Part 36 (1/2)

”It IS odd,” he said, ”how our viewpoints change with changed environ of the years Time was, Billy, when I'd have hated you as much as you would have hated me I don't know that I should have said hate, for that is not exactly the word It was more conte upon that intellectual or social plane to which I considered I had been born

”I thought of people who reat unwashed' I pitied them, and I honestly believe now that in the bottom of my heart I considered them of different clay than I, and with souls, if they possessed such things, about on a par with the souls of sheep and cows

”I couldn't have seen the man in you, Billy, then, any more than you could have seen the h I still stick to a part of inal articles of faith--I do believe that all reat many more hom I would not pal than there are those holish than another, or has read more and remembers it, only makes him a better man in that particular respect I think none the less of you because you can't quote Browning or Shakespeare--the thing that counts is that you can appreciate, as I do, Service and Kipling and Knibbs

”Nowand Service didn't write poetry, and soets you and me in the sa the case let's see if we can't rustle sorub, and then find a nice soft spot whereon to pound our respective ears”

Billy, deciding that he was too sleepy to work for food, invested half of the capital that was to have furnished the swell feed the night before in what two bits would purchase fro themselves beneath the shade of a tree sufficiently far froht not attract unnecessary observation, they slept until after noon

But their precaution failed to serve their purpose entirely A little before noon two filthy, bearded knights of the road clambered laboriously over the fence and headed directly for the very tree under which Billy and Bridge lay sleeping In the ht that had induced Billy Byrne and the poetic Bridge to seek this same secluded spot

There was in the stiff shuffle of therather familiar

We have seen them before--just for a few minutes it is true; but under circumstances that impressed some of their characteristics upon us The very lastof the a railroad track, after proeance upon Billy, who had just trounced them

Now as they came unexpectedly upon the two sleepers they did not inize in the stupidly down on theht turn their discovery to their own advantage

Nothing in the raie indicated that here was any particularly rich field for loot, and, too, the athletic figure of Byrne would rather have discouraged any atte him the ”ko”, as the tould have naively put it

But as they gazed down upon the features of the sleepers the eyes of one of the traly slits while those of his companion ide in incredulity and surprise

”Do youse know de for a reply he went on: ”Deuys dat beat us up back dere de udder side o' K C Do youse get 'em?”

”Sure?” asked the other

”Sure, I'd know dem in a t'ous'n' Le's hand 'em a couple an' beat it,”

and he stooped to pick up a large stone that lay near at hand

”Cut it!” whispered the second trauys dat beats us up; but dat big stiff dere is more dan dat He's wanted in Chi, an' dere's half a t'ou on 'im”

”Who put youse jerry to all dat?” inquired the first tramp, skeptically

”I was in de still wit 'iuy He's a lifer On de way to de pen he pushes dis dick off'n de rattler an' et-away

Dat peter-boy we meets at Quincy slips me an earful about hiey”

”Whaddaya oes to de nex' farm an' calls up K C an'

tips off de dicks, see?”