Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1937-10-08

cedure.
He paved at the buttoning of his
collar, stretching his neck dolefully as
he strove to accustom it to it's con-
fines. He peered into the crinkly
mirror and tied his blue tie with it's
red polka dots for a third and a
fourth time. He took his old hat to
the door and brushed it meticulously
he had forgotten to order a new one.
He rubbed another dose of bear grease
on his boots. He put on his electric
blue coat and gave hitch to his cleo
trio blue trousers with their impress
ed box wrinkles at the knees. Then
he walked dolefully to the door.
"Ready?" he asked Jack.
There was quite a crowd in front
of the dance hall when they arrived
in Whoopee. At intervals bomb hurt
led from a mortar into the air and
exploded with a detonation which
threw itself from mountain peak. to
mountain peak in seemingly ceaseless
echoes.
Around the World Annie, resplen-
dent in dress of star-spangled bunt-
ing, topped by a blue-and-white tri-
corn, trimmed with a red cockade,
was vociferously greeting all comers.
Liberty Frightening tn worl'!" she
shouted. Ray for Whoopee."
"Whoopee yourself!" shouted min
er.
"Took the words out Of my mouth"
she answered, with merry little grin.
ing smilingly toward the incoming
Whoopee for Alaska!"
After time they went inside. An
orchestra began to play, violin, clar-
inets, trombone, cornet and accordian,
imported by air from Juneau. AS if
from nowhere, girls appeared, stink
ing smilingly towardt he incoming
miners. One of them, Florine, arms
half extended, as if for dancing, plac-
ed herself directly in the path of Nc
Kenzie Joe.
He did not evade her. He did not
brush her aside. He merely put out
a hand and with a mournful, shelving
motion, moved her out of his way.
Straight onward he went, to the bar,
and while Jack strove vainly to re-
strain him, ordered Scotch. Then, dis
daining the whiskey glass, he raised
the bottle-a crock, in Canadian par
lance-in a big hand.
For a long time he held it. His
beaverlike eyes circled under heavy
brows. Then he raised the big bot
tie to his lips and allowed it to CUR
gle until Jack gasped, from the mere
agony of watching.
An hour later, Jack Hammond
searched the crowded dance hall in
vain. All in a moment, he had lost
Mckenzie Joe, and this was a bad
time to lose him.
Evidences of McKenzie's activities,
however, were glaringly present. A
window stood gaping at the graying
dusk; darkness did not come now until
after midnight. A bottle had broken
the pane and Joe had thrown it, as
a grand finale for the fireworks ex-
hibit. There also were broken chairs,
crushed to bits by McKenzie's tremen-
dously strong hands, to the cheers of
the mob. Joe had joined in the en-
thusiasm-even that of Around the
World Annie, who was charging 1OOl
per cent profit on all breaking. True,
he had lost some of his funeral air
and his lips bore a hint of smile,
like polar bear.
That is, the smile had been there
when Jack last had seen him, with
his hat on sideways, his electric blue
suit badly disheveled, and his course
in life a vague, wandering one, in
which he sometimes walked flat into
a wall without realizing it-until he
bumped his nose. Then, solemnly, he
would turn, blankly survey his sur
roundings, and begin another aimless