Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

700 _ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. horse block. I give a yell of warning and was answered by a laugh. As the car was. within five feet of the horse block it turned aside, rolled up to the block, and stopped. I looked into the car, and; then I laughed, too. Jimmie and Sadie was sitting in the front seat. Sadie was at the wheel and Jimmie had an arm slid across the back of the seat. The arm was kind of cuddled up against Sadie’s shoulders. “How’s that, Mr.. Tom. Hill?” Sadie says; and I see that her eyes was brighter than ever and her cheeks—golly, “they would have made a rose wonder why so many pomes had been wrote to roses. I never seen joy flaming in | cheeks like that before. ““Do-you think I will ever learn to run this boat, Mr. Tom Hill?” Sadie goes on. “ Jimmie insisted on~giving me a lesson this late at night. He says it’s my car. Isn’t that’ just fine, Mr. Tom Hillp And isn’t it just glorious that Jimmie -has start- ed in a big business for himself? Why, he will soon run ’Lije out into the street. It’s just what I-have been hoping he would do. The idea of a man with his’ business ability and knowing as much about the grocery trade as he does being just a clerk for ‘Lije. Wasn’t it perfectly ridiculous, Mr. Tom Hill? Don’t you think this is a lovely car? “ Wasn’t my party just fine? I’m going to give one every month from now on. Wasn’t it dandy that Jimmie got home when he did, so we could dance together? Will you come to all my parties, Mr. Tom Hill? You looked just splendid to-night. You made a big hit with everybody, especially Miss Byerly. Why don’t you get married, Mr. Tom Hill? ‘You’re not an old man yet, by any means. Jimmie told me how you helped him-to get started in his business. You are going to help him all you can, aren’t you, Mr. Tom Hill? You have so _ many friends. You will speak a good word for the store, won’t you, Mr. Tom Hill?” It was some barrage she was layin’ down, believe me, and finally I yelled “ Whoa!” and she let up so I could get in-a word edge- ways. “Yes,” says I— « yes to all your ques- tions, though I don’t remember now what they all was. Anything you ask me to do, however, I- will do. ‘I’ve always been for you, Sadie, and I’m for you stronger than ever now. As for Jimmie and me going round together, why, there was some fun. in that. Jimmie—” | “Ty thought I heard something knocking in that engine, Tom,” Jimmie interrupts. ‘‘ Have you got a monkey wrench, Mr. ‘Tom Hill?” “Why, two-three out to the barn,” I says. “* But—” “Lend me one for just a minute,” Jim- mie says; and he jumped out of the car with a flash light in his hand. “ Just a minute, honey, and we will continue your lesson,” he says to Sadie. We went out to the barn, but as I had expected, Jimmie didn’t ask me to hunt for _no monkey wrench. He laid a hand on my arm and fairly hissed into my ear: “For the love of- Mike, Tom, don’t go - telling Sadie anything about what you and I have been doing in the last few days. She must never know about my gambling with Ike and smoking my head off and walloping Billy, and all that stuff. Billy is going to make a pretty good clerk, I think, and I don’t want to. make any trouble for him. I don’t want.my wife to think I am a rough- neck,’?: I pretended to cough and turned my head over my shoulder polite, as it’d seem, but really so Jimmie wouldn’t see the smile that jumped to. my lips before I could stop it. If Sadie didn’t know about his doings already, I was @ poor guesser. “Why,” I says when I got through coughing, “I’m mum. You mustn’t tell Sa- die [ let you gamble neither. It would look bad, me being an officer of the law.” “Your hand on it, Mr. Tom Hill,” he says, and we gripped in the dark of my driveway. “ Where’s the wrench?” | Sadie _ Says when we come back, and I knowed she was smiling, though I didn’t dare look at her. “Just let me start the engine and I'll listen for that knock,” Jimmie says; and’ he started the engine, and said he guessed there wasn’t no knock after all. ~ Then he got into the car and Sadie start- ed it on its zigzag way again. They went up and down the street for nearly an hour, (C(O) nn) (C 6)(0)O) S (C(O)