Adventure Magazine Cover — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

_ ( cg" es eho wey - ¥ TT Mad. dhe ire dee uy Pk. XS ay Po i $ A i Wacibe F — ¥ n - a0 é “ = Adventure — 2 = My words and attitude were almost as _ bewildering a surprize as when I had turned on the light. “Why do you suppose I’ve held up that box?” I demanded. ‘“Hasn’t it been very apparent that I needed money? Outside of-some people like you and the governor of Utah, who is not rich, who would bid for it? I move off to an obscure little house and get the address put into the papers, so you could the more easily find it.” “How did you know—” he began, his voice shaking. “T knew you would come. You went to Mrs. Ellis, to Cora, to my Chinaman.” “How did you know—” he began again, but I interrupted him. “All that is of no importance. Let’s talk of money. My price is now one hundred and thirty thousand’ dollars for the box. Will you pay it?” He protested that it would be impossible. Having got on to familiar ground—money matters—he became a bargainer. I told him that it would no doubt be inconvenient but not impossible. Anyway, for that sum _. I would put the box into his hands, unopen- _ed, and just as it was when he had seen it - last. Otherwise it would be refused him. We argued, or‘rather he did. I said he could fix up whatever explanation pleased him to satisfy his lawyers_and bank, but I had to have the money, cash, by tomorrow, or rather by this afternoon. I told him he would have to be at Suite C of the Treborne Hotel at 2:50 promptly. How did he know it wasn’t a trap? He knew it véry well, I told him, because he could not imagine how I could possibly lay a better trap than the one in which he had just been caught: I ex- plained that I knew very well he would come, for, since I was on to his secret, not even millions could save him from exposure unless he silenced me and got his box. “You don’t dare run off and hide and lose ‘your identity altogether,.for you are an old man—not in the best of health, either, are you? No, and you would be hounded out and couldn’t touch your money without re- vealing your true identity and couldn’t re- veal that without being caught.” As a matter of fact, the elusive and subtle Yang did return each night after his seeming departure, to patiently stand watch for the purpose of shadowing any one who left house. Yang could have shadowed a ghost, so I was not taking nearly the risk that I reas Bs seemed to be in letting the clerical gentle- man go his way. ‘How did you know—”’ he began for the third time, as peculiar desire for information. But again I cut the question short, half-maliciously. “TI know much more than most people give me creditfor. For instance I know that you will be at the Treborne this afternoon with the money. Don’t interrupt me. I know you will be there, for this evening I ex- pect to have dinner with the governor of Utah. Yes, if you hadn’t been too—I don’t know whether to call it cunning or stingy— to have kept your private detectives in Salt Lake telegraphing news, you would have known that he left quietly for New York recently. 2:50, sharp? Yes or no?” “Yes,” he said huskily. Though he was a double-dyed liar and criminal, I felt sure that he would keep the appointment. to keep it, I felt sure that he would be there. I like to plan little dramatic affairs and in this ease I had taken certain precautions. Anyway, he promised. He brought in his shoes from the back porch, put them on and left by the front © ‘door at about three o’clock. I went to bed and sleep, very contented with myself and full of faith in the slim, wraith-like Chinaman who, though I had. not seen or signaled to him, I knew was following the clerical figure and would follow no matter where or which way he went. XIII so long a time as that, of Thursday were one or two little variations to my plans, but nothing of importance. . Joseph Cornwall arrived before any of my other guests. He came with two or three private detectives and a lawyer, obviously intending to trap me ina little game of black- mail. I knew that was in the air almost as soon as I saw him creeping from the auto- mobile, solicitously assisted by two fellows who could no more have proclaimed them- selves detectives if they had worn their tin badges as shirt studs instead of concealing them under their coats. An experienced blackmailer like myself understands pretty much the ritks he must if obsessed with some ~ Yes or no? Will you be there at Though he might notintend _ I FOUND an hour, or maybe not afternoon quite interesting. There 3 a Pine’ Ww ; ee ae =a a Oe aoe he ‘ = ‘ ‘co ‘com ie b 0a <s7com ‘ :