at four o'clock in the morning. When he was arraigned
that same morning, the district leader had already seen the
clerk of the court and explained that Jurgis Rudkus was
a decent fellow, who had been indiscreet; and so Jurgis
was fined ten dollars and the fine was "suspended" --
which meant that he did not have to pay it, and never
would have to pay it, unless somebody chose to bring it up
against him in the future.

Among the people Jurgis lived with now money was
valued according to an entirely different standard from
that of the people of Packingtown; yet, strange as it may
seem, he did a great deal less drinking than he had as a
working-man. He had not the same provocations of
exhaustion and hopelessness; he had now something to
work for, to struggle for. He soon found that if he kept
his wits about him, he would come upon new opportunities;
and being naturally an active man, he not only kept sober
himself, but helped to steady his friend, who was a good
deal fonder of both wine and women than he.

One thing led to another. In the saloon where Jurgis
met "Buck" Halloran he was sitting late one night with
Duane, when a "country customer" (a buyer for an out-of-
town merchant) came in, a little more than half "piped."
There was no one else in the place but the bartender,
and as the man went out again Jurgis and Duane followed
him; he went round the corner, and in a dark place made
by a combination of the elevated railroad and an unrented
building, Jurgis leaped forward and shoved a revolver
under his nose, while Duane, with his hat pulled over his
eyes, went through the man's pockets with lightning fingers.
They got his watch and his "wad," and were round the
corner again and into the saloon before he could shout more
than once. The bartender, to whom they had tipped the
wink, had the cellar-door open for them, and they vanished,
making their way by a secret entrance to a brothel next
door. From the roof of this there was access to three
similar places beyond. By means of these passages the
customers of any one place could be gotten out of the way,
in case a falling out with the police chanced to lead to a

[[305]]

p304 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p305w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p306

v?