FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69  
70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   >>   >|  
ar. The flare revealed Donaldson's eager eyes, his tense mouth. He carelessly snapped the burnt match to the lapel of Donaldson's coat and stooping to pick it off took occasion to whiff the latter's breath. "The sooner we start--" suggested Donaldson, impatiently. Saul stepped in, his two hundred pounds making the springs squeak, and sinking into a corner waited to see what he might learn from Donaldson's talk. The suspicion had crossed his mind that possibly the latter had got into some such way himself--it was over a year since he had seen him--and was taking this method to hunt up an all-night opium joint. His experience made him constantly suspicious, but unlike the regular police, a suspicion with him remained a suspicion until proven. It never gained strength merely by being in his thought. At the end of five minutes he had discarded this theory. Stopping the machine, he gave the cabby a real address in the place of the fictitious one he had first given in Donaldson's hearing. The latter's mind, supernormally alert, detected the ruse instantly. He placed a hand upon Saul's knee. "Beefy, you didn't suspect me, did you?" "What the devil is the matter with you then?" demanded Saul. "Nothing. What makes you think there is?" "The mouth, man, the mouth! You don't get those wrinkles in the corner and a tight chin by being left alone five minutes, if all that is troubling you is a lost friend." "You 're too confounded suspicious. It's only that I 've so many things to do, Beefy." "Business picked up?" Donaldson smiled. Saul had known his Grub Street life. As the cab sped on he regained his self-control. Action, movement was all he needed. For the next ten minutes he surprised Saul with his enthusiasm and loquacity. The latter having known him as a quiet and rather reserved fellow, finally decided that it was a clear case of woman. The questions he asked about young Arsdale, in securing a minute description of the man, confirmed this impression. The cab turned into the narrow cobbled streets of Chinatown, past the dark windows, Chinese stores and restaurants, a region that, deserted now, appeared in the early morning quiet ominous rather than peaceful. Dark alleys opened out frequently--alleys which coiled like snakes past cellar entrances, noisome rears of tottering tenements, to grease-fingered doors as impassive as the stolid faces of guards who drowsed behind them asleep to all sav
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69  
70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Donaldson
 

minutes

 

suspicion

 
alleys
 

suspicious

 
corner
 

control

 

Action

 

movement

 

surprised


loquacity

 
reserved
 

enthusiasm

 

needed

 

smiled

 

friend

 

confounded

 

troubling

 

wrinkles

 
Street

regained

 

fellow

 
things
 

Business

 

picked

 

description

 

snakes

 
cellar
 

entrances

 
noisome

coiled

 

peaceful

 

opened

 

frequently

 
tottering
 

tenements

 

drowsed

 
asleep
 

guards

 

fingered


grease

 
impassive
 

stolid

 

ominous

 

morning

 

securing

 

Arsdale

 

minute

 

impression

 

confirmed