I was to-day until I seen you'd come--an'
then. You love me as much as you did yesterday?"

"Move on there. W'at y' a-doin' talkin' to my girl! Now, honey, I'm
tellin' you this here guy is too fresh for any lady. I'd like one
order of romaine lettuce, bless your sweet heart, if it won't be
tirin' your fingers too much. That's the dearie--I'm back in a
moment."

Across the way, arms resting on the counter, head ducked under the
upper shelf, leaned a burly redheaded helper to the Greek.

Every time the pantry girl looked his way he beamed and nodded and
nodded and beamed. "How you lak?" "Fine!" More beams and nods. Soon a
waiter slipped a glass of ice coffee, rich in cream and sugar, under
my counter. Beams and nods fit to burst from the assistant coffee man
across the way. Beams and nods from the pantry girl. Thus every day.
Our sole conversation was, "How you lak?" "Fine!" He said the rest
with coffee.

With the lunch rush over, Kelly sneaked around my entrance and jerked
his head sidewise. That meant, naturally, that I was to approach and
harken unto what he had to say. When Kelly imparted secrets--and much
of what Kelly had to impart was that sort of information where he felt
called upon to gaze about furtively to make sure no one was
over-hearing--when he had matters of weight then to impart he talked
down in his boots and a bit out of the corner of his mouth.

"Say, kid"--Kelly jerked his head--"want to tell you about this eatin'
business. Y'know, ain't no one supposed to eat nothin' on this floor.
If the boss catches ya, it's good-by dolly. Sign up over the door
sayin' you'll be dismissed _at once_ if you eat anything--see? But I'm
givin' ya a little tip--see? I don't care how much ya eat--it's
nothin' to me. I say eat all ya got a mind to. Only for Gawd's sake
don't let the Big Boss catch ya." (The Big Boss was the little chief
steward, who drew down a fabulous salary and had the whole place
scared to death.) "See--pull a cracker box out so and put what ya got
to eat behind it this way, then ya can sit down and sorta take your
time at it. If the boss does come by--it's behind the cracker box and
you should worry! Have a cup of coffee?"

I was full up of coffee from my gentleman friend across the way, so
declined Kelly's assistance in obtaining more. Every day, about 2.30,
Kelly got in a certain more or less secluded corner of my compartment
and ate a bit himself. "Been almost fired a couple of times for doi