h a rainbow
band on his straw pancake, and one of these flannel collar shirts that
you button under the chin with a brass safety pin. She was sportin' a
Peter Pan peekaboo that would have made Comstock gasp. And neither of
'em had seen a pay day for the last two months.

But it was done good, though. They had the tray jugglers standin'
around respectful, and the other guests wonderin' how two such real
House of Mirthers should happen to stray in where the best dishes on
the card wa'n't more'n sixty cents a double portion.

Course, I ain't never been real chummy with Tortoni--his boardin' house
name's Skinny Welch, you know--but I've seen him knockin' around the
Rialto off'n on for years; so, as I goes by to the next table, I lifts
my lid and says, "Hello, Skin. How goes it?" Say, wa'n't that
friendly enough? But what kind of a come back do I get? He just humps
his eyebrows, as much as to say, "How bold some of these common folks
is gettin' to be!" and then turns the other way. Sadie and I look at
each other and swap grins.

"What happened?" says she.

"I had a fifteen cent lump of Hygeia passed to me," says I. "And with
the ice trust still on top, I calls it extravagant."

"Who are the personages?" says she.

"Well, the last reports I had of 'em," says I, "they were the Tortonis,
waitin' to do a parlour sketch on the bargain day matinee circuit; but
from the looks now I guesses they're travellin' incog--for the
afternoon, anyway."

"How lovely!" says Sadie.

Our seltzer lemonades come along just then, so there was business with
the straws. I'd just fished out the last piece of pineapple when Jeems
shows up on the drive with the spotted ponies and that side saddle
cart. I gave Sadie the nudge to look at the Tortonis. They had their
eyes glued to that outfit, like a couple of Hester-st. kids lookin' at
a hoky poky waggon.

And it wa'n't no common "Oh, I wish I could swipe that" look, either.
It was a heap deeper'n that. The whole get up, from the red wheels to
the silver rosettes, must have hit 'em hard, for they held their breath
most a minute, and never moved. The girl was the first to break away.
She turns her face out towards the Sound and sighs. Say, it must be
tough to have ambitions like that, and never get nearer to 'em than now
and then a ten block hansom ride.

About then Jeems catches Sadie's eye, and salutes with the whip.

"Did you get it fixed?" says she.

He says it's all done