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sordid and hateful procession of recent events--humiliation, rebuff, shame,
poverty, hunger, and in the background the face of his father and the face of a
girl whose name, even, he did not know.
Presently he looked up at the Lizard.
"Nothing doing, old top," he said. "But don't mistake the motives which prompt
me to refuse your glittering offer. I am moved by no moral scruples, however
humiliating such a confession should be. The way I feel now I would almost as lief
go out and rob widows and orphans myself, but each of us, some time in our life,
has to consider some one who would probably rather see us dead than disgraced.
I don't know whether you get me or not."
"I get you," replied the Lizard, "and while you may never wear diamonds, you'll get
more pleasure out of life than I ever will, provided you don't starve to death too
soon. You know, I had a hunch you would turn me down, and I'm glad you did. If
you were going crooked some time I thought I'd like to have you with me. When it
comes to men, I'm a pretty good picker. That's the reason I have kept out of jail so
long. I either pick a square one or I work alone."
"
Thanks," said Jimmy, "but how do you know that after you pull this job I won't
tip off the police and claim the reward."
The Lizard grinned his lip grin.
"There ain't one chance in a million," he said. "You'd starve to death before you'd
do it. And now, what you want is a job. I can probably get you one if you ain't too
particular."
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