"And who are these gentlemen?"
Luigi merely replied, "Friends," in English also, and then
dropped off into a voluble, low-toned explanation in Italian.
I could see, as we waited, that the same idea had flashed over
Kennedy's mind as over my own. It was now three or four days
since the papers had reported the strange kidnapping of Gennaro's
five-year-old daughter Adelina, his only child, and the sending
of a demand for ten thousand dollars ransom, signed, as usual,
with the mystic Black Hand--a name to conjure with in blackmail
and extortion.
As Signor Gennaro advanced toward us, after his short talk with
Luigi, almost before the introductions were over, Kennedy
anticipated him by saying: "I understand, Signor, before you ask
me. I have read all about it in the papers. You want someone to
help you catch the criminals who are holding your little girl."
"No, no!" exclaimed Gennaro excitedly. "Not that. I want to get
my daughter first. After that, catch them if you can--yes, I
should like to have someone do it. But read this first and tell
me what you think of it. How should I act to get my little
Adelina back without harming a hair of her head?" The famous
singer drew from a capacious pocketbook a dirty, crumpled,
letter, scrawled on cheap paper.
Kennedy translated it quickly.
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