Michael stood in troubled silence and the woman turned her head to watch a neighbor coming down the street with a basket in her hand. It would seem that her visitor interested her no longer. She called out some rough, ribaldry to the woman who glanced up fiercely and deigned no further reply. Then Michael tried again.
“Could you tell me of the boys who used to go with Mikky?”
“No, Oi can’t,” she answered crossly, “Oi can’t be bothered. Oi don’t know who they was.”
“There was Jimmie and Sam and Bobs and Buck. Surely you remember Buck, and little Janie. Janie who died after Mikky went away?”
The bleared eyes turned full upon him again.
“Janie? Fine Oi remimber Janie. They had a white hurse to her, foiner’n any iver cum to the coourt before. The b’ys stayed up two noights selling to git the money fur it, an’ Buck he stayed stiddy while she was aloive. Pity she doied.”
“Where is Buck?” demanded Michael with a sudden twinging of his heart strings that seemed to bring back the old love and loyalty to his friend. Buck had needed him perhaps all these years and he had not known.
“That’s whot the police would like fer yez to answer, I’m thinkin’!” laughed old Sal. “They wanted him bad fer breakin’ into a house an’ mos’ killin’ the lady an’ gittin’ aff wid de jewl’ry. He beat it dat noight an’ ain’t none o’ us seen him these two year. He were a slick one, he were awful smart at breakin’ an’ stealin’. Mebbe Jimmie knows, but Jimmie, he’s in jail, serving his time fer shootin’ a man in the hand durin’ a dhrunken fight. Jimmie, he’s no good. Never wuz. He’s jest like his foither. Bobs, he got both legs cut aff, bein’ runned over by a big truck, and he doied in the horspittle. Bobs he were better dead. He’d uv gone loike the rist. Sam, he’s round these parts mostly nights. Ye’ll hev to come at noight ef yez want to see him. Mebbe he knows more ’bout Buck’n he’ll tell.”
Sick at heart Michael put question, after question but no more information was forthcoming and the old woman showed signs of impatience again. Carefully noting what she said about Sam and getting a few facts as to the best time and place to find him Michael turned and walked sadly out of the alley. He did not see the alert eyes of old Sal following him, nor the keen expression of her face as she stretched her neck to see which way he turned as he left the alley. As soon as he was out of sight she shuffled down from her doorstep to the corner and peered after him through the morning sunshine. Then she went slowly, thoughtfully back to her doorstep.
“Now whut in the divil could he be a wantin’ wid Buck an’ Sammie?” she muttered to herself. “All that story ’bout his bein’ Mikky was puttin’ it on my eye, I’ll giv warnin’ to Sammie this night, an’ ef Buck’s in these pairts he better git out west some’res. The police uv got onto ’im. But hoiwiver did they know he knowed Mikky? Poor little angel Mikky! I guv him the shtraight about Bobs an’ Jimmie, fer they wuz beyant his troublin’ but he’ll niver foind Sammie from the directin’ I sayed.”