nnie sharply.

"She's not my girl," explained Clay. Then, with that sure instinct
that sometimes guided him, he added, "The young lady I--I'm in love
with has just become engaged to another man."

Miss Millikan looked at him, frankly incredulous. "For the love o'
Mike, where's her eyes? Don't she know a real man when she sees one?
I'll say she don't."

"I'm standin' by Kitty because she's shy of friends. Any man would do
that, wouldn't he? I came to you for help because--oh, because I know
you're white clear through."

A flush beat into Annie's cheeks. She went off swiftly at a tangent.
"Wouldn't it give a fellow a jar? This guy Jim Collins slips it to me
confidential that he's off the crooked stuff. Nothin' doin' a-tall in
gorilla work. He kids me that he's quit goin' out on the spud and
porch-climbin' don't look good to him no more. A four-room flat, a
little wifie, an' the straight road for 'Slim' Jim. I fall for it,
though I'd orta be hep to men. An' he dates me up to-night for the
chauffeurs' ball."

"But you didn't go?"

"No; he sidesteps it this aft with a fairy tale about drivin' a rich
old dame out to Yonkers. All the time he' was figurin' on pinchin'
this goil for Jerry. He's a rotten crook."

"Why don't you break with him, Annie? You're too good for that sort of
thing. He'll spoil your life if you don't."

"Listens fine," the girl retorted bitterly. "I take Jim like some
folks do booze or dope. He's a habit."

"Tim's worth a dozen of him."

"Sure he is, but Tim's got a notion I'm not on the level. I dunno as
he needs to pull that stuff on me. I'm not strong for a harness bull
anyhow." She laughed, a little off the key.

"What color is 'Slim' Jim's car?"

"A dirty blue. Why?"

"That was the car."

Annie lifted her hands in a little gesture of despair. "I'm dead sick
of this game. What's there in it? I live straight and eat in a
beanery. No lobster palaces in mine. Look at me cheap duds. And Tim
gives me the over like I was a street cat. What sort of a chance did I
ever have, with toughs and gunmen for me friends?"

"You've got yore chance now, Annie. Tim will hop off that fence he's
on and light a-runnin' straight for you if he thinks you've ditched
'Slim' Jim."

She shook her head slowly. "No, I'll not t'row Jim down. I'm through
with him. He lied to me right while he knew this was all framed up.
But I wouldn't snitch on him, even if he'd told me anything