“He’s only trying to get back at me on account of a grudge, fellows;
he’s using you for tongs,” I told them. “I was one of the divers and
I batted him when he insulted me! I want to get out of town! Here’s a
piece of money! He won’t give you anything.”
I had the skull under my arm and my wallet in my hands, and I wasn’t
paying much attention to the men while I counted out money.
“Who was the gink who told us to hold the guy?” muttered one of the men.
“Was it Doughty?”
“Sure! You know him,” said his companion.
“But he don’t know _us!_”
“He won’t remember who you are!” I hastened to put in. “Take some money,
and--”
“You bet we’ll take some money,” barked the two of them in chorus, and
the next instant one of them clutched me and the other grabbed
wallet, money and all, and they ran away, ducked into an alley between
storehouses, and disappeared.