"For the love of Jees--where the h.e.l.l you been? Look at your face--my G.o.d, but you need a drink, dear," said Evelyn, as Pearl and her boy friend came alongside the bar.
"Excuse us for a minute, big boy," said Pearl, as she took Evelyn by the arm and started for the Ladies" Room.
"You ain"t answered my question, where--have you been?"
"I just made some real money--look." She showed Evelyn the fifty-dollar bill.
"Well, if you was out with that guy that you came in with, all I got to say is--you d.a.m.n sure earned it."
"Ev, you said it--I ain"t so sure I care to meet any more like him, at least not tonight, although I gave him my address. He wants to come up tomorrow. What do you know about him, Ev?"
"Plenty--dearie--plenty, and if you can put up with him you can have the world with a dirty shirt on it. He is filthy with money, owns a mine back out here in the mountains--you use your own judgment, dearie."
"Were you ever out with him, Ev?"
"No, thanks, I bar horses."
The crowds were beginning to work their way down to the bridge district.
All the bars were full of hard-drinking men and women. The cabarets were crowded, as it was time for the floor shows to go on in these places.
"Come on, Pearl, let"s go over across the street to the Lobby No. 2.
It"s a gay place, they have a good show there, and there must be some of the regular girls over there by now, and you"ve made enough tonight already to spend the rest of the night having a good time."
"All right, I"m ready."
Lobby No. 2, one of the most popular bars in Juarez, the bar in the front of the building, and the cabaret directly back of it, quite a large dance floor, with a band stand at the farthest end, and surrounded on three sides with tables, and every table filled with every specie of the human race, some drunk, some more drunk, and some blind drunk.
"h.e.l.lo, there, Ev," greeted the bartender. "How"s the old girl tonight?"
"I"m fine, Henry--I want you to meet a girl friend of mine. This is Pearl."
"Hi, Pearl, what will you and Ev have to drink?"
"I think I"ll have Rock and Rye, and a big slug of it--Ev, speed up, you"re holding up the parade."
"Whiskey, my darlings--Hey, Harry--you d.a.m.n good-looking b.a.s.t.a.r.d--come over here, I got a girl friend I want you to know."
"Why, h.e.l.lo, Ev--I haven"t seen you in days, or I mean nights. Where have you been?" greeted Harry Hicks, a tall blonde young man of about twenty-three, who was the Master of Ceremonies of the floor show.
"Harry, this is Pearl--Pearl, this is Harry." Evelyn poured down her whiskey without further ado.
"How do you do," said Harry, as he offered his hand.
"I"m very glad to know you," said Pearl, as she took the offered hand.
"How soon does the show go on, Harry?" asked Evelyn as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
"In about three minutes, come on in and see it. I"ve got a good table for you near the band."
"I"d love to," said Pearl, as Harry took her by the arm and helped her through the crowd.
"h.e.l.lo, there, Irene," Evelyn greeted a girl friend, "How"s tricks tonight?"
"Lousy," answered Irene. "I ain"t made but two dollars all day, but thank Heavens, tomorrow is pay day at Fort Bliss, the soldiers are coming, tra--la--la--la--la."
"See you later," called Evelyn, as she shoved her way into the cabaret, and on down to the table where Harry had seated Pearl.
"Say, Ev, that boy is a perfect darling--gee, he is sweet, so fresh and clean looking."
"Yes--Yes--Yes--my dear, every Bat in this town has said them same words, and I been unlucky enough to be at every saying."
"Oh--good--there goes the show--look, Ev, the way he announces, isn"t he the cutest thing?"
"Yeah--I suppose you"ve made a date with him tonight to meet at the States Cafe after you get back on the U. S. side, and he is to take you for a ride in his brother"s car, and show you the Rim road on Mount Franklin, and how the lights of El Paso glitter down in the distance."
"Why, Ev--how did you know?"
"Dearest girl, he has only told that same line to five thousand other Hookers in this man"s burg, and what"s more, they all go for it--I don"t for the life of me know what it is about him that gets all the girls going--but do they go--"
"Did he ever tell you that, Ev?"
"Heaven forbid--there"s only one thing that Harry could make me do, and that"s--puke."
"Oh, Ev, look at the way he sings that song--why, I think he is about the sweetest thing I"ve seen down here."
"Pearl, dear, don"t you let my dislikes bother you. If you like him, you go for him. You see, I been in this town for a long time, and when you have been here as long as I have, you will hate every Son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h, and all that goes with them. Don"t pay any attention to my rants--Hey, waiter--bring us two whiskeys, and for Heaven"s sake, make it p.r.o.nto, I"m dead of thirst already."
The show went on, to a solid success, as it did every night. It was eleven thirty, the band went wild, so did everybody else. There was only thirty minutes left to drink in, before the bridge closed for the night. Everyone was making the most of it.
Evelyn and Pearl finally worked their way back to the bar, where Evelyn ordered a pint of whiskey, and killed the whole thing without taking it down from her lips.
"Jees, am I gonna get drunk tonight--make it another pint, Henry--p.r.o.nto," yelled Evelyn.
Pearl and Harry were wrapped in each other"s arms, conscious of nothing around them, living for the night only.
The States Cafe, the rendezvous for the continuation of the gaiety after one has come on the American side, not a large place by any means, but serving good food, with no hindrance whatsoever for the noise and ribaldry of the crowd, and took no notice of the bottles of straight American whiskey that appeared as if by magic out of the ladies" bosoms, where they had been concealed while in Juarez. The crowd had just begun to come in when Evelyn and Pearl arrived.
"Let"s get a booth, Ev, and save a seat for Harry, as he ought to be here soon."
"Sure, grab a booth--but there is no need of saving a seat for Harry, he"s already here," said Evelyn, as Harry put his arms around Pearl from behind.