Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

~THE MILLIONAIRE PIKER. “Mr, Remington,” she said, “2 Mr. yee is outside and wants to see you.” “Ask him to wait for a fer minutes, afid then I ‘Il see him. Meanwhile ask Mr. Talmage to come in here.” The girl went out, and a minute or two later Talmage came into Remington’s room. “Holy smoke, Tom, who’s the cheerful old bear outside?” ““That, Tal, is Garretson’s ney, Richard A. Victor.” — ‘‘ Say, he seems stirred up.” “Does he?” Remington smiled a little to himself. Then he stepped to the door and said: ** Come in, Mr. Victor.” And as Victor came in, he added: am Thomas Remington, and this is my partner, Mr. Talmage.” There was an obvious failure on the part of Victor to offer a hand to either partner. But Remington added as suavely as pos- sible: ‘ Be seated, please, Mr. Victor.” “ No,” Victor snapped, “ I won’t be seat- attor- ed. What the hell do you mean by writing a blackmailing letter like this to my client, John Garretson, on behalf of a blackmailing woman?” Remington got up out of his seat, walked over to the door, opened it, turned to Vic- . tor and then said: “ Good day, Mr. Victor.” Victor looked at him, guiped a moment, and sat down. “IT beg your pardon, gentlemen. “Iam afraid I lost my temper.” “You have gone too far, Mr. Victor,” Remington said, “ for us to try to negotiate. No man can accuse us or a Client of ours of blackmail and then expect to have us go on negotiating. You might as well get out, for we refuse to have anything more to say to you.” Victor got up and started toward the door. As he passed out he growled: “ All right, if you’d rather fight, let’s fight.” As he disappeared, Remington said to his partner: “ Well, Tal, now we’ve got to get our papers out in a hurry. I want Garretson served before he gets back from lunch. That remark of his attorney is going to cost him just ten thousand dollars. Come, let’s get busy.” ce L 635 By one o’clock the summons and com- plaint in a breach of promise action were typewritten and in the hands of the best process server in New York for service upon the banker. At two o’clock the process server was back in the office and reported that Garretson had been served. While Remington was still talking to the process server, Miss Keyes tapped on his door and asked if the embargo was still on Victor for telephone calls. Remington told her it was. He chuckled as he heard her say over the telephone: “I am sorry, Mr. Victor, but he will not speak to you.” In less than fifteen minutes Victor’s senior partner, Canfield, was announced as calling on Remington. “Ask him to come in, Miss Keyes,” Remington replied to the announcement. Miss Keyes opened the door and said: “ Mr. Canfield.” Canfield introduced himself, and then Remington called Talmage in and intro-— duced him. “T have here,” Canfield began, “ a sum- mons and complaint in an action brought by you on behalf of your client Mildred Long against John Garretson. What does your client want?”’ “She asks for thirty-five thousand dol- lars damages.” “T know that. I have read the papers. Now, what does she want, and what will she take?” “The complaint states that her dam- -- ages come to thirty-five thousand dollars. That is the sum she wants, and that i is the sum she will take.” “ ‘Phat is ridiculous, Mr. Remington. No jury would ever give her that amount.” -"We are quite willing to take our chanees on a jury. I just want you to read a statement she has given us of the facts in this situation. I have it here on my desk.” He shuffled the papers areca for a minute or so, and then having located the statement, he handed it to Canfield. “ There it is. Just read that, please.” Canfield took the statement and read it through carefully. As he finished he mur- mured to himself: “‘ The damn fool.’” ft Comicbooks (E@)