Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

626 from him and something for the silk.” “Are you going to tell him why you're in such a hurry?” “Fai nor,” By way of giving emphasis to his words Nick turned the key in the lock of the pool room door and then clat- tered down the stairs breathing audibly. “Wait for me,’ advised Johnny. “You and me are going to be seen coming out of this place together if we are seen at all.” CHAPTER XIV. “FIX HIM SMART.” “F OOK,” exclaimed Korbeck, “ I’m a business man! I keep my money in the bank and a check I will not give you.” “1 don’t want any check,” growled Nick. “I want cash and a lot of st." “In my pocket I got six, maybe seven hundred dollars. [Il give you five hundred and not a cent more. Next time let me know when you are coming and I can arrange to have something for you. But I got some- thing more important than money for you.” Only Korbeck and Nick were in the office of the warehouse. A watchman was lounging against the door in the corridor. Johnny the Nutmeg Grater was keeping out of sight somewhere in the vicinity. Nick kept rubbing viciously at his nose with a clenched forefinger. His nerves were playing tricks on him. “T have found out,” said Korbeck with a leisurely pompousness that in- furiated the nervous gangster, “ that my secretary here has been trying to find out things.” * Yeaht “ She’s a pretty girl.” “ T don’t have to take your word for that. She’s a—” Nick smacked his lips and then breathed noisily as he ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. remembered something that brought back all his deep sense of oppression, his fears. “ Say, hurry up, will you?” “Don’t get excited. I’m telling you something. This girl has a friend, a boy friend. She’s spying on me and the boy friend is spying on you, naybe.””’ “What's that?” Nick fairly barked the words. “The boy friend is spying on you.” “Who is he? Who is the—” “Wait now. I thought you’d be in- terested.” “Tell me! Quick!” “It’s that fellow that came up here with the silk. Say, I thought you were a smart boy, Nick. I can’t afford to do business with a sap. Too dan- gerous.”’ “You mean a good-looking bozo with a flashy way of wearing clothes?” Nick’s left hand was scraping fran- tically across dry lips. ‘‘ Do you mean him ?”’ ““T mean a man named Barry Rand that planted this Campbell girl in my office. That’s who I mean.” “I am a sap,” agreed Nick crushed by his fears. “ Why, I don’t even know his name, but if it’s the guy that brought the silk here—if that’s the rat, I know who you mean. “T'll fix him and I won’t waste any time doing it, either.” “Use your head for a change, then,” advised Korbeck. ‘Fix him like a smart boy would. Don’t leave any odors hanging around, neither. “You fix him and [ll attend to his irl.”’ “ All right,” said Nick. ‘ Give me that half grand. And if you see me to-morrow you'll know I’m after more. I want real jack the next trip.” “You needn’t count it,” Korbeck said indignantly. “Listen, I’m through taking things for granted. I count my jack and [’ll drop a little acid on the next guy—a stool! What do you think of that—” COnnicooolkxs (E@)