With Lily at his heels

4.
With Lily at his heels, the favourite of Lady Luck made his way into the midnight fog which lay above the city. He walked to Market Street, and at the ferry building he headed down the Embarcadero toward the pier where the Empire was loading. In the deep shadows cast by a post in the long pier he removed his trailing robe. He rolled his insignia under his arm. Under the arc lights along the pier the men of the night shift were rustling the last of the freight to the Empire's side.
With Lily at his heels, the Wildcat went aboard the ship. The officer on watch recognized him. "What you doin' out so late, boy? Thought you run the day shift?"
"Cap'n,--yessuh,--I does. Me an' Lily was projectin' roun' some. Us ain't got no place to go."
The Wildcat lingered on this last statement. "No place to go." Then he summoned courage enough to voice a request which expressed a longing that had developed since he had first known the Empire's destination.
"Cap'n, suh," he said slowly, "kin me an' Lily ride wid you to New Awl'uns?--Us craves to git south."
"I'll say you can. We need about nine good waiters for the trip."
"Cap'n, suh, dat's me! When us starts I'se de same as nine."
"You're hired. Sign on tomorrow."
In his eagerness the Wildcat jerked heavily at Lily's leading string. "Come on heah, goat, le's git down in de ol' boat's cellar whah de kitchen is an' git to work. Say you's 'bliged to de cap'n."
"Blaaa!" Lily voiced her gratitude.
On the third deck down, the Wildcat tied Lily to a stanchion. He threw his official costume on the deck in front of the mascot goat.
"See kin you eat dis soopreem raiment. Us is done bein' soopreem. Hot dam! New Awl'uns boun'! Den Memphis--dat's home!"
The Wildcat felt the thick packages of bank notes in the inside pockets of his yaller suit. "Sho' big money. Money--dis time stan' by me."

"I kin ride a steamboat--I don' pay no fare,
I kin ride a steamboat--anywhere.
Dat's de reason I'se as happy as a bee,
Me an' Lily's Memphis boun'--Memphis, Ten-o-see."
The End