Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

ae 674 ‘ H? are yuh, Hill,” says he to me. And that was the first time he had ever left the “ Mr. Tom ” offen the front of my name. 7 : I knowed then that he was considerable upset. “Nice, fine mornin’, ain’t it?” says I. ‘¢ Mebbe it is,” he says. isn’t.” His voice was kind of thick and husky ‘and the corner of his mouth lifted like the mouth of a dog that is considerin’ taking a nip at your pants leg. I got up and walked out to Jimmie, and he stopped when he saw me do it. I guess his natural po- liteness got the best of his grouch for the minute, because I don’t think he wanted to .talk to me or to any one else. . “ Going up toward the store?” says I. “Why, I suppose so,” he answers. ‘“‘ Where in hell else would I go?” I was dumfounded as we begun to move . _ along the sidewalk. That was the first time I had ever heard Jimmie Fraser swear, and it struck me as funny that he ripped out the word as glib as you please as if swear- ing was a habit with him. - “-How is business?” says I. ‘¢ At the store?” he asks. right, I guess. "Lije is making money, but he isn’t paying any of it to me that I can notice.” “ Whyn’t you hit. him for a raise?” I asks. He makes a kind of a sound in his throat that might have passed for a laugh, only it wasn’t. I seen his eyes go bright all of a sudden, though. But he didn’ t say noth- ing. “ How is.the missus?” I eased to him then. Up went his head; he squared his shoul- _ ders. “Very well, indeed,” he says. “ Better ‘than usual, if that is possible. She is spending ‘a few days at the beach to get away from the heat.” | He was game, wasn’t he? I could see plain enough, from what his mother had told me, and from. the way he acted and looked, ‘that there had been ructions be- tween him and Sadie; but do you suppose he was going to blat it to the first person - went inside. ‘““Mebbe it “Why, it’s all ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. he met, even if that person was me? Not any. | -“ That’s real nice,” says I. By now we had come to ’Lije’s store, and Jimmie unlocked ‘the front door and we One thing about me is that I can go into a store and laze around and nobody thinks nothing of it. Nobody ever asks me what they can do for me. just kind of expect me to drop in sooner or later. | Now; this here ’Lije didn’t run no dust- less, flyless grocery store like you read of in some of the ads.. He had been storekeepin’ for any number of years, and I think some of the dirt that he started out with was still abidin” with him faithful and constant. The floor had a scum on it, and the flies wasn’t ever on no hunger strike. And:still he got the business—I dunno why. ‘“ Puh!” says Jimmie. ‘ Smells like a cussed morgue when I first open the door in the morning. Sickening!” 7 Swish! Across the room comes to me one of these here inspirations. I receive it with wide open arms and give it a hug of wel- come. ** Jimmie,” says I, “ why don’t you open a grocery store of your own? You know the grocery business and you wait on half the trade here. You got enough money to turn the trick. Why don’t you go into business for yourself and quit makin’ money for old ’Lije?” , Usually as soon as Jimmie got the store open he swept out and then put on. his white jacket and was ready. for customers. Now he didn’t even take off his coat. He set down in a chair and pushed his hat. back from his brown curly hair. ‘* Hill,” he says, “ you do get a valuable thought in that old nut of yours once in a while, don’t you?” : . And you have begun to talk like ¢ one of them Scandahoovians that works along the ore docks,” says I. ‘“ How do you get that way?” _ © Oh, I’m not?” “¢ Why?” says I. : He fumbles around in his pockets, and I'll be danged if he don’t lug out a box of cigarettes. He fishes one-out, taps it on a tough guy,” he says. “ Why CONMIG They . OO CO