"My dear Robinson," the other man rejoined briskly, "if you imagine I"ve had no experience of hardship of that sort, you never made a bigger mistake in your life. Why, when I first walked into this town I hadn"t a cent, sir, not a cent, and as for lodging, all the place I had for months and months was an old piano box up a lane, behind a factory. Talk about hardship, I guess I had it pretty rough! You take a fellow that"s used to a good warm tar barrel and put him into a piano box for a night or two, and you"ll see mighty soon-"
"My dear fellow," Robinson broke in with some irritation, "you merely show that you don"t know what a tar barrel"s like. Why, on winter nights, when you"d be shut in there in your piano box just as snug as you please, I used to lie awake shivering, with the draught fairly running in at the bunghole at the back."
"Draught!" sneered the other man, with a provoking laugh, "draught! Don"t talk to me about draughts. This box I speak of had a whole darned plank off it, right on the north side too. I used to sit there studying in the evenings, and the snow would blow in a foot deep. And yet, sir," he continued more quietly, "though I know you"ll not believe it, I don"t mind admitting that some of the happiest days of my life were spent in that same old box. Ah, those were good old times! Bright, innocent days, I can tell you. I"d wake up there in the mornings and fairly shout with high spirits. Of course, you may not be able to stand that kind of life-"
"Not stand it!" cried Robinson fiercely; "me not stand it! By gad! I"m made for it. I just wish I had a taste of the old life again for a while. And as for innocence! Well, I"ll bet you you weren"t one-tenth as innocent as I was; no, nor one-fifth, nor one-third! What a grand old life it was! You"ll swear this is a darned lie and refuse to believe it-but I can remember evenings when I"d have two or three fellows in, and we"d sit round and play pedro by a candle half the night."
"Two or three!" laughed Jones; "why, my dear fellow, I"ve known half a dozen of us to sit down to supper in my piano box, and have a game of pedro afterwards; yes, and charades and forfeits, and every other darned thing. Mighty good suppers they were too! By Jove, Robinson, you fellows round this town who have ruined your digestions with high living, have no notion of the zest with which a man can sit down to a few potato peelings, or a bit of broken pie crust, or-"
"Talk about hard food," interrupted the other, "I guess I know all about that. Many"s the time I"ve breakfasted off a little cold porridge that somebody was going to throw away from a back-door, or that I"ve gone round to a livery stable and begged a little bran mash that they intended for the pigs. I"ll venture to say I"ve eaten more hog"s food-"
"Hog"s food!" shouted Robinson, striking his fist savagely on the table, "I tell you hog"s food suits me better than-"
He stopped speaking with a sudden grunt of surprise as the waiter appeared with the question:
"What may I bring you for dinner, gentlemen?"
"Dinner!" said Jones, after a moment of silence, "dinner! Oh, anything, nothing-I never care what I eat-give me a little cold porridge, if you"ve got it, or a chunk of salt pork-anything you like, it"s all the same to me."
The waiter turned with an impa.s.sive face to Robinson.
"You can bring me some of that cold porridge too," he said, with a defiant look at Jones; "yesterday"s, if you have it, and a few potato peelings and a gla.s.s of skim milk."
There was a pause. Jones sat back in his chair and looked hard across at Robinson. For some moments the two men gazed into each other"s eyes with a stern, defiant intensity. Then Robinson turned slowly round in his seat and beckoned to the waiter, who was moving off with the muttered order on his lips.
"Here, waiter," he said with a savage scowl, "I guess I"ll change that order a little. Instead of that cold porridge I"ll take-um, yes-a little hot partridge. And you might as well bring me an oyster or two on the half sh.e.l.l, and a mouthful of soup (mock-turtle, consomme, anything), and perhaps you might fetch along a dab of fish, and a little peck of Stilton, and a grape, or a walnut."
The waiter turned to Jones.
"I guess I"ll take the same," he said simply, and added; "and you might bring a quart of champagne at the same time."
And nowadays, when Jones and Robinson meet, the memory of the tar barrel and the piano box is buried as far out of sight as a home for the blind under a landslide.
A Model Dialogue
In which is shown how the drawing-room juggler may be permanently cured of his card trick.
The drawing-room juggler, having slyly got hold of the pack of cards at the end of the game of whist, says:
"Ever see any card tricks? Here"s rather a good one; pick a card."
"Thank you, I don"t want a card."
"No, but just pick one, any one you like, and I"ll tell which one you pick."
"You"ll tell who?"
"No, no; I mean, I"ll know which it is don"t you see? Go on now, pick a card."
"Any one I like?"
"Yes."
"Any colour at all?"
"Yes, yes."
"Any suit?"
"Oh, yes; do go on."
"Well, let me see, I"ll-pick-the-ace of spades."
"Great Caesar! I mean you are to pull a card out of the pack."
"Oh, to pull it out of the pack! Now I understand. Hand me the pack. All right-I"ve got it."
"Have you picked one?"
"Yes, it"s the three of hearts. Did you know it?"
"Hang it! Don"t tell me like that. You spoil the thing.
Here, try again. Pick a card."
"All right, I"ve got it."
"Put it back in the pack. Thanks. (Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle-flip)-There, is that it?" (triumphantly).
"I don"t know. I lost sight of it."
"Lost sight of it! Confound it, you have to look at it and see what it is."
"Oh, you want me to look at the front of it!"
"Why, of course! Now then, pick a card."
"All right. I"ve picked it. Go ahead."
(Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle-flip.) "Say, confound you, did you put that card back in the pack?"
"Why, no. I kept it."
"Holy Moses! Listen. Pick-a-card-just one-look at it-see what it is-then put it back-do you understand?"
"Oh, perfectly. Only I don"t see how you are ever going to do it. You must be awfully clever."
(Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle-flip.)
"There you are; that"s your card, now, isn"t it?" (This is the supreme moment.)
"NO. THAT IS NOT MY CARD." (This is a flat lie, but Heaven will pardon you for it.)