The band played wild, hot, throbbing, beating, maddening, breath-taking, passionate music, while the crowd swayed in and out, and around. Young men whispered soft, sweet words. Old men whispered soft, sweet words. Young and innocent ears listened and remembered. Not so young and less innocent ears heard, still they did not hear. Hands of young men strayed over their partner's bodies. Hands of old men strayed over their partners. Young and innocent figures quivered, and whispered, "Darling, I love you," while less young, and less innocent said, "Get your hand off my Pratt." Evelyn looked around all the faces that were near her, but nowhere could she see Pearl. She ordered more drinks while she waited, knowing from experience that if a girl friend disappeared for a few minutes there was only one thing to do, and that was to--wait. There was no need for hurry--wasn't she drinking all she could hold, and it wasn't costing her a cent? Sure, she would wait--till Hell froze over--or at least till whoever was buying the drinks, stopped. "For the love of Jees--where the Hell you been? Look at your face--my God, but you need a drink, dear," said Evelyn, as Pearl and her boy friend came alongside the bar. "Excuse us for a minute, big boy," said Pearl, as she took Evelyn by the arm and started for the Ladies' Room. "You ain't answered my question, where--have you been?" "I just made some real money--look." She showed Evelyn the fifty-dollar bill. "Well, if you was out with that guy that you came in with, all I got to say is--you damn sure earned it." "Ev, you said it--I ain't so sure I care to meet any more like him, at least not tonight, although I gave him my address. He wants to come up tomorrow. What do you know about him, Ev?" "Plenty--dearie--plenty, and if you can put up with him you can have the world with a dirty shirt on it. He is filthy with money, owns a mine back out here in the mountains--you use your own judgment, dearie." "Were you ever out with him, Ev?" "No, thanks, I bar horses." The crowds were beginning to work their way down to the bridge district. All the bars were full of hard-drinking men and women. The cabarets were crowded, as it was time for the floor shows to go on in these places. "Come on, Pearl, let's go over across the street to the Lobby No. 2. It's a gay place, they have a good show there, and there must be some of the regular girls over there by now, and you've made enough tonight already to spend the rest of the night having a good time." "All right, I'm ready." Lobby No. 2, one of the most popular bars in Juarez, the bar in the front of the building, and the cabaret directly back of it, quite a large dance floor, with a band stand at the farthest end, and surrounded on three sides with tables, and every table filled with every specie of the human race, some drunk, some more drunk, and some blind drunk. "Hello, there, Ev," greeted the bartender. "How's the old girl tonight?"