his official spruceness—made a deep furrow in his circumference. The Captain’s shoes were buttonless. In a smothered bass he cursed his star of ill-luck.
Murray, at his side, was shrunk into his dingy and ragged suit of blue serge. His hat was pulled low; he sat quiet and a little indistinct, like some ghost that had been dispossessed.
“I’m hungry,” growled the Captain—“by the top sirloin of the Bull of Bashan, I’m starving to death. Right now I could eat a Bowery restaurant clear through to the stovepipe in the alley. Can’t you think of nothing, Murray? You sit there with your shoulders scrunched up, giving an imitation of Reginald Vanderbilt driving his coach—what good are them airs doing you now? Think of some place we can get something to chew.”
“You forget, my dear Captain,” said Murray, without moving, “that our last attempt at dining was at my suggestion.”
“You bet it was,” groaned the Captain, “you bet your life it was. Have you got any more like that to make—hey?”
“I admit we failed,” sighed Murray. “I was sure Malone would be good for one more free lunch after the way he talked baseball with me the last time I spent a nickel in his establishment.”
“I had this hand,” said the Captain, extending the unfortunate member—“I had this hand on the drum-
[181]
