Produced by Paul Good, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's Note: Text that was printed in italics in the original document is shown between _underscore characters_ and the oe ligature is shown as [oe]. [Illustration: BRANCH OFFICE OF MAMMON & CO.] OLYMPIAN NIGHTS by JOHN KENDRICK BANGS Author of "A House-Boat on the Styx" "The Pursuit of the House-Boat" "The Enchanted Type-writer" Etc. Etc. [Illustration] New York and London Harper & Brothers Publishers 1902 HARPER & BROTHERS. Published June, 1902. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. I REACH MOUNT OLYMPUS 1 II. I SEEK SHELTER AND FIND IT 17 III. THE ELEVATOR BOY 33 IV. I SUMMON A VALET 53 V. THE OLYMPIAN LINKS 70 VI. IN THE DINING-ROOM 88 VII. AESCULAPIUS, M.D. 110 VIII. AT THE ZOO 131 IX. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PALACE OF JUPITER 155 X. AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW 175 XI. A ROYAL OUTING 192 XII. I AM DISMISSED 212 ILLUSTRATIONS BRANCH OFFICE OF MAMMON & CO. _Frontispiece_ HIPPOPOPOLIS EXPLAINS _Facing p._ 8 A DREAM OF BRIGANDAGE " 22 IN THE ELEVATOR " 30 "'THE GODDESS OF THE MOTHER-IN-LAW'" " 42 "ANYTHING COULD BE GOT FOR THE RINGING" " 60 "JUPITER HURLED A THUNDER-BOLT AT HIM" " 64 THE OLYMPIAN LINKS " 84 CARING FOR THE CALVES " 104 "'THEN YOU MUST DIE'" " 112 I VISIT AESCULAPIUS " 118 CALLISTO " 140 I MEET THE PH[OE]NIX " 150 "'THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE UNIVERSE'" " 166 "THE DOOR WAS LOCKED" " 180 "'WHAT?' I CRIED. 'I--THAT OLD MAN--WE'" " 190 OLYMPIAN NIGHTS I I Reach Mount Olympus