Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

438 was drawn after by some sixth sense that whispered there was likely going to be a fight somewhere. The three of them reached the door of the hotel’s garage si- multdneously. | The garage was empty. - Honest John, who was a man of few words, spoke his few with skilful choice and rare feeling. ‘“Gone!”’ he wound up, shaking his fist at the inoffensive heavens. ‘‘ And taken my car, the only blink-blanked and doubly hoodedooed car in the whole blistering, brainless, and doubly sin-steeped place. My girl and my car, gone! And with that thing!” Bruce Ray plucked eagerly at Wally’s sleeve. “‘ Somebody beat him out of a board bill?” he asked hopefully. ‘Somebody beat him out of his daugh- ter and his car and run off with your girl,” Wally answered. It was no time to break the news gently. ‘ Fancy Burke’s been kidnaped by Sid Wilcox.”’ Ray’s jaw set hard. “ There’s the Tin Lizzie,” he said quietly. ‘“ Burke, you drive that. We'll go along.” Honest John stared hard. crazy,” he said. ‘“ The Tin Lizzie? ‘* You’re Why, that thing can’t—’’ He remembered some- thing then and said no more. The two friends did not heed. his words. They had him by either arm and were rushing him into the shed. ‘“ We'll save her!’”? Wally was shouting to Bruce, and Ray answered grimly; ‘‘ We got to!” Honest John knew this was no time to explain. But his mind was a tempest-tossed sea of conflicting thoughts and emotions as he bent to crank a spark of life into the ancient rattle-trap he had sold the loggers. The little tin car answered his caress with the roar of a rudely wakened lion and a kick that left Honest John caressing his numbed wrist, gazing slack mouthed at the miracle. Only the two friends saw nothing extraordinary about it. They hustled him to the driver’s perch. They'll make for Sauk, sure’s poison,”’ Wally Newell yelled in his-ear. “ Old Dogfish Jenkins is a J. P., and they'll get him to tie the knot.” Honest John knew this. Sauk was the ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. only possible destination for the kidnaper. He swung the ancient car into a rutted road in which the old logs of a corduroy trail still lay buried under the muck. A fine drizzle was falling, and the way was treacherously slippery. At frequent but unexpected intervals the wheels hit the buried logs of the former skid roaf, send- ing the light vehicle in erratic bounds to- ward heaven. A good half of the speed they made -was in the perpendicular, and at every leap the heart of Honest John Burke stopped beating. Yet the Tin Lizzie kept on going. Through the dark and over that terrible road it kept on its way, and none of them could see a yard ahead. For half an hour or longer they must have held on when Honest John’s palpita- ting heart did a double palpitation. In mid-career their tin steed’s pulse ceased to beat for long seconds. Then the Tin Lizzie sneezed, a terrific, explosive sneeze. The faithful engine tried again to resume its normal, uproarious manner of life, but fal- tered weakly. Sneezes came in regular suc- cession now, and their pace slowed to a crawl. And just then came a loud shout from the two in the back seat. Ahead of them, glimmering dimly through the mist, showed the tail-light of an automobile. Even as they saw it the Tin Lizzie. stopped completely. She had broken her noble heart in their service. Now that the goal was in sight she laid down to eternal rest. The cracked cylinders Micky had so skilfully stopped with putty flooded, and the semblance of an engine, heated beyond endurance, began to disintegrate to the dust where it belonged. In the excitement of that moment Hon- est John Rurke addressed the faithful little car with words which were illuminating to his two passengers. They gathered a wis- dom about the Tin Lizzie which they lacked when they bought her. But more pressing business was at hand just now. - It was no time to survey the wreck and consider vengeance on Honest John. The tail lights of the car ahead f&€mained sta- tionary. With a shout they started afoot, leaving the inn-keeper puffing far behind. comiclooolkks (COL