Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

418 parlor. My finger was so swole it took me all day to get it off.’ ““¢]T won’t take it!’ says Pharaoh, pas- sionate and perspirirg. ‘If you won’t keep me, keep my ring, anyways, even if it did cost me eight dollars. And maybe some time your heart ll tell you how wrong you been.’ “*T should worry about my heart,’ says Daisy, ‘ with all this here oil on my mind.’ “And, sure enough, when they got into the parlor, she give him his ring. And though he near beat Henry Clay to a fraz- zle a-pleading his case, she just yawned a couple of times, and then, when he wouldn’t go, she blowed out the lamp and went up- stairs, and left him to get out the best way whe could. “The next morning as Pharaoh was on his way to work, he says Jake Finney come running up behind him. ‘Is it all fixed up, Pharaoh?’ says Jake. ‘ Did you have the other fight? Or shall I go out and do some more good work?’ “* Good work!’ bawled Pharaoh, turning on him in a fury. ‘ Fine work you done, Jake Finney. If it hadn’t ’a’ been for you I'd be engaged to Daisy Spiffel yet. But now-—oh, what’s the use?’ “What you talking about? cried Jake. ‘Do you mean to say you want to keep on being engaged to her?’ - ‘““« Sure, I do!’ says Pharaoh. ‘ But it ain’t no use. She won’t have nothing to do with me. Gee, I might have been a rich man if it hadn’t ’a’ been for you.’ “Then he told Jake all about the oil that had been found on the Spiffel farm.- ‘ The pond back of the house is greasy with it,’ he says. : ““* Go on!’ says Jake. ‘ You’re dreaming! I don’t believe it!’ “<T tell you, I seen it!’ yelled Pharaoh. ‘ Oil—lots and lots: of it, floating on top of the water. Go on out and see for yourself, if you want. But you needn’t think you’re going to step in with Daisy where I stepped off, becausé you ain’t. I’ve fixed your feet! I told her everything! to set you up in business, neither. dished just as bad as me.’ - “ But Jake says that didn’t stop him none. First he went out and examined You’re And I ain’t going — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the pond even more careful than Pharaoh had done. Then in the evening, after shav- ing hisself for the second time that day, and making hisself look as nice as he could, he went out again. And this time he took Daisy a dollar box of candy. ‘As he was waiting for the trolley along come Pharaoh Evans on his way from work. Pharaoh scowled at him. Then he noticed the box of candy with the ribbon tied about it. ‘ Where you going?’ he says. ‘““* Where do you s’pose?’ says Jake, hold- ing the candy so Pharaoh could see it better. ‘* If you’re a going out to Daisy’s,’ says Pharaoh, ‘ you’re a-wasting your time, I can tell you that.’ ‘““* Time ain’t nothing to me,’ says Jake. ““She’ll set the dog on you,’ says Pharaoh. . “““Not on me, she won't,’ says Jake, ‘after I tell her what a liar you are.’ ‘““* Liar?’ says Pharaoh. ‘So that’s your game, is it? All right, Ill go out with you. We'll see what she thinks when I tell her you bought that there candy with my money.’ With that he hops on the trolley as it comes along. “* You go home and get your supper, and mind your own business,’ says Jake, trying to bump him off. | “* Don’t you worry about my supper,’ says Pharaoh, hanging on for dear life as they went around a curve. ‘I'll get that after I’ve seen the can tied to you, and en- joy it, too.’ ““Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t,’ growled Jake, setting as far from him as he could. “Tt was almost nine o’clock when they got to Daisy’s. The minute she opened the door Jake poked the box of candy at her. ‘ Hello!’ he says, cute as a kitten. ‘““* What do you want?’ says she, looking first at Jake and then at Pharaoh; then tak- ing the box of candy ugder her arm. ““YVou,’ says Jake, putting on his most winning smile. ‘ All I want is you, Daisy.’ ‘““* How about the oil?’ says she, pushing him back on the step when he tried to come in. ‘ Don’t you want that, too,.Mr. Finney?’ ‘“¢ Ves,’ says Pharaoh, grinning; ‘ how _about the oil, Mr. Finney?’ cGomichbook (E@)