The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-27
: Toddy's Short Story

IL pocket of his topcoat and
gently closed his fingers around the
blue steel Of the Luger. He stepped
off the curb and crossed Eighth-av
to the traffic cop. His collar was
turned up against the light drizzle
which was falling that summer
afternoon in 1919, and his old hat
Topped about his ears.
Can y'all tell me-" he said in a
back country drawl, where / can
get to a pawnshop?"
The policeman paused before re-
plying. He noted the cheap shoddy
of Harry's clothes, and the polished
Army bluchers. "Just back from
France?"
yes, sir. Little over a week"
Hmm. So you blew your dough
in the Big Town, Ell? Now, you're
looking for a hockshop. See any
action over seas?"
yes, sir. Argonne."
yeah? I was at Chateau Their
ny i. F. Well, 1t didn't take you long
to find out that the country's about
fed up on glad-handing the heroes,
did it? How'd you get rid of your
dough? From the looks of that rig
you're in now wouldn't guess you'd
spread yourself on clothes"
NAV, sir" said Harry. 'The
4 folks back home sent me my
civvies when l wrote them I was 60
ing TO stay here in New York IT a
W house for little while. ex-
pect I'm pretty much of rube."
Maybe so. But what did you do
with your jack? Did you draw
much when you got out of the serv-
ice?"
well, counting the $50 bonus,
travelling allowance back to
Junction City, where joined up,
and the pay 1 let pile up while on
the other side, it was nearly $500 in
all"
Wow" said the cop. How did
you blow that much in a week-a
guy ike you, mean!
"I didn't exactly blow it, If you
got minute to listen"
"Okay."
"I figured 1 could make some
money in New York. There was a
company clerk in the outfit who
used to work in Wall Street, and he
used to tell us about folks making
a lot of money, buying on margin,
he said. That's what I figured I'd
do"
IJAH! Clean up in Wall Street
IL with $6Ool"
Jaw, I didn't want million dol
lars. All I wanted was about $500
TO make the down payment on a
corner property for filling station
out our way. With only 5000, it'd
take me a couple or three years to
get the rest working on farm.
You see, II, well, I sort of
wanted to get married. There's girl
at home, and when 1 went over we
kinda had an understanding that
If came back all right-you know"
yeah, but you haven't told me
how they took you in Wall Street"
"It wasn't Wall Street. 1 met a
couple men at the cigar store on
the corner from the ~ told them
about wanting to run my $500 up to
$500 in the market, and they Of
fered to show me quicker way to
make the money.
81 don't remember exactly what
they meant to do, but it was some
thing about horse races, and it
sounded all right the way they ex-
planned it. They"
WAT minute" said the cop.
w did they tell you they could
get the results of the races before
the bookmakers knew them, and
thereby lay their bets on a sure
thing?"
Something like that, yeah. did
win a couple of small bets they
placed for me, then they told me
I ought to shoot the works, seeing
I couldn't lose. 1 did, and this time
something went wrong, and I did
lose. didn't see 'em after that"
well, listen, bud, and this is on
the level: If I had the dough I'd
stake you myself But I haven't
got it. Next best thing, then, is
to go over there, half way down
the block, to Zimmerman'S. See the
name under those three gold balls?
Yeah, well Moe Zimmerman is one
white old guy. He'll give you every
dime he can, and then some. Go
ahead over. Tell Moe you're an ex-
soldier, and tell him that Reilly,
Eere on the corner, sent you"
A young man with pinched, yell
lowish features, a turned down
fedora and an expensive raincoat
was behind the counter when Harry
walked into Zimmerman. !. He
watched with feline alertness as
Harry approached the counter.
HARRY rJulled the Luger out of
- his poc%et. When the man
behind the counter saw the muzzle
OF the gun he slowly raised his
hands. His lips frightened and his
eyes flashed an angry challenge.
you get the hell out of here"
he said quietly.
Harry hesitated for a moment,
then grinned and started to lay
the gun on the counter. He was
stopped by noise in the rear of
the shop. Looking around, he saw
an old man trying to rise from the
floor. There was brllise on his
face. Harry went TO help him, and
as he did so the yellow-faced man
vaulted the counter and rushed out
of the store.
AS he gained his feet, Moe Zim-
norman ran out to the sidewalk,
10, ~ ~.