Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

RED Brinker’s secretary. “ The old man prides himself upon using only the finest quality of—”’ “Pups,” interpolated Nora. Milligan frowned. “ Nonsense. Pork and beef. The way people call them dogs is very annoying and bad for business.” “Mr. Lucus has a new name for them, Red hot cops! Don’t you think that’s clever, Mr. Milligan?” “T don’t get the connection,” he said haughtily, “You see,’ explained Nora, ignor- ing the signals of distress from Lester, “Mr. Lucus develops the dog idea. He sells Belgian police dogs, and that “suggests police, and police naturally means cops. Red hot cops.” “T don’t think that’s funny at all,” replied Mr. Brinker’s secretary. “But you sell a lot of them, don’t you, Lester?” “Sell them? Is this gentleman the proprietor of a delicatessen store?” “No,” said Lester, with very red cheeks. “I run a hot-dog stand.” Milligan gazed at him in astonish- ment, then in disgust. “A frankfurter stand? Do you mean to say, Miss Meagher, that you receive people like that?” “TI receive whom I please,’ Nora. ‘Upon my word,” remarked Miulli- gan—‘‘ upon my word! Red hot cops! A frankfurter stand!” He regarded Lester with loathing. Lester thought he could lick him in a rough-and-tumble, and waited only for an aggressive word; but the secre- tary did not speak it. Instead, he rose, drew a handkerchief from his cuff and wiped a moist brow. “Tf you will excuse me, Miss Meagher, I must be going now. There are things I have got to do.” “Oh, must you go?’ Nora. Milligan made a wide detour around Lester and reached the exit uncontami- nated. Nora was guilty of a wink at b snapped protested HOT, 165 the hot-dog man, then rose and let the departing guest out the front door. When she returned she threw herself on her sofa, kicked her heels in a most unladylike manner, and shrieked with laughter, Lester scowled at her. “That was a rotten thing to do,” he growled, “ You just made a bum out of me before that fourflusher, Miss Meagher, I think I have impor-’ tant things to do, also. Ii I hurry I may be able to kick that fashion plate where it will hurt him.” Nora rose to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at him. “ Déclassé! Pariah!” she exclaimed. * Leper! Social outcast! How much did you make to-day, Les?” “I suppose so,” he said glumly. “That fathead probably gets about fifty a week for being the ‘ yes’ man to old What’s His Name, but he could not sit in the same room with the pro- prietor of a hot-dog stand. I made two hundred dollars to-day, of which about one hundred and_ thirty-three dollars was clear profit.” “ Lester Lucus!’ she exclaimed, “ It doesn’t seem possible! One day at a frankfurter stand, and you cleared one hundred—” ‘Easy come, easy go,” he grinned. *T got about six feet away from the place, when a fellow stuck a gun into my stomach and cleaned me out.” “And you gave it to him?” “Yes, lady. I just let him take my . profit and my gross receipts. I’m about sixty-six dollars loser on my first day as a merchant, thus demonstrating that all is not gold that glitters, or what have you.” “ But the police will get it back.” “You are nothing but an unsophis- ticated child. The police never get any- thing back except an automobile that is insured, and you don’t want that back.” Impulsively Nora grasped his hand and squeezed it. “ I’m so sorry, Les,” she exclaimed. ‘I don’t think I ever COMMGCEIOOKS (E@)