Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

PROTECTING PRUE. “Well, you’ve got the wrong dope!” he snarled. ‘“‘ That’s all a blind—that stuff about the kid! It’s Wayne he’s after!” CHAPTER NIII. AND AWAY FROM DOLTON’S, ARTLEY’S eyes opened amazedly. ‘“What’s he after?” “Wayne!” ‘“ You’re crazy!” Mr. Greer said cheer- fully. ‘“ Not me!” responded Richard. “I was there for dinner, you know. I went back upstairs aS soon as you'd left. I watched him!” a4 And—” “Oh, he kept up the bluff of making love to the kid, of course, but a man that was looking could see, Bart. He looked at Wayne—no, I don’t say she looked at him: I don’t think she did; I don’t think she’s got any use for him. But a little girl like that isn’t safe with an overfed crook like him on her heels. ‘“ Bart!’’ Richard added, ‘‘ they made me carve and I had the knife in my hand, and I want to tell you that I never wanted to stick a knife in a man before in all my life, but when I saw the way he was leering at that—that wonderful girl, I came so blamed near dragging it across his throat—” Emotion choked Richard for a moment. Bartley stared. ‘So the question is—never mind about the Prudence kid for a while, Bart; she can wait—the question is what we’re going to do to Armstruther!”’ Bartley Greer chuckled happily. “Well, Dicky, now you’re beginning to sound like your old self,” he said. You’ve got the right idea and you seem to be warmed up to it. I’m going to do a few little things to Rolf that he'll remember clearly if he lives to be one hundred!”’ “Yeh?” came from the corner of Rich- ard’s mouth. “ They’ve banged me around quite a bit, those two have, and now I’m going to do a little banging myself. You see the gentle- men at the two far tables?” “ Certainly!” 905 “My hired army!” smiled Bartley. ‘Every one of them with a criminal record, I understand, and every one with a face that'll scare Rolf into a clammy pulp at first glance. What they’ll do to Rolf—” “All of ’em?” Flynn gasped. Despite himself a little shudder ran through Bartley Greer. “I’m not taking any more chances with this beastly job, Dick!” he announced. “Three or four of them might have been enough, but Steve says this gang hangs out together and they like to work together— and they’re not expensive criminals. Did a boy bring Rolf a letter during dinner?” “Yes!” “What did he do with it?” “Well—I was talking to Wayne at the time; Armstruther opened the door and I didn’t pay much attention—he read it and seemed to cheer up a bit, if I remember right. He said something to Prudence about getting a better position and she read it, too. Then he stuck it in his pocket.” ‘“ Steve wrote the letter,” Bartley chuck- led. ‘ It was an art-work, too, by the time he was done with it.” “ Well, what—” “Oh, it said the writer was a stevedore boss and that he’d seen Rolf working on the docks this afternoon and got his name and address from Rooney’s timekeeper. By the way, I coached the messenger to ex- plain that he’d been to Rolf’s and they’d sent him to the flat. Did he do that?” ‘*T suppose so. He was explaining some- thing. Go on.” “Well, then it said that Rolf was cut out for better things—J had to dictate that part, but Steve wrote it—and if he’d like a job where he could handle men instead of working with them, to come up here at a quarter past eight. That was all, but it 1 get him.” “‘ And what happens when he comes?”’ Bartley nodded toward the astounding group by the wall. “Those are the men he'll try to handle —that’s all!” “ Umum,” said Richard, and considered them with undisguised satisfaction. “‘ Youre going to croak him?” Oo COMICHOOKS.CO