e that too? Well, don't let on I agree with him. He might
get chesty.

CHAPTER X

MARMADUKE SLIPS ONE OVER

And you'd almost think I could accumulate enough freaks, all by myself,
without havin' my friends pass theirs along, wouldn't you? Yet lemme tell
you what Pinckney rung up on me.

He comes into the Studio one day towin' a party who wears brown spats and
a brown ribbon to his shell rimmed eyeglasses, and leaves him planted in
a chair over by the window, where he goes to rubbin' his chin with a
silver-handled stick while we dive into the gym. for one of our little
half-hour sessions. Leaves him there without sayin' a word, mind you,
like you'd stand an umbrella in the corner!

"Who's the silent gazooks you run on the siding out front?" says I.

"Why," says Pinckney, "that's only Marmaduke."

"Only!" says I. "I should say Marmaduke was quite some of a name.
Anything behind it? He ain't a blank, is he?"

"Who, Marmaduke?" says he. "Far from it! In fact, he has a most
individual personality."

"That sounds good," says I; "but does it mean anything? Who is he,
anyway?"

"Ask him, Shorty, ask him," says Pinckney, and as he turns to put his
coat on the hanger I gets a glimpse of that merry eye-twinkle of his.

"Go on--I'm easy," says I. "I'd look nice, wouldn't I, holdin' a perfect
stranger up for his pedigree?"

"But I assure you he'd be pleased to give it," says Pinckney, "and, more
than that, I want to be there to hear it myself."

"Well, you're apt to strain your ears some listenin'," says I. "This
ain't my day for askin' fool questions."

You never can tell, though. We hadn't much more'n got through our mitt
exercise, and Pinckney was only half into his afternoon tea uniform, when
there's a 'phone call for him. And the next thing I know he's hustled
into his frock coat and rushed out.

Must have been five minutes later when I fin'lly strolls into the front
office, to find that mysterious Marmaduke is still holdin' down the chair
and gazin' placid out onto 42d-st. It looks like he'd been forgotten and
hadn't noticed the fact.

One of these long, loose jointed, languid actin' gents, Marmaduke is; the
kind that can drape themselves careless and comf'table over almost any
kind of furniture. He's a little pop eyed, his hair is sort of a faded
tan color, and he's whopper jawed on the left side; but beyond that he
didn't have any striking points of facial beauty. It's what you might
call an inte