unearths some literary gems.
From The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe, by Erle Stanley Gardner:
***
"What's new, Paul?"
The detective sat down in the big leather chair, and turned around, draping his legs over one of its arms. "Lots of things," he said, lighting a cigarette.
"Well," Mason told him, "begin in the middle and work both ways."
***
"Of course, I can't be certain myself because I got it from that snooty old Mrs. Blank, and she's the worst gossip on earth, but her brother-in-law works for a Broadway columnist and his secretary told..."
***
"Leave the worrying to me," he told her. "I believe that was the bargain, wasn't it?"
"No," she said with a smile, "Virginia took over the worrying concession."
