Tex was too wise to lose his head through drink and had taken only
enough to make him careless of consequences. Porous was determined to
sing "Annie Laurie," although he hung on the last word of the first
line until out of breath and then began anew. Silent, not wishing to
be outdone, bawled at the top of his lungs a medley of music-hall
words to the air of a hymn.
Tex, walking as awkwardly as any cow-puncher, approached Tom Lee's,
his two friends trailing erratically, arm in arm, in his rear.
Swinging his arm he struck the door a resounding blow and entered,
hand on gun, as it crashed back. Porous and Silent stood in the
doorway and quarreled as to what each should drink and, compromising,
lurched in and seated themselves on a table and resumed their vocal
perpetrations.
Tex swaggered over to the bar and tossed a quarter upon it: "Corn
juice," he laconically exclaimed. Tossing off the liquor and glancing
at his howling friends, he shrugged his shoulders and strode out by
the rear door, slamming it after him. Porous and Silent, recounting
friends who had "cashed in" fell to weeping and they were thus
occupied when Hopalong and Buck entered, closely followed by the rest
of the outfit.
Buck walked to the bar and was followed by Hopalong, who declined
his foreman's offer to treat. Tom Lee set a bottle at Buck's elbow and
placed his hands against the bar.
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