“Well,” she snapped, “what is it?”
I said, “It’s Donald, Bertha. I want you to pick me up”
“Well, I’ll be a dirty name!” Bertha said. “Of all the crust! So you want to be picked up, do you? You…”
I said, “It may be important. I’m out on the Valley Boulevard in a small roadside restaurant. I don’t want to be seen here. I’m going out and wait in front. Get out here just as fast as you can.”
“The hell with that stuff!” Bertha said. “Get a taxicab!”
“If I get a taxicab to come out here,” I said, “the driver will remember it and you’ll see my name in the papers.”
“Get your name in the papers and see who gives a damn!” Bertha screamed into the telephone.
I said, “It will have a bad effect on the reputation of the agency.”
“The hell with reputation! What’s reputation? That’s just what a lot of fools say about you. It…”
“And will cause us to lose money,” I said.