The electric shaker wouldn’t work and Hank had to shake the drink by hand.
“Good exercise; that’s just what you need,” George said. “It’ll take some of that fat off you.”
Hank grunted, and the ice tinkled merrily as he tilted the shaker to pour out the drink.
George Bailey took his time drinking it and then strolled out into an April thundershower. He stood under the awning and watched for a taxi. An old man was standing there too.
“Some weather,” George said.
The old man grinned at him. “You noticed it, eh?”
“Huh? Noticed what?”
“Just watch a while, mister. Just watch a while.”
The old man moved on. No empty cab came by and Geroge stood there quite a while before he got it. His jaw dropped a little and then he closed his mouth and went back into the tavern. He went into a phone booth and called Pete Mulvaney.
He got three wrong numbers before he got Pete. Pete’s voice said, “Yeah?”