get hold of a Dago woman who promised to carry that cuff to
the place where old Vincenzo had told her we hung out in New York.

"So far it's as good as playin' leading heavy in 'The Shadows of a Great
City,'" says I, "but what's down for the next act? Where does she want
to go now?"

Say, you'd thought the Boss had been nipped with the goods on. He goes
strawb'ry color back to his ears. Next he takes a look across the table
at her where she sits, quiet and easy, and as much to home as Lady
Graftwad on the back seat of the tonneau. She was takin' notice of him,
too, kind of runnin' over his points like he was something rich she'd
won at a raffle and was glad to get. But the Boss he braced up and
looked me straight in the eye.

"Shorty," says he, "I want to call your attention to the fact that this
young lady is something like three thousand miles from home, that we're
the only two human beings on this side of the ocean she knows by sight,
and that once she risked a good deal to do us a service."

"I'll put my name to all that," says I, "but what does it lead up to;
where do we exit?"

"That," says the Boss, "is a conundrum."

"Ain't she got any programme?" says I.

"She--er--that is," says the Boss, trying to duck, "she says she wants
to go with us."

"Whe-e-e-ew!" says I, through my front teeth. "This is _so_ sudden. Just
tell the lady, will you, that I've resigned."

"No you don't, Shorty," says the Boss. "You'll see this thing through."

"But look at them circus clothes," says I. "I've got no aunts or
grandmothers, or second cousins that I could unload a Lady Brigandess
on."

"Nor I," says the Boss.

But he didn't look half so worried as he might. Say, when I came to
figure out what we were up against, I could feel little cold storage
whiffs on my shoulder blades. Suppose someone should meet you in the
middle of Herald Square, hand you a ring-tailed tiger, and then skiddoo.
What? That would be an easy one compared to our proposition. It wasn't a
square deal to shake her, and she'd made up her mind not to stay put
anywhere again.

"Wait here until I telephone someone," says the Boss.

"De-lighted!" says I. "Better ring up the Gerry Society, too, while
you're about it. They might help us out."

The Lady Brigandess and I didn't have a real sociable time while the
Boss was gone. I could see she was watchin' every move I made, as much
as to say, "You can't lose me, Charlie." It was just as cheery as
wai