DANNY'S OWN STORY BY DON MARQUIS TO MY ... - Pink Monkey

kind, you know, Tom, and said that he bore me no
rancour, and all that."
"The deuce he did!" says Colonel Tom, very low,
like he was talking to himself. "And then what?"
"Then," says the doctor, "then--let me see--
it's all a long time ago, you know, and McMakin's
part in the whole thing isn't really important."
"I'm not so sure it isn't important," says the
colonel, "but go on."
"Then," says Armstrong, "we had another drink
together. In fact, a lot of them. We got awfully
friendly. And like a fool I told him of my quarrel
with Lucy."
"LIKE a fool," says Colonel Tom, nodding his
head. "Go on."
"There isn't much more to tell," says the doctor,
"except that I made a worse idiot of myself yet,
and left McMakin about two o'clock in the afternoon,
as near as I can recollect. Somewhere about
ten o'clock that night I went home. Lucy was
gone. I haven't seen her since."
"Dave," says Colonel Tom, "did McMakin
happen to mention to you, that day, just why he
was in Chicago?"
"I suppose so," says the doctor. "I don't know.
Maybe not. That was twenty years ago. Why?"
"Because," says Colonel Tom, very grim and
quiet, "because your first thought as to his intention
when he met you in the bar was MY idea also. I
thought he went to Chicago to settle with you.
You see, I got to Chicago that same afternoon."
"The same day?"
"Yes. We were to have come together. But
I missed the train, and he got there a day ahead