Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

Th eae et RP De SM bat D ; is Rae iP on “Gy i ag a | WATS Yt Awe Ne Mii rm ! , ‘ iy , > ’ ' 4 - Leonard erdered beer. King glanced quizzically at the twe and feigned absorbed attention to the stage where the curtain had risen upen a buxom female who, in high-pitched, nasal tenes, rendered the sentimental ballad. A waiter set a tray of bettled beer upon the table and deftly removed the caps. Leenard paid as the girl poured herself a drink. ‘“* Bull couldn’t stand prosperity. We lived high while his roll lasted, but it didn’t last long. Between the beeze an’ the snow it got him, an’ he’s back again, holed up semewheres on Rivington Street Like he was _ when. Lefty dug him out to help tram you —enly worse. Bull won't never come back—he’s through.” “ But you—you didn’t marry him. You wasn’t dependin’ on him fer a livin’.” The girl’s eyes narrowed, and a gleam of hate flashed from between the heavily blued lids. “"Fhey tried to frame me, damn aaa! They did frame me! But I was too wise fer ‘em. I sent my maguehpacee straight to the district attorney, an’ when the smoke cleared away, Lefty Klingermann, an’ Stiletto John Serbelloni, and the Sicily Ape goes up the river to wait ull January 17, that’s—why that’s to-day!” A smile of savage cruelty curled the too red lips. “If the buzzer worked all right there’s three new faces in hell to-night, and I’m glad of it! They’d of framed me for a long stretch, but E fooled ‘em.” Leonard stared into the cruel eyes, aghast. “Lefty Klingermann, an’ them Dago gunmen—the buzzer! Say, kid,” he cried, suddenly. “It wasn’t fer bumpin’ me off, was it? I seen in the paper—” ‘No. For bumpin’ eff Kid Morowitz. They'd of framed you for that—if they’d ef found you. The Kid double-crossed Lefty, an’ Bull tipped it off to Lefty that the Kid was in his room, an’ Lefty’s gun- ‘men got him. They had yeu framed for the fall guy. Believe me, you’re lucky.” A weight seemed suddenly lifted from Leonard’s shoulders. He was no longer a hunted man! In the woods he had felt reasonably secure, but this trip to St. Paul - had been attended by risk—not great, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. probably, but with the slice of New York | on the lookout for him, a risk, nevertheless. “ Then - they don’t want me,” breathed. “I seen that in. the papers, too. —how they was huntin’ Mike Duffy—” “Sure, that was part of Lefty’s game, te swing the cops onte your trail, an’ it was all framed. Ii they’d of get you, it would have been you shovin’ against the straps this morning, instead of them.” “ But, what you doin’ here?” “ Oh, that was part of the deal. I was to get out of New York and never show up there again. They pay my fare to Chicago, and slip me a century to start right on, along with a lot of good advice. I hit the Big Windy and the first job I pulls I’m pinched.” She scewled savagely. “ Start. right— hell! What chance has a girl got to start over when the Chicago bulls is wised up before ever I hit their burg? They had my number all right, all right. And they shook me down for all I had except the car fare to get out of town. And here FE am. I ain’t had the nerve to try the stores yet —I don’t dare to go to work without a fall roll. They’ve probably passed me aleng, and I don’t want to do time.” Leonard passed his hand over his eyes. A great wave of revulsion had surged up within him as the girl shamelessly Sealed the details of her sordid story. Cemmon- place details they were—a little fracment ef life—of a life he had known—had lived. _A year ago there would have been nothing revolting in the recital. But, now—+the air of the room seemed suddenly stifling. The odor of stale beer reached his nos- trils from the slops en the tray.. His eyes closed. Above him he seemed to see the dark canopy of green that was the tops of pines. All about him giant boles swayed gently in the wind. A creek gurgled noisily among the ice-capped stones. He could hear the creak of runners on the snow of the log road, and the roar of his tractor exhaust. From somewhere came the whine of a saw, the hollow ring of ax blows. The- far-off cry of “ timber,” and the long crash of a falling tree. Chains rattled. He stood looking across a narrow river, at the girl who had paused, water pail im hand, to_ COmicbooks.co — oe = a