h Bauer and Merkle, the champion firemen chess-players, were
contesting on the walk before the open doorway of the engine-house. The
proprietor of the Burke House had originally intended that the brown
uniform be worn by a diminutive bell-boy, such as one sees in musical
comedies. But the available supply of stage size bell-boys in our town
is somewhat limited and was soon exhausted. There followed a succession
of lank bell-boys, with arms and legs sticking ungracefully out of
sleeves and trousers.

"Come!" called the leading lady quickly, in answer to the lank youth's
footsteps, and before he had had time to knock.

"Ring?" asked the boy, stepping into the torrid little room.

The leading lady did not reply immediately. She swallowed something in
her throat and pushed back the hair from her moist forehead again. The
brown uniform repeated his question, a trifle irritably. Whereupon the
leading lady spoke, desperately:

"Is there a woman around this place? I don't mean dining-room girls, or
the person behind the cigar-counter."

Since falling heir to the brown uniform the lank youth had heard some
strange requests. He had been interviewed by various ladies in
varicolored kimonos relative to liquid refreshment, laundry and the cost
of hiring a horse and rig for a couple of hours. One had even summoned
him to ask if there was a Bible in the house. But this latest question
was a new one. He stared, leaning against the door and thrusting one
hand into the depths of his very tight breeches pocket.

"Why, there's Pearlie Schultz," he said at last, with a grin.

"Who's she?" The leading lady sat up expectantly.

"Steno."

The expectant figure drooped. "Blonde? And Irish crochet collar with a
black velvet bow on her chest?"

"Who? Pearlie? Naw. You mustn't get Pearlie mixed with the common or
garden variety of stenos. Pearlie is fat, and she wears specs and she's
got a double chin. Her hair is skimpy and she don't wear no rat. W'y no
traveling man has ever tried to flirt with Pearlie yet. Pearlie's what
you'd call a woman, all right. You wouldn't never make a mistake and
think she'd escaped from the first row in the chorus."

The leading lady rose from the bed, reached out for her pocket-book,
extracted a dime, and held it out to the bell-boy.

"Here. Will you ask her to come up here to me? Tell her I said please."

After he had gone she seated herself on the edge of the bed again, with a
l