Evening star., 1915-01-17

oil Your trance! L take IL you ain anybody
special where you are now: just one of the
cogs. Buy in with me, and III make you
the main belt That's right Say, III tell
you what! Wen feature You on the four
sheets-De Kay & Co.'S Grand Australian
Hippodrome Your picture in wreath OF
roses,-no a horseshoe's better, and well
play up the show as refined, educatin',
moral exhibition They'll believe it when
they see you. You'll be the big noise, the
man in front. You'll hear 'em passin the
tip along the curb as the parade swings by,
That's him-Mr. De Kay!' And you'll
be the one to receive the Mayor and his wife
and show EN- to their arena box. Every
day a new Mayor in a new town. And you II
know 'em all, and they'll know you. What!
That'll be bein somebody, eh'
He'd stepped up, right in front of Cuyer,
talkin free and easy, as one man to another.
But then he always was that way. Not
fresh, YOU know, nor cocky; but just as if
everybody was as good as him. He's lookin
Mr. De Kay straight between the eyes, good
natured but earnest, and all of sudden he
reaches out a big paw and slaps him tolksy
on the shoulder.
well, Brother" says he show about it?'
7 DON'T know how it struck ]. Bayard
Steele, but as for me, right then and
there | got wise to the fact that in spite of
the ear tufts and lowbrow manners, Hunk
Burley, man for man, would measure up
with De Kay or anyone else; that is, within
his limits. For he'd found his job He was
there with the goods!
The same thought must have hit Cuyler
too. Couldn't help it. He was lookin level
into them steady eyes, hearin' that husky,
,,,,t ~
face that had so much strength behind it.
A party to depend on, to tie to! Anyway,
something of the kind got him, got him
hard.
BY George!' says he. IL wish l
could!' And with that he gives Hunk the
grip, quick and impulsive.
Which was when developed this foolish
idea. | looks over to ]. Bayard and grins.
Then l turns back to Cuyler. "Well, it can
be fixed says |.
"Eh?" says he. Il beg pardon9"
"Your bit from Pyramids pile says l.
"1f You'll take the chance of chuckin' your
salary and quittin the ranks of the unburied
dead, we'll stake you to enough so you can
buy in with Hunk. Won't we, Steele?"
]. Bayard gulps once or twice and looks
to connect himself with such venture
says he, "of course l."
|. Il do, breaks in Cuyler. "And l assure
you, Gentlemen, that feel more alive at
this moment than l have for the last twenty
years. My friend Burley here has done
that want to go on feeling that way. l
am willing to follow him anywhere.
"Then it's go" says l. "Steele, write
voucher, and I'll o. K. it."
@Good work." says Hunk, givin' Cuyler
another bone-crushin' grip. @And remember,
we split fifty-fifty on all the net. I'll close
the deal by tomorrow noon, and three
weeks from today we open in Savannah. ~
HALF an hour after they'd both gone ].
IL Bayard still sits there gain vague and
puzzled at the silver crook on his walkin'
stick.
"Just fancy!" he mutters. "A circus!"
ooh, well,' says l, maybe it's better to
be keepin' step to 'Rockin' the Boat than
draggin' your heels along in the wake of the
unburied dead"
One thing I'm sure of, Cuyler want in
dulgin' in any momentary fit. He meant
business. l saw him last night, just as he
was startin' for the steamer.
"How you and Hunk comm on?" says |.
Excellent" says he. "We've made some
compromises, naturally. For instance, he
is to drive the spotted ponies, and l am to
wear an ordinary black silk hat when lead