Johnston McCulley

“ Joe Carden grinned. Nifty Burke was hopeless when it came to a proper regard for the English language, and the crook comedian knew it.
Burke hurried away with the letters, and Joe Carden paced the floor of his living room puffing at a cigarette, and began planning things to be done after the affair of the Chinese vase was closed.
He told himself that he was a peculiar sort of crook, since the robbery of honest men did not appeal to him. He was trying to justify his mode of life.
“I don’t steal from honest men, and I wouldn’t steal from a genuine crook,” he declared to himself. ”

“ Worries the life half out of me!”
Meantime Nifty Burke had journeyed uptown by means of the subway, traveling in a leisurely fashion and seemingly without important destination, though he was continually alert for sight of Marter or any other officer. He was careful, too; he did not care to be arrested on any charge whatever, searched, and those blackmail letters found in his pocket. That would lead to disaster for both himself and Joe Carden. ”

“ There is no law against using a name not your own unless you do it to defraud, public opinion to the contrary. To nail me, Nifty, they’d have to send money and afterward find it in my possession. Now I’ll write another letter. ”