Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

148 ought not to be allowed to work for her living. The place for her kind of women is in the home, and there were three or four young men earnestly endeavoring to incarcerate her there; the only one who wasn’t as much in earnest as he might have been was Lester Lucus. Bang! It was the door to Mr. Dav- enport’s office. Nobody ever slammed Mr, Daven- port’s door, and Nora ceased her art work to discover the cause of the sac- tilege. Lester Lucus was back. The young man was breathing deeply; there was an angry look in his gray eyes, even his red hair seemed to be bristling like the quills of a hedgehog, and his face was flushed. “The old crocodile!” he exclaimed. “The crumby old spider! Nora, along- side of Davenport a cockroach 1s a no- ble insect.” A look of concern painted itself upon the already painted face of the sunbeam of the Davenport Realty Company’s office. “Lester!” she exclaimed. “ You didn’t get thrown down?” Lester shook his flaxen locks; if they were not more red than flaxen, or not long enough to shake, it is a pretty figure of speech. “ Down,” he remarked, “ and out.” “ Fired?” “Even so, girl of my dreams. Now ask me why I have been fired.” “Well, why?” “ Because of my unconscionable rec- titude. Because my conscience did not permit me to tell that old German I took out to Laguna-by-the-Sea that the piece of swamp I showed him had no quicksands in it. Because my sales letters lack force—get that, Cassan- dra. The very letters for which you accused me of mendacity and moral turpitude—” “For Heaven’s sake,” pleaded Nora, “ forget you went to college, and talk American.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. sé Anyway, I’m chucked,” he grinned. “ Thrown out into the snow without the marriage certificate, minus the diamonds, and with a blot upon my escutcheon.” “What’s an es—es— What you said?” “ Danged if I know. Something the old crusaders carried, a shield, or a clean handkerchief. If they got mud on it they were fired out of the Cru- saders’ Amalgamated Association for Mutual Welfare and Protection.” Nora’s eloquent eyes exhibited distress. “T’m awfully sorry, Les,” she said. “You're cuckoo, but I do like you. If you went back and asked to stay on at the old salary, don’t you think he’d let you?” Lester Lucus drew himself up to his full height and assumed a manner of hauteur. “Can you imagine me lowering my- self by going back? Do I look like a groveler? Can you see me lapping the polish off the boots of that crusty old persimmon ?” “Have you got any money?” she asked practically. “Not much, but I can always rob a bank. Between brigandage and selling lots in Laguna-by-the-Sea—what’s the difference?” ‘One way you go to jail, and the other way you keep out of it—if you are lucky. I hope what I said isn’t re- sponsible for this.” “Oh, no, Nora. I can’t live on what he pays me, and I intended to tackle him for a raise anyway. Tell papa— now that I can’t see you in the office any more, will you tip a fellow off where you park, where you play the piano, where you do your nightly neck- ing?” “Tf you mean where I live, [ am stopping with my aunt at 377 West Two Hundred and Eightieth Street.” “ Holy Moses—that’s a test of a man’s devotion. Nearly halfway to Albany.” (COLAMUCE MOOK (E@)