inted, I suppose," goes on Mr. Ellins. "No one to take
her around town. That is, unless--By George, Torchy!--You must take my
place."

"Eh?" says I, gaspy.

"Yes," says he. "You lucky young rascal! You shall be the one to welcome
Bonnie back to New York. And do it right, son. Draw on Mr. Piddie for
any amount you may need. Nothing but the best for Bonnie. You
understand. That is, if she comes before I get back."

Say, I've had some odd assignments from Old Hickory, but never one just
like this before. Some contract that, to take an ex-home wrecker in tow
and give her the kind of a good time that was popular in the days of
Berry Wall. If I could only dig up some old sport with a good memory he
might coach me so that I might make a stab at it, but I didn't know
where to find one. And for three days there I made nervous motions
every time Vincent came in off the gate with a card.

But a week went by and no Bonnie blew in from up state. Maybe she'd
renigged on the proposition, or had hunted up some other friend of the
old days. Anyway, I'd got my nerves soothed down considerable and was
almost countin' the incident as closed, when here the other day as I
drifts back from lunch Vincent holds me up.

"Lady to see Mr. Ellins," says he. "She's in the private office."

"Sad words, Vincent," says I. "Don't tell me it's Bonnie."

"Nothing like that," says he. "Here's her name," and he hands me a
black-bordered card.

"Huh!" says I, taking a glance. "Senora Concita Maria y Polanio. All of
that, eh? Must be some whale of a female?"

"Whale is near it," says Vincent. "You ought to see her."

"The worst of it is," says I, "I gotta see her."

He's no exaggerator, Vincent. This female party that I finds bulgin' Old
Hickory's swing desk chair has got any Jonah fish I ever saw pictured
out lookin' like a pickerel. I don't mean she's any side-show freak. Not
as bad as that. But for her height, which is about medium, I should say,
she sure is bulky. The way she sits there with her skirts spreadin'
wide around her feet, she has all the graceful outlines of a human water
tower. Above the wide shoulders is a big, high-colored face, and
wabblin' kind of unsteady on top of her head is a black velvet hat with
jet decorations. You remember them pictures we used to see of the late
Queen Victoria? Well, the Senora is an enlarged edition.

I was wonderin' how long since she came up from Cuba, and if I'd need a
Spanish interpreter to fin