ey, come an' pay fer it.'"

We asked if he thought he could manage to get another one in the same
way.

He said he was afraid to try, because an officer was going to run him in
"'cause he hadn't any shirt on, and looked so tough."

I then donned the shirt, also a paper collar and cuffs, and went down to
supper, leaving Frank to silent meditation.

After eating, I returned to the room, took off the shirt, and Frank put
it on and went to supper, while I remained and did the meditation act.

He staid away more than two hours, which worried me considerably.

I wondered what upon earth had become of him, but felt certain he was
too true a friend to abscond with my half of the shirt.

Even if it wasn't paid for, I knew by right that I owned _half of that
shirt_.

When he did return he brought good news.

He had spent over an hour with a furnishing-goods dealer, "squaring him
up" so as to buy some things on credit.

When asked with what luck, he answered:

"Well, I ordered six shirts, six pairs of socks, two dozen linen
collars, one dozen pairs linen cuffs, and one dozen handkerchiefs, with
instructions to send them to the hotel office, and Mr. Johnston would
send them a check in a day or two," and added that the goods would be
delivered that evening.

"But, Frank," I said, "you will get us into trouble. How can we fix the
check business? You know I can't send them one. It'll make us trouble,
sure."

"Very well, it can't make us any worse trouble than we are having. As
for myself, I'd rather go to jail with a shirt on, than to sit here in
this dingy, gloomy old room half of my time without any."

"Yes," I said, "that's so. I'd rather go on the chain-gang for thirty
days, than go through another such an ordeal as this."

The goods were not sent as promised, and we spent a very restless night.

I dreamed of arriving home without any shirt on, and in my dream heard
my mother's voice saying: "Well, I am really glad you reached home with
your pants on," while Mr. Keefer remarked: "It does beat the d----l!"

Frank dreamed he was in attendance at a swell entertainment, and
suddenly discovered the absence of his shirt.

I insisted that Frank should not sleep in the shirt, in order to keep it
clean as long as possible, and to keep peace he laid it off when
retiring. In the morning I was the first one up, and proceeded to put it
on.

As I was passing through the hall on my way to breakfast, I met the
chambermaid.