"It's a lot cheaper if you get a drum, the way we do." "I know; but it's a lot harder to handle a drum too.

Besides--" Johnny broke his speech abruptly, hiding his confusion by straining to carry a case over to the travois.
Mary V studied his reply carefully, keeping silence until Johnny had loaded the other cases and was roping them to the travois frame.
"Is that Bland Halliday with you yet ?" she asked him suddenly.
"Yeh--er--how do _you_ know anything about Bl--" Johnny was plainly swept off his guard.
"Why, why shouldn't I know about BL ?" Mary V's smile was exasperating.
"I've seen Bland Halliday fly--and fall, too, once.

Because he was drunk, they said.

I've seen him drunk, and trying to do figure eights with a car on Wilshire Boulevard.

He almost put me in the ditch, trying to dodge him.