something mighty
interesting."

The taxicab stopped at a corner, and Farland and Murk got out. Farland
paid the chauffeur and watched him drive away, and then he led Murk
around the corner.

"Know where you are?" he asked.

"Sure. Right over there is the little shop where Mr. Prale bought me my
new clothes," Murk said.

"Fine! That goes to show that Prale told the truth. Well, Murk, you
stand right here by the curb and watch the front door of that shop. And
when you see me beckon to you, you come running."

"Yes, sir."

Jim Farland hurried across the street, opened the door of the little
shop, and entered. The proprietor came from the rear room when he heard
the door slammed.

He knew Jim Farland and had known him for years. There were few
old-timers in that section of the city who did not know Jim Farland. The
man who faced the detective now was small, stoop-shouldered, a sort of a
rat of a man who had considerably more money to his credit than his
appearance indicated, and who was not eager to have the world in general
know how he had acquired some of it.

"Evenin', Mr. Farland," he said. "Anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Maybe you can and maybe you can't," Farland told him. "You been
behaving yourself lately?"

"What do you mean, Mr. Farland? I've been trying to get along, but
business ain't been any too good the last year."

"Save that song for somebody who doesn't know better!" Farland advised
him. "Change the record when you play me a tune."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Farland?"

"Remember a little deal a couple of years ago?" Farland demanded
suddenly.

"I--I----"

"I see that you do. One little word from me in the proper quarter, old
man, and you'll be doing time. You've sailed pretty close to the edge of
the law a lot of times, and once, I know, you slipped over the edge a
bit."

"I--I hope, sir----"

"You'd better hope that you can keep on the good side of me," Jim
Farland told him.

"If there is anything I can do, Mr. Farland----"

"Do you suppose you could tell the truth?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm going to give you a chance. If you tell the truth, I may forget
something I know, for the time being. But, if you shouldn't tell the
truth--well, my memory is excellent when I want to exercise it."

Farland stepped to the door and beckoned, and Murk hurried across the
street and entered the shop.

"Ever see this man before?" Farland demanded.

The storekeeper l