"Yes. I'm going to turn this over to him. It's getting on my nerves.
I want to go fishing. I'll let him work out the rest of the problems.
Get Kedge on the wire."

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

The colored man went to the instrument, but before he had engaged the
attention of central his master called:

"Oh, Shag!"

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

"Wait a minute. I suppose Kedge is very busy now?"

"Well, yes, sah, I s'pects so. He had dat ar' animal case."

"Oh, you mean Mr. Campbell's?"

"Yes, sah! Dat's it. I knowed it was a camel or a elephant."

"Yes, I suppose he's busy on that. So don't bother him. Anyhow, it
would take him as long to get here, pick up the loose ends, and start
out right, as it would take me to finish."

"Mo' so, Colonel," voiced Shag. "A whole lot mo'."

"Oh, well, hang it all! That's the way it is. I never can get a
little vacation. But now I'm in this game I suppose I might as well
stick! Never mind that call, Shag! I'll finish this."

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

A fact which the wise Shag had known all along.


"For it's always good weather,
When good fellows get together!"

Over and over again the not unmusical strains welled out from one of
the private rooms, opening off the grill of the Homestead. At times
Larch stopped at the entrance, smiling good-naturedly, but with rather
a cynical look on his clean-chiseled but cruel face. More than once
his eyes sought those of Harry King, and the latter nodded and smiled.
He was spending money freely, but was keeping himself well in hand,
though a waiter was at his side more often than at the side of any of
the others.

"How long has this been going on, Jack?" asked the colonel, who reached
the hotel soon after his talk with Shag.

"All the afternoon, I guess, and it looks as if it would be all night."

"So it does! I wish I'd never gotten into this mess, but I can't get
out now. Kedge would be sure to spoil it after I've started things
moving. What especially did you want to tell me?"

"Well, King is in there, in his usual state--dignified, of course, but
how long he'll stay that way I can't tell. It's Larch that puzzles me."

"Yes, it isn't usual for him to make such a congenial companion of
himself with his customers. But he's very different since his wife
separated from him. He doesn't hold himself so highly."

"And it's telling on his business."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that a number of his best friends are leaving him. The way it
used to be was that the Homestead was patronized by a good class of
people and organizations, some that even were opposed to the liquor
trade. They knew they could have it or not have it as they pleased.
But now Larch is catering more and more to parties that wouldn't come
here if there wasn't something strong to drink, and that's driving the
other sort away."

"Yes, I've noticed that of late."

"And that isn't all," went on Young. "Larch is going to come a
cropper, if I'm any judge."

"What do you mean?" Again the Colonel seemed puzzled.

"I mean he's going to smash financially. He's been making some poor
investments of late, as well as gambling heavily, and his money can't
last forever. He had a lot, but most of it is gone."

"I hadn't heard that."

"Well, it's true. He was well off when he married. That's the reason
he got such a pretty wife, I hear. Her folks were ambitious for her.
Well, she did shine for a while, for the Homestead was not an ordinary
hotel. It was more of a Colchester institution. But it's fast
becoming something else now.

"Larch is being pressed for cash, and that may be one reason why he's
so thick with Harry King. King's got cash, if it can only be gotten
at. I overheard Larch sounding him as to the chances of raising a big
sum."



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