Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four MillionHenry, O.
Philosophy
Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million
Henry, O.
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Kelley went to the nearest telephone booth and called up McCrary’s
café, far up on Broadway. He asked for Jimmy Dunn.
“Is that Jimmy Dunn?” asked Kelley.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“You’re a liar,” sang back Kelley, joyfully. “You’re the Secretary of
War. Wait there till I come up. I’ve got the finest thing down here in
the way of a fish you ever baited for. It’s a Colorado-maduro, with a
gold band around it and free coupons enough to buy a red hall lamp and
a statuette of Psyche rubbering in the brook. I’ll be up on the next
car.”
Jimmy Dunn was an A. M. of Crookdom. He was an artist in the confidence
line. He never saw a bludgeon in his life; and he scorned knockout
drops. In fact, he would have set nothing before an intended victim but
the purest of drinks, if it had been possible to procure such a thing
in New York. It was the ambition of “Spider” Kelley to elevate himself
into Jimmy’s class.
These two gentlemen held a conference that night at McCrary’s. Kelley
explained.
“He’s as easy as a gumshoe. He’s from the Island of Colombia, where
there’s a strike, or a feud, or something going on, and they’ve sent
him up here to buy 2,000 Winchesters to arbitrate the thing with. He
showed me two drafts for $10,000 each, and one for $5,000 on a bank
here. ’S truth, Jimmy, I felt real mad with him because he didn’t have
it in thousand-dollar bills, and hand it to me on a silver waiter. Now,
we’ve got to wait till he goes to the bank and gets the money for us.”
They talked it over for two hours, and then Dunn said; “Bring him to
No. –––– Broadway, at four o’clock to-morrow afternoon.”
In due time Kelley called at the Hotel Español for the General. He
found the wily warrior engaged in delectable conversation with Mrs.
O’Brien.
“The Secretary of War is waitin’ for us,” said Kelley.
The General tore himself away with an effort.
“Ay, señor,” he said, with a sigh, “duty makes a call. But, señor, the
señoras of your Estados Unidos—how beauties! For exemplification, take
you la Madame O’Brien—que magnifica! She is one goddess—one Juno—what
you call one ox-eyed Juno.”
Now Mr. Kelley was a wit; and better men have been shriveled by the
fire of their own imagination.
“Sure!” he said with a grin; “but you mean a peroxide Juno, don’t you?”
Mrs. O’Brien heard, and lifted an auriferous head. Her businesslike eye
rested for an instant upon the disappearing form of Mr. Kelley. Except
in street cars one should never be unnecessarily rude to a lady.
When the gallant Colombian and his escort arrived at the Broadway
address, they were held in an anteroom for half an hour, and then
admitted into a well-equipped office where a distinguished looking man,
with a smooth face, wrote at a desk. General Falcon was presented to
the Secretary of War of the United States, and his mission made known
by his old friend, Mr. Kelley.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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