On the morrow he would make out the bill of sale and I could enter into possession.

And in the meantime I must come below and meet his friends.

They were two sisters, Mamie and Tess; a Mrs.
Hadley, who chaperoned them; "Whisky" Bob, a youthful oyster pirate of sixteen; and "Spider" Healey, a black-whiskered wharf-rat of twenty.
Mamie, who was Spider's niece, was called the Queen of the Oyster Pirates, and, on occasion, presided at their revels.

French Frank was in love with her, though I did not know it at the time; and she steadfastly refused to marry him.
French Frank poured a tumbler of red wine from a big demijohn to drink to our transaction.

I remembered the red wine of the Italian rancho, and shuddered inwardly.