own stomach. Curse it! I won't
starve any longer! Matt! she's in there all by herself!"

"So I've been thinking," Kelson murmured, glancing uneasily up and
down the street. "Still she's a girl, Ed!"

"That's just it!" Curtis whispered; "it is because she is a girl. If
she were a man, in our present condition we shouldn't stand a chance.
Come! It's this or dying in the gutters. It's our one and only chance.
Let's go in--have a feed--take what we can and make a bolt for it. If
she tries to stop us we can settle her right enough."

"Without being too rough! There's no need to be too rough with her,
Ed."

"I shouldn't stick at much!" Curtis answered. "Occasions like these
don't admit of chivalry. Come along! It's the ham I'm after."

Curtis shuffled forward as he spoke, and the next moment Kelson and he
were standing in front of the counter.

The girl eyed Curtis very dubiously and it is more than likely would
have refused to serve him had he been alone. But her expression
changed on looking at Kelson. Kelson was one of those individuals who
seldom fail to meet with the approval of women--there was a something
in him they liked. Probably neither he nor they could have defined
that something; but there it was, and it came in extremely handy now.

"What do you want?" she inquired shortly.

"Ham! Give me some of that ham over there, miss, and a cup of tea!
Bread too!" Curtis cried eagerly. "Do you know what it is to have a
twist on, miss? I have one on now--so please give us a full
twenty-five cents' worth."

Kelson said nothing, but his eyes glistened, and the girl wondered as
she passed him the polonies.

Both men ate as they had never eaten before, and as they would not have
eaten now had they paid any attention to the advice of hunger experts.
However, they survived, and when they could eat no more they leaned
back in their chairs to enjoy the sensation of returning--albeit,
slowly returning--strength.

Curtis was the first to make a move. "Matt," he murmured, "we've about
sat our sit. We'd better be off. You go and say a few nice words to
the girl and make pretence of paying. I'll secure the ham--there's
still a good bit left--and anything else I can grab. The moment I do
this, throw these chairs on the ground so that the girl will fall over
them when she makes a dash for me, which she is certain to do. We will
then head straight away for 216th Street. Don't look so scared or she
will think there is somethin