Side-stepping with Shorty

Shorty McCabe earns his living putting wealthy clients in New York through their exercises, but his customers also test his patience. When Fletcher Dawes sends a secretary to summon him, Shorty answers with a refusal. His attempt to name an outrageous fee then leads straight to a training appointment in a lavish apartment hotel. The encounter sets the tone for Sewell Ford's comic stories: money buys elaborate surroundings, while Shorty's running commentary gives their owners a rough inspection.

Shorty's slang and fast exchanges of dialogue give these episodes their comic rhythm, mixing physical training with awkward social encounters. A later passage finds him travelling to a planned exhibition and needling a fellow passenger who reads poetry, only to receive an enthusiastic recital. Readers interested in American humor will find much of the comedy in Shorty's confidence, his choice of words and the occasions when a conversation turns against him.