“Those never passed the Philadelphia mint,” said he.
“You don’t say!” McGinty held them to the light in his enormous hand, which was hairy as a gorilla’s. “I can see no difference. Gar! you’ll be a mighty useful brother, I’m thinking! We can do with a bad man or two among us, Friend McMurdo: for there are times when we have to take our own part. We’d soon be against the wall if we didn’t shove back at those that were pushing us.”
“Well, I guess I’ll do my share of shoving with the rest of the boys.”
“You seem to have a good nerve. You didn’t squirm when I shoved this gun at you.”
“It was not me that was in danger.”
“Who then?”
“It was you, Councilor.” McMurdo drew a cocked pistol from the side pocket of his pea-jacket. “I was covering you all the time. I guess my shot would have been as quick as yours.”
“By Gar!” McGinty flushed an angry red and then burst into a roar of laughter. “Say, we’ve had no such holy terror come to hand this
