Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

-ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “gross co one of thousands in the streets of New York. But the mask dehumanized him, and rendered him a figure of terror. ___d was teased by something familiar in his aspect, but my wits were too confused ‘to track it down. = He instantly spotted m me. Two blue sparks shot out at me from the apertures in = mask. “Who is that woman?” he demanded. His voice was extraordinary. whatsoever. It was like a voice issuing out of a void. Another stage trick Perhaps, but it added enormously to the man’s impres- siveness. _My knees shook under me. Yet { had a sense of having heard that voice _ before. Black Kate answered him. Thei imperious woman was humble enough before him. “Her name is supposed to be Canada “ Jessie Seipp — Annie Watkin,” she said. _ used her to-night without my knowledge as a sort of lookout on the Sterry job. As long as she’d been let into the secret, I thought I better bring her down here and ask in- structions.” He said nothing. He had the impassive- ness of a Chinese ido}. From one man to another his glance turned, the blue sparks shooting through the holes in the mark. It was curious, though you could see his eyes were blue, and though the whole of - his lower face was exposed, you could not figure to yourself what the man looked like. It is the area immediately surrounding the eyes that gives a face its character. Black Kate asked humbly: “ What must I do with Canada Annie?” “Orders will be given you,” said the im- passive voice. So much for me. I saw the gray, decayed figure of Pap hanging about just outside the door. Curios- ity was stronger than fear. He had to come back. An outcast from both factions, he awaited the outcome tremblingly. _ The man turned the icy blue points of his eyes on my mistress’s face. He met his match there. She adopted a dull, stupid look, and held his gaze unflinchingly. At- was a sort of duel. I think he must have been surprised. The secret of his power was It was completely divested of all human tone. that he wasted no words. Any Seka man would have thade some _blustering speech such as: “ What’s the matter here?” or “ What do you want, girl?” He merely looked. He let the others talk. They all fidgeted. Black Kate could not keep her mouth shut. “ That’s her!” she burst out. “ She’s the cause of all the trouble. From the moment she entered the house! Trying to vamp the men and all. Setting them fighting. And now this conspiracy. The Russian jewels have turned her head. Wants to make terms before she hands them over. She thinks she can tell us where to ‘Set off, the young fool!” Bill Combs interrupted her. “ You can’t get the truth about a young girl from her, boss! You know her. She hates a woman who’s younger and better dooking than her- self. “Tet me tell you about. this vamping business. A lot of us men cooped up here in this house, and a fresh and handsome girl coming among us; of course, it made trouble. That weren’t Aer fault. It was the men made the trouble not the girl. She’s been on the square with all of us. Ask them! Ask them! What’s biting Kate is, her man tried to—”’ Here Black Kate began to shriek accusa- tions in the effort te drown him out. Others joined in, and a furious wrangle resulted. It was a weird scene. All that noise, and the two principals, the only two who mat- tered, facing each other, composed and silent. Finally the man held up his hand, and they all fell silent as if the wind had suddenly been let out of them. “Tm not interested,” he said in his re- mote voice. “Only in the work.” He ad- dressed Jessie. ‘“ Did you carry out your orders to-night?” <4 Yes.” * Where’s the stuff?” One of the men had the tiara. I did not know. “ Before I hand it over, I got something to say,” said Jessie im the nee dogged style she had adopted. — Without changing his voice in the least, he said: I issue orders. Which one If the orders are not Ol ““T do not discuss terms with you. - (E@) comicbooks r ~ =