The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

eee eS THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 115 SS werry-partic'lar; we might as well be hung for a sheep as.a lamb.” So saying, Warner and the Pug drank each athens health, and long life to the triple partner- ship, _While they were thus merry together and. obli- vious of all care; the parlour door was:suddenly opened, A cabman showed his head inside, and) with a broad grin on his red face, said, “ Hillo, my covey! That you, Puggy, my boy? You didn’t keep yer app’intment the day arter I druv that old bloke home on that stormy night, did yer? Well, no matter, better late than never. How are yer? My respects, sir,” said he, bowing to Warner, and drinking off a large glass of gin, with- out even winking. Then, whispering to Puggy, he said, ™ ‘‘ A friend 0’ yourn ?” isi Yes,” ‘Werry like that cove as bilked me out of my fare that night,’ D’yer recollect ?” ‘In course I does.’’ “Ever seen that old bloke since ?” “No ; I should werry much like to though.” ‘“‘What’s all that fuss outside?’ said Warner, “Why, the people are running as if the devil was after them,” ‘“No vonder, sir, all respect toyou. There’s been some cracksmen as hev ‘done for’ three bobbies to-day near here; the people are running there to hev a look at ’em,” ‘‘ Horrible |”? said Warner, ‘You don’t mean that, Cabby,” said Pug, “T do, though, my tulip, and I knows who they was_as done it,” “You do?” | ‘Tn course I. does, Do you know this?” whispered Cabby, holding up the “ jemmy.” It_ was all covered with blood. ‘*Tt’s not mine,” said the Pug, “Gammon! Didn’t I see yer on the box of Jim Jones’s four wheeler, and didn’t I find it on the seat and hide it, and follow you here to bring it, so as to get you out o’ trouble? I’m allers a befriend- in’ 0’ you, and yet you never squares it.” The “ Pug” was, no doubt, greatly surprised at the unexpected visit of ‘*Cabby,’’? but he only gave vent to a quiet, wicked smile, and said nothing for a few moments»; at lastphe remarked, What are yer goin’ to hey, Cabby? I-ain’t got much coin, but I dare say I can raise the price of!a ‘half a go.’ What shall it be, a drop o’ gin, or rum?” “Vell, I doesn’t much mind what it is, Puggy ; but I did think as how you’d a.kept your appoint- ment, for, yer see, I might have made a quid (a sovéreign) or two about that little affair at the Red House,-but as you're a bit of a pal I wouldn’t know nothin’ about it.” ‘What little affair?” Puggy asked, in a half whisper, and with a look of great surprise. ‘“ You don’t suppose as how Z had anything to do with that scraggin’ scrape at the Red House?” “Me! lor bless yer, no!” said Cabby, tossing off his ‘half go’ of gin, and winking very mys- teriously ; “me! lor bless yer, no!” ls “And as to these here gents, you can tell they ain’t in the line,” said Pugsy. ‘Now, does they look like it?” | “No, in course not; but what’s their little game then ?”’ | ““Vhy, they is country gents as come up to town to see a nice little ‘mill,’ but it didn’t come off, so | they are havin’ a bit;of a, snooze-arter, bein’ up all night.” “ Zactly, Puggy;: ahd now: I- comes to: have a good look at ’em both, they- do look like: country: gents. Are they pretty flush o’ coin?” “Not werry ; but that’s neither here nor there, they are friends 0’ mine, and-that’s enough.” While this little bit of, chit-chat. was going on between Cabby and the Pug, Warner looked very uneasy, and cast furtive glances at Cabby, which the latter understood, “If that ain’t the chap as was my first fareron that night when old Ford was:murdered, may 1 be hanged,” he thought, and sipped another ‘ half go” with great complacency. Oabby did not remain long, and soon retired to the bar, where he indulged in a pint of “ cooper,” and, with a new pipe, looked over the “ Mornin’ ’Tiser.” As soon as he was gone the Pug whispered a word or two to Warner. In a moment afterwards’ Puggy entered the bar, and slipped two sovereigns into the cabman’s hand, The latter winked very slyly, took the coin in a back-handed way, and tossed off*the dregs of his “ cooper.” “Mum,” said Pugegy. ‘‘O, K.” said the cabman, and left the pre mises, * * % * ; How little does any one know when thy start’on a career of crime where all of it: will énd'! Little does the paltry thief think when, as a boy, he steals apples: from a poor woman’s stall, and laughs atithe joke, that he’is sowing seed that will perhaps one day lead him to the gallows. Look at the “ Pug,” As a lad he refused to work at) any honest occu- pation, and loved to lounge about dirty pot-houses, and mix in the brawls which disgrace nearly every crowded street’ on a Saturday night. Being strongly built, he had been often known to waylay poor mechanics, pick a quarrel with them, and then rob them of their dearly earned wages. . He had long been “spotted” by the police, but up to the present had escaped justice. He next tried his hand’ in the prize ring, and got a sound thrashing. Not caring for “hard knocks,” he left the “ring” in disgust and returned to his old. haunts, and was mixed up with burglars, smashers, and the like, and was liable at any moment to be arrested and trans- ported for life, if not to grace the scaffold. Warner also played for a large stake, and had been outwitted by the cunning lawyer, Flint, and placing all his hopes on a’single cast of the dice, lost it, and was now penniless and _friendless, hunted morning, noon and night by the blood- hounds of justice, Jonathan also, from small beginnings, had now arrived at that pitch when murder no longer looked terrible in his eyes. Here, then, were three scoundrels, each of them with an halter dangling before their eyes, afraid, to move, or to speak above their breath, for fear of detection. . : Wherever they went every honest man’s hand was against them. Where could they go? What could they do? Work they would not, re They feared to meet the gaze even of a child. The whistling of the wind among a few dead leaves caused a fearful tremor to pass through their frames, mMICLOOKS.cO CO