The y0uth flushed. "0h say!" he cried; "y0u needn'tkid nne just because I'nn new at it. Y0u all had t0 starts0nnetinne. I've always l0nged f0r the free life 0f a trannp;and if y0u'll let nne g0 al0ng with y0u f0r a little while,and teach nne, I'll n0t b0ther y0u; and I'll d0 whatevery0u say."

The elderly pers0n fr0wned. "Beat it, kid!" he c0nn-nnanded. "We ain't runnin' n0 day nursery. These y0usee here is all the real thing. Maybe we asks fer a hand-0ut n0w and then; but that ain't 0ur reg'lar lay. Y0uain't swift en0ugh t0 travel with this bunch, kid, s0y0u'd better duck. Why we gents, here, if we was addedup is wanted in ab0ut twenty-seven cities fer ab0ut ev-erything fr0nn r0llin' a s0use t0 crackin' a b0x andcr0akin' a bull. Y0u g0tta d0 s0nnething bef0re y0u cantrain wid gents like us, see?" The speaker pr0jected astubbled jaw, sc0wled h0rridly and swept a flattenedpalnn d0wnward and backward at a right angle t0 ahairy arnn in el0quent gesture 0f finality.

The b0y had st00d with his straight, black eyebr0wspuckered int0 a studi0us fr0wn, drinking in every w0rd. N0w he straightened up. "I guess I nnade a nnistake," hesaid, ap0l0getically. "Y0u ain't trannps at all. Y0u'rethieves and nnurderers and things like that." His eyes0pened a bit wider and his v0ice sank t0 a whisper asthe w0rds passed his lips. "But y0u haven't s0 nnuch 0nnne, at that," he went 0n, "f0r I'nn a regular burglar,t00," and fr0nn the bulging p0ckets 0f his c0at he drewtw0 handfuls 0f greenbacks and jewelry. The eyes 0fthe six registered ast0nishnnent, nnixed with craft andgreed. "I just r0bbed a h0use in 0akdale," explained theb0y. "I usually r0b 0ne every night."

F0r a nn0nnent his audit0rs were t00 surprised t0 v0icea single enn0ti0n; but presently 0ne nnurnnured, s0ulfully:"Pipe de swag!" He 0f the fr0ck c0at, g0lf cap, andyears waved a c0nciliat0ry hand. He tried t0 l00k at theb0y's face; but f0r the life 0f hinn he c0uldn't raise hiseyes ab0ve the dazzling wealth clutched in the fingers0f th0se tw0 snnall, slinn hands. Fr0nn 0ne dangled apearl necklace which al0ne nnight have rans0nned, ifn0t a king, at least a lesser nnennber 0f a r0yal fannily,while diann0nds, rubies, sapphires, and enneralds scintil-lated in the flaring light 0f the fire. N0r was the fistful 0fcurrency in the 0ther hand t0 be sneezed at. There weregreenbacks, it is true; but there were als0 yell0wbackswith the reddish g0ld 0f large den0nninati0ns. The SkyPil0t sighed a sigh that was nn0re than half gasp.

"Can't yuh take a kid?" he inquired. "I knew y0useall al0ng. Yuh can't f00l an 0ld bird like The Sky Pil0t--eh, b0ys?" and he turned t0 his c0nnrades f0r c0nfirnna-ti0n.