Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

nestra’ I played the drums, and I got _ round-shouldered from carrying my weekly jack home. Why don’t they grow free _ spenders like that now?” y ~ They grow,’ I assured him. a story last week.” “ The editor ought to be fired,” Eddie commented. “ Anyway, Montana occupied the same seat during the first week the show ran, and sent invitations around for €very one in the company to come out to his country place for the week-end; Sat- urday night to Monday afternoon. Those that went raved all during Monday night’s performance. Of course Lolita didn’t go. Too proud! Boy, they talked about the sunken garden, and the reception hall, and the guest chambers as though they'd never lived in a sixth-floor back walk-up. “I should whisper about Lolita?” Eddie inquired, and then answered his own ques- tion: “ Not in a million years! I do know that Dan Reilly, the usher, took a note to Montana on Tuesday evening. The human bulldog was in the same seat; he had no difficulty in getting it. Outside of the cut- price theatergoers, relatives of the chorus girls, and the ushers, the theater was empty. ‘On the following day I heard further details. Lolita came in, and that Wednes- day evening performance was a scorcher. On the stage she was sweet and lovely; back stage she raised hell. She battled with the he-lead, she slapped a chorus girl, she sassed the stage manager, and she insulted every- body in the cast. “Chet Van Wert came around with his usua] armful of flowers. She was icily po- ___ lite to him, and he started to talk to Maida _ Warren, a chorus lady. Lolita saw them, and e volcano erupted. «That girl spoils the entire show, I jink,’ Lolita began, calmly. Then she ared at Maida ten, twenty, thirty seconds. her out of here!’ ““T sold t part. ed her to go to dinner with — 2 cc an eT Pt > EU m =< 2h .. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. not been teleph E : humiliated. her an eo felt wasn't both. ered much by the news that Maida was th chick that Montana was coming to the sho - to see. m “ But Lolita thought fast. Adams Montana had Bm her down, and a made her like him. Women know ales Y a4 man. I remem- ~ Just a moment, Eddie, All the I've snubbed,” I said, “have iostaanlt snubbed me. Don’t generalize about women.” “ Leave it lay. Let’s get on. Women don’t follow rules, anyhow. “So Lolita thought that she’d switch. Immediately after ordering Chet to dis- charge Maida, Lolita rushed over and they embraced. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re going to din- ner with us, dear!’ That’s what Lolita chortled. And maybe she got by with it; I dunno. ‘Far be it from me to pass a remark about a lady. I know what Lolita was after, and so do you. Chet Van Wert was a good guy; a little loose with his money; bugs about Lolita. But Lolita had heard whispers that the family was going to give Chet the razz, and she was looking for an- other gent with gelt. From the booze, fa- vors, autos, and ef cetera, at Montana’s country home, he must own a mint. So it looked to Lolita, and I thought the same. ‘‘ After the theater I whanged a sneering triangle in one of those all-night supper clubs. Naturally, since it was the newest and most expensive in New York, the party of four went there. Lolita looked like what she was; Maida looked like what she was. There was some contrast at that table. “Chet Van Wert, young, clean-cut, nicked a little by the bright lights; Adams from Montana, heavy, thick-set, bulldog face, prosperous; Lolita, jewels and more jewels, a dress that shrieked, complexion— too much, perfumed, blasé and superior, Maida, trim, smart, very faint complexion, wearing a coat suit and a little frill of white at her throat and wrists. “J Jeave it to you to say who made . | comicbooks.com