A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

LIKED McCann from the start. He : was a lanky, drawling Texan. He had been the underworld leader Ricori’s trusted bodyguard and handy man; a for- mer cowpuncher; loyal, resourceful and utterly without fear. I had heard much of him when Bill had recounted the story of that incredible adventure of Lowell and Ricori with Mme. Mandilip, the doll- maker, whose lover this de Keradel had been. I had the feeling that McCann took the same instant liking to me. Briggs brought in decanters and glasses. Lowell went over and locked the door. We sat _ at the table, the four of us. McCann said to Lowell: : “Well, Doc—I reckon we’re headed for _ about the same kind of round-up we was last time. Only mebbe a mite worse. I ___ wish the boss was around.” . Lowell explained to me “McCann means - Ricori—he’s in Italy. I think I told you that the other night.” I asked McCann: “How much do you ' know?” 4 Lowell answered: “Everythi know. I have the utmost faith in _ Caranac.” I said: “Fine.” McCann grinned at me. He said: _ “But the boss ain’t around, so I guess _ you'd better cable him you need some _ help, Doc. Ask him to cable these fellers” __—he thrust a list of half a dozen names _ to Lowell—“an’ tell ’em he wants ’em to aah to me an’ do what I say. An’ ask him to take the next ship over here an’ as fast as possible.” a Lowell asked, uncertainly: “You think _ that is justified, McCann?” McCann said: “Yeah. I’d even go as _ far as to put in that cable that it’s a matter e of life and death, an’ that the hag who y dolls was just a nursery figure com- = to the people we’re up against. I’d S acd that ‘cable right off, Doc. Pil put my | a. me to it, too.” as ae asked again, “You're sure, Mc- = McCann said: “We’re going to need the I’m telling you, Doc.” __ Bil had been writing. He said: “How’s is?” He passed the paper to McCann. "You ant Ri in the names of the people to cable.” read: “Ricori. Doll-maker that I im, Dr. bos . fn,® 27 eB . ee — ’ een, ey * _ CREEP, SHADOW! menace renewed worst than before. Have urgent immediate need of you. Ask you | return at once. In meantime cable (so- and-so) to report to McCann and follow implicitly | his orders. Cable when can ex- pect you.” “That’s O.K.,” McCann said. “I guess the boss’ll read between the lines without the life and death part.” He filled in the missing names and hand- ed it to Dr, Lowell. “I’d get it right off, Doc.” Lowell nodded and wrote an address on it, Bill ran the message off on the typewriter. Lowell unlocked the door and rang for Briggs ; he came, and the message to Ricori was on its way. : hope to God he gets it aes an’ comes,” said McCann, and eee himself a stiff drink. “An’ now,” he said, “T’ll begin at the beginning. Let me tell the whole thing my own way an’ if you got questions, ask them when I’m through.” He said to Bill: “After you give me the layout, I head for Rhode Island. I got a sort of hunch, so I take along a big roll of bills. Most of ’em is phony, but impos- - ing in the herd. An’ I don’t aim to dis- pose of the mavericks—just display ’em. I see by the road map there’s a place called Beverly down that locality. It’s the nearest place on the map to this de Keradel ranch. On beyond, it’s empty country or big estates. So I head the car that way an’ give her the spur. I get there about dark. “It’s a nice little village, old-fashioned, one street running down to the water, some stores, a movie. I see a shack with a sign ‘Beverly House’ and figure to bed down there for the night. Far as I can see de Keradel an’ his gal have got to ride through here to get to the ranch, an’ mebbe they do some buying of their truck here. Anyway, I’m betting that there’s talk going ‘round, an’ if so then the gent that runs this Beverly House knows all of it. “So I go in an’ there’s an old galoot who looks like a cross between a goat an’ a human question mark at the desk an’ I tell him I’m looking for shelter for the night an’ maybe a day or so longer. He asks if I’m a tourist, an’ I say no, an’ hesitate, an’ then say I got a piece of busi- ness on my mind, He pricks up his ears comicbooks: 5 hee mites a a ‘ Ny ot vit Yh | eh ee | yf Atte aa | . ?, ve ‘b : a sit deed Adie Kc Alea et Qa ” lg dd Ban, 7. |, yen Ge one & } ve a a Pas i ae WIS Oleh & oyad ip 2 rs v "AN Ne uN i 8 MW, yo Ay 5 as 4 i A RRR PE Ptr ore arrbie Cobre Cpaper pp ne i othe 4 © L? “ / ‘away Viv . eed AP i wa 4 ee * he oe Tre ¢ agi \ ee it \ fay iv >” , oe EVO treet . ibe: ; \» oe ae > thy A es, Ae ; ia ih? . : ay 144 regret Pee ia a’ > , TH Re ~r oe ;