you know,
where two johns come up along side o' me. One rubs me with his elbow
and the other applies that brass knuckle,--then they gets pinched. I got
dressed up in a drug store, got the chauffeur's license number, and goes
on down to my office to see this girl. She's hysterical about his family
using all their money to put her in jail. I looks at her, and says, 'You
won't need their money to get to jail. That old man's dead!' Her eyes
was as big as saucers. 'I thought old Daddy Van Cleft was drunk.' I
tells her, 'He was dead in that taxi, with a chorus girl, and a roll of
bills gone. What you got to say?' She staggers forward and clutches my
coat, and what do you think SHE says to me?"

Shirley made the inquiry only with his eyes, puffing his cigarette
slowly.

"She looks sorter green, and repeats after me: 'Dead, with a chorus
girl, and a roll of bills gone,'--just like a parrot. Then she springs
this on me: 'My God, it's the third!'"

Shirley dropped his cigarette, leaning forward, all nonchalance gone.

"Where is she now? Quick, let's go to her."

He rose to his feet. Just then a door-boy walked through the grill-room
toward him. "A telephone call for Captain Cronin, sir; the party said
hurry or he would miss something good."

Shirley snapped out, "When has the rule about telephone calls in this
club been changed? You boys are never to tell any one that a member or
guest are here until the name is announced."

He turned toward the puzzled Captain.

"Did you ask any of your operatives to call you here? You know what a
risk you are taking, to connect me with this case like that, don't you?"

"I never even breathed it to myself. I told no one."

"Follow me up to the telephone room."

Shirley hurried through the grill, to the switchboard, near which stood
the booths for private calls. He called to one of the operators. "Here,
let me at that switchboard." He pushed the boy aside, and sat down in
the vacated chair.

"Which trunk is it on? Oh, I see, the second. There Captain, take the
fourth booth against the wall."

Cronin stepped in. Shirley connected up and listened with the
transmitter of the operator at his ear, holding the line open.

"Go ahead, here's Captain Cronin!"

A pleasant voice came over the wire. It was musical and sincere.

"Hello, Captain Cronin, is that you?"

"Yes! What do you want?"

The voice continued, with a jolly laugh, ringing and infectious in its
merriment.

"Well, Ca