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with a little carefully placed influence, I managed to get myself appointed.

Well, anyway, Humbert called up the Chief and told him about it, and the Chief promised to send a man around at once. That was me. If I could have seen what I was going into, it might have given me pause, for the thing led me emotionally far afield from where I started, but you will hear more of that later, so we will let the matter rest at present.

I called on Humbert at his office, and Ike, whom I happened to know rather well, showed me the notes. I read them in silence, but there must have been an amused gleam in my eyes, for Ike said:

“So you think it’s funny, what?” He glared at me. “We invest fifty thousand dollars in a show and some damn fool tries to make us close even before we open, and you think it’s a funny joke, ain’t it so?”

I laughed. ‘Well, you have to admit that these notes are rather funny,” I said.

“I wish I had your sense of humor, Steve… or rather, thanks to God I haven't, because what a damn fool I’d be if I had, not so?”

“That’s a little involved,” I said, “but I know what you mean. You're reversing the usual procedure by thanking God for not having a sense of humor. However, if you don’t see anything funny about these notes—”

“Well, what’s so funny about them notes, then?”