he street the Wildcat set the
course toward Twelfth Street. His companion pounded along as best he
could for a while and then voiced a protest. "What for is you got such
a hot foot?"

"Come on heah, ol' Mud Turtle. I craves to meet up wid dat Lily goat
befo' any mo' calamity ketches up wid me."

"Whah you spec' to fin' dat doggone goat?"

"San F'mcisco some place. Ah tol' you once. De Blue Fezant boys went to
San F'mcisco on de train, an' de las' I seed ob Lily she was penned up
along wid 'bout nine ob dem boys. 'At goat's in San F'mcisco."

"How long you spec' it take you to fin' 'at mascot in San F'mcisco? You
know how big 'at town is?"

"Boy, I been dere. I been clear from downtown out to de Presidio whah
at dey keeps de ahmy boys an' de gin'rals. I seed 'at town befo'."

The Mud Turtle grunted. "You ain't seed nuthin'. 'At town's ten times
'at big. Was Lily fo' years ol' when you started lookin' she'd be eight
hund'ed fo' you foun' her, 'less you had luck."

"Does I fin' her I gits all de luck I needs. Us wins bofe ways, 'cause
all de bad luck I could git wouldn't be no worse'n what us has now.
I'se plum busted. How is you?"

The Mud Turtle audited the depths of his pocket. "Nuthin' but some
ravelin' lint an' fo' bits."

"'At's enough. Don' look so mean, ol' Mud Turtle. Does us see another
rabbi walkin' down de main street us better take de alley fo' he sees
us. Dem rabbi boys is just like a ticket to de po' house. Dem ginagogue
gin rabbis is de wust of all."

At eleven o'clock the pair landed at the ferry building in San
Francisco. As a precaution against lunch money, they saved the change
from Mud Turtle's half dollar and walked towards the centre of the
town.

They landed finally in Union Square.

The Wildcat flopped down on the grass, and the Mud Turtle joined him.
"Mud Turtle, what's dat big house oveh there?" He pointed at the St.
Francis Hotel.

"Boy, thought you told me you was here once befo'. Dat's de St. Frantic
Hotel."

"How come de boy frantic what dey named de hotel fo'?"

"'Spec' he drunk some hoof oil, o' mebbe met a gin rabbi. Sho' is a
fine day."

"All de days I seen in de town was fine days, 'ceptin' some evenin's
when de fog gits heavy."

"Ol' fog comes in mighty handy does you owe money. Boy kin lose hisself
f'm a bloodhoun' easy in de fog."

The Wildcat stretched himself out and prepared to go to sleep, but
before he had accomplished his purpose he was interrupted by hi