Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

By GORDON STILES ing the world will be one minute, and a perfect hell of a place the next? That was what Billy Carter thought as he stuffed the notes which represented his final pay from the Ironclad Hardware Company into his pocket and made his way out into Fourth Avenue. He had only himself to blame; he was well aware of that. It was that damned temper of his, he reflected gloomily. It had got him into trouble more than once. But this was the limit! He would not mind if it were not for Una. .Una! Her face rose swiftly before him. He could see her going happily about her work in their little flat up in the Dyckman section, quite unaware that her husband had lost his job fifteen minutes earlier! The vision caused Billy to grit his teeth and viciously curse Thomas J. Bitt, the slave-driving manager of the Ironclad Com- pany. 10 A ‘ Fr ine isn’t it—how bright and smil- 625 Again Billy lived over the swift and hec- tic events of the morning. He had come to his duties as head of the export invoice department, quite as usual. If anything he had been in a more than ordinarily amiable frame of mind. His work was well in hand and things at home were running as smoothly as they do in most homes where the budget has to be rather neatly balanced. His married life of just over a year’s duration had proved to him that Una was the finest and sweetest and best girl in the world. The machinery of life was singing with a pleas- ant rhythm, and all was well. Then Billy had to go and throw the monkey wrench! Thomas J. Bitt, it must be said in fair- ness to Billy, was regarded as a hard boiled egg by his employees. Still, all of them, Billy included, had been prone to allow for that. Doubtless it had been harder for young COPMNICLOOOKS (E@)