Bubba sure was eating a lot today, Ernie noticed. He was on his fifth bowl of beer nuts, and had a stack of sandwiches three feet tall off to one side. And Bubba had always been such a healthy kid. To go and ruin it all in one day like that.

"Another beer, Ernie?" Bubba said.

"Sure thing."

Ernie poured a beer for his friend and another for himself.

"You don't normally drink so much," Ernie said casually.

"No, I don't reckon I do. Just a phase I'm going through, I suppose."

Could be, Ernie thought. Maybe he'd just inhaled a little too much of the Grog Barn's air. "Alright," Ernie said. "But don't go getting sick all over Molk's tables." It was a wonder the kid wasn't sick already.

Ernie took a sip of Molk's secret stash of Fireberry wine. His head began swimming and for a minute he could have sworn there was a horse beside Bubba. This was good stuff, alright. He wondered vaguely if Bubba could handle a whole pint of it. Grinning mischievously, he emptied the bottle into Bubba's already empty mug.

"On the house," he said.

It was so unlike him.