"'You're a good guesser,' says De Mott.
"The chicken has come over by this time.
"'Are you hurt, Blister?' she says.
"'Not a bit, girlie,' I says, 'n' starts to go change my clothes.
"'Wait till I give you an order on the box-office for your money,' says
De Mott.
"'Well, get busy,' I says to him. 'I've stood it around where you are
about as long as is healthy.'
"'What's that?' says the chicken to De Mott. 'You don't mean to tell
me you fired him!'
"'I don't mean to tell you _anything_ that's none of your business,'
says De Mott. 'Go dress for the next act!'
"'Not on your life!' she says. 'You can't fire him; it wasn't _his_
fault! I'll write Banks a _lot_ I know about you!'
"De Mott pulls out his watch.
"'I'll give you just _one minute_ to start for your dressing-room,' he
says to her.
"The chicken knocks the watch out of his hand.
"'_That_ for your old turnip and you, too!' she says.
"'You're fired!' yells De Mott.
"'Oh, no, I ain't!' says the chicken. 'That's my way of breaking a
contract and a watch at the same time. You needn't write an order for
me,' she says. 'I'm overdrawn a week now.'
"When we're leavin', after we gets our street clothes on, De Mott stops
us.
"'There's a way you can both get back,' he says to the chicken.
"'When I sell out,' says she, 'it'll be to a real man for real money,
not to a cheap ham-fat for a forty-dollar job.'
"The chicken won't stay at the hotel where the bunch is that night, so
we both moves over to another.
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