ouse he had been on the point of entering. Jerry pulled him
back and held him. As our hero did this he saw Smith drop a ten-dollar
bill. Jerry picked it up.

"You are not going in there--you are going with me."

"Where to?"

"To the nearest station house."

The pickpocket gave a hiccough and a cry of alarm that was very much like
a whine.

"To the station house?"

"Yes; come on."

"Never."

Smith struggled feebly to get away, but the boy held him with ease.
Overcome, the man finally sat down on the curbstone and refused to budge.

"Shay, let us compromise," he mumbled. "It was all a mistake."

"It was no mistake."

"If I give you ten dollars, will you call it off?"

"No."

"Then you don't git a cent, see?"

And with great deliberation the pickpocket closed one bleared eye and
glared at Jerry.

"We'll see about that later," cried our hero, hotly, and catching the
rascal by the collar the youth yanked him to a standing position. "Now
come on, and no nonsense."

Seeing that the youth was not to be fooled with, Wakefield Smith tried to
dicker again, getting himself badly twisted in his plea that he would make
everything all right. Jerry would not trust him and forced him to walk
along until the nearest corner was reached. Here he suddenly made a clutch
at an electric-light pole and held fast.

"Help! help! help!" he cried out at the top of his lungs. "Police!"

The young oarsman did not know what to make of this appeal for assistance,
for it seemed to him that the authorities were the very people Mr.
Wakefield Smith wished to avoid. He was destined, however to soon learn a
trick that was brand new to him.

The pickpocket had hardly uttered his cry when a bluecoat put into
appearance and came running to the spot.

"What's the trouble here?" he demanded.

"Shay, officer, make that young fellow go away," hiccoughed Mr. Wakefield
Smith.

"What is he up to?"

"Trying to rob me, officer; reg'lar slick Aleck."

At this cool assertion Jerry was dumbfounded.

"So you're trying to rob this gent, eh?" said the bluecoat, turning to our
hero and catching his arm. "I reckon I came just in time."

"It's a falsehood; he is the pickpocket," rejoined Jerry as soon as he
could speak.

"He looks like it," said the officer, sarcastically.

"He didn't rob me now, he robbed several nights ago. I just ran across
him."

"He's a slick Aleck," went on Mr. Wakefield Smith. "Don't let him take my
watch, officer!