All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

768 When he received his check for the cash, payable at the cashier’s window, the woman took his place. She was a large-boned, capable person—had a locket with some diamonds in it—and fixed the clerk with a militant eye as he examined the stones through his jeweler’s glass. “Fifty dollars.” “Huh! Nothin’ doin’. I want seven'y-five. Them di-minds ain’t the stage kind, sonny.” : “Tf they were, madam, I could pos- sibly loan more than you ask. Next, please.” ‘You're the fresh guy, ain't you?” the woman almost screeched, her face going red as a beet. “‘ You're a gen- tleman, you are, insultin’ a lady as ain’t got no brothers or a husband to come down an’ knock your block off. You think ‘cause you gotta piece o’ plate-glass protectin’ your ugly mug as you can hand out any line o’ talk. What chanst has a woman in this town when little, hammered-down—” The clerk pressed a button near at hand and a buzzer was heard some-' where behind the partition. “Next, please.” The woman's flow of language ceased. She seemed undecided, and the locket still lay where the clerk pushed it out to her. She thrust it back again slowly. No one answered the buzzer. “ Fifty’s your limit, heh?” “ Fifty is our limit, madam.” “T got seven’ y-five—” “Fifty dollars, madam, or noth- ing.” The militant attitude departed, and a sulky one took its place. “Gimme fifty.” It is always that way. i started off with the pendant. ‘Let me have what you can on that, please.” The clerk took it, glanced question- ingly at me and departed. At once I imagined he was going to telephone to the police or something like that. A cold perspiration broke THE ALL-STORY MAGAZINE. out upon my forehead, and I stood first upon one foot then the other, painting mental pictures of myself be- ing taken down Broadway handcuffed to a policeman, with a mob of small boys and others trailing behind. And just as I had hit upon a fairly respect- ‘able lie, the fellow appeared again. “We can loan you twelve hundred on this if you want that much.” “Thanks. A thousand will do.” I thought that was rather clever. It disarmed suspicion at once. ‘The pen- dant vanished; a cash-slip and the ticket took its place. “At the cashier’s window, sir. Just as I had been afraid to come in I was equally afraid to go out; but I did it, and went on to the second place, which was Nospim’s, the shop Mar- garet had recommended. This time [I did not hesitate, but rushed the citadel with a determined, businesslike air, not giving any one a chance to know what I was after. The line was a little longer there, but I finally got to the window and tried two rings, and again the clerk depart- ed and returned. I got seven hundred and fifty for the two. Going out, I took a squint at my list of addresses, and a yard or two from the pawn-shop door some one sudden- ly walked by my side and did not go away. Turning my head quickly [ en- countered the deep blue eyes of Della! *“ Why—” She smiled, and there was a sort of admiration in the look she gave me. “Geel You gotva gall” I raised my hat nervously and in- stinctively moved further away from the pawn-shop. “ How are you? pected pleasure! ” The girl made no reply to that, but took hold of my arm in the most natu- ral way—as if she had been engaged to me for years, you know—and we had gone several yards before I real- ized that she had assumed complete charge of me. 9? This is an unex- comichbooks. com