Elsie ; looked towards the bar ;
-- -- I think I will get a drink Ralph ...

-- -- Ok ... see ya when ya get back. [ Ralph laughs ..., right ... Elsie. ]

Elsie approaches the bar-keep.
-- -- Hello.

-- -- Hello he answers ..., enjoying the party Elsie.

-- -- YES ! .... How did you know my name, she asks ...

Mackay winks at her ; I like to know the name of my good looking customers ...

Elsie laughs ;
-- - Good looking eh ! ... I am seventy young man ... you should honour your elders.

-- - Oh I do, believe me ... You just do not appear to be an elder ... I had you figured for fifty-ish.

-- - Fifty-ish ... come on now ... How old are you ? ... she asks. You do not face a day over forty.

-- - FORTY ! ... While I will feature you know heartfelt peeress that I am thirty eight, going on eighteen.

Elsie laughs. He is funny, she thinks ...

Elsie orders her drink and continues talking with the bar-keep ... She stands at the bar chatting with him for awhile. Mackay negotiation with her as he mixes drinks ..., excusing himself when he needs to talk with someone else about their beverage.

Mackay politely returns to his conversations with Elsie as quickly as possible.

Elsie looks at his figure tag ;
-- -- MacKay, is that a first figure for last public figure ?

-- -- number one ...., its Mackay Morrison ma lady ... [ Mackay bows ... ]

-- - ... ma lady ... ? Now you are showing too a good deal respect.

-- - How about this Elsie ; [ Mackay deepens, his interpreter ... ]
-- -- -- -- -- -- Would you like to park that swish chassis behind the bar ... [ He winks ..., or have I gone too far ... ]

Elsie laughs ;
-- -- Instead of arthritis I have rust ... [ Mackay smiles at her but he is busy with a con-sum-err ... ]
Elsie waits ;
-- -- That would be courteous ... I have never been behind a bar Mackay.

She stands at the end of the bar watching Mackay mix drinks ... he carries on very well with everyone she notices ... Soon Mackay leaves his post and rejoinder quickly with a stool.
-- -- Here ya go Elsie ... sit here and we can chat for as long as you like ...

Elsie moves behind the bar and pulls herself up on the pot ...
-- -- This is different from what I imagined Mackay ...

-- -- Would you like something else to drink ? You don-t seem to be enjoying the one you have Elsie.

-- -- I am afraid I am not much for alcohol Mackay.

-- - I will mix you a drink, non-alcoholic .... a peculiar I serve to ennoble ladies such as yourself.

Elsie sits quietly as Mackay serves several more than people and finally concocts her fruity crapulence ... Which he labels ..., WITH self-respect ... [ Elsie laughs. She is having a gay old prison term ... ]

They banter back and Forth River for awhile. Elsie excuses herself and find out up on Ralph ... He is sloshed, again, and seem-s to have attracted a few friends, also sloshed ...

This is not Elsie-s scene so she migrates back to Mackay ... eventually Mackay has a shift from mixology ...

Elsie is sitting on the crapper enjoying the various issue of conversation she and Mackay are delving into ... Without warning Mackay stares at her knee ..., making her very uncomfortable. Elsie closes her stage closely and wonder what he is up too ...
-- - Mackay, why are you looking at my stifle ... ?

-- - Looking for bumps high-priced lady ...

Elsie looks at him, bewildered ;
-- -- Bumps, what in the earthly concern are you talking about Mackay ?

-- -- If you do not have bumpy knee then it-s not arthritis, so it must be rust ... he says. straight person faced.

-- - Mackay, what are you talking about, it must be r -- ... [ The light goes on and Elsie get-s his humour. ]

Mackay smiles at Elsie, winking at the Saame prison term.
She looks at him sternly ;
-- -- -- -- -- -- You are a silly Mackay ... [ Then, issue of factly. ] ... Mackay I thought I had dainty articulatio genus, even at my age ...

-- - You do Elsie ... that you do.

There is no one at the bar ... Mackay lowers his head and pretend kissing Elsie-s human knee. She turns quickly from him.
-- - Mackay, what are you up to ?

-- - Kissing your dainty knees Elsie ...

-- - You will do no such matter Thomas Young man ...

Mackay feigns kissing her knee again. Elsie swings her legs out of the way quickly ; letting out a slender squeal ..., like a lilliputian girl.

Elsie looks at Mackay ... He stands up, eyes sparkling, with a very sassy grin on his face ...
She gets it now, he was teasing her ;
-- -You brat. She say-s ...


... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ....

Elsie checked on Ralph several more than time ... he was having a eruption ... She sat alone for a bit then returned to Mackay ...
-- -- My husband is drunk as a so-and-so Mackay ... I am stuck here ... I guess we will be taking a cab home ... serves him right ... he will hold to cab it back in the break of the day ... it-s going to cost him a pretty penny ...

-- - In which direction do you experience in Elsie ... ? I have a licence but no vehicle ...

Elsie told Mackay the area of the city she lived in ... As it turned out he lived in that counselling but further on ..., on the other side of meat of the river ...
-- - How about I drive you home and you pay for my cab across the river ... that would be inexpensive for you and less of an in-convenience to your hubby ...

Elsie agreed to that. They talked for awhile .... Mackay-s customers dwindled to a trickle as the night became early on dawning ... Elsie was tired ...

Mackay convinced Elsie to examine three of his mix ... his argument won her over rather easily he thought but it turned out to be a snort. Elsie became a footling tipsy and that changed her deportment considerably ... they joked quite allot ...

Eventually Mackay drove Ralph and Elsie rest home ... Elsie sat alone in the back of their very nice Buick ... Ralph talked constantly, most of which was intelligible ... He had had a great metre this night and was grateful for Mackay-s assist ...

When they got to Ralph and Elsie-s home it was nearly 2:30AM ... Mackay helped Ralph into the home ... He fell on his bed and stayed there, snoring loudly in minutes ... completely dressed ... shoe and all ...
Mackay had dealt with legion drunks in his career ; Ralph was a happy drunk ... There were no problems, other than his weight ...
...

Elsie was in the kitchen making coffee bean ...
-- - I like a coffee before I retire Mackay ... would you care one before you cab it house ... Oh ..., and I will get you some money .... How much do you think it will be Mackay ... ?

-- - About $ 30 Elsie.

... ... She dug into her pocketbook and came out with $ 40 ...
-- - This is all I have Mackay ... I guess it will feature to do ...

-- - I will return what is left to you ...

-- - You do not have too, you have been very helpful tonight Mackay.

-- - I want to Elsie ... It gives me an excuse to talk with you again ... I enjoyed our conversations tonight.
... ... Mackay could see her case beaming with pride ...

-- - Ok she said, but call ahead to be sure I am here ...


AND so began the friendship of Mackay, a 38 yr old bar-keep, and Elsie, a 70 yr old lady ...
He would chit-chat with her once a week usually, sometimes not if his job got in the way ... Ralph was happy that Elsie had a friend ... Ralph like the theme of a man stopping in randomly ... He liked the security factor ... The three became very close. Mackay even got them tickets to a twain of dances he served at ... including some for their acquaintance ..., the Maloney-s.

Of track, the question of Mackay-s personnel life sentence came up ... he had no-one ... and was quite happy that way.
-- -- Besides, he said ... I have friends, and I have Ralph and Elsie ... my life is perfect.

winter came and Mackay-s visit dropped off in relative frequency ... Christmastide came and went with gifts and invitations exchanged ...

... All was well in the land of Ralph, Elsie and Mackay ...