The Yale expositor., 1907-09-13

These were the words adureSseu 10
Mr.. Pinckney Bish, as he stepped into
one of the darkest shadows of the ele-
waited railway.
Mr.. Bish raised his eyes to a level
with the voice and perceived, in front
of him, man and a gun-the muzzle
of the gun pointed toward his right
lung and the man in a commanding
position behind the gun.
II rise to a question of personal
privilege, began Mr.. Bish. fresh
from the deliberations of the Hot Air
club.
"The gentleman is out of order"
suavely remarked the man behind the
gun. shell QUIT"
But, Mr.. Speaker" persisted Mr.
Bish, feeling a very natural disinclina-
ton to part company with the two
$40 gold pieces in his purse and his
nine-dollar gold watch.
The proposition is not debatable,"
interrupted the man holding the gun
which he pressed closely against Mr..
Bish's fowered waistcoat-"and
warn you that filibustering to delay
action will not be permitted. Prompt
compliance with my request will save
you peace of mind and, possibly, per-
forated anatomy. Dig up
Although a born temporizer, Mr..
Bish, feeling impelled to heed the mild
admonition, began digging" and, with
reasonable alacrity, passed over to the
person back of the shooter" a pig
skin purse containing the aforemen-
toned gold pieces.
81 thank you, sir" chirped the col
lector. Now the ticker, please"
The watch followed the coins. The
recipient glanced at ii with the eye of
an expert, and remarked: Not much
of a chronometer, but good for few
drinks. Again l thank you. and now
declare the meeting adjourned"
Speaking of drinks. my friend"
broke in Mr. Bish, without moving on
at all, you remarked that the ticker
was good for a few drinks. | must
say TO you, as man to man. as one
gentleman to another. that l cling
tenaciously to my equity in the afore-
said drinks
Now, have a suggestion to make.
We met-unexpectedly to me-on a
matter of business. You have con-
Quoted your business in the most
gentlemanly manner. That it has
been profitable to you and Improbable
to me is neither here nor there. Deals,
in which one man is winner and the
other loser, are common. You have
gilded trade with the charm of con.
summate art; and l say to you frank
ly, the incident is closed with perfect
good feeling, on my part.
"The suggestion / want to make Is
this: That we adjourn to some gen.
teel thirst parlor, of your selection,
and that you there set off to me, in
! proper form. with the accompaniment
of good fellowship, my equity in the
liquid delight represented by the
watch"
The hold-up man chuckled upon
my SOUL" said he, you're a thorough
bred If l ever met up with one. l ac-
cept your proposition with pleasure.
One moment, please!" He carefully
placed the gun in his right hip pocket.
/ folded up his small black mask and
! tucked it away in an inside pocket
and led the way to Clark street.
They passed a blind man, to whom
| Mr.. Bish was in the habit of giving a
quarter every Saturday night. and a
shadow passed over his face as he felt
in his pocket.
Permit me-" said the hold-up man:
! and reaching in front of Mr.. Bish
| dropped two quarters in the blind
mans cup.
Presently the two men entered a
place, noted alike for the superior
| quality of it's good cheer and its gen.
| teel quiet. and took seats on opposite
sides of table, in a private room.
The hold-up man pushed the button.
A smiling, white-coated, white
aproned youth of color was present in
answer to the bell
Scotch highball, please" said Mr..
Bish.
Make it two" said the hold-up
man.
Thereafter, each time the youth Of
color responded to the ringing of the
bell, the gentlemen simply signified.
by nod or word of mouth. "the same"
and "highballs" followed each other in
unbroken succession.
Thank you, Mr.. Lightfoot, thank
you, said Mr.. Bish; and the glasses
clinked and were drained; to be. at
once. sent back and reflled. Then. as
he beamed on the man on the other
side of the table, he continued: you
are. at this moment, doing me a far
greater favor than you know, Mr..
Lightfoot. | will explain For many
years. sir, 1t has been my unvarying
custom to go to my rooms, between
the hours of one and two a. m. every
Sunday morning, not intoxicated. sir
| seldom become inebriated TO the
point of intoxication--but loaded. sir:
| comfortably loaded. Half an hour ago
1t looked as though | should be COM
PEELED to forego the pleasure tonight,
and mar my record Now, however.