Evening star., 1936-10-25
October rs, 1896

alternative. 1t was all very strange.
Bill had to have money. He thought
of discussing the matter with Miss
Schultz, who was so practical. How
ever, you couldn't borrow money from
women: not from Miss Schultz, any
way. Miss Schultz had no understand
ing of the more abundant life.
But, when you were going to get a
bonus, Christmas, and needed it now.
borrowing seemed the logical approach
to the problem. The customers man
who wore tailored shirts ought to
know Curiously enough, he did. He
called one evening with generous
gentleman who seemed actually miffed
that MIR. Doody wanted only a hun
dred and fifty dollars. The paper Mr..
Doody signed said two hundred, but
the generous gentleman explained that
the difference represented three
months interest.
That would have been all right ex-
cept for three things. The first was
Miss Chubb's birthday. which, by the
strangest coincidence, occurred the
very day she had noticed precious
fur scarf. The second was Christmas,
and the third was that there wasn't
any Christmas bonus. Miss Twining,
cashier of the Beezee Coffee Company.
said she had mentioned the matter to
Mr.. Nat, and he had inquired. Bonus
on what?'
The generous gentleman called that
afternoon. WELL" he said, Christ
mas and me come together, huh? l
didn't want to keep you hangin'
round with that money"
"Oh. that's all right" Mr.. Doody
gulped. Fact is, l didn't expect you
til Saturday"
Saturdays Ok" the generous
gentleman agreed. Il wouldn't wait
no longer than that, if l was you. Not
if l wasn't expecting trouble"
MIR. Doody was expecting just that.
. and very little else. The little else was
mostly nine dollars, five OF which he
owed MIR. Wilder since the coincidence
of the fur scarf. The rest OF his thirty
he had drawn in advance. Approached
on the subject of the five. Mr.. Wilder
admitted that he needed money. too,
and so, by another strange coincidence
did the generous gentleman, who
called again Saturday. Il got my obi
cations, he declared, land the only
way l meet 'em is by maxim other
guys meet theirs. Strictly speakin',
your time was up Toosday"
And so what?" Mr.. Doody asked,
with the courage of a cornered rabbit.
The gentleman opened his fist. and
looked at it. That depends" he re-
piled. IF l see you tryin' to pay.
maybe Ill be patient week or two.
with interest. If you're gonna get
nasty. l got couple O. friends that
need exercise. They amt had none
since they helped lift the last nasty
guy into an amberlance."
That evening. Mr.. Doody cancelled
a heavy date with Miss Chubb. He
didn't feel festive, lacked the means
for festivity. and was losing his taste
for the lady. anyway. Sensing all three
circumstances, Mr.. Wilder didn't ap-
pear. Bill dined on hors d 'oeuvres from
the last cocktail party. and the bitter
bread of repentance.
Struggling valiantly with memory
and mathematics, Bill figured that,
beside this debt. he owed nearly three
hundred dollars. For what? That silly
Chippendale chair wasn't half as COM
Portable as the old willow thing with
the cushion that had been the piles
Dc Resistance of his top-fioor center in
the boarding house. Five hundred
dollars; four months salary, even if he
didn't have to live in the meantime.
Maybe he ponlda't have to, if he
didn't find something to encourage
the patience of his chief creditor.
The customers man didn't answer