The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

600 The car was such as to sell itself at the price. By eleven o’clock he had sold the two unfinished cars, could have sold a third if he had wished. Orton had imagined that the moment of taking the first order for his own make of automobile would be the supreme one of his life. It passed almost unnoticed, since he had the second customer asking questions as the first put his name at the bottom of the order and wrote out his check for the deposit. He hurried with the checks and one of his own to the bank and drew the money for the men, who would be back during the afternoon to collect their wages. As he saw the blue signs on the telegraph office he be- thought him to telephone the good news of his thus-far success to Arlene, now in At- lantic City. This thought was father to a seeming inspiration. What he needed was rest. The thrill was lacking because he was brain and body weary to the breaking point. A day at the shore! Arlene had already invited him. He would go and tell her the good news of the successful building and sale of the Orton cars. In her pleasure and enthusiasm for what he had done he would find the thrill he had missed. The men were too tired for more work to-day: to-morrow was Sunday, and though Sundays are not holidays ordinarily with garage men, the machinists engaged in man- ufacturing want it. All his men but Her- man had grumbled at having to work last Sunday. For two minutes he felt almost as happy as he had hoped he would be feeling at this time. His weariness fell from him. He was ready to undertake the long drive in his big car to Atlantic City; he would have been ready to undertake a drive to Pitts- burgh. Then he remembered. He _ started to turn back into the bank to draw more money. To take the trip, with due allow- ances for possible road needs, to have enough spending money to hold up his part in Arlene’s particular set, and to get back again, would require a hundred dollars at the very least. He did not have to look in his check-book to remember the rest. He had not left twenty dollars to his credit; he had allowed only ten in cash for his own personal needs, over and above what he must stop to leave THE ARGOSY. at the jewelry emporium as the instalment on Arlene’s ring. It flashed upon him that he could easily get another deposit or two on cars for the next delivery. He had fully expected to do so by Monday night. Then came the an- swer to this idea. The bank would be closed in half an hour; he could hardly demand specie payment for the deposit with an order; of six men who might be able to cash checks for him five were certainly off for week-end trips, and the sixth probably so. He simply couldn’t go. Suddenly it. seemed to Orton that the whole world was out of joint. The fates were conspiring to make him miserable, to thwart him, to keep from him the little pleasure he might have wherewith to relieve an overworked and dreary life. He entered the telephone pay-station on Broad Street. Then it occurred to him to save five cents and immediate payment by waiting until he got back to his own office. He clambered aboard his car and ran it back to his place of business. The familiar sight of the place palled on him, brought to his mind scores of things to be done. He realized that he should use the telephone for not less than half an hour. While some of the men who were supplying him with automobile parts had sent enough for the nine first cars, a few had insisted upon knowing how the first three went be- fore extending his credit for more. These must be informed of the sales made, it was important that they be given definite orders immediately, unless a day or two of delay result. He was tired, too tired for telephoning, too tired to talk. He went straight to his desk -and took down the receiver for the call to Atlantic City. As he got the con- nection finally established, Miss Stearn was coming toward him about some matter of business. She backed off to wait for him to finish with the ’phone. His call netted him the information that Miss Arlene Atherton had just gone out. It was the last straw. He hung up the re- ceiver wth a muttered imprecation. ‘Mr. Orton,” Miss Stearns now began, “there was a gentleman here while you were out. He wants a demonstration this after- noon, if possible. I told him there would be no cars ready for two weeks, but he said that would make no difference to him. He liked the car and would wait for it if the ECOPMICGOOOKS (E@)