“She was wit’ a young gen’leman name’ Baldwin. He son o’ duh man what owns all dem Five an’ Tens.”

“Whut he say to her? Whut he say?”

“Ah don’ know what he say. He seem pow’ful crazy ’bout her, do’!”

Johnson paced furiously up and down his cell. He turned to Willis.

“Yo’ try an’ find out fo’ me where at she is stayin’, Willis, yo’ heah?”

“Ah don’ know, but Ah’ll try to find out fo’ yo’, Money.”

Johnson was in a sweat of impatience until he was released from jail the following day. His car was waiting for him and he was driven to his place on Strivers’ Row. Although he was dying for some decent food, a big meal of fried chicken that was awaiting his arrival remained untasted.

Six of his henchmen, who managed his various places, were in his apartment waiting to make reports.

They greeted him with slaps on the back and hearty handshakes. But Johnson broke loose from them and stormed up and down the room.

“Go git mah woman!” he cried. “Go an’ git her, Ah tells ya! Ah gotta have mah woman!”

One of his lieutenants cried:

“Lord, man, sit down, yo’ ain’t in jail-house now! Man, sit down an’ eat somepin’.”

“Ah don’ want nothin’ to eat. Ah want mah woman! Where is she at? Where is dey hidin’ her?”

“Nobody’s hidin’ her,” said another. “She mus’ be some place aroun’. Don’ get yo’self all bothered! We got a lot to tell yo’. Ever’ one o’ us here been gittin’ nothin’ but trouble fum duh police since yo’ been gone.”

“Ah don’ care nothin’ about nothin’. Ah got to git mah woman back, yo’ heah!” Johnson was working himself up to fever pitch. “Git her fo’ me, Ah says, goddam it!” He snatched up a Louis XV chair and smashed it into kindling against the wall.

The others drew back in alarm. Johnson could be bad when he was worked up.

“Aw right! Aw right! We try to find her fo’ yo’. We puts our ears to duh groun’ and tries to find her fo’ yo’.”

The next day, after a bad night, during which he tried to console himself with a load of gin, Johnson heard about Babe. Again it was Pearl, Babe’s maid, who was the source of information. She agreed to give Babe a note from Money Johnson.

Johnson had arranged for a hideaway before he left jail. He could not remain in Strivers’ Row, for the cops would keep a strict watch on him. Right now they were watching every joint he owned, waiting for an excuse to close them up.

He knew if he brought Babe to Strivers’ Row it would surely spell trouble, and he had seen enough of the inside of a prison for a while.