. I ain't huntin' that sort o' trouble."

"Oh, well, if you think you'd--er--better not, I'll go alone."

"What, yer goin', are ye?"

"Of course! You see, Spike is my friend; consequently his trouble
is my trouble. Good night, Spider, and whatever else you do, be sure
to--er--take good care of yourself!" And Ravenslee smiled and turned
away; but he had not gone six paces before the Spider was at his elbow.

"Say, bo," said he, "I don't like the way you smile, but you talk so
soft an' pretty, I guess I'll jest have t' come along t' gather up what
they leave of ye."

"Spider," said Ravenslee, "shake!" The Spider obeyed, somewhat
shamefacedly to be sure.

"It looks like two domes bein' cracked 'stead o' one, an' all along o'
that fool-kid!" Having said which, he lurched on beside Ravenslee,
chewing voraciously.

"How you goin' t' work it?" he enquired suddenly.

"I don't know yet."

"Hully Chee! You've sure gotcher nerve along. There's some o' the
toughest guys in little Manhattan Village at O'Rourke's dump t'night,
keepin' th' ring an' fair achin' for trouble."

"We must dodge 'em, Spider."

"S'pose we can't?"

"Then we must trust our luck, and I've got a hunch we shall get Spike
away somehow before Mr. Flowers dopes him or makes him drunk; anyway
we'll try. The dressing rooms are behind the annex, aren't they?"

"Know the place, do ye?"

"I've looked it over. We can get in behind the annex, can't we?"

"In?" repeated the Spider, smiling grimly. "Oh, we'll get in all right;
what gets my goat is how we're goin' t' get out again. You sure are a
bird for takin' chances, Geoff."

"Life is made up of chances, Spider, and there are two kinds of
men--those who take them joyfully and those who don't."

"Well, say, you can scratch me on the joyful business. I'm th' guy as
only takes chances he's paid t' take."

"How much are you getting on this job, Spider?"

"Oh--well--I mean--say, what's th' time, bo?"

"Five minutes after eight--why?"

"I guess d' Kid's in th' ring, then. There's a full card t'night, an'
he's scheduled for eight sharp, so I reckon he's fightin' now--an' good
luck to him!" By this time they had reached that dark and quiet
neighbourhood where stood O'Rourke's saloon. But to-night the big annex
glared with light, and the air about it was full of a dull, hoarse,
insistent clamour that swelled all at once to a chorus of discordant
shrieks and frenzied cries.

"Ah!" quoth the Spider sagel