howling bundle."

"None o' that, young feller," McGinnis snapped him up. "You'll give me
nothing and you'll come sharp and straight to the station. Now I know
there's something back o' this."

"But I haven't time," Barnes objected. "It's most horribly important
that I should find"----

"Chop it! Chop it! You'll come with me, and you'll lug that infant. If
you won't come quiet I'll slip the nippers on you."

Barnes realized the hopelessness of the situation and looked about him
wildly.

"Stop that taxicab, officer," he urged, as he saw one of the vehicles
approaching. "I can't walk like this. I'll pay the fare--I'll pay
everything."

McGinnis consented to this arrangement. The taxicab stopped. A few
minutes later it bore the sergeant, his prisoner and the still howling
infant to the threshold of the East Eighty-eighth street police
station.

McGinnis consented to carry the infant as they got out and once inside
the station lost no time in turning it over to the matron.

"Hello, McGinnis," said Lieut. Einstein from the desk; "what's all
this?"

McGinnis explained in a few crisp sentences.

"Is the captain in, Lieutenant?" he asked. "This young fellow is after
trying to bribe me."

Barnes protested that such a thought had never entered his head.

"I simply told him," he declared hotly, "that I had an important
engagement"----

"Looking for a policeman, he says."

"For a friend. I may have said policeman--I may have said anything in
such a beastly situation. I am sure that when the captain hears me he
will understand immediately."

"That may be true, sir," said the lieutenant politely, "but the
captain is out at present and won't be back till after midnight. If
you want to, you can sit in the back room and wait for him."

Further protestations were unavailing. With a sigh of despair Barnes
permitted himself to be led to the back room, where he dropped down on
a chair and looked savagely about him.

The room was empty and there was nothing to gaze at save four blank
walls and a black cat sitting in a corner idly washing its paws. Now
and then a door opened, a face peered in and the door shut again.
Somewhere a clock ticked dolefully.

An hour passed while the young man sought in vain to enchain his
incoherent thoughts. He could think of nothing vividly. He could
recall nothing at all.

Whenever the wail of that infant the matron was caring for reached him
he writhed and ground his teeth.

In this