The man led him into the shadow of a nearby doorway. There were plenty of people passing, and Jack's own chauffeur was still within hail. He was not under any apprehension of an attack. "Is it worth a fiver to you?" the man whined. "McGann would half kill me if he knew I told." Jack displayed a five-dollar bill. "It is worth a fiver," he said, "but I'll hang on to it, until I hear what you have to say." "That's fair enough. Your friend come into McGann's about half an hour back. He was with a guy that's well known there. Wouldn't do you no good to know his name. He's a friend of the boss and a bad egg. They had one or two and your friend got groggy." "Doped?" said Jack. The man shrugged. "I didn't name it. Pretty soon the fellow that brought him there says to Stinger--Stinger's the big guy, the bouncer there--he says to Stinger: 'Me friend's real sick,' he says. 'We better put him to bed.' We all knows what that means." "What does that mean?" demanded Jack. "Oh, they was just going to roll him. But just as they was liftin' him up, a stranger come in, old man short and stoutish with a big mustache and a little chin whisker, not to say a swell guy but dressed real decent and genteel-like. He was old, but My God! he had his nerve with him. "'Put that man down,' says he. "'W'at the Hell is it to you?' says Stinger. "'He's a friend of mine,' the old feller says; 'I'll take him home.' "'The Hell you will!' says Stinger. 'Get out of here before I throw you out!' "'You won't do that,' the old man says, smiling real polite. "Then Stinger makes for him. The old guy pulled a police whistle. Stinger slung a chair at him, but he ducked the chair, and blew his whistle. The guy that brought your friend in, and some other guys that was wanted, beat it out the back way. The rest of us just sat there. Stinger rushed the old guy, but he pulled a gun and backed him off. "Well, a cop come running in, and here's the funny part. The old guy didn't make out to lay no charge against Stinger, but all of a sudden he made out to be friends with him. The old guy says: "'Sorry to trouble you, officer, but I had a friend here fightin' drunk, and he tried to make a rough-house when I wanted him to come home. But he's all in now; he won't give no more trouble. Just help me carry him out to my car, will you?' "Well, the cop on this beat didn't want to get in wrong with McGann, and Stinger didn't want no trouble with the police neither. So it all ended friendly-like. The cop and Stinger carried your friend out between them, and put him in the old guy's automobile. But say, Stinger cursed the old guy good when he was gone. "You don't know where they took my friend?" Jack asked.