“All right, send him up and be quick about it.”

“Suhtainly, boss. Ah’m sorry Ah can’t help yo’. She jus’ gimme a half dollar an’ go, da’s all.”

The Bearcat slipped the boy a quarter and returned to his room pacing up and down until the porter entered.

“When you took Mrs. Delaney’s trunk and put it in the cab, did you hear her tell the driver where to take her?”

“No, suh,” said the porter. “Ah jus’ knows she gimme a quarter, an’ Ah went away fum dere. Ah’d sho tell yo’ ef Ah knew any thin’.”

The Bearcat also rewarded this person with a quarter, and sent him away. He seized his hat, ran to his garage, got his taxi and searched Harlem. It was a night of torture for him. He did not find a trace of her.

He couldn’t eat or sleep for days. He called up all his friends and inquired about Babe, trying to learn of her whereabouts. He was rigid from fatigue and pain.

It was over a week before he located Babe. He found her in a night club and dragged her out. He carried on so terribly in public that she got into his cab and returned to the hotel with him for the night. After hours of bitter quarreling she admitted to him that she was working in the Baldwin Five and Ten. He tried to persuade her to leave her position. He didn’t think it right for his wife to work.

She threatened to divorce him and absolutely refused to live with him. The next day she was afraid he might show up at the store and make trouble for her with the management. They wouldn’t stand for any scandal. She must be rid of him or he might spoil her racket. At last she thought of a plan to get the Bearcat out of the way.

She looked up Joe Malone at his hotel. He was surprised to see her and gave her a warm welcome. She took a seat opposite Joe and lamped him with an appealing expression.