Under His Thumb — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

a |. UNDER HIS THUMB, 39 from the street by Mr. Waldron, who was a benevo- lent man, and fond of giving struggling and op- pressed ability a chance in the world. Steve had knocked about the streets all his life. He had been kicked and cuffed until he developed a resolution to stand up for his rights. He had been cheated and abused by men of whom better conduct was expected. Hence he became suspicious of every- body, and especially so of those who assumed a pleasant tone in addressing him. Therefore it was not strange that he received the kindly remark of the detective with a feeling that the latter merely meant, in some way, to get the best of him. “I guess I ain’t hurt very bad, mister,’’ he said, with a shrug of indifference. “So you would have liked it as well if I had left you to fight it out alone?’’ Croly asked. ‘I would have come out of the racket somehow. I generally fights my own battles.”’ ‘Don’t be offish, my boy. Iam told that Mr. Wal- dron, who has been so foully murdered, was your patron.’’ ‘““What’s a patron, mister? I ain’t a college per- fessor, to talk such high-toned lingo.”’ “Mr. Waldron was a friend to you—took you from ‘ the streets and made you an apprentice in his print- ing-house, did he not?’’ ‘“‘He did, mister. And he paid my board out’n his own pocket, he did. He was square, an’ Cony you forget it.” The tremor of the boy’s tones showed how Seen was his feeling upon this point. ‘‘And of course you keenly feel the loss of this noble friend of yours,”’ Croly continued. EOmMmIicboo <S €o mn