Side-stepping with Shorty

by Sewell Ford

  XI

  WHEN ROSSITER CUT LOOSE

  As a general thing I don't go much on looks, but I will say that I'veseen handsomer specimens than Rossiter. He's got good height, andplenty of reach, with legs branchin' out just under his armpits--youknow how them clothespin fellers are built--but when you finish out thecombination with pop eyes and a couple of overhangin' front teeth--Well, what's the use? Rossy don't travel on his shape. He don't haveto, with popper bossin' a couple of trunk lines.

  When he first begun comin' to the Studio I sized him up for a softboiled, and wondered how he could stray around town alone withouthavin' his shell cracked. Took me some time, too, before I fell to thefact that Rossy was wiser'n he looked; but at that he wa'n't noknowledge trust.

  Just bein' good natured was Rossy's long suit. Course, he couldn'thelp grinnin'; his mouth is cut that way. There wa'n't any mistakin'the look in them wide set eyes of his, though. That was the realarticle, the genuine I'll-stand-for-anything kind. Say, you couldspring any sort of a josh on Rossy, and he wouldn't squeal. He was oneof your shy violets, too. Mostly he played a thinkin' part, and whenhe did talk, he didn't say much. After you got to know 'him real well,though, and was used to the way he looked, you couldn't help likin'Rossiter. I'd had both him and the old man as reg'lars for two orthree months, and it's natural I was more or less chummy with them.

  So when Rossy shows up here the other mornin' and shoves out hisproposition to me, I don't think nothin' of it.

  "Shorty," says he, kind of flushin' up, "I've got a favour to ask ofyou."

  "You're welcome to use all I've got in the bank," says I.

  "It isn't money," says he, growin' pinker.

  "Oh!" says I, like I was a lot surprised. "Your usin' the touchpreamble made me think it was. What's the go?"

  "I--I can't tell you just now," says he; "but I'd like your assistancein a little affair, about eight o'clock this evening. Where can I findyou?"

  "Sounds mysterious," says I. "You ain't goin' up against any Canfieldgame; are you?"

  "Oh, I assure----" he begins.

  "That's enough," says I, and I names the particular spot I'll bedecoratin' at that hour.

  "You won't fail?" says he, anxious.

  "Not unless an ambulance gets me," says I.

  Well, I didn't go around battin' my head all the rest of the day,tryin' to think out what it was Rossiter had on the card. Somehow heain't the kind you'd look for any hot stunts from. If I'd made aguess, maybe I'd said he wanted me to take him and a college chum downto a chop suey joint for an orgy on li-chee nuts an' weak tea.

  So I wa'n't fidgetin' any that evenin', as I holds up the corner of42nd-st., passin' the time of day with the Rounds, and watchin' theHarlem folks streak by to the roof gardens. Right on the tick a hansomfetches up at the curb, and I sees Rossiter givin' me the wig-wag tojump in.

  "You're runnin' on sked," says I. "Where to now?"

  "I think your Studio would be the best place," says he, "if you don'tmind."

  I said I didn't, and away we goes around the corner. As we does theturn I sees another cab make a wild dash to get in front, and, takin' apeek through the back window, I spots a second one followin'.

  "Are we part of a procession?" says I, pointin' 'em out to him.

  He only grins and looks kind of sheepish. "That's the regular thingnowadays," says he.

  "What! Tin badgers?" says I.

  He nods. "They made me rather nervous at first," he says; "but afterI'd been shadowed for a week or so I got used to it, and lately I'vegot so I would feel lost without them. To-night, though, they'rerather a nuisance. I thought you might help me to throw them off thetrack."

  "But who set 'em on?" says I.

  "Oh, it's father, I suppose," says he; not grouchy mind you, but kindof tired.

  "Why, Rossy!" says I. "I didn't think you was the sort that called forP. D. reports."

  "I'm not," says he. "That's just father's way, you know, when hesuspects anything is going on that he hasn't been told about. He runshis business that way--has a big force looking into things all thetime. And maybe some of them weren't busy; so he told them to lookafter me."

  Well say! I've heard some tough things about the old man, but I neverthought he'd carry a thing that far. Why, there ain't any moresportin' blood in Rossiter than you'd look for in a ribbon clerk.Outside of the little ladylike boxin' that he does with me, as a liverregulator, the most excitin' fad of his I ever heard of was collectin'picture postals.

  Now, I generally fights shy of mixin' up in family affairs, but somewayor other I just ached to take a hand in this. "Rossy," says I, "you'redead anxious to hand the lemon to them two sleut's; are you?"

  He said he was.

  "And your game's all on the straight after that, is it?" I says.

  "'Pon my honour, it is," says he.

  "Then count me in," says I. "I ain't never had any love for them sneakdetectives, and here's where I gives 'em a whirl."

  But say, they're a slippery bunch. They must have known just where wewas headin', for by the time we lands on the sidewalk in front of thephysical culture parlours, the man in the leadin' cab has jumped outand faded.

  "He will be watching on the floor above," says Rossiter, "and the otherone will stay below."

  "That's the way they work it, eh?" says I. "Good! Come on in withoutlookin' around or lettin' 'em know you're on."

  We goes up to the second floor and turns on the glim in the frontoffice. Then I puts on a pair of gym. shoes, opens the door easy, andtiptoes down the stairs. He was just where I thought he'd be, coverin'up in the shade of the vestibule.

  "Caught with the goods on!" says I, reachin' out and gettin' a goodgrip on his neck. "No you don't! No gun play in this!" and I giveshis wrist a crack with my knuckles that puts his shootin' arm out ofbusiness.

  "You're makin' a mistake," says he. "I'm a private detective."

  "You're a third rate yegg," says I, "and you've been nipped tryin' topinch a rubber door mat."

  "Here's my badge," says he.

  "Anybody can buy things like that at a hock shop," says I. "You comealong up stairs till I see whether or no it's worth while ringin' up acop."

  He didn't want to visit, not a little bit, but I was behind, persuadin'him with my knee, and up he goes.

  "Look at what the sneak thief business is comin' to," says I, standin'him under the bunch light where Rossiter could get a good look at him.He was a shifty eyed low brow that you wouldn't trust alone in a roomwith a hot quarter.

  "My name is McGilty," says he.

  "Even if it wa'n't, you could never prove an alibi with that face,"says I.

  "If this young gent'll 'phone to his father," he goes on, "he'll findthat I'm all right."

  "Don't you want us to call up Teddy at Oyster Bay? Or send for yourold friend Bishop Potter? Ah, say, don't I look like I could buy flypaper without gettin' stuck? Sit down there and rest your face andhands."

  With that I chucks him into a chair, grabs up a hunk of window cordthat I has for the chest weights, and proceeds to do the bundlewrapping act on him. Course, he does a lot of talkin', tellin' of thethings that'll happen to me if I don't let him go right off.

  "I'll cheerfully pay all the expenses of a damage suit, or fines,Shorty," says Rossiter.

  "Forget it!" says I. "There won't be anything of the sort. He'slettin' off a little hot air, that's all. Keep your eye on him while Igoes after the other one."

  I collared Number Two squattin' on the skylight stairs. For a minuteor so he put up a nice little muss, but after I'd handed him a swiftone on the jaw he forgot all about fightin' back.

  "Attempted larceny of a tarred roof for yours," says I. "Come downtill I give you the third degree."

  He didn't have a word to say; just held onto his face and looked ugly.I tied him up same's I had the other and set 'em face to face, wherethey could see how pretty they looked. Then I led Rossiter down stairs.

&nb
sp; "Now run along and enjoy yourself," says I. "That pair'll do no moresleut'in' for awhile. I'll keep 'em half an hour, anyway, before Ithrows 'em out in the street."

  "I'm awfully obliged, Shorty," says he.

  "Don't mention it," says I. "It's been a pleasure."'

  That was no dream, either. Say, it did me most as much good as a tripto Coney, stringin' them trussed up keyhole gazers.

  "Your names'll look nice in the paper," says I, "and when your casescome up at Special Sessions maybe your friends'll all have reservedseats. Sweet pair of pigeon toed junk collectors, you are!"

  If they wa'n't sick of the trailin' business before I turned 'em loose,it wa'n't my fault. From the remarks they made as they went down thestairs I suspicioned they was some sore on me. But now and then I runsacross folks that I'm kind of proud to have feel that way. Privatedetectives is in that class.

  I was still on the grin, and thinkin' how real cute I'd been, when Ihears heavy steps on the stairs, and in blows Rossiter's old man, shortof breath and wall eyed.

  "Where's he gone?" says he.

  "Which one?" says I.

  "Why, that fool boy of mine!" says the old man. "I've just had wordthat he was here less than an hour ago."

  "You got a straight tip," says I.

  "Well, where did he go from here?" says he.

  "I'm a poor guesser," says I, "and he didn't leave any word; but if youwas to ask my opinion, I'd say that most likely he was behavin'himself, wherever he was."

  "Huh!" growls the old man. "That shows how little you know about him.He's off being married, probably to some yellow haired chorus girl;that's where he is!"

  "What! Rossy?" says I.

  Honest, I thought the old man must have gone batty; but when he tellsme the whole yarn I begins to feel like I'd swallowed a foolish powder.Seems that Rossiter's mother had been noticin' symptoms in him for sometime; but they hadn't nailed anything until that evenin', when thechump butler turns in a note that he shouldn't have let go of untilnext mornin'. It was from Rossiter, and says as how, by the time shereads that, he'll have gone and done it.

  "But how do you figure out that he's picked a squab for his'n?" says I.

  "Because they're the kind that would be most likely to trap a youngchuckle head like Rossiter," says the old man. "It's what I've beenafraid of for a long time. Who else would be likely to marry him?Come! you don't imagine I think he's an Apollo, just because he's myson, do you? And don't you suppose I've found out, in all these years,that he hasn't sense enough to pound sand? But I can't stay here.I've got to try and stop it, before it's too late. If you think youcan be of any help, you can come along."

  Well say, I didn't see how I'd fit into a hunt of that kind; and as forknowin' what to do, I hadn't a thought in my head just then; but seein'as how I'd butted in, it didn't seem no more'n right that I should staywith the game. So I tags along, and we climbs into the old man'selectric cab.

  "We'll go to Dr. Piecrust's first, and see if he's there," says he,"that being our church."

  Well, he wa'n't. And they hadn't seen him at another minister's thatthe old man said Rossy knew.

  "If she was an actorine," says I, "she'd be apt to steer him to theplace where they has most of their splicin' done. Why not try there?"

  "Good idea!" says he, and we lights out hot foot for the Little ChurchAround the Corner.

  And say! Talk about your long shots! As we piles out what should Isee but the carrotty topped night hawk that'd had Rossy and me forfares earlier in the evenin'.

  "You're a winner," says I to the old man. "It's a case of waitin' atthe church. Ten to one you'll find Rossiter inside."

  It was a cinch. Rossy was the first one we saw as we got into theanteroom.

  It wa'n't what you'd call a real affectionate meetin'. The old mansteps up and eyes him for a minute, like a dyspeptic lookin' at a pieceof overdone steak in a restaurant, and then he remarks: "What blastednonsense is this, sir?"

  "Why," says Rossy, shiftin' from one foot to the other, and grinnin'foolisher'n I ever saw him grin before--"why, I just thought I'd getmarried, that's all."

  "That's all, eh?" says the old man, and you could have filed a saw withhis voice. "Sort of a happy inspiration of the moment, was it?"

  "Well," says Rossy, "not--not exactly that. I'd been thinking of itfor some time, sir."

  "The deuce you say!" says the old man.

  "I--I didn't think you'd object," says Rossy.

  "Wow!" says the old man. He'd been holdin' in a long spell, for him,but then he just boiled over. "See here, you young rascal!" says he."What do you mean by talking that way to me? Didn't think I'd object!D'ye suppose I'm anxious to have all New York know that my son's beenmade a fool of? Think your mother and I are aching to have one ofthese bleached hair chorus girls in the family? Got her inside there,have you?"

  "Yes, sir," says Rossy.

  "Well, bring her out here!" says the old man. "I've got something tosay to her."

  "All right, sir," says Rossy. If there ever was a time for throwin'the hooks into a parent, it was then. But he's as good humoured andquiet about it as though he'd just been handed a piece of peach pie."I'll bring her right out," says he.

  When he comes in with the lady, the old man takes one look at her andalmost loses his breath for good.

  "Eunice May Ogden!" says he. "Why--why on earth didn't you say sobefore, Rossy?"

  "Oh, hush!" says the lady. "Do be still! Can't you see that we'reright in the middle of an elopement?"

  Never saw Eunice May, did you? Well, that's what you miss by nottravellin' around with the swells, same as me. I had seen her. Andsay, she's somethin' of a sight, too! She's a prize pumpkin, Euniceis. Maybe she's some less'n seven feet in her lisle threads, but shelooks every inch of it; and when it comes to curves, she has LillianRussell pared to a lamp post. She'd be a good enough looker if shewa'n't such a whale. As twins, she'd be a pair of beauts, but the wayshe stands, she's most too much of a good thing.

  Pinckney says they call her the Ogden sinking fund among his crowd.I've heard 'em say that old man Ogden, who's a little, dried up runt ofabout five feet nothin', has never got over bein' surprised at the sizeEunice has growed to. When she was about fourteen and weighed only ahundred and ninety odd, he and Mother Ogden figured a lot on marryin'Eunice into the House of Lords, like they did her sister, but they gaveall that up when she topped the two hundred mark.

  Standin' there with Rossiter, they loomed up like a dime museum couple;but they was lookin' happy, and gazin' at each other in that mushyway--you know how.

  "Say," says Rossiter's old man, sizin' 'em up careful, "is it all true?Do you think as much of one another as all that?"

  There wa'n't any need of their sayin' so; but Rossy speaks up promptfor the only time in his life. He told how they'd been spoons on eachother for more'n a year, but hadn't dared let on because they wasafraid of bein' kidded. It was the same way about gettin' married.Course, their bein' neighbours on the avenue, and all that, he musthave known that the folks on either side wouldn't kick, but neither oneof 'em had the nerve to stand for a big weddin', so they just made uptheir minds to slide off easy and have it all through before anyone hada chance to give 'em the jolly.

  "But now that you've found it out," says Rossiter, "I suppose you'llwant us to wait and----"

  "Wait nothing!" says the old man, jammin' on his hat. "Don't you waita minute on my account. Go ahead with your elopement. I'll clear out.I'll go up to the club and find Ogden, and when you have had the knottied good and fast, you come home and receive a double barrelledblessing."

  About that time the minister that they'd been waitin' for shows up, andbefore I knows it I've been rung in. Well, say, it was my first whackplayin' back stop at a weddin', and perhaps I put up a punkperformance; but inside of half an hour the job was done.

  And of all the happy reunions I was ever lugged into, it was whenRossiter's folks and the Ogdens got together afterw
ards. They were sotickled to get them two freak left overs off their hands that theyalmost adopted me into both families, just for the little stunt I didin bilkin' them P. D.'s.