“If he was smart he’d know that without asking,” I said. “If she was my wife I’d be wearing weeds.”
I went back to the gals and told them I’d met the guy. They was all steamed up.
“Who is he?” says Kate.
“His name is Herbert Daley,” I told her. “He’s got a stable over to Jamaica.”
“A stable!” says Ella, dropping her jaw. “A man couldn’t dress like he and run a livery.”
So I had to explain that he didn’t run no livery, but owned a string of race horses.
“How thrilling!” says Katie. “I love races! I went to the Grand Circuit once, the time I was in Columbus.”
“These is different,” I says. “These is thurlbreds.”
“So was they thurlbreds!” she says. “You always think a thing can’t be no good if you wasn’t there.”
I let her win that one.
“We must find out when the race is and go,” said the Mrs.
“They’s six of them every day,” I said, “but it costs about five smackers apiece to get in, to say nothing about what you lose betting.”
“Betting!” says Katie. “I just love to bet and I never lose. Don’t you remember the bet I made with Sammy Pass on the baseball that time? I took him for a five-pound box of candy. I just felt that Cincinnati was going to win.”
“So did the White Sox,” I says. “But if you bet with the boys over to Jamaica, the only candy they’ll take you for is an all-day sucker.”
“What did Mr. Daley have to say?” asked Ella.
“He had to say he was pleased to meet me,” I told her. “He proved it by chasing upstairs to write a letter.”
“Probably to his wife,” said Kate.
“No,” I said. “Wurz tells me he ain’t got no wife. But he’s got plenty of jack, so Wurz says.”
“Well, Sis,” says the Mrs., “that’s no objection to him, is it?”
“Don’t be silly!” said Katie. “He wouldn’t look at me.”
“I guess not!” I says. “He was so busy doing it in the dining room, that half his soup never got past his chin. And listen: I don’t like to get you excited, but Wurz told me he asked who you was.”
“O Sis!” said the Mrs. “It looks like a Romance.”
“Wurz didn’t say nothing about a Romance,” said I. “He may be interested like the rubes who stare with their mouth open at Ringling’s ‘Strange People.’ ”
“Oh, you can’t tease Sis like that,” said Ella. “She’s as pretty as a picture tonight and nobody could blame a man from admiring her.”
“Especially when we don’t know nothing about him,” I says. “He may be a snow-eater or his upstairs rooms is unfurnished or something.”
“Well,” says Ella, “if he shows up again tonight, don’t you forget to introduce us.”
“Better not be in no hurry,” I said.
“Why not?” said Ella. “If him and Sis likes each other’s looks, why, the sooner they get acquainted, it won’t hurt nothing.”
“I don’t know,” I says. “I’ve noticed that most of the birds you chose for a brother-in-law only stayed in the family as long as they was strangers.”
“Nobody said nothing about Mr. Daley as a brother-in-law,” says Ella.
“Oh!” I said. “Then I suppose you want Katie to meet him so as she can land a hostler’s job.”
Well, in about a half hour, the gals got their wish and Daley showed up. I didn’t have to pull no strategy to land him. He headed right to where we was setting like him and I was old pals. I made the introductions and he drawed up a chair and parked. The rest of the guests stared at us goggle-eyed.
“Some hotel!” says Daley.
“We like it,” says the Mrs. “They’s so many nice people lives here.”
“We know by hearsay,” I said, but she stepped on my foot.
“It’s handy for me,” said Daley. “I have a few horses over to the Jamaica race track and it’s a whole lot easier to come here than go in Town every night.”
“Do you attend the races every day?” says Katie.
“Sure,” he says. “It’s my business. And they’s very few afternoons when one of my nags ain’t entered.”
“My! You must have a lot of them!” said Kate.
“Not many,” says Daley. “About a hundred. And I only shipped thirty.”
“Imagine!” said Kate.
“The army’s got that many,” I said.
“The army ain’t got none like mine,” says Daley. “I guess they wished they had of had. I’d of been glad to of helped them out, too, if they’d asked me.”
“That’s why I didn’t enlist,” I said. “Pershing never even suggested it.”
“Oh, I done my bit all right,” says Daley. “Two hundred thousand in Liberty Bonds is all.”
“Just like throwing it away!” I says.
“Two hundred thousand!” says Ella. “And you’ve still got money left?”
She said this in a joking way, but she kept the receiver to her ear.
“I ain’t broke yet,” says Daley, “and I don’t expect to be.”
“You don’t half know this hotel,” I says.
“The Decker does charge good prices,” said Daley, “but still and all, a person is willing to pay big for the opportunity of meeting young ladies like the present company.”
“O Mr. Daley!” said Kate. “I’m afraid you’re a flatter.”
“I bet he makes them pretty speeches to every woman he meets,” says Ella.
“I haven’t met none before who I felt like making them,” says Daley.
Wile they was still talking along these lines, the orchestra begin to drool a “Perfect Day,” so I ducked out on the porch for air. The gals worked fast wile I was gone and when I come back it was arranged that Daley was to take us to the track next afternoon in his small car.
His small car was a toy that only had enough room for the people that finds fault with Wilson. I suppose he had to leave his big car in New York on account of the Fifty-ninth Street bridge being so frail.
Before we started I asked our host if they was a chance to get anything to drink over to the track
