Miss Shumway Waves a Wand Read Online Free

be found.
    The two men stared at each other.
    “The oldest, hoariest trick in the world,” Ansell said, trembling with rage. “And we fell for it. She knocked beer over me and shook rne down for what I’d got. That wasn’t enough for her. She frisked you as well.”
    “What the hell are we waiting for?” Bogle snarled, kicking back his chair. “We’ve gotta nail that dame.”
    The waiter came up with the check. He glanced at Bogle’s congested face and a look of alarm came into his eyes. “Is anything wrong, tenors?” he asked.
    “We’ve been robbed,” Bogle snarled. “Get out of the way.”
    “But the Senorita has gone,” the waiter said. “She has never robbed our clients before they settled their check. That is very bad of her.”
    Bogle and Ansell stared at each other. “What do you mean?” Ansell demanded. “Do you know this girl?”
    “Why, yes.” The waiter smiled, “she is very beautiful and she has very clever fingers. She comes here often. It is good for her line of work.”
    Bogle clenched his fists. “What about us?” he said furiously. “Don’t we get any protection?”
    The waiter lifted apologetic shoulders, “But the tenors asked her to their table. I thought you knew her.”
    “Let’s get out of here, Bogle,” Ansell said. “We asked for it.”
    “But, there is the question of the check,” the waiter said, looking distressed.
    “Take it off the blonde when she’s in next time,” Bogle said. “And tell her from me that if I ever meet her again I’ll take her apart and find out what makes her tick.”
    The waiter’s face darkened. “That is bad business, senor, she may not come back.”
    Bogle didn’t quite like the look in his eye. “I don’t want you to lose by it,” he said. “Tell me, buddy, have you a girl friend?”
    The waiter’s face brightened. “I have a very fine girl,” he said, flashing his teeth. “There is no other woman like her in the country.”
    Bogle took out a pill box and gave it to him. “Make sure of that,” he said. “That’s worth two bucks fifty. I’ll make you a present of it.”
    The waiter examined the box. Then he sneered. “She has had them before,” he said disdainfully. “The last time she took them she came out in a rash.”
    “So what?” Bogle said, pushing him aside. “It gave her something to do, didn’t it?” and he walked across the patio with Ansell out into the street.

CHAPTER THREE
    BEFORE I tell you how I came to meet Myra Shumway, I’d better give you her background, then we can go straight ahead without interruption.
    Myra Shumway had not been telling the truth when she described herself to Doc Ansell as a newspaper correspondent For the past five years she had been a “dip.” If you don’t know what that means, just stand on any street corner and flash a fat bank-roll. Before long some dame will take it off you and you’ll know nothing about it until hours later. That dame was a dip.
    Myra’s father was a magician who worked small-time vaudeville without much profit. Myra trailed along with him. When she reached the age of fifteen, her father decided that she should be his assistant. That was all right with Myra and she really worked at the job. By the end of the year there was no one on the Coast to touch her for speed, style and smoothness of execution. She could palm six cards with the speed of light. She could take a man’s vest off his back without him knowing it. That went for his suspenders too. In other words, she was good.
    One evening something happened which was to change her immediate future. As she was preparing to leave the theatre her father came with a young fellow who wanted to meet her.
    He was a travelling salesman who had looked in on the town with the hope of drumming up some new business. In the evening he went to the theatre. He saw Myra, was dazzled by her looks and came round the back intending to dazzle her with his money.
    Hamish Shumway was agreeable that this young