The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-04-11
NAPOLEON SMITH
Real Estate Promoter
Copyright by the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
BY
George Randolph


he doesn't like the name very much,
so we call 1t to him all the time"
You know him pretty we'll, them"
why, he fairly haunts our front
porchl Haven't you seen him there?"
mo"
Yes, you have, l know; but you're
a fine, trustful daddy, and you never
put a microscope on the young men l
bring around"
What sort of a fellow is this Pole
SMITH" he asked.
why, daddy, he's a regular, sure
f%or-truly, cross-my-heart, hope-I-may
die fellow"
He looked at her in affectionate
wonder.
'If you had all those words in your
system, l am glad you got them out
said he. by the way, I formed about
the same impression of your Pole
Smith that you've given me. He's
good to look at, and I've been remem-
bering that wonderful grin of his all
morning. It's like a drink of good
wine"
He's a perfectly grand grinner; he
invented it, l think" agreed Marjorie,
and they went to lunch.
That evening, just before closing
time, Hammond looked suddenly up
from his memoranda and snapped:
"Bluffing, did you see about securing
that adjoining tract Of land for the
extension of the Eureka Works."
NTNThvr No ~ fo1f,rol NJ DI,, fEn- at
haven't seen to it yet"
you haven't" roared Hammond,
"Bluffing, l am going to pain you. Go
do business with the cashier, and
don't bother to come back and shake
hands. Good-by."
That evening, after having accepted
the angry resignation of the girl with
the straw-colored hair, the captain
took a train Is minutes earlier than
his accustomed one, and stopped at
the gray cottage OF the Smiths on his
way up to his own big stone residence
at the end of the boulevard. In answer
to his ring a very pretty brown
haired girl came to the door, and Cap
tain Hammond, whose heart was
growing younger through the days eX-
%perience, fairly beamed upon her.
my goodness me! And you're one
of the grown-up Smith children, too,
aren't you?" he said, as n awaken
ing to a startling discovery.
yes, Captain Hammond" she re-
piled, dimpling. I'm June"
Where's your brother?"
"Oh, he's up at your house playing
tennis, l think. We were just going
up to join them" and she looked back
over her shoulder and smiled, as a
chubby young fellow of about twenty
two strolled out hatless and saluted
the captain with a flourish of his
hand.
Hell, Peters!" said the captain;
you're a great one. l never see you
twice with the same girl"
Hush" said Billy Peters in a care
full burlesque of a confidential under.
tone. 81 don't dare encourage any of
them too much" And he gave a fine
imitation of a man yawning.
Some of these days, my boy"
"oAHCN IhO NdPNdlhy ldu6uLASi YOU 10
going to be so hard hit that it will
make a man of you. BY the way,
June, I'm suddenly SO interested in all
you young people that l forgot my er-
rand. l understand that your brother
is looking for a position
ooh, moi" she said, beaming with
s~isterly pride, "he found one this
morning"
Then the captain, who usually tried
to be most circumspect in the COM
pany of ladies', forgot himself.
HE'LL" he said.
Napoleon Smith had secuted" in
perhaps 4 dozen places before a good
Samaritan led him to the Offices of
Forsythe and Spencer. They called
themselves promoters, did Forsythe
and Spencer, although they chiefly
promoted real estate deals and would
follow a dollar through Hades, or un.
til they had annexed it. Forsythe's
hair, face, mustache and beard were
the color of a dish of ice cream, and
he looked up at one through shrewd
old eyes which bored down through
the soul to the pockets.
yes, Mr.. Smith," he ~quavered in
his high-pitched and nasal voice, I'VE
do need a man, but I'm afraid from
what you tell me that you haven't had
enough business experience"
Assuming that you are correct"
he said, how much money would you
be willing to pay me?"
Ten dollars a week"
Napoleon grinned. Forsythe liked
that grin; he knew it had commercial
value, and he waited with concealed
anxiety for the answer.
"And what would l be expected to
do?"
Anything you're told"
mo-" decided Mr.. Smith. zone gets
more money for that. Well say about
25 dollars, and even then there'd have
to be reservations"
Around the corners of Forsythe's
mouth there came an unfamiliar
witch, and after a hard struggle the
corners turned upward.
81 see," he said. well, Mr.. Smith,
suppose we leave the question OF
salary an open one. Suppose you
work with us for two weeks. At the
end Of that time, Wen sit down and