That speech alone showed the magnitude of his position in their eyes.  He was now not merely, “friends wid de perlice;” he was held in fear by that awesome body!

“If I was as big as him,” said one, “I’d fire all the peelers.”

“Wouldn’t that be dandy!” cried another.

He won their hearts still further by something he did in midsummer.  Blunkers had asked him to attend what brilliant posters throughout that part of the city announced as: 

    HO FOR THE SEA-SHORE!

    SIXTH ANNUAL

    CLAM BAKE

    OF THE

    PATRICK N. BLUNKERS’S ASSOCIATION.

When Peter asked, he found that it was to consist of a barge party (tickets fifty cents) to a bit of sand not far away from the city, with music, clams, bathing and dancing included in the price of the ticket, and unlimited beer for those who could afford that beverage.

“The beer just pays for it,” Blunkers explained.  “I don’t give um whisky cause some ——­ cusses don’t drink like as dey orter.”  Then catching a look in Peter’s face, he laughed rather shamefacedly.  “I forgits,” he explained.  “Yer see I’m so da—­” he checked himself—­“I swears widout knowin’ it.”

“I shall be very glad to go,” said Peter.

“Dat’s bully,” said Blunkers.  Then he added anxiously:  “Dere’s somethin’ else, too, since yer goin’.  Ginerally some feller makes a speech.  Yer wouldn’t want to do it dis time, would yer?”

“What do they talk about?”

“Just what dey—­” Blunkers swallowed a word, nearly choking in so doing, and ended “please.”

“Yes.  I shall be glad to talk, if you don’t mind my taking a dull subject?”

“Yer just talk what yer want.  We’ll listen.”

After Peter had thought it over for a day, he went to Blunkers’s gin palace.

“Look here,” he said.  “Would it be possible to hire one more barge, and take the children free?  I’ll pay for the boat, and for the extra food, if they won’t be in the way.”

“I’m damned if yer do,” shouted Blunkers.  “Yer don’t pay for nothinks, but der childers shall go, or my name ain’t Blunkers.”

And go they did, Blunkers making no secret of the fact that it was Peter’s idea.  So every child who went, nearly wild with delight, felt that the sail, the sand, the sea, and the big feed, was all owed to Peter.

It was rather an amusing experience to Peter.  He found many of his party friends in the district, not excluding such men as Gallagher, Kennedy and others of the more prominent rank.  He made himself very pleasant to those whom he knew, chatting with them on the trip down.  He went into the water with the men and boys, and though there were many good swimmers, Peter’s country and river training made it possible for him to give even the “wharf rats,” a point or two in the way of water feats.  Then came the regulation clam-bake, after which Peter talked about the tenement-house question for twenty