The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

606 THE Her tone was of stricken reproachfulness. Then, only a little less sadly, she asked, “When?” “Now,” he growled. ‘I’ve got to start just as soon as I can and drive like—the dickens or the whole—” Again he choked down one word and replaced it with an- other—‘‘the whole infernal, confounded business will go to smash.” “But, Hardy—the dance to-night. I wanted you to meet some friends. I wanted —and you were going to teach me to swim this afternoon. Why—you can’t go.” She was almost in tears. “Say,” he groaned, ‘“‘you don’t feel half as badly about it as I do. Here I’ve worked and slaved and gone without sleep and meals for a month—and now I can’t get off for a couple of days without having the whole gang of men walk out and the,people who have given orders threaten to take them back and—everything going to thun- der. ‘Business! ’’*he uttered the word as if it were the name of the most venomous of serpents. “You might suppose a man with his own business would have about half the liberty of a day laborer. I wish to heaven I’d never gone to sleep the night I had the pipe dream of making automobiles on my own hook! It’s making a wreck of me. I’m sick of it.” Some feminine minds are peculiar about business. They get wofully jealous of it because it seems to absorb too much of their lovers’ attention. Yet they don’t grow a bit enthusiastic over the idea of having their lovers quit it. Arlene suddenly dis- covered that Hardy really meant what he said. Then— ‘Well, business has to come before pleas- ure,” she told him sympathetically. ‘I sup- pose we'll have to try to be thankful that you’re making such a success of it.” “Success of it!”? Orton repeated scorn- fully. “Oh, yes, it’s a howling success. Here, I’ve put all the money I own into the thing; I’ve averaged nineteen hours a day working like a hundred-horsepower engine; I’ve got myself so tired it’s a heart-breaking effort to think—all to get things into shape so that, if I quit the works for twenty-four hours, the whole dashed outfit is ready to bu’st and leave me looking for next week’s meals in the bread-line.” “You poor boy!” she spoke soothingly now. “It’s awfully hard getting things started. But it won’t be so hard after you ‘car cleaner. ARGOSY. get this lot of cars sold and paid for. And you can come down here then and take a whole week’s rest.” He laughed bitterly. ‘Oh, yes, I'll be able to rest. If this keeps up much longer I'll rest in a padded cell. A lot of difference it will make to me then, whether I’m a car manufacturer or a I'll tell you right now, if I could break half way even, I’d sell out to anybody who could pay me on the instal- ment plan. I’d be ahead at that—ahead of where I will be two months from now.” “Oh, no you wouldn’t,” Arlene coun- tered, laying her hand on his arm as he brought the car to a standstill with a vicious jerk on the emergency brake. ‘““Wouldn’t I?” he said. ‘“‘Well—good-by. The Lord knows when I can get down here again.” “Oh, you are going to have lunch before you start,” she exclaimed. “Yes, at the quick-lunch counter on the next block. I haven’t time to eat a meal like a human being any more,” he answered. “But you must.” ‘“Yes—I must not. I wish I could. I’m getting indigestion so badly I'll go broke paying doctor’s bills if I don’t go broke on the business.” “You'll not go broke,” she prophesied, an encouraging smile on her face. “We can’t get married if you do that.” “Oh, I can get a job where I can earn some money,” he replied. “I don’t see much hope of our getting married on what I’m making now.” “You'll be making money in a little while,” she tried to reassure him. ‘Then, as she gave him a parting kiss, she paused and studied his troubled face a moment. “Hardy,” she suddenly demanded, “how soon will you have this lot of cars off your hands?” “Friday, I hope,” he answered. don’t—”’ | | ‘Well, then, I want you to promise me that you'll spend next week’s end with me here. It will do you good; you need it. You’ve got to have some rest and pleasure. That will give you something to look for- ward to and be cheerful about, won’t it?” “Tt would, if I could promise. I can’t, Arlene,” he answered dolefully. “Yes you can. You must,” she insisted. “Well, I will if I can—if it isn’t a case of going busted entirely. You wouldn’t want me to do that?” he said. “Tal EOPMIGLOOOKS (©)