and the filthy
little waist sank close to the backbone. "Bet yer life, boss," he said
cheerfully.

"How long have you been twisted?" asked Sinton.

Billy appealed to the others. "When was it we had the stuff on the
bridge?"

"Yesterday morning," said the girl.

"Is that all gone?" asked Sinton.

"She went and told us to take it home," said Billy ruefully, "and 'cos
she said to, we took it. Pa had come back, he was drinking some more,
and he ate a lot of it--almost the whole thing, and it made him sick as
a dog, and he went and wasted all of it. Then he got drunk some more,
and now he's asleep again. We didn't get hardly none."

"You children sit on the steps until the man comes," said Sinton. "I'll
send you some things to eat with him. What's your name, sonny?"

"Billy," said the boy.

"Well, Billy, I guess you better come with me. I'll take care of him,"
Sinton promised the others. He reached a hand to Billy.

"I ain't no baby, I'm a boy!" said Billy, as he shuffled along beside
Sinton, taking a kick at every movable object without regard to his
battered toes.

Once they passed a Great Dane dog lolling after its master, and Billy
ascended Sinton as if he were a tree, and clung to him with trembling
hot hands.

"I ain't afraid of that dog," scoffed Billy, as he was again placed on
the walk, "but onc't he took me for a rat or somepin' and his teeth cut
into my back. If I'd a done right, I'd a took the law on him."

Sinton looked down into the indignant little face. The child was bright
enough, he had a good head, but oh, such a body!

"I 'bout got enough of dogs," said Billy. "I used to like 'em, but I'm
getting pretty tired. You ought to seen the lickin' Jimmy and Belle and
me give our dog when we caught him, for taking a little bird she gave
us. We waited 'till he was asleep 'nen laid a board on him and all of
us jumped on it to onc't. You could a heard him yell a mile. Belle said
mebbe we could squeeze the bird out of him. But, squeeze nothing! He was
holler as us, and that bird was lost long 'fore it got to his stummick.
It was ist a little one, anyway. Belle said it wouldn't 'a' made a
bite apiece for three of us nohow, and the dog got one good swaller. We
didn't get much of the meat, either. Pa took most of that. Seems like
pas and dogs gets everything."

Billy laughed dolefully. Involuntarily Wesley Sinton reached his hand.
They were coming into the business part of Onabasha and the streets were