The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-27
ghe a]@ailg Arens,
The Thieves Den.


Shipping through my fingers, sure as
gun Balte, this Il never do t. be fooled
utter eleven years by bit of ID girl that ye
could break in two, The master of the
first round tower was eating his breakfast
as he grumbled these words to himself
Pash, plash, went the rain over the brick
field, plash, plash, in the pools, thud, thud,
in the heavy. clayey soil. ut must be
dreadfully damp over at the Shivers,
Kate thought, and very lonely, she ad-
ded to herself, with some pity for the OF.
ter. 1t seemed only an additional plash
when the door was pushed open without
ceremony and the Otter stood upon the
threshold, wet and limp, and with pecu
liar lines marked on his usually immoble,
smooth, shiny face-lines that did not
seem to belong to that oily face, lines into
which the rain had somehow got, and
trickled down while he spoke. is my
girl here?" no. said Balfe gruffiy,
"Whatd your girl be doing here this
hour?" cts that same | want to find
out. rs it mornin visitors we're goln
to have, that you stand starin' there like
a tool?' demanded Balfe impatiently:
Out with whatever we've got to say.
"Your girl could tell if she liked. wv hat
could she tell? ?" Where's my Jenny p
She had been trained to lie. Il don't
know" "You lie, We do AN what is
it to you, ye, spalpsesen of fish, it she
does p growled Balfe, irritated at the 9th
er's tone. Where is the grip" Uncon-
sciously he took tone of supreme com
mand that spite of his coarse garb and
villainous hair, had nothing of the grotes-
que in it, and elected 'admiring signs from
the Otter lie knew the strange mesmer
ic power his voice and glance had over that
weak. trail girl, and he wondered she did
not respond to it But though she quailed
and quivered she did not speak. Nv ny
don't you speak p he demanded, bending
closer to her the lurid eyes that seemed to
her excited fancy to emit living sparks.
She continued 10 gaze, as if fascinated by
the magnetism of his voice and touch but
her Inns formed no word. But, what!
should she not only slip through his fin
gers, from his tight grasp, but defy him in
the meanwhile? He raised his right hand,
while with the other he frightened his wise
like Crib. A shrek burst from her pale
lips, piteous entreaty "Oh, don't
beat me, father" will you tell ?"
A deadly white overspread her face
her lips shaped the word No" A
blow-a heavy, cruel, crushing blow,
from hand that seldom missed its aim, a
hand that left its mark where it fell--and
the fair white temple was bruised and bro
ken, and the tangled hair grew cammy in
the blood that oozed forth. Pale, oh, very
pale and very fair, grew that young face,
soiled and spattered with black and mud,
and smeared with the rain drops aud the
blood that trickled down. Pale and fair,
in all it's dirt and squalor, and plnched
misery, and hungry outlines, aud shrink
ing terror. But no sign of yielding came.
A strange sad look around the delicate
colorless lips came with the unnatural pal
lor; deepened as it deepened, spread as it
spread to the eyes and the brow. White,
white, very white, with haunted, look in
the sad, sad eyes, but firm, strangely firm.
evil you tell?' He spoke louder now,
and once more his stern, strong hand was
raised. The peculiar look around her
mouth deepened. His eyes burned down
with fierce questioning, cruel look, as
her lips parted, Sure we can kill me but
I'll never tell on Jenny" He put her
down, not roughly, nor gently, but quietly,
with something like gasp, it might be re-
lief or it might be disappointment, with q
look that was strange mixture Of joy and
pity. Loosed from his hold she staggered
feebly. For a second he stood looking down
at the bloody bruise, and the matted hair,
and the moveless figure; but if he was
waiting for a sob or sign of suffering, none
came, and he turned suddenly upon the
Otter. There was look in his eyes the
owner of the Shivers did not like, and he
edged toward the door 'Ies, that way,
quickp' Balfe said, and following him
out into the yellow mud out INTO the
splashing rain that beat UNDECIDED on his
head, he grasped the Otter as he had just
grasped Kate. The man paled. What
is it nowp' he said, in tone meant to be
facetious, but that diluted with the water
and the grip, only sounded weak and
shaky. ''Arrah but its yerself is tn:
quare boy that nobody knows where to
have at all at all p Only this, and the
greater william scowled and bent his head
close to that of the lesser one Only
this don't come atween that girl and me
agen. That's the first blow she gat from
me, aud its through you, We spalpeen
you made me give it to make an informel
of her. Don't do it again. mind that, OF