lf of a hot onion; tie it right on the cut." But Haight had
already gone. "You see," explained Ellis, "that draws out any little
particles of glass. Look at this," he added, reading an item just below
the one he had found. "You can use cigar ashes for eczema."

Flossie nodded her head at him, smiling and saying: "Well, the next time
I have eczema I will remember that."

Flossie left them a little after this, joining Nannie and May in the
larger room that held the noisy party. The three fellows had another
round of drinks.

All the evening Ellis had been drinking whisky. Now he astonished the
others by suddenly calling for beer. He persisted in drinking it out of
the celery glass, which he emptied at a single pull. Then Vandover had
claret-punches all round, protesting that his mouth felt dry as a
dust-bin. Geary at length declared that he felt pretty far gone, adding
that he was in the humour for having "a high old time."

"Say, boys," he exclaimed, bringing his hand down on the table, "what do
you say that we all go to every joint in town, and wind up at the
Turkish baths? We'll have a regular _time_. Let's see now how much money
I have."

Thereat they all took account of their money. Vandover had fourteen
dollars, but he owed for materials at his art dealer's, and so put away
eight of it in an inside pocket. The others followed his example, each
one reserving five dollars for immediate use.

"That will be one dollar for the Hammam," said Geary, "and four dollars
apiece for drinks. You can get all we want on four dollars." They had a
last claret-punch and, having settled with Toby, went out.

Coming out into the cold night air from the warm interior of the
Imperial affected Vandover and Geary in a few minutes. But apparently
nothing could affect Ellis, neither whisky, claret-punch nor beer. He
walked steadily between Vandover and Geary, linking an arm in each of
theirs.

These two became very drunk almost at once. At every minute Vandover
would cry out, "Yee-ee-_ow_! Thash way I feel, jush like that." Geary
made a "Josh" that was a masterpiece, the success of the occasion. It
consisted in exclaiming from time to time, "Cherries are ripe!" This was
funny. It seemed to have some ludicrous, hidden double-meaning that was
irresistible. It stuck to them all the evening; when a girl passed them
on Kearney Street and Geary cried out at her that "Cherries were ripe!"
it threw them all into spasms of laughter.

They