"'In an awful hurry, ain't you, dearie?' one of the girls asked.
"'Why, no, not at all,' says Jerry, politely taking off his hat. And then as her appellation struck him: 'I think you must have mistaken me for someone else.'
"'Cut it out. You know what I mean well enough'. Come along,' and she moved a pace away.
"Jerry followed. 'I'd be glad to come if I can be of any assistance.'
"And with that they both burst into roars of laughter.
"Jerry's ignorance of things made him keenly sensitive to ridicule.
"'I think you're very impolite,' he said with dignity.
"'Aw, go chase yourself,' said Geraldine and vanished into the shadows with her companion.
"That interview took a lot of explaining. In fact, all the way to Jerry's house the mystery of the girls' behavior hung like a cloud over him. 'Do you know, Jack,' he said as we were parting, 'I think that girl was mad--quite mad.'"
"Couldn't you have prevented that meeting?" I asked.
"I didn't try. Besides, Jerry is a persistent chap. When I asked him why he stopped, he said it was because the girl looked like somebody he was hunting for."
"Oh, yes. The minx who slipped into Horsham Manor. I told you about her. But her name isn't Smith."
"Jerry has been looking for her." He laughed. "He thought at first, he said, he'd see her on the street, but was surprised to find the city so large. He was a little disappointed. But I think he's forgotten. There's safety in numbers."
"Bless your heart! I'd no more think of teaching Jerry filth than I would my own sister. But by the Lord Harry, he's an inquisitive cuss. He's learning that life isn't all beer and skittles, has felt the skinny talons of poverty on his elbow and has heard a truck-driver swear in the approved New York manner. That in itself was a liberal education. The worst of it was that the chap happened to be swearing at Jerry."
"Jerry jumped over the wheel, caught the man by the collar of his coat and threw him into the street. He was a big 'un too."
Ballard lingered provokingly in the narrative, which was interesting me greatly.
"The fellow rose, covered with slime, looking vicious.
"'What did you mean taking God's name in vain?' says Jerry sternly.
"He came in with a rush, grimy fists flying. Jerry feinted just once, side-stepped and caught him prettily on the point of the jaw. The blow was beautifully timed, and the fellow dropped like a log."
