"How vas de shootink?" he inquired. "Does de bartridges vant more vet? Ha! Ha! You vas a bird!"
"Ya, Fritz. Two schooners and a hot dog. Hustle 'em up."
Fritz closed the slide which covered the opening and the partridge turned gayly toward Ralston.
"What do you think of that? Pretty good, eh?"
"I don't understand," he replied. "Where did he come from? What is in there?"
"I'll tell you. When 'Abe' Erlanger built this house there was a row of old tenements on the side street. Well, Jo Bimberger tore 'em down and built a rathskeller. While he was doing it one of the girls tipped off the boss carpenter to leave this place. Ain't it grand? Say, you get almost dead jumping around on the boards. It looks easy enough, but I tell you sometimes you're ready to scream."
"Just the thing," answered our friend. "Do the management object?"
"Not a bit. 'Abe' gets a rake-off from the saloon. It's good business."
The slide opened and two dripping glasses made their appearance. Ralston received them and handed one to Miss Hudson. Then Fritz passed in a frankfurter about the size of a policeman's night stick.
Ralston drew half a dollar from his pocket and exchanged it for the sausage.