Johnston McCulley

“ Craddock told him. “I expect to send you up the river some day, but I can’t get any glory out of tracking down a hungry man. A hungry man, you know, will make mistakes a man who has had his dinner will not make. This is a square fight between us, Tham.”
“You couldn’t make it eighty dollarth, could you?” Tham asked.
“Do you think I’m the First National Bank, my boy? Why do you want eighty dollars?” ”

“ Since the day when it had been thrown open for the use of the public, Thubway Tham had worshiped the big line. Life away from the subway was something too awful for Tham to contemplate.
He wished Craddock would leave him. It was almost one o’clock, and Tham knew that the newsboys were gathering for the feast he had promised them. ”

“ Tham felt sure the elderly gentleman could afford to lose a few dollars, and that perhaps he was the sort of man who would have fed a group of newsboys himself, had he happened to think of it.
The train stopped, and the crowd surged from the cars. Thubway Tham brushed against the elderly gentleman for a moment, and an instant later he had a fat wallet in his own pocket. ”

“ Tham advised him. “I can borrow, and I can collect what thome men owe me. And I can get me a job thome plathe when all other hope ith gone.”
Thubway Tham turned away—and Detective Craddock turned after him. Tham was near to tears. Why, he’d not dare look a newsie in the face after this, he told himself. They’d hate the sight of him. And he didn’t have the nerve to go across to the restaurant and tell them the truth; he knew what sort of a reception that would earn for him.
He passed the subway entrance, where there was quite a throng now, and Craddock moved closer. ”

“ He decided to invite nineteen of them to a special dinner, where they would be treated as honored guests instead of objects of wonder.
Thubway Tham found that the first newsie he approached looked upon him with suspicion. But finally he made himself clear, and the newsie was delighted. He spoke for himself and four friends, and he directed Thubway Tham to a boy on a certain other corner who could supply more guests. Thubway Tham spent another two hours delivering personal invitations to the special dinner to be given by “Mr. Joneth” at a certain restaurant at a certain hour the following day. ”

“ A man never is fully efficient when he is angry, and when a man is not efficient, slips occur. You want to watch out for that slip, Tham, for if you give the judge a chance he’s going to hang quite a number of years on your record. ”

“ Are you goin’ to pethter me again today?” Thubway demanded. “It ith bad enough to have no friendth or relativeth on thuth a day, without bein’ pethtered too. It ith about all a man can thtand!”
“Ah! Want to make another little promise pact—word of honor until the holiday is over, or something like that?”
“I do not make any dealth with the devil,” Thubway Tham told him. “You talk like a thilly ath!”
“Ah! That means of course, that you are out for the stuff today, since you refuse to give me your word you’ll do nothing wrong. ”