Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

146 against each other. He managed to turn his head—and there stood the figure of a man wearing a horrible black mask through the two round holes of which gleamed eyes that seemed to flame with vengeance. In his right hand the figure held an automatic pistol pointed directly at the Crab. His time had come. This was the very thing Tom had warned him about a few minutes back. Was it only a few minutes? The voice in the black mask spoke. “Hand them over, Ikey the Crab—you snitching stool. You did for Bill the Brute. Now it’s your turn. Hand them over.” The Crab made a noise as though he was strangling—his hands shook and the bag started to slip out of them toward the table. The hand of the unknown reached out and took the cases and pulled them across the table. The Crab fell toward them and his claws reached out and tried to grasp them. The other had them now! They were gone! Wild eyed the Crab looked at the eyes that seemed to be burn- ing into his. His mouth hung open as though he would scream for help—and the figure held up a hand commanding silence. ‘“‘ Stay where you are—don’t move! If you make a noise, or move from that spot —until one hour from the time I leave this - place—you'll die like the rat you are.” And the figure backed out of the room, as the Crab fell into a chair and blubbered like some crazy thing. A long time he crouched limply in his chair—then reason seemed to return and he got up and stag- gered, his legs trembling under him, to the outer room and finally to the door that opened onto the street. He opened it and looked out into the darkness. The street was deserted. Then he heard a policeman’s club striking against the pavement, warning some lawbreaker who enjoyed police protection that the majesty of the law was passing. He would call the policeman, Ikey would—he would sound the alarm and summon aid, and—no, wait—he must think! Police? No—they hated him as he hated them. He would have to tell his story—and it was a tale that would not stand the telling to the police. He slunk back into his shop and closed ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the door, and locked it—breathing heavily —sobbing, in fact, until he finally reached the inner room and fell upon his bed in the corner. IT. THE twins waited in the lobby of the hotel where Jim the Wise had said he would meet them. It would soon be daylight, but that made no difference. They would have plenty of time in which to make their get-away. Then they saw Jim enter the hotel. He stopped at the desk and got his key, and then motioned to the twins. They joined him at the elevator, and went with him to his suite. A bellboy entered and served them with drinks and cigars and then left them. “Well, boys,” began Jim, ‘“ I apologize for being a little late. But I had a rather important business matter to attend to and couldn’t get here. I knew I could depend on you and that you’d be waiting when I got here. Great thing, that feeling of de- pendence. I trust you boys implicitly. You said you’d be here, and I knew youd keep your word.” The twins smiled. Tom took a bundle of bills out of his inside coat pocket, and without a word began to separate them money into three piles. When the division had been completed each man _ pocketed his share of twenty-five thousand dollars. “Now,” said Bob, “ the job’s done, an’ we must fade fast.” “We got still to-day for the start,” put in Tom. “* Yes—but we'll need it,” answered Bob. ‘“‘ Boys,” said Jim, looking at them af- fectionately, “‘ I’m no preacher, but I wish you’d go into the legitimate business once, and see if you couldn’t make a go of it.” Bob shook his head, and Tom frowned. “We've tried it,” said Bob, “ an’ every time we tries it we goes broke. It can’t be done—with us nohow.” ““ Supposing I show “you how it can be done?” The twins looked at him in surprise. ‘What in hell chance would we have now, anyways?” exclaimed Bob. ‘“ Supposing we had a diamond store in CORE DOOKS.CO