Indiscretions of Archie

tensely. He was not a naturally querulous man, but he did feel at th

name av

it, explained his presence in a few well-chosen words, and generally have passed the whole thing off with ready tact. But t

lintering crash announced that the Law, having gone through the formality of knocking with its knuckles, was now getting busy with an axe. A moment later the door had give

order of his going but had hopped it, would not waste time in searching a presumably empty apartment. If, on the other hand, they were the obtuse, flat-footed persons who occasionally find their way into the ranks of even the most enlightened constabularies, they would undoubtedly shift

as it was succeeded by a general trampling of large boots in the direction of the door and then by silence, he gathered that the pack, having drawn the studio and found it e

e was empty. No sound d

th the world. At last things were beginning to brighten up a bit, and life might be said to have taken on some of the aspects of a good e

tly one of our snappiest dressers, found that it did not harmonise with the deeper meaning of the tweed suit, removed it, chose another, and was adjusting the bow and admiring the effect, when his attention was diverted by a slight sound which was half a cough and half

he obs

drawers. He gulped. "Of course, I can see you're thinking all this pre

th which a moment before had looked incapable of being opened except

ssi

er. It was like alligators roaring

ere entered an even larger guardian of the Law than the first exhibit. He, to

Ireland!"

n a practical comment on the situation. Having uttered them, he

im?" he enquire

e attimpting to d

re triumph of the underling whose sound advice has been overruled by those above him. He shifted his wholesome (or, as some say, u

lly this long time past; but that he should be arrested had been outside his calculations. Of course, he could put everything right eventually; he could call witnesses to his character and the purity of his intentions; but in the meantime the whole dashed business would be in all the papers, embellished with all those unpleasant flippancies to which your n

know! I mean,

ted the rather l

slightly smaller colleague, "wil

first speaker, twiddling his club

scenario, the two relapsed into silence. Officer Cassidy restored h

l error, my dear old constables. I'm not the lad you're after at all. The chapp

cer Donahue permitted the left corner of his mouth to twitch slightly, and a momentary muscular spasm disturbed

all say!" observ

ne of talk," said Officer C

's morning," sai

emory stir

seems familiar to me, somehow. I'm almost

o constables exchanged a glance of austere disapproval. Thi

s," said Archie, astounded, "you surely aren't labouring under the impression that I'm the Master-Mind they were talking about in t

which rumbled up from his interior l

y was going to turn out a ruddy Englishman, I'd hav

considered the p

Archie with an unfriendly eye. "I know th' s

d Officer Cassidy, severely; "but don't be s

," protested Archie,

r Donahue, moodily, "the Shannon

utely!

sidy uttere

gested, brightly, "an' tell th' Cap. he

an who got these luminous inspirations himself, but that did not prevent him appreciating them in others

the head, Tim!" he e

e to me," said Mr.

reat idea

," said Mr. Cassidy, with a c

e of the exceptional physical gifts of these two men. The New York police force demands from those who would join its ranks an extremely high st

w," he observed

commanding voice spok

y! What the devi

of a police captain. The new arrival was a far smaller man than his subordinates-so much smaller that it did Archie good to look at him. For a long tim

you left y

was pleasingly instantaneous. They seemed to shrink to almost no

Donahue

plaze

also saluted,

ike this

with a glance and, leaving him con

, who hadn't known he could talk like that, "accordin' to instructions, when I heard a suspicious noise. I crope in, sorr, and found this duck-f

seemed to Archie that he looked

is

ter-Mind

e w

sorr. The man

e, though relieved, thought he might have put it mor

cordially. "It's all a mistake, o

it

rig

the station. Do you mean to te

" said Officer Cass

el

uising himself, the way h

ool!" said

aid Officer Ca

you, D

, so

ives of these massive blighters with a word. It was like the stories you read about lion-tamers. Archie d

anded the captain,

my na

e you do

story, you know. Don't want

listen. You c

and so forth. What I mean is, you know how rotten you feel telling the deuce of a long yarn and w

hing, stop. If you're trying to tell me what y

time was money-the modern spirit

s bathing suit, y

bathin

my standing on a bally pedestal sort of arrangement in a diving attitude-for the cover, you know. I don't know if you have ever done anything of that kind yourself, but it giv

il are you ta

ked at him

making i

N

ng suit, don't you? The jolly old bat

N

s what you might call the good old pivot of the whole dashed affair, you see. Well, y

t co

r the ma

maga

bright little periodicals, you know, that yo

Archie with an expression of distrust and hostility. "And I'll tell you s

on a bally pedestal sort of arrangement and get a crick in the spine, and then d

t motive seemed to have the worst eff

o josh me? I've a

their professional career they did not often hear their superior make many suggestions wi

ld thing, nothing was fa

ewhere in the immediate neighbourhood something went off with a vast explosion, shattering the glass in the windo

ns of the Law sta

r," said. Officer

el

spake

el

g's explo

meant though it was, see

t had happened?" he demanded, with not

r affectionately regarding that barrel of his on the previous morning in the studio upstairs. J. B. Wheeler had wanted quick results, and he had got them. Archie had long since ceased to regard J. B. Wheeler as anything but a tu

aid Offic

el

rom upstai

came from upst

or

d stand at the front entrance to keep the crowd bac

ht,

let any

, s

n't. Come along, Donah

sorr!" said Of

on. Archie had not seen much of Mr. Moon, but he had seen enough to know that in certain crises his methods were sound and should be followed. Elmer Moon was n