Benno and Some of the Push

A RECENT disappointment in love had made Benno a perfect fiend to women.

A woman had deceived him; by her perfidy his heart had been broken, his

life blighted. At twenty-one and a half he was already embittered, and

all through a woman. Henceforward he would give them no quarter. His

cynicism would have made you shudder.

"I'm livin' on'y fer revenge," he told Feathers, darkly.

"Come orf the keg, little boy," replied the packer, with his

man-of-the-world air. "You ain't talkin', y' know; ye're just makin' a

noise."

"I'm talkin', gorstruth," the clerk continued. "There isn't a bit o'

common in treatin' women decent. If y' do, they'll dog on yer fer a cert.

Deal 'em out stoush 'ard 'n' often, 'n' they'll lick yer 'and. Show 'em

yer gone soft about 'em, 'n' y' get what yer lookin' fer--the sudden

jerk. Ye're on'y fit t' be cut up fer dusters then. Women's pure nark, I

tell yeh. I spared one woman once" (here the little clerk's voice became

husky and morose, and his small brow darkened), "'n' she never forgive me

fer it, but never again--never again. Any iv the sect what's in my power

after this won't git no mercy, 'n' that's how it is."

"It's after 'avin' sixpen'orth iv 'ang-over et 'The Cankered 'Eart, 'r

The Cooper in the Soup,' 'n' it's puttin' up fer a 'eavy villain et eight

stone seven, Feathers commented; and then he continued in a declamatory

manner: 'T' mothers 'iv fam'lies, 'n' all whom it may concern. As Benno,

the feather-weight devil, otherwise the Merciless Midget, is now prowlin'

at large in the parks 'n' waste places, it would be well 'n' wise t' keep

all girls iv the female sex under sixteen stone limit on the chain till

the monster's plugged with bullets 'r otherwise pervided fer."