Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

DAMMING HAIRPIN CANON, Yes,” she insisted; “‘ unless I bad- ly miss my guess, Da Silva is already across the border, over into Mexico, or else speeding there as fast as he can make it.” “But he’s easily described,’ sug- gested Norman, ‘“ He could be over- hauled by telegraph or telephone.” “No!” She spoke a trifle sharply. “T don’t want him overhauled. I told Big Bill to call off the pursuit, and also to throttle down any talk about the af- fair as much as possible. “It’s always a good plan, I think, to keep your enemy guessing. The more time the crowd puts in at specu- lating on what I’m up to, the less they'll have to be planning mischief.” “We-ll, perhaps,’ admitted Nor- man. ‘ But I think if it was me, Miss Todd, I’d want a dangerous reptile like Da Silva where I was sure he couldn’t do any more harm.” But she merely replied curtly that she had given the matter full thought, and was confident she was doing the wisest thing. Evidently Norman’s new employer had no fondness for having her deci- sions questioned. She was one of these who could either take advice or leave it alone. They had finished breakfast by this time, and Molly led the way to her office, a business-like room which, with its filing cases, big flat-topped desk and labor-saving equipment, resembled the quarters of a corporation executive. And Molly, seeming to take color from her surroundings like a chame- leon, was as direct and businesslike in her manner as the environment. In a few brief, clear sentences, she made Norman acquainted with the ar- rangement of the office, outlined the scope of his duties, and settled terms and salary. She was as straightfor- ward and unfeminine in all this as the squarest-jawed machinery man he had ever encountered. “ As I told you, Mr. Rich,” she said, “T don’t really require a secretary. I have the affairs of the estate so sys- tematized now that I can handle by myself all the work that Da Silva has been doing. “Your duties will be wholly con- nected with the irrigation project. Yet, for the same reason I called off the pursuit of Da Silva, I prefer to have it assumed that you are merely taking his place.” “More play acting?” commented Norman a bit wryly. “Call it that, if you wish. You will probably not fool the gang to any ex- tent. But it may make them a little less wary. “You see, 1 want you to watch the progress of operations for me, but to do so not as if it were a matter of busi- ness with you, but more in the manner of your inspection at the dam yester- day, as if you were actuated by mere idle curiosity.” “ But what operations will there be to watch?” objected Norman. “ Work on the pumping plant won’t be com- menced for several weeks, I imagine, and that on the dam will be stopped at once, of course, as soon as you take action.” “As soon as I take action?” ed Molly, lifting her brows. sort of action?” “Why, an injunction suit, or some- thing of the kind. You can easily show that with these changes in it, the dam will never be of any value to Los Chi- cos County. ‘The only land it can ir- rigate is those few acres of plateau along the cafion over on the Bridger side.” ‘“ But I am not going to file any in- junction suit,” said Molly quietly. “I have been thinking over the situation pretty carefully since I talked to vou last night, Mr. Rich, and I have de- cided to let them go ahead and finish the dam as they have started. So you see, there will be plenty of operations for you to keep an eye on.’ He stared at her incredulously. “You mean,” he gasped, ‘ that you repeat- ** What COPMICLOOKS 195 | (E@)