ly. I'll fight as any woman'll fight for a
baby. If you dare to touch him or let any of your sneakin' pals come
near him, I'll follow you till I see you behind the bars if I have to
follow you till Hell freezes over." Jim seemed as if he couldn't speak
for a minit, then his face got red and he come towards me. He said, low
and fierce like, "Tell me where that kid is." I said, and moved away
from him, "I won't tell you." He said again to me, "I say, tell me where
he is." I said again, "I won't tell you. He's planted where you'll never
find him." I was standing by the bed and he grabbed me by the throat,
and bent me over backwards, and his eyes just burned into mine. "Oh," he
said, "You won't tell me, you won't--we'll see if you won't, by--" and
just then the door opened and three plain clothes men and two cops
walked in. I don't know how it happened. I don't know nothing that
happened after Jim turned and knew the game was up, but there was three
quick shots all at once, and when the smoke cleared away, Jim was lying
on his back on the floor, one of the plain clothes men had a bullet
through his shoulder. They bent over and found that Jim was all in.
Pretty soon an ambulance come, and he was took away. The sergeant
talked to me, but I can't remember nothing he said. It all happened so
quick, that it seemed an awful nightmare, and I just sat there, saying
"yes and no" to the sergeant, not understanding nor caring. When they
all went away, Tom Cassidy stayed behind, and he come up to me, and put
his arms around my shoulders and said, "You poor little red head, you do
seem to be getting more than your share, don't you?" And at that I just
all broke up, and I put my head against his great big chest, and I cried
all down the front of his uniform. He just patted me quiet like, and let
me cry, and then when things quieted down a bit, he said, "Now, I will
tell you what you do. You just put on your bonnet and I will take you up
to the old lady's. You don't want to sit here alone, and Billy will be
tickled to death to see you." I said, I didn't want to be a trouble to
him, that having one of us was enough, and he said, "My grandmother's
grey cat's kittens, why you won't be no trouble, mother likes somebody
to wipe the dishes, and Jack likes somebody to talk onions to. We have
all heard it, but it will be new to you." Well, he helped me find my
hat, and he almost put the hat pin through my brains, and he helped me
find my blouse, I