The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

= oe Eden frowned. "That's curious,” he said. "He appeared to know you. I had heard he was in town, and when you telephoned me the other day, I went at once to his hotel. He admitted he was on the lookout for a string as a present for his daughter, but he was pretty cold at first. However, when I mentioned the Phillimore pearls, he laughed. ‘Sally Phillimore's pearls,’ he said. ‘I'll take them.’ 'Three hundred thousand,’ I said. "Two hundred and twenty and not a penny more,’ he answered. And looked at me with those eyes of his—as well try to bargain with this fellow here." He indicated a small bronze Buddha on his desk. Sally Jordan seemed puzzled. "But Alec—he couldn't know me. I don't understand. However, he's offering a fortune, and I want it, badly. Please hurry and close with him before he leaves town.” Again the door opened at the secretary's touch. "Mr. Madden, of New York," said the girl. "Yes," said Eden. "We'll see him at once." He turned to his old friend. "I asked him to come here this morning and meet you. Now take my advice and don't be too eager. We may be able to boost him a bit, though I doubt it. He's a hard man, Sally, a hard man. The newspaper stories about him are only too true.” He broke off suddenly, for the hard man he spoke of stood upon his rug. P.J. himself, the great Madden, the hero of a thousand Wall Street battles, six feet and over and looming like a tower of granite in the gray clothes 13 comiicboeoe S CO