Within the Law [32]
at the men. The way you acted when you first run round with me, I thought you sure was a suffragette. And then you met this young Gilder --and--good-night, nurse!"
The hardness remained in Mary's face, as she continued to regard her friend. But, now, there was something quizzical in the glance with which she accompanied the monosyllable:
"Well?"
Again, Aggie shook her head in perplexity.
"His old man sends you up for a stretch for something you didn't do--and you take up with his son like----"
"And yet you don't understand!" There was scorn for such gross stupidity in the musical voice.
Aggie choked a little from the cigarette smoke, as she gave a gasp when suspicion of the truth suddenly dawned on her slow intelligence.
"My Gawd!" Her voice came in a treble shriek of apprehension. "I'm wise!"
"But you must understand this," Mary went on, with an authoritative note in her voice. "Whatever may be between young Gilder and me is to be strictly my own affair. It has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of you, or with our schemes for money-making. And, what is more, Agnes, I don't want to talk about it. But----"
"Yes?" queried Aggie, encouragingly, as the other paused. She hopefully awaited further confidences.
"But I do want to know," Mary continued with some severity, "what you meant by talking in the public street yesterday with a common pickpocket."
Aggie's childlike face changed swiftly its expression from a sly eagerness to sullenness.
"You know perfectly well, Mary Turner," she cried indignantly, "that I only said a few words in passin' to my brother Jim. And he ain't no common pickpocket. Hully Gee! He's the best dip in the business."
"But you must not be seen speaking with him," Mary directed, with a certain air of command now become habitual to her among the members of her clique. "My cousin, Miss Agnes Lynch, must be very careful as to her associates."
The volatile Agnes was restored to good humor by some subtle quality in the utterance, and a family pride asserted itself.
"He just stopped me to say it's been the best year he ever had," she explained, with ostentatious vanity.
Mary appeared sceptical.
"How can that be," she demanded, "when the dead line now is John Street?"
"The dead line!" Aggie scoffed. A peal of laughter rang merrily from her curving lips.
"Why, Jim takes lunch every day in the Wall Street Delmonico's. Yes," she went on with increasing animation, "and only yesterday he went down to Police Headquarters, just for a little excitement, 'cause Jim does sure hate a dull life. Say, he told me they've got a mat at the door with 'Welcome' on it--in letters three feet high. Now, what--do--you--think--of that!" Aggie teetered joyously, the while she inhaled a shockingly large mouthful of smoke. "And, oh, yes!" she continued happily, "Jim, he lifted a leather from a bull who was standing in the hallway there at Headquarters! Jim sure does love excitement."
Mary lifted her dark eyebrows in half-amused inquiry.
"It's no use, Agnes," she declared, though without entire sincerity; "I can't quite keep up with your thieves' argot--your slang, you know. Just what did this brother of yours do?"
"Why, he copped the copper's kale," Aggie translated, glibly.
Mary threw out her hands in a gesture of dismay.
Thereupon, the adventuress instantly assumed a most ladylike and mincing air which ill assorted with the cigarette that she held between her lips.
"He gently removed a leathern wallet," she said sedately, "containing a large sum of money from the coat pocket of a member of the detective force." The elegance of utterance was inimitably done. But in the next instant, the ordinary vulgarity of enunciation was in full play again. "Oh, Gee!" she cried gaily. "He says Inspector Burke's got a gold watch that weighs a ton, an' all set with diamon's!--which was give to 'im by--admirin' friends!... We didn't contribute."
"Given to him," Mary corrected, with a tolerant smile.
Aggie sniffed once again.
"What difference
The hardness remained in Mary's face, as she continued to regard her friend. But, now, there was something quizzical in the glance with which she accompanied the monosyllable:
"Well?"
Again, Aggie shook her head in perplexity.
"His old man sends you up for a stretch for something you didn't do--and you take up with his son like----"
"And yet you don't understand!" There was scorn for such gross stupidity in the musical voice.
Aggie choked a little from the cigarette smoke, as she gave a gasp when suspicion of the truth suddenly dawned on her slow intelligence.
"My Gawd!" Her voice came in a treble shriek of apprehension. "I'm wise!"
"But you must understand this," Mary went on, with an authoritative note in her voice. "Whatever may be between young Gilder and me is to be strictly my own affair. It has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of you, or with our schemes for money-making. And, what is more, Agnes, I don't want to talk about it. But----"
"Yes?" queried Aggie, encouragingly, as the other paused. She hopefully awaited further confidences.
"But I do want to know," Mary continued with some severity, "what you meant by talking in the public street yesterday with a common pickpocket."
Aggie's childlike face changed swiftly its expression from a sly eagerness to sullenness.
"You know perfectly well, Mary Turner," she cried indignantly, "that I only said a few words in passin' to my brother Jim. And he ain't no common pickpocket. Hully Gee! He's the best dip in the business."
"But you must not be seen speaking with him," Mary directed, with a certain air of command now become habitual to her among the members of her clique. "My cousin, Miss Agnes Lynch, must be very careful as to her associates."
The volatile Agnes was restored to good humor by some subtle quality in the utterance, and a family pride asserted itself.
"He just stopped me to say it's been the best year he ever had," she explained, with ostentatious vanity.
Mary appeared sceptical.
"How can that be," she demanded, "when the dead line now is John Street?"
"The dead line!" Aggie scoffed. A peal of laughter rang merrily from her curving lips.
"Why, Jim takes lunch every day in the Wall Street Delmonico's. Yes," she went on with increasing animation, "and only yesterday he went down to Police Headquarters, just for a little excitement, 'cause Jim does sure hate a dull life. Say, he told me they've got a mat at the door with 'Welcome' on it--in letters three feet high. Now, what--do--you--think--of that!" Aggie teetered joyously, the while she inhaled a shockingly large mouthful of smoke. "And, oh, yes!" she continued happily, "Jim, he lifted a leather from a bull who was standing in the hallway there at Headquarters! Jim sure does love excitement."
Mary lifted her dark eyebrows in half-amused inquiry.
"It's no use, Agnes," she declared, though without entire sincerity; "I can't quite keep up with your thieves' argot--your slang, you know. Just what did this brother of yours do?"
"Why, he copped the copper's kale," Aggie translated, glibly.
Mary threw out her hands in a gesture of dismay.
Thereupon, the adventuress instantly assumed a most ladylike and mincing air which ill assorted with the cigarette that she held between her lips.
"He gently removed a leathern wallet," she said sedately, "containing a large sum of money from the coat pocket of a member of the detective force." The elegance of utterance was inimitably done. But in the next instant, the ordinary vulgarity of enunciation was in full play again. "Oh, Gee!" she cried gaily. "He says Inspector Burke's got a gold watch that weighs a ton, an' all set with diamon's!--which was give to 'im by--admirin' friends!... We didn't contribute."
"Given to him," Mary corrected, with a tolerant smile.
Aggie sniffed once again.
"What difference