Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

“YOU'VE KILLED PRIVACY!” had exploded the bomb which sup- posedly killed me a little while before, he thought he saw a ghost. In his fright, he fell off and broke his neck.” ~ “JT won't stay and be insulted!” Cod- dington exclaimed and started for the door. “You needn’t,’ Ward told him coolly. ‘‘ There’s an officer there wait- ing to take you to the police station. ‘“ T’ll now have the pleasure of show- ing you in full just what our friend has been up to,’ Ward went on to the amazed pair remaining after Codding- ton had been led away by the off- cer. They watched in fascinated horror while the whole scene enacted by Red- fern, Coddington and finally Whitley, the valet, was run off on the screen, words and all. When the reel was finished More- house and Wainwright stormed him with questions. “Just let me show you some more films first,” he told them. “ They'll answer most of your queries. The next one is a scene enacted in my own rooms the following evening while I was sleeping from the effects of a drug administered by my valet, as [ surmise now. I have one of these telltale mir- rors in each of my rooms. ‘The things are set to run automatically night and day and catch anything that happens there; another suggestion for the po- lice. The conspirators worked in a perfectly dark room except for their flash lights, but that did them no good, as you see.” There followed a vivid portrayal of the thorough search made by the worthy three for Ward’s secret docu- ments. “So much for that,” Ward com- mented. ‘ Now we'll see what I ac- complished over my private telephone line between my house and my office. IT took Miss Lord and one of the in- vestigators from the Sax company into my confidence. The young man after a visit to my laboratory and careful in- 177 struction from me, came here to the building secretly in the night and fas- tened several of these mirrors with microphone attachments to the walls of the private offices whose occupants I wished particularly to watch. They are very clever little devices, very small and capable of being camouflaged to merge with any background. I won’t bother you with a full showing now. Suffice it to say that I learned many things that 1 could never have found out in person on the spot, while I sat in my laboratory and watched and lis- tened to my associates in the privacy of their offices. “I am happy to say, Mr. Morehouse, that you came through clean. Of course Mr. Wainwright was not around to be inspected, but I knew where he stood. But as for Coddington, by watching him in his private office for two days I have a record recorded on films of the members of the office force who are with Coddington in his conspiracy. I even have photographs of damning secret documents he was so unfortunate as to lay out on his desk to read where the all-seeing eye of my little televisor could record them. I think I’ve shown you enough to convince you.” “You certainly have,” Wainwright exclaimed and Morehouse seconded him. “Tam glad to feel sure of such back- ing,’ Ward assured them. ‘‘ Now that I know the necessary facts for a house- cleaning [ am going to throw out the Coddington conspirators neck and crop. Then we'll have a reorganization and be ready for business. I’m going to ask you to continue as chairman of the board, Mr. Wainwright, but I want Mr. Morehouse to take my place as president. I don’t care for active exec- utive work and I particularly dislike the publicity that attends it. I want a chance to go away and enjoy a little privacy and go on with my inventive work. I suggest that Mr. Morehouse pick his own successor as secretary to the president. I'll now feel safe to Eomichbooks (E@)