The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-06-17

A few minutes later he entered the
customers room" of Quigg & Peevy
Free and easily, as beftted one OF
untrammeled life, he strobe across the
floor toward Quigg's private office
with great, awkward movements OF
his long body, Ticking his whip
against his thick trousers and putting
like tugboat at his evil cigar.
Ostensibly, Quigg & Peevy were
brokers. In reality they were swim
dlers. A superficial observer, visiting
their offices, would have supposed
their customers to be La Sale street
spectators. A rigid investigator
would have discovered their only
patrons were victims of the get-rich-
quick fever. The chief business of
Quigg & Peevy was the selling of
worthless stock. The rows of chairs
in the customers room" and their oc-
cupants, the rushing messenger boys,
the long blackboard and the phleg-
matte youth chalking cabalistic fig
ures, the chattering telegraph instru-
ment, operated automatically not
twenty feet away, were nothing more
than stage properties and players, en-
ployed for the sole benefit of the suck
ers who made them possible
And upon this opera bouffe stage of
sham and hypocrisy strutted Daniel
Fitzhugh, dreamer and actor His
roles were many and varied, but he
portrayed them all with unerring ac-
curacy-and, yes, even art. When he
was Informed that 1t was time for an
| other entrance" he never knew, until
the messenger came with directions,
what part he would be called upon to
enact. Now it was that of a West
ern millionaire. bluff, ungrammatical,
| breezy; again that of French fnan-
cier, suave, polite, tangling his Eng
fish; anon it was some great banker
from Liverpool, frigid and precise.
But the character he most often por-
trayed was the eastern capitalist"
Peevy was thin, pale man, Of a
dropping eye and a pointed chin, and
was deeply attached to small briar
pipe. His business was to "round up
the boobs and steer 'em in" Quigg,
aided by Fitzhugh. did the rest.
After the second week Fitzhugh be-
gan to conceive a sinking dislike for
the knavery he was abetting. After
the third he began to hate it. Capa-
bilities were stirring within him
capabilities which told him he was
worth infinitely more than one hun
dred dollars week, and that every
week he worked for that sum he was
throwing away money. 1t was near
the end of the first month that he
asked his slippery employer for a hun
dred-dollar weekly increase. He was
little surprised when it was prompt
ly granted him.
81 was thinking about increasing
your pay, Fitz," said Quigg, in his
large, careless way. you're worth
two hundred week to me-"
But when three weeks later the
CRATER was told it was four hundred
dollars week or nothing, he frowned,
pinched the pink roll of flesh under
his chin with his chubby fingers, and
rocked himself gently in his swivel
chair. "rll tell you what, Fitz Pm
about to tackle. the. biggest thing I've
ever attempted. I'm launching upon
the grandest little mail-order scheme
in America. / expect to spend cou-
pie o. hundred thousands in advertis-
ing. If 1t goes through, as certainly
think 1t will, I'll do the level thing by
you"
"That's not the point broke in the
petitioner do I or do l not get my
four hundred-now?
"You do not" Quigg's palms de-
scended firmly upon the arms of his
chair. His big jaw acquired a bel
| ligerent aspect.
''That's all want to know" Fitz-
hugh stood up briskly. 'This is
Wednesday. You therefore owe me a
hundred dollars. I'll take it now"
''Sit down, Fitz. Sit down and keep
cool. I believe you're a game sport, in
spite of the low way you're acting, and
I'm going to make you gambling
proposition. Some friends o. mine are
getting up nice, quiet little game of
poker tonight, and I'm going to sit in
The pot'll run high-no limit. Be-
tween ourselves we'll cooperate in
this game. I'll finance the partner
ship with five thousand dollars. If
we double that amount you get half
the winnings and your four hundred a
week. If not, you'll still contriye to
scrape along on two hundred"
The poker game that night took
place in South side hotel It was
six-handed game. the players being of
the class commonly known as "men
about town." Two were professional
gamblers, another was a wheat pit
speculator, fourth was a wealthy sa-
loon owner. The remaining two were
Fitzhugh and Quigg. Playing COM
menced shortly after eight Compared
to subsequent betting it was modest
at first, fiye-dollar limit having been
imposed. About nine, however, the
limit was removed, and the game be-
gan to warm up. Another hour, and it
had reached the point where iye-and-
six-hundred-dollar pots were the rule
and not the exception.
The Golden Goddess, Luck, smiled
upon Fitzhugh from the very start.
Perhaps 1t was his superior playing
that won her favor. Anyhow, he as
tonished his coadjutor by his skill at
the game. He was a hundred differ
Rzl