the garden, you see, and
there's big doors where the old feller used to keep his boat."

"What old feller?"

"Why, do you mean to say you don't know? I thought everybody knew that
place."

"Well, go on. Spit it out. _I_ don't know all the joints in this town."

"Neither do I, but I know a good many of 'em. Well, you see that house
with the corner like a turnip, Turkey style? That's the house. It used
to belong to an old guy who lives way over there," and Joseph Plouff
waved his arm eastward towards Chalcidice. "Big farm for tobacco he got.
Old Turk he is, I s'pose. Well, he has this house here and he had it
built with a boat-house so the boat can go right in and out o' sight.
And there wasn't any other way in. He comes down the mountain, gets into
his boat, and sails over to his house when he wants to have good time.
And when the house was lit up all the gels in the town gets into their
glad rags an' goes off in boats to have some fun. They rows up to the
house, and the old feller sittin' on his balcony gives 'em a look-over
and then he gives the word to let 'em in. Well, he must ha' made a
mistake, same as we all do at times, for one night he had a row with one
o' these gels an' she went for him. I reckon he was tryin' to get her to
go home quietly and she thought he was tryin' to push her into the water
instead of into her boat. So what does she do but poke his eyes out. You
have to watch that with the gels here," said Plouff sagely, looking at
Mr. Spokesly. "It's easy to do and they got the way of it. You push hard
here," and he put his forefinger against the outer side of his eye-ball,
"and the eye pops out like a cork out of a bottle. That was a fine
mix-up, I guess. They tied her head to her feet and shoved her into the
water, and then they had to get the old feller back to his farm over
there. Fine mix-up there, too, I expect, what with his wives fightin' to
get at him and him not bein' able to see which way to run. Now he lives
out there, blind and rollin' in money since the war, and his wives keep
him at home all the time. And the house was sold. You can get a drink
there now. I was there last night. American bar with Greek drinks."

"And are you goin' there to-night?"

"Sure I am. What did you think I was shavin' for?"

"Well, listen to me, Bos'. I wish I'd known it was as easy as that. You
see I've got a friend who wants to make the trip with us, but we can't
get a passport."

"Why can't he come back