Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

MR. BINGER store and shut himself up in a telephone booth. ‘Connect me with the chief at once, Miss Broughton,” he said eagerly, when he got his number. “ This is Parker talking. Of course. Don’t you recognize my voice? Certainly [ mean Mr. Binger. I must talk to him immediately. It is a matter of the greatest urgency.” ‘“That’s too bad,” Miss Broughton, the switchboard operator of Horace Binger & Co., responded. ‘‘ That your business is so urgent, I mean, Mr. Parker. I can’t connect you with the boss. He isn’t in his office. Went out about half an hour ago, and left no word when he’d be back. Would anybody else do?” “Holy mackerel!” Ralph Henry groaned. “ Talk about rotten luck! I suppose you haven’t any idea where Mr. Binger could be reached?”’ ‘““No idea at all.” “Then give me Mr. Westphal, cashier,” Parker demanded desperately. The voice which came to him presently over the wire was not a pleasant one. Old “ Squeeze-a-Penny ” Westphal was the of- fice grouch, and his manner of speech was in keeping with his disposition. “What is it?” he rasped. “Mr. Westphal,” said Ralph Henry, “this is Parker, of the Eastern sales de- partment. I am up-town, on an errand for the chief, and—I’m in trouble. I’ve had my pocket picked. My wallet, containing a thousand-dollar bill, has been taken, and—” “A thousand-dollar bill! My word! That’s a lot of money? Have you notified the police?” ‘Not yet. I intend to do so later. But I—that’s not the point. The idea is that I must have seventy-five thousand dollars immediately. It’s very important. li—” “Young man, you sound to me as if you had been imbibing.” ‘“ T swear to you that I am perfectly so- ber. I am up here on business for the boss, and I must have the money sent to me at once. You see, Mr. Westphal, this is the situation. [—” He broke off suddenly. Two young men had drawn near_the telephone booth and the BUYS A BED. 349 were standing in an obviously listening at- titude. Parker was quite sure that he’rec- ognized them as two of the newspapermen who had been covering the auction sale. “IT can’t very well go into details now,” he told the cashier., “It is an exceeding- ly confidential matter, and there are a cou- ple of eavesdropping chaps outside trying to catch on to the secret. If they find it out, the fat will be in the fire. I daren’t men- tion any names, but I—the party I spoke of before wanted me to make a purchase up-town, and as I have told you, I have, | unfortunately, lost the money. send—” : “Lost it! You said just now that you had been robbed.” “Of course. But the money has gone. That’s what I’m trying to make you under- stand. I’ve got to have seventy-five thou- sand dollars in less than an hour, or—”’ “Why seventy-five thousand? You said the amount that was stolen from you was a thousand.”’ “But that was only a deposit. I must have all the money now. And there isn’t any time to be lost. If you will rush some- body up here with it right away, Mr. West- phal—”’ ‘Young man, I am quite sure now that, in spite of the prohibition iaw, you have managed to become intoxicated,” the cash- ler cut in. “ Your talk is disgracefully in- coherent. Seventy-five thousand dollars, eh? I shall report this impertinence to Mr. Binger, and see that you are discharged for annoying me in this outrageous man- ner.”’ ; Parker started to protest, but found that he was trying to talk over a “dead ” wire. The indignant Mr. Westphal had rung off. He deposited another nickel, and got a con- nection with the office again. The switch- board operator, however, refused to put him back on the cashier’s extension line. ““T daren’t do it, Mr. Parker,” she told him. “ He’s got a big drag with the boss, and he’d have me fired. He called me down something fierce just now for letting you bother him the first time. Why don’t you come down-town and have a talk with him?” Ralph Henry decided that he had better If you will Eomichoo <S (Eo)