The Sleuth of St. James Street | Page 9

bonds on our market - you'll find the case in the 115th
Federal Reporter.
"Well," he went on, "I was sitting out there in the rolling chair, looking
at the sun on the sea and thinking about the thing, when I noticed this
hobo that I've been talking about. He was my chair attendant, but I
hadn't looked at him before. He had moved round from behind me and
was now leaning against the galvanized pipe railing.
"He was a big human creature, a little stooped, unshaved and dirty; his
mouth was slack and loose, and he had a big mobile nose that seemed
to move about like a piece of soft rubber. He had hardly any clothing; a
cap that must have been fished out of an ash barrel, no shirt whatever,
merely an old ragged coat buttoned round him, a pair of canvas
breeches and carpet slippers tied on to his feet with burlap, and
wrapped round his ankles to conceal the fact that he wore no socks.

"As I looked at him he darted out, picked up the stump of a cigarette
that some one had thrown down, and came back to the railing to smoke
it, his loose mouth and his big soft nose moving like kneaded putty.
"Altogether this tramp was the worst human derelict I ever saw. And it
occurred to me that this was the one place in the whole of America
where any sort of a creature could get a kind of employment and no
questions asked.
"Anything that could move and push a chair could get fifteen cents an
hour from McDuyal. Wise man, poor man, beggar man, thief, it was all
one to McDuyal. And the creatures could sleep in the shed behind the
rolling chairs.
"I suppose an impulse to offer the man a garment of some sort moved
me to address him.
"`You're nearly naked,' I said.
"He crossed one leg over the other with the toe of the carpet slipper
touching the walk, in the manner of a burlesque actor, took the cigarette
out of his mouth with a little flourish, and replied to me
"'Sure, Governor, I ain't dolled up like John Drew.'
"There was a sort of cocky unconcern about the creature that gave his
miserable state a kind of beggarly distinction. He was in among the
very dregs of life, and he was not depressed about it.
"'But if I had a sawbuck," he continued, "I could bulge your eye . . . .
Couldn't point the way to one?'
"He arrested my answer with the little flourish of his fingers holding
the stump of the cigarette.
"'Not work, Governor,' and he made a little duck of his head, 'and not
murder . . . . Go as far as you please between 'em.'
"The fantastic manner of the derelict was infectious.

"`O. K.' I said. `Go out and find me a man who is a deserter from the
German Army, was a tanner in Bale and began life as a sailor, and I'll
double your money - I'll give you a twenty-dollar bill.'
"The creature whistled softly in two short staccato notes.
"`Some little order,' he said. And taking a toothpick out of his pocket he
stuck it into the stump of the cigarette which had become too short to
hold between his fingers.
"At this moment a boy from the post office came to me with the daily
report from Washington, and I got out of the chair, tipped the creature,
and went into the hotel, stopping to pay McDuyal as I passed.
"There was nothing new from the department except that our
organization over the country was in close touch. We had offered five
thousand dollars reward for the recovery of the plates, and the Post
Office Department was now posting the notice all over America in
every office. The Secretary thought we had better let the public in on it
and not keep it an underground offer to the service.
"I had forgotten the hobo, when about five o'clock he passed me a little
below the Steel Pier. He was in a big stride and he had something
clutched in his hand.
"He called to me as he hurried along: `I got him, Governor. . . . See you
later!'
"`See me now,' I said. `What's the hurry?'
"He flashed his hand open, holding a silver dollar with his thumb
against the palm.
"`Can't stop now, I'm going to get drunk. See you later.'
"I smiled at this disingenuous creature. He was saving me for the dry
hour. He could point out Mulehaus in any passing chair, and I would
give some coin to be rid of his pretension."

Walker paused. Then he went on:
"I was right. The hobo was waiting for