“Are you hunting for something stronger than Abe’s rum punch? We’ve got good whiskey here and some bourbon from Kentucky.”
“I wanted to inquire after the location of Queenie’s.”
The barmaid did her best to conceal her distaste when she responded to his inquiry. “Go back up the avenue, make a right after Ed’s Barbershop, and go along a bit until you see a building where the second story is painted purple. At night they put out a lantern and a placard that says ‘Queenie’s,’ so you can’t miss it.” She appraised him for a moment and added, “If you can read.”
“Thank you,” said the gambler, who then put a coin on the table and walked back through the swinging doors.
Footfalls thudded as Dicky ascended the narrow wooden stairs that led up to the second story landing, where shone a purple lant
