final touch of his stuttering, whistling, cheerful, vital, and comic personality—he was Luke, the unique, Luke, the incomparable: he was, in spite of his garrulous and fidgeting nervousness, an intensely likable person—and he really had in him a bottomless well of affection. He wanted bounteous praise for his acts, but he had a deep, genuine kindliness and tenderness.
Every week, on Thursday, in Gant’s dusty little office, he would gather the grinning cluster of small boys who bought The Post from him, and harangue them before he sent them out on their duties:
“Well, have you thought of what you’re going to tell them yet? You know you can’t sit around on your little tails and expect them to look you up. Have you got a spiel worked out yet? How do you approach’em, eh?” he said, turning fiercely to a stricken small boy. “Speak up, speak up, G-G-G-God-damn it—don’t s-s-stand there looking at me. Haw!” he said, laughing with sudden wild idiocy, “look at that face, won’t you?”
Gant surveyed the proceedings from afar with Jannadeau, grinning.
“All right, Christopher Columbus,” continued Luke, good-humoredly. “What do you tell’em, son?”
The boy cleared his throat timidly: “Mister, do you want to buy a copy of The Saturday Evening Post?”
“Oh, twah-twah,” said Luke, with mincing delicacy, as the boys sniggered, “sweet twah-twah! Do you expect them to buy with a spiel like that? My God, where are your brains? Sail into them. Tackle them, and don’t take no for an answer. Don’t ask them if they WANT to buy. Dive into them:’Here you are, sir—hot off the press.’Jesus Christ,” he yelled, looking at the distant court— house clock with sudden fidget, “we should have been out an hour ago. Come on—don’t stand there: here are your papers. How many do you want, you little Kike?”—for he had several Jews in his employ: they worshipped him and he was very fond of them—he liked their warmth, richness, humor.
“Twenty.”
“Twenty!” he yelled. “You little loafer—you’ll t-t-take fifty. G-g-go on, you c-c-can sell’em this afternoon. By G-G-God, papa,” he said, pointing to the Jews, as Gant entered the office, “
