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hopeless look came into them, and
he seefnedtto settle down in. his
chair like a loose sack of flour.
"I don'twant to see you pinch
ed," he said, "sulkily, "ain't us,
thieves gotta stand together?"
The woman looked into his
shifty eyes for a moment. Then
she reacheda slight hand across
the table aird laid it on one of his
shaking, ories,
r "Do' you know," she said, "that
you are the first man who ever did
anything for me without aslring
something in return?"
"Aw, T.ain't done nothing,"
said Jimmy, wriggling uneasily
in his chair.
"Nevertheless," said the wom
an, "you are the first man to do
even the littlest thing without
asking payment. I've had so few
frjends. I've found so little kind
ness in the world. I thought it
had erone out of fashion."
Jimmy leaned across the table,
his eyes eager, his face flushed.
"" "Say " he said, "I'll put you
wiser to something else you
bughta know. You know For
sythe? Well he don't want to
send you up. He wants youfan'
he -wants to get the goods on you
16 he can so' he caif "
"I understand," sad the wom
an, softly. ,,
Jimmy reached o er and touch
ed htv arm. He did not dare, to
touch her hand.
, "Forsythe's goin' to get me for
a job I done," he said. "It's just
a question o' time. If you think
you owe me something fpr what
I've done; tonight, you can pay it
by comin' to court when they're
raUroadin' me to Joliet, an' sittin
where I can see you."
The "woman's face softened. t .
"I'll come," she said'and rose
and left him.
Jimmy the Wop ordered anoth
er drink, and sat there mournful
ly for a moment. Then he caught
sigh of himself in the glass op
posite bleary eyes, short, stunt
ed figure, every deep line on his
face making of it a thing to be
despised.
"Geej I wisht I was big an'
handsome," he said.
Three night later, as Jimmy the
Wop stepped out of the Silver
Moon, lodging house, atbig hand
grabbed him by the collar, and a
voice hissed in his ear:
"So I got ye at last, you
double-crossin' little crook, you
You gave the Wendon girl the of
fice!" It was Forsythe. Jimmy wrig
gled in the big policeman's grip,
and shook with the fear that was
turning his stomach to water,
"I didn't," he cried.
h x"You lie," said Forsythe,
twisting an arm. "You lie, like
$he crook you are! You were with
herin the Mint that night. An.'
an' nobody else knew'
"She just had a drink wit' me,"
said Jimmy-
"I have a picture o' Margaret
Wendon drinkin' wit' "the likes o'
you, you Ijttle gutter brat," said
Forsythe, increasing the pressure
on the arm until the bones crack- ,
ed. "You lie, an' you know you
lie. It's Joliet for-yours now."
"Listen, Forsythe cried Jim
my, "I never gave her the of-
'
,
s
