"Easiest thing I do, old son," says I. "Besides, his ain"t a case of ingrowin" grouch, you know."
"I was just getting that hunch myself," says Brink. "Shouldn"t wonder but he was quite a decent old boy when you got under the crust. If I was only of some use around the place I"ll bet we"d get along fine. As it is----" He spreads out his hands.
"Trust Old Hickory Ellins to find out whether you"re any use or not,"
says I. "He don"t miss many tricks. If you do get canned, though, you can make up your mind that finance is your short suit."
Nearly a week goes by without another word from Mr. Ellins. And every night as Brink streamed out with the advance guard at 5 o"clock he"d stop long enough at my desk to swap a grin with me and whisper: "Well, I won"t have to break the news to Dad tonight, anyway."
"Nor to the young lady, either," says I.
"Oh, I had to spill it to Marjorie, first crack," says he. "She"s helping me hold my breath."
And then here yesterday mornin", as I"m helping Old Hickory sort the mail, he picks out a letter from our Western manager and slits it open.
"Hah!" says he, through his cigar. "I think this solves our problem, Torchy."
"Yes, sir?" says I, gawpin".
"Call in that young humorist of yours from the bond room," says he.
And I yanks Brink Hollis off the high stool impetuous.
"Know anything about industrial welfare work, young man?" demands Old Hickory of him.
"I"ve seen it mentioned in magazine articles," says Brink, "but that"s about all. Don"t think I ever read one."
"So much the better," says Mr. Ellins. "You"ll have a chance to start in fresh, with your own ideas."
"I--I beg pardon?" says Brink, starin" puzzled.
"You"re good at play organizing, aren"t you," goes on Old Hickory.
"Well, here"s an opportunity to spread yourself. One of the manufacturing units we control out in Ohio. Three thousand men, in a little one-horse town where there"s nothing better to do in their spare time than go to cheap movies and listen to cheaper walking delegates. I guess they need you more than we do in the bond room. Organize "em as much as you like. Show "em how to play. Give that He-Crab act if you wish. We"ll start you in at a dollar a man. That satisfactory?"
I believe Brink tried to say it was, only what he got out was so choky you could hardly tell. But he goes out beamin".
"Well!" says Old Hickory, turnin" to me. "I suppose he"ll call that coming safely out of a nose dive, eh?"
"Or side-slippin" into success," says I. "I think you"ve picked another winner, Mr. Ellins."
"Huh!" he grunts. "You mean you think you helped me do it. But I want you to understand, young man, that I learned to be tolerant of other people"s failings long before you were born. Toleration. It"s the keystone of every big career. I"ve practiced it, too, except--well, except after a bad night."
And then, seein" that rare flicker in Old Hickory"s eyes, I gives him the grin. Oh, sure you can. It"s all in knowin" when.
CHAPTER X
"IKKY-BOY COMES ALONG
Being a parent grows on you, don"t it? Course, at first, when it"s sprung on you so kind of sudden, you hardly know how to act. That is, if you"re makin" your debut in the part. And I expect for a few months there, after young Richard Hemmingway Ballard came and settled down with Vee and me, I put up kind of a ragged amateur performance as a fond father. All I can say about it now is I hope I didn"t look as foolish as I felt.
As for Vee, she seemed to get her lines and business perfect from the start. Somehow young mothers do. She knew how to handle the youngster right off; how to hold him and what to say to him when he screwed up his face and made remarks to her that meant nothing at all to me. And she wasn"t fussed or anything when company came in and caught her at it.
Also young Master Richard seemed to be right at home from the very first. Didn"t seem surprised or strange or nervous in the presence of a pair of parents that he found wished on him without much warnin". Just gazed at us as calm and matter-of-fact as if he"d known us a long time.
While me, well it must have been weeks before I got over feelin" kind of panicky whenever I was left alone with him.
But are we acquainted now? I"ll say we are. In fact, as Harry Lander used to put it, vurra well acquainted. Chummy, I might say. Why not, after we"ve stood two years of each other without any serious dispute?
Not that I"m claimin" any long-distance record as a model parent. No. I expect I do most of the things I shouldn"t and only a few of them that I should. But "Ikky-boy ain"t a critical youngster. That"s his own way of sayin" his name and mostly we call him that. Course, he answers to others, too; such as Old Scout, and Snoodlekins, and young Rough-houser.
I mean, he does when he ain"t too busy with important enterprises; such as haulin" Buddy, the Airedale pup, around by the ears; or spoonin" in milk and cereal, with Buddy watchin" hopeful for sideslips; or pullin"
out the spool drawer of Vee"s work table.
It"s been hinted to us by thoughtful friends who have all the scientific dope on bringin" up children, although most of "em never had any of their own, that this is all wrong. Accordin" to them we ought to start right in makin" him drop whatever he"s doin" and come to us the minute we call. Maybe we should, too. But that ain"t the way it works out, for generally, we don"t want anything special, and he seems so wrapped up in his private little affairs that it don"t seem worth while breakin" in on his program. Course, maulin" Buddy around may seem to us like a frivolous pastime, but how can you tell if it ain"t the serious business in life to "Ikky-boy just then? Besides, Buddy seems to like it. So as a rule we let "em finish the game.
But there is one time each day when he"s always ready to quit any kind of fun and come toddlin" with his hands stretched out and a wide grin on his chubby little face. That"s along about 6:15 when I blow in from town. Then he"s right there with the merry greetin" and the friendly motions. Also his way of addressin" his male parent would give another jolt to a lot of people, I suppose.
"Hi, Torchy!" That"s his favorite hail.
"Reddy yourself, you young freshy," I"m apt to come back at him.
Followin" which I scooch to meet his flyin" tackle and we roll on the rug in a clinch, with Buddy yappin" delighted and mixin" in promiscuously. Finally we end up on the big davenport in front of the fireplace and indulge in a few minutes of lively chat.
"Well, "Ikky-boy, how you and Buddy been behavin" yourselves, eh?" I"ll ask. "Which has been the worst cut-up today, eh?"
"Buddy bad dog," he"ll say, battin" him over the head with a pink fist.
"See?" And he"ll exhibit a tear in his rompers or a chewed sleeve.
"Huh! I"ll bet it"s been fifty-fifty, you young rough-houser," I"ll say. "Who do you like best around this joint, anyway?"
"Buddy," is always the answer.
"And next?" I"ll demand.
"Mamma," he"ll say.
"Hey, where do I come in?" I"ll ask, shakin" him.
Then he"ll screw up his mouth mischievous and say: "Torchy come in door.
Torchy, Torchy!"
I"ll admit Vee ain"t so strong for all this. His callin" me Torchy, I mean. She does her best, too, to get him to change it to Daddy. But that word don"t seem to be on "Ikky-boy"s list at all. He picked up the Torchy all by himself and he seems to want to stick to it. I don"t mind.
Maybe it ain"t just the thing for a son and heir to spring on a perfectly good father, chucklin" over it besides, but it sounds quite all right to me. Don"t hurt my sense of dignity a bit.
And it looks like he"ll soon come to be called young Torchy himself.
Uh-huh. For a while there Vee was sure his first crop of hair, which was wheat colored like hers, was goin" to be the color scheme of his permanent thatch. But when the second growth begun to show up red she had to revise her forecast. Now there"s no doubt of his achievin" a pink-plus set of wavy locks that"ll make a fresh-painted fire hydrant look faded. They"re gettin" brighter and brighter and I expect in time they"ll show the same new copper kettle tints that mine do.
"I don"t care," says Vee "I rather like it."