money on me."

"Aw, shut up, Sadness," said Thomas. "My friend Mr. Hamilton 'll feel
hurt if you don't drink with him."

"I cert'n'y will," was Joe's opportune remark, and he was pleased to see
that it caused the reluctant one to yield.

They took a drink. There was quite a line of them. Joe asked the
bartender what he would have. The men warmed towards him. They took
several more drinks with him and he was happy. Sadness put his arm about
his shoulder and told him, with tears in his eyes, that he looked like a
cousin of his that had died.

"Aw, shut up, Sadness!" said some one else. "Be respectable."

Sadness turned his mournful eyes upon the speaker. "I won't," he
replied. "Being respectable is very nice as a diversion, but it 's
tedious if done steadily." Joe did not quite take this, so he ordered
another drink.

A group of young fellows came in and passed up the stairs. "Shearing
another lamb?" said one of them significantly.

"Well, with that gang it will be well done."

Thomas and Joe left the crowd after a while, and went to the upper
floor, where, in a long, brilliantly lighted room, tables were set out
for drinking-parties. At one end of the room was a piano, and a man sat
at it listlessly strumming some popular air. The proprietor joined them