Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

} | r 510 “You're prettier and have more sense than both of them put together.” ‘Thanks; it’s nice if you really think so.” Their eyes met. For the first time Les felt a thrill from a glance of a cirl’s eyes. These were so deep and dark and blue. Nora dropped her long black lashes over the disturbing azure Is. “Then if you were J, you would open up and see if things improve minus what I assume to be the cause of my brief prosperity.” “Unless you would prefer to go back to a salary for selling lots in Laguna.” “ Tt’s like this, Nora: if there is a barrel of money in it, I can stand being a frankfurter vender, but I am not going to do it for a bare living. It’s no better than being a waiter in a cheap restaurant. I am ashamed of myself all the time.” “Does your friend, Mr.—er—Chip- munk mind it?” Les laughed. “It’s burning him up. He ducked down behind the counter a couple of times this week when he saw people he knew passing.” Laugh wrinkles appeared at the cor- ners of her eyes and her teeth flashed brilliantly. “You poor kids,’ she said. “I know how you feel. Now, if you had not gone to college and hadn’t been strutting around the business district looking like ‘ coming men,’ you would not think anything of it. “Vet you are better off than nine out of ten of the young fellows who look so swagger on lower Broadway. Your hundred-five dollars’ profit this week is twice what most of them make. 'And you have twenty thousand dollars capital. That’s a lot of money, Les.” “T’ll say it is,” he grinned. . “You could open quite a fine res- taurant with that; only the town is full of restaurants, and you don’t know anything about the business.” He shook his head. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “ Toasting frankfurters is about our limit in the culinary line.” “The thing for you to do is to hold on to your capital and watch for a good opportunity. I don’t suppose Mr. Chipmunk would refuse to use it in some other line. He isn’t wedded to the hot-dog business.” y “‘ Another week like the last will kill im.” “T heard Mr. Davenport tell some one that ten thousand dollars cash is enough to swing a hundred-thousand- dollar deal any time,” she said thought- fully. “ You know he only paid fifteen thousand dollars cash down for La- guna-by-the-Sea.” “He was stung at that.” “No, he wasn’t. He paid one hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars for the land, subdivided it to sell for a million and a half, and he has already sold twenty-five thousand dollars’ worth; enough to give him back his cash in- vestment and pay off ten thousand eiere worth of notes when they come ue.” “Well, we can’t take chances like that. By Jove!’ What?” Lester’s eyes were shining. “Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money,” he exclaimed. “It ought to swing a two-hundred-thousand-dol- lar deal. Nora, I’m going to form a hot-dog trust.” A peal of laughter did not daunt him. ‘‘T mean it,” he insisted. “ With my business training, what a sap I’ve been not to see it! I’ll organize all the frank- furter stands in down town New York. Some of them I can buy for a hundred dollars-cash, some would want more, but P’ll make them take cash and stock. “Tl get a couple of hundred in the combine, then double prices. Ill be able to buy the material direct from the manufacturers in big quantities. Now is the time when they all think they are going to be ruined because of this newspaper talk.” Gomicbook (C@)