Spring," said Murphy. "I got somethin'
for ya, see?"

"Is it worth while?" asked John.

"I'm not sayin' nothin' now, see?" said Murphy. "Just be there at ten
bells, see?"

"We'll be there," John told him.

"I wonder what he's stumbled across?" said Brennan when John informed
him of their appointment to meet Murphy.

"I asked him and he wasn't sayin' nothin', see?" said John.

"Don't," pleaded Brennan, "you'll have me doing it."

That night at a few minutes of ten they were standing on the steps of
the entrance to the Bryson block when Murphy, his peaked cap pulled
down far over his eyes and his coat collar turned up close around his
throat, sidled up to them.

"What's the big idea of covering up your face, Murphy?" asked Brennan.

"I'm takin' no chances of gettin' 'made,' see?" Murphy answered. "Made,"
John remembered, was the slang of detectives for identification. When a
person was "made" he was identified.

"Well, then, what's the program?" asked Brennan.

"I think I got them," Murphy replied.

"Got who?"

"De 'Gink' and dis bird Gibson."

"How?"

"Meetin' each other."

"The hell you say!" Brennan ejaculated. "Have you seen them together?"

"Well if de bird I figure is Gibson is him, I got 'em, see?"

"Where?" demanded Brennan.

"De Gallant kid here knows de place," said Murphy. "Remember da room
where ya got paid off when ya got pinched in de handbook raid?"

John nodded.

"Dat's da joint."

John recalled the windowless cubby-hole in the rear of the Spring
street saloon where "Slim" Gray, Cummings' lieutenant, had returned to
him the $10 he had put up in bail and $10 as compensation for having
been on hand when Gibson made the sensational raid.

"Murphy," said Brennan, "just start in at the beginning and tell us
about this and please don't put any more 'sees' into it than you
absolutely have to."

"Well, here's da stuff. Da other night I'm comin' in late from da fights
at Vernon, see? I'm between Main and Spring, see? when I make a bird
standin' all by his lonesome at da entrance to da alley. Dis bird is
kinda nervous and jumpy-like, see? and I figure he might be a stick-up.
I ain't got no jack with me, so I keeps on walkin' right at him, see?

"Well, I'm about twenty feet from him, see? when I make another bird
crossin' tha street toward him. When I get up to them, see? they're just
about to meet, see?"

"Murphy," interrupted Brennan, "for heaven's sake forget those 'sees.'"

Mu