Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

Blevitt—if I was to quit—it would make an awful hole in his business, now wouldn’t a “Oh, I don’t know.” : “Yes, you do know! Don’t hedge, Ru- dolph!”” In his exuberance Daly slapped Rudolph Reed on the back. Reed moved his chair until the desk was between them. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his eyes off a heavy paper weight so enticingly near his hand. “Tf I was to quit it would take two live, hustling go-getters to keep up the pace T set all by myself!’’ Daly looked serious. ~“ And yet, Blevitt only pays me the salary of one salesman! I don’t know about that! I think I’d better talk this over with Blevitt.” “Yes,” Reed said hastily, ‘“ if that’s what you're thinking of, tell it to Mr. Blevitt. He’s the man to see.” He added with sud- den, genuine astonishment: ‘‘ How the devil you manage to sell our goods—a man with your manner—your perfectly hellish man- ner—I don’t know! I don’t, indeed!” “You have noticed it? You’ve noticed the fault in my manner?” Daly’s ruddy face grew serious, almost mournful. A sud- den humility came over the man. Reed’s words seemed to crumple him up. Daly burst out: ‘ It’s apparent, I know! The fault is glaring! I try to kid. myself that it doesn’t show, but it does show. I try to cover it up, but it won’t cover up, not altogether. But I’m working on it, Rudolph. Day and night I am striving to correct it!” Simms Daly’s eyes glistened with a great ambition. “T will correct it,” he vowed. “I can! I shan’t stop until I do! Rudolph, if it takes my right leg I will overcome my iack of confidence—my confounded timidity!” “ Timidity!” Reed gasped. ‘‘ Did I un- derstand you to say—”’ “‘ Now, Rudolph, I know you want to say something nice, something to spare my feel- ings, but don’t do it! lLet’s face facts! I’m aman and not afraid to face facts! I am timid. I’m too sensitive! No mat- ter, I will overcome it!” Simms Daly drew a deep breath and looked highly resolved. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Rudolph Reed was prey to a virulent mixture of astonishment and indignation that left him helpless to do or say anything fitting to the revelation. ‘He felt slightly giddy. Again his eyes strayed to the heavy paper weight and his fingers itched to hurl it at Simms Daly. But what would be the use! To do that would only spoil a good bronze paper weight! Simms Daly sank his voice to a confiden- tial pitch. He rose in order to clamp his hand on his listener’s arm while he confided: “Let me tell you something, old man. Just between you and me. You think I’m timid now. I wish you could have seen me a year ago! In just one year, the change that has come over me would aston- ish you, if you only knew. “A year ago this very Christmas, Ru- dolph, I picked up a magazine. I read an advertisement. An advertisement that began: ‘ You, too, have a Personality—-De- velop It!’ “It was an ad for a wonderful discovery, the invention of the Interallied Psychologi- cal Research Laboratories—a bunch of world famous scientists, Teaches you how to overcome your natural faults, how to make an impression, how to convince others, how to hold a company of brilliant men and women by your conversation, how to enter- tain, how to sell yourself! Get the idea? “Every man has got it in him, the book says so. And I have proved it. Look at me!” Simms Daly drew himself up for inspec- tion. “Look at me, Rudolph!” His voice rose to a dramatic climax. “And would you believe it, a year ago to- day I was as hopeless and insignificant a little runt as you are! Yes, sir, Rudolph, nothing but a shy, insignificant, timid, un- derdeveloped pinch of nothing. The living image of what you are to-day!” Reed sat perfectly still, petrified, at this revelation. The shock of it really had paralyzed him. A dozen retorts, a dozen methods of an- nihilating Simms Daly rushed through his mind, but his mind knew it was no use. Nothing he could do, nothing he could say, nothing in the world ever would get under | COMIEGEDOOKS. Com