store, then he glanced across the street. He stiffened.
'I won't be able to go in,' he said quickly. 'Meet me at the car when you're through, Pat. Williams, I'm putting Mr. Cosgrove in your hands.'
'Thank you, Doctor.'
'He'll use my account.'
'Of course, Doctor. If you please, Mr. Cosgrove.'
Doc swung off across the street, moving in quick angry strides. I let Williams lead me into the store.
The next thirty minutes were like a comedy. Shoes were being slid on and off my feet while my shoulders were draped and undraped with coats. I tried on trousers while hats were being placed on my head. A swarm of frock-coated salesmen moved around me with coats, pants, ties and shirts, hats and shoes. And Williams said 'Quite,' and 'Exactly,' and 'I'm afraid not.'
Then they were all gone except Williams and a clerk, who was fitting a linen handkerchief into my breast pocket while Williams turned me toward a three-view mirror.
'I don't see how you did it,' I said, at last. And it is hard to say who felt the better about it, they or I.
Williams escorted me to the entrance and we shook hands again. I crossed the street to the parking lot.
It had filled up considerably by this time, and there were cars on both sides of Doc's. I didn't know there was anyone with him until I was almost behind the sedan. Then, the door slammed and I heard the other man curse.
'You're being a fool!' he said. 'You'll spoil everything with your damned jealousy!'
'Don't give me cause to be jealous, then,' Doc snarled. 'She's my wife. You'd better remember that.'
'I've told you it was simply business!'
'Business or not-'
'To hell with you! Try pulling something and see how far you get!'
The man came bounding out of the lane between the two cars, head down, blind with rage. I bumped into him, bringing my heel down on his instep. When he doubled, I let him have a touch of elbow across the windpipe.
I had to grab him then to keep him from keeling over.
5
He was a handsome, forty-ish sort; dark, keen-eyed, bold looking. I could see why Mrs. Luther might like him. I felt an instinctive, almost unwilling liking for him myself. I'd given him a jolt, but after one murderous glance he was trying to grin.
Doc got out and helped hold him up, and he looked at me as though he wasn't too well- pleased.
'Are you all right, Bill?' he said. 'Can I do something?'
The man shook his head. 'Just-just give me a second. I'll come out of it.'
'You shouldn't have done that, Pat,' said Doc. 'It was entirely unnecessary.'
'I'm sorry,' I said. 'It was an accident.'
'Well, it might have been very serious. From what I saw-'
'Oh, stop bawling him out!' The man straightened up, and spoke in a normal tone. 'Pat thought you were in trouble and tried to help you. Now cut out the scolding and introduce me.'
'Of course,' said Doc. 'Mr. Hardesty, Pat Cosgrove. Mr. Hardesty is an attorney, Pat. He was instrumental in obtaining your release from Sandstone.'
'And I was glad to have the chance!' Hardesty wrung my hand. 'They gave you a mighty raw deal, son. I'm glad to see you came through it so well.'
'Thank you very much,' I said.
'My pleasure entirely. I like the cut of your jib, Pat. I like to see a man who sticks up for his friends.' His warm dark eyes traveled over me admiringly. 'He looks like a million dollars, doesn't he, Doc?'
'Pat and I have got to be going,' said Doc. 'We've got to see the Commissioner of Corrections about Pat's parole.'
'Mad Myrtle, huh?' Hardesty chuckled. 'Can't say that I envy you. If she gives you too much trouble-'
'I think I can handle her,' said Doc.
'If you can't, she can't be handled,' Hardesty agreed. He grinned, nodded to me and strolled away whistling. I crawled in at Doc's side and headed the car toward the capitol.
He was silent for several blocks, seemingly absorbed in his newspaper. Finally, he repeated an action that was to become familiar to me-folded and tossed the newspaper over his shoulder-and spoke:
'What did you hear of my conversation with Hardesty?'
'Not very much,' I said.
'I asked you what you heard.'
'Well, I heard you tell him to keep away from Mrs. Luther, and he swore and said you were just jealous.'
Doc turned in the seat and I felt the full power of the gaze that raged out through the thick-lensed glasses. Yet something-something I implausibly sensed as fear-held back the explosion.
'Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, Pat,' he said softly. 'You've got an excellent memory; I've tested it on several occasions. Now! Give me a word for word account of what you heard.'
I did it. I repeated it word for word.
'And what do you make of that, Pat? Any questions you'd like to ask?'
'I don't make anything of it,' I said. 'I haven't any questions.'
Doc settled back in the seat. He laughed quietly.
'Hardesty's a nice fellow,' he said, 'but he's a little too quick to fly off the handle. You rather cooled him off.'
'I'm sorry about that,' I said. 'I thought you might want him so I tried to stop him for you.'
'And I appreciated it.' He put his hand on my knee for a moment. 'However, it wasn't necessary, as you know now. Hardesty and I are actually pretty good friends,' he went on. 'Mrs. Luther fell heir to a small estate some time ago and he's been handling it for her. He's the kind of man that can't talk to anyone, male or female, without getting personal; and I should have known he didn't mean anything by his attitude toward Mrs. Luther. But I'm afraid I'm not very reasonable where she's concerned.'
'I understand.'
'Well, let's forget it,' he said. 'You did an excellent job on your clothing, Pat. I had to look twice to recognize you.'
'Williams should get the credit for that,' I said.
'I'll give it to him.' He smiled at me in the mirror. 'I'll also give him credit for the bill-just in case you were worrying about it.'
'It's nice to hear you say so,' I said.
'Don't give it another thought,' he said. 'Well, here we are.'
I parked in one of the drives on the capitol grounds proper, and we walked across a stretch of lawn, and started up the marble steps of the main entrance.
We pushed our way through the crowded corridors, Doc speaking and being spoken to occasionally, and took a jerkily-moving elevator to the fourth and top floor-'Renegades' Roost,' Doc whispered, as we stepped off the car.
