Shorty McCabe on the Job

Shorty McCabe on the Job, by Sewell Ford,

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Title: Shorty McCabe on the Job
Author: Sewell Ford

Release Date: April 7, 2007 [eBook #21005]
Language: English
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SHORTY McCABE ON THE JOB
by
SEWELL FORD
Author of Shorty Mccabe, Side-Stepping with Shorty, Etc.
Illustrated by F. Vaux Wilson

[Illustration: "It might give us some clew," says I, "as to what him and your paw had a run-in about."]

New York Grosset & Dunlap Publishers
Copyright, 1913, 1914, 1915, by Sewell Ford Copyright, 1915, by Edward J. Clode All rights reserved

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Wishing a New One on Shorty 1 II. A Few Squirms by Bayard 18 III. Peeking in on Pedders 32 IV. Two Singles to Goober 49 V. The Case of a Female Party 65 VI. How Millie Shook the Jinx 81 VII. Reverse English on Sonny Boy 100 VIII. Gumming Gopher to the Map 115 IX. What Lindy Had up Her Sleeve 131 X. A Case of Nobody Home 150 XI. Under the Wire with Edwin 165 XII. A Fifty-Fifty Split with Hunk 182 XIII. A Follow Through by Eggy 198 XIV. Catching up with Gerald 217 XV. Shorty Hears from Pemaquid 233 XVI. Scratch One on Bulgaroo 251 XVII. Bayard Ducks His Past 267 XVIII. Trailing Dudley Through a Trance 285 XIX. A Little While with Alvin 304

ILLUSTRATIONS
"It might give us some clew," says I, "as to what him and your paw has a run-in about" Frontispiece
FACING PAGE "I wouldn't have anything happen to you for the world," says I 8
"Now see hea-uh, Mistuh Constable," says he, "I wouldn't go for to do anything like that" 60
"Say, I'm a bear for Paris" 97
"Now, friends," he calls, "everybody in on the chorus" 124
"What's the idea," says Mabel, "wishin' this Rube stuff on us?" 157
He sidles up to the desk and proceeds to make some throaty noises 199
Blamed if Dudley don't have the nerve to tow Veronica into the next room, stretchin' on tiptoe to talk in her ear 298

SHORTY McCABE ON THE JOB
CHAPTER I
WISHING A NEW ONE ON SHORTY
Do things just happen, like peculiar changes in the weather, or is there a general scheme on file somewhere? Is it a free-for-all we're mixed up in--with our Harry Thaws and our Helen Kellers; our white slavers, our white hopes, and our white plague campaigns; our trunk murders, and our fire heroes? Or are we runnin' on schedule and headed somewhere?
I ain't givin' you the answer. I'm just slippin' you the proposition, with the side remark that now and then, when the jumble seems worse than ever, you can get a glimpse of what might be a clew, or might not.
Anyway, here I was, busy as a little bee, blockin' right hooks and body jabs that was bein' shot at me by a husky young uptown minister who's a headliner at his job, I understand, but who's developin' a good, useful punch on the side. I was just landin' a cross wallop to the ribs, by way of keepin' him from bein' too ambitious with his left, when out of the tail of my eye I notices Swifty Joe edgin' in with a card in his paw.
"Time out!" says I, steppin' back and droppin' my guard. "Well, Swifty, what's the scandal?"
"Gent waitin' to see you," says he.
"Let him wait, then," says I.
"Ah-r-r-r, but he's a reg'lar gent!" protests Swifty, fingerin' the card.
"Even so, he'll keep five minutes more, won't he?" says I.
"But he--he's----" begins Swifty, strugglin' to connect that mighty intellect of his with his tongue.
"Ah, read off the name," says I. "Is it Mayor Mitchel, Doc Wilson, or who?"
"It says J. B-a-y-a-r-d Ste--Steele," says Swifty.
"Eh?" says I, gawpin'. "Lemme see. Him! Say, Swifty, you go back and tell J. Bayard that if he's got nerve enough to want to see me, it'll be a case of wait. And if he's at all messy about it, I give you leave to roll him downstairs. The front of some folks! Come on now, Dominie! Cover up better with that right mitt: I'm goin' to push in a few on you this time."
And if you never saw a Fifth avenue preacher well lathered up you should have had a glimpse of this one at the end of the next