Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

Cet ANG iat, DABS AMS ala Lal Uh ciel af oe a 004 away. With startled, fixed gaze, May stared out of the window. There was no- body to be seen. Then— “ May!” This time the truth flashed on the girl. The voice was not faint by reason of being far away. It was somewhere very near her, but there was something preventing it from reaching her clearly. Was it Nick calling her? The masked man had said something about, ‘‘ Safer for the two of you to keep your mouths shut.” Was Nick in the room with her? ; The girl looked about her anxiously. Over in the corner, behind a lathe, she saw an indistinct mass that looked like the figure of aman. She went nearer and leaned over the machine. Supine on the floor and close to the wall was—Nick! His arms and legs were tied with rope. A greasy rag was knotted over his mouth. With a cry of mingled horror and relief May reached under the lathe. She pulled the rag off Nick’s mouth. “ Vou—you’re not hurt?” she asked, and her fingers tried to tear the ropes loose. “No; only got a bump on the back of my head. You can’t get those ropes off like that. Get a knife. There’s one on the table.” When the rope fell from him Nick got up. His movements were siow. “Vou are hurt,” exclaimed the girl as she helped the young man to a chair. “Tt’s nothing. The ropes were tight. He knocked me out.” “The masked man?” Nick nodded. ‘“‘He caught me when I wasn’t looking or listening. But it didn’t do him any good. He didn’t get what he came for.” “ What was that? I don’t see anything here worth while stealing. Only a lot of old—” May stopped speaking. Nick grinned at her. “Go on,” he said. “I know what you were going to say. Well, maybe it does look like a lot of old junk to you, but all the same I’ve put every cent I had into the stuff that’s in this shanty. More than two thousand dollars. It would have cost me ten thousand if I hadn’t been able to make ’most everything myself.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, “But what is it you have been making? Tt is over a year now that you have been acting the mysterious. You would not even let me come into this place. And now I’ve been forced to come in, I don’t see anything except a lot oi—of machines and things. You—you’re not going crazy, are you? You know, Nick, inventors sometimes do!” Nick laughed as he stood up. “I am crazy,’ he answered. “Ill admit it, but it was not over any old invention. I’m crazy about a girl, and her name is—”’ May took a hammer from the table and handed it to Nick. “ You've said enough,” she cautioned, “ Get busy and break open that door. I want to go home.” “ Break nothing,” ejaculated Nick, “ why should I smash up my own property?” Nick threw down the hammer and picked up a screwdriver. In less than three min- utes he had taken the lock off and the door was open. “ Now,” said the girl, “ you’ll go for the police. Get hold of Bill, he’ll help’ you. He’s smart, Bill is.” “"Y-yes, but—” ‘““What’s the matter with Bill?” asked May quickly, “he’s my brother, and naturally { think a whole lot of him, but you know how clever he is. He wears a cop’s uniform, but Bill is going to be a big detective one of these days.” ““ Sure—-sure,” agreed Nick, “‘ but—well, it’s like this; I don’t want any fuss. If your brother comes round here as—as a cop, he’ll have to report the affair.” ‘“Why—that’s what you want, isn’t it? Surely you can’t want that masked man to get away with anything. He might have killed you. Besides—look what he did to me. Scared me to death nearly. Locked me up in that room. Why, what’s the matter with you? Are you scared? Afraid to stand up for yourself and for me?” ‘** Now, don’t get mad,” exclaimed Nick, “you know how things are with me. I wouldn’t let any one touch a hair of your. head if I could help it. Tell you what, don’t say anything about what’s happened to any- body, but tell your brother Id like to see ‘him when he’s off duty. Like that, he won’t have to report anything. See what I mean? We'll be able to talk private.” GOmMmIGdOOkKS-co