ls, but it was quite
half a minute before she summoned resolution to plunge beneath the
structure of the elevated railroad. When she had reached the other
side she stood still again before continuing westward.

The two men crossed the street and planted themselves behind her. They
were speaking in a tongue that sounded like French, and one had a patch
over his eye. A taxicab was crawling up behind them. I was sure that
they were in pursuit of her.

The four of us were almost abreast in the middle of the long block
between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. We were passing a dead wall, and
the street was almost empty.

Suddenly the man with the patch turned on me, lowered his head, and
butted me off my feet. I fell into the roadway, and at that instant
the second fellow grasped the girl by the arm and the taxicab whirled
up and stopped.

The girl's assailants seemed to be trying to force her into the cab.
One caught at her arm, the other seized her waist. The bag flew open,
scattering a shower of gold pieces upon the pavement.

And then, before I could get upon my feet again, the dog had leaped at
the throat of the man with the patch and sent him stumbling backward.
Before he recovered his balance I was at the other man, striking out
right and left.

It was all the act of an instant, and in an instant the two men had
jumped into the taxicab and were being driven swiftly away. I was
standing beside the terrified girl, while an ill-looking crowd,
gathering from God knows where, surrounded us and fought like harpies
for the coins which lay scattered about.

I laid my hands on one who had grabbed a gold piece from between my
feet, but the girl pulled at my arm distractedly. She was white and
trembling, and her big grey eyes were full of fear.

"Help me!" she pleaded, clinging to my sleeve with her little gloved
hands. "The money is nothing. I have eight thousand dollars more in
my bag. Help me away!"

She spoke in a foreign, bookish accent, as though she had learned
English at school. Fortunately for us the mob was too busily engrossed
in its search to hear her words.

So I drew her arm through mine and we hurried toward Sixth Avenue,
where we took an up-town car.

We had reached Herald Square when it occurred to me that my companion
did not seem to know her destination. So we descended there. I
intended to order a taxicab for her, had forgotten the dog, but now the
beautiful creature came bounding up t