Under His Thumb — page 197: what you’re looking at

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

188 UNDER HIS THUMB. “T.don’t ask no pay. But yer mustn’t try to drive me, ’cause I’m nonpareil double-leaded, when yer cit me mad. T’ll tell yer one thing, don’t bounce — the tough. I guess he came here to meet somebody, and I guess a fly-cop is spyin’ him. Mixed up in a crime of some sort. He ’bout broke my back once, when he had an ugly spell—that’s why I’m inter- ested, and if a fly-cop comes in to pull him, I want to be ’round and see the picnic.’’ “This is important, to be sure,’’ declared the other, adding: ‘‘I must go in and tell the boss.”’ “Wait a minute.”’ “What do you want?’’ “Can’t you manage somehow to hide me inside where I can see what is going on without the tough’s seeing me. I'll look out for myself, you needn’t have any fears on that score.’ ‘“T’ll try it. Come in now.” | ‘‘No; come back and tell me if he is out of sight. He’d chew me up if he got his eyes on me and ~ ae s’pected I was spyin’. The young fellow entered the billiard and pool- room, and was absent several moments. When he ~ returned his face glowed with eager interest. “The tough has got a partner, I guess,’’ he an- nounced, adding: ‘‘There is another fellow here, rather odd-looking, who took the tough into a side room of ours that we keep for people that like a quiet came of cards and don’t want spectators. They are. buzzing each other ata great rate. It was as you said about the tough having nomoney. The other fellow paid his bill.’ Steve could scarce restrain his eagerness within proper bounds. ‘‘Other chap is a fly-cop instead of a partner,’ he declared. Of coure he knew better, but he did not wish the pool-room proprietors to suspect that he was playing the detective part. | ‘“You’re a pretty sharp boy, I should say. Come in, and I’ll see that you have a chance to watch the eee and his game, if that is what they turn out oO be.”’ coh ta Steve was conducted into the pool-room and up comicbooks.com