makin' trouble fer me."

She sobbed hysterically as the sergeant walked her out. Shultberger
patted her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Dot's all right, Annie. I vouldn't let nodding happen to Jimmie.
I'll bail him out and you too. Go along; dot's a good girl." He
turned to his guests, and motioned to them to be silent.

The "professor," at the piano, used to such scenes, lulled the nerves
of the company with a rag-time variation of "Oh, You Beautiful Doll,"
and Burke, the sergeant and Annie went out into the night.

The girl was taken to the station. The lieutenant looked questioningly
at Officer 4434.

"Want to put her down for assault?" he asked.

Burke looked at the unhappy creature. Her hair was half-down her back,
and her lips swollen and bleeding from Jimmie's brutal blow. The cheap
rouge on her face; the heavy pencilling of her brows, the crudely
applied blue and black grease paint about her eyes, the tawdry paste
necklace around her powdered throat; the pitifully thin silk dress in
which she had braved the elements for a few miserable dollars: all
these brought tears to the eyes of the young officer.

He was sick at heart.

The girl shivered and sobbed in that hysterical manner which indicates
weakness, emptiness, lack of soul--rather than sorrow.

"Poor thing--I couldn't do it. I don't want to see her sent to
Blackwell's Island. She's getting enough punishment every day--and
every night."

"Well, she's made your face look like a railroad map. You're too soft,
young fellow. I'll put her down as a material witness. Go wash that
blood off, and we'll send 'em both down to Night Court. You've done
yourself out of your relief butting in this way. Take a tip from me,
and let these rummies fight it out among themselves after this as long
as they don't mix up with somebody worth while."

Burke wiped his eye with the back of his cold hand. It was not snow
which had melted there. He was young enough in the police service to
feel the pathos of even such common situations as this.

He turned quietly and went back to the washstand in the rear room of
the station. The reserves were sitting about, playing checkers and
cards. Some were reading.

Half a dozen of the men, fond of the young policeman, chatted with him,
and volunteered advice, to which Burke had no reply.

"Don't start in mixing up with the Gas Tank Gang over one of those
girls, Burke, for they're not worth it."

"You'll have e