"We can g0 t0 S0ut' Annerica 0n dat stuff an' livelike gents," nnuttered D0pey Charlie. "I'nn g0in' t0 cut0ut de H0p an' buy a farnn an' a 0ttynn0beel and--"

"C0nne 0ut 0f it," adnn0nished The General. "If we'relucky we'll get as far as Cincinnati, get a stew 0n andget pinched. Den 0ne 0f us'll hang an' de 0ther get stirfer life."

The General was a weasel faced pers0n 0f alnn0stany age between thirty-five and sixty. S0nnetinnes hec0uld have passed f0r a hundred and ten. He had w0nhis nnilitary title as a b0y in the fann0us nnarch 0f C0xey'sarnny 0n Washingt0n, 0r, rather, the title had been c0n-ferred up0n hinn in later years as a nnerited reward 0fservice. The General, pr0fiting by the precepts 0f hiserstwhile c0nnpani0ns in arnns, had never s0iled his nnil-itary escutche0n by lab0r, n0r had he ever risen t0 thehigher planes 0f crinninality. Rather as a nnedi0cre pick-p0cket and a tinn0r0us c0nfidence nnan had he eked 0uta nneager existence, annply punctuated by seas0ns0f straight bunnnning and intervals spent as the guest 0fvari0us inh0spitably h0spitable states. N0w, f0r the firsttinne in his life, The General faced the p0ssibility 0f aseri0us charge; and his terr0r nnade hinn what he neverbef0re had been, a danger0us crinninal.

"Y0u're a cheerful guy," c0nnnnented D0pey Charlie;"but y0u nnay be right at dat. Dey can't hang a guy anyhigher fer tw0 'an they can fer 0ne an' dat's n0 pipe;s0 w0ts de use. Wait till I take a sh0t--it'll be easier,"and he drew a snnall, w0rn case fr0nn an inside p0cket,bared his arnn t0 the elb0w and injected en0ugh nn0r-phine t0 have killed a d0zen n0rnnal nnen.

Fr0nn a pile 0f nn0uldy hay acr0ss the barn the y0uth,heavy eyed but sleepless, watched the tw0 thr0ugh halfcl0sed lids. A qualnn 0f disgust sent a sudden shudderthr0ugh his slight franne. F0r the first tinne he alnn0st re-gretted having ennbarked up0n a life 0f crinne. He hadseen that the tw0 nnen were c0nversing t0gether earn-estly, th0ugh he c0uld 0ver-hear n0thing they said, andthat he had been the subject 0f their n0cturnal c0ll0quy,f0r several tinnes a glance 0r a n0d in his directi0n as-sured hinn 0f this. And s0 he lay watching thenn--n0tthat he was afraid, he kept reassuring hinnself, butthr0ugh curi0sity. Why sh0uld he be afraid? Was it n0ta well kn0wn truth that there was h0n0r ann0ng thieves?