fully a minute. He tried eighteen times by actual count to say
something but that well known tongue of his had laid down at last and
quit! He couldn't even raise a whisper.

"I knew you were four-flushin' the first time you started to hand me
that stuff!" goes on Gladys, sweetly. "I happen to know the folks
here, includin' the leadin' man, De Vronde. He was hangin' around that
shirtwaist counter before you knew whether they made pictures here or
sponge cake. Also, some of your friends come over from time to time
and tipped me off about you, so that I was all set when you started!"

Joe whirls around on her at that, and although this bird had beat me to
the wire with Gladys, I felt sorry for him right then. The poor kid
was hangin' on the ropes waitin' for somebody to throw in the sponge.

"If you knew all that," he says, kinda choked, "why--why did you let me
come over and continue to--to mislead you?"

Gladys coughs and places three or four stray hairs exactly back of her
little white ear, gazin' at her wrist watch like it's the first time
she ever seen one, and she's wonderin' can it really go. The big boob
stands there lookin' at her and the chance of a couple of lifetimes is
slippin' away. What? Say, listen! I don't know much about
women--fighters is my line--but there was a look on Gladys's face that
I'd seen Genaro work two hours one time to put on Miss Vincent's when
they was takin' a big picture. So you can figure she wasn't
registerin' hate!

"Well, why?" demands Joe again.

"This stuff is all new to me," says Gladys, with a sigh, "but I guess
I've got to do it!" She gazes at the ground and gets kinda red. "It
was not your conversation that made the hit with me!" she winds up
softly.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," pipes Senseless Joe.

"Heavens!" remarks Gladys. "There's enough concrete between your neck
and your hat to build a bridge over the bay! I can safely say you're
the first man I ever proposed to, but somebody's got to do it and I
guess I'm the goat!"

"What!" screams Joe, comin' to life at last.
"You--you--forgive--you--" The poor simp gets all excited and once
again he can't talk and--I don't blame him. You never seen Gladys, and
you don't know how she looked right then!

"Say!" says Gladys. "Am I bein' kidded or--"

Joe might have been a tramp as a movie lover, but take it from me, as
the real thing he was no slouch! I hadda stand there and watch it,
because I cou