Here was a chance for adventure. “I’ll take your clothes out of there, Julia,” I could see myself going into Miss Kate’s with my two rusty pistols and demanding Julia’s clothes. I could see the madam blustering and protesting, the girls all gathered around, myself standing there, adamant.
“No excuses, madam, if you please. I want Julia’s clothes and Julia.”
Nothing to it, simple!
“How are you going to do it?” Julia asked. “If you went in there and tried to take them they would throw you out.”
“Well, how can I do it? Any way you say.”
She thought a long time before she answered: “I could tie them in a sheet and throw them out the window into the alley, kid, to you.”
This wasn’t heroic enough to suit me, but it sounded practical. I wanted to help her, so I consented.
“And how are you going to get away if I get your clothes?”
She thought again. “This week, kid, you hunt up some hack driver you can trust and tell him what you want to do. You can have him in the alley with his hack. I’ll throw the clothes out. You put them in the hack. Then I’ll come downstairs, go out through the kitchen, and over the back fence into the alley. Nobody will pay any attention to me going out in my parlor wrapper without a hat.
“Next Saturday when you come with your bill I’ll see you in the hall and tell you what night to come and what time.” Julia was herself again; all animation, chattering like a sparrow. “It can’t fail, kid. I can feel myself out of there already. All you have to do is get a hack driver, a big, tough one that won’t get scared and run away. That’s all settled, and it’s time for me to get back to Miss Kate’s. It’s not so hard to go now.”