Edgar Berroughs - THE MUCKER

THE MUCKER

Edgar Rice Burroughs

BALLANTINE BOOKS . NEW YORK

THE MUCKER: Originally published serially in

by The Frank A. Munsey Co.

THE RETURN OF THE MUCKER: Sequel to THE MUCKER.

Originally published serially in All-Story Weekly.

First Ballantine Edition: January, 1966

Manufactured in the United States of America

BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC.

101 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10003

CONTENTS

Part I

CHAPTER I

BILLY BYRNE

BILLY BYRNE was a product of the streets and alleys of

Chicago's great West Side. From Halsted to Robey, and

from Grand Avenue to Lake Street there was scarce a bartender

whom Billy knew not by his first name. And, in

proportion to their number which was considerably less, he

knew the patrolmen and plain clothes men equally as well,

but not so pleasantly.

His kindergarten education had commenced in an alley

back of a feed-store. Here a gang of older boys and men

were wont to congregate at such times as they had naught

else to occupy their time, and as the bridewell was the only

place in which they ever held a job for more than a day or

two, they had considerable time to devote to congregating.

They were pickpockets and second-story men, made and

in the making, and all were muckers, ready to insult the

first woman who passed, or pick a quarrel with any stranger

who did not appear too burly. By night they plied their real

vocations. By day they sat in the alley behind the feedstore

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