lope. He flashed the
unbroken red seal at the officer, with a little laugh of triumph. That
laugh seemed to madden MacNutt, as he made a second ineffectual effort
to break into that tense and rapid cross-fire of talk.

"And you don't want to lay a charge?" the policeman demanded, as he
angrily elbowed back the ever intruding circle.

"Let 'em go!" said Durkin, backing toward his cab.

"But what's the papers, and what t'ell does _she_ want with 'em?"
interrogated the officer.

"Correspondence!" said Durkin easily, almost lightheartedly. "Kind of
personal stuff. They're--_he's_ drunk, anyway!" For stumbling angrily
out of the cab, MacNutt was crying that it was all a pack of lies, that
they were a quarter of a million in money and that the officer should
arrest Durkin on the spot, or he'd have him "broke."

"And then you'll chew me up an' spit me out, won't you, you blue-gilled
Irish bull-dog?" jeered the irate officer, already out of temper with
the unruly crowd jostling about him.

"I say arrest that man!" screamed the claret-faced MacNutt.

"And I say I'll run _you_ in, and run you in mighty quick, if you don't
get rid o' them jim-jams pretty soon!"

"By God, I'll take it out of _you_ for this, when my turn comes!" raved
MacNutt, turning, purplish gray of face, on the deprecating Durkin.
"I'll take it out of you, by God!"

"There--there! He's simply drunk, officer; and the woman has squared
herself. I don't want to press any charge. But you'd better take his
name!"

"Drunk, am I? You'll be drunk when I finish with you. You won't have
a name, you'll have a number, when I'm through with you!" repeated the
infuriated MacNutt.

"Look here, the two o' you!" suddenly exclaimed the outraged arm of the
law, "you climb into that hack and clear out o' here, as quick as you
can, or I'll run you both in!"

MacNutt still expostulated, still begged for a private audience in the
street-corner saloon, still threatened and pleaded and protested.

The exasperated officer turned to the cab-driver, as he slung the
street loafers from him to right and left.

"Here, you get these fares o' yours out o' this--get them away mighty
quick, or I'll have you soaked for breakin' the speed ord'nance!"

Then he turned quickly, for the frightened woman had emitted a sharp
scream, as her bull-necked companion, with the vigor of a new and
desperate resolution, bodily caught her up and thrust her into the
gloom of the half-cu