venge.

"Dem bones says who is de Konk'rin' Hero. Dey knows."

The Wildcat picked up the dice and looked them over carefully. "Dice,
wuz clothes a nickel I'se nekked--an' you done it."

Honey Tone reached for the dice. "How come?" he objected.

"Dese dice knows so much Ah thought mebbe dey's educated."

The uplifter was glad enough to ignore the remark in his effort to get
the dice under cover. He switched the subject quickly to one which
would not include an examination of his paraphernalia of chance. "I
counts on you, Wilecat, to be colonel ob de parade."

"Me?" The Wildcat sobered under the responsibility.

"You be de walkin' colonel leadin' de Konk'rin' Heroes."

"Whah at does you come in?"

"I's de ridin' gin'ral whut leads."

"Honey Tone, does you ride, I does. You an' me is 'quivalent, only I's
mo' in dis Konk'rin' Hero business. All de konk'rin' you eveh done wuz
leadin' de sleep squad o' else joyin' roun' in Bo'deaux. No suh! Does
you ride, I does."

"De ridin' part's de hardest. I rides so you boys kin see me give signs
whah at to march. Does you ride, de nex' boy done crave to. He say,
'Whah at's mah mule?' Fust thing yo' knows, all de Konk'rin' Heroes
would be on mules. Dey wouldn't be no more mules lef' in de world.
Figgeh out what 'ud happen to de Horn Band when de mules heard de toots
an' started tromplin' 'em down. Figgeh out could a band ride mules and
play, bofe. Figgeh out some mo' wid yo' haid, 'stid of usin' it to eat
wid so much, an' yo' might figgeh out I's right."

The logic in Honey Tone's objections appealed to the Wildcat. His
imagination painted a contest between the Horn Department of the brunet
brass band and three or four hundred stampeding mules. "I guess yo'
says sense," he admitted. "Us boys walks."

For a little while he and Honey Tone discussed the details of the
impending parade. "When us passes de' gran'stan'," the uplifter
specified, "I gives de salute. You be leadin' de platoon. When you gits
opposite de gran'stan' yo' says 'Eyes right.' 'At's all you does,
'ceptin' to keep marchin'."

"Who's gwine to be in de gran'stan'?"

"In de gran'stan'? Fust dere'll be de 'ception committee, den all
religious organizations, den all de lodges an' grave clubs, den all de
women an' chillen whut ain't 'filiated wid nothin' but husban's an'
kitchen stoves."

Throughout the discussion the Wildcat's unmounted disappointment ached
until it was suddenly quieted by a detail of the