As the proper way to open up the business of such importance, Spike asked Patsy to join him in a drink, and when they were ranged at the bar, Spike said: “I say, Patsy, was youse on the dead level or was youse givin’ Bally a stiff about dat case?” “No,” said Patsy, soberly, “I was on the dead level about it. Say, I’m givin’ it to you straight when I’m tellin’ you me boss is only in the case for to get that leather case with the papers in it. He’s got to git it some way, and he’s sizin’ it up that it’s got to be got by comin’ down wid de dust.” “Dat’s straight talk,” said Spike. “Of course it’s straight,” said Patsy. “It’s one of the cases where you play your cards wid the faces up. Somebody swiped the papers. The man from whom the papers was swiped wants ’em bad and they’re wuth more to him than to anybody else. To get ’em back he’d forget in a minute that his crib was cracked. Now that’s all there is in it.” “Does youse know for sure dat de leather case was swiped?” asked Spike, earnestly. “Sure.” “Does youse know who did the swiping?” asked Spike. “No; I don’t know anything about it,” said Patsy. “But you do.” “I think I do, but I don’t know for sure.” “Oh, come off,” said Patsy. “You know that Lannigan and another fellow did the job.” “Dat’s just what I think,” said Spike, earnestly. “I’m dead certain of it, but not knowin’ it for sure. Dey won’t say so.” “Say,” asked Patsy, “didn’t they come back as they agreed to from the other side of the river?” “Yep, dey come back all right, all right, but dey wouldn’t talk.” “What did they go across the river for?” “I’m blessed if I know.” “Then I’ll tell you what for,” said Patsy. “They went across there to stow the sparklers and the tin. The fence, you know.” Spike started up with great interest. “Oh, come now,” said Patsy, “you don’t want me to t’ink, Spike, that you’re so far behind that you don’t know that the safest fence around here is across de river.” “Oh, I heard so,” said Spike, humbly. “But, honest, Patsy, I ain’t never been dere, for there ain’t been nothin’ doin’ wid me so long dat I’m parched back to the roots of me tongue.” “Well,” said Patsy, “that’s what they went across the river for. But I ain’t got nothin’ to do about that. My peepers are on that leather case.” “Well, anyhow,” said Spike, “when dey come back dey wouldn’t talk any more than before dey went.” “You mean,” said Patsy, “that they wouldn’t say whether they were in that job in Thirty-fifth Street or not.” “Dat’s what I mean,” said Spike. “But, say,” said Bally Morris, speaking for the first time, “Spike put it at ’em anyhow.” “Put what at them?” asked Patsy. “Oh, I put up de story as to dat case and wot there was into it if dey held on,” said Spike. “How did they take it?” asked Patsy.