Torchy As A Pa

o have in the Corrugated general offices is one of these 'quake detectors, same as they have in Washington to register dista

my desk right next to the door of the private office, I can generally forecast an eruption an hour or so be

them bushy eye dormers of his, I could guess that someone was goin' to get a call on the carpet before very lon

good an office manager as you'll find anywhere along Broadway from the Woolworth tower to the Circle; but when it comes to soothin' down a 65-year-old boss who's been awake most of the

" says I. "Been sent to summ

with that collection of giddy young near-sports who hold down the high stools. Finally, though, he

eport on outside holdings? And when it is submitted it is merely a jumble of figures. Why, the you

Piddie," says I. "Who wa

the first occasion, Torchy, on which he has been found f

of the others. He won't take it serious. H

on the Corrugated through a director's pull nearly a year ago, when he was fresh from college. You see, Piddie can't understand how anybody can draw down the princely sa

he takes about as much interest in what he has to do as if he was countin' pennies in a mint. Besides that he's sort of a happy-go-lucky, rattle-brained

ball Nine that cleaned up with every other team in the building last summer. They say he was a star first baseman at Yale or Princeton or wherever it was he

ittle later, and finds Old Hickory purple in the face and starin'

nds it over, "perhaps you can

asual. "Oh, yes. For the first annual dinner of th

oes on Old Hickory, "ar

're some of the young sports

grunts. "W

oulders and let

e entertainment was an impersonation by Mr. Brinkerhoff Hollis, of 'the Old

actly," says I.

you understand, Torchy, I am asking this information of you as

s I, "but you know about

e Corrugated can dispense with the services of this Hollis

," says I, so

. "You're not enthusiasti

" sa

ew the case against this young man. He was one of three who won a D minus rating

index the way your gray matter worked by askin' a lot of nutty questions. I remember. Brink Hollis was guyin'

ychology rigamarole very highly myself. Cost us five hundred, too. But I've had an eye on that youn

assignment for that on some other hook than Hollis's. He didn't know what a bo

It seems he is clever enough at this sort o

elp smotheri

Ellins, "that this He-Crab

s wonderin' what had become of him, when all of a sudden he bobs up through a tin-foil lake in the

ckory. "And the Old He-Crab

s, Mr. Ellins?"

hin. "I can't say I'm flattered.

he does,

Old Hickory, whi

I, "until I got to

own opinion. And my estimate of him makes us even. But perhaps yo

I. "And maybe that's because

mit," says he, "that I may have failed to cultivate a close acquaintance with all the harum-scarum

me I wouldn't give him th

is cigar. "Very well,"

I couldn't do anything else but see it through. I finds Brink drummin' a

taps him on the shou

ig boss is about to give you

ys Brink. "All right. But I don't see

othing else," say

ined up in front of them chilled steel eyes he

kory, "you've been with us

is n

are getting on as a busi

en, thank yo

ays Old Hickory. "How did you happen

e in his office," says Hollis, "and

Think we're running a retrea

ing over it. And if you want to know, Mr. Ellins, I'm just as s

the seven sins do you sti

imagines I'm making good. I suppose I've rather helped along the notion,

vide shock absorbers for fond fathers. Any other

you less than the first. If I got a raise

!" says he. "You expect us to put a premium

put a crimp in my career when I remembered leaving tha

great importance to such monkey shines, but we might a

n," says Brink. "Seemed to be

ement. "I've no doubt," says he. "And you conceived the happy idea of dramatizing me as t

ake fairly wel

oes on Old Hickory, "but just ho

e make-up box liberal, and gave them some red-hot patter on the line that-well, you know how you work o

that sort of thing, are

ocal gags. And then, I did quite a lot of that stuff at college; pu

for your talents," says Old Hickory. "Only one annual di

," says

e Corrugated baseball team, and are now condu

g. I was even planning a little noonday dancing club for the

scratchin' his ear. "I think

iness. I did try at first to get into the work, but it was no good. Guess I wasn't cut out for that particular line. So we'll both be better off. But about that He-Crab act of mine. So

ginning to get your point of view, Hollis,"

s Brink. "Still, I hate to

hour ago, and I may stick to it. Only my private secretary seemed to think I didn't know what I was doin

for making the try, Torchy," says Brink.

ays I. "Besides, his ain't a cas

quite a decent old boy when you got under the crust. If I was only of some use ar

ot," says I. "He don't miss many tricks. If you do get canned, th

eamed out with the advance guard at 5 o'clock he'd stop long enough at my desk to swap a

oung lady, ei

rie, first crack," says he. "Sh

g Old Hickory sort the mail, he picks out a le

is cigar. "I think this s

?" says I

morist of yours from t

Hollis off the hig

ial welfare work, young man?

rticles," says Brink, "but that's abo

lins. "You'll have a chance to st

?" says Brink,

usand men, in a little one-horse town where there's nothing better to do in their spare time than go to cheap movies and listen to cheaper walking delegates. I guess they need you

ly what he got out was so choky you cou

o me. "I suppose he'll call that co

," says I. "I think you've pic

that I learned to be tolerant of other people's failings long before you were born. Toleration. It

Hickory's eyes, I gives him the grin. Oh