Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

- to see ’em just once more, Tom! ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. in peaceful comfort, in that very room. Also, Mr. Harkton twitched down his vest and buttoned his coat. _ “How much money have you with you, Tom?” he asked crisply. “Eh? Ob, I’m carrying the wealth of the Indies to-night —about six hundred dol- lars. I drew that out in cash to-day be- cause—” “ And I’ve got better than twe hundred,” Samuel muttered, after a quick glance into his billfold. “‘ That'll keep us going until we can get more, if it’s needed. Will you come with me?” ‘“ JT don’t know anything more about that than you do!” Samuel said, vibrantly. ““ Un- til we catch up with them—that’s all. They may—lI don’t say they have, because I can’t believe it yet; but they may have taken a steamer or they may have taken a train for the west or the south or for Canada. And it may be a day or so before we pick up a clew as to where they have headed; but I'll pick it up and Ill go after them and I'll stay after them until I catch them!” cried samuel Harkton. ‘“ Will you come?” “ T—yes, I think I will,” Mr. Wilbur re- plied. “Tet’s go!” said the outraged husband, with exceeding brevity, as he started for the hall and his hat and light overcoat. “We'll drive dewn to the city in your car and—” Here, in the doorway, he stopped, verb- ally and literally. He winced, too, did Samuel, as he glanced up the empty stair- way; drawn lines of suffering appeared on his countenance. ‘ The—the kids!” he said huskily. guess they’re asleep.” “By this time, yes.” ‘“‘ T—I’d like to sneak up there and look at them, just once more,” Samuel said brokenly, his yearning eyes still on the stairs. “ But I don’t dare take the chance of—of waking them and having to explain anything. Only—oh, Lord! I would like It may be some time before I see them again, you know. It may be—never!” Well, but—” Z “ Because I’m going to kill that rat Riv- ers when I get him!” Mr. Harkton advised a * his second cousin, and vey convincingly, too. “I’m going to kill hi =, if i go to the chair for it! Once I get fingers aro his rotten throat, the de hicnself "Il never get ’em off, Tom! Anc him! Heaven mont never expected to have to face anything like this myselt, but I’ve always had ae clear views on the subject. I could forgive a professional criminal or a man who smashed a few laws in the heat of passion, but I’ve always felt that death was too kind for the sort of cold- blooded hell-hound that deliberately wrecks a home! I—well, come on!” He snatched hat and coat. He waited im- patiently as the slightly bewildered Thomas did likewise. ‘* You're going to tell the servants you're leaving, Sam?” the latter asked. ‘““T’m going to tell nobody anything! Til phone from the city to Josephine and ask her te come and look after the kids. Do you want to phone Doris before we start?” ‘No, I—I guess Ill phone Doris from the city, too,” Mr. -Wilbur said, somewhat confusedly and with swiftly growing anxiety. “Sam, I—I wish you’d just sort of sit down and count a hundred before we start. I mean, think it over and cool down abit. You’re pretty hot just now and likely to do almost anything rash without—”’ “Yes! That’s odd, isn’t it?” Mr. Hark- ton cried. ‘‘ Do you want to keep out of this mess or are you coming?” ‘“ Pm—er—coming, of course. Only—” “Come, then!” barked Samuel, and threw wide the door of his home and—no, be did not march out into the night, never te return until, hands all covered with hu- man blood, the jury had pronounced the case one of justifiable homicide. Rather did Samuel halt his progress with a dis- tinctly violent jerk, for to have continued one more yard at this rate would have been to kneck headlong from the steps Mrs. Samuel herself! , She was indeed standing there, all alone and evidently on her way into the house, while down the curved drive a_ taxicab snerted and puffed away. She was, natur- ally enough, astonished at the sight of her husband; but clearly visible above her as- tonishment—and Thomas at least caught _ =