Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

cd = ay Lane we a = = =. : cop’! Was. eetee under his skin— 604 look of defiance before, half delirious with the ordeal, with triumph and with despair, he bent and kissed ker on the mouth. Mc- Call’s black scowl was a. reward in itself. Shim Devitt had done many a daring thing in his time, but none which for reckless. same way you stabbed Tiger Costello.” challenge ‘could touch that kiss. ass When Kitty, head up and smiling—only the piteous eyes betrayed the depth of her anxiety—had left the room, Slim leaned against the aS folded - his arms, and waited. “Tf only to save a decent girl like Kitty from a crook like you,” McCall said, his voice shaking with passion, ‘ Vil send you to the chair, if it’s the last act of my life.” _ “YI die grinning,” rephed Slim, “at the thought that she picked a square crook in- stead of a crooked cep.” ~ By a tremendous effort McCall regained his self-control and his professional manner. “You haven’t a chance, Devitt. You may as well come clean.” xe “ Clean?” Slim laughed. “That’s a fun- ny y word i in your mouth.” He laugned once more. “And they call you ‘the square Weil, i always said there ain't no such animal.’ He waited for McCall tc speak. Then: Se you think by sending me to the chair that you'll make a hit with Kitty—” ““Drop it!” McCall’s veice was a whip- lash: “leave Kitty out of this.” “Who brought her into it?” Devitt re-_ torted. The shaft told. McCall’s face went ghast- ly as his prisoner’s. It was plain that his heartbreak equaled Devitt’s. “We got to do a lot of things in this jeb we don’t want to do,” he said = i'm only domg what I have to.” “ Don’t make me Sanaie? Shim answered. Once more McCall flashed inte anger. “Go on and laugh. Laugh geod and hard. It’s about the jiast laugh yeu’l! ever have, you yellow—” During the avalanche of stinging abuse, Sim stood nervously rolling in his left hand a bit of paper. Every nerve m him cried ‘out for a cigarette. He had never been pa- tient under a tongue-lashing. THE -“ Satisfied?” - cooked up to tell ‘em noe? 3 This thing END — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Of a sudden, as if he were weary of the whole business, McCall’s veice faltered and. stopped. After a few moments he pulled open a table drawer, took out a TaCe and handed it te Dewi: se : “Stab me with it, *he commanded, “the «7 didn’t,” Slim replied, Was it to hes gin all over again? | “ Well, stab me the way you think some other fellow did it,” McCall insisted. And when, Slim, trying to puzzle out this new maneuver hesitated, the detective added: us Unless you Te scared. of SIDE: yourself aay ee | He had coaud Dewivs sweak. spot; the inability to take a dare. None toa gently, Devitt stabbed the detective for the next two minutes, trying to cut his heart out with the blunt wooden n edge of the ruler, and wishing to heaven rit were in reality. a knife. He stabbec with the ruler now in this hand, now in that: from in front, from the side, from the back. é “ All right,” MeCall eanicd at last. ‘Sneering, the other threw down the ruler. “ Perfectly,” ‘McCall ae He gave Slim a long stare of concentrated hate and Slim gave back the stare, un- winking, putting into it all the venom a his soul. McCall’s eyes were the first to waver. He turned toward the secs groping a little for the knob. _ Flippantly, but with a tea dead with- in him—“ Run along,” Slim jeered, “ani tell your story.” “<F will,” McCall replied. With more interest than he showed, Slim put another question. _ “What’ve you — “To turn you loose,” said McCall. In response to the white astonishment on the other’s face he added: “ No left-handed man held the knife that killed Tiger Cos- telio.” “Why, damn you” Slim began hoarse- ly. The detective’s figure blurred and Slim found to his own. abysmal disgust that tears were in his eyes. " Ly, McCall— » he began again—“ Ay God, T never thought ld have to ee to a - cop! as : comicbooks.com—