No such thing as a quiet drink . . .

WHEN SALOONS GO TO WAR

The Gilded Lily was more than a house of pleasure. It was the source of every woman seen at the House of Dreams and the Prairie Princess. Lilah rented out a handful of her girls to each of the saloon owners, much as the liveryman offered horses for hire. Red Trenton and Big Bob Archer liked the arrangement, knowing the headaches of running a stable of women. Sometimes, one of the saloonmen would complain that the other one was receiving better girls from Lilah. When it came right down to it, though, Lilah was absolutely fair in her selections. It was just that the prettiest, liveliest girls never left Lilah at all.

Every time the House of Dreams and the Prairie Princes closed for the night, their sore-footed hired girls went home to roost at The Gilded Lily — alongside the ones who stayed with Lilah. If a man wanted a few hands of poker, a drink and a woman to hang on his shoulder, he could choose between Trenton’s and Archer’s place. If he wanted serious female company — undivided attention — the place for him was The Gilded Lily.