E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 21005-h.htm or 21005-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/1/0/0/21005/21005-h/21005-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/1/0/0/21005/21005-h.zip) SHORTY McCABE ON THE JOB by SEWELL FORD Author of Shorty Mccabe, Side-Stepping with Shorty, Etc. Illustrated by F. Vaux Wilson [Illustration: "It might give us some clew," says I, "as to what him and your paw had a run-in about."] New York Grosset & Dunlap Publishers Copyright, 1913, 1914, 1915, by Sewell Ford Copyright, 1915, by Edward J. Clode All rights reserved CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Wishing a New One on Shorty 1 II. A Few Squirms by Bayard 18 III. Peeking in on Pedders 32 IV. Two Singles to Goober 49 V. The Case of a Female Party 65 VI. How Millie Shook the Jinx 81 VII. Reverse English on Sonny Boy 100 VIII. Gumming Gopher to the Map 115 IX. What Lindy Had up Her Sleeve 131 X. A Case of Nobody Home 150 XI. Under the Wire with Edwin 165 XII. A Fifty-Fifty Split with Hunk 182 XIII. A Follow Through by Eggy 198 XIV. Catching up with Gerald 217 XV. Shorty Hears from Pemaquid 233 XVI. Scratch One on Bulgaroo 251 XVII. Bayard Ducks His Past 267 XVIII. Trailing Dudley Through a Trance 285 XIX. A Little While with Alvin 304 ILLUSTRATIONS "It might give us some clew," says I, "as to what him and your paw has a run-in about" Frontispiece FACING PAGE "I wouldn't have anything happen to you for the world," says I 8 "Now see hea-uh, Mistuh Constable," says he, "I wouldn't go for to do anything like that" 60 "Say, I'm a bear for Paris" 97 "Now, friends," he calls, "everybody in on the chorus" 124 "What's the idea," says Mabel, "wishin' this Rube stuff on us?" 157 He sidles up to the desk and proceeds to make some throaty noises 199 Blamed if Dudley don't have the nerve to tow Veronica into the next room, stretchin' on tiptoe to talk in her ear 298 SHORTY McCABE ON THE JOB