The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-06-02

he didn't let anyone but me see
1t. Even a little thing like goin'
down to Wall Street and lookin'
up some securities gets him rat
tied lie hadn't been gone more'n
an hour fore he calls me up on
| the phone and says some brokers
clerk has asked him IL our con-
Germ don't want OF bid on p. O.
privileges at seven-eighths." What
are p. O. priyiieges?" says NAL
lory.
"Oh, tushl" says /. And you
let 'em hand you such a bury
one? p. o. privileges is the right
to lick stamps at the central post
office, and it's a gag them curb
shysters has wore to fragile.
You go back and tell that fresh
paper-chewer were only buyfn'
options on July snow removals
preferred.
That's what comes Of foolin'
around at college.
But that was nothin' to the
| down-and-out slump l found him
in next night, when / goes around
for my writin' lesson and so on.
rs it the spino eomeandgetus, +"
says 1, "or has Miss Tuttifrutti
sent back your Christmas card?"
Its worse than either" says
he, with his chin on the top but
ton of his vest. 81 guess I'm what
you would call a false alarm,
| Torchy. I've been tried out and
haven't made good
"G'wani" says I. Everyone
gets a lemon now al then. Some
tries to swa1ler IL whole, and
chokes to death! others mixes
'em up with eggs and things, and
knocks out a pie, with meringue
on top. Draw us a map of how
you fell off the scaffold."
Well, l jollied the hard luck
/ tale out of him. IL was a case
| of sendin' a boy with a pushcart
to bring home a grand piano. The
Old Man had done IL. He's kind
of sore on the way Mr.. Robert
| lugged Mallory in by the hair, SO
he springs this on him.
He calls for Mallory and tells
| him there's a Russian gent down
to the Waldorf that's. come over
to place a big Cover ment con-
| tract.
We've got to have a slice of
that" says he. Just you run
| down and get il for u.s. Like
that, off hand, as IL it was some
| thin you could do any time be-
| tween lunch and one-thirty.
Near as | could make out, Nal
1 Tory goes for it in his polite,
stand-off, after-you way, and the
| closest he gets to Russky is a
| minute with a coeky secretary.
And then you backs up the
| alley?" says l.
There was nothing else for me
to do" says Mallory. HE went
off without giving me another
chance"
say" says I, why didn't you
| give him the low tackle and sit on
his head until he promised to be-
have? Was that the only try you
made?"
mo. I sent up my card twice
after that" says he, land IL came
back. So I've flunked. l think
I'd better go down in the morn
| ing and resign"
Now wouldn't that rust you?
Then here goes the books"
i saws I, chuckin' 'em into the cor
ner. "If dom the knowledge
stunt ItdftS yOu WIN a buShOOhC
like a piece of boiled spaghetti,
| I'm through"
That makes Mallory sit up as
If I'd jabbed him with a pin. do
| seem that way to your" says
| he.
You don't think you're givin'
any weigbt-liftin' exhibition, do
your" says |.
He let's that trickle through for
a minute or so, and then he comes
back to life. "Torchy," says he,
you're right. I'm acting like a
gutter. Hanged IL ] don't try to
see that man tonight, now, as
quick as l can get down there!
He's got to see me. by Jove!"
There's more sense to that
than anything else you've said in
| a week." says /. wish | could
be there to hold your hat"
why not?" says he. Come on.
I may need frsh inspiration.
Whatever l gives you'll be
fresh, all right, says 1; but If
/ was you, and was goin' to butt
into any Fifth avenue hotel along
about dinner-time, I'D wear the
regalia. Yours amt in on a
: ffaEof 1. ffoD