Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

“YOU'VE KILLED PRIVACY!” rectly into the fellow’s very eyes, as though they were standing face to face with each other. Redfern, who at that moment was standing at the far end of the little liv- ing room, waiting for the last of his gang to arrive, suddenly strode for- ward toward the fireplace, which was, of course, Ward’s viewpoint. The figure of Redfern grew larger and larger until his face seemed to fill the whole picture in the little mirror on Ward's table, and it was a face dis- torted by sudden rage. Redfern’s hands seemed to come between his face and the mirror. Then suddenly the mirror went blank! Edison Ward knew at once what had happened. He snatched up the house phone. “ Beans are spilled, inspector. Just now Redfern discovered my mirror in the fireplace and tore it out. Better pull your taid quick before they can make a get-away.” The inspector barked his orders ac- cordingly, and* Ward watched the charge upon the Moran cottage through the panorama mirror which was still in operation, but he knew in an instant that it was too late. Several minutes before Curley’s men got with- ing striking distance, he saw a file of conspirators emerge from the door of the littie cottage and disappear through the hedge in the rear. He reported the fact to Curley, but there was nothing the inspector could do about it. When the police reached the little cottage it was empty and silent. XIV. Epison WarpD was down to break- fast early the next morning, but not because he had any interest in break- fast. He had passed a sleepless night, having sat up and kept in constant touch with Inspector Curley through the night, and with news radio reports. It had been a night of intense excite- 181 ment and supreme suspense. With ihe flight of the Redfern gang from their headquarters in the little cottage, it seemed as though the spirit of anti- publicity. fanaticism had broken loose and spread like a swift contagion throughout the country. The paper this morning was full of stories of outrages in many States, all by fanatics claiming to belong to the crusade in defense of privacy. In most instances it was evident on the surface that these were sporadic outbreaks of cranks, inspired by the news stories of Redfern’s secret organization. It was not merely that riotous anti- publicity meetings were held in many cities in which the public were ex- horted to rise up and destroy every radio outfit in the country, and even in some cases extending the attack to the telephone and telegraph, and moving pictures. But this wave of lunacy did not stop there. Three different big broadcasting stations were bombed during the night, and heavy charges of explosives were found in two others. Another mine of TNT was. un- earthed under the Detroit plant of the International Radio Corporation. But, apparently, Redfern had not pressed his secret button, whether or not his sudden flight from the Moran cottage was responsible. For none of the Radio Corporation’s buildings were wrecked as yet. While Edison Ward was naturally thankful for that fact, it nevertheless meant that his state of suspense was continuing, and this, with the strain of a sleepless night, was wearing his nerves almost to the breaking point. He was particularly annoyed when he entered the dining room that morn- ing to find the place in disorder. A strange young man in workman’s over- alls was squatting in the corner, fuss- ing with the telephone wire that ran along the molding. Haskins hurried i in apologetically. “Excuse me, sir,’ COPMICLOOOKS * he said to Ward. “You came down a little earlier than (E@)