wall, and stood between her and the two men.

"What do you thugs want?" snapped the criminologist, as he clenched the
cane tightly and held the handkerchief in his left hand. There was no
reply. The men realized that he knew their purpose--one dropped to a
knee position as the other sprang forward. The famous football toe shot
forward with more at stake than ever in the days when the grandstands
screeched for a field goal. At the same instant he swung the loaded cane
upon the shoulders of the upright man, missing his head.

The second man swung a blackjack.

The first, with a bleeding face staggered to his feet.

The handkerchief went up to the mouth of the active assailant, and to
Helene's astonishment, he sank back with a moan. Shirley pounced upon
his mate, and after a slight tussle, applied the handkerchief with the
same benumbing effect. Then he rolled it up and tossed it far from him.

He took a police whistle from his pocket and blew it three times. His
assailants lay quietly on the ground, so that when the officer arrived
he found an immaculately garbed gentleman dusting off his coat shoulder,
and looking at his watch.

"What is it, sir?" he cried.

"A couple of drunks attacked me, after I wouldn't give them a handout.
Then they passed away. You won't need my complaint--look at them--"

The policeman shook the men, but they seemed helpless except to groan
and hold their heads in mute agony, dull and apparently unaware of what
was going on about them.

"Well, if you don't want to press the charge of assault?"

"No. I may have it looked up by my attorney. Tonight I do not care to
take my wife to the stationhouse with me. They ought to get thirty days,
at that."

Shirley took Helene's arm, and the officer nodded.

"I'll send for the wagon, sir. They're some pickled. Good-night."

As they walked up to the nearest car crossing, Helene turned to him with
her surprise unabated.

"What did you do to them, Mr. Shirley?"

"Merely crushed a small vial of Amyl nitrite which I thoughtfully put
in my handkerchief this afternoon. It is a chemical whose fumes are used
for restoring people afflicted with heart failure: with men like these,
and the amount of the liquid which I gave them for perfume, the result
was the same as complete unconsciousness from drunkenness.--Science is a
glorious thing, Miss Helene."

CHAPTER XVII. IN WHICH SHIRLEY SURPRISES HIMSELF

They reached the hotel without untoward a