Adventure Magazine Cover — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

' bowing toward the frightened figure, was ene bis best to look impressive, » get t his hands on his fortum Anyway, aS Sioa = though he was a little handicapped by the circumstances. Governor Walsh was a solid man with something of the typical politician on his face and something more, too—some in- dication of the man that he might have been had he not for so many years placed career before conscience. I doubted not at all that he had made many compromises, yet to his credit it must be said that though he had not been afraid to attack the Cornwalls openly, he had never tried to make friends with them secretly. “What is the meaning of this, sir?’”’ de- manded the governor with dignity. “It’s a little reception committee, sir. By the way, governor, I have been having a little dispute with these gentlemen over the word box. I believe you are interested in the subject too. Mr. Daniel Cornwall was once sardonic enough to send you a photograph and a key. Ellis, would you _ mind looking up box in the dictionary?” ‘Ellis stared at me as if sure that I was crazy, so did the governor and every one else. I may have fancied it, but it seemed tome the detectives stretched their arms a little higher, as if realizing that I was crazy and might shoot, though I had put my guns away and tossed theirs across the room into a closet. I insisted, though with a certain lightness of tone, that Ellis open the dictionary. He hesitated, then went forward and laid his hands on the book. The room was silent, all were hushed—so the sudden knock on the door was like thunder. I spoke. The door opened and I called to Ellis— “That dictionary, man; open it! Steve Ellis turned the book and exposed the box. At the same moment my intel- ligent bell-boy, with a hearty grin and an impudent, “In you go, old top,” shoved 192 the reluctant man through the doorway. The boy pulled the door shut and was gone. “Mr. Daniel Cornwall, gentleman,” I said, still in his clerical sideburns and black clothes. He carried a satchel in his hand. That satchel contained an enormous amount of cash, but,as a matter of fact, Daniel Cornwall did not intend it for me. He had, in thinking over the interview of , the previous night, decided to get together ‘what money he could,and permanently dis- appear—or perhaps some time later try to eS See - ; em x —_ ad £ sao _anger came to his eyes. Peron ee tae ie eerie ae é a - a =e Seger es spn st a Seas cater ee had that afternoon purchased a ticket when a little, noiseless Chinaman thrust a card — into hishand, The card, addressed to Corn- wall, advised him that he would be arrested if he took another step in any direction ex- cept toward Suite C of the Treborne Hotel. So it was that surprize after surprize had broken in that room. Daniel Cornwall shuf- fled furtively and turned toward the door but realized that he could not make a break. Joseph raised himself out of his chair, then fell back whispering huskily— “Daniel!” Mr. Parsons looked about, blinking and trying not to appear as dreaming, but it wouldn’t have taken much to convince him that he was. Fat, well-fed lawyers do not believe that such things as . were happening then do happen outside of nightmares. Steve Ellis crouched slightly and hate leaped to his face. Governor Walsh stared incredulously, for Daniel Corn- wall would not have seemed so out of place, so unreal, in his winding sheet as in this clerical dress. I had no time to waste. Dick Richmond would soon be coming into the room. “Mr. Cornwall,” I said agreeably, ‘I have reason to believe that you haven’t looked in- to this box for some time. Will you open it?” He stared at me dully for a moment, then He realized how completely he had been trapped. I had told him that he could not imagine a more, ef- fective trap than the one which had caught him the night before and it was his own look- out if he couldn’t. ‘ “Oh, perhaps you never’found the key I flung from the window? Governor Walsh, was it not for some such emergency as this” that you were presented with a key? Will you be good enough to use it?” The governor looked at me hard and his brain worked quickly. He jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled a key ring out, fingered the keys for a moment and, select- ing one, reached toward the box with a determined air. * Joseph Cornwall actually sprang from his chair, with two trembling feeble hands out- thrust: “It is mine. Everhard! Mr Parsons! Please, officers, I have paid for this box!” “Yes,” I affirmed, ‘‘and for its contents. You see, Mr. Parsons, that here in the pres- I spoke ence of witnesses— Gentlemen—”’ if he were ; Ca ‘ fe ih “ails aus 43 Pa ae RE OS a a AP a Ay al ; Ae ~ a CENT? CID UE Aa eas Ea Paras.” ie pe bes hovel ¢, | Soule ee