Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

OUT OF THE WORLD FOR A WHILE, Allison came finally to stand out in his thoughts. The fellow was no good. Un- doubtedly he was working a skin game. Probably he had been doing that for years. Seagrave decided to try to get a line on him. Holmes was in his rooms, and he greeted Seagrave cordially. “T thought you might drop in to-night,” he said. ‘‘ Anything doing?” ‘“T’ve been up to Radcliffe’s,” Seagrave said dryly. ‘“ He gave a party for me.” “What was his game?” Holmes asked. | “What makes you think he had a game?” “Oh, the devil. I know Radcliffe. He’s slipping. I heard to-day at lunch that you had gone to work for him and there were some expressions of surprise. Everybody seems to think that Radcliffe has fallen on evil days. They say he has let Allison sew him up more or less, and he’s been specu- lating in some pretty wild stuff.” “ Allison was there to-night,” Seagrave said. ‘“‘ They had booze.” ‘“‘ Offered you some?” “ Radcliffe said I was welcome, and Al- lison rather urged me. I didn’t touch it, of course. No virtue in that, though, I simply didn’t want it.” Holmes leaned to him. “ Arthur,” he said, “do you suppose you will again be the clean, white, generous boy you used to be.” “T don’t suppose so,” Seagrave said wistfully. ‘I don’t suppose time will turn back that far.” “Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned it,’ Holmes said. ‘I don’t want you to be discouraged if it doesn’t. You can’t ex- pect too much. What are you doing for Radcliffe?” ‘“T’m working on some plans for a new stove,” Seagrave answered. ‘I think I’ve stumbled on an idea.” “You won’t hand it over to Radcliffe, will you?” Holmes asked. “ Oughtn’t I to? Tm working for him. I can’t be less loyal to him than Olney is to Mrs. Seagrave.” “Vou ought to quit Radcliffe,’ Holmes said. ‘‘ He won’t do you any good. He’s trying to play you for a sucker in some “A 721 way. I recommended you to him merely to give you a start in the only business you know.” ‘““He wanted me to get Olney’s plans,” Seagrave said. “Well, I’ll bet that’s it,” said Holmes. “* Radcliffe is after those plans and Allison is after Mrs. Seagrave’s money. You can’t be tied up to a crowd like that.” Seagrave sat plunged in thought. He was more amused than resentful because of Allison’s and Radcliffe’s effort to tempt him. He had gained enough from it to treat it lightly. He was as sure of himself as if he had never taken a drink in his life. ‘““T wanted to talk to you about Allison,” he said at last. ‘“ You know the breed. They’ve been doing the kind of work Al- lison is doing now, in one way and another, for a great many years. Allison isn’t clever. It’s conceivable that Allison has been in trouble with the authorities, isn’t it? He must have a record.” “TI anticipated you a little in that,” Holmes said. ‘I’ve been to see the chief of police. He’s a friend of mine in a way. I’ve had him looking Allison up. He’ll find anything there is to find.” | “You were doing that to protect Ruth?” “Yes, I was. I'll tell you: Ruth is do- ing surprisingly well with the business. I’m sort of old-fashioned, and I’m not too keen about women in business. But I'll have to confess that Ruth has shown good judgment. Her taking Radcliffe’s sales manager away from him was a first rate piece of work, though I shouldn’t, a while ago, have expected Ruth to strain the quality of mercy quite so hard.” “It was good business, and she’s a busi- ness woman,” Seagrave defended her. “For a fact she is,” Holmes conceded, ‘“‘and that’s where her danger lies. It all depends upon how hard she is hit by the money fever. If she gets the sudden-riches bug she’ll be liable to fall for Allison’s game. Allison’s plausible in the way those fellows are. And he has not made the mis- take of showing any undue admiration for Ruth as a woman. That has pleased her, and he knew it would. His putting things strictly on a business basis must have made a hit with her.” - comicbooks