Show IBO daal t gentle art of malting making the touch in ia foreign parts part i ANYWHERE AND everywhere is one of the B BORROWING arts that has never fallen into decay kept alive by conscientious disciples brought to efficiency by earnest students kept afloat through the ages and practiced even by those who developed the habit without necessity for it the touch has survived as a pristine pastime among its champions because of the long drouth that followed the shifting fortunes so suddenly lost strayed and stolen after the chair was pulled out from under those ac accustomed cust orned to sitting bitting pretty with no thought of rainy days the busl business ness u of f holding up friends relatives and even strangers has become a science check iutin kiting bad news from home threatened disgrace due to d debts of honor delayed mall mail tipsters hipsters tip who knock down improvident noblemen who borrow from snobs anoba and petty chiselers of all sorts are operating on what amounts to a code for grafters drafters gr these dis dia had multiplied with ith such r rapidity that they threatened to become a leisure class in the european capitals he be touched recently in london I 1 was lunching with a certain well known man about town a messenger messen er arrived with a note that called for an immediate answer it was short and definite this man said tie lie without disclosing ng t the name has touched everybody he knows I 1 am the one untouchable among his acquaintances and with that mine host peeled 20 from a fat roll wrote a short note sealed it with the money under envelope and instructed ted the messenger to return with the answer you untouchable I 1 asked startled by his action ills his eyes sparkled seem so does it what I 1 wrote was this I 1 enclosed E find 20 dont thank roe me tor for it it repay me at your convenience 0 on n a definite date name one now dow it S V P this messenger before we had reached our coffee the die boy was back with the original note amplified by this indorsement endorsement Indor december 1 1935 and signed im the one man in london that lie be keeps falth faith with his ace in the hole hla his unfailing last resort continued the lender one default one excuse and im off him forever that he knows lins been going on cuore more thin jiin ten years ive grown rather fond of him despite his utter irresponsibility he returns my friendship by being af afraid raid of me the annly way to keep habitual borrowers where they belong uell manage somehow december I 1 to meet that loan it if he be has to touch twenty others to meet the demand ue he wont lose me and I 1 cant lose jose him if one must be a private banker my way at least limits the losses yes what this idea Is worth distribution im anxious to try it on a bird awaiting my return to manhattan now and then there Is a touch of comedy in the of touching and by the way men who laugh easily and heartily are not difficult to handle among my acquaintances is an amerlean american author who spends four months out of the year in a paris suburb one summer night at the witching hour aroused by the clanging of his door bell he got up and admitted two temporarily embarrassed actors apologies in order it may surprise you said the taller and sta statelier teller of the pair to have a call at this unseemly hour from two of your countrymen who for the moment are in some straits and much fatigued by the long journey down from paris to your hospitable domicile indeed it Is with reluctance that we have brought ourselves into your presence we are two of a small company of players lured by the hope of a prosperous season at the french capital unhappily we were mistaken lu in the illusion that a w warm arm welcome would be extended I 1 had bad the honor to fo be the leading man whilst my companion this gentleman reduced to the necessity of wearing an III fitting sweater was our comedian d ian whose sense of comedy has served to invest our pilgrimage grimage w with it h it a dash of mirth yes a dash the purpose of our mission Is to ask for a 1 loan of funds from the states aw francs or it if that Is unseemly ah well possibly francs until ill say any 25 francs interrupted the comedian laying a hand upon bis big sweat ered cd bosom or even 10 shut up muttered the leading man for an aside better than that continued the character actor coming forward it would be b e a sensational lilt flit if you could come across with a cup of hot black black coffee or let us u a say two twi cups for each of us we can then take the question iou of a SM loan in better bettar humor 1 I the good samaritan from the 0 S A broke into a gust of ill opened fits henrt heart wid and his house holise set up a midnight lunch lunea showed his guests to comfortable beds and started them back to paris the next ilay flay with will rim stomachs renewed coti courage rage and rn fr francs alles the comedians cry tor u cup clip of coffee had bad turned the trick 0 |