Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-15
MONEY FOR NOTHING p. G. W RS


at. don't want to hear about your
aunt"
Very good. sir. Just as you wish
Tell me about her some other time"
ANY time that suits you, sir" said
Mr.. Flannery agreeably. We'll, I'll be
of and putting the little car in the
garridge."
He left the room, and Chimp. with
drawing his hands from his eyes, gave
himself up to racking thought. A man
recovering from knockout drops must
necessarily see things in jaundiced
light, but it is scarcely probable that,
Twists meditations would have been
much pleasanter. Condensed, they re-
solved themselves, like Johns, into a
passionate wish that he could meet
Soapy Malloy again, If only for mo-
ment.
And he had hardly decided that such
a meeting was the only thing life now
had to offer, when the door opened
again and the maid appeared.
"Mr Malloy to see you. sir"
Chimp started from his chair.
Show him in," he said
There was a shutting noise without,
and Soapy appeared in the doorway.
The progress of Mr.. Molloy across
the threshold of Chimp Twists study
bore a striking resemblance to that of
some spent runner breasting the tape
at the conclusion Of q more than I'M
usually grueling Marathon race. His
hair was disordered, his face streaked
with dust and heat, and his legs acted
SO independently Of his body that they
gave him an odd appearance Of moving
in several directions at once. An I'M
biased observer could not but have felt
pang of pity for this wreck of what
had once, apparently, been fine, up
standing man.
Chimp was not an unbiased observer
He did not pity his old business part
ner Judging from first glance,
Soapy Molloy seemed to him to have
been caught in some sort of machinery,
and subsequently run over by several
motor lorries, and Chimp was glad of
it. He would have liked to seek out the
man in charge Of that machinery and
the drivers of those lorries, and reward
them handsomely.
80 here you are!" he said.
Mr.. Molloy, navigating cautiously,
backed in the direction Of the arm
chair. Reaching it after considerable
difficulty, he lowered himself with in
finite WEAKNESS. A sharp exclamation
escaped him as he touched the cush-
ions. Then, sinking back, he closed ms
eyes and went to sleep.
Chimp gazed at him, seething with
resentment that made his head ache
worse than ever. That Soapy should
have had the crust to to Health
ward Ho after what had happened was
! sufficiently infuriating. That, having
come, he should proceed, without a
word of explanation or apology, to treat
the study as q bedroom was more than
he gripped his old friend by his luxur1-
ant hair and waggled his head smartly
from side to side. The treatment
proved effective. Soapy sat up.
"Eh?" he said, blinking.
what do you mean, eh?"
(which :? Why /. . 2"
"Ill tell you where you are"
"Ohl" said Mr.. Molloy, intelligence
returning.
again. Now that the first agony OF
contact was over, he was finding their
softness delightful. In the matter OF
seats, a man who has ridden 20 miles
on an elderly push-bicycle becomes an
exacting critic.
"GeeI I feel bad!" he murmured.
It was a natural remark, perhaps,
but it had the effect of adding several
degrees Fahrenheit to his companions
already impressive warmth. For some
moments Chimp Twist could find no
form of self expression.
Eyes, sir" proceeded Mr.. Molloy. Il
feel bad All the way over here on
bicycle, Chimpie, that's where I've been.
It's in the calf of the leg that it gets
me. There and around the instep. And
| I wish L had a dollar for every bruise
those darned pedals have made on me. )"
And what about me?" demanded
Chimp. at last.
Eyes. sir" said Mr. Molloy wiStfully.
ct certainly wish some one would offer
me even as much as so cents for every
bruise I've gotten from the ankles
upward. They've come out on me like
a rash or something"
IF you had my headache
eyes, I've a headache, too" said Mr..
Molloy. "It was the sun beating down
on my neck that did it. There were
times when I thought really I'd have
to pass the thing up. Say, if you knew
"And how about what feel like?"
shrilled Mr.. Twist "a nice thing that
wife of yours did to me! A fine trick
to play on a business partner! Slipping
stuff into my highball that laid me
out cold. Is that any woy to behave?
Is that system?"