Adventures of Thubway Tham. Johnston McCulley

quick stop. “My wallet’s gone!”

      Thubway Tham was within a few feet of him, just at the level of the walk. He saw a policeman a few feet away whom he did not know personally, but it did not follow that the officer did not know him. Thubway Tham felt cornered. There was but one thing to do—get rid of the “leather” quickly.

      His hand darted into his pocket as the man ahead stopped. Taking the wallet out, he tossed it aside as he walked on straight toward his victim, with the intention of passing him and hurrying up the street. Tham gave a sigh of relief. He had lost the wallet, but they could fasten no crime upon him now. If it was found then and there, the big man would think that he had dropped it as he came up the steps.

      Just then Thubway Tham, glancing back innocently, gave a gasp of terror. That confounded yellow pup was tearing along the walk after him. Tham had forgotten that he had told the dog to stay there until his return. He had done his “trick” and left the subway at Fourteenth Street, where he had left the pup waiting some time earlier. But the worst of it was that the pup had in his mouth the wallet which Tham had tossed away and the pup had retrieved.

      The bird-dog part of him was being uppermost for the moment—he was playing a game with his master again.

      “My wallet! The dog’s got it!”

      Thubway Tham stood as though turned to stone. His feet seemed unable to move, though his mind told him to run. The pup stopped before him and wagged his tail, holding up the wallet as high as he could and prancing around on his hind legs.

      “That your dog?”

      Tham gulped, but could not answer. But the big man gave him no chance.

      “That’s my wallet,” he explained. “I must have dropped it as I left the subway. These men will vouch for me.”

      “Aw—all right,” Tham said, gasping.

      “My name’s Chester Jonebin. You’ll find the name in the wallet, cards, et cetera. Kindly look.”

      Tham took the wallet from the dog and verified the name.

      “No money in it,” said the big man. “But those papers if they had been lost it would have caused no end of inconvenience. I feel that I must reward you, my man, for having such a sensible dog. Allow me!”

      The big man reached into a pocket of his waistcoat, extracted some currency, and handed Thubway Tham a fifty-dollar bill.

      “It’s worth it!” he said. “Serves me right for being careless. Legal papers, you understand. Depositions and such. No thanks—it’s coming to you!”

      Before Thubway Tham could speak, the big man and his friends were hurrying along the street. Tham looked at the bill; then down at the yellow pup.

      “Dog,” said Thubway Tham, “you come along with me. I know where they thell meat! And if Nothey Moore won’t let you thleep in hith kitchen, then we’ll get uth another roomin’ houthe. Come with me, dog!”

      The dog wagged his stump of tail and followed. It was a lucky day, after all, especially for the dog.