“The Stah Employment Agency. An’ when ah seed this place” — the African chuckled — “well, sah, ah said: ‘Dis is where all dat trouble was’ — yes, sah, ah remembered it.”
Lingo and his lieutenants were all interested by this time. They were craning from the booth, watching Maxie and the prospective doorman.
“What’s your name?” queried Maxie.
“Jericho,” replied the big man. “Dat’s what dey call me. An’ ah’ll tell you somethin’, Mr. Maxie. It don’t matter to me how tough some people get. Ah’ll take care of them.”
“Listen to that hooey,” growled Buzz Dongarth. “Say, with the long legs that gazebo’s got, I’ll bet he could beat a bullet going down Broadway!”
“He’d try it, anyway,” chuckled Louie Caparani, “if a couple of gunners got started here like they did before.”
“Say, Maxie” — it was Lingo this time, his voice was loud enough for the head waiter to hear — “what’s that this big boy’s handing you?”
Maxie turned around; so did Jericho. The big fellow grinned as he eyed the three inquisitors.
“If Maxie’s got a big enough uniform,” declared Jericho, “I’ll staht work tonight, gen’l’men. Ah wants a job bad, ah does. And when ah sees a chanct foah one, ah don’t lose no time trying to get it.”
“Say” — Lingo eyed Jericho speculatively — “it looks like you’d be over-sized for the doorman’s job. You’d hide half of Brindle’s window. What about it, Maxie?”
“Ach, maybe so.”
Jericho’s grin faded. The big fellow looked appealingly, almost accusingly, at Lingo. Maxie’s doubt was making Jericho feel uneasy. The remark about the window had been a jest; but Jericho’s size was indeed a matter to be considered. Maxie was beginning to decide that it would be unwise to hire a doorman of such Gargantuan proportions.
“Ach, the uniform,” said Maxie. “I had forgotten about it. It is a fine one and the tailor, he has fixed it so very well that the bullet hole is gone. It would not do for this man, and besides he would be too — ach, what is the word I want — I mean he would be too much to be seen.”
“Too conspicuous,” chuckled Louie Caparani. “Well Lingo, it looks like you done the big boy out of a job.”
“Maybe,” suggested Buzz, with a laugh, “he’d do for the job Hawkeye was talking about. One thing you can bet; he isn’t in the know. If he can act as big as he talks, or even as big as he looks, he’d be your ticket, Lingo.”
“That is an idea!” ejaculated Lingo. “Wait a minute, big fellow, maybe I can do something for you.” He turned to Buzz and whispered:
“Wise those gorillas in the next booth. Slip them the word to gang this guy.”
A grin appeared on Buzz’s hard face. The lieutenant shouldered past Jericho while Lingo beckoned to the big fellow. Jericho did not see Buzz stop at the adjoining booth. Nor did Maxie. The head waiter was too interested in the coming conversation.
“Suppose,” said Lingo to Jericho, “that I showed you a job worth fifty a week? Would you like it?”
“Fifty dollahs!” gasped Jericho, gaping. “Dat’s moah’n ah thought ah could make in a month. If you isn’t fooling me, sah, ah’d tell you dat I’d show you some real service foah dat amount of money. Yassah—”
JERICHO did not complete the sentence. The gorillas had sidled out from the next booth. Buzz had stepped a short distance away; as the new lieutenant flashed a signal, the two huskies threw themselves upon Jericho in an effort to flatten the huge African.
Maxie uttered a cry of warning. He wanted no more trouble in the restaurant. But the brawl that followed was even shorter than Maxie could have hoped. As the first ruffian grappled Jericho, the big fellow wheeled away and swung backward against an unoccupied table. With one hamlike hand he caught the gorilla’s neck.
The second thug loosed a punch. Jericho’s grinning face bobbed backwards. The upswinging fist scarcely grazed his chin. Jericho’s free arm shot forward like a long piston. The big hand at the end of it caught the puncher at the side of the neck.
Each of the struggling gorillas was in a titanic grasp. They might have punched their way free had Jericho allowed them opportunity, but the giant lost no time in his next purpose.
He swung both arms inward with all his force. Two heads cracked, foreheads foremost. Jericho shoved his fists forward and released his grip. The thugs succumbed dizzily. One flopped completely to the floor; the other sagged against the table, his hand to his head.
“Say,” exclaimed Lingo, “that was something!” He looked at his lieutenants and saw that they shared his enthusiasm. “Did you ever see anything like that before? This guy could do more than a crew of bouncers.”
A warning cry from Maxie. Lingo and the lieutenants swung about. One gorilla was still out; but the fellow against the table had come suddenly to his senses. They heard a venomous snarl as the thug staggered to his feet, yanking a gun.
Jericho swooped forward. His big hand grabbed the gorilla’s wrist and twisted it upward. A cry of pain; the gun clattered to the floor. Grinning Jericho twisted slowly until the gorilla was forced to drop upon his back. The big fellow released his hold so the thug could fall. There was no anger or meanness in Jericho’s action; but the gorilla had not lost his viciousness.
As Jericho started to step away the prone thug shot his hand out to regain his gun. His fingers clutched the weapon but they never raised it from the floor. Jericho stopped him without the trouble of stooping.
With a quick step, the African planted his huge foot upon both hand and gun and held them pressed against the floor.
The gorilla snarled; then subsided as he heard a sharp word from Lingo. Jericho removed his foot.
Muttering oaths, the gorilla picked up his gun and pocketed it. His companion was now rising from the floor. Lingo ordered both of them back into their booth. He looked at Louie; then at Buzz.
“Hawkeye sold me on that idea of his,” announced Lingo, “and this is the guy for the job. He’s getting it beginning with tonight.”
Fishing in his pocket, Lingo produced a card and scrawled an address on it, He brought out a roll of bills and peeled off some hank notes which he proceeded to hand Jericho. He ordered the big fellow to show up at the address given. Jericho, voluble with thanks, left the restaurant.
IT was nearly midnight when Hawkeye strolled into Lingo Queed’s apartment, to find a new arrangement. A pair of lieutenants were about to take their leave; but no gorillas were in attendance. In their place was a lone bodyguard: Jericho.
Lingo clapped Hawkeye on the shoulder. The big shot began to congratulate the little spotter on the suggestion that he had made that afternoon. Chuckling, Lingo recounted the circumstances which had led to his chance acquisition of Jericho.
The lieutenants were leaving, and Hawkeye planned to do the same. They were in an inner room of the apartment — a place which apparently served as Lingo’s private abode for it was equipped with desk and telephone as well as bed.
Seeing that his guests were going, Lingo accompanied them to the outer door of the apartment; then instructed Jericho to remain on guard there.
Hawkeye the last to go out, saw Lingo returning to the privacy of his own inner room. Then Jericho closed the door. Following the lieutenants, Hawkeye maintained his composure while he passed the cordon of gorillas who still served as outer guards. He reached the street and shuffled along the block; then, for the first time, Hawkeye grinned.
He was on his way to make another report to Burbank. It would be a good one, for Hawkeye had done more than merely get himself in right with Lingo Queed. He had paved the way for Jericho’s entrance also. For Jericho’s arrival at Brindle’s restaurant had been a timely one.