Page:Manhattan Transfer (John Dos Passos, 1925).djvu/354

 "Who are you anyway?"

"Never mind who I am, you do as I say." The man's face was red as a beet under the derby hat.

"It's a detective." "It's outrageous. Let him show his badge."

"It's a holdup."

"It's a raid."

The room had filled suddenly with detectives. They stood in front of the windows. A man in a checked cap with a face knobbed like a squash stood in front of the fireplace. They were pushing the women roughly into the back room. The men were herded in a little group near the door; detectives were taking their names. Ellen still sat on the couch. " complaint phoned to headquarters," she heard somebody say. Then she noticed that there was a phone on the little table beside the couch where she sat. She picked it up and whispered softly for a number.

"Hello is this the district attorney's office? I want to speak to Mr. Baldwin please George It's lucky I knew where you were. Is the district attorney there? That's fine  no you tell him about it. There has been a horrible mistake. I'm at Hester Voorhees'; you know she has a dancing studio. She was presenting some dances to some friends and through some mistake the police are raiding the place "

The man in the derby was standing over her. "All right phoning wont do no good. Go 'long in the other room."

"I've got the district attorney's office on the wire. You speak to him Hello is this Mr. Winthrop? Yes O  How do you do? Will you please speak to this man?"

She handed the telephone to the detective and walked out into the center of the room. My I wish I hadnt taken my hat off, she was thinking.

From the other room came a sound of sobbing and Hester Voorhees' stagy voice shrieking, "It's a horrible mistake I wont be insulted like this."

The detective put down the telephone. He came over to Ellen. "I want to apologize miss We acted on