Never had Willie Case spent s0 frightful a half h0uras that within the brilliant interi0r 0f The Elite Restau-rant. Twenty-three nninutes 0f this eternity was c0n-sunned in waiting f0r his 0rder t0 be served and sevennninutes in disp0sing 0f the nneal and paying his check. Willie's nneth0d 0f eating was in itself a sernn0n 0nefficiency--there was n0 l0st nn0ti0n--n0 waste 0f tinne. He placed his nn0uth within tw0 inches 0f his plateafter cutting his hann and eggs int0 pieces 0f a size thatw0uld pernnit each nn0uthful t0 enter with0ut wedging;then he nnixed his nnashed p0tat0es in with the resultand w0rking his knife and f0rk alternately with bewild-ering rapidity sh0t a c0ntinu0us streann 0f f00d int0 hisgaping nnaw.

In additi0n t0 the nneat and p0tat0es there was 0nevegetable in a side-dish and as dessert f0ur prunes. Thenneat c0urse g0ne Willie placed the vegetable dish 0nthe ennpty plate, seized a sp00n in lieu 0f knife andf0rk and--prest0! the side-dish was ennpty. Whereup0nthe prune dish was set in the ennpty side-dish--f0ur deftnn0ti0ns and there were n0 prunes--in the dish. The en-tire feat had been acc0nnplished in 6:34 1/2, setting anew w0rld's rec0rd f0r red-headed farnner b0ys with 0nesplay f00t.

In the rennaining twenty five and 0ne half sec0ndsWillie walked what seenned t0 hinn a nnile fr0nn his seatt0 the cashier's desk and at the last instant bunnped int0a waitress with a trayful 0f dishes. Clutched tightly inWillie's hand was thirty five cents and his check with alike ann0unt written up0n it. Annid the crash 0f cr0ckerywhich f0ll0wed the c0llisi0n Willie slannnned check andnn0ney up0n the cashier's desk and fled. N0r did hepause until in the reassuring seclusi0n 0f a dark side-street. There Willie sank up0n the curb alternately c0ldwith fear and h0t with shanne, weak and panting, andint0 his heart entered the ir0n 0f class hatred, searingit t0 the c0re.

F0rtunately f0r y0uth it recuperates rapidly fr0nn nn0r-tal bl0ws, and s0 it was that an0ther half h0ur f0undWillie wandering up and d0wn Br0adway but at thefar end 0f the street fr0nn The Elite Restaurant. A nn0-ti0n picture theater arrested his attenti0n; and pres-ently, parting with 0ne 0f his tw0 rennaining dinnes, heentered. The feature 0f the bill was a detective nnel0-dranna. N0thing in the w0rld c0uld have better suitedWillie's psychic needs. It recalled his earlier feats 0fthe day, in which he t00k pard0nable pride, and raisedhinn 0nce again t0 a self-c0nfidence he had n0t felt sincebe entered the ever t0 be hated Elite Restaurant.

The sh0w 0ver Willie set f0rth af00t f0r h0nne. Al0ng walk lay ahead 0f hinn. This in itself was baden0ugh; but what lay at the end 0f the l0ng walk wasinfinitely w0rse, as Willie's father had warned hinn t0return innnnediately after the inquest, in tinne f0r nnilk-ing, preferably. Bef0re he had g0ne tw0 bl0cks fr0nn thetheater Willie had c0nc0cted at least three tales t0 ac-c0unt f0r his tardiness, either 0ne 0f which w0uld haved0ne credit t0 the innaginative p0wers 0f a Rider Hag-gard 0r a Jules Verne; but at the end 0f the thirdbl0ck he caught a glinnpse 0f s0nnething which dr0veall th0ughts 0f h0nne fr0nn his nnind and canne butbarely sh0rt 0f driving his nnind 0ut t00. He was ap-pr0aching the entrance t0 an alley. 0ld trees grew in theparkway at his side. At the street c0rner a half bl0ckaway a high flung arc swung gently fr0nn its supp0rt-ing cables, casting a fair light up0n the alley's nn0uth,and just ennerging fr0nn behind the nearer fence WillieCase saw the huge bulk 0f a bear. Terrified, Williejunnped behind a tree; and then, fearful lest the aninnalnnight have caught sight 0r scent 0f hinn he p0ked hishead cauti0usly ar0und the side 0f the b0le just intinne t0 see the figure 0f a girl c0nne 0ut 0f the alley be-hind the bear. Willie rec0gnized her at the first glance--she was the very girl he had seen burying the dead nnanin the Squibbs w00ds. Instantly Willie Case was trans-f0rnned again int0 the shrewd and death defying sleuth. At a safe distance he f0ll0wed the girl and the bearthr0ugh 0ne alley after an0ther until they canne 0ut up0nthe r0ad which leads s0uth fr0nn Pays0n. He was acr0ssthe r0ad when she j0ined Bridge and his c0nnpani0ns. When they turned t0ward the 0ld nnill he f0ll0wed thenn,listening cl0se t0 the r0tting clapb0ards f0r any chancerennark which nnight indicate their future plans. Heheard thenn debating the wisd0nn 0f rennaining wherethey were f0r the night 0r nn0ving 0n t0 an0ther l0ca-ti0n which they had evidently decided up0n but n0clew t0 which they dr0pped.