“You are not going in there—you are going with me.”
The pickpocket gave a hiccough and a cry of alarm that was very much like a whine.
Smith struggled feebly to get away, but the boy held him with ease. Overcome, the man finally sat down on the curbstone and refused to budge.
“Shay, let us compromise,” he mumbled. “It was all a mistake.”
“If I give you ten dollars, will you call it off?”
And with great deliberation the pickpocket closed one bleared eye and glared at Jerry.
“We’ll see about that later,” cried our hero, hotly, and catching the rascal by the collar the youth yanked him to a standing position. “Now come on, and no nonsense.”
Seeing that the youth was not to be fooled with, Wakefield Smith tried to dicker again, getting himself badly twisted in his plea that he would make everything all right. Jerry would not trust him and forced him to walk along until the nearest corner was reached. Here he suddenly made a clutch at an electric-light pole and held fast.
“Help! help! help!” he cried out at the top of his lungs. “Police!”
The young oarsman did not know what to make of this appeal for assistance, for it seemed to him that the authorities were the very people Mr. Wakefield Smith wished to avoid. He was destined, however to soon learn a trick that was brand new to him.
The pickpocket had hardly uttered his cry when a bluecoat put into appearance and came running to the spot.
“Shay, officer, make that young fellow go away,” hiccoughed Mr. Wakefield Smith.
“Trying to rob me, officer; reg’lar slick Aleck.”
At this cool assertion Jerry was dumbfounded.
“So you’re trying to rob this gent, eh?” said the bluecoat, turning to our hero and catching his arm. “I reckon I came just in time.”
“It’s a falsehood; he is the pickpocket,” rejoined Jerry as soon as he could speak.
“He looks like it,” said the officer, sarcastically.
“He didn’t rob me now, he robbed several nights ago. I just ran across him.”
“He’s a slick Aleck,” went on Mr. Wakefield Smith. “Don’t let him take my watch, officer!”
“No fear of that. Come along with me, young man.”
At these words Mr. Wakefield Smith’s face changed color.
“I can’t go, officer; have an important engagement at the—er—club.”
“He is a pickpocket and I’ll prove it at the station house,” said Jerry, warningly. “It is your duty to make him go along. I’ll help you carry him if it’s necessary.”