"Nix," said the Kid. "Not for Willie. I'll need my finger. I'd do a nice job of reefing a kick with a finger gone, wouldn't I?" He looked at his fingers, rapidly stiffening under the rough, hard work.
"Didn't I tell you to stop that spieling?" demanded a guard who had slipped up behind him.
The Kid gave the guard a look that expressed the contempt he felt for him better than any words.
"I'll report you for insolence," said the guard angrily.
"For what?" said the Kid.
"Insolence."
"How could you?" asked the Kid calmly. "You couldn't spell the word."
The guard made a mark on his card.
"You'll be stood out for that," said the guard. The Kid's face darkened, but he controlled himself. For he had another plan.
A few days later he said to Archie: