第194章

Maud seized him by the arm."Will you cough up or shall Iscream?" she cried.

"Stand out of the way, girls," said Max savagely, "and let me take a crack at the----."The man dived into his pocket, produced a bill, thrust it toward Susan.Maud saw that it was a five."That's only five," she cried."Where's the other five?""Five was the bargain," whined the man.

"Do you want me to push in your blinkers, you damned old bilk, you?" cried Max, seizing him violently by the arm.The man visited his pocket again, found another five, extended the two.

Maud seized them."Now, clear out!" said Max."I hate to let you go without a swift kick in the pants."Maud pressed the money on Susan and thanked Max.Said Max, "Don't forget to tell Freddie what I done for his girl.""She'll tell him, all right," Maud assured him.

As the girls went east through Forty-second Street, Susan said, "I'm afraid that man'll lay for us.""Lay for us," laughed Maud."He'll run like a cat afire if he ever sights us again.""I feel queer and faint," said Susan."I must have a drink.""Well--I'll go with you.But I've got to get busy.I want a couple of days off this week for my little fellow, so I must hustle.You let that dirty dog keep you too long.Half an hour's plenty enough.Always make 'em cough up in advance, then hustle 'em through.And don't listen to their guff about wanting to see you again if you treat 'em right.There's nothing in it."They went into a restaurant bar near Broadway.Susan took two drinks of whiskey raw in rapid succession; Maud took one drink--a green mint with ice."While you was fooling away time with that thief," said she, "I had two men--got five from one, three from the other.The five-dollar man took a three-dollar room--that was seventy-five for me.The three-dollar man wouldn't stand for more than a dollar room--so I got only a quarter there.But he set 'em up to two rounds of drinks--a quarter more for me.So I cleared nine twenty-five.And you'd 'a' got only your twenty-five cents commission on the room if it hadn't been for me.You forgot to collect your commission.

Well, you can get it next time.Only I wouldn't _ask_ for it, Max was so nice in helping out.He'll give you the quarter."When Susan had taken her second stiff drink, her eyes were sparkling and she was laughing recklessly."I want a cigarette," she said.

"You feel bully, don't you?"

"I'm ready for anything," declared she giddily."I don't give a damn.I'm over the line.I--_don't_--give--a--damn!""I used to hate the men I went up with," said Maud, "but now I hardly look at their faces.You'll soon be that way.Then you'll only drink for fun.Drink--and dope--they are about the only fun we have--them and caring about some fellow.""How many girls has Freddie got?"