credulity at the idea, but later events proved that my partner
was well justified in his prophecy. We had long before procured
a warrant for Brown's arrest and the only difficulty lay in executing
it upon a week-day. Sunday came and as usual Brother Brown, with
his customary bravado, made his appearance in the city. That
evening Gottlieb invited me to dine with him at the resort ordinarily
frequented by our quarry. True to his invariable custom, Brown
turned up there with a party of his cronies and spent the evening
in merry feasting, presumably upon the money of our client. It
was a clear, moonlight night and when the glowworm showed the matin
to be near--or, more correctly, when it neared twelve o'clock--
Brown beckoned to the waiter, paid his bill out of a fat roll of
greenbacks, winked good-naturedly at us, and bade his friends good-
night. A moment or two later Gottlieb whispered to me to follow
him and we stepped forth upon the street. Brown was strolling
quietly down Broadway toward Twenty-third Street. A short distance
behind followed a thick-set man with a square-cut jaw whom I had
frequently noticed in Gottlieb's office.

On the corner of the cross-town thoroughfare Brown paused, looked
first at the moon and then at his watch, and proceeded on his
constitutional toward the ferry. The street, save for a distant
and presumably somnolent policeman, was deserted. The thick-set
man crossed to the other side of the way, quickened his steps,
overtook and passed Brown, recrossed and sauntered toward him. A
moment later there was a collision between them, voices were raised
in angry altercation and presently Brown was rolling undignifiedly
on the pavement, his calls for the police rending the stillness of
the night. The officer hastily approached, whistling wildly for
aid. Gottlieb and I took refuge in an adjacent doorway. Abruptly,
however, Brown's outcries ceased. It is probably that a sudden
vision of the consequences of an appeal to police protection came
to him as he lay like an overturned June-bug upon the sidewalk.
But the law had been invoked. The car of Juggernaut had started
upon its course.

"What's the trouble here?" cried the policeman, as he arrived
panting upon the scene.

"This fellow here assaulted me!" instantly answered the man with
the bulldog jaw.

"It's a lie!" bellowed Brown, climbing to his feet.

"Well, what have you got to say?" inquired the officer.

Brown hesitated.