Summary

The cigar-smoking man seems unsure about how his old friend Jimmy will have turned out after so long, implying that the otherwise upright Jimmy had always shown middling ambition and capability. Staying in New York meant that Jimmy could easily get stuck in complacent routines, while his friend is convinced that it takes the adventure and promise of the West to give as person a sharp edge. The police officer asks the cigar-smoking man what he will do if Jimmy is late to arrive, and the man assures the officer that he (the cigar-smoking man) will wait at least half an hour, convinced that if Jimmy is alive, then he will keep the appointment.

The man and the police officer say goodnight as the man continues waiting and the officer continues along his beat, making sure that all the street-level doors are locked...