Page:Short Stories (1912).djvu/90

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KYRLE BELLEW
83

the yard when I saw Cameron lurch out of the bar. Later on, I learned all that happened.

Cameron clung to the door, his drink-sodden eyes with both arms flung wildly about one of the posts. Suddenly, his wandering eye lighted on Paddy's hitched horse. Drawing his hand across his eyes as if he were not sure of what he saw, he looked again. With a curse, he lumbered back to the bar calling to Hughes.

Hughes was singing for dear life all he knew of "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay," which after several years down South he had introduced to the Palmer, where the song won instant favor. He was too drunk to pay any attention to Cameron's excited call.

Cameron clung to the door, his dring-sodden eyes glaring wildly at his fuddled partner. "Paddy Fahey—" he began.

"Paddy Fahey be damned!" cried Ahlers, keeper of the rival pub.

"Paddy Fahey!" roared Cameron.

"Shut up! Have another drink!" yelled Isaac Brown.

Cameron staggered across the room and clutched Hughes by the arm. "Paddy Fahey!" he screamed.

Hughes stopped singing with an ill grace. "Well, what the hell about Paddy Fahey?" he snarled.

"Paddy Fahey—Paddy Fahey's horse is saddled and hitched up ready to start somewhere!"

"Well, what the blaze's that got to do with us" Hughes brooded only over how soon he could break out into song again.

"Yer damn fool! If Paddy ain't going somewhere, what's his horse saddled up for?"

"Well, s'pose he is?" laughed Hughes. "Why yer blistering idiot, he's going to Mount Madden, what do we care?"

"Like the devil he cares a damn, about Mound Madden!"