The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21


 cd as a moonlit one along which the criminal cantered gaily in crimson coat and ruffles.
 H XCEPT in species, there was little difference between Bill Sikes and A BulIs-eye Bill SilSes was the man and Bulrs-eye was the dog. In point Of evil looks, intellect surliness of disposi- ton and ferocity of action they were closely alike They walked alike. treated acquaintances and strangers alike, ex- pressed themselves very much alike ana ate alike. The one clear advantage the man had over the dog was that the man could get drunk. Except for this, 1t might be said quite justly that the dog bad succeeded very thoroughly in getting down to his masters level
 They were close and practically insep- arable friends. This friendship was not a weakening, soft sentiment. Mir. sikes preserved his rugged independence of thought sufficiently to choke. kick, ham mer and cut his friend Bull's-eye when ever he felt like 1t; and Bulls-eye re- sponded to these caresses with teeth that did their best to annihilate his friend, MT. Sikes.
 In the thieves quarter, and especially in Mr. Fagin's headquarters for training the young idea how to pick pockets. Bull's-eye was an object of admiration second only to his owner. Wheh the evil creature licked his lips hungrily, waiting for the word to tear somebody down. or when he sat watching something that his master had placed in his charge, and his red eyes looked longingly for somebody to touch it. the respectful admirers always repeated Mir Sikes' own enconium that Busfs-eye was as willing as Christian.
 The larger of these two animals was 2 housebreaker by profession. He had a broTd, heavy face, from which his eyes scowled very much as the dogs blood shot ones scowled from that animals dirty white face. And as the dogs face constantly bore from half dozen to a score of wounds and scratches so the housebreaker's face rarely lacked orna- mentations of a similar nature. Besides bruises, three days growth of beard was tle nearly invariable ornament of his countenance which seemed always to need iron bars in front of 1t to make it quite complete.
 Mir. Fagin being a fence" for convert ing the proceeds of house robberies into money, a rather close partnership existed between them. Though Mir. Fagin robbed Mir. sikes, and though MT. sikes frequent iy swore. with a grimness that was too real for humor, that he would cut Mir Fagn's throat. each knew so well that the other could hang him, that they re- mained linked together. despite hearty mutual dislike and mistrust.
 Owing to the pernicious activity of the police, MT. Tagin was forced to maintain more than one refuge for his male and female proteges. These refuges were all alike hidden away at the ends of inacces- sible alleys. dirty with the grime of years that never a hand tried to remove, fur nished with ragged beds laid out on the foul Ioors with few tottering chairs and a greasy table, and illuminated day and Light by tallow candles stuck into bottles and other makeshifts for candle sticks. In these, like vermin burrowing underground, NIT. Fagin's plckpockets and petty robbers met and, at rare intervals, had the honor of entertaining the greater fights, such as Bill Sikes or Toby CraclSit, when these prominent professionals con- descended to drink with the small fry and curse at it.
 Tn one of these visits of state, NIT. Sikes met girl who had the fortune to gam his approval She was good laaking still, although her face was hard and reckless, and dissipation and vice had marked 1t with premature age. Her name was Nancy. She was one of those whom Fagin had picked up in childhood and trained to theft.
 Associating from youth with only lost creatures: having experience of more than one jail; accustomed to see her ac- quaintances and comrades end in prison cells or on the ga.lows. she still had in l her some distorted vestlge of woman's heart. It was strange that 1t should be there at all It was not strange that it should manifest itself in a poor and dis torted way She became Mir. Sikes' slave. more devoted to him than his dog, and he. in return. liked her fully as well as he