Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

RED Nora looked doubtful. “JT don’t think you have money enough for that. Besides, there is nothing to prevent others from coming in and underselling you.” “Locations are everything. Give me a hundred busy corners, and I don’t care who is operating in the side streets. Tl open an office and put Colter in charge of it; that will make him happy; install a stenographer—” “Me,” declared Nora. “I hate working for Davenport. Tl be your stenographer, and I'll keep my eye on Mr. Colter. That name Chipmunk makes him sound flighty.” ““No-o,” he hesitated. “ We may blow up, and then you'll be out of a job.” “T can get another one. Good sec- retary-stenographers are scarce. Do you think you have enough money, Les? “ Probably not, but I'll make it do.” “ Do you think it’s right to risk Mr. Colter’s money ?” “ He insists upon gambling it,” Les- ter said grimly. “T’ll give my two weeks’ notice Monday,” she declared. “ Maybe | can get away by next Saturday.” After dinner they went to a picture show, which Les did not watch because he was too busy with his great scheme. However, he enjoyed the sympathetic presence of Nora, who understood the cause of his abstraction and did not dis- turb him, and he insisted upon accom- panying her all the way uptown, though she insisted she could easily go home alone on the subway. Lester stayed awake most of the night considering ways and means. It seemed to him that the depression in the frankfurter business was direct as- sistance from Providence in view of his new plan, and he prayed that it would last another couple of weeks, long enough to discourage the independent merchants. There were flaws in the plan, of course. Even with cash registers he HOT. 511 did not know but that the venders would steal from the company, and the installation of cash registers in a few score of places would mean a heavy cash outlay. There were, in the district, several quite elaborate, rather glorified hot- dog parlors, resplendent in red paint and operated by a corporation, but most of these were not well located, or so it seemed to him. Some of the venders would imme- diately retire from business and he would need men to replace them, good men, honest men. However, the trust idea thrilled him, and he was confident he could overcome the difficulties. He anticipated no trouble with Chip- munk. ‘That chicken hatcher believed the moon was made of green cheese, that a hundred frankfurter stands ought to make two million dollars a year profit, and he would embrace the notion of a trust with wild enthusiasm. Michael Arlen, before he obtained popularity in America, loved to jeer at us in a good natured manner. In one of his stories he declared that when an American said one ought to devote oneself to something “ worth while,” he meant “ making money.” It is a fact that next to making love, making money is about the most inter- esting thing Americans and other hu- man beings can think about, and next to making it ourselves we like to know how others make it. ‘ Lester proposed to make it out of lowly “ hot dogs,” not by selling them, but by promoting a trust, and in his enthusiasm he overlooked the type of individual who is ordinarily engaged in the frankfurter vending business. He found out Monday morning. The depression in the trade con- tinued Monday. During the regular rush hours of the forenoon Lester’s siren song drew only ten or twelve dol- lars into the till. About ten thirty he determined to intrust the establishment to Arthur Colter. “Don’t be afraid to yell at likely COPMICLOOKS (E@)