Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

948 the open space before small desks so that from a distance through the window it looked like a schoolroom. Every man had to report before going out in the morning and come back before leaving for the night. I was in charge of that bunch for a couple of years, It was just after the war and khaki shirts were still going big with those boys who were lucky enough to be able to dig up a dependent. There was no talk of bonus yet and not much worry about the tax, so in those days doughboys were still getting a ninety-ten call on any jobs that were open. = We were all seated waiting for the get- away hour when the latch clicked and the door knob turned. That was a signal for the weariest to get on their toes, for you never could tell when a customer might blow in and “finding was keepin’s”’ with that hungry bunch. But one look through the door was enough to convince those eagle eyes that the bird comin’ in was no prospect. He wore a khaki shirt, blue pants that were all grease stained and a checkered cap. Well—I figured to myselfi—he might be wantin’ to buy a truck. At any rate I had nothin’ to lose but shoe leather and little of that as he was comin’ at me at a pretty good gait. “My name is Sandy O’Malley and I’m lookin’ fer a job,” he came right out, nary another word. “The entrance to the repair department is in the rear,” I answered just as blunt, figurin’ him to be a mechanic. “That don’t interest me a little bit,” he snapped back; not fresh, but Just snappy like. ‘T’m lookin’ for a salesman’s job.” IT looked at his square jaw stickin’ out and his blue eyes cocked and I figured that the boss himself had better give this baby the razz. ‘“‘ Come with me,” I said, leading him into Bowling’s office, leaving the glass door open as I went out so that I might hear the fire- works as well as see them. Bowling looked at the khaki shirt and that helped the Irishman a bit anyway. “Well, what’s up, my boy?” he asked O'Malley. “ What can I do for your” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Well, we both kin do somethin’ fer one another,” the kid backfired. ‘“’m lookin’ fer a job as a flivver sales- man,” “You are, eh?” I could see Bowling studyin’ the youngster all the time and tryin’ to get his wits together, as this Mick is too quick for him at the tail end of a saleless day. “Got more salesmen now than I know what to do with,” Bowling drawled, watch- ing this cuckoo out of the corner of his eye, his feet still cocked up on the desk. “They can’t be the right kind or you wouldn’t be sayin’ that. Salesmen to a business are just like home runs to a ball team. You never can git enough of them,” he came back quick as a flash. That made old grouch sit up and take notice and he acted kind of civil to the boy. ‘“‘ What made you come in here?” he asked, wheelin’ around in his chair and tak- ing his feet off the desk. “Well, I was passin’ by and I seen all them desks in front and I thought it must be a reform school or something with all them fellers sittin’ there lookin’ like they was punished. Then I see that sign hangin’ there,” and he pointed to the notice in the outside office reading: Salesmen who sell eight automobiles dur- ing a month will receive a $roo bonus in addition to the regular twenty-five- ‘Ten automobiles, Twenty, dollar commission. $150. Fifteen, $200. Twenty-five, $500. THIRTY AUTOMOBILES—$1,000 GO TO IT, BOYS! $300. “And let me tell you, boss, that’s just what I need, a thousand dollars. There’s a good payin’ garage I can buy with that. A thousand dollars is just what I need.” He talked so earnestly that not one of us out there as much as smiled. Well, you couldn’t help liking the kid, he came out so honest with it. All of us when we first came there silently dreamed of that thou- sand berries, but none of us ever spilled it; and after hittin’ the pavement for a couple COMMmicoooks.e@