ou pacified? Dast I leave you
loose?"

The Mud Turtle replied with a question, "Was many folks hurt in de
wreck?"

"Ain't been no wreck, 'ceptin' you like to wrecked me. Come out heah
till I helps you 'membeh yo' sinful past."

He hauled the Mud Turtle into the passage way and resurrected him from
the interior of the blanket cocoon.

"Come on back heah," the Wildcat directed. "Stretch yo' laigs an' come
on back heah whilst I 'splains about you. Take 'at ol' coat off an' put
on dis white coat."

The Mud Turtle removed his mud-caked blue coat and donned a crisp white
jacket. For a while he sat quiet on the leather seat of the smoking
car. Finally he turned to the Wildcat.

"All I 'members is takin' one drink."

"All I 'members pusson'ly is what you did after you took 'at one drink.
Thought you said you could handle yo' licker. I neveh seed such a wild
man. Boy, you started single, but when you an' 'at drink got
confidential you sho' was a' army. Handle yo' licker! Huh! You couldn'
handle de bottle, let alone what was in it. How come you lie such a big
lie? Start out gentle nex' time."

"Must a bin some new kin' o' licker."

"Sho' acted new. Wid one drink like dat in me when I was fightin' in
France, de ole guv'ment wouldn't need no mo' soldiers. I seed de night
ob de big wind what blowed New Awl'uns clean up de Mississippi River. I
know'd a mule what couldn't live in de mountains 'count o' kickin' 'em
over, but las' night when you was goin' good, I says, 'If a mule
married a cyclone an' had a boy, he'd be you.' 'Hoof oil,' dey calls
it. 'At niggah what chefs in de dinin' car an rabbis when he lays over
in Oaklan' give it to me."

The Mud Turtle looked at the broken window beside him. "Did I bus' 'at
window?"

"Bust 'at window--you sho' did. All you did was blow yo' breaf at it. I
tell you you was bad. I's seed folks what was plastered wid luck. You
thinks you's plastered wid mud, but it ain't mud; it's real ol' luck.
You had all de luck in de worl' gettin' out ob de claws ob that rabbi
juice. Dat stuff is tiger blood. You had enough wild time las' night to
last you all de res' ob your life does you live fo' evah."

"Wilecat, you sounds right. When us gits to Oaklan' I craves to settle
down. Mebbe I shows you a business I aims to 'vest in."

"You don't show me no business, boy. Only business I craves is to find
Lily and Lady Luck. Lily's ramblin' loose somewhere in San F'mcisco wid
dem Blue Fezant boys. D