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 pose Judy sees me—or this cuckoo, Rags Dempster? It ain't enough to make a tramp out of me by canceling my invitation, but I got to be made a fool of like this in front of a girl I'm crazy about and a guy that's trying to make her!

"What ails you?" snorts Ajariah, looking at me over his cheaters. "You sick?"

"Yes, sir," I says, kind of faint; "I'm terrible sick, Mister Stubbs! I—I can't haul that ice cream up to Armitage's—I—you don't understand"

Pears to me like you're a-doin' too much runnin' around at nights!" growls old Ajariah, coming out from behind the counter. "You been half asleep round here the hull day. Wouldn't be surprised if you wasn't gambling all night with them loafers in Nickmeyer's garage. That's all's the matter with you; you ain't been to bed. I kin tell by your eyes—look like two burnt holes in a blanket!"

"I wasn't doing no gambling," I says. "I never been in Nickmeyer's except for gas and oil."

"Where was you, then?" snarls Ajariah. "Speak up now!"

I says nothing at all. I ain't going to tell him I sit up all night making the clown's costume for Stella Armitage's masquerade and have him cackle his head off!

"Can't say, eh?" he grunts. "I thot so. Well, you shake a leg and git that cream up to Armitage's, or you won't have no more job here than a rabbit!"

I know he means it. So I drag them cans of ice cream out to the flivver and run 'em up to Armitage's,