The Leather Duke

Four o’clock came and moved grudgingly to four-thirty. Sam Cragg deserted his bench and came over to Johnny. “We quit at five, Johnny,” he said.

“Don’t I know it? My neck’s stiff from twisting it to look at the clock.”

“Yeah, but what about some dough? We got to eat and get a place to sleep tonight. Don’t you think we ought to get a — an advance on our pay?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Sam. Wait here.”

Leaving Sam, Johnny headed out into the front part of the floor, where the row of molding machines were banging and pounding. He caught sight of the foreman just beyond, near the glue tanks.

“Mr. Johnson,” he shouted to be heard above the din. “How’s about getting a small advance on my pay?”

“Sorry, Fletcher,” Johnson replied. “That’s against the company’s rules.”

“But Sam and I are flat broke. We don’t even have money for supper.”

“You wouldn’t have had it, if I hadn’t given you this job, would you?”

“No, but we’d have taken it easy all day. We wouldn’t have been as hungry as we are now, after exerting ourselves all day.”

“You’ve got a point there,” conceded Johnson, “but it’s a rule of the company. You can’t make exceptions.”

“No, I guess you can’t,” said Johnny in disgust. He started to turn away, but Johnson called to him.

“Here, Fletcher.” He thrust a hand into his pocket and brought out a crumpled dollar bill. “Here’s a buck for you, from me, personally.”

“Thanks, Mr. Johnson, that’s mighty white of you.” Johnny cleared his throat. “Uh, you wouldn’t have another dollar, would you? Sam Cragg’s pretty hungry, too.”

Johnson swore. “Damn you, Fletcher!” But he brought out another dollar and handed it to Johnny. “Now, keep away from me so I don’t change my mind and fire you instead.”

Johnny returned to the counter department and handed Sam one of the dollar bills. “Buck apiece was all I could promote,” he^-said.

Sam was disappointed. “I had my heart set on a steak and French fry dinner.”

“So did I. Where’s Elliott?”

“He beat it a couple of minutes ago. He’s the boss’s son, he don’t have to wait for the whistle.”

“Damn,” exclaimed Johnny. “I was going to hook him for the steak dinners.”

“After the way he acted this noon? I don’t think even you could sell him on an encore.”

“No? You underestimate me, Sam, when I’m desperate.” His eyes suddenly narrowed. “Just a minute.”

At the end of the line of counter benches was an old-fashioned bookkeeper’s desk on which stood Johnson’s telephone. Johnny strode to it and scooped the receiver off the hook.

“Nancy girl,” he said into the mouthpiece. “This is me.”

He heard her exclaim in astonishment, “Mr. Johnson...”

“Uh-uh, not the foreman,” Johnny chuckled. “Give me a couple of weeks, will you...?”

“Fletcher!” she cried. “You want to get fired?”

“Not before I earn that twenty I need for Saturday. Look, Nancy, do me a favor...”

“I’m doing you one, now. Get off that phone! The workers aren’t allowed to use the phone.”

“Sure, sure, the regular workers, maybe. But I’m not a regular worker. But to cut a long story short, has Elliott Towner breezed through?”

“Yes, now will you—?”

“Where does he live?”

“With his father — naturally.”

“And where does the old man live?”

“Hillcrest.”

Johnny winced. “That’s way out in the country, isn’t it?”

“About forty miles.”

Johnny was about to hang up, but suddenly thought of something else. “What about Elliott’s club?”

“The Lakeside Athletic on Michigan Avenue.”

“That’s it, Baby. Thanks a million. Remember Saturday...”

He hung up, started back toward Sam, but before he reached him the five o’clock bell rang and there was a mad rush for the sinks and lockers behind the rows of barrels. Johnny and Sam joined the stampede and had to wait in line to wash up.

“Do a good job, Sam,” Johnny advised his friend.

Chapter Six

At ten minutes after five they left the leather factory and made their way to a near-by street corner. They clambered aboard a crowded streetcar and fifteen minutes later alighted at Madison and Wells.

Johnny started to cross the street and Sam caught his arm. “Hey, you’re going east.”

“Certainly.”

“Yeah, but we want to go west.”

“West? That’s where all the flophouses are.”

“Ain’t that what we’re looking for?”

Johnny shook his head. “Sam, you’ve got ninety cents and I’ve got ninety cents. On West Madison we can find a joint where we can get a steak for that, but where’ll we sleep — and what about breakfast in the morning?”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” admitted Sam. “But east of here, everything’s more expensive.”

“We’re all washed up,” Johnny said. “A little dust on our suits, but we don’t look too bad.” He cleared his throat. “I thought maybe we might have dinner at the Lakeside Athletic Club...”

“Huh?” Sam blinked, then reacted. “Not Elliott T owner?”

“Why not?”

“The way he acted this noon...”

“That was crude. I’ve had time to think now.”

“All right, Johnny, he can’t get any madder’n he is already.”

“That’s what I thought.”