Evening star., 1925-03-29

the young lady whom Semore had
marked out as his own.
True, each had furnished an equa
share of the money which provided
the equipment and Zero was working
without STRENGTHENING merely &
modest drawing account to tide hin
over until the day-three months
from the opening of the rink-wher
they should make their first financial
accounting and division of profits
but Semore felt that without his sup
port the enterprise would have died
a-hornin'.
Finally an idea came to him and
he merged into the night that he
might walk a long distance and re-
fleet upon this plan to restore what
he conceived to be the equities of the
situation.
Meanwhile Zero Harris injected the
full radiance of his ingratiating per-
sonality in the effort to bewitch the
marvellous Ammonia Minis. Ammo
MIA liked the young gentleman and
made no bones about it, Only the
annoyance of her recent scene with
Semore Mashby disturbed the seren-
ity of their contentment.
Don't you worry bout what Sc.
more Mashby says" insisted Zero.
"Aw, Zero But Semore is
q pow ful man IN Bummln nam
'.Shuh, He amt got thing but
money"
Money counts"
Use gittin' money, too. Sweetness
Lookit all these folks in heah at
bits each. Two bits out of each ad-
mission goes to me after espenses is
taken out. Also l an Semore gifts a
split fun the hot-dog an sof-drink
concessions. Ise gwine make a heap
of money in this rink. Sugar-foot
an when / does so / is gwine ast
xuttin' young lady will she leave off
her job OF stenographing 70 Lawyer
Evans Chew an take position look
An after my house"
you hush"
The following morning Mr.. Mashby
presented himself at the office of
Lawyer Evans Chew.
The suite of offices occupied by the
erudldite colored attorney were at
tractive in the extreme. A ground
glass door opened from the hallway
into a large and airy anteroom In one
corner of which was near-manoe
any typewriter desk where sat the
trim figure Of Miss Ammonia Minis.
"Mawnin', Ammonia"
"Mawnin', Mistuh Mashby."
Has Lawyer Chew come in YETI"
He'll be heah mos any minute,
Won't you be-
The door was flung open and Law
yer Evans Chew breezed into the
room. The attorney was in fine fet-
tle
what can do you for this mawn-
ln,' Mistuh Mashby?"
X X
NNCE closeted with the lawyer in
" the latter's furnished d
office, Semore outlined q certain finan-
cial deal which aimed at the finan-
cial destruction Of Prof. Zero Harris.
I'm the fust place, Lawyer Chew,
you know that 1 an Zero is in part
nership with that skatin' rink.
Il is aware of that salient fac,
Brother Mashby."
I'VE has been runnin' six weeks
an we amt due to settle up until the
end of thee months. That means six
weeks mo- befo' we has an account
ing. In other words, except that he
has a DRAWN account, Brother Har-
ris don't know where he is at, mr.
neither he won't know until us set
ties. Now / aims that when he nm
out where he is at, he won't De
there"
Chew rubbed the palms OF ms
hands together unctuously. Proceed,
Brother Mashby; proceed. 1t begins
to sound like you exhibited yo per.
crptions when you sillected me as yo
attorney"
"It's thisaway," explained the lit
tie man. The buildin' that the
Niag'ra Falls rink is in was one
which I has used as a warehouse TO
about thee years. The business new
er amounted to much an not ony l
paid $40 a month TO same, but l
lest rentin'
fun month to month. Now what L
Graves Is this; that you should get
me a five-yeah lease at $40 month
or even s25 does the owner think
maybe the propitty is wuth little
more'n what he has been gettin 10
same Does you understand?
II has a vast comprehension.
"Also. Lawyer Chew, l Graves that
Brother Harris don't know nothin'
about my takin' out this lease"
You aims fo' him to think you had
1t all the time?'
"Ezac'ly."
There was considerably more con-
yersation before the smaller man de-
parted. He made his way to his own
musty, dingy sanctum, where he gave
10 per cent Of his attention to the
task of evading the usury laws OF
Alabama.
Meanwhile, having set in motion the
machinery which he hoped would
eventually macerate Mr.. Zero Harris,
he forgot the affair in the twin In
terests Of his courtship of Ammonia
and his pursuit of additional lucre TO
add to his healthy bank accounts.
And So immersed was he In both that
until the storm burst he was un-
aware of the fact that Fate had step
ped in and dealt him a royal flush
from a cold deck.
Fate's emissary in this particular
case was no less a. parsonage than
Miss Mallissie Cheese, one of the most
bewitching of Darktown's bellies.
Mallissie was there on all counts.
She was built on generous lines,
which, however, remained within
control; and she was inclined to be
a vamp.
THE covetous eye of Miss Cheese
had fallen upon the trim figure
of Prof. Zero Harris, and she found
herself much pleased. Quite deliber-
ately, therefore, Mallissie set about
the task of appropriating Zero to her
own uses. She started by paying him
a bonus price for private lessons
given publicly. And Zero, being a
good business man, fell into the trap.
He regretted the fact that 1T took
much of his rink time from the fair
Ammonia, but he was sure Ammonia