blacker shadows, and shuffled stealthi

Spike?" a

right

e on

nd shut the door. Spike stood blinking at the sudden glare. He tw

he flaneur about the Bowery Boy. His hat was of the soft black felt fashionable on the East Side of New York. It was in poor condition, and looked as if it had been up too late the night before. A black tail-coat, burst at the elbows and stained with mud,

e were points in his appearance which would hav

n's bin an' mislaid de trunk wit' me

id Jimmy. "You look a perfect

s he reached for the d

r, Sp

T'anks,

genteel sips, threw off his restraint, an

er," sugge

that the idea had

At last, he would be able to discover the name of the Lusitania girl. The discovery would not take him very far certainly, b

xuriously, furnished. To Spike, every chair and table in the room had a romance of its own, as having been purchased out of the proceeds of that New Asiatic Bank robbery, or from the revenue accruing from the Duchess of H

ht his eye

d. "Curious that we s

t," agre

les from New York. How do you know the

ok came into

a call. T'ings was gettin' too fierce in Noo York. De cops was layin' fe

ck," sa

," agre

ow, I spent a whole heap of time bef

youse want me to help on some l

that night we broke into that house

ur

was hi

's? Why, McEa

ow do you

," said Sp

gs, and enunciate slowly and

ache

s the house? Can

forehead

last. "It was somewheres

help," said Jim

ack some time

oes. Just for the moment, you're the most import

ht. One of dem swell detached b

er it, you needn't sle

your moving

here,

ss we

Spike, rolling luxu

se to-morrow. You're the sort of figure they can fit o

a cop, an' bin buyin' a brownstone house on Fifth Avenue by dis. It'

e more, Spike. I suppose a good many of

at old man

bout him, Spike. You seeme

him in de bunch. He was out fer de dough all

t?" said Ji

thusiasm. "Gee! She was a boid-a peach fer fair. I'd hav

s glarin

out!"

t, boss?"

!" said Jim

ked at hi

t realizing that his words h

excellent intentions, sat on the edge of his chair, drawing sorrow

" said

el

s it de old lay? Banks an' jools from duchesses? Yo

y la

adn't told you about mys

sank slowly into

t, boss? You're

it. Abso

swiping no

t m

what's-its-n

ay my anaesthetics, and am going to turn over a n

w that they had met again in London, he had looked forward to a long and prosperous partnership in crime. He was content that his own share in the partnership should be humb

ol shattering the v

pike," said the lost l

ock to you

ught,

are life's tragedies.

ed. I've made my pil

a long face. Jimmy slap

not be splendid fun? Numbers of people do it, you know, and e

s! What,

with-I don't want to

cond month of a ten-ye

look after you, Spike

and see life. Brace u

in

ection, the other gri

ss in society. All you have to do is to look cheerful, brush your hair, and keep your hands off the

who thoroughly understood

ping on the sofa one night? Some fellows would give their bed up

n sleepin' in de Park all de las