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At the same instant the gentleman's eyes fell upon Billy. Recognition lit those of

each simultaneously. The big man started across the room on a run, straight

toward Billy Byrne.

The latter leaped to his feet. Bridge, guessing what had happened, rose too.

"Flannagan!" he exclaimed.

The detective was tugging at his revolver, which had stuck in his hip pocket.

Byrne reached for his own weapon. Bridge laid a hand on his arm.

"Not that, Billy!" he cried. "There's a door behind you. Here," and he pulled Billy

backward toward the doorway in the wall behind them.

Byrne still clung to his schooner of beer, which he had transferred to his left

hand as he sought to draw his gun. Flannagan was close to them. Bridge opened

the door and strove to pull Billy through; but the latter hesitated just an instant,

for he saw that it would be impossible to close and bar the door, provided it had a

bar, before Flannagan would be against it with his great shoulders.

The policeman was still struggling to disentangle his revolver from the lining of

his pocket. He was bellowing like a bull--yelling at Billy that he was under arrest.

Men at the tables were on their feet. Those at the bar had turned around as

Flannagan started to run across the floor. Now some of them were moving in the

direction of the detective and his prey, but whether from curiosity or with sinister

intentions it is difficult to say.

One thing, however, is certain--if all the love that was felt for policemen in general

by the men in that room could have been combined in a single individual it still

scarcely would have constituted a grand passion.

Flannagan felt rather than saw that others were closing in on him, and then,

fortunately for himself, he thought, he managed to draw his weapon. It was just

as Billy was fading through the doorway into the room beyond. He saw the

revolver gleam in the policeman's hand and then it became evident why Billy had

clung so tenaciously to his schooner of beer. Left-handed and hurriedly he threw

it; but even Flannagan must have been constrained to admit that it was a good

shot. It struck the detective directly in the midst of his features, gave him a nasty

cut on the cheek as it broke and filled his eyes full of beer--and beer never was

intended as an eye wash.

Spluttering and cursing, Flannagan came to a sudden stop, and when he had

wiped the beer from his eyes he found that Billy Byrne had passed through the

doorway and closed the door after him.

192

The Mucker