"Oh, thunder, Peters! My foot's too sore to climb that there fence, and if a dog got after us on the other side, I'd be gone up. Let's go to the Station-house and have a good-night's rest."
"I tell you I aint agoing to the police station, like a slouch," replied he addressed as Peters.
"Oh, you're so durned high toned!" muttered 'Billy.' "There's as good men goes to the station as you be, and if you get over into that yard somebody may catch you and hand you over, and then you'd go up for a vag for sixty days, mebbe. I wish we'd a camped out in the country and not come in town to-night."
"We had to come in to get some snipes. You said you was a dying for a smoke. Come now, and shin over." And 'Peters' commenced scaling the gate, when Ben's companion called out:
"Get away from this yard, you scoundrels, or I'll give you over!"
A sudden fall from the gate, was followed by a hasty shuffling of feet, and the boy said to Ben:
"All right, now. We have got rid of them. This is my hangup, for I discovered it, and I don't want any more lodgers. Come on."
When they were safely stowed away on the planks under the shed, Ben asked:
"Were those tramps?"
"Yes," replied the other; "peach-plucks, I s'pose. The country's full of them."