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"Well, I should say not," replied Bobolink, scornfully. "It'd be a wonder if one out of four had shoes that'd hold on without a lot of rope. You clinched that idea the first thing, Paul." "Then what'd you say they were?" demanded Tom. Bobolink rubbed his chin reflectively. "A heap of difference between plain tramps, and the kind they call yeggs; isn't there, Paul?" he asked, presently.
An hour later, at headquarters, after the pedigrees had been taken, the "mugging" done, and the jewels found on the three yeggs checked off from the list of the Branford pearls, leaving a few thousand dollars' worth unaccounted for, O'Connor led the way into his private office. There were Mrs. Branford and Blake, waiting.
Just to think that while he was up there with three of his cronies trying to injure our machine, those yeggs were fixing it all up so that they could get his biplane, if they missed ours. It's a rich joke on Perc." "Oh! I hope he gets it back again safe and sound," said Frank. "Life would be rather tame for us around home here, if we didn't have Percy to think about.
We can make the thing look like a regular robbery by a couple of yeggs. Are you on?" "No, I don't get you, Chief." "Why?" "It's too risky." "Too risky?" "Yes. That fellow Garrick is just as likely as not to be nosing around up there. I'd go but for that." "I know. But suppose we find that he isn't there, that he isn't in the house has been there and left it. That would be safe enough.
Realizing that there must be a great hue and cry throughout the entire county just then, with reference to the yeggs who had looted the bank, he could easily imagine what had brought these boys here. Through association with Todd Pemberton, Casper must have learned a whole lot with regard to Frank and his cousin.
A dozen, two dozen, men and women greeted him. Jimmie Dale indifferently returned their salutes. What a galaxy of crooks the cream of the underworld! His eyes, under half-closed lids, swept the faces lags, dips, gatmen, yeggs, mob stormers, murderers, petty sneak thieves, stalls, hangers-on they were all there. He knew them all; he was known to all.
He acquired an array of confidence men and hotel beats and queer shovers and bank sneaks and wire tappers and drum snuffers. He made a mental record of dips and yeggs and till-tappers and keister-crackers, of panhandlers and dummy chuckers, of sun gazers and schlaum workers. He slowly became acquainted with their routes and their rendezvous, their tricks and ways and records.
But with all your money, you'd better take to the tall pines yourself, like these old guys in the 'Lobster Club. That's the advice of a man who's in the business for money not glory. This is a bum game. They'll get me some day, some of these yeggs or bunk artists that I've sent away for recuperation, as the doctors call it. But I'm doing it for bread and beefsteak, while it lasts.
Most men succumb under such things, and either die, or become cowed in spirit; the yeggs have survived, and their spirit is unbroken. They hold the highest place in the estimation of their fellow prisoners; and the warden and the guards fear them.
"It would be mighty exciting to be held up!" Christopher gasped, his eyes wide with interest. "Exciting!" mimicked his father sarcastically. "Exciting! Humph! I guess you would find it something more than exciting if a group of yeggs thrust a pistol under your nose. You seem to forget that persons who hold up a messenger do it to get the goods."
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