Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

THIEVES’ companion was probably a crook en- gaged in stealing for an arch-crook, Morris Korbeck. Then he thought of Jane with a twinge of conscience. Nick addressed him sharply: “T ast you where do you flop?” “Well, I haven’t been in town long enough to find what [ need in the way of quarters,’ said Barry evasively. “ Then I’ll take you to a place where I can keep an eye on you, and next week I'll get you a fight over at the Sales Stables Sporting Club. What say?” Nick took Barry to an old brick resi- dence sandwiched in tightly between two squalid tenements in a near-by side street. Set in one of the tall front windows at one side of the high stone stoop with steps worn into deep hol- lows, was a cardboard sign on which had been crudely penciled, ‘‘ Rooms.” They were admitted by a slatternly woman with her skirt turned up and pinned at the rear as if to shield it from the consequences of her own shiftless housekeeping. Her head was bound in a towel turban. “The only room I got’s on the top floor. It’s six dollars a week.” “My friend can only pay four,” said Nick flatly, “and four is a lot of dough, Mrs. Rouse.” “Tt ‘ll be four in advance. I'll call my husband and he’ll show you where it iss Amos! Amos!” She yelled down the cellar steps, through a door at the rear of the un- carpeted hallway as if she was demand- ing the attention of a dog. A bald man, who stepped quickly as if conscious of wrong doing, turned into the hallway, showing timid eyes in bluish pouches. “ Coming, Henrietta!” His voice was quavery; his manner placative. “ Show ’em the top floor room.” As they mounted one dark flight after another Barry breathed ghostly reminders of many meals. Some of MARKET. 617 them, he thought, probably had been eaten when Garfield was President. * Now,” said Nick in the tone of a caption, when the old man had left them in a narrow little room in which there stood a tall wardrobe with one door hanging from a broken hinge; and one single bed that was clean. ‘Now that you got a place to flop [ll arrange for your workouts.” Barry's mind had been turning over the state of his case through these mo- ments since Nick had taken him in charge. Huis purpose was to get into Nick’s confidence if possible in order to find out what his connection was with Morris Korbeck. After all, if Nick wanted to think he was promising material out of which to make a profitable fighter, why, that was as good a way as any to gain his. confidence and maintain a contact with him. But there was Jane, and she was taking chances with a _ cold-hearted criminal that Barry dared not con- template. The sooner he established some facts about the relationship be- tween Korbeck and Nick the Grik the sooner he could release Jane from her dangerous post; and the sooner he could hope to reap some reward for his services. With a feeling of discouragement Barry suddenly realized that he did not have any sound reason for believing that Nick was engaged in any sort of criminal activities. Jane had seemed to think— * Look,” ordered Nick, *‘ the minute I saw you walk into my place I knew you were on the run. I[ don’t know what you been doing, but a guy that can sock like you can—well, ?’'m for him. * What’s the chance of you being picked off? You know, they try to give bird dog puppies distemper so as not to lose any trained animals later. If you are likely to be knocked off by the cops I'd be foolish to waste much time on you.” GComicbooks (E@)