Under His Thumb — page 137: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

128 - UNDER HIS THUMB. the next it rained. During this period Stella scarcely went forth from her lodgings. Toward the close of this rainy day, however, she made her way to the dingy brick dwelling which was the home of Katie Byrnes. Lhe latter, with ane agitated face, met her at the door. | “Come in, sani Stella,’’ she breathlessly ex- claimed, Seaway her visitor into the dark, narrow, hall-way, and hastily closing the door. “What is the trouble?’’ Stella asked, in sudden alarm, for she had never seen her friend so excited botare. “Trouble enough, to be sure. It isn’t five minutes since they were looking for you.”’ ‘‘Looking for me? Who?’’ * “Why, the police, of course. And nothing would do but Imust tell ’em alll knew about you, or be arrested myself. But I sent ’em on a wild-goose chase, that I did. They’ll be poking over to the other side of the city. in search of ye, for I told ’em you boarded in West Twelfth street—and so you did, a good while ago, as they’ll be after finding out when they — inquire. This minute I was coming up to warn ye. There may be a policeman watching this door now. But he mustn’t get you. Sure, and you're innocent as a lamb.”’ Stella Siereuended the truth in a moment. ‘Then I, too, must flee for safety !’’ she exclaimed. “You will have to hide somewhere, to be sure,” replied her warm-hearted friend. “Why should Ido so. I am innocent of any wrong. You know lam innocent, Katie?’’ “Of course I know it. But the police—they’re that comicbooks.com