“Vell,” said the Dutchman with some hesitation, “I shalks dis, but I don’t likes dis shalking pisness pooty vell, nohow. You peen shpending monish like plazes, Meester Harris—you know it? Your pill peen running dwo months.”
Guy reddened to the roots of his hair. This was a gentle hint that Jake wanted him to pay up, and he had never been dunned before.
“How much do I owe you?” he asked.
“Eight tollars und vorty zents; you know it now.”
“Eight dollars and—Great Scott! how can that be?” exclaimed Guy, almost overwhelmed with astonishment. “I haven’t been stuck for a game of cards for the last two weeks.”
“Vell, it’s all fair, every zent!” almost shouted the Dutchman, bringing his fist down on the counter with a sounding whack. “You dinks I sheats you, py dunder?”
“Oh, now, Jake, you needn’t get on the rampage,” said Jones, interposing to calm the rising storm. “Guy is not disputing your bill—he is a gentleman. He will pay every cent of it in a few days.”
“Vell, dot’s all right, put it’s petter he bays it pooty gwick. Ven a man gomes here mit vine glose und a vine vatch und shain, und runs me a pill here in mine house von eight tollars und vorty zents, I don’t likes dis pisness.”
While the Dutchman was talking himself hoarse Guy and his companion beat a hasty retreat. Jones seemed to look upon the matter in the light of an excellent joke, and laughed heartily over it, but Guy said nothing. He was in a very serious frame of mind. He did not in the least enjoy the game of billiards that followed, for his thoughts were full of the unpleasant incident that had just happened. He was learning now what all people who go in debt must learn sooner or later—that a bill, like the snow-ball a boy rolls up to build his mimic fort, accumulates rapidly. He was glad when the game was finished. He and Jones took a cigar at the counter, and were about to move away when the bar-tender beckoned to Guy.
“I don’t want you to think hard of me, Harris,” said he, leading Guy out of earshot of his companion, “but I just thought that I would suggest to you that perhaps your bill here is rather larger than you think. It has been running five weeks, and we like to have our customers settle up at least once a month.”