"004 (B004) - The Polar Treasure (1933-06) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

The player was a blind man!



He was Victor Vail. Many music lovers maintained him to be the greatest living master of the violin. He ordinarily got hundreds of dollars for rendering an hour of violin music before an audience. To-night he played for charity, and got nothing.



The flat-chested man, cowering and fearful, knew little of Victor Vail. He only knew the music affected him strangely. Once it made him think of how his poor mother had sobbed that first time he went to jail, long years ago. He nearly burst into tears.



Then he got hold of his emotions.



"Yer gettin' goofy!" he sneered at himself. "Snap out of it! Ya got a job to do!"





SOON AFTERWARD, a taxi wheeled into the side street. It looked like any other New York taxi. But the driver had his coat collar turned up, and his cap yanked low. Little of his face could be seen.



The cab halted. The small man scuttled out to it.



"Ya ready for de job?" he whined.



"All set," replied the cab driver. He had a very coarse voice. It was as though a hoarse bullfrog sat in the taxi. "Go ahead with your part, matey."



The flat-chested man squirmed uneasily. "Is dis guy gonna be croaked?" he muttered anxiously.



"Don't worry about that end of it!" snarled the driver. "We're handlin' that. Keelhaul me, if we ain't!"



"I know - but I ain't so hot about gettin' mixed up in a croakin'