Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

840 “Damned if I see.” “ Well, then, I’ll make you see. I have already prepared an affidavit appointing me, Emil Dost, the attorney in fact as well as attorney at law for Merle Wentworth. You will sign that with the name of Merle Wentworth!” , The fundamentals of the plan by now had percolated into Harvey’s bewildered _ brain, | He interposed: “‘ That would have to be witnessed before a notary—and acknowl- edged.” ' * That’s easy. I know dozens of notaries, ‘good ones—and others not so good. Ii I take you to any of them with this paper and say you are Merle Wentworth, that you want to sign a paper, there will be no question about it. But, so that there may be even less to worry about later, I will take the paper along without you and get the acknowledgement just the same. Also, I can get a couple of perfectly good wit- nesses—quite respectable, so far as any- body knows—who will sign anything I ask them to. “ There’ll be no come-back on that part of it. It’s only a formality. But the first move is up to you. You take a room in some part of the city where you are not known. Say you are a traveling salesman, so it will not be thought strange if you are not there much. Using that address, write to Craig, Craig & Craig, saying that you have received their letter forwarded from Templeton, Ohio. Mention that you have left Templeton, and that they are right in assuming you to be the last of your family. That will wash out any chance of this Craig monkeying with the Templeton end of the string. Templeton will be eliminated quite naturally. “Then you go on to say that you have turned the letter, together with a power of attorney, over to your lawyer, Emil Dost, 987 William Street, New York, and that said Dost will communicate with them on the subject. They may look me up in the bar directory, see my name there, but that will probably be about all. “Once they have accepted the situation, which they will do when a duly executed and properly witnessed power of attorney, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. follows your letter, the only further investi- gating they are at all likely to do is to com- municate with my witnesses and possibly the notary. In which event, they will re- ceive replies assuring them that all is cor- rect. I will look out for that. “ Now, these matters being accomplished as I have set forth, what, may I ask, is to prevent you and me plucking off that nice little wad of jack in short order?” He paused, hands on hips, and. looked fixedly, triumphantly at Harvey. “ Holy cats!”’ he said. “ You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” “ Can you think of anything else?” Dost challenged. ‘* Suppose—suppose,” Harvey began, then halted before the scornful eyes of his companion. Getting a fresh start, he said: “Suppose Merle gets on to it.” “ How in hell is he going to get onto it, as you say? If by any chance—which is out of the question—the Craig boys should write to him, the letter will be addressed to the new location which you are to dig up, and you will get it. The only gap that has to be covered is the time between the send- ing of our letter and their reply to it. That is up to you. “ All you have to do is keep your eye on the office mail for a couple of weeks at the outside. That will be superfluous be- cause they will allow time for a reply to their first communication before writing again. But you can do it just to cover yourself.” Harvey had been thinking, and now he nodded his head understandingly. ‘It looks airtight,” he admitted. ‘“ But it gives me a queer feeling to think where we'd be if anything slipped up.” “Don’t be an ass. Nothing will slip up. Here’s the sweetest layout anybody ever had to clean up with. Made to order! You want the money, don’t you?” “¢ Sa-aa-y!” “Well, then, come here and _ stick ‘Merle Wentworth ’ on the dotted line and let’s go.” Harvey extended his hand, took the of- fered pen. Once more he hesitated, “ By the way, how much do you get out of the pot?” | Gomichbooks (E@)