--had been torn down, it would not have
brought ten dollars as kindling-wood. Yet its owner, a gentleman (?)
living handsomely up town, received for it the annual rent of two
hundred and fifty dollars. Subletted at an average of two dollars a
night, it gave an income of nearly seven hundred dollars a year. It was
known as the "Hawk's Nest," and no bird of prey ever had a fouler nest
than this.

As the gate banged on the fence a coarse, evil-looking man, wearing a
dirty Scotch cap and a red shirt, pushed his head up from the cellar of
the house that fronted on the street.

"What's wanted?" he asked, in a kind of growl, his upper lip twitching
and drawing up at one side in a nervous way, letting his teeth appear.

"We want to get this girl in for a little while," said Pinky. "We'll
take her away when she comes round. Is anybody in there?" and she
pointed to the hovel.

The man shook his head.

"How much?" asked Pinky.

"Ten cents apiece;" and he held out his hand.

Pinky gave him thirty cents. He took a key from his pocket, and opened
the door that led into the lower room. The stench that came out as the
door swung back was dreadful. But poor Flora Bond was by this time so
relaxed in every muscle, and so dead to outward things, that it was
impossible to get her any farther. So they bore her into this horrible
den, and laid her down in one of the stalls on a bed of loose straw.
Inside, there was nothing but these stalls and straw--not a table or
chair, or any article of furniture. They filled up nearly the entire
room, leaving only a narrow passage between them. The only means of
ventilation was by the door.

As soon as Pinky and her companion in this terrible wickedness were
alone with their victim, they searched her pocket for the key of her
traveling-bag. On finding it, Pinky was going to open it, when the other
said,

"Never mind about that; we can examine her baggage in safer place. Let's
go for the movables."

And saying this, she fell quickly to work on the person of Flora,
slipping out the ear-rings first, then removing her breast-pin and
finger-rings, while Pinky unbuttoned the new gaiter boots, and drew off
both boots and stockings, leaving upon the damp straw the small, bare
feet, pink and soft almost as a baby's.

It did not take these harpies five minutes to possess themselves of
everything but the poor girl's dress and undergarments. Cloth oversack,
pocket-book, collar, linen cuffs, hat, shoes