Adventure, November 1915 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

~ Addams. 24 heap on the floor. But, as she told the police he’d been packing to go away, they didn’t think anything of that. They found a little money in his pocket, and his watch was on the bureau—wzth the lid unscrewed—but that didn’t mean anything to them. “The landlady, between the excitement and her lack of English, forgot about the lame man till after they’d gone and taken what was left of the poor old chap. She didn’t really attach much importance to it and only remembered to tell it to me be- cause I talked to her in Italian and she didn’t have to worry over her words. “T didn’t suggest anything to her and I didn’t volunteer any information to the police. I told the desk sergeant I was in- terested in the old man since I’d found him that time in Union Square—and that ended it as far as they’re concerned. ‘Heart failure,’ they’ll bring it in. “There’s no proof against Henley. It’s likely he didn’t lay a finger on the old man. ‘Fellowes had left his door unlocked for the _ landlady, and the sheer sight of Henley may have brought on the shock. “fe wouldn’t want us to raise a hue and cry after Henley without a chance to con- vict of either robbery or murder. What he’d want us to do, is to get after the treas- ure at once. I imagine Henley will go into ‘hiding though. The less said about it the better. As it is, no one is likely to identify him with the story that came out in Chi- cago five years ago about his expedition. “I suppose not,” assented Jim. ‘Good thing, too. If the reporters scented a three- quarters-of-a-million mystery we’d have the town on us. Who’s going to tell Peggy? She’s quite fond of the old chap, already.” ‘So was I,” said Addams. “I think you’d better tell her, old man, being her brother. Better just tell her it was heart failure.” So it was dry-eyed Peggy who met Archer at the dinner table and talked sor- rowfully over the old man’s death. “TI suppose he would think the curse was buried with him,” she said. ‘‘Poor old man, he paid for his wrong. Sixty-five years of luck against him, his wife and children both gone. It hardly seems right to go without “He would have wished it, Peggy,” said “If he knows, I think he’ll be glad that we are going ahead. And the sooner, the better. This chap Henley, when he realizes Fellowes is dead, as he will Adventure sooner or later, may give up the idea of find- ing the treasure, but—he may not.” “T hope so,”’ said Peggy. Selim entered with a tray on which was a dirty envelope. “‘A verree small boy bring this just now,” he said. ‘“There was no name, but he say the number correct.” Addams, with a glance at the others for confirmation, opened the note. It was short, made up of printed characters, and occasional words evidently clipped from a newspaper and pasted on the cheap sheet of paper, as a precaution against the identity of the sender. He read it aloud: “T know you have what I want. You put in ad- vertisement tomorrow Herald position of lat. and long. or look out for trouble. You know who sends this. H.” “Our friend Henley,’ commented Win- ton. ‘‘What are you going to do, Archer? Bluff him out?” “T don’t imagine that will be so easy,” answered Addams, ‘‘though he’s trying to run one on us. But we’ll try. I'll put the advertisement in, all right, but if he follows the figures I give he’ll never find the island.” ““Good work.” “The hitch is that he’ll probably be watching us, or have us watched. If we stay here he may think he’s frightened us out. On the other hand, if he realizes we’re off on a trip he’ll trail us to check up, if he’s got the cunning and persistence I’m giving him credit for.’’ “That’s so,’’ assented Winton. “What are you going to do about that?” “We'll all meet separately at the Penn- sylvania Station tomorrow morning. Train leaves at ten. I'll give you your tickets separately. Ill not stay here tonight. Leave the house at different times—and no baggage. We'll have to get along the best we can and get some stuff in San Francisco if we have time. It’s close connections, and the overland trains are liable to be late in this snow.’ “Oh, I say,” objected Winton, who had carefully selected the contents for his one trunk with a view to making his usual dap- per appearance aboard the steamer. ‘We can’t go that way.” “Not a grip,” said Addams decidedly. “Can you manage, Peggy?” “Of course I can,” she answered blithely. ‘As long as we have to.” Comichbooks