ely.

"G'way!" he mumbled. "'M busy. Wanter sleep."

Katherine gazed down at the insensate mass in utter hopelessness.
Without him she could do nothing, and the precious minutes were
flying. Through the night came a rumble of applause and fast upon it
the music of another patriotic air.

In desperation she turned to the bartender.

"Can't you help me rouse him?" she cried. "I've simply _got_ to speak
to him!"

That gentleman had often been appealed to by frantic women as against
customers who had bought too liberally. But Katherine was a new
variety in his experience. There was a great deal too much of him
about the waist and also beneath the chin, but there was good-nature
in his eyes, and he came from behind his counter and bore himself
toward Katherine with a clumsy and ornate courtesy.

"Don't see how you can, Miss. He's been hittin' an awful pace lately.
You see for yourself how far gone he is."

"But I must speak to him--I must! Surely there is some extreme measure
that would bring him to his senses!"

"But, excuse me; you see, Miss, Mr. Harper is a reg'lar guest of the
hotel, and I wouldn't dare go to extremes. If I was to make him
mad----"

"I'll take all the blame!" she cried. "And afterward he'll thank you
for it!"

The bartender scratched his thin hair.

"Of course, I want to help you, Miss, and since you put it that way,
all right. You say I can go the limit?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The bartender retired behind his bar and returned with a pail of
water. He removed the young editor's hat.

"Stand back, Miss; it's ice cold," he said; and with a swing of his
pudgy arms he sent the water about Harper's head, neck, and upper
body.

The young fellow staggered up with a gasping cry. His blinking eyes
saw the bartender, with the empty pail. He reached for the tumbler
before him.

"Damn you, Murphy!" he growled. "I'll pay you----"

But Katherine stepped quickly forward and touched his dripping sleeve.

"Mr. Harper!" she said.

He slowly turned his head. Then the hand with the upraised tumbler
sank to the table, and he stared at her.

"Mr. Harper," she said sharply, slowly, trying to drive her words into
his dulled brain, "I've got to speak to you! At once!"

He continued to blink at her stupidly. At length his lips opened.

"Miss West," he said thickly.

She shook him fiercely.

"Pull yourself together! I've got to speak to you!"

At this moment Mr. Murphy, who had gone once more behind his