Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

960 young peaple who come in here to buy and Dwe looked pained for a moment, then he burst out laughing and slapped me on the back. “So that’s the way it is!” be roared. Then, in an aside: “ All right, you know I take the address and phone number of every custamer; there may be a chance for you; hope to goodness there is. She is the kind that would keep a man from loafing around radio stores at night and casting aspersions on the proprietors.” With that he was gone, back over to where the young man stood frowning at the set he seemingly hated to part with at the price offered. I went back to the girl’s side, a litte bolder now after the effect of my first effort. * Perhaps we can get Frisco, too,” I sug- gested. ‘‘ Here, I'll show you how to go about it.” With that I took one of her dainty little white hands—it felt as soft and cool as the petal of a rose—and placed it upon the dial. Putting my arm around behind her back I took her other hand and placed it upon the potentiometer. She colored and laughed prettily, and I colored and trembled frightfully, but, sure enough, after a moment we began to hear squawks which sounded like Frisco. Hur- riedly I threw the dials out of adjustment; T had no intention of picking up Frisco so promptly. I wanted it to be a long-drawn out process. Presently I heard Doc making the con- cluding remarks with which he always wound up a sale or a purchase, and sud- denly, at this juncture the girl, apparently forgetting me, spoke up. “Well, Dr. Edwards,” she said, “I like this set, but I won’t pay you one cent over fifty dollars for it.” There was an air of very definite finality about her remark, and Doc did one of those surprising things which make it interesting to watch him. THE U v ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Sold,” he said, without further quib- bling. I happened to have been in the store the day he bought the set the girl was taking, and I knew that he had paid forty-five dollars for it, so I didn’t say anything, as I certainly should have done i¥ he had charged her too much for it. “Will you wrap the set up for her?” asked Doc. “ Certainly,” I agreed quickly, “ and carry it home for her too if she’ll let me.” She blushed and smiled prettily, but answered nothing. Silence is ample con- sent, I said to myself. As I finished wrap- ping the thing up and put it under my arm Doc was counting out fifty-five dollars to the young man. A strange thing happened then. The young man picked up a five dollar bill and put it in his bill fold; the rest of the money he shoved back at Doc Edwards. “Why!” breathed Doc. ‘ What’s— what’s the idea?” “Tt's yours,’ retorted the young man angrily. a Mine?’ ‘‘ Sure,” snapped the young man. “ That — ‘lady is my wife; I’m paying for her set. I suppose if we came in here to exchange a three tube for a five tube set you’d have soaked us about twenty-five dollars to boot. We heard all about you, you old horse thief, before we came over here; so, for once, you can consider that you had something put over on you.” I stood there with my mouth gaping as the young man walked over, snatched the bundle out from under my arm—and then suddenly another strange thing happened. I dreamed that I was looking into an im- mense loud speaker and that I could see all the stars in the heavenly firmament at once, and some of them were jumping around playing leap-frog; acting, in fact, so as almost to bear out Doc’s theory which I had so often scoffed at. END U FRED MacISAAC’S NEXT,NEW SERIAL WILL START SOON. WATCH FOR IT. 10 A GOMIGDOOo C SS Co