Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1922-02-09


can't! Cad, thirty-five hundred she
SWITCHES out of her allowance in six
years, lives on the fat of the land, too
and then tries to bamboozln me that
she's fiat. Thirty-tve hundred in six
Years. Cad! I got to hand it to you
there, kiddo; got to hand 1t to you :"
You can have it back, Max. II
was going to surprise you when l had
i've thousand. I"
Cad! | don't want your money.
girl. It's yours. You're fixed for life
on it. I'm even going to hand you over
a couple of thou extra to show that
I'm no cheap sport. l won't have a
woman breathing can say amt white
as silk with her"
MAX. you-you're killing me! Kill
ing me! Killing mel"
Nov, now. Mae, if I was you 1
wouldn't show my hand so. l don't
want to hurt you, girl. 1t amt like I
got any but the finest feelings for you.
You're all right, you are, You are"
"Ihen, Max, for Gods sake"
But what are you going to do about
1tf What the HI is anybody going to
do about it? You amt no baby. You
know what life is. And you know
that the seams has got to show on one
OF the two sides and it amt your fault
you got turned on the under side. But
you should worry, girl! You're fixed.
And I'm here to tell you I'm going to
hand you on top of the two thou this
here little fiat just as it stands, Mae
just as it stands, piano and ALL l just
guess you got kick coming!"
Her hands flew to her bosom as if
the steel of his words had slipped deep
into flesh. "You don't mean what
you're saying, Max"
Sure, 1 do! Piano and all, girl"
mo, no, you don't. You're just kid
ding me, Max, like you used to when
you wanted to tease me and throw
scare in me that your mother was wise
about the fiat. Quit your kidding,
Max, and take me in your arms and
sing me 'Maizie You're a Daisie' like
you used to after-after we had a lit
tie row. Lemme hear you call me
'Maizie,' dear. so Til know you're only
kidding. I'm Il hum sport. dearie. II
never could stand for guying Cut the
comedy. dear"
She leaned to him with her lips
twisted and dried in their frenzy to
belle his words. but with little else to
indicate that her heart lay ticking
against her breast like clock that
makes its hour in half-time
"Quit guying. Max. for Gods sake !
You-y0u got me feeling sick clear
down inside of me. Cut it, dear Too
much is enough"
Her dress rustled with the faint
swish of scything as she moved toward
him, and he withdrew, taking hold of
the back of his chair.
"Now, now, Mae come, come
You're a sensible woman. | amt
stuck on this business any more than
you are. You ought to have let me
stay away and just let it die out In
stead of raking up things like this.
Come, buck up. Ole girl! Don't make
1t any harder than it's got to be. These
things happen every day. This is
business. There there! Now! Now p
The sudden bout of tenderness
brought the tears stinging to her eyes
and she was for ingratiat1ng herself
into his embrace, but he withdrew,
edging toward the piano with an en-
| tire flattening of tone.
"NOw. now, Mae | tell you that you
| got to cut it. 1t would have been bet
ter if you had Just let the old cat die
You oughtn't to tried that gag to get
me here tonight. You'll get ii lot more
OUT of me if you do it dry girl. A cry
| ing woman can drive me out of the
house quicker'n plague. and you ought
to know it by now"
She sat down suddenly, feeling
| queasy.
"Now. now, old girl, buck up! Be a
sport .'
Gimme a drink, Max. Just a
swallow. Pm all right" And she
squeezed her eyes tight shut to blink
out the tears.
He handed her tumbler from the
table, keeping his head averted, and
after bit she fell to sobbing and
choking and trembling.
It's her! It's your old woman.
She's been chlorOforming you with a
lot of dope talk about hitting the
altar rail with bunch of white satin
with a good fat wad sewed in the
lining. It's your old"
"Cut that !"
ITS your old woman She-she
don't knOwe you like l do, Max. She
"NOw, now, Mae! You knew this
had to come sooner or later. l amt
never lied, have I? Right here in this
room amt you told me dozen times
you'd let me go quietly when the time
came? Amt yOu?"
II never thought you meant it, Max
| You don't mean it now Don't let your
old woman upset you, dear. What she
don't know won't hurt her. That old
woman don't know enough about life
| and things to"
You cut that and cut it quick I'm
decent fellow. am. For six years ]
| been tipping you off to leave my moth.
er'S name Out-O1t of your mouth
There's a place for everything and, by
CAD! ! ain't no saint, hut l won't
| stand for that BY CAD! II won't =
"Oh-h-h-h-hl Oh-h-h-h! Oh-h-hT
She struck her breast twice with the
| flat of her hand, her voice so tight and
high that it carried with it the quality
| If strangulation.
"Ain't fit TO mention har napno oin,t