Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

THIEVES’ “You mean he’s hard to deal with, eh?” “Hard? Say, you better beat it while you're still all together.” Rand eyed her shrewdly. “Makes you work pretty hard, does he?” Miss Groehl raised her eyebrows and chewed vehemently on her gum for a moment, “Do you think I’d be stickin’ here with this slave driver if the pay wasn’t good? Gawd, that baby don’t know a thing about takin’ it easy.” Rand looked incredulous. “‘T never heard they paid very good salaries in this business,” he said. “Would it be an impertinence to ask how much you're getting?” | “ Yeah, it would.” Rand grinned. “Well, I guess you couldn’t knock down more than twenty a week at this sort of thing.” “Twenty a week!’ Miss Groehl was incensed. “ Twenty a week! Say, bud- dy, I’m the boss’s private secretary, I am. I get twenty-seven fifty. And that reminds me, I’m busy. “Vou better beat it, and don’t try to sell nothing to Korbeck. He'll eat you up.” “Do you mean to tell me,” said Rand slowly, “that you only get twenty-seven fifty?” “What do you mean, ‘ only twenty- seven fifty ’?” “That’s awful,” said Rand, with a long face. “ My gosh, I know a job that’s open right now where yourd get thirty-five—to start.” - Miss Groehl’s eyes widened. “Yeah?” “ Sure, and I’d be glad to give you the steer, if you want it.” “ Say, I don’t believe in Santa Claus, buddy. What do you want?” “T don’t want anything,” Rand as- sured her. “I just heard of this job to-day. Up at Atlas Insurance. If you are interested, I’ll call up the boss right now.” MARKET. A5L Miss Groehl looked uncertain. She didn’t believe in philanthropy. “T can’t dope this out,” she said. Rand picked up the phone from her desk with a good-natured smile. Miss Groehl watched him closely. “Til call up the boss,” he said. Which he proceeded to do. A few moments later he heard Ham- ilton at the other end. “This is. Rand. open?” “What job?” asked Hamilton. “That’s great!’ breezed Rand. have just the girl for it.” “Say, what the devil!” “T was right about the salary, wasn’t I? Thirty-five a week?” “ Look here, Rand,” sputtered Ham- ilton, “ what the devil are you talking about ?” “You say she can start to-morrow at nine?” said Rand. “Fine! I'll send her up. By the way, could I see you in an hour or so?” “Yes,” snapped Hamilton, “ and you'll have some tall explaining to do!” Rand hung up the receiver and turned to Miss Groehl with a satisfied smile. “Hamilton and I are old friends,” he explained. “ You start to-morrow morning at thirty-five a week: How does that suit you?” Miss Groehl chewed excitedly. “ Certainly is swell of you.” “Don’t mention it. By the way, how’d you come to get your job here?” “ Through the Star Agency,” she ex- plained. “Gee, that dump? Does Korbeck hire all his people through them?” “Yeah. They done pretty good by him.” Rand got up casually. “Well, glad to of done you the turn, kid. You be at Atlas to-morrow at nine. So long.” And he ambled out. He had accom- plished his purpose. The girl would leave and he had learned where Kor- beck hired his people. Is that job still nee | Go VOOLKS (E@)