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Show W0j)jCORNER p KEEPERS FINDER" I B W, RV CHARLES PALMER covert calculation. "Well, there s I advertising-office rent, telephones and help livings for George and me all only until the golden flood begins to roll in. Say; oh say, five thousand dollars. That should be sufficient to launch the business." The elderly gentleman drew a checkbook from his pocket, and un-limbered un-limbered his fountain pen. The beady eyes glistened. The elderly gentleman turned to the back of a check and began to figure. The slim one exhaled sharply, opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of It. In a few moments, the elderly gentleman gen-tleman stopped figuring, and looked out the car window, stroking his goatee reflectively. He shook his head slowly. "No," he said. "I believe your calculations to be in error. Vou will need at least ten thousand dollars dol-lars to get your proposition under way." The blood slowly flowed back into the slim one's cheeks. Mr. Vander- nulled the long fSVthe side of the and the elderly gentle- tonneau leaned forward K door for the two hitch-K hitch-K slim, nervous one with K. sat on one K elderly gentleman; the Kpv one on the other. KrW gentleman's hands KfernU m his lap. His Kther vague eyes peered ml, then the other. He Silence. "My name is M. gentlemen. And Hi nervous one sat up Any relation to the Van-Rank Van-Rank family?" said the elderly gentle-Bmo gentle-Bmo his cray goatee. I 'All you have to do is give us the names of the people whose anniversaries anniver-saries you want to remember; with the dates if you have them, otherwise other-wise we will look them up for you. "Give us too, the names of people whose promotions, marriages births, deaths and so on you want to mark with a gift or note; and our clipping service will watch the papers and other sources of information. infor-mation. When an item pops up on the calendar we keep in your name, we notify you and for a small additional ad-ditional fee we will even write an appropriate note, or purchase and forward a gift. Now, tell me: Does that All a long-felt need?" The elderly gentleman's eyes were bright with interest. "Amazing. " 'Okay,' he said, 'I bit.' Then be kissed the check regretfully and tore It up." rT have that honor, if yU call it one." "Then," said the , slim one, "this Is your lucky day. Ain't it, George?" The big one took his hungry gaze n from the passing , I orange trees long j grunt agreement, and U to contemplating the nt , one fixed the elderly gen- ; rith a gimlet eye, and ; taut finger confidently in you ever neglected the sf a loved one, and spent nights of regret?" he tensely. "Have you ever j on remembering an an-and an-and gone to the doghouse lit or failed to congratu- j end on a promotion and j i fishy eye the next time Have you?" res," apologized the elder-lan, elder-lan, "I have. I am a trifle it times," adding defen-ut defen-ut then, most people are." iressed the slim one, giv-ipel giv-ipel an impressive shake, ; exactly. Most people are, forgetful, and they suffer hey suffer because they slight or omission was not and realize too, that the one is certain to wrongly it. Maybe a long friend-be friend-be strained, or a wife or hurt. ippose you were to sudden-urself sudden-urself in a position where hts and omissions never any more! Wouldn't you led especially If It meant on your part, no strain, in fact, nothing beyond ent of a very small fee?" erly gentleman nodded. "I most people would be as as I." tot again!" cried the slim If, George and I are at lent on our way to Los 0 initiate just such a serv-plan serv-plan to call It The Tell- 1 Co., Inc. young man! Exactly what I need. Put me down as your first subscriber." sub-scriber." "You see!" said the slim one. "You snapped at It. So will others. Which brings us to the heart of the matter, doesn't it, George?" George turned from the oranges long enough to grunt a second agreement, agree-ment, and turned back to his contemplation. con-templation. An orange would go very, very good just now. The slim one grasped the elderly gentleman's lapel again. "Mr. Vandermoor, I called this your lucky day. It Is. You, being a Vandermoor, have money which you are probably willing to treble on a proposition that can't miss. George and I have such a proposition, proposi-tion, but no money. Now, why can't we get together on this thing?" "Hmm," remarked the elderly gentleman. "How much capital do you estimate your venture will require?" re-quire?" The slim one inspected him with moor turned his checkbook over and poised his pen. "I am a man of quick decisions," he told the slim one. "I am convinced con-vinced of the worth of your idea, and of your ability to carry it through. Your name?" The slim one supplied It, and the elderly gentleman gen-tleman wrote out the check, tore it from the book, and handed it to him. "And now, I see we are almost home. If you young men will come in with me, we can draw up some informal papers to cover the matter, mat-ter, and then I will have my driver take you on to the city to start your company." The car swung from the highway and stopped smoothly. A uniformed attendant hobbled from the gats house to unlock the ponderous iron grilles which effectively barred the driveway. Suddenly the slim one bent forward. for-ward. His eyes rested on a small bronze plate set in the stone pillar. "Sunnyside Home for the Mentally Diseased," he read slowly, choking as the words sunk in. He turned toward George, flicking a rather hopeless glance in his direction. George turned away sadly to again appraise the oranges. The slim one's eyes dropped to the flourishing sig- nature on the check he still held In his hands. "Napoleon Vandermoor," he quoted. His lips tightened murderously for a moment, then he grinned sheepishly. sheep-ishly. "Okay, Napoleon," he said. "I bit. Your name ain't Vandermoor, but just to even it up, George and me ain't starting any Tell-You-When Service, either! Because somebody else beat us to it a year ago, see, , and all we wanted your dough for was to skip the country before the j dicks caught up to us." He kissed the check regretfully, then tore it into little pieces and tossed them in the air, watching them flutter down. "Come on, George," he said, "oranges "or-anges for breakfast." "The elderly gentleman watched them trudge down the road, and stroked his goatee contemplatively as the car rolled up the drive. It stopped in front of a brick building with barred windows, and he stood beside the car for a moment. "Harvey," he said to the waiting driver, "wait here for me. I'll be only a moment." The chauffeur touched his cap respectfully. re-spectfully. "Yes, Doctor Vandermoor," he said. |