oke with an air of boastful good nature.
"Now, all you have to do is to get this boy out of the scrape and you'll
be all right."

"If we only could!" The cry came with deepest earnestness from the lips
of Gilder, but there was little hope in his voice.

The Inspector, however, was confident of success, and his tones rang
cheerfully as he answered:

"I guess we can find a way to have the marriage annulled, or whatever
they do to marriages that don't take."

The brutal assurance of the man in thus referring to things that were
sacred, moved Dick to wrath.

"Don't you interfere," he said. His words were spoken softly, but
tensely.

Nevertheless, Burke held to the topic, but an indefinable change in his
manner rendered it less offensive to the young man.

"Interfere! Huh!" he ejaculated, grinning broadly. "Why, that's what
I'm paid to do. Listen to me, son. The minute you begin mixing up with
crooks, you ain't in a position to give orders to any one. The crooks
have got no rights in the eyes of the police. Just remember that."

The Inspector spoke the simple truth as he knew it from years of
experience. The theory of the law is that a presumption of innocence
exists until the accused is proven guilty. But the police are out of
sympathy with such finical methods. With them, the crook is presumed
guilty at the outset of whatever may be charged against him. If need
be, there will be proof a-plenty against him--of the sort that the
underworld knows to its sorrow.

But Dick was not listening. His thoughts were again wholly with the
woman he loved, who, as the Inspector declared, had fled from him.

"Where's she gone in Chicago?"

Burke answered in his usual gruff fashion, but with a note of kindliness
that was not without its effect on Dick.

"I'm no mind-reader," he said. "But she's a swell little girl, all
right. I've got to hand it to her for that. So, she'll probably stop at
the Blackstone--that is, until the Chicago police are tipped off that
she is in town."

Of a sudden, the face of the young man took on a totally different
expression. Where before had been anger, now was a vivid eagerness. He
went close to the Inspector, and spoke with intense seriousness.

"Burke," he said, pleadingly, "give me a chance. I'll leave for Chicago
in the morning. Give me twenty-four hours start before you begin
hounding her."

The Inspector regarded the speaker searchingly. His heavy face was
drawn in an expression of ap