t was to linger for a moment at their
windows, pointing and admiring. Isaac would be at us in a moment,
feeling the texture of our jackets with his bony fingers and calling on
the whole street to witness that it was "a biece 'f damn good shduff!"
Then it would be, "Gome into de shop, Misdur! I guess I god de tingsh
you vannt!"

After we had spent a time examining and pricing his scent-bottles and
spring garters, and hand-painted braces and flowered velvet slippers
and 'Green River' sheath-knives, we thought it but right to tell him
that Levy Eckstein of Montgomery Street was our man; that our Captain
would pay no bills for us but his!

With Levy our business was purely financial; cent, per cent,
transactions in hard cash. He had contracted with the Old Man to
supply us with clothing, but, though our bills specified an outfit of
substantial dry goods, we were always able to carry away the parcels in
our smallest waistcoat pocket. "One dollar for two," was Levy's motto.
If his terms were hard, his money was good, and, excepting for the Old
Man's grudging advances, we had no other way of 'raising the wind.'

In 'China-town' we found much to astonish us. We could readily fancy
ourselves in far Cathay. There was nothing in the narrow streets and
fancily carved house fronts to suggest an important City in the States.
Quaint shop signs and curious swinging lanterns; weird music and noises
in the 'theatres'; uncanny smells from the eating-houses; the cat-like
sound of China talk--all jumbled together in a corner of the most
western city of the West!

The artisans in their little shops, working away far into the night,
interested us the most, and some of our little money went to purchase
small wares for the home folks. It was here that Munro bought that
long 'back-scratcher'; the one he took home to his father!

Sometimes, when we could induce our Burke to make up to one of his
compatriots (the blue-coated, six-foot Fenians who keep 'Frisco under
martial law), we saw something of the real, the underground China-town.
It was supposed to be a hazardous excursion, but, beyond treading the
dark, forbidding alleys, haunts of 'Li-Johns' and 'Highbinders,' we had
no sight of the sensational scenes that others told us of. We saw
opium dens, and were surprised at the appearance of the smokers.
Instead of the wasted and debauched beings, of whom we had read, we
found stout Johns and lean Johns, lively Johns and somnolent John