and they had some supper; and then about eleven o'clock
at night they sallied forth together, by a rear entrance to
the place, Duane armed with a slung-shot. They came
to a residence district, and he sprang up a lamp-post and
blew out the light, and then the two dodged into the
shelter of an area-step and hid in silence.

Pretty soon a man came by, a working-man -- and they
let him go. Then after a long interval came the heavy
tread of a policeman, and they held their breath till he
was gone. Though half-frozen, they waited a full quar~
ter of an hour after that -- and then again came footsteps,
walking briskly. Duane nudged Jurgis, and the instant
the man had passed they rose up. Duane stole out as
silently as a shadow, and a second later Jurgis heard a
thud and a stifled cry. He was only a couple of feet be~
hind, and he leaped to stop the man's mouth, while Duane
held him fast by the arms, as they had agreed. But the
man was limp and showed a tendency to fall, and so Jurgis
had only to hold him by the collar, while the other, with
swift fingers, went through his pockets, -- ripping open,
first his overcoat, and then his coat, and then his vest,
searching inside and outside, and transferring the contents
into his own pockets. At last, after feeling of the man's
fingers and in his neck-tie, Duane whispered, "That's all!"
and they dragged him to the area and dropped him in.
Then Jurgis went one way and his friend the other, walk~
ing briskly.

The latter arrived first, and Jurgis found him examin~
ing the "swag." There was a gold watch, for one thing,
with a chain and locket; there was a silver pencil, and a
match-box, and a handful of small change, and finally a
card-case. This last Duane opened feverishly -- there were
letters and checks, and two theater-tickets, and at last, in
the back part, a wad of bills. He counted them -- there
was a twenty, five tens, four fives, and three ones. Duane
drew a long breath. "That lets us out!" he said.

After further examination, they burned the card-case
and its contents, all but the bills, and likewise the picture
of a little girl in the locket. Then Duane took the watch

[[300]]

p299 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p300w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p301

v?