Honest, we was makin' up all kinds of pipe dreams about her, and
believin' 'em as we went along. There was no findin' out from her what
was so and what she wa'n't. She never gets real chummy with anyone; but
keeps us jollied along about so much. It was dead easy. All she had to
do was to throw a smile our way, and we was tickled for a week. Wasn't
anyone around the place needed so much waitin' on as her; but no one
ever minds. Gen'rally there was two or three on the jump for her, and
others willin' to be.
Course, that don't include Mr. Robert. He seems to think Lady Mildred
was some kind of a joke; but, then, I expect he sees so many stunners
like her every night, knockin' around at dinner parties and such, that
he gets tired lookin' at 'em. I'd been carryin' it against him, though,
and maybe that's what put it into my nut to get so gay with Louie.
Louie's the gent in the leather leggin's and north-pole outfit that
comes around after Mr. Robert every night with the machine. Say, it's a
reg'lar rollin' bay window, that car of Mr. Robert's! I wouldn't mind
havin' one of that kind taggin' around after me. But if I was pickin' a
shover I'd pass Louie by. He wears his nose too high in the air and is
too friendly with himself to suit me. There's a lot of them honk-honk
boys just like him; but he's the only one I ever has a chance to get
real confidential with. It's like this:
Mr. Robert says to me, "Torchy, if I'm not back by five o'clock, you may
tell Louie when he comes that he needn't wait."
"Sure thing," says I.
Then, when Mr. Robert don't show up at closin' time, I chases down to
the curb and sings out, "Hey, Frenchy, you tip huntin' ex-waiter! It's
back to the garage for yours! And say! After you've run your old coal
cart into the shed you can go let yourself out as a sign for a fur
store. Ah, that's right. Nothin' doin' here. Skidoo!"
Always makes me feel better after I've handed Louie one like that--his
ears turns such a lovely pink, specially when there's a crowd around.
When I has time to chew it over I can think up some beauts. But this
night I was goin' to tell you about I didn't have any warnin' at all.
Mr. Robert was right in the middle of a heart-to-heart talk with a
Pittsburg man, when five o'clock comes and the word is sent up that
Louie has came.
"Tell him to come back in about half an hour," says Mr. Robert to me.
"Repeat at five-thirt'," says I, sliding out for the elevator.
It was an elegant afternoon,--for pneumonia,--slush and rain and ice-box
zephyrs gallopin' up and down the street. Louie didn't look as though he
was enjoyin' it any too much, for all his furs. I was just turnin' up my
collar for a dash across the sidewalk and back, when out comes Lady
Mildred in a raincoat that was a dream and carryin' a silver-handled
umbrella such as you don't find on the bargain counters. And then I
gets my funny thought.
"Carriage for you, miss," says I, grabbin' the rain tent and hoistin'
it. "Right this way, miss."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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