William P. McGivern

“ Reggie said triumphantly. "Well, since when has Death been announced by personal messengers? A man steps in front of a car. He's killed. That's all there is to it. There aren't little black men standing on the curb pushing him into the street, are there? And they don't come around a couple of hours in advance tipping him off, do they? No!"
"When a mortal passes over," Mr. Demise said, "there is always an agent of Death present superintending the details. But he is not always visible to his charge."
Reggie poured himself a drink and lit a cigarette. ”

“ Alice murmured.
"All right," Horatio said with a sigh. "I'll go along with you."
"Fine," I said. "And just to get you used to army life I'm going to start paying you fifty bucks a month."
"You great big generous man," Alice said and I think there was a twinge of sarcasm in her voice.
"Now that's no way to talk," I said. "I'm doing the lad a favor."
"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure you are. Just like a man picking up a dollar bill is doing the street cleaners a favor." ”

“ Reggie said. He mixed another drink and there was a cryptic smile on his lips. "Alcohol is a peculiar thing. One drink will addle a person's wits and the second will act as an antidote. Strange, isn't it?" ”

“ Mr. Demise said. "I'm not going to wait a second longer in your case. Mr. Fiddler, prepare yourself for a long trip and don't plan on coming back."
Reggie realized that the jig was up. Mr. Demise had a grim business-like note in his voice and there was no hope of prolonging things further. Drastic action was needed, not discussion.
With a leap like a startled gazelle Reggie left his stool and bounded for the door. Before Mr. Demise could turn around, he was in the street, shouting frantically for a cab.
A cab pulled to the curb and Reggie leaped into its dark interior. ”

“ Everyone has had the experience of meeting a person who makes almost no impression whatsoever on them. People with such anemia of the personality are constantly being forgotten, overlooked even by friends who know them well. Their presence in a room will be unobserved for several minutes and, frequently, such people will be completely ignored, even when they are sitting or standing in plain view. In nature, the chameleon has similar properties but for a definite reason, namely that of defense against its stronger enemies. ”

“ Demise his drink it was a veritable masterpiece.
Mr. Demise drank the drink—it was a double Martini with a splash of Quantro—in one long appreciative gulp. He set the glass down and sighed contentedly.
"Another?" Reggie suggested hopefully.
"No," Mr. Demise said, "one is plenty. As a matter of fact," he said, "that's the first drink I ever had. Alcohol is one of our finest helpers but we aren't supposed to touch it. ”

“ The chameleon blends perfectly into the brown and green foliage of its native habitat and even the marvelously keen eyes of its natural enemies are unable to detect its presence. It is not impossible to conceive that the same camouflaging property could develop in a human being. Nature might appreciate the difficulty of a retiring, sensitive person to mingle with his more vivid fellow creatures, and so clothe him with a defensive armor of practical invisibility to insulate him against the attacks of those with stronger personalities. ”

“ He wore severely tailored black clothes that fitted his small frame without a wrinkle. But his eyes dominated his entire personality, for they were a cold chilling black, lusterless and unwinking, as unrevealing as twin diamonds. ”

“ Mystiffio had Morry's eyes sticking out inside of thirty seconds. I hadn't told Morry about Horatio. I figured I'd let that angle ride for a while.
But Morry was really impressed.
"The guy is good," he said. "The things he does don't seem humanly possible."
Of course he didn't know that most of the effects were being created by the invisible Horatio but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And he didn't miss Alice, either. When she came on stage in her cute, abbreviated little costume, he straightened up and opened his eyes.
"The kid is nice," he murmured. ”

“ When he reached the end of the block he hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of another bar.
As the cab rolled across the Loop Reggie settled back and gnawed nervously at his finger nails. Thoughtful meditation and analysis were not his strongest suits; in fact any thinking at all was an annoying chore to him, but he felt now that he had better bend his brain to the problem of the dark little man whom he'd seen at the club. ”

“ I said. "You can turn yourself off again. I don't want you to wear out."
"Thanks," Horatio said gratefully. He smiled faintly at Alice. "Pleased to have met you," he said. Then he vanished into the brown background of the chair.
"Get me a drink!" Mystiffio said. He grasped the edge of the desk and stared solemnly at the empty brown chair. "Get me two drinks."
"What is it?" Alice demanded. "How do you do it? Mirrors? Lighting? It's terrific."
"It's completely on the level. Now here's the angle. I'm going to put this guy into your act. Wait'll the crowds get a load of Mystiffio's magic then. ”

“ Reggie pointed dramatically at the dark little man.
"At the bar. He took the stool I left. He's right between that fat old man and that young girl with the red hair."
The tweed-clad young man stared in the direction of Reggie's pointing finger, then he frowned and glanced down at Reggie.
"Any pink elephants, yet?"
"I'm not drunk," Reggie said indignantly. "That man has been following me like a conga partner all afternoon."
The tall young man patted Reggie patiently on the shoulder.
"Sleep and rest will make a new man of you," he said. "Go home. Go to bed. You've got hallucinations." ”

“ I noticed he put an arm around Alice's shoulders. I was too distraught to think about it.
"Nothing's wrong," I said desperately. "Alice just took offense at something Morry said. Nobody meant any harm."
Mystiffio drew himself up straight and he grabbed Morry by the lapels. Morry struggled to free himself but he was pinioned helplessly.
"You cad! You bounder!" Mystiffio roared. "Do you mean you've been making advances to my daughter?"
Daughter! How do you like that! That just goes to show you never to trust people. ”

“ That's what happens when you put inexperienced men on the job. You wind up with a bungled mess."
"I don't know how it happened," Mr. Demise said miserably. "All I can say is I'm sorry."
"Fine thing," Reggie said stuffily. "Mess up your job like this and then say you're sorry. I'd advise, Demise, that you lay off the liquor when you're supposed to be working."
"I will in the future," Mr. Demise said humbly.
"See that you do," Reggie said sternly. "Now I'd say you'd better get to work on that first assignment."
"Yes, I will," Mr. Demise said. With drooping shoulders he moved slowly to the door. ”

“ I asked. "Must be a tiring way to go through life."
"You don't know the half of it," the young man said mournfully. "I've only been this way for a few months, but it seems like it's been years."
"Well, go on," I said. "Spill your troubles. Why should Mr. Anthony have all the fun?"
"What?"
"Never mind. Shoot."
"I'm not sure what causes me to fade-out like this. I've been to a half dozen doctors and psychiatrists and they aren't sure either. But it has something to do with personality development, they think. ”

“ Reggie said scathingly. "I should think they'd get a man of tact and diplomacy for your job. Not some nosy person whose curiosity runs away with him."
"You see," Mr. Demise explained miserably, "you happened to be my first assignment. I've had no experience at all in this work and I was curious to see what kind of person I was going to take back with me. And I wanted to get a first-hand reaction from you."
Reggie mixed himself another drink. He was beginning to feel belligerent. ”

“ With Horatio in the background pulling the strings he'll make Thurston look like an amateur parlor entertainer."
Mystiffio turned to me stiffly.
"What," he said frigidly, "makes you think I need an invisible man to help me in my act? I am perfectly capable of astounding and amazing an audience by myself." ”

“ Reggie shivered slightly and looked wistfully toward the door of the apartment. He coughed nervously.
"Sorry to seem rude," he said, laughing weakly, "but I've got to be toddling off now. It's been nice—er—running into you. There are magazines on the table, liquor in the ice box, so just make yourself at home."
He backed cautiously toward the door, smiling nervously.
"Don't wait up for me," he said. "I've—"
"Wait," the dark little man said quietly, "I must talk with you."
"Some other time," Reggie said, feeling behind him for the door knob. "Awfully rushed just now. ”

“ The Chameleon Man
By WILLIAM P. McGIVERN
Perfect adaptation, that's what it was. When a human being can blend with his surroundings, funny things can happen!
I've got an office in the Daily Standard building and sometimes when things are slow in my line—theatrical bookings—I drift upstairs and talk to the guy who writes the column, The Soldier's Friend, for the Standard. ”