• r
, t
J -I
Big Jim Prato* 1 wall
reason for tkis smile
he was reading, a letter f>om his ton
for Chriit-
sajring he would be
mas from college. It h*d been a loig
time since Jim had sedn the boy. dhe
to the work he was int hut now thbt
he was the boas he could do just wh it
he pleased and no
dispute (lim. Let alone \
At the same mor
totter down, two thugs walked into the
building and up to thf door mark+d
Fenton Enterprises; “Di* is da place.
s#id the taller of the
ia." Once inside the ebes o£ the two
jlace? Look
lin'l datH
at
men opened in
didcha ever see such a
dem plush chairs and
rcg on de floor. I’ll bek dat coat
a grand.” He sure mufct want somr
thin’ awful important.
de way front Chi. Mkyhe
da big thnc after all.”
»■ woolf dare
touch his bey
he laid tie
two. ^Let’s fo
“JeOx
haialin' us all
we’re in
in the lfidd>«
hi(n that and
had made his
Big Jim did want tb if*' the twi
men. Big Jim as be iras;c*lled was
the biggest racketeer
West. His friends told
he believed them. Jim
way to the Up the hard) way, A coupl
of yeara in the reform school had
done nothing but set him iagainst so
ciety in the strictest
word. Now don’t go
hadn’t been in the
since he had been re
foim school. They
thing on him; he was
ed by an air-tight alibi. He was rich
now and coudl hire Mto.Mtkr* and
thieves, if they got caught, wHl, hell!
of the
Big Jim
of the las-
from re-
’t pin any-
ys protect-
so what?
There was. as far an Jim was con
cerned, only room for lone on top, a
thought that was goieg to bo well
token care of. Big Jim was beginning
to worry %nd the cause! of i this worry
was and up and coming gangster
named Tony. wagn't a big shot
bat he was tough and being tough
kept him one jump aread of all the
other West aide mobeteis. He was
friendly when it wag time to be
friendly and • cold hewrted gunman
when It was the least bit necessary.
If
V
s
1 — ■ -1
The West shtoilmd been without a
leader siuto - 9* n had been dealt a
deuce htgk hand in apt nee high game,
that had been ohly a year ago too.
They hod been wiking orders from
Big Jim on the East aide. Tony had
a small mob he had organised when
he thought Big Jim had given him a
raw deal and hftf was giving Jim’s
illegal tarket pain by stealing a3
the liquof of Jim’s he could find. It
' • (pain to> Jim that he
to tire erf the gam-
to stop, but first he
would u o Teny.,i
Tony entered Big Jim's office six!
walked to the secretoiy’s desk. He
leaned over the rail and kissed her.
She was his wife, which was a trick
in Tony’s favor, he knew everything
that went on in the office. “Show me
in honey,” said Tony.
Big Jim stuck out a thick well
groomed hand to Tony; “How are ya.
Tony? Gbd ya defkted to drop in."
“Alright, ahrighti jtrfeat’s the gag”’
Tony replied. JithV pupil* dilated—but
quickly resumed their natural site
again. “Why I jttst wanted to talk to
ya about the West side.” “You know
I haven't much time to take cure of
H, with all the morngr 1 I am making
over here add I ! jtbought nwybe you
would lik« to take charge.” Tony be
gan his port by slapping Big Jim on
the shoukter, “Hour would I like? Bt»y
it's a hundred per cent with me.”
“I'm glad you like it Tony, and now
if you wBl excuse me 1 have some
work to do. Say why don't you drop
around the house fos^ dinger next
Saturdsy about nine? Well discuss it
them.”
*0. K
I 1 u*
it’s a date.’
After Tony had gone Biff Jim laugh
ed, he laughed se hard hr had tear*
in his eyes, and why not? He and
Tony dWW.ipl* Md he was still on
top. That's thu (trouble with these
tough guys. They just aren’t very
smart. I !
Saturday canto and with H came the
two thugs from Chicago that Big Jim
Ifl
iLi
: i
*i ’ 1! \ ] J|
> !
had sent fbr. They were ushered into
Big Jim’s conference room. “Boy*,”
began Jim, “I got a job for ya. It’s
a job that must be done perfect -so
perfect thdt he don't live to talk. I'm
paying ya the best and I want the
best. Herf's the plan. I want you
and your buddy to take this tommy
gun and rent a room across the street
from my bouse. Ill give you the ad
dress later. At nine o'clock or a little
before a man will start up the stops
of my hodse. When he puts his foot
on that bottom stop, blast him and be
sure ya got him. Now that’s all, aad
-to make jt a deal, here’s half the
money and III mail the rest, so when
you are through beat it out of town.”
“O. K. boss We gotcha. You can
depend on<me n’ Lefty here. Well !>•
seeing ya.J
At seven o’clock Saturday evening
O’Leary answered his phone. “Hello.
Sergeant O’Leary?” a cautious voice
asked.
“Yeah
t in
is O'Leary.
“If you-want to see some excite
ment just be in front of Big Jim Fen
ton’s boude a little before nine to
night but stay out of sight. Never
mind who it is, just be there!” Tonv
then left the phone booth and went
out.
At eigijty thirty the flyer came
into the sjation and deposited a nice
looking ksi about twenty years old.
His thought* were about his father
and how gfad be would be to see him.
At exact!! the same time the train
left the. youngster at the ’Utation, Mg
Jim left the kitchen of hik home. He
had given orders to set the table for
two. It was almost nine so Big Jim
sat down jo his dinner. As he did So
hell broke'loose in front of his house.
He smiled, very complacently and con
tinued
Big Jim
: I
ate his last meal a month
later. He «rent to the chair in a dasa,
his mind tad left him when they fl-
eonrineed him he had hired
Idllers to murder his own son in cold
blood!
g . " ,
THE BATTALION