Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

530 “Yes, sir,” agreed Chisholm. agree with you.” Judson abruptly sat down and leaned forward, his bony index finger pointed di- rectly at the manager. His voice fell from the rhetorical pitch to a confidential tone. “Listen! Have we got a man we can trust? One that’s absolutely loyal to the interests of Judson & Co.?” “Plenty of them, I venture to say.” ‘““T want one we’re sure of—one that’s been with us for some time—one that’s keen and knows the business, and one that we can get into the General Supply Com- pany without them knowing where he’s from. ‘That means he’ll have to be incon- spicuous. Who do you suggest?” “ Bennett?” said Chisholm tentatively. “Brooks? Sedgwick?” “No, no, no! Bennett’s too well known. Brooks’s eyés are too close together—never did like him, although I guess he’s a good enough man for his job. Sedgwick? H-m! He’s pretty young—hasn’t been with us long. Let me see, you recommended him, didn’t you? Connection of yours?” “ Not exactly. Not yet. He’s engaged to my. wife’s sister.” “Qh. Trustworthy? Sure of him?” “Quite. He feels that he owes me a lot.” “‘H-m! Pretty young, though. And they might find out he knows you. Can’t be too careful. Perfectly legitimate, of course, but we can’t be too careful. Haven’t a doubt but that they did the same to us. No—it’s got to be somebody inconspicuous, simple- looking but keen and loyal. We ought to have a man of that stamp. Haven’t we?” “ Why—er—let me see!” Chisholm’s smooth brow wrinkled into an outward sem- blance of deep thought. Suddenly. he burst out laughing. ‘“‘ We’ve got a man who fits part of the requirements perfectly,” he said. “ He’s as inconspicuous as an oyster and as loyal as a one-man dog! And he knows the business from bottom to top. But I’m afraid he isn’t very keen.” ce Who?” .s “Little old Denny.” Mere mention of the man caused Chisholm to laugh. “Dan Denny!” snapped Amos Judson. “The very man! Funny I didn’t think of “T quite ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. him myself. But he’s so inconspicuous no- body would think of him. And don’t make any mistake about him being keen! He was keen enough in his mild way to steal the best secretary I ever had. Send him in, Chisholm—send him in!” Thus it happened that “little old Den- ny,” who was neither very old nor below the average size, but who had seemed so ever since he entered the employ of Judson & Co. as a young shipping clerk, was sum- moned to the shrine of soap. In conveying the message of Amos Jud- son, Chisholm chose to be facetious. “The old man wants you, Danny Den- ny,” said he. ‘I think he’s going to offer you a half partnership, because you're the champion human adding machine.” Little old Denny slid off his stool in the cashier’s cage, nervously smoothed his color- less hair, adjusted his tie so the frayed edge would not show, and looked at Chisholm through his spectacles. They gave his eyes a mild, pale-blue appearance, even when, as now, he was seeing red. He blushed and, trembling, shuffled to the private office of Amos Judson. “Did you want me, sir?” he asked fur- tively, as he saw Amos bent over his desk in thought. He was ready to spring out through the open door if the old man should bark one of his violent negatives. “ Sit down, Denny.” And little old Denny moved warily to the chair beside the flat-topped desk. He sat on its edge, his legs trembling like those of a sprinter as he toes the mark. He was as inconspicuous as an oyster; Chisholm had not libeled him there. His blue serge suit was the exact copy of a million other blue serge suits in the city of New York. His face, rather finely formed, was utterly commonplace. In his whole appearance, even under close scrutiny, there was only one conspicuous thing—and that was his inconspicuousness. In a peremptory tone of command Amos Judson told Denny what he wanted. There was no flattery in his selection of Denny. He told him frankly that it was because “ nobody ever notices you.” “T can fix up a letter of introduction and reference—all that sort of thing—from COPMICGLOOOKS (E@)