Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

- YOUNG for savings accounts with the interest them draws.” “TI transferred my funds to a checking account yesterday,” he says. “A savings account is a tight little thing. A checking account is loose and easy.” ‘“Tt’s all of that from what I’ve seen,” I agreed, dry. When. we come to the township line again, Jimmie turned into a crossroad and we went up to Rodgers Tavern, which is a swell eating place, patronized mostly by auto parties. Jimmie led me to a table in the big dining room and we sat down. “Eat hearty, Mr. Tom Hill,” Jimmie says. “ Let’s knock a hole in Tke’s boul dollars.” My appetite is no shy and shrinking ‘thing as a rule, even when I cook my own meals, as I generally do. Now, with the white tablecloth and the white napkins and the gleaming tableware in front of me, my mouth began to water. I ordered a meal that one tray wouldn’t hold. I wouldnt have been: so generous with myself if Jim- mie had been paying the bill out of his own pocket, but this Ike owed me considerable for trouble he had give me in the past, and this was one way of collecting. 1 don’t toss money to the birds as a rule—can”. do it—but I have a feeling that gambling money is best blowed as soon as possible. Jimmie’s check come to fourteen. dol- lars, for.they see you coming at the tavern, and we had knickknacks of one kind and another that cost like the dickens. Jimmie tossed the waiter a five and a ten and we beat it out of there without waiting for change. ~ “T got to get back to the bank and see old Abner Morehouse,” Jimmie says. “I am going to arrange for a loan of three thousand dollars.” “What are you going to do—mortgage vour house?’’ I says. aa b I have to,” he says. money.” “Td go slow on that mortgage game,” says I. “A mortgage is a black shadow at your elbow till you get it paid off.” “Why,” Jimmie says, “‘ you put the idea into my head.” = il need, the REBELS. 679 “Me? How?” “ You'll find out. after a bit,” he an- swers. I waited in the car till he went into the bank. J was considerable worried abcut the -boy by this time. I certainly didn’t ‘like the way he was acting and I especially didn’t like the idea of his borrowing money. Of course I knew he wasn’t crazy, real- ly. He was only riding high and reckless because he and Sadie had got into a jam. He was in the same kind of mood that used to cause some men to take to drink when they thought their troubles was more than they could bear—which ain’t never the case. It’s only that them birds think they are the only people in the world that has troubles. They can’t keep their heads up In the face of it. I was glad Jimmie was expending his mad in the way he was as against drink: A .- man used: to be able to choose between drink and suicide, but nowadays the choice is one and the same. He can get drunk and commit suicide all in one grand splurge If he gets hold of the right kind of bootleg liquor it ain’t no very expensive proceedin’, neither, Well, pretty soon Jimmie comes out of the bank, all businesslike and snappy. He gets into ‘the car and heads down the pave- ment toward the lake. “ Did you arrange for a mortgage on your home?” says I. ~“ Not on my home,” he says. ‘ Abner says I can have the money as I need it. I had other security to offer him.” ‘What kind of security?” says I, polite, not wishing him to think I was buttin’ in. “IT haven’t got the security yet,” he an- swers; “ but I will have it all in good time. All in good time, Mr. Tom Hill.” _ I slanted a keen look at him. He was out of a job. His mother wouldn’t stake him. All he had was what remained of his bank account, and his home. Yet he talked of other security. Was he planning a rob- ery? ‘* Jimmie,” Says i,“ you ain’t forgot that there are laws in this country?” “Teo damn many laws, Mr. Tom Hill,” he says. “Hold your hat and your breath,” — ECONADICLOOOKS C@ im