The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-12-03
The Bigger
Business
BY WILL r. AMES.


Any one standing Just inside the
doOr OF 1lS could get quite a good
LOOK at whoever might happen to be
standing just inside the door of 116
NOT directly, of course. but because
the glass in the show windows was set
al such an angle that the young man
IN ll6 was mirrOred within the line
OF vision OF the young woman in 11S.
Beast ~ exclaimed the Young WON.
an in lis to an audience consisting Of
herself alone; for Stanley Botash. the
sturdy boy who wrestled the ice cream
fuDS and soda containers, was down
IN the basement, smoking cigarette.
and he was now her sole remaining
retainer.
Gosh" calculated the young man
in ll6. I'm sick of having that
that skirt rubbering in here, and then
tossing her head like laundering
queen or something! You'd think, by
golly, nobody but her had any right to
lose their money in fool business like
this. :" He glared at the backs of the
suicidal price marks on the glass
trays and nougats and bonbons in his
own show window and at dantily
lettered placard = Real Ice Cream
Soda, Cents"-which, with signifi-
cant undermining of the word "real."
hung in the window next door.
"Here!" exploded the young man in
116, .'this has gone on long enough.
Right now comes the showdown !"
And leaving his establishment to the
quite sufficient administration of the
red-headed girl just then busily adj
miring the expanse of her henna ear
puffS in the back-counter mirror, he
proceeded to violent action.
The violence. however, expended
most of itself upon the vicious jerk
with which he opened his own shop
door. BY the time he had taken the
two steps that brought his hand to the
knob Of his neighbours door his man.
ner was quite formally correct And
by the time he got himself inside he
was well-nigh deferential. For after
all he was still less than thirty-and
the young woman in 118 was extraOr-
dnarily pretty as well as being a bit
ter business rival.
Miss Matilda Ives, now standing In
discontinued contemplation of her I'm
maculate tables and chairs, turned at
the sound of the doors opening and
an inch was added to her height and
a world Of chilly inquiry to her ex-
preston as she answered his "Ahem-
good morning." with lofty, What
can l do for your
"You can buy me out-that's what
you can do" said Willis Masters.
Look here, Miss Ives" he continued.
"you know there isn't chance in the
world for two places like ours In this
little town. let alone next door to each
other-and the way we've been slash
ing prices leads to the bankruptcy
cOurt-tO say. nothing of selling stun
so cheap that the people are scared to
buy 1t, and everybody but the kids is
going to the Greeks. You butted In
here after / got tied up with lease
and spoiled my opportunity to build
up business. Now, I'll give you a
chance-take the shop off my hands
and you can have 1t for 60 per cent
Of inventory. That's pretty big dis
counting on four-month- old stuff"
The naughty Miss Ives listened to
this hastily formulated proposition
without abating one jot or little Of her
air of icy majesty. Then very sud
denly, and without the least suspect
ing that she was going to do 1t, she
dumped down into one Of her fnfre
uuently used chairs and began to cry
II never heard any one say such
thing In my life" she gurgled between
sobs. butt in! Why. the very
idea. When you know very well
had this store leased before You evel
t thought of such thing or started
here. And l put every cent l had II
the world into 1t, too! You know per
fectly well 1 can't buy you out. Yot
know I've got to sell, and you are just
making a cheap price so you can ge'
the place for half what it's worth
All right. I'll take 1t. I'd have taker
less just to get away from alongside
YOU" The girl punched her eyes Wit
her wadded handkerchief as vigor
ously as If they had been the eyes O
willis Masters.
"You mean to say you didn't know
I had my store leased?"
"You didn't. Old Mr.. Westover toit
me himself that an optician from Mas
sachusetts was considering it.
"Gee whiz! and he told me ne hat
rented your store to a New fori
woman for blouse shop! Wheneve
did you get your lease?"
March IA. at 10 30" Through tear
Miss Ives couldn't help noticing nov
ENORMOUSLY boyish her rival looked.
"You win / signed mine al II
| same day. The old crook u!
Couldn't we sue him or some
thing?" ~
.,,ot a cbanco-ho'S too slick. bu