Sucker's Portfolio (short story)

"Sucker's Portfolio" is a short story first published posthumously in the collection of the same name in 2013 and reprinted in Complete Stories in 2017.

Plot Summary

An investment advisor has inherited a new client, George Brightman, the adopted son of two of the advisor's earliest clients who have recently died in an automobile accident. A conservative-looking divinity student at the University of Chicago, George is largely unconcerned with his $20,000 portfolio—which the advisor has balanced and diversified like a work of art—until one day when he demands $519.29. When George comes to collect the money, the advisor tells him that to get the funds he sold $1000 worth of Nevada Mining and that the $480 surplus could be invested in a small zinc-firm to re-balance the portfolio. Instead, George states he wants that money as well. The advisor assumes a con-artist is manipulating George and later over the phone, he gets an audibly excited George to agree to meet for lunch the next day. George arrives clearly hungover and disinterested in the advisor's talk of swindlers, although he comes to life somewhat at the mention that his portfolio will be able to buy his future children a home, food, a good education, etc. However, saying he's feeling too woozy, George excuses himself. While fumbling through his pockets to pay the bill, which the advisor covers, George drops a swizzle stick from a place called Club Joy. Later as he's closing up for the night, the advisor gets a call from George, saying he wants to sell half his portfolio and intends to pick up the money in the morning.

The advisor visits the Club Joy that evening. Checking his coat and hat, he considers asking the hatcheck girl is she's seen George in there, but realizes if $10,000 is at stake, it might be dangerous to be too conspicuous. However, after two hours of drinking while waiting to see if George will arrive, the advisor has built up enough boldness to ask the person sitting on the next stool if he's seen George. The bar patron says not that night, but that he was at Club Joy last night "hot for li'l Jackie" the hatcheck girl, eventually taking her home. The very drunk advisor decides to go home with Jackie to find out what's going on. On the taxi ride, he drifts in and out of consciousness while Jackie "pulled out all the stops" talking about her poverty, her childhood in a tough orphanage, her loneliness. Arriving at her apartment, he quickly falls asleep, only to be awoke by a man claiming to be her husband and threatening to ruin the advisor's marriage and career. Saying he has no wife or money, and being too drunk to communicate effectively, the man and Jackie throw him out.

Hungover himself the next day when George arrives to collect the money, the advisor tells him that he's met Jackie and that if George won't report their blackmail scam to the police, he will. George angrily threatens the advisor that he'll instead call the police on him if he doesn't get his money, and the advisor storms off. Later looking through his canceled checks, the advisor finds that the $519.29 was spent on a private detective. Understanding that Jackie is George's sister, the advisor calls to apologize, but still insists Jackie is a simple criminal. George replies "[t]here's a child, and there's hope in that" and that he's only who he is because he was given this life by his parents. The advisor has a check for half of George's portfolio sent untraceably to Jackie. Before George leaves town, he and the advisor return to Club Joy, making Jackie nervous that they'll turn her in. Upon collecting their hats and coats as they leave, George drops only a dime into Jackie's tip plate. When she responds nastily, George replies "[t]hat's all, sister... [s]in no more."