Page 8 (1/1)

"Oh, well--" said the chief finally in a hopeless voice "Go ahead--commit suicide--I'll send you a 'Gates Ajar' and a card, 'Here lies a dareat detective if he hadn't been so pig-headed' Go ahead!"

Anderson rose "Thank you, sir," he said in a deep voice His eyes had light in therumbled the chief "If I weren't as much of a damn fool as you are I wouldn't let you do it And if I weren't so dao after the slippery devil ht in with an infernal paper bat pinned where ht to be The Bat's supernatural, Anderson You haven't a chance in the world but it does ood all the same to shake hands with aAnderson's hand in an iron grip

Anderson siest bat flies once too often," he said "I', chief, but--"

"Maybe," said the chief "Noait athis ht I--"

"Well, you're not," said the chief decidedly "I've still soet all the work out of you I can, before you start wild-goose chasing after this--this bat out of hell The first ti froned to the case That's understood Till then, you do what I tell you--and it'll be work, believe hed and turned to the door "And--thank you again"

He went out The door closed The chief re his head "The best man I've had in years--except Wentworth," hehi huan--but, by Judas, you can't blame him, can you? If you were ait yourself And yet it'll go hard--losing him--"

He turned back to his desk and his papers But for some minutes he could not pay attention to the papers There was a shadow on them--a shadow that blurred the typed letters--the shadow of bat's wings