Torchy

of this here Mallory business! Why, first off I has him billed for a Percy boy that had strayed into the general office from the drygoods district.

got his mug of half white and half black, and his two corned beef splits, with plenty of mustard, and he's just

Where's the charlotte ru

ys he; "were you

at crack at the armchair, did you? Maybe we ain't

, "I remember now.

if it is red, and I lets anybody call

" says he, sidetrackin' a bite

ts, from the puff tie to the way he spoke. It wa'n't the hot potato dialect Piddie uses; but it leaned that way. If he'd been a real Willie

' Corrugated stocks from

en a light breaks. He throws anothe

ey ain't put you on the

to keep off so

quarter, though, I

hat's what you mean," says he, tacklin' another

packages they hand out in the general office, or

proposition, and then he says, quiet and easy, "

nother grab?" says I. "It's good

,-and say, he's got a good pair, a

have you?" says I. "Or h

suggest," says he, more as if he was

uld connect with an

I don't mind telling you in confidence that it required the combined

e! They picked a pippi

star,"

from the bottom o

ke a look at the folks from the goshfry-mighty belt shiverin' in the rubberneck buggies. Say, I never feel quite so much to home

him. He's no Willie, and he's no dope, I can see that. With his age and general get-up

any time I had a day off. Not that I'm lookin' for it. Bein' head office boy suits me down to the ground. That's bein' somethin', even if they do pay you off with a fiv

d wear his last summer's suit until Christmas. Diggin' and keepin' quiet seemed to be his only play.

lory was just tryin' to straighten out the mess, when along comes Piddie, with that pointed nose of his in front. Piddie don't ask any questions; he throws a fit. Why, he had Mallory on the carpet for forty minutes b

r," says

"Yes, Mr. Piddie," and "No, Mr. Piddie"; but nothin' else. And the cooler and politer he was, the wilder Piddie got. When I hears him tell Mallory that another such

you give some one the bounce, why not fire me? Go on, now; I'll make out a

assy eye-that's all. I couldn't tease

till sore over it at closin' time; so I lays for Mallory and asks

says he, "I couldn't p

d there's where I had the front to put it straight up to Mallory about hi

it hard luck, or a

start would co

llege?"

it," s

-rah boys. Well, if it's that ails you, you're up against it. I don

ldn't. Oh, I've seen bunches of 'em, just turned out. Didn't we have more'n a dozen unloaded on us

is Greek at me, nor flashed his college pins. Seemed to kind of like chinnin' to me at lunch; so I let him. You know how you'll get to gassin' and tellin' each other the story of your life. I lets out about Belmont Pepper and the minin' stocks he gave me, and Mallory drops hints about mot

him to a fam'ly circle seat at "The Bandit Qu

e a spin in your

y," sa

put in your off ti

g'lar after dinner and fill his head full of truck out of the trade mo

e the old man a few p

e asks for t

me," says I. "But it's a pu

as busy drawin' pictures of Piddie on the blotter. I hears a giggle, and squints up to see a pair that looked as if they'd just broke away from an afternoon tea. He was a husky youth in a frock coat, with a

p to the brass gate, wearin' a four

ays I. "Have yo

raft on. "That's a good one, that is! But we haven't muc

of freaks on tap; but we're just

cky!" says she. "It isn't likely they call him that her

s usual," says Dick. "It's

I. "Miste

him with her elbow and touchin' off

icky. "Mister Ma

is sister in where the boy was jugglin' the file cases. And them lookin' for him to be sittin'

r. Mallory's got through consul

siness like, though? I suppose Skid-er-Mr

think he has all of us around he

at that. "He's a very importan

I. "He's I-doubl

says Sis. "But I

x that all r

out to lunch, of course, it bein' only about two o'clock; so I unlocks the

he boss's office. No, not the old man's; Mr.

s hands, and trots after. When I gets him in there I tells him to wait a min

a roar, makes a plunge for him, hammers him on the

aw Blicky in Venice and he told us,-so when we came ashore we wired father to hold the car over one train for us while we hunted you up. Sis wou

p and makes a grab for Mallory and--Aw, say! One like that must be good for chapped lips. If I'

panes rattle. "She said she'd do it

n' the loops or having a dream that was too good to be true. Once or twice he tried to unloosen some remarks; but Sis and Dicky was both talkin' to once and he never got a show. They was tellin' him how glad th

d ever gets a chance to stand on the Persian rug in the boss's office is just before he gets the run or is boosted into a five-figure salary.

Mr. Robert, "wh

the lady is handin' out choc'late creams

derstand," says he. "Who a

ot any sportin' blood? Besides,

I'd fell through a crack; but just as Mr. Robert was fram

"By Jove, though, I forgot all about you being in the Corrugated too! But of course you

who wasn't seein' a thing but Sis and wasn't hearin' an

Skid?" say

u don't know Skid Mallory, the Great Skid, best quarterback we ever turned out, the one that wen

I wasn't one of the coaches, you know, and I haven't kept the run of the team for the last year

of Corrugated affairs, Bob. Why, man alive, Skid's one of the chaps t

allory, who's deaf and dumb and blind to everything b

keep it up. I didn't know whether he would or not. I wa'n't sure but what he'd think I'd turned batty, by the motio

l to Mallory, who blushes worse than ever and don't know which way to turn. They keep that up until Dicky pulls out his watch, grabs Sis by the arm, and

h of you is who here, don't you know. Is it you

. "That upsets t

ld of a hand apiece. Both of 'em makes a start; but Mr. Robert gets the floor. "Why," says he, "I

a smile that was worth payin'

t part of it was over. We'd worked the bluff all the way through, and

Robert, waitin' to

he's sorry for seemin' so cheeky;

p the game, and if Mr. Robert had loafed another half an hour at the club like h

or open for him, so he couldn't do anything else. When we had it all to ours

ays he, r

the wink. "Say," says I, "didn't

s at that; but i

our whisperin'

ays he. "His fat

ke Sis off into a place like the general office reception room, did you! And wouldn't it have b

he impudence to appropr

part of it

whole tale about Mallory, from the hall bed

aluable man, do you

o talk Greek once? He's forgettin' it, ain't he? And look at the way

e, "what would

it so that when Sis comes back to town she wouldn't find him on no kid'

he button for his secretary,