Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

DAMMING HAIRPIN CANON. “Then they loaded them into the convenient flivver, and carried them off. Later, Crawford, learning of the blunder which had been made, con- cocted this story to cover things up.” “ But,” Blair frowned, seeking for a flaw in her theory, “how could they have been carried off in this fashion, without the lodge keeper seeing them ?” “There is another exit from the grounds,’ Molly said a little uncer- tainly, “a short cut that Big Bill often uses. ‘True, it’s no more than a bri- dle-path, if that, rough and ungraded. Still, at a pinch—” She broke off as Jarley entered to hand her a message, a brief, penciled report from Big Bill, out searching the grounds. “Ah!” she exclaimed. “ Here’s proof of what I say. They've found where the flivver was leit parked be- side. the driveway. They’ve found tracks of it again on the short cut that I spoke of. “And, most convincing of all, they've found a spot beside the lake, where the shrubbery was broken down as with a struggle, and there on the ground was an empty chloroform bottle.” At this confirmation, Blair went white as a sheet, and seemed, for a moment, about to collapse. “And where are they now?’ he gasped. “That’s what I want you to tell me!’ Molly suddenly turned on him, flaming. ‘“ And I want you to tell me quick 1” As she spoke, she jerked a small au- tomatic from the corsage of her din- ner gown, and covered him with it. “1?” he recoiled before her threat- ening attitude. “Yes, you, you old scorpion! Do you think you can put anything like this over on me? “ After this blunder was made, you and Crawford thought no doubt you could impose on me with this silly story. You were very quick to accept 535 it.' But I knew better. TI knew that Norman Rich would have returned to me to-night unless he had been pre- vented. “ And now you are trying to bull me into a belief that you don’t know what has happened!” Her eyes blazed at him scornfully over the pointing pistol. “Isn't Crawford your man? Hasn't every move in this underhand game of bribery and corruption and double deal- ing and fraud and attempted murder been dictated by you? Will you try to tell me that you are not the master crook who, lurking in the background, has pulled all these wires? “You are a pretty good actor, but you can't choke that down my throat. Why, you practically admitted it all, when you let out to me that you owned the Bridger County plateau.” But Blair had recovered his poise to a certain extent by this time. “Miss Todd,” he lifted his hand to stay her, “ [ don’t know what all this means that you are accusing me of. But | haven’t time to find out now, or to refute your charges. That can wait. “The important thing is, that for the present you should take my word, that [ have no more knowledge of what has happened to these two, or of their whereabouts than you have.” He was once more the forceful, keen-witted executive, shearing away all nonessentials from the discussion, and striking straight at the root of the issue, “We have a common interest,’ he said. “You want to find Norman Rich, I want to find Gladys. I’ve got to.” His voice broke, but he mastered. his emotion. “ The obvious thing is for us to join forces.” Hesitatingly Molly lowered her re- volver. There was something about the father’s tone and manner that com- pelled conviction. Surely no one could feign such a sincerity of grief and anxiety. Then suspicion kindled again in her eyes. oNOLOLKS COLAMUCE (©) J nat 7" r : : tai > Aun re dA) Loa wire ; i i A Te TT A Uw AM ANY ad A a foley A anny. : iv ys teh Veer ES “Ra ‘