Never-Fail Blake

d pallid, with the sedentary air of a junior desk clerk, vibratingly restless with no actual promise of being penetrating, he was of that indeterminate type which never seems to acquire a person

e the Department; he was, in a way,

was Copeland. Not that he could be sure of this, for Copeland himself gave no inkling of his attitude. He gave no inkling of anything, in fact, personal or impersonal. But more and more Blake was given the talking parts, the r?le of spokesman to the press. He was more and more posted in the

ion broke out at him. "A gun! why, you 're only a park gun! That's all you are,

to vent his anger. But he could find no tangible force that opposed him. He could see nothing on which to centralize his activity. Yet somet

his underlings, without loss of time, for he felt that he was about to be put on trial, that they were making the Binhart capture a test case. And he had rejoiced mightily whe

r he intended that his capture of Binhart should be not only a personal triu

, the day after his talk with Elsie Verriner, Blake prided himse

to the background, cracking his dry knuckles and blinking his pale-blue ey

case," began the Commissioner. "It'

d meditative belligerency in the look. There was also g

n to go out on that case," said the S

e man?" asked t

n to fat Havanas, which he smoked audibly, in plethoric wheezes. Good living had left his body stout and his breathing slightly asthmatic. He sat looking down at his massive

on and Wilkie?" inquired Blake,

re-at a standstill," ackn

ll stay!" heavily cont

g one to Blake. Every one else had failed. They w

manded hi

he trick! We have n't got a man who can go ou

ion?" It was Copeland who

, warm with the wine-like knowledge which,

the Commissione

who knows Binhart, who knows him

, who

declar

r indulged in h

own to your Second Deputy's chai

cou

asonable len

the time! But I coul

n the outside work?"

ig him out o' my stamp drawer," wa

er looked at each other, fo

g is," resumed the latte

y feeling is,"

ha

've got him six months ago, w

the monkey work,

ow

you can do!" was the

down a chair and hunt a

et the chair take care of itself

his hands exactly as he had manoeuvered they should. His reluctance wa

he arranging?" h

he morning. There will be n

re 's the

if you are wil

by pink-tea invitations. Somebo

eight thousand this week," inte

pped back the Second Deputy, remembering

at it costs," admitt

d, "they 'll have to hono

erposed the Commissioner. "The city wants Binhart. The whole c

the task before him. For one brief moment the anticipation of that clamor of approval which

t?" he demanded. "You want Bin

desk with his gold-banded fountain pen, s

will get him

ere were things, vague and insubstantial, which he could not understand. But he nursed to his heavy-breathing bosom the

almly proclaimed. "And I gu