Evening star., 1922-05-06
THE YEGGMAN
BY ARTHUR B. REEVE.
One of The Stars Weekend Fiction Series
Each story complete in three installments.


pose for us, Of course, but that will
be all right. Speaking about photo
graphs. l got one out at Montclair
that is interesting. I'll show it to
anything should happen to me, Wal
ter. you'll find the original plate
locked here in the top drawer of my
downtown"
The house to which we were guild
ed by the Gay Cat was on a cross
street within a block or two of Chat
ham square. If we had passed it
casually in the daytime there would
have been nothing to distinguish 1t
above the other m-shackle build
ings on the street, except that the
other houses were cluttered with
children and baby carriages, while
this one was vacant. the front door
closed. and the blinds tightly drawn.
AS we approached. a furtive figure
shambled from the basement areaway
and skunk off into the crowd for the
nights business of pocket-picking or
second-story work.
l had had misgiVings as to whether
we would be admitted at ALL might
almost say hopes-but the Gay Cat
succeeded in getting a ready response
at the basement door. The house it
self was the dilapidated ruin of what
had once been a fashionable residence
in the days when society lived in the
| then suburban Bowery. The iron
hand-rail on the steps was still
graceful, though rusted and insecure.
The stones of the steps were decayed
and eaten away by time, and the
front door was never opened.
AS we entered the low basement
door, l felt that those who entered
here did indeed abandon hope. Inside
the evidences of the past grandeur
were still more striking. What had
once been a drawing-room was now
the general assembly room of the re-
sort. Brokendown chairs lined the
sprinkled with sawdust. A huge pot
bellied stove occupied the center of
the room, and by it stood a box of
sawdust plentifully discolored with
tobacco juice.
Three or four of the ."guests"-
mans hotel-were seated about the
stove discussing something in a
language that was English, to be
sure. but of vari iation that only
yegg could understand. 1 noted the
once handsome white marble mantel.
now stained by age, standing above
the unused CRATE. Double folding
doors led to what. l imagine, was
once a library. Dirt and CRIME in
describable were everywhere. There
was the smell of old clothes and old
cooking. the race odors of every ma
tiohality known to the metropolis. 1
recalled a night 1 once spent. in a
Bowery lodging house for local COL
or Only this was infinitely worse.
No law regulated this house. There
that half-blakened Welsbach man
tie turned into positive ghastliness.
Our guide introduced us. There
was a dead silence as eight eyes
were craftily fixed on US, sizing US
up. What should / say? Craig came
IN az i'm he oHx rfr,r
was lark. 1t was novel, and that
was merit enough.
ASK about the slang" he sug-
gested. That makes a picturesque
story"
1t seemed to me innocuous enough.
SO l engaged in conversation with
a man whom the Gay Cat had intro
duced as the proprietor. Much Of the
slang l already knew by hearsay.
such as bulls" for policemen. a
''mouthpiece" for lawyer to defend
one when he is ''ditched" or arrested:
in fact, as 1 busily scribbled away 1
must have collected lexicon of a
hundred words or SO for future refer
ence.
And names?" queried. You have
some' queer nieknames.'
"Oh, yes" replied the man. Now
here's the Gay Cat-that's what we
call a fellow who is the finder, who
enters town ahead OF the gang.
Then there's Chi Fat-that means
he's from Chicago and fat. And Pitts
Slim-he's from Pittsburgh and"
law. cut it," broke in one of the
others Pitts SIimll be here to-
night. He'll give you the devil If he
hears you talking to reporters about
him."
The proprietor began to talk of less
dangerous subjects. Craig succeeded
in drawing out from him the yegg
recipe for making soup" It's here
in this cipher" said the man, drawing
out dirty piece of paper. Its well
known. and you can have this. Here's
the key. 1t was written by Deafy'
Smith. and the police pinched it,"
Craig busily translated the curious
document:
Take ten or a dozen sticks of dyna-
mite, crumble it up fine, and put it
in a pan or washbowl. then pour over
it enough alcohol, wood or pure, to
cover it well. Stir it up we'll with
your hands, being careful to break
all the Jumps. Leave it set for a few
minutes. Then get a few yards of
cheesecloth and tear 1t up in pieces
and strain the mixture through the
cloth into another vessel. Wiring
the SawduSt dry and throw 1T away