The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 320: what you’re looking at

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314 he'll fall into my hands ripe enough one of these fine mornings.” “Well, if he does I should feel very happy, for he’s been the cause of many a girl getting ,trans- ported,” ‘‘ Indeed.” “No doubt about it, Mx, Gale ; for when he sees a drunken gentleman in company with some fast woman, he winks to the girl, gets’ them ‘to ride in his cab, and when the girl leayes it for a moment to get soda and brandy for her ‘companion, Mr. Cabby perhaps drives off, robs the gentleman, puts | him down anywhere, and then if there’ is any bother made about it he blames the girl, gives, her discription, swears against her, and ail that, and then the poor wretch gets transported.” 'Matty’s face was all a-glow as she spoke these words, ; But Gale only bit his lip, as he said-— “ What’s become of all Barney's pals, Matty? ” “Most of them have turned him up, Mx. Gale,” said Matty. “ But do you mean to say he Has béen ‘working without them for the last few months?” | “Oh, no; he’s got quite a school of young ’uns, who met at the ‘ Cock and Bottle” every night.” ‘‘T know that; he’s the teacher.” “ And gets the most of amy one.” ! ‘Trust him for that,”gaid Gale, “itis the way with them all. But w Meant to say, Matty, is this; have all his’ cr over ?”’ Kars ‘No, there's two who used to work with Barney,” ‘What's their names?” fi “Bandy Bob and Alf Gue Gale put these names dows well as the address which was+ ~ “No, 29, Ash Alley, Whitechapeh.” ‘Have you seen either of them lately wy ‘No ; they never came to my place.” ‘‘But Barney used to meet them though ?” “Oh, yes; and the cabman also, I saw them all one night in the tap-rcom of the ‘ Cock and Bottle.’ They were alone; and Barney was chalking out something like a houseon the table. When I went in, there was none there but themselves, and Bar- ney made a blow at me with a quart pot for daring to interrupt him. They were making out a plan of some house in the country.” ~ “ How do you know it was in the country ?” ‘* Because I heard Barney say one night that he and Bandy Bob were going away bird catching for a few days.” “ How long were they away ?”’ ‘“‘ Four days that time,’’ “ They brought a lot of birds home with them, I suppose ?” said Gale, grinning, ‘* No they didn’t though ; not one.” “Did they go again 2?” ‘Yes ; the next time they were away-three days; and the next time only two days; but then the last time they rode home in the cab.” “You are sure of this, Matty ?” ‘© T am.” “How do you know that the cabman was with them the last time ?” “Because his wife came to my place bullying, and swore that he and Barney were up to no good together, and that if she liked to open her mouth she could transport both of them,” “But have you no other proof ?” ‘Yes ; the cabby and Barney got dead drunk the night they came home, and boasted of what a jovial time they had down in Kent.” “Very jovial, I dare say ; had they much money?” THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. a — ——— — ————— — —————————————— © Bat he went to them, did-he not ?” | el] Then all about it.” smen pals thrown him " : “ii his note-boolk, as | valuab —_— : “©Yes; they both appeared to have plenty of coin.” “Did Bandy or Alf come with them to your place?” “No; they sent a boy to say they would wait in the tap of the ‘Cock and Bottle’ until Barney and the cabby went to them. The cabby began to swear, and said if he was Barney he wouldn't give them a penny, for they hadn’t done the job as they onght to have done—they hadn’t made a clean sweep of the lot he said.” “ A clean sweep were his words, eh ?”’ “Yen le “ Yes, and a rare old quarrel they had over the money.” A ¢ Wi did you suppose the money came from, Matty: ¢: Pub: “ Y didn’t know for certain, Mr. Gale; but I thought, nay, made sure they had been up to some robbexy or other.” “ Tknow they had been,” said Gale, laughing, “Phen why ask me, Mr. Gale?” ecause [am not quite ready with the case, , that is all.” yu won't bring me into it?” 0, Matty. Youare safe enough; but let me ask, did you ever find out who they sold their plunder to? It wasn’t to old Moss, was it ?” i n, to whom 2» ch aoe know as how they sold anything, but I only guess so,” “You guess right, then. They sold a very ble lob of goods, but to whom is a dead tad PAI * FT heard Barney say as how old Moss had always swindled him, and he wouldn’t go there any more, and the cabby said in a whisper,—‘ Why not try old Hautwig the smasher?’ ” When Gale heard this name, he seemed greatly astonished, “Old Hautwig,” said Gale, several times. you certain of that?’ “Yes, positive.” “T never thought that,” ‘Tt is true, though,” | ‘‘And are you sure old Hautwig is a smasher?” said Gale. 4° “Why, of course he is.” “T never heard that before.” “No, but J did.” “And was Barney mixed up with him in the smashing line?” | “Yes, and Bandy Bob, and Alf Green also.” : **But they never did anything of that sort in London, I think, Matty, or else the officers of the Mint would have been on their track long ago.” “No, Mr. Gale, I don’t think as how they passed off bad money in London much, but——” Soy “Oh, I see, they ‘worked’ the country.” “Yes, at fairs, and all such places.” “Very good ; go on.” a Old Haulwig is one of the leaders. When ther are no fairs in winter, he stays at home, at his rag and bottle warehouse, doing the thing very nicely as a good ‘fence,’ but in the summer he is always off with his friends to the country fairs.” ‘A very clever dodge,” said Gale, smiling. “They can pass off their base metal better on the yokels than on cockneys.” “So they say, and in the hurry and confusion of the fair, no one stops much to examine his change,” | “Ts old Haulwig rich, then ?”’ wes Are COMME OOKS