What do you think
of what I'm doing? Have you any suggestions?"

John hesitated before answering. What he had heard the mayor say to
Brennan was confidential. Even had he been at liberty to tell it he
doubted if he would have disclosed it, for Consuello's sake.

"There is one thing upon which the reporters are speculating," he said.

"What's that?" asked Gibson.

"They are wondering when you will launch your attack in a new
direction."

"How?"

"By hitting at 'Gink' Cummings." As John mentioned the "Gink's" name he
watched Gibson's face closely to discover the effect it had upon the
commissioner. He thought afterward that Gibson had expected him to refer
to Cummings and that he had been, if anything, a trifle too well
prepared to answer.

"I thought so," Gibson said. "Well, let me tell you something, Gallant.
I'll make things hot for the 'Gink' mighty soon. But, you must remember,
the 'Gink' is only the effect and not the cause of the trouble. The
cause is the failure of the mayor and Sweeney to keep the lid down in
Los Angeles. Cummings is only powerful through the weakness of the mayor
and the chief. If they were on the job, Los Angeles wouldn't be big
enough for such a man as 'Gink' Cummings."

"Why don't you come out and say so?" John asked, feeling reassured,
however, by Gibson's announcement that the "Gink" was not to be
overlooked.

"It's another case of where 'actions speak louder than words,'" the
police commissioner said. "Cummings isn't afraid of what someone says is
going to happen to him. He's a veteran. He's heard that kind of talk
before. So have the people of Los Angeles. What he is afraid of and what
the people of the city want is--action."

"And who is this man, 'Gink' Cummings?" put in Consuello, who had been
listening intently to the conversation between the two men.

"'Gink' Cummings, my dear," said Gibson, "is the boss of the element I
hope to drive out of Los Angeles. He rules like a king over burglars,
gamblers, pickpockets, bandits, swindlers and crooks of every
description."

John took advantage of an opportunity.

"It's true, is it not, that the mayor and Cummings are enemies?"

"Yes, that's true, but they're political enemies," Gibson said. "The
trouble is, however, that the mayor is afraid of Cummings. And so is
Sweeney. They don't seem to have the courage to go after him."

"Why don't they take this 'Gink' person and put him in the
penitentiary?" asked Consuello.

Gibs