t
edged into the company of his former associates.

"Men, howdy!"

"Dogged if it ain't ol' Marsden! Boy, how is yo'? Is yo' back f'm de
wah?"

"Heah us is, ain't I?"

Willie Webster, the proprietor of the establishment, came forward.
"Don' see no arms an' no laigs missin'. Yo' neveh used yo' haid nohow,
'ceptin' to eat wid. Boy, how is yo'? Hail de Konk'rin' Hero!"

"Tol'able, Willie." The Konk'rin' Hero looked about him. At a table
against the wall, under the rays of a smoking coal oil lamp, a crap
game was in progress.

The Wildcat's fingers began to itch. He walked over toward the table.
In the outline of one of the figures standing beside the table the
Wildcat identified an acquaintance of his former days. "Seems like I
knows de shape 'at boy's got." The Wildcat edged up to the table.

The owner of the familiar silhouette faced the Wildcat. "Wilecat, how
is you? Hot dam, boy--is you back?"

Honey Tone Boone, the exile uplifter, was quick to conceal the
inconvenient recognition in the extended palm of cordial insincerity.

The Wildcat's mouth opened and closed in cadence with the wild leaping
of his Adam's apple. With difficulty he pacified his organs of speech,
and presently the honey of hypocrisy filtered from the tip of his
tongue. "Honey Tone! Honey Tone de uplifteh! Las' time I seed yo', yo'
wuz in Bo'deaux."

"Las' time you seed me I wuz in trouble."

"How come?" A mask of surprise covered the Wildcat's face.

Honey Tone explained the method of his departure from Bordeaux.

"You kidnapped in de gizzard ob de ol' iron boat! Ain't it s'prisin'!
Us boys sho' missed you."

Honey Tone relapsed into the vernacular. "I'll say 'at's all you
missed. After you made de las' pass wid de gallopin' ivory you sho' lef
me clean. All I had on me wuz cooties. How come you heah, Wilecat?"

"Cap'n Jack brung me. I's still workin' fo' Cap'n Jack. Afteh us landed
offen de boat f'm France us rode de train clear across de country. Jes'
broke loose f'm de army in time to keep f'm gittin' sent to
Russia--place whah dey bury you. What you doin' heah?"

Honey Tone evaded a direct answer. "How's all de rest ob de boys?"

"Ain't seed 'em. Me an' Cap'n Jack came back casual."

"Whah at's he now?"

"Livin' heah. Memphis is de Cap'n's home town. Us jus' got in heah
yes'day. F'm now on I works fo' Cap'n Jack. Ain't much to do, an'
Cap'n's lady sho' foun' a good cook. I aims to eat heavy f'm now on to
ketch up wid whut I