe dixon and sheriff floyd griffin the sheriff found himself fighting for right and justice first because that promised the greatest number of votes in in the not too dis tant primary and secondly be cause he too had been deeply fond of doe doc morrison sheriff griffin thereupon visited robbie morse owner and operator of the white star hotel he saidi 1 aint happy to tell you robbie but things has got to be diffenb fum now on diffenb din Dif fent en t how no mo me licker to be sold heah or drunk either to fo that matter mr morse shook his round head sadly 1 I seen that comin the minute them crazy young bucks hurt doc morrison Morr lson he tried to find some solace in the situation but tourists aint concerned conce ined about this thing are they floyd 1 I reckon not yo business s should hould go on bein good the sheriff lumbered upstairs to the corner suite which had been oc coupled by kirk reynolds the suit in the living room of which dan creedon still operated the dice g game ame dan was seated by the window in his shirt sleeves he was a tall stony individual with sad steady eyes and a laconic manner he said dowdye Ho sheriff and floyd griffin said dowdye Ho cree don then he saw the other mccu pant of the room the vivid brunette who stood near the window In I 1 noising oldrig down upon sluane the sheriff said Il manin lawnin miss lien hen kel acl her voice was flat and tired she said good morning floyd griffin returned his atten tion to dan creedon Cr cedon doe doc morrison Morr lson Is popular he heah ah all I 1 been hearing for or three days theres been an things the whole town is sad yeah so what the sheriff gestured toward the adjoining room through the dice game uh huh creedon shrugged get over it nope folks mean business this time the guardian of law lav and order fidgeted idge fidgeted ted nor neither that aint all Cre creedon cdon what do you mean that aint all you gotto got to get out ot of town so and suppose I 1 dont floyd griffins eyes narrowed 1 I know you aint plumb fI foolish ish creedon when they say to git out why I 1 reckon you got sense enough to do it sure but listen it if I 1 close up the dice dlce game that aint enough not to hurt yo fe tee hns elins creedon the towns kind of fed up with you an im tellin you man to man an friendly like that it be awful healthy tor for you to stay heah 1 I get you how much time have I 1 got ohl oh thee fo days so long as folks biks know youre really fixin to go why I 1 can keep em satisfied A taint faint smile flickered across Cre edons thin lips he said four days then and ill scram anything anything else yeh the sheriff looked more uncomfortable he said its about you miss henkel big black eyes flashed up to his the lithe figure stiffened she asked what about me you got to git out too why because evy body says you got to now I 1 aint almin aimin to make you feel bad miss henkel but folks has kind of 0 stood all willin to stand t d CHAPTER XIV for perhaps five minutes after the departure of sheriff griffin babe honker henkel said nothing more dan creedon watched her sympathetically eventually he spoke and his voice was kindly he said snap out of it babe she turned shouldering ing eyes upon him the lousel louse she snapped griffin youre crazy he cant protect us any more because they wont let him 1 I aint thinking about that dan im talking about running us out of town well he shrugged theres nothing to do but scram she came closer and leaned over the table her eyes boring into his she said what you think sure I 1 do well youre wrong now listen babe 11 you listen to me this town aint gone suddenly moral things dont happen that way its a cover up for what ft hat for barney hamilton they dont want to do anything to him so getting rid nd of us dan sid maybe and what can we do about it plenty what tor for instance babe was tense she said dan boti aint gonna take this sitting down are you tou you aint willing to blow without anybody even having been punished for killing kirk he shook his head 1 I dont like to if what you mean but listen babe me and you we cant buck a whole town she said barney hamilton killed kirk 1 I suppose he did but everybody in town thinks he had good cause well I 1 dont you see I 1 hard boiled with kirk I 1 was pretty crazy about him sure suie you were if I 1 had been bumped off kirk have checked out without doing something about it would he different how youre a dartie dame she placed her hands palms down on the tabletop table top the long slender fingers w with th ther their crimson naus nails were trem trembling Pling before I 1 leave this b burg rg 11 she announced the guy that killed kirk is gonna get his dan creedon was worried dont go getting yourself au all worked up the cards are stacked against you babe going yellow on me answer that tor for yourself youre fixing to run out 1 I know when im beat well I 1 dont her voice was hard you can blow whenever you get good and ready me im gonna do something creedon |