"Ought to make the old man popular."
"Not so you can see it. But that boy is a tough citizen, and getting tougher every day."
"I'm hearing a good deal about that kid these days. He trains with a bunch of bad ones over at Strongburg."
"For instance?"
"Lately he's been running with 'Skip' Riley, a crook who has the reputation of having made more money out of holding up trains than by working."
"I know his record. How long has he been there?"
"Several months. He came there from the Nebraska penitentiary, and he was smooth enough to work the reformed-criminal, first-offense racket on the women there until they finally got him a job in the fire department. He seems to be a hero in the eyes of a lot of tough young fellows here and in Strongburg, and they follow him in anything he suggests."
"That's not a healthy proposition for a boy. Mr. Riley ought to be conducted out of town."
"The worst of it is he has banded them into some sort of secret organization."
"What do they call it?"