Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-01

llln coat :iunB on MIN ike Wlileu
rag, covered with stains of so many
sorts and ages that it looked like a
record of crime.
Some cold, b." His voice was
so hoarse that it might have been a
: late fall bull-frog's. He reached up
under his arm-pit, and, from some
mysterious recess in the coat lining,
; he produced a much folded and soil
ed dollar bill. "Ladle out a schooner"
The glass of beer forthcoming, he
emptied in 1t some crystalline pow
der from a red pill box, stirred it with
a bar spoon, and drank the mixture
slowly but steadily, without seeming
to swallow, much as if he were pour
ing it into a funnel. The effect was
almost instantaneous. He shook his
shoulders and his eyes frightened. He
} began to tald volubly, with curious
break from his hoarseness to a me-
tallic shrillness. He told where he
had been the past MONTH and all that
: he had done, with dozen contradic-
tions in his wasted lies; and when the
away, Pittsburg Joe sat by Red
Whitley and told him the rest of it.
Tank Tonkey came presently, as big
OF girth as ever and as pendulous of
chin; then two more of the old win
ter guard: then Piggy Marshall; and
fairly begun. 1t consisted of sitting
and warming, and waiting for some
one to buy drink; and 1t was largely
; a silent business, requiring much quiet
concentration. Only the voice of
Pittsburg Joe kept shrilling on and
on.
The pin-eyed bartender looked up
, in astonishment as a quite unusual
customer came through the door. He
was an old man in neatly pressed
suit, but without short or collar or
, tie. his breast being covered by a silk
pajama jacket. His face was waxen-
white, his eyes were bleared, and
there We're huge puffs under them, his
| lips were formless, and even his sill
. yer Nandyke seemed to be scraggly
and distended from the loose puffiness
of his skin. Every muscle of his face
was laxed, so that his countenance
| was filled with putty-like lines.
. "A little whisky" he asked, and
, threw some money on the counter;
a bill; five dollars.
The pin-eyed bartender hesitated q
, moment, then he reached under the
bar and produced a bottle of labeled
, whisky. From the same hiding place
he produced gentleman's glass;
| The new customer, with formless
smile at the size of the glass, stretch
ed his hand around it's brim, and
| poured until it was full to the top of
| his finger, and lifted it jerkily to his
! mouth, and drank; while the bar
tender rang up double drink, and
threw out change for a four-doIlar
bill. He laid the other dollar beneath
| the bar, for slipping in his pocket,
, later. NJ '
Kind o. cold" he observed, by way
of friendly encouragement.
, Red Whitley was all aquiver! He
edged over close to Piggy Marshall
and whispered in his ear:
John Doe!"
| "Bow-Wow!" Piggy spoke quite
confidently but he sat still, and stud
; led the new customer with perplex-
ed professional interest.
Red Whitley motioned Tank Tonkey
to come closer.
You don't suppose it's Bow-Wow!"
Tank Tonkey shook his head.
/ Il dassent make a guess" he husk-
! Red Whitley, trembling with the
eagerness OF rat TERROR, turned to
: Pittsburg Joe.
, Say; is that Bow-Wow
Nav. The contempt of Joe for
, the asker of that question was pro
! found.
We'll, go lamp him, that's all I
, say advised Red, his curiosity at
Sure" Pittsburg Joe was ready
Tor anything. He had that in him
! which gave him extreme confidence
in himself. He could jump over the
Brooklyn Bridge if he tried. He look
ed back and winked three times, as
ne crossed to the bar and lounged
near the stranger. He made a thor
ough inspection, and still was doubt
, ful, but he winked prodigiousIy
Hello, sport" he ventured.
, The new customer, clumsily picking
up his change, turned slowly and gaz-
, ed at the intruder with heavy lidded
eyes swaying and nodding. then a
formless smile came upon his lips.
Hello, Joe. Have a little drink"
Bow-Wow! They were over at the
, bar as one man, and he knew them
all; he called them by name! They
clustered round him like flies! The
pin-eyed bartender wiped his hands
t orlskly on his apron and got ready for
business: Bow-Wow had put his
change back on the bar in front of
him, and drew it in a heap.
Have a little drink"
Would they have a little drink
They would, as many as Bow-Wow
; would buy! The bartender reached
for the labeled bottle, but Red
Whitley stopped that economic waste
; Regular stuff for him, Phil. You
, don't know this guy. He's one of our
old buddies. Names Bow-Wow."
. Hello, Red" A husky, cultural
voice, eacn sentence 1nterruDted with
labored breathing. Have a little
drink"
Others arrived, for the rulers of
the Kingdom of rest were at their
city home now. The season of their
reign was past. They came in apath-
etically, one by one, but as they saw
the throng at the bar, each quickened
his pace to eager briskness, for the
days business promised to be good,
Bow-Wow had more money, plenty
of it, and he did not notice that. in
paying for the constant succession of
drinks, he broke bills with astonish
ng rapidity. He did not notice that
the pin-eyed bartender kept out an
average of twenty per cent for HIM
self. He did not notice that coins
slipped away on all sides, from his
heap, and that even bills disappear
ed, as his change was dumped in front
of him. Except to see that the little
glass was set before him frequently,
he did not notice anything; that his
hapds were white when they should
be gnarled and black, and that his
nails were polished and well-trimmed
when they should be stained and rag
ged and Undetermined; that these
were malodorous creatures who hung
upon his shoulders and Slapped him
on the back and called him Pal. and
BO. and RuddV and Dor,