appealed to Merton for a
loan, urging it on the ground that he had a sure thing thirty--to-one
shot at Latonia. At least these were the words of Baird, as he directed
Merton to deny the request and to again try to save the youth from his
inevitable downfall. Whereupon the youth had sneered at Merton and left
the place in deep anger.

There followed the scene with the boy's sister, only daughter of the
rich delicatessen merchant, who Merton was pleased to discover would
be played by the Montague girl. She entered in a splendid evening gown,
almost too splendid, Merton thought, for street wear in daylight, though
it was partially concealed by a rich opera cloak. The brother being out,
Merton came forward to wait upon her.

"It's like this," Baird explained. "She's just a simple New York society
girl, kind of shallow and heartless, because she has never been aroused
nor anything, see? You're the first one that's really touched her heart,
but she hesitates because her father expects her to marry a count and
she's come to get the food for a swell banquet they're giving for him.
She says where's her brother, and if anything happened to him it would
break her heart. Then she orders what she wants and you do it up for
her, looking at her all the time as if you thought she was the one girl
in the world.

"She kind of falls for you a little bit, still she is afraid of what
her father would say. Then you get bolder, see? You come from behind
the counter and begin to make love, talking as you come out--so-and-so,
so-and-so, so-and-so--Miss Hoffmeyer, I have loved you since the day I
first set eyes on you--so-and-so, so-and-so, so-and-so, I have nothing
to offer but the love of an honest man--she's falling for it, see?
So you get up close and grab her--cave-man stuff. Do a good hard
clench--she's yours at last; she just naturally sags right down on to
you. You've got her.

"Do a regular Parmalee. Take your time. You're going to kiss her and
kiss her right. But just as you get down to it the father busts in and
says what's the meaning of this, so you fly apart and the father says
you're discharged, because his daughter is the affianced wife of this
Count Aspirin, see? Then he goes back to the safe and finds all the
money has been taken, because the son has sneaked in and grabbed out the
bundle and hid it in the ice-box on his way out, taking only a few bills
to get down on a horse. So he says call the police--but that's enough
f