an sleuth out where they're tied together
he's got to do some high-class snoopin' around.

Maybe you think too, that little Sunny Haired Hank, guardin' the brass
gate, ain't wise to every move. Say, I make that part of my job. If I
didn't, I'd be towin' a grouchy bunch of minority kickers in where the
reorganization board was cookin' up a new stock-transfer game, or make
some other fool break that would spill the beans all over the pantry
floor.

"Torchy," says Mr. Robert, chewin' his cigar nervous and pawin' through
pigeonholes, "ask Mr. Piddie what was done with those Mesaba contracts."

"Filed under Associated Developments," says I.

"Oh, yes, so they were," says he. "Thanks. And could you find out for me
when we organized General Transportation?"

"Wa'n't that pulled off the day you waited for that Duluth delegation
to show up, just after Easter?" says I.

"That's it," says he, "the fifteenth! Has Marling of Chicago been called
up yet?"

"Nope," says I. "He'll be waitin' for the closing quotations, won't he?
But there's that four-eyed guy with the whiskers who's been hangin'
around a couple of hours."

"Ah!" says Mr. Robert, huntin' out a card on his desk. "That Rowley
person! I'd forgotten. What does he want?"

"Didn't say," says I. "Got a roll of something under one arm--crank
promoter, maybe. Will I ditch him?"

"Not without being heard," says Mr. Robert. "I haven't time myself,
though. Perhaps Mr. Piddie might interview him and----"

"Ah, Piddie!" says I. "He'd take one look at the old gink's round cuffs
and turn him down haughty. You know Piddie?"

Mr. Robert smiles. "Then suppose you do it," says he. "Go ahead--full
powers. Only remember this: My policy is to give everyone who has a
proposition to submit to the Corrugated a respectful and adequate
hearing. Get the idea?"

"I'm right behind you," says I. "The smooth stuff goes; and if we must
spill 'em, grease the skids. Me for Rowley!"

And, say, you should have heard me shove over the diplomacy, tellin'
how sorry Mr. Robert was he couldn't see him in person; but wouldn't he
please state the case in full so no time might be lost in actin' one way
or the other? Inside of three minutes too, he has his papers spread out
and is explainin' his by-product scheme for mill tailings, with me busy
takin' notes on a pad. He had it all figured out into big money; but of
course I couldn't tell whether he had a sure thing, or was just
exercisin' squirrels