Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

438 being committed to prison. But Mr. Hig- ginson has withdrawn the charge of stealing a thousand dollars from him, because he found that he had left it in his stateroom instead of carrying it upon his person as he supposed. ‘““ His ho, hum!” muttered Howard ironi- cally. “He has also taken into consideration your youth and indiscretion, and I have ex- plained to him your financial responsibility. Therefore, he has been generous enough to ask me not to press the charges and to re- lease you from your confinement. It is on condition that you apologize to him in this room where the outrage has been com- mitted.” “Well, that’s darn’ decent,’’ exclaimed Howard. ‘“ Certainly we'll apologize. We thought he had the Potter-Dunlap swag on him and he didn’t have it. Therefore, we were wrong. How’s that?” “Tt will do,” said Higginson, stepping inside the stateroom and leaning against the wall. ‘‘ But I would also like to hear from Mr. McGarry.” * You are entitled to an apology,” said Rod. ‘“I am willing to say I am sorry that we subjected you to—” He broke off, suddenly darted forward, pined Higgin- son against the wall and seized his right hand. “Here, here,” exclaimed the captain. “Are you crazy? Let that man go.” Higginson was fighting desperately, but he was no match for the powerful farmer. Rod twisted his arm and pried out of his hand a white object. It was a handker- chief rolled about as big as a tennis ball, and it was hard. -“T accuse this man of stealing the Pot- ter-Dunlap jewels,” he exclaimed. “I think I have them.” He untied the handkerchief and emptied upon the berth a glittering pile of rings, a necklace, and pendants. Higginson grew very pale, said nothing, but his eyes shot forth sparks of venom. “Well, Pll be damned!” exclaimed the captain. The purser grasped Higginson’s arm. “T won’t try to get away,” he said. ** Where could I go?” ‘ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Rod, T’ll never call you slow again,” exclaimed Howard. “‘ How on earth did you know what was in the handkerchief?”’ Rod was smiling with satisfaction and joy. ‘I did some quick thinking. I'll tell you how I worked it out. ““In the first place, when we didn’t find the jewels last night, I was still convinced that he had them. He pulled a gun to defend himself and he changed his mind. You remember he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief when he decided not to shoot, and then I took the gun away. “ Being a crook, and having us in this kind’ of a position, he was wonderfully fixed to get off the ship with the gems. He had been searched once, the captain would not subject him to the indignity of a sec- ond search. We were the logical suspects. So why should he be generous and try to get us released, and withdraw the charge of stealing a thousand dollars from him? It wasn’t reasonable. “Well, the reason was that he had to get into this stateroom again, because he left the jewels here last night. I saw him palm a card in the smoke room a few days ago and I knew how quick he was. When he came into the stateroom to receive his apologies from us he backed up against that wall where the overcoats are hanging. ‘““T saw one of his hands go behind him, and I took a chance he had taken back the jewels. He dropped them into the outside pocket of an overcoat last night, after wiping his, forehead with the hand- kerchief. He had just taken the hand- kerchief out of the pocket when I pinned his hand. . “The stunt seemed safe enough to him. He had us imprisoned last night and he knew we wouldn’t be apt to need the over- coats while we were in the stateroom. “So he figured out this grandstand play to-day. He felt that his generosity toward us would square him with ourselves and the captain, and, if I hadn’t been absolutely convinced from the first that he was a crook, he probably would have got away with the whole thing. “You are too damn’ smart,’ snarled Higginson. ‘‘ But you can’t pin the train robbery on me.” Lt Gomicbooks (S@)