"O God--and I got a cramp in my back, and my neck's gone to sleep!"
groaned Old Jimmie, leaning forward on his cane. "Daughter, dear"--
plaintively to Maggie--"what is the crazy gentleman doing to me?"
"It's an awful smear, father." Maggie spoke slightingly, but with a
tone of doubt. It was not the sort of picture that eighteen has been
taught to like--yet the picture did possess an intangible something
that provoked doubt as to its quality. "You sure do look one old
burglar!"
"Not a cheap burglar?"--hopefully.
"Naw!" exploded the man at the easel in his big voice, first taking
the brushes from his mouth. "You're a swell-looking old pirate!--ready
to loot the sub-treasury and then scuttle the old craft with all
hands on board! A breathing, speaking, robbing likeness!"
"Maggie's right, and Nuts's right," put in Barney Palmer. "It's sure a
rotten picture, and then again it sure looks like you, Jimmie."
The smartly dressed Barney--Barney could not keep away from Broadway
tailors and haberdashers with their extravagant designs and color
schemes--dismissed the insignificant matter of the portrait, and
resumed the really important matter which had brought him to her.
"Are you certain, Maggie, that the Duchess hasn't heard from Larry?"
"If she has, she hasn't mentioned it.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26