The surprising ease with which the capture of Narcone had been effected
gratified Norvin Blake immensely, for it gave him an opportunity to
jeer at the weaker side of his nature. He told himself that the
incident went to prove what his saner judgment was forever saying--that
fear depends largely upon the power of visualization, that danger is
real only in so far as the mind sees it. Moreover, the admiration his
conduct aroused was balm to his soul. His friends congratulated him
warmly, agreeing that he and Donnelly had taken the only practical
means to rid the community of a menace.
In our Southern and Western States, where individual character stands
for more than it does in the over-legalized communities of the North
and East, men are concerned not so much with red-tape as with effects,
and hence there was little disposition to criticize.
Blake was amazed to discover what a strong public sentiment the Italian
outrages had awakened. New Orleans, it seemed, was not only indignant,
but alarmed.
His self-satisfaction received a sudden shock, however, when Donnelly
strolled into his office a few days later, and without a word laid a
letter upon his desk. It ran as follows:
DANIEL DONNELLY, Chief of Police,