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There was a flash, the roar of the report, a swaying form, a revolver clattering to the floor and with a crash Slimmy Jack pitched forward and lay motionless. Then silence.
"Just gimme de price of one, Slimmy just one." "Coke!" exploded the Magpie. "An' get soaked to de eyes not by a damn sight!" "No! Honest to Gawd, no, Slimmy just one!" pleaded Larry the Bat. "Nix!" said the Magpie shortly. Larry the Bat thrust out a hand before the Magpie's eyes that shook tremulously. "I got to have it!" he declared, with sudden fierceness. "I GOT to see! Look at me!
"You're clear, Birdie." A tremor came to the other's face. "Clear?" repeated Birdie unsteadily. "Yes you get your chance. That's one reason why I came here to-night to spoil Slimmy Jack's play, to see that you got your chance if you really wanted it, as" he added whimsically "I was informed you did. Go ahead, Birdie make your get-away you're free." But Birdie Lee shook his head.
"I ain't fallin' fer steers!" he said shortly. "Dis is on de level." Jimmie Dale lurched up from his chair, and, leaning over the lamp chimney, drew wheezily on his cigarette to get a light. His eyes sought the Tocsin's face. To all intents and purposes she was entirely absorbed in the Magpie. He sat down again to gape, with well-stimulated, doglike admiration, at Slimmy Joe.
He stopped twirling the dial, and looked up. "Mabbe it'll take longer than we figured on. Are you sure there ain't no chance of Malay gettin' back? I'd rather stack up against every bull in New York than him." The twisted smile on Jimmie Dale's lips still lingered. So that was Slimmy Jack there, leaning against the safe! Slimmy Jack and Birdie Lee!
"He's de guy dat handed her one when she was young, an' she's been layin' fer him ever since! Sure! I know! Ain't I worked him fer her till I wears me shoes out tryin' to get somet'ing on him! Sure, she's in on it! Go on, Slimmy, wot's de lay? Wot do I do fer dat century?"
The night that half an hour ago had seemed so sterile, was crowding a program of events upon him now too fast! "Nothin' doin'!" he said thoughtfully. "Youse are in wrong dere, Slimmy. One o'clock don't go! Say, take it from me, I've watched dat guy too many nights fer Mag. 'Tain't often he leaves de club before one o'clock an' he ain't never in bed before two."
He stooped down, picked up the revolver from the floor, slipped it into his pocket, bent over Slimmy Jack for an instant to assure himself that the man was dead then stepping back to the safe, he laid his hand on the ex-convict's shoulder. "Birdie," he said quietly, "could you open this safe if you wanted to?"
HENRY LASALLE! Under the table, Jimmie Dale's hand clenched suddenly; but not a muscle of his face moved, save, as with the tip of his tongue, he shifted the butt of the cigarette that was hanging royally from his lower lip to the other corner of his mouth. "Sure! She's 'got' youse, Slimmy!" he flung out, with a grin, as the Tocsin wrinkled up her face menacingly and began to mumble to herself.
I can only hope and pray that this will reach you in time, and " He read on, in a startled way now, to the end; then read the note over again more slowly, this time muttering snatches of it aloud: "... Chicago ... Slimmy Jack and Malay ... Birdie Lee ... released from Sing Sing to-day ... triangular scar on forehead over right eye...."
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