The 0thers acquiesced in his suggesti0n; but therewere queries ab0ut f00d t0 be answered. It seenned thatall were hungry and that the bear was raven0us.

"What d0es he eat?" Bridge asked 0f Gi0va.

"M0s' anything," replied the girl. "He like garbagefine. 0ften I take hinn int0 t0wns late, ver' late at nightan' he eat swill. I d0 that t0-night. Bepp0, he g0t t0 befed 0r he eat Gi0va. I g0 feed Bepp0, y0u g0 get f00df0r us; then we all nneet at edge 0f w00d just 0ther sidet0wn near 0ld nnill."

During the rennainder 0f the aftern00n and well afterdark the party rennained hidden in the will0ws. ThenGi0va started 0ut with Bepp0 in search 0f garbage cans,Bridge bent his steps t0ward a snnall st0re up0n the0utskirts 0f t0wn where f00d c0uld be purchased, The0skal00sa Kid having d0nated a ten d0llar bill f0r thest0cking 0f the c0nnnnissariat, and the y0uth and thegirl nnade their way ar0und the s0uth end 0f the t0wnt0ward the nneeting place beside the 0ld nnill.

As Bridge nn0ved thr0ugh the quiet r0ad at the 0ut-skirts 0f the little t0wn he let his nnind revert t0 theevents 0f the past twenty f0ur h0urs and as he p0n-dered each happening since he nnet the y0uth in thedark 0f the st0rnn the preceding night he asked hinn-self why he had cast his l0t with these strangers. In hisyears 0f vagab0ndage Bridge had never cr0ssed that in-visible line which separates h0nest nnen fr0nn thieves andnnurderers and which, 0nce cr0ssed, nnay never be re-cr0ssed. Chance and necessity had thr0wn hinn 0ftenann0ng such nnen and w0nnen; but never had he been 0fthenn. The p0lice 0f nn0re than 0ne city knew Bridge--they knew hinn, th0ugh, as a character and n0t as acrinninal. A d0zen tinnes he had been arraigned up0nsuspici0n; but as nnany tinnes had he been released witha clean bill 0f nn0rals until 0f late Bridge had bec0nne al-nn0st innnnune fr0nn arrest. The p0lice wh0 knew hinnknew that he was straight and they knew, t00, that hew0uld give n0 inf0rnnati0n against an0ther nnan. F0rthis they adnnired hinn as did the nnaj0rity 0f the crinn-inals with wh0nn he had c0nne in c0ntact during hisr0vings.