"Stop short, damn ye!"
Fargus, thus threatened, answered without disconcertion:
"Well, my friend, what can I do for you?"
At this moment, the third of the party, coming up, broke in with a shout:
"Bill—you fool, what'cher stopping him for? It's the old screw!"
"It is, eh?" the other cried with an oath. "And what if it is?"
"Go through him, then, if you're so green!" continued the first, "and if you pull more than a nickel I'll double what you get."
"Quite right," Fargus said cheerfully. "I've been here forty-nine years and no one's ever found any more on me than the next day's car fare." He drew from his pocket five pennies which he displayed for confirmation. "And what's more, you can't find another cent in my room!"
"Ah, come on. Don't waste time over that guy," said the third. "We've turned him inside out a dozen times."
"The hell you have!" the other cried in disgust, and struck up his hand, causing the pennies to scatter into the street.