“Never mind what you owe me. I’ve got five—no, about four-fifty. That’ll make eight. Borrow a couple somewhere and get it to him. After all, he’s got a right to it, I suppose.”
“You lend me a couple and I’ll pay him five,” said Chick. “That’s enough for him. He knows he’ll get it all when I have it. I wouldn’t be owing him so much if he didn’t always say, ‘Oh, that’s all right. Pay when you get ready!’ I tried to get ten from the old man, but he’s as tight as a bow-string, hang it. Wrote back that I was thirty dollars overdrawn already! Gosh, he keeps track of every sou he lets go of! Next dad I have won’t be a banker, I’ll bet!”
“Well, here’s two,” said Bert, “and for goodness’ sake put some more with it and hush him up. And for Pete’s sake, Chick, stop playing pool with him until you get yourself squared. What time did you come wandering in last night, anyway? It seemed like the middle of the night to me.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” said Chick. “Thanks for this, Bert. That makes six fifty, doesn’t it? You’ll have to remember because I’m likely to forget. I’ll slip over to Mooney’s after dinner and leave it for him.”
“Doesn’t he have any home?” inquired Bert. “Doesn’t sleep at Mooney’s, too, does he?”
“He says leave it at Mooney’s,” answered Chick, “so that’s what I’ll do. I hope he chokes!”
“Well,” murmured Bert, “I won’t go that far, but hanged if I’d loosen the knot if he was choking!”