"But I shook my head.

"'Come, now!' he admonished sharply. 'No shenanagan! The Cowbell
must have you. It hungers for you, craves after you, won't be happy
till it gets you. What say?'

"In short, he wrestled with me, but I was bricks, and at the end of
half an hour the only Spargo gave it up.

"'Remember,' he said, 'any time you reconsider, I'm open. No matter
where you are, wire me and I'll send the ducats to come on at once.'

"I thanked him, and asked the pay for my copy--dope, he called it.

"'Oh, regular routine,' he said. 'Get it the first Thursday after
publication.'

"'Then I'll have to trouble you for a few scad until--'

"He looked at me and smiled. 'Better cough up, eh?'

"'Sure,' I said. 'Nobody to identify me, so make it cash.'

"And cash it was made, thirty plunks (a plunk is a dollar, my dear
Anak), and I pulled my freight . . . eh?--oh, departed.

"'Pale youth,' I said to Cerberus, 'I am bounced.' (He grinned with
pallid joy.) 'And in token of the sincere esteem I bear you, receive
this little--' (His eyes flushed and he threw up one hand, swiftly,