1939-01-07 — Page 8

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MUTT AND JEFF

HELLO,GUS! SAY, I'LL BET YOU FORGOT ALL ABOUT THAT FIVE-SPOT I BORROWED FROM YOU LAST YEAR! DID YA?

NO! BUT I NEVER MENTIONED IT 'CAUSE I KNEW YOU'D PAY ME BACK SOOM'S YOU COULD!

THEN YOU MUST HAVE REMEMBERED WHAT I SAID WHEN I BORROWED IT!

SURE! YOU SAID I WAS A GREAT GUY, THE BEST FRIEND YOU EVER HAD AND YOU WAS MIGHTY GRATEFUL AND YOU WISHED ME ALL THE LUCK

IN THE WORLD!

YEP! THAT'S

WHAT I SAID ALL RIGHT!

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 7, 1939.

NOW IF YOU CAN

| LEMME HAVE ANOTHER

-FIVER THEN EVERYTHING )

I SAID GOES

DOUBLE!

By BUD FISHER

JUST FOR THAT I TAKE BACK

EVERYTHING

I SAID!

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THE DAILY SHORT STORY

Habitual Criminal

I had been giving Captain Noyce a talk on the attitude of the average citizen toward men who had served time and were turned loose in the world to fight their way against odds. I based my theme on the small chance un ex-convict had to go straight, even if he wanted to, because of the mistrust of people.

The captain listened respectfully, "That's right," he said. "That's all very true, but you're not talking about criminals. You're talking about men who have been sent to jail for mak- ing one mistake in life, for yielding

to

take

"Thornton was inclined

He thought Squint's word for it.. Squint ought to be given a break.

All right, Squint,' I said. 'You at headquarters to- drop around morrow. We'll have to file a report on this, you know.'

"Squint agreed, readily.

the. way back to headquarters I began to After all, think what a fool I was.

crime. Squint had a background of What if I'd let him slip through my fingers?

On

"But he showed up the next morn- ing, as bland and complacent as ever.

遗落

ex-

to temptation after a fierce struggle Squint, I said, you're a smart with their consciences. These men boy. You're smarter than the aver- aren't

criminals.

That habitual

Habit age criminal.

probably criminals remain criminals.

plains why you have no record other "Did I ever tell you about Squint than that bank job. You almost had Mallory? No? Well, Squint was sent me taken in.' up on a bank-robbing charge. It was "Squint's eyebrows flickered ever so his first offense. We had no record slightly. I don't get it, Cap.'

this. I against him.

"Well, Squint, it's like All we knew was that

I discovered that Otto he had associated most of his life checked up. with known crooks, and most of his was the baby who tipped off the po- relatives were crooks.

lice about the bank job. That's how you happened to be arrested... Other- wise we wouldn't have had a thing on you.'

"Squint was a model prisoner. He never gave us any trouble. He earn- ed his parole, served less than half his time. The day he was released he shook hands with the warden and said he'd had his fill of being be hind iron bars. He was going straight, "Well, sir, if ever a man appeared to have learned his lesson and de- cided to turn over a new leaf it was "A glow came into Squint's eyes. 'You're barking up Squint. Still, we watched him. Habit, But he smiled.

"Squint wet his lips. 'Well?' he said. "Well, Squint, we figure you were paying a debt. You're smart, but you with never would have been happy Otto still alive. So you arranged a little party.'

By James Freeman

you know.

We watched him for a the wrong tree, Cap. I didn't bump week and nothing happened. Then, off Otto. I got witnesses. You ain't ten days after his release, Tom Clancy, got nothin' on me, Cap, so you might the as well call it a day and let me go a patrolman, sent in a call to homicide, squad. A man had been straight like I want to.' killed. Tom was holding Squint Mallory.

"Ha!' I said. 'Let you go straight, eh?

de Squint, I've been in the "Bill Thornton and I went to the partment long enough to know that address Tom had given. It was a habitual criminals don't want to go rooming house. In a back room on straight, no matter how much of an the third floor we found the dead act they put on. No, Squint, I looked And you man, a gent we instantly recognized over Otto's corpse again.

that as Otto Stahl, a professional safe know it's a curious thing, but cracker. Otto had been shot through bullet entered Otto's neck horizontal- the neck.

ly. If the gun had exploded and killed were him when you dropped it, the lead Hall would have ploughed in at an angle. None Now, Squint

"Sitting around the room Squint Mallory, a man named and a girl named Belle Nash. of them seemed much perturbed.

him "I turned to Tom and asked how he happened to get on the scene so quick. Why,' said Tom, Squint here summoned me. from my beat.'

"It was an accident,' Squint said, rising. "We were having 2 little party. The four of us. I'd bought

"But Squint had whipped a gun from a shoulder holdster, as I knew of he would; and was on the point killing me, and would have succeed- ed, except that Bill Thornton stepped from behind a door and grabbed him, as I planned.

a new gun. Oh, I have a permit, "You see, I anticipated these things he smiled. 'It was a swell gun and because I knew that a habitual cri- Otto wanted to see it. I got it out minal stays that way."

and showed it to him. It's a lon

(Copyright, 1988, By The As-

time since I'd had a gun in my handsociated Newspapers). I accidentally dropped it. It went

off and killed Otto.'

"I looked at Squint a long while.

His face was bland, complacent. The story he told was just fantastic' enough to be true. If he had killed Otto, he certainly wouldn't have sent for the police. Criminals aren't as smart! or as brave as that. No, it looked like the thing really was, an accident and Squint wasn't taking any chan- ces on being accused, in being picked. up, for something he hadn't done..

"Then there was the girl and the man named Hall to consider. were witnesses. They would that Squint's story was true.

They swear

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