"Morgue!" The Runt grew excited instantly. "That place where you keep
folks that get drowned or bumped off? Say, Captain, I'm here to tell
you Clay was the livest man in Arizona, which is the same as sayin'
anywheres. Cowpunchers don't take naturally to morgues. No, sir.
Clay ain't in no morgue. Like as not he's helped fill this yere morgue
if any crooks tried their rough stuff on him. Don't get me wrong, Cap.
Clay is the squarest he-man ever God made. All I'm sayin' is--"
The captain interrupted. He asked sharp, incisive questions and got
busy. Presently he reached for a 'phone, got in touch with a sergeant
at the police desk in the upper corridor, and sent an attendant with
Johnnie to the Police Department.
The Irish sympathies of the sergeant were aroused by the naive honesty
of the little man. He sent for another sergeant, had card records
brought, consulted a couple of patrolmen, and then turned to Johnnie.
"We've met your friend all right," he said with a grin. "He's wan
heluva lad. Fits the description to a T. There can't be but one like
him here." And he went on to tell the story of the adventure of the
janitor and the hose and that of its sequel, the resale of the
fifty-five-dollar suit to I. Bernstein, who had reported his troubles
to the police.
The washed-out eyes of the puncher lit up. "That's him. That's sure
him. If the' was two of him they'd ce'tainly be a hell-poppin' team.
Clay he's the best-natured fellow you ever did see, but there can't
nobody run a whizzer on him, y' betcha. Tell me where he's at?"
"We don't know. We can show you the place where he tied the janitor,
but that's the best we can do." The captain hesitated. "If you find
him, give him a straight tip from me. Tell him to buy a ticket for
Arizona and take the train for home. This town is no healthy place for
him."
"Because he hogtied a Swede," snorted Johnnie indignantly.
"No. He's got into more serious trouble than that. Your friend has
made an enemy--a powerful one. He'll understand if you tell him."
"Who is this here enemy?"
"Never mind. He hit up too fast a pace."
"You can't tell me a thing against Clay--not a thing," protested
Johnnie hotly. "He'll sure do to take along, Clay will. There can't
any guy knock him to me if he does wear a uniform."
"I'm not saying a thing against him," replied the officer impatiently.
"I'm giving him a friendly tip to beat it, if you see him. Now I'm
going to send you up-town with a plain-clothes man. He'll show you
where your friend made his New York debut. That's all we can do for
you."
An hour later the little cowpuncher was gazing wistfully at the
hitching-post. His face was twisted pathetically to a question mark.
It was as though he thought he could conjure from the post the secret
of Clay's disappearance. Where had he gone from here? And where was
he now?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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