Johnston McCulley

“ The service was worth the money, Tham decided; and the porter was a good one.
Tham put his suit outside that night, and his shoes also, and turned in to sleep well. In the morning he found his suit pressed as well as it could have been, and his shoes had a heavy polish. Tham shaved and dressed with care.
“That ith a good porter, and he ith goin' to get a good tip,” Tham mumbled. He sat close to the window, after eating breakfast, and looked at the river. Tham was commencing to feel at home. An hour more, and he would be in the subway, bound downtown. ”

“ Thubway Tham told himself that the porter looked like a million dollars, and that he did not see why he shouldn't.
And then thoughts of revenge came to Thubway Tham. He worked nearer the porter, and when the downtown express arrived, Tham boarded it half a dozen feet behind the other man. He was glad to find that the car was crowded.
“It would be juthtith to get hith roll,” Tham declared to himself. “He ith a crook of the wortht thort. He robth men and women right and left, the ath! He potheth ath an honetht man, and he ith the biggeth robber unhung, the thimp!” ”

“ But the list was in the club car, sir, for you to read.”
Tham handed over another half dollar. He felt his anger rising. Great graft, he reminded himself again. Paying fourteen or fifteen dollars for a compartment for twenty-four hours was not a receipt, he decided. It was paying for the privilege of handing out change endlessly. It cost money to ride in style.
The train stopped, and Tham went forward and descended to the platform. A porter tore his bag from his hand and hurried away with it, and Tham spurted after him. ”

“ The thought disturbed him.
“Every man to hith own game,” said Tham. “Maybe I am a crook, but I am no hold-up man. After thith, when I want to ride in one of them compartmenth, I'll buy a private car. It ith cheaper.”
He reached the platform and waited for a downtown train. Once more he felt the well-known touch on his shoulder, and, knowing that Detective Craddock remained in Chicago, whirled around with some surprise in his face. ”

“ You want to lamp the finetht collection of crookth that ever held a convention? Then you thtand right here and watch all the burglarth that run on thothe trains. When it cometh to bein' crookth, they have all the clath in the world. I'll thay tho!”
“You seem to be peeved, Tham.”
“Who? Me? I'll thay I'm peeved! I don't even like to talk about it,” Tham declared. “And I don't want to be peththered by you.”
“All right, old boy, just so I understand what you're doing around the station here. I happen to know that you went to Chicago with Craddock. Did they stick Sly Luke?” ”

“ And if you thtart petherin' me, I'll thee the commithioner about it. It ith your job to look for crookth, tho why wathte your time with me when there ith Pullman porterth thick around thith plathe? You want to thee a real crook? ”