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Show foi fbj Change O Of Pace mi L2kii By Willard Olvan Persing "T don't care if you have to buy a sawmill to get that lumber, just see that it gets there today!" Mike Clanahan slammed the J Minute phone back on Fiction "s cradle, mum- bling to himself about young pups who quit trying as j,oon as !they'd heard 'No' mentioned a time or two. The slender, black-haired girl, sitting on the corner of his desk, grinned at him. "Pops, if everyone bulled their way through like you do, there'd be quite f crop of cracked heads." As he looked up at his daughter, Mike's face softened into a smile. "Something on your mind, Cathy?" "Yes, but I think this job is a little too delicate for your methods." She stared out the window for a moment before continuing. "James refuses to marry me," she said. "Now. he's decided that it's better if we don't even see each other any more." "Refuses to marry you!" The windows win-dows rattled as Mike came up out of his chair. "Why I'll " Cathy's frown put Mike back into his chair. "That's what I mean about your methods. I'd like to have enough of him left to carry me over the threshold." "Why won't he marry you?" "Rich girl, poor boy. He says he won't have it appear that he married me for my money." Mike stared thoughtfully at her. "You really love him, don't you?" Cathy nodded her head. "All you need," Mike said as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling, "is just a diamond-studded, diamond-studded, fourteen-carat miracle." mira-cle." "That's a thought to cheer a girl's heart," Cathy gave her father a wry glance. "That is, if you have an extra miracle you won't be needing need-ing for a few days." MIKE CLOSED HIS eyes and studied a moment. "I could arrange for a high-salaried job to fall his way." "Pops, please don't try anything like that. If he found that we had a hand in it, he would probably leave town. Your tactics are about as subtle as those of an old billy goat." "All right, so I'm not in the habit of pussy-footing around," growled Mike. "What are you going to do?" "Same as I have been doing. Argue some more and try to wear him down." "That settles that." Mike stood up and absently walked over to get his hat and coat. "You want me to drop you off at home? I've got to run over to the hospital.' "The hospital?" "Yes, old Zeke, the fellow who owns the newsstand down on the corner, thinks he's going to die, and I thought some company might cheer him up." Cathy frowned. "He must be the one who has been giving me some competition. James spends two or three nights a week, playing chess and arguing politics with' some old fellow named Zeke." Mike stopped and stared at Cathy. "Come on," he said hur- .................... 'mm mill imtfrir'il "Pops, please don't try anything," any-thing," Cathy said. "Your tactics tac-tics are about as subtle as those of an old billy goat " riedly, "if I don't get a move on, visiting hours will be over before I get there." The windoww were still rattling from Mike's conversation when he slammed the phone back into its cradle and glanced up at the young woman who was struggling to keep the exasperated expression on her face. "Mike Clanahan, I thought you were asked to keep your strong-arm strong-arm tactics out of my love affair." Mike grinned up at her. "What do you mean?" "You know very well what I mean." Cathy's stern expression broke into a happy laugh. She came around the desk and kissed him on the forehead. "But I still don't know " "Don't play innocent with me. Having Zeke leave everything to James was a stroke of genius. But what I want to know is how you managed to get forty-seven thousand dollars in old bills hidden In Zcke's room." "Did it work?' Cathy held her left hand up In front of Mike's face. A diamond on the third finger twinkled merrily at him. |