Two hours passed; another half hour--and we had been imprisoned two hours and-a-half--and it was now about supper time. A few moments later I opened the door, and looking towards the stair-way, discovered "the kid," leaning over the bannister, gazing vacantly in the direction of our room. I yelled: "Come here, kid! For Heaven's sake, what's up?" "Yer never'll git me inter de room, ter be pitched out de winder," he replied. "No, no," we said, "come in; come in and explain. We won't harm you. Come in." He then ventured in, very cautiously, and explained: "Well, sir gemmen, de ole gal nailed 'em all, spite of eb'ry ting I could do; she got de whole shootin' match, and I didn't know whedder to come back or not." "Heavens and earth! Frank; what are we going to do now?" I asked. [Illustration: HEAVENS AND EARTH! FRANK; WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?--PAGE 193.] "Well," said he, "this has been a great scheme of yours. That's a great head, yours. Guess we're stuck for good, this time." "The kid" said he guessed he'd have to go to supper. We told him we guessed he'd not go to supper till he got us out of that shirt scrape. "Remember your oath, you young hyena," I said. He answered: "That's so; guess I'll have to go without my supper, to-night." At last, after many schemes had been devised and rejected, we hit upon one that helped us out. We demanded of "the kid" that he take off his shirt; and after donning his coat and vest, instructed him to throw back his coat-collar, and go down street to some furnishing-goods dealer, and either beg, or buy on credit, a shirt. We began telling him what to say, when he headed us off with: "Oh, whatcher givin' us? I guess I know how ter give 'em der stiff," and started. He called on several dealers; and after giving "De song and dance," finally made a raise of a new shirt. We asked what the man said when he called for such a large size? "Oh, de ole hoosier neber tumbled at all, but just planked 'er out, and said: 'If yer eber git any money, come an' pay fer it.'" We asked if he thought he could manage to get another one in the same way. He said he was afraid to try, because an officer was going to run him in "'cause he hadn't any shirt on, and looked so tough." I then donned the shirt, also a paper collar and cuffs, and went down to supper, leaving Frank to silent meditation. After eating, I returned to the room, took off the shirt, and Frank put it on and went to supper, while I remained and did the meditation act. He staid away more than two hours, which worried me considerably. I wondered what upon earth had become of him, but felt certain he was too true a friend to abscond with my half of the shirt. Even if it wasn't paid for, I knew by right that I owned _half of that shirt_. When he did return he brought good news. He had spent over an hour with a furnishing-goods dealer, "squaring him up" so as to buy some things on credit. When asked with what luck, he answered: