Willing to Compromise
As he walked up to the bar he pulled up his collar with both hands and straightened the old red tie that was trying to creep around under one ear.
The glanced at him and then went on chipping lemon peel into a saucer.
“Say,” said the man with the red tie, “it makes me right sick to think about it.”
“What?” said the , “water?”
“No sir; the displayed by the people of the state in regard to presenting the battleship Texas with a suitable present. It is a to our patriotism. I was talking to W. G. Cleveland this morning and we both agreed that something must be done at once. Would you give ten dollars toward a silver service to be presented to the ship?”
The bartender reached behind him and took up a glass that was sitting on the shelf.
“I don’t know that I would give you ten dollars,” he said, “but here’s some that I put some in by mistake this morning and forgot to throw it out. Will that do as well?”
“It will,” said the man with the red tie, reaching for the glass, “and I am also aid for the Cuban patriots. If you want to assist the cause of liberty and can’t spare the cash, if you could up a glass of beer with a fly in it, I would—”
“ out, now,” said the bartender. “There’s a church member looking in the back door, and he won’t come in till everybody’s out.”