t Chinaman with a smiling face and a greasy blouse came up to them,
and the burglar began pointing out to Bat the high points of the
cuisine. When they had given their orders Big Slim rolled a cigarette
and leaned back in his chair. A newspaper which lay upon the table
caught his eye and he grinned derisively.

"Gee," said he, "the cops are the solidest chunks of ivory I ever seen.
Some of the things you read about them doing are screams."

"What now?" asked Bat, the gleam in the green eyes of the other
interesting him.

Big Slim chuckled, and his shifty look went from Scanlon to the region
round about them, and then back again.

"There was a fellow shoved off the other night--out in the
suburbs--maybe you saw something about it? Well, the bulls made an awful
mess of that. I never seen them fall down so hard before--and believe
me, that's saying something."

"That was the Burton case, wasn't it? I've been following it a little,"
said Bat.

Big Slim took a deep draught from the cigarette and then flung it away.
Slowly he exhaled the smoke; and then sat looking at his companion, and
cracking the joints of his bony fingers.

"That guy Burton was a slick one," said he, admiringly. "You gotta hand
him that."

"You knew him, did you?" said Bat.

"A little. He done the swell mobs. Society people and gambling were
other things he worked at. And it's been whispered more than once that
he was handy with a pen."

"Nice work," said Bat. "But dangerous."

"About the best things he pulled were his get-aways," said Big Slim.
"The cops never got anything on him, and he'd been fooling with the edge
of the law for years. His son did not inherit any of the 'Bounder's'
talent; for here he is waiting on the grand jury, charged with pushing
the old man over the edge." The burglar chuckled, highly entertained.
"The cops are a fine gang when you start 'em right," said he. "And when
they do get a thing, you got to put it where they'll almost fall over
it."

The fat Chinaman brought the food ordered, and set it before them with a
comfortable air of appreciation.

"Good!" stated he. "Vel' fine."

When he had departed and they began to test his statement, Bat spoke
carelessly:

"Is it your idea that young Burton didn't have a hand in this thing?"

Big Slim blew at the steam ascending from a dish of rice.

"Sure not," said he. "I seen that guy lots of times; he's as soft as
mush. You couldn't get him to bump anybody that way