Tim she liked. But for
all his Irish ardor he was wary. He had never asked her to marry him.
She thought she knew the reason. He did not want for a wife a woman
who had been "Slim" Jim's girl. And Annie--because she was Irish too
and perverse--held her head high and went with Collins openly before
the eyes of the pained and jealous patrolman.
Clay had come to Annie Millikan now because of what she had told him
about "Slim" Jim. This man was one of Durand's stand-bys. If there
was any underground work to be done it was an odds-on chance that he
would be in charge of it.
"I'm askin' you to stand by a poor girl that's in trouble," he said in
answer to her question.
"You've soitainly got a nerve with you. I'll say you have. You want
me to throw the hooks into Jim for a goil I never set me peepers on. I
wisht I had your crust."
"You wouldn't let Durand spoil her life if you could stop it."
"Wouldn't I? Hmp! Soft-soap stuff. Well, what's my cue? Where do I
come in on this rescue-the-be-eutiful heroine act?"
"When did you see 'Slim' Jim last?"
"I might 'a' seen him this afternoon an' I might not," she said
cautiously, looking at him from under a broad hat-brim.
"When?"
"I didn't see him after I got behind that 'How Many?' sign. If I seen
him must 'a' been before two."
"Did he give you any hint of what was in the air?"
"Say, what's the lay-out? Are you framin' Jim for up the river?"
"I'm tryin' to save Kitty.
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