Crawford avalanche., 1897-07-29

oollapsing suddenly, he trmbled down
on his mattress and huddled himself
together in drunken sleep.
When he awoke . gray dawn was
peeping slowly in through the small
square Of glass in the roof, and every
thing in the dingy garret appeared un-
real and lifeless. The boy ON the bed
seemed scarcely to breathe.
Jem raised himself on his elbow and
looked round, and some remembrance
of the last nights scene began to pass
through his mind. He looked, and it
seemed to him John Endleton had
never moved. The moonlight had gone
from the boys face, and the dawn had
come instead; but John Endleton was
still sitting there, huddled up on the
floor with his face buried in his hands.
Jem lifted himself slowly from his
mattress, and stretched himself with q
big yawn. Then he looked again at
the two in the corner, and after q
minute got up and went toward them.
Amt the little 'un well 2" he
asked, clumsily. "Wot's up with
'un ?"
John Endleton stirred impatiently.
The sound of the ex-convict's voice
seemed to rouse all his hatred and
disgust. He looked round with re-
pulsion upon his face, and Jem, seeing
it, shrugged his shoulders and sneered.
"Oh, we'll, if ye're so mighty inde-
pendent and 'aughty, why don't yer
TAX lodgin's in tn Grand A
course if yer don't want no 'elp don't"
care. Only thought, he added brut-
ally, cas- tn chaps a-dyin' like, as yer
might want somethin' for i'm"
John Endleton started and looked
down at the boy, with his wan face,
his thin hands and faltering breath
For a moment it seemed to his excited
Imagination that the boy had ceased to
breathe, and he leant forward hur-
riedly and with trembling fingers pull
led back the sheet.
He's all right. He's not dying, !"
he exclaimed, eagerly. But, at the
same time, it was borne in upon him
that unless he had nourishing things
to eat, and those quickly, there would
be no hope of ever pulling him round
again, and the thought stabbed his
heart with sudden bitterness.
He turned to the burglar. 1t was
possible that Jem could help him.
Jem might know where to get help or
work, or even charity; but Endletons
pride still stood up in arms, and with
a determination to have nothing to do
with him, he turned away.
Jem, with fierce sneer on his lips
and burning hatred in his heart
against Endleton, turned away, too.
Not finger would he lift-not an
inch would he stir-not if the boy was
dying fifty times over!
AS he turned, he caught sight of
Jackie's pallid face lying on the dirty
pillow.
"Oh, lor! wot little bloke it is"
he thought; and then he went out,
mumbling down the stairs, swearing
to himself-a man apparently without
the faintest hope of better life,
without knowledge of anything except
things evil, and yet with one clean
spot in his black heart.
Detective Hartly, prowling through
the East End in search of such thieves
and transgressors as he might with
dignity escort to the lookup, was
turning a corner, when he suddenly
became aware that on the opposite
side of the street familiar and not
exactly pleasing figure was ambling
along at rapid rate with something
peculiar in the bulgy appearance of
his coat.
There's that Crooked Jem again,
said the detective to himself. He cast
suspicious eye at Jem's pockets,
pulled at his which was
way he had-and then beckoned to
policeman to follow him.
Wheh he was within an inch or two
of the said pockets he suddenly
clapped the'unsuspecting Jem on the
shoulder-so suddenly that Jem's jaw
fell, and he made an abrupt, half un-
decided movement as if to flee from
the wrath of the law.
"Now, then, said Hartly, severely,
"none of that. On with the hand
cuffs. And Snaith, you come here
and take his arm"
Jem looked from one to the other
in something like dismay.
81 amt done nothing" he expOstu-
lated.
"Well, we'll see," said the detee-
tive; ''and you'll remember, if any
thing is found ON you, there are three
years off that last job that you've got
to finish"
Jem's face grew dark. His hands
fidgeted strangely under his hand
cuffs, and if it hadn't been that he was
hardened, hopeless criminal, one
mig 1T almost have fancied that his
under lip trembled.
'Well, I'm blowed if / ever tries ter
cheat tn gallows agen, was his vague
and ungrammatical remark, and then
they marched on to the police station.
There, inside the bare room, with
its wooden benches and square desks,
with the dingy green ledgers and
musty papers, Detective Hartly pro-
ceeded to turn out the unhappy Jem's
pockets. As he did so his eyes first
opened in astonishme"t, then screwed
up in bewilderment, and, finally, he
looked as If he had suddenly been
confronted with the riddle of the
Sphin
Ont of the depths of Jem's capacious