The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-02-19
kkWU YELL, Adams" he said,
NE/ in his husky, cheerful
Wv voice, 'how's your
cline works?"

voice, now , yOuL
glue works?"
Adams uttered an -inarticulate
sound, and lifted the hand that held
his hat as if to make a protestIve
gesture, but failed to carry it out; and
his arm sank limp at his side The
foreman, however, seemed to feel that
something ought to be said.
our glue-works, hellr' he remarked,
Y guess we won't have no glue-works
over here-not very long, if we got
to compete with the sized thing you
got over there!"
Lamb chuckled. Il kind Of had
some such notion" he said. You see,
Virgil. I couldn't exactly let you walk
off with it like swallering a pat O.
butter. now. could I? It didn't look
exactly reasonable to expect me to let
go like that, now, did it?'
Adams found a half-choked voice
somewhere in his throat. DO you
would you step into my Office a
minute, Mr.. Lamb?"
why. certainly I'm willing to have
a little talk with you" the old gentle
man said. as he followed his former
employee indoors. and he added, I
feel a lot more like it than I did be
fore I got thai up, over yonder, Nir-
gill"
Adams threw open the door OF the
rough room he called his office, hay
ing as justification for this title little
more than the fact hat he had a
telephone there and a deal table that
served as a desk. Just step into the
office, please" he said.
Lamb glanced at the desk, at the
kitchen chair before 1t, at the tele-
phone. and at the partition walls
built of old boards. some covered with
ancient paint and some merely wealth
er-beaten. the salvage of a house
wrecker; and he smiled broadly. 5
these are your offices, are they?" he
asked. you expect to do quite a
business here, I guess, don't you, Vir-
gil?'
Adams turned upon him a stricken
and tortured face. Have you seen
Charley Lohr since last night, Mr..
Lamb?"
NO; I haven't seen Charley"
We'll. I old him to tell you"
Adams began-"I told him I'd pay
you
PAY me what you expect to make
out O. glue, you mean, Virgil?"
No" Adams said, swallowing. Il
mean what my boy owes you. That's
what l told Charley to tell you. 1
told him to tell you I'd pay you every
last
"well. wellr' the old gentleman in
terrupted. testify. Il don't know any
thing about that"
I'm expecting to pay you Adams
went on, swallowing again, painfully.
It was expecting to do it out Of a
loan I thought I could get on my
glue works"
The old gentleman lifted his frosted
eyebrows. "Oh, out O. the glue works?
You expected to raise money on the
glue works, did your"
At that, Adams's agitation in
creased prodigiouslv. How'd vou
think I expected tc pay yOu?" he
said. Did you think I expected to
get money on my own old bones?" He
slapped himself harshly upon the
chest and legs. DO you think a
bankTI lend money on a mans ribs
and his broken-down old ~knee-bOnes?
They won't do it, You got to have
some business prospects to- show EN-,
If you haven't got any property nor
securities; and what business pros
poets have I got now. with that sign
Of yours up over yOnder? Why, you
cont need to make an ounce o glue.
your signs fixed me without your do
ing another lick, That's all you had
had to do: just put your sign up. You
needn't TO-
Just let me tell you something, Vir-
gil Adams" the old man interrupted
harshIy. 7 got just one right i'm
portant thing to tell you before we
talk any further business, and that's
this: There's some few men in this
town made their money in o~ff-cOlor
WAYS, but there aren't many; and
those there are have had 10 be a darn
sight slicker than you know how 20
be. or ever will know how to be. Yes,
sir, and they none of them had the
little gumptiOn 10 try to make It out
of a man that had the spirit not to
let EN-. and the strength o to let EN-
I know what you thought. Here, you
said to yourself, here's this ole fool
:. A. Lamb; he's kind Of worn out
and in his second childhood ike; I a
put 1t over on him, without his ever
Il did not!' Adams shouted. a
great deal you know about my feel
ings and all what 1 said to myself,
There's one thing I want to tell you,
and that's what I'm saying to myself
) now. and what my feelings are this