“Eh?” inquired half a dozen.

“Don’t b’leeve me if you don’t want to, but just bet against it ’fore you go to see—­that’s all!” continued London George, fanning himself with his hat.

“George,” said Judge Baggs, with considerable asperity, “ef you are an Englishman, try to speak your native tongue, an’ explain what you mean by actin’ ez ef you’d jes’ broke out of a lunatic ’sylum.  Speak quick, or I’ll fine you drinks for the crowd.”

“Just as lieve you would,” said the unabashed Briton, “seein’—­seein’ Chestnut’s got a female—­a woman—­a lady cashier—­there!  Guess them San Francisco saloons ain’t the only ones that knows what’s what—­not any!”

“I don’t b’leeve a word of it,” said the judge, washing his hands rather hastily; “but I’ll jest see for myself.”

Cairo Jake looked thoughtfully on the retreating form of the judge, and remarked: 

“He’ll feel ashamed of hisself when he gits thar an’ finds he’ll hev to drink alone.  Reckon I’ll go up, jest to keep him from feelin’ bad.”

Several others seemed impressed by the same idea, and moved quite briskly in the direction of Chestnut’s saloon.

The judge, protected by his age and a pair of green spectacles, boldly entered, while his followers dispersed themselves sheepishly just outside the open door, past which they marched and re-marched as industriously as a lot of special sentries.

There was no doubt about it.  Chestnut had installed a lady at the end of the bar, and as, between breakfast and dinner, there was but little business done at the saloon, the lady was amusing herself by weighing corks and pebbles in the tiny scales which were to weigh the metallic equivalent for refreshments.

The judge contemplated the arrangements with considerable satisfaction, and immediately called up all thirsty souls present.

Those outside the door entered with the caution of veterans in an enemy’s country, and with a bashfulness that was painful to contemplate.  They stood before the bar, they glanced cautiously to the right, and gently inclined their heads backward, until only a line of eyes and noses were visible from the cashier’s desk.

Then the judge raised his green glasses a moment, and smiled benignantly on the new cashier as he raised his liquor aloft; then he turned to his party, and they drank the toast as solemnly as if they were the soldiers of Miles Standish fortifying the inner man against fear of the Pequods.  Then they separated into small groups, and conversed gravely on subjects in which they had not the slightest interest, while each one pretended not to look toward the cashier, and each one saw what the others were earnestly striving to do.

But when the judge settled the score, and chatted for several minutes with the receiver of treasure, and the lady—­young, and rather pretty, and quite pleasant and modest and business-like—­laughed merrily at something the judge said, an idea gradually dawned upon the bystanders, and within a few moments the boys feverishly awaited their chances to treat the crowd, for the sole purpose of having an excuse to speak to the new cashier, and to stand within three feet of her for about the space of a minute.