"I hope I have a host of friends," he said, settling his pleated coat.
"Damn hosht!" said Jimmy. "Jisht in way. Now I got one frind, hosht all
by himself. Be here pretty soon now. Alwaysh comesh nights like thish."
"Comes here?" inquired the Thread Man. "Am I to meet another
interesting character?"
"Yesh, comesh here. Comesh after me. Comesh like the clock
sthriking twelve. Don't he, boys?" inquired Jimmy. "But he ain't
no interesting character. Jisht common man, Dannie is. Honest man.
Never told a lie in his life. Yesh, he did, too. I forgot. He liesh
for me. Jish liesh and liesh. Liesh to Mary. Tells her any old
liesh to keep me out of schrape. You ever have frind hish up and
drive ten milesh for you night like thish, and liesh to get you out
of schrape?"
"I never needed any one to lie and get me out of a scrape,"
answered the Thread Man.
Jimmy sat straight and solemnly batted his eyes. "Gee! You musht
misshed mosht the fun!" he said. "Me, I ain't ever misshed any.
Always in schrape. But Dannie getsh me out. Good old Dannie. Jish
like dog. Take care me all me life. See? Old folks come on same
boat. Women get thick. Shettle beside. Build cabinsh together. Work
together, and domn if they didn't get shmall pox and die together.
Left me and Dannie. So we work together jish shame, and we
fallsh in love with the shame girl. Dannie too slow. I got her."
Jimmy wiped away great tears.
"How did you get her, Jimmy?" asked a man who remembered a story.
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