"And what would you like?"

"Will youse guv me a pistol?"

"Why, what would you do with it?"

"I'd trow a scare into de big newsies w'en dey starts to chase me off de
good beats."

"Really, Swot, I don't think I ought to give you anything so dangerous.
You are very young to--"

"Ah! Youse a goil, an' deyse born frightened. Bet youse life, if youse ask
de doc, he won't tink it nuttin' to be scared of."

"He isn't here this morning," remarked Constance, for some reason looking
fixedly at the glove she was removing as she spoke.

The urchin raised his head and peered about. "Dat's funny!" he exclaimed.
"It's de first time he oin't bin here w'en youse wuz at de bat."

"Has he seen you this morning?"

"Why, cert!"

The girl opened the dime novel and found the page at which the
interruption had occurred, hesitated an instant, and remarked, "The next
time he comes you might say that I would like to see him for a moment--to
ask if I had better give you a pistol." This said, she hastily began on
the book. Thrillingly as the pursuits and pursuit of the criminal classes