Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

THE NEXT VICTIM. cant thing which my nephew called a ‘speck ’ when the dénouement came. And — how wise he had been, as IJ later plainly realized, not to have given his confidence even to me! We found young Valine clinging to a stanchion and leaning heavily against the rail. “Sorry,” he said weakly; “sorry f couldn’t have been of help.” “ That’s perfectly all ri¢ht,” said my nephew. “I very much doubt whether you could have accomplished a thing this side of several hours. That set looks like a Christmas tree on the 2nd of January.” “ Find any clews?” “ Nothing to speak of—just a speck. s : sc Speck? 9 & Yes, I don’t know what it is yet my- « “Can I do anything else to help? Not that Ive done anything as yet—but if I allance added with eagerness, “ Pl go back to my cabin and | lie SoU ne : “By all means do.” “Vou shouldn’t have Waited for us” I E said. Vallance enled ote strained sheet ness. ‘I couldn’t move,” he confessed. “it’s too bad it hits you this way. = S which he gratefully took, while my nephew held him firmly “Tf we were only going to offered him my arm, W by ine other. be out for a few days’ run you would get over it. But as we're going to try and: get back in a short while I meaee Los : will feel pretty rocky until we land. “In a short while?” Vallance said, with obvious relief, “Why couldn’t we go back now?” | | : “We can’t go under our own power, and must wait either until the wireless set is fixed and we can send for a tug, or else pick up a tow from some vessel that comes in answer to our rockets.” We had reached Vallance’: Ss cabin and he sank, with a sigh, back upon his bed We left him there and went to my nephew’s cabin, the door of and closed his eyes. which he locked as soon as we were inside. There was a set, intense ook upon his face. - “T think we are getting warm, » he said. “The speck?” | 6 A wall; - Micah Thrumm. There | is no doubt but-that ation. my troubled sea. ‘Thrumm’s letter press seemed lighter. I stood up, patted him on : Thrumm. an ae start—as_ if. some sudden 4303} “Yes—with a ‘perhaps’ attached. I’m not banking on it too much, because every- thing so far has led us up against a blank that wall being the hiding place of he is on board. There is no doubt but that he intends to kill Mr. Billings. Who is. with him now?” ticularly husky sailor stationed at the door —the one we saw as we passed—and two equally husky youngsters patrolling the deck outside the ports.” . “Then we have time.” 46 “Time?”’ 7 = se an investigation that I am going & ZS can n help you, of course?” I said, “No. Tt is something that I have to do alone.” “ Vou can give me no hint?” = For your own sake, no.” “ Well, what shall [ do?” os The best thing you can do is to stay with Mr. Billings. 9 See Couldn vt you. give me one hint of the course you intend to pursue?” I urged. “tt would be better not.” “Simply for my own good?” “For everybody’s. good.” There was no disbelieving his sincerity, nor his. capability of dealing with the situ- His firm, young earnestness. shone like a beacon light across the surface of The weight ef Micah ing against my heart the shoulder, and unbolted the door. “TY have the fullest confidence in you,” IT said. “I hope to God, sir, , that it isn’t mis- placed.” The last glimpse I caught of him as F closed the door was of him sitting before his table and in: pecting an envelope he had taken from a one of its drawers. I recognized the envelope as the one that had contained the death threat sent to Jee by Micah d t seemed to me that my nephew, as Ne. stared ‘intently at its surface, ee : de is in my cabin. Alice is with him. | I know that Captain Wickstrom has a par- = = eon books et