her brief greetings all
three went towards the rear of the hallway, and here she opened a door
and bade them enter, and by the brilliant illumination they saw it was
the dining room of the fiat. Around its well provisioned dinner table
were seated a number of men and women who in a most friendly, but noise
avoiding manner, greeted Slippery and while they questioned him as to
his latest movements, they gave Joe a chance to recover from the
surprise that completely shocked him, when he discovered that this
strangely secluded flat was the home of seven men and four women, all of
the latter--with the exception of the woman who had opened the
door--being barely more than young girls.

[Illustration: Marie at the door]

CHAPTER XI.

"The Wages of Sin is Death."

"Look here, friends," remarked one of the men seated at the table, who
was dressed in the height of fashion, and later proved to be the leader
of the others, after he had greeted Slippery and had for a brief moment
gazed at Joe, "Slippery has brought a road kid along with him, no doubt
intending to imitate the ways of the accursed plingers and add another
tramp to those who already hobo about the country." Slippery, to whom
this tart rebuke was addressed, now explained that the lad by his side
was his "pal", and not his road kid; this explanation seemed to satisfy
the speaker for he stretched out his hand and greeted Joe in a most
cordial manner, while Slippery introduced him to the party, not by his
honest Christian name, but by his road name, "Dakota Joe". But the next
moment a far greater surprise was in store for the boy when Slippery
commenced to introduce him to the well attired gentlemen and richly
gowned ladies, whom he supposed, judging by their general appearance,
were far removed from the level they had chosen for themselves, for
presently Slippery announced the name of the "gentleman" with whom he
had just shaken hands as "Bunko Bill", and Joe's unpleasant suspicions
that he had been led into a nest of human vipers were greatly increased
when his pal called off the names of the other inmates of the flat. The
nearest fellow was "Brooklyn Danny, the Dip"; the next one went by the
name of "Buffalo Johnny, the Strong Arm Man"; the fourth responded to
"Ohio Jack, the Sneak"; a neat looking fellow who sported a diamond stud
upon his shirt bosom answered to the appropriate name of "Diamond Al";
while the criminal tendencies of the sixth were plainly s