the ferry came in from the Island,
all right, but we spotted him before the boat got in, and I had Mickey
Brown pick a fight with him, just in time to get him pinched. He was
four blocks away when the boat landed, and Jensen, who had made friends
with the girls coming over, told them he would take 'em to his aunt's
house until they heard from their cousin."

"What do they look like? We've got to have particulars, you know."

"Well, one girl is tall, and the other rather short. They both have
yellow hair and cheeks like apples. One's name is Lena and the other
Marda--the rest of their names was too much for me. They're both about
eighteen years old, and well dressed, for Swedes."

The fat man was busy writing down certain data on a pad arranged in a
curious metal box, which looked something like those on which grocers'
clerks make out the order lists for customers.

"Say, Henry, what do you use that thing for? Why don't you use a
fountain pen and a book?" asked the dapper one.

"That's my affair," snapped the fat man. "I want this for records, and
I know how to do it. Go on. What did Mrs. Molloy pay you?"

"Well, you know she's a tight one. I had to argue with her, and I have
a lot of expense on this, anyway."

"Go on--don't begin to beef about it. I know all about the expenses.
We paid the preliminaries. Now, out with the money from Molloy. It
was to be two hundred dollars, and you know it. Two hundred apiece is
the exact figure."

The visitor stammered, and finally pulled out a roll of yellow-backed
bills "Well, I haven't gotten mine yet," he whined.

"Yours is just fifty on this, for you've had a steamer assignment every
day this week. You can give your friend Minnie a ten-spot. Now,
report here to-morrow at ten, for I've a new line for you. Good day.
Shut the door."

The fat man was accustomed to being obeyed. The other departed with a
surly manner, as though he had received the worst of a bargain. The
manager jotted down the figures on the revolving strip of paper, for
such it was, while the pencil he used was connected by two little metal
arms to the side of the mechanism. Some little wheels inside the
register clicked, as he turned the paper lever over for a clean record.
He put the money into his wallet.

He went to the door to admit another.

"Ah, Levy, what do you have to say?"

"Ah, Meester Clemm, eet's a bad bizness! Nattings at all to-day. I've
been through five shoit-v