Henry C. Rowland

Name: The Under-World — Chapter 1
Author: Henry C. Rowland

The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

Summary

“The Under-World — Chapter 1”, published in 1911, is a work by Henry C. Rowland. It explores elements such as Edith, the Under-World and crook.

Quotes from The Under-World — Chapter 1 (Henry C. Rowland)

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ Only three weeks before Léontine Petrovski and I had broken into this man's house—not knowing who he was, of course—to steal his wife's jewels. He had surprised us, like I told you, and to save Léontine I would have shot him dead only that his resemblance to me told me who he was. But I was masked, so he shot me through the arm, in spite of which I would have got away if I hadn't done a sacrifice play and tackled the agent to save the rest of the mob. But I'd left John senseless at the foot of his stairs, and the gash across his forehead wasn't yet healed. ”

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Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ I wanted her to know how I came to belong to the Under-World. Perhaps she understood and wished me to understand that no explanation was necessary, for she said:
“Whatever you set yourself to do you will do strongly, Frank, and without fear. Weakness will never be your fault. How old are you, Frank?”
“Thirty-two,” I told her.
“Six years younger than John,” she said, “but you look to be the same age.” ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ When I told them how Léontine had insisted on coming with me for the sheer excitement of the thing, although not a professional thief herself, Miss Dalghren's blue eyes sparkled.
“I can understand that,” she said. “Is she very beautiful, this woman?”
“Yes,” I answered; “she's a big, gorgeous sort of tigress.”
“She rather fancied you, eh?” said John.
“Such women have fierce, sudden fancies,” I answered. “No doubt hers may have rested on me for the hour. I never saw her until that night. It was her gun that I had when you fired. I never carry a loaded gun myself when doing a piece of work.” ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ The sentimental mush that is served out to the ex-thief by a certain class of people is almost enough to keep the self-respectin' crook from turning honest, unless he's hard up against it; but there was nothing of that sort here. Some folks seem to think that a criminal is an entirely different sort of human being, but my experience in the Under-World had been that there's a lot of honesty in most crooks, just the same as there's a lot of crookedness in many honest folk, and that the difference is principally in circumstance. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ But to be an object of charity to a woman who owed me nothing but the good chance of losing her jewels—that wouldn't do.
John saw what was passing in my mind and laid his hand on my shoulder.
“Come, Frank,” says he, “you'll feel differently about it when you've met her. She's not a usual woman, old chap; she's a sort of angel on earth. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ There is a man in this city who arranges for the theft of such jewels as these. He supplies the cracksman with the necessary information and details one of his mob to do the job. Very often the chief is not dead sure himself as to what other jewels there may be, nor what are real and what imitations. Yet when the burglar has made his haul he takes the lot straight to headquarters, where they are assayed in the laboratory and then turned over to a third party to dispose of. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ I answered, “but there's nothing you can do. I'm old offender—a recidiviste, all catalogued and bertillioned. I've done my little trick in Cayenne, and this time it's au bat d'Afrique for me.”
“I'm not so sure,” says he. “I've got some other strong influence in Official and diplomatic circles. Suppose I manage it, will you give me your word to live strictly on the square?”
“A thief's word?” I asked.
“My brother's word,” says John; “that's good enough for me.”
Say, my friend, would you think me capable of tears? Me, a post-graduate American crook, and as hard as nails? ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ She's the one you've got to thank. You see, Frank, Edith has all the money. Our father died bankrupt, otherwise you would not have been a burglar. I could never make a dollar to save my life, though I hope to pretty soon; and that's something I want to talk to you about.”
But I shook my head. You see, I had thought all the time that John was a rich man in his own right; that he might have saved something from the wreck when the old man went broke and blew his brains out ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry C. Rowland, The Under-World — Chapter 1 (1911)

“ There's little doubt but that these transactions are practically always carried on strictly on the level. Moreover, there's a sinking fund for protecting members of the gang that get nabbed and tiding over others that are in a run of bad luck. ”

Henry C. Rowland

Summary

Quotes from The Under-World — Chapter 1 (Henry C. Rowland)

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