JOE Leghorn wasn’t surprised at the knock on the door; he’d been expecting it for three days now, but he took his time answering it just the same. He opened the door just as his landlord was about to beat again on the panel. Learhy blinked, looking foolish with his hand lifted as if to beat against empty air.
“You woke me up,” accused Joe. “What do you want?”
“The rent.” Learhy was a man who came straight to the point. “You owe me for three days now. Have you got it?”
“No.”
“I thought not.” Learhy stepped into the room. “All right, Joe, collect your stuff and get out of here.”
“Now wait a minute,” pleaded Joe. “Just give me a little more time and I’ll pay you in full. Hell, man, you know how it is in my business. One day you haven’t got it, the next you have. You know?”
“I know.” Lea
