Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-26

Just now little uncertain as to key.
Billy's silk hat is on the back of his
mead and his hair is rumpled. The
other IeIlows have their hats in the
check room, but Billy's going home in
a minute or SO for the past hour. He
mas an important business engage
nent In the morning. In the mean
life! u MS
Have a drink Tommy! Have
drink. Sam! What's Yours. Bert?
Iome on, fellows, let's sing. Where's
JACK Greeves? We want n good bass
Ch, mere you are, Jack, right at my
eiooW; Been standing here an hour.
en- w nat do You think of that! Drink
up and have another Jack. Now
Tommy, The Demon Rum, What y
ioliy world 1t is, to be sure, Every
oody's fine fellow,
Iommy Tinkle vetoes the idea of
more more song: Why be monotonous.
ToT, Tmen me is SO full of the different?
pUr Hy siVes lecture on the Demon
Rum, with all his friends and him
sen sen as the horrible example. Scream
ihsly funny thing Tommy with a
Keen ana clever wit, hits off the foibles
ana peculiarities of each one in the
S,roMd' and the place resounds with
i99ushter; 9sn Wonderful chap. Tommy.
SSS,peclaliy snappy tonight Have n
Drink, old man! Encore! Encore!
h%! sklpped Sam Langster. Tommy!
NO Iommy will not conclude or
continue his lecture on the Demon
rum. He will draw a picture of the
lemon eiiIon rum That they may see with
tHelr own eyes this devouring mon
ster. and be properly warned
w mere sheet of paper? Where's
crayon? Tommy Tinkles going to
urdW Here they are produced like
magic out of nowhere: a big sheet of
coarse yellow paper and a box of coll
.-I
tackled on the wall
Ihats a magnificent piece of art,
an astounding work: a fangless. snarl-
ing, blear-eyed genie of depravity,
peeerlng out of somber blue pit, and
surrounded by weird green and yell
low Vapors, dark red eyes, dark red
tongue and mouth, and a face criss-
crossed by countless little purple and
olue and red blood veins. 1t is a
terrible thing; a ghastly thing
But Tommy Tinkle is not yet
through. and the wide grin beneath
ms pointed nose is creature of ac-
tive life in itself. An idea from the
supper party has been left over in
Tommy's wayward brain; and he adds
few deft strokes.
Why, it's Billy Lane! Great stuff.
Tommy! The laughter is long and
ioud. There is no stopping it. The
fellows fairly double up with toy, and
have to sit down and rest. and have
their drinks brought to them. Among
the loudest of the laughers IS Billy
Lane. No one has a keener apprecia-
ton of genius than he, and there is
no one more capable of taking a
joke on himself. BY George. that's a
masterpiece! Billy claims it. He's
going to take it home and frame it!
Where's Jack Greeves? Why, here
ne Is in the corner. asleep. Where's
sam Langster? What, is Sam gone?
Yes, they took him out to his chauf-
feur. Where's Bert? Where's Hal?
Where's Charley? Where's the bunch?
Scattered; dropped out one at time.
Here, this won't do! There's still
light and laughter and gaiety in the
world! Wake up, Jack, we're going TO
sing! Dead; dead to the world; dead,
all but his snore. 1t occurs to Tom
my T1nkle to utilize ticker waste
| basket and some of the coarse yellow
paper and TO erect a tombstone at
Jack s feet; which Is accordingly done;
put there is no one, aside from the
clup attendants, to laugh at 1T, ex-
cept Billy and Tommy. They are all
alone in the world, and the world
| looks dim. See: out of the windows
the dawn is breaking. It's too late to
go to bed
Tommy Tinkle has another flash
or genius. Billy's car is waiting. They
know a roadhouse where the proprie-
vi lldhSS HIS own sausage. suppose
they ride out there for breakfast
wake up old Christian and have some
sausage and eggs. Bar boy, put us up
bottle of the club special
Billy has thought. Suppose they
run up to Tommy's rooms and change
their clothes. Suppose they have a
cold shower. Why, they'll be fresh for
the day. Billy will be in a fine shape
for that business appointment Done.
Done in no time at all. As they
dash down for the bottle of club spe-
cial, on their way out Billy discovers
the Demon Rum, its red eyes gleam-
ing on him with a peculiarly challeng-
ing leer. Come along, Demon Rum.
Have a little morning ride. The De-
mon Rum, still with that knowing leer
in his red eyes, permits himself to
be taken from the wall, rolled up and
tucked under Billys arm. Ha, Ha!
Billy Lane is young man worth
while;a young man with a sound body,
cellar brain, brilliant prospects, and
with already record of achieve
ments of which any young man might
well be proud! Just the sort for the
Demon Rum: and in his roll of yellow
paper, he leers his red leer and snarls
his red snarl
Out in the crisp, cool morning. The
snow has stopped, and the sky is clear
ing. the clouds in the east are tinged a
delicate rose. Glorious to be out in
the dawning day; glorious to drive
swiftly through the invigorating air;
glorious to have the still sleeping
world to ones self amid the lifting
mists of the morning; glorious to have
youth. friends, laughter.
The Demon Rum rests alongside
Billy in the car. GeraIdinei BY
George, Tommy, Geraldine would love
the fresh morning ride. Let's go back
and get her. The idea does not ap-
peal to Tommy Not because it's un-
conventional. for Three-B Benning
and Geraldine's placid mother have
more than once sanctioned expedi-
tions as informal as this; but Tommy
feels that the fact that they STAYED
up. rather than got up, makes slight
difference.
It's Billy's car. They go back after
Geraldine. That charming young
lady. reused by a still sleepy maid,
appears presently in as pink perfec-
ton as If she had taken hours to
make her toilette. She is in an
astounding pretty pink morning frock,
and her eyes are sparkling and her
cheeks fresh and her laugh gay as
she trips down the stairs Always
in for lark, is Geraldine, especially
with Tommy and Billy.
She stops abruptly as she sees them
in the Hrhtf Top1rnu {o