Under His Thumb — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

UNDER HIS THUMB. | 189 some stairs, terminating over the card-room in which Bill Leary and the stranger were closeted. The place in which he found himself was a nar- row, open space, stored with odds and ends from the saloon below. The small apartment underneath was visible through a circular register. At present this was closed, but Steve Lawton opened it so softly that the persons underneath were not aware of it. The pool-tender was obliged to return to his du- ties, several players having entered at the moment and begun a game. So the young typo-detective was left entirely to himself. The first words that came to his ears were uttered. in the gruff tones of Bill Leary, who said: “ve got about through with this business. I want you to pay me off and let me go.’ ‘‘Impossible—not yet,’’ replied a low, harsh voice, unmistakably disguised. ‘“D’ye expect me to hang around here till I’m nabbed ?’’ ‘“‘T expect you to finish what you have begun. I will pay you all the money you need; but IL won’t dismiss you till your work is done.”’’ “S’posen I say I’m goin’ to quit any way?’’ ‘“Then you will change your decision, that is all. You must not think that you have me in your power and can wind me round your finger as you please. You are as deep in the mud as I am in the mire, and I’ve got one advantage that you have not—ready money. If you back down you will find yourself in an awful scrape. I can take care.of myself. Do you see the point?’’ pneu s why you’re keeping me short of money, is 1t?”’ ‘That is one reason. Another is, that I wish you to keep sober. To speak plainly, your head isn’t level enough to stand much whisky.”’ Leary growled out an incoherent response, and then relapsed into silence. Steve Lawton, it is needless to say, was intensely interested in this interview, which certainly indi-~ Gomicbooks (E(6) mn