There came a good laugh then to break the icy air, and they sat down and were served by flying waiters, who in this instance had the odd distinction of appearing to be the “upper classes” serving the “lower”—­a distinction, up to date, not over-eagerly coveted by society.  For the waiters wore the conventional dress of “gentlemen” and the diners were in plain and common clothes.

At first the diners were in a bit of a funk, but Pfaff’s excellent meats and cool, sparkling wines soon set free in each a scintillant human spirit, and the banquet took on almost an air of gaiety.

Finally there came the coffee and the ice-cream in forms, and Martin Briggs rose.  There was a stamping of feet, a clanking of knives on glasses, a cry of “Hear!  Hear!”

Martin Briggs knew it by heart and launched it with the aid of two swallows of water.  His voice boomed big.

“Fellow-workers, friends, and the Old Man!”

This produced tumults of applause.

“We are met to-night on a solemn occasion.  Ties are to be severed, friends parted.  Such is life.  Mr. Blaine—­” (Cries from the far end of the table, “Say, Joe! say, Joe!”) “Mr. Joe has been our friend, through all these long years.  He has been our friend, our boss, our co-worker.  Never did he spare himself; often he spared us.  He had created an important business, a profitable business, a business which has brought a good living to every one of us.  It is not for us to talk of the catastrophe—­this is not the occasion for that.  Enough to say that to-night Mr. Joe leaves that business.  Others must carry it on.  My sentiment is that these others must continue in the same spirit of Mr. Joe.  That’s my sentiment.” (Roars of applause, stamping of feet, but one voice heard in talk with a neighbor, “Say, I guess his wife wrote that, Bill.”) “So I propose a toast.  To Mr. Joe, now and forever!”

They rose, they clanked glasses, they drank.  Then they sat down and felt that something was wrong.  Marty surely had missed fire.

Whereupon John Rann, blushing, rose to his feet, and began to stammer: 

“Say, fellers, do you mind if I put in a word?” (Cries:  “Not a bit!” “Soak it him, Johnny.”) “Well, I want to say,” his voice rose, “Joe Blaine is it.” (Applause, laughter, stamping.) “He’s jest one of us.”  (Cries:  “You bet!” “You’ve hit it, Johnny!” “Give us more!”) “He’s a friend.” (Cries:  “That’s the dope!”) “He never did a mean thing in his life.” (One loud cry:  “Couldn’t if he wanted to!”) “Say,” (Cries:  “Go ahead!” “Nobody ’ll stop yer!” “Give him hell!” Laughter.) “We fellers never appreciated this here Joe Blaine, did we?” (Cries:  “Gosh no!”) “But we do now!” (Uproarious and prolonged applause.) “Say, fellers, he’s been like a regular father to us kids.” (A strange silence.) “He’s been—­Oh, hell!” (Speaker wipes his eyes with a red handkerchief.  Strange silence prolonged.  Then one voice:  “Tell him to his face, John.  ’Bout time he knew.”) “Joe Blaine” (speaker faces Mr. Blaine, and tries not to choke), “if any one tries to say that you had anything to do with the fire—­he’s a damned liar!”