Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

502 down the hall. Twenty thousand dollars! Enough to pay off all his outstanding debts, enable him to buy that smart new road- ster he had been admiring, with enough left over to start—at last—a savings ac- count. Dear old Aunt Priscilla! He did not look upon that letter, that check, as the first move on the part of a dark, mysterious destiny that was intent upon reshaping his whole life. Teddy Arm- bister was not a believer in such things, anyway. He was one who laughed at fate. Later, he would look back upon to-day with an almost reverent awe. But at the moment his only emotion was one of tingling de- light at Aunt Priscilla’s generosity, and of relief at so neatly escaping the web that Miss March had spun for him. With a clear conscience and a happy smile he pushed open the door of Mr. Ju- veen’s office. If. Davip JUVEEN, the president and chair- man of the directorial board of the Pan American Export and Import Corporation, was a stout little, brown little man. He was, indeed, a rhapsody in brown. He was brown of hair, of skin, of eyes. His mus- tache was brown. His suit, his oxfords, his socks and his necktie were brown. By way of contrast, perhaps, he was smoking a blond cigar. Twinkling is a function of the stars, yet Mr. Juveen’s eyes were twinkling, or seemed to be twin- kling, when Teddy Armbister gently closed the door behind him and approached the desk. : It was the first time he had ever en- tered Mr. Juveen’s office without a certain, inner, indefinable tremor. Not without _ reason was Mr. Juveen known as a king- maker, a man-breaker, a despot. In all Pan American affairs his influence was per- “sistently felt. “Sit down, Ted,” the great little man said pleasantly. Teddy Armbister seated himself in the deskside chair, but this morning he experi- enced no inner qualms. Mr. Juveen was worth twenty millions; Teddy was worth, at this moment, twenty thousand, and it ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. is doubtful if Mr. Juveen felt half as rich. ‘Have a cigar,” said the president of P.A.E. and I., affably. : “No, thanks,” said Teddy, “ Vl smoke a cigarette.” And wondered what was in the wind. , Mr. Juveen ordinarily handed out cigars only to those men who were about to be relieved of their positions. “T’ve been looking you up, Ted,” the little brown man confided. “TI find you’ve been with us five years. I find that you started without pull pretty close to the bot- tom and have worked your way up toward the top in a surprisingly short time—for a young fellow as good looking as you are. I generally haven’t much faith in men who are too good looking, but you are ob- viously an exception. You’re drawing down ten thousand a year now, aren’t you?” “Yes, sir,” answered Teddy Armbister. “Ten thousand.” “And you're only twenty-seven.” Teddy nodded. ““T think you’ve done exceedingly well, Ted; exceedingly well! In fact, I’m proud of you. Aren’t thinking of getting married right away, are you?” ‘No, Mr. Juveen; I’m not.” ‘No entangling alliances, eh?” “No; no alliances.” Teddy smiled. “Keep away from entangling alliances, Ted. And keep right on viewing marriage as if it were something accursed. That is, if you want to keep on making a hit with me. I never married and I’m never going to marry. A young man married is a young man marred. He travels fastest who travels alone. Pin those slogans in your hat, Teddy. Women are parasites. They eat your time, they eat your money, they eat your ambition. Personally, I hate women.” “So do I,” said Teddy, feelinely. “T hoped so. Keep on hating them. Don’t let any of them get anything on you. I did once. It cost me a hundred thou- sand dollars—damn her! But women are useful, Teddy. They are useful as long as you can keep them guessing. “Never commit yourself with a woman. Play her the way you play a fish—but let Gomichbooks (E(O)