“Sure! That tie’s been a nightmare to me ever since I bought it. I don’t know what possessed me to buy a cross section of the rainbow in the shape of a scarf; but I did it in a moment of aberration, I reckon. Take it away, Sam, and never let me see it again.”
“Does yo’all really mean dat?”
“Certainly.”
“Well, suh, I thanks yo’all fo’ de compliment—I suah does. An’ yo’all ain’t vexted wif me?”
“Not at all!”
“An’—an’ yo’all won’t stop giving me tips?”
“No, Sam.”
“Golly! Dat’s fine! I suah does thank you, mightily, suh! Won’t all dem odder coons open dere eyes when dey sees me sportin’ dis yeah tie! Yum-yum! I gass so!” and Sam bounced out of the room before Joe might possibly change his mind. The colored lad nearly ran into Charlie Hall, who was coming to have his usual chat with Joe, and the shortstop, seeing the tie dangling from the bell boy’s hand, guessed what had happened.
“Was he making free with your things, Joe?” asked Charlie, when Sam had disappeared around a corner of the hall.