5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 92: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A meek little tailor strikes— He blinked at the man with the gun While the Iron is Hot By ALLAN K. ECHOLS R. BRIDGEWATER looked up from his pressing machine, and his eyes blinked behind his strong glass- es. The big man in tan sports clothes, standing just inside the back door of the shop, was holding a gun pointed at the tailor and beckoning to him with a finger of his other hand. The perspiration on the bald head of the little tailor was not altogether due to the midafternoon heat. His heart had jumped into his throat, and his indiges- tion had started to kick up. He left his machine with the upper part still down on a pair of slacks and walked on trem- bling legs back through the aisle of hanging garments and stopped to blink at the man with the gun. Mr. Bridgewater couldn’t have asked the man what he wanted if he had tried. But the man told him, anyway, in a low voice which, along with the gun, carried considerable authority. “Look, Mac, there’s been an accident. This gun just went off, and a bullet lodged in the brain of a sap that didn’t do what I told him to. Y’understand, don’t you?” ; Mr. Bridgewater got the general idea and nodded, while his hand went to his aching stomach. He looked at the gun. “I guess so,” he said weakly. “That’s fine,” the man continued. “The cops kinda got traffic held up around the block, so ’m gonna visit with you till it opens up a little, y’understand. Off the Copyright, 1946, by Better Publications, Inc., and originally published in June, 1946, Detective Novel Magazine 92 MICLOOKS ae (C@)