Page:Love Insurance - Earl Biggers (1914).djvu/404

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"PLEASE KILL"
371

this man's paper for the last week. So has a very good friend of mine. We knew he was crooked, but we needed the money and he promised us not to pull off any more blackmail while we stayed Last night, after we left the office, he arranged this latest. Planned to incriminate me. You little devil—"

Manuel, frightened, leaped away.

"We usually sleep until noon," went on O'Neill. "He counted on that. Enter the catbird. Sat on our window-sill at ten a. m. and screeched. Woke us up. We felt uneasy. Went to the office, broke down a bolted door, and found what was up."

"Dog!" foamed Manuel. "Outcast of the gutter—"

"Save your compliments! Mr. Meyrick, my partner is now at the Mail office destroying to-day's issue of the Mail. We've already ruined the first-page form, the cut of the policy, and the negative. And we're going north as fast as the Lord'll let us. You can do what you please. Arrest our little lemon-tinted employer, if you want to."