f the smoking room.

"Baptist, how come it I don' know. De baby gallopehs wuz spinnin' fo'
seven."

"Rough track an' de rocky road swerved 'em. Git to sleep. Us is due at
Champaign at 8:10. Money come, money go. Whuteveh sleep you gits is
that much to de good."

The Wildcat flopped down on the floor of the smoking room, but sleep
would not come to him.

At half past seven the Backslid Baptist on the leather seat began
mumbling to himself. A little later he awakened.

"Wilecat, whut dat noise?"

"Ain't heard no noise." All the Wildcat had heard was the accents of
his bank-roll bidding him a last farewell.

"'At thumpin' noise." The Backslid Baptist's ears, keenly attuned to
the turmoil of travel, distinguished in the sounds about him some
unfamiliar puncture of the normal din.

"Sounded lak beatin' a board wid a stick."

"Kain't heah nothin'."

The Backslid Baptist yawned. "Some ob dem early risers f'm de tall
sticks sure to be up by now. When Ah starts makin' up de berths you kin
sweep out de cah an' 'cumulate de sheets an' pillow cases. Stick 'em in
de canvas bag in de linen closet an' take back de boy's clo'es he gin
you to press."

The Wildcat traversed the length of the aisle back of a swinging broom.
On the return trip he encountered the Backslid Baptist busily engaged
in making up Lower 1.

"Backslid, who dem two boys half way down de cah wid de red hats?"

"You means de boys wid de red fezants? Dem's a couple ob Potent Nobles
ob de Mysterious Mecca. All de Mysterious Mecca boys in de world is
havin' a gran' ruckus next month on de Pacific Coast."

"How come dey start so early?"

"Dey falls by de wayside heah an' dere, an' dey starts early so as to
git picked up by some worthy Brother wid steady laigs. 'At fat boy wid
de red fezant is de one whut had de gin hiccoughs."

"Kain't see did he."

"Gin'ally dey carries it noble. Dere's de little lady whut owns de
parrot bird."

The owner of the parrot bird was a left-over soubrette who had bust in
Havana with a road production of The Sillies of 1492. The little lady
had completed her spring drinking and was now en route to a big-time
meal-ticket scheduled to start from Chicago.

She saw the Wildcat.

"Porter, where is little Polly?"

"Yessum. I secluded 'at green chicken in de linen closet. Does you
crave him now?"

"Yes. I want to have her with me for breakfast--the poor lonesome
darling."

"Accordin' to de words 'at varmint used last n