Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-15
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for what came after.
After my guest had reached a torpid
but still unsatiated state from over
much food, / asked him if he'd care to
go to show. 1t was about theater time
in the evening. He quite startled me by
shaking his head. 1 had figured that he
would accept instantly and ask me to
get him couple of boxes at the theateI
for himself. But he shook his head.
NO." said he. II want to leave for Chi
cago on the midnight train
L suggested that 1t would be easy fol
him to go to a show and also go to Chi
cago at midnight. But he said he had a
bag to pack and some other things to do
Then. by the light that came into his
eyes Zone learns to know that lightly
knew that the touch-prong was about to
be hurled. / was curious as to wha,
sort of a touch he'd make-what amount
that Is. He was a bit Seedy; and the
seedy man, have discovered, ordinarily
makes comparatively small touch. The
chap who is there with a 'front.' hits the
line hard when he is out on a touching
expedition: he asks for the regular money
or moneys. I figured that my present
man with the letter of introduction would
about ease the assegai (which is Zulu for
1ance) into me for about one finiph. a
fiiniph, little brothers and sisters, being
a five-spot. as you very well know.
He overturned the dope utterly about
the seedy man and the small touch
viii you lend me fifty dollars?" he
asked me.
1t was like being swept suddenly by a
battery of mountain howitzers. Out of a
clear sky, y'know. just like that: will
you lend me fifty dollars?"
No preliminaries whatever, understand
Not none? He didn't clear his larynx
and dish out a slow-music prelude about
being temporarily embarrassed, owing to
the fact that his favorite aunt hadn't
sent him his daily remittance of eight
cen dollars and a half. He didn't fix up
little prologue about having had his
pocket picked on a subway train, and be-
ing bound to get to Chicago to accept a
position as general manager of the stock
yards at a salary of $4,000 per annum
and perks. which would enable him to
telegraph my loan back to me next Tues
day week. when he COPIED out his first
salary check.
Not nothing whatever like that.
Just: "Will you lend me fifty dollars"
Yas'm. i LATED. In fact, / lahfed. Not
loudly and boisterously. You understand,
so that 1 stood in danger of being elected
from the restaurant for unseemly or dis
orderly conduct. But 1 certainly did
laugh.
But he didn't mind my laughter a bit.
I think he was too replete with heavy
food to take my laughter to heart.
Fifty dollarsv l said to him, after /
had concluded my first musical outburst
Of laughter. why fifty? Why not make
it five hundred? Don't pike, m'boy; never
be a piker: ask me for five thousand
Now. thought that observation OF mine
was rather humorously neat. / did, real
ly. But my guest hadn't the least sense
of humor. He failed completely to dis
Germ the laughter cue. Not one single,
solitary ha-ha did he emit from his sys-
tenn.
But 1 only need fifty" said he.
That was cheering. / was glad that
this man whom 1 had never seen before
only needed fifty. I don't know what I
fifty-two n a half.
''Oh. you only need fifty" said /, be-
coming bit dazed by this time 'Er-
uh-only fifty, Ell? But what do Won
only need fifty for?"
We'll, as 1 told you." said he. 'I want
to take the midnight train for Chicago. :"
- So he had. L remembered quite we'll.
He had told me that he was going to take
the midnight train for Chicago! And all
he needed to do that was fifty!
Now. when I take the midnight train
for Chicago. or any other old train Tor
Chicago. not excepting the Empire State
Express or the Manhattan Limited. the
most that the ride sets me back is about
twenty seeds or simoleons. I don't know
OF any possible way that / could blow
fifty for a ride to Chicago unless sat up
in flna nIr1h