Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

726 Then that afternoon, who should blow in but Sam Gintz, a pal of the old days when we was kids, swimming Hell Gate and rais- ing general devilment on our block. I hadn’t laid eyes on him since and we sure shook the glad fist. Said he was hitting it back for Iowa in the morning and wanted me to go pardners with him. I told him nix. “Why not, bud?” he growled like he al- ways did when somebody crossed him. “I got a bird of a scheme. Noiseless dumb- waiters. All you gotta do is jolly a bunch of rich old dames into taking over a little stock. That oughta be as easy as selling smoke screens in Pittsburgh for a good- looking guy like you, Bill.” . I admitted it ought to, but I still held out. “Blame it, what’s the matter with you, you brass-lined old iull-slinger?” he roared in fond tenderness. To show him what the matter was I doped out the cute little idea of having him horn in on me and Poll’s anniversary blow- out. So I give her a ring. “Listen, sweet,” I began. “ I’m dragging my old side-kick, Sam Gintz, what I was telling you about, to our little supper to- night. Get hold of friend Annie, will you, and us four ‘ll breeze down Broadway to one of them swell feed palaces.” Poll’s voice sounded kinda faint and far away. “Oh, then we’re not going down to the little place where we—” “ Naw, hon. I wouldn’t take Sam to no cheap joint like that.” “ And won’t we celebrate our—our being engaged—just you and me alone, Bill?” ‘“‘ Gosh, kitten, I gotta pay some attention to my friends, ain’t I, when they only come to the home burg for a couple days? Climb into your nice little blue dress, cuteness, and me and ‘you and Annie and Sam ‘Il all celebrate the happy day.” Poll suddenly got enthusiastic. “Sure, Bill, that will be just great! crazy to meet this Mr. Gintz.”’ “Ye-ah?” I said. “Um—hum! If he’s your friend, Bill, he must be an awful nice man.” “ Ye-ah, he’s all right,” I admitted, will- I’m ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ing to give Gintz a boost for old times’ sake, yet thinking private he ain’t as much as he tells me he is. Not that I’m in the habit of slugging my friends. So Sam and I ambled around for the girls that night and I near keeled over when I laid my lights on Poll. Annie always was a flashy dresser, but Poll never went in for the joy rags and it riled me to see her tiz- zled up in that snaky red dress with the paint shining on her face like a Dutch doll’s. And when I said: “Shake hands with Mr. Gintz, Poll,” she giggled silly. ‘ Oh, I’m so pleased to meet you, Mr. Gintz! Bill has been telling me some of the wonder- ful things you used to do!” We ail packed into a taxi, Sam sitting across from Poll, and the way they ogled each other would make you sick. I didn’t know what was eating her. Here I invite my old friend to look over the nice little girl I’d picked for the wife and she turns out to be a painted, wild Injun. Getting out of the yellow bus, Sam helped her down, and she said: “ Oh, Mr. Gintz,” simpering like when he took her arm. All through dinner she feasted on Sam’s monologue about himself, looking over at me once in a while and asking: “‘ What was you saying, Bill dear?” with a little laugh in her voice as if she was poking fun at me. It was enough to make any man sore. Then she and Sam got up to dance, and I near rose out of my seat to see the snaky way she was twisting in his arms. Of a sudden there come back the picture of that girl out at Sumatra and how she writhed like a wet seal. And to think my Poll could do it! All right, if she wanted to make a fool of herself, let her. She couldn’t make one out of me. So I hitched over a little nearer this dame Annie and strung her along in good shape. She fell for it, too. Not that I’m any Valentino with the ladies, but I ain’t no Will Rogers either. Poll’s eyes sure was popping when she come back to the table with Sam and seen me petting Annie’s paw. I guess that showed her I wouldn’t stand for nonsense. The evening dwindled, Poll and Sam act- ing up worse and worse and me and Annie trying to raise the limit. Go VNOOKS (C@