Under His Thumb — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

156 UNDER HIS THUMB. CHAPTER XXI. THE STRUGGLE ON THE BRIDGE. “That detective is awfully smart, and no mistake —regular nonpareil, he is, from A to Z!”? | Steve Lawton was trudging along the busy street as he made this soliloquy, heedless of the sights and sounds to which he was so accustomed, yet too alert to permit the most trivial incident to escape his keen, restless eyes. It was toward the close of the day marked by the action recorded in the preceding chapter. The boy had no special object in view at the mo- ment. He had, however, started forth with a de- termination to do something brilliant. | ‘I loafed around yesterday, and didn’t do nothin’, and if I loaf to-day without strikin’ a leader of some sort, that smart detective will take me for a ninny —sort of dead matter that’s no good any more.”’ The boy paused at a corner which he reached at the moment of making this observation, and glanced ) -~ alertly about him. Almost at the same moment he saw a large man, with a slouching figure, glance fur- tively toward him from the opposite side of the | street. “6 The glance was but momentary, and was so fais: tily withdrawn that it was evident it was not in- tended to attract the boy’s attention. <i, 3 But in this intention the man failed. Steve was: “x= as wide awake as a weasel. And he was as slyas he was observant. Without appearing to have seen — the slouching figure at all, the lad sauntered over to a peanut-stand, which was attended by a pug-nosed youngster somewhat older than himself. ‘‘How’s trade, Johnny?” Steve familiarly asked, © ‘Nuthin’ extra, Steve. How’s yourn?”’ “Tm out of a job. fs | i ‘ ; . - , :.. 5 b ‘ ‘ g . i a a _ . oo if or Pi ns 5 ek dO i) comicbooks.com |