hem lending color to
their cries.

Ensal Ellwood and Earl Bluefield boarded a street car, while the Negro
girl who had occupied the coach with them, not knowing anything about
the city, went in the direction of the clamoring hackmen, hoping that
some one of them might tell her where she could find proper
entertainment for the night. As she drew near, the line of hackmen bent
forward, with hands outstretched for traveling bags, each man eyeing her
intently as if hoping that the character of the look bestowed upon her
might influence her choice. One man pulled off his hat, hoping to
impress her with a mark of respect not exhibited by the others. The
remainder of the hackmen quickly pulled off their hats, determined that
no one should have the advantage. The young woman tossed back her veil
that she might see the better.

[Illustration: "The young woman looked into his face and recoiled."
(20-21.)]

A young man better dressed than the hackmen was standing behind them.
The moment he caught sight of the young woman's astonishingly beautiful
face he pushed through the crowd, walked rapidly to her side, gently
took hold of her satchel, and said quietly, "You will go with me. I will
see you properly cared for."

The young woman looked into his face and recoiled. His tone was
respectful and there was nothing affronting in his look or demeanor, yet
the young woman felt utterly repelled.

"That's right, lady. Don't go with him. Go with any of the rest of these
men in preference to him," said a genial faced young man, slightly below
medium height, rather corpulent and very dark.

The young woman looked in his direction and was favorably impressed with
his open, frank expression.

"I'll trust myself to your care," said she, pulling away from the well
dressed young man.

Leroy Crutcher, for such was his name, cast a look of malignant hatred
at Bud Harper, the successful hackman and muttered something under his
breath. He also scowled at the young woman whose utter disdain of him
had cut him to the quick.

"I will get even with the pair of them, if it takes me the balance of my
life," said Leroy Crutcher to the group of hackmen, after Bud Harper and
the young woman had driven away.

The men looked at him in sullen, contemptuous silence, loathing and yet
dreading him more than they did a serpent, for he conducted a house of
ill-repute for the exclusive use of white men and Negro girls, and,