u find it?"

"Bud give it me, 'n' say--"

"All right," nodded Spike, dusting the straw tenderly with a
handkerchief. "Now git, I wanter be alone."

"But, say, Kid, Bud says I was ter say as he's sorry for what he said,
'n' say, he says you'd better be gettin' over t' O'Rourke's, 'n' say--"

"I ain't comin'!"

"But say, you're t' fight Young Alf, 'n' say--"

"I ain't comin'!"

"But say, dere's a lot of our money on ye--I got two plunks meself, 'n'
say, you just gotter fight anyway. Bud says so--"

"I can't help what Bud says; I ain't comin'."

"Not comin'!" exclaimed Larry, his eyes rounder than ever.

"No!"

Larry's wide mouth curved in a slow grin, and he nodded his
close-cropped head; said he:

"Say, Kiddo, you know Young Alf's a punishin' fighter, I guess; you know
as nobody's never stopped him yet, don't yer; you know as you're givin'
him six pounds--say, you ain't--scared, are ye?"

"Scared?" repeated Spike, frowning. "Do I look like I was scared? You
know there ain't any guy I'm scared of--but I promised Hermy--"

"Pip-pip!" grinned Larry. "Say, if you don't turn up t'night, d'ye know
what d' bunch'll say? Dey'll say you're a--quitter!"

"Well, don't you say it, that's all!" said Spike, laying aside his hat
and clenching his fists.

"Not me!" grinned Larry. "There'll be plenty to do that, I guess--dey'd
call it after ye in d' streets--dey'll give ye th' ha! ha! Dey'll say
Hermy Chesterton's brother's a quitter--a quitter!"

For a long moment Spike stood with bent head and hands tightly
clenched, then crossing to the sideboard, he picked up his shabby cap.

"Who's in my corner?"

"Now you're talkin', Kiddo; I know as you--"

"Who's in my corner?"

"Bud an' Lefty, 'n' say, I guess they can handle you all right, eh? 'N'
say, come on, let's cop a sneak before any one butts in--d' fire escape
for ours, eh?"

"Sure!" said Spike, climbing through the window. "Oh, there ain't nobody
goin' t' call Hermy Chesterton's brother a quitter."

"You bet there ain't!" grinned Larry, "come on, Kid!"

CHAPTER XX

OF AN EXPEDITION BY NIGHT

"Why, Mr. Geoffrey, what you settin' here in the dark for?"

"Is it dark, Mrs. Trapes?"

"My land! Can't you see as it's too dark t' see, and--oh, shucks, Mr.
Geoffrey!"

"Certainly, Mrs. Trapes! But can't you see that the whole world--my
world, anyway--is full of a refulgent glory, a magic light where nothing
mean or sordid can possibly be, a light th