“I say so. My name is Jerry Upton, and I dropped the packet in the alleyway where you found it.”
“Say, is this a game?” he demanded, harshly.
“No, I am trying to keep you out of trouble,” replied the young oarsman, warmly.
“No, it—” Our hero stopped short. “It had Alexander Slocum’s name on it!” he burst out.
“You don’t mean to say you delivered that packet to him?” gasped the youth.
Jerry fell back into a chair and breathed heavily. The packet was gone—into the hands of the enemy!
“The man said it was his package,” said Crazy Jim. “He gave me a reward of five dollars for returning it to him.”
“It was mine. He wanted to steal it—and now he’s done it,” cried Jerry. “You let him have it but an hour ago?”
“Yes, but I couldn’t make nothing out of it—’cos I ain’t eddicated. I read his name on it and got another fellow to write a postal card yesterday afternoon. He came here, examined the papers, and seemed much pleased.”
“No doubt he was pleased,” groaned the young oarsman.
“It was worth a good deal. I would have given five dollars to get it back.”
“Wants to do my father out of some property,” answered our hero. “By the way, who is that little girl who lives with you?”
At this question Crazy Jim’s face darkened.
“That ain’t none of your business,” he growled.
“You shouldn’t send her out on the street to beg.”
“Wot! has she been blabbin’ again? I’ll break every bone in her body!” and off the man started out of the room and down the narrow stairs.
Jerry had noticed that his breath smelt strongly of liquor. He was not only a drinking man, but also one who was not quite right in his head.
“Don’t hurt her, you brute!” called out the boy, and followed him out of the alleyway into the street. At the nearest corner stood the little girl, and Crazy Jim rushed up to her fiercely.
“You good-fer-nothin’!” he bawled. “I’ll teach ye a lesson! Didn’t I tell ye ter keep yer clapper still about me? Take that! and that!”
He raised his heavy hand and struck her a cruel blow on the side of the head. She staggered back, and he was about to repeat his unjust action, when Jerry thought it about time to interfere. Catching him by the arm, our hero hurled him backward with such force that he fell flat in the gutter.