Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

184 shadowing of him for a week failed to reveal any attempt on Redfern’s part to get in touch with him. So at length Inspector Curley de- cided that the game was over, and with- drew his men from around the Ward place, with the exception of a single plainclothes man, who hung about per- functorily now and then. Meanwhile Edison Ward had com- pleted the business of setting in motion the reorganization machinery of the corporation, and was about ready to leave things in the hands of the new triumvirate and settle down in his laboratory to enjoy the quiet privacy of an inventor’s life. But Edison Ward was not happy. Far from it. The more time that elapsed since the day when Marian Lord disappeared out of his life, the more keenly he missed her. On the evening in which he had com- pleted his arrangements for dropping the active management of the corpora- tion, he came home heartily sick of life. After a hasty dinner he went up to his laboratory, and tried to distract his mind by an evening of reading. A little later he remembered some- thing that he should have told More- house. He stepped to the phone t@ get the new president’s number, but found it dead. He tried another instrument with the same result. The house phone refused to work. Telephone out of order had meant danger recently. Nota little perturbed, Ward went to his door and called for Haskins. There was no answer. With increasing alarm he went down to the servants’ wing and found no one there. A search of the house revealed the ominous fact that he was absolutely alone in it. Ward stood in the center of the lower hall, baffled and undecided. There was no doubt in his mind that this was another blow of Redfern’s. That clever and powerful plotter had cut the telephone connections and somehow lured his servants away. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Should he walk boldly out to the street and summon the police? He would probably never be allowed to get there. He was still standing there, waver- ing in his mind, when there came a hurried rap at the big open front door only a few feet from him. His heart missed a beat. He had no gun with him, and there was nothing around that would serve, conveniently,as a weapon. Was this the signal for an attack? Again the hurried rap, and a frantic rattle at the door. Ward rushed up to his own suite four steps at a time and secured an atttomatic which he kept there always loaded. Then he raced down again to the front door, determined to face the issue promptly, and shoot any one on sight who looked suspicious. Automatic in hand, he unlocked the door swiftly and suddenly snapped it open. Then he staggered back in amazement. Marian Lord rushed into the room and slammed the door behind her! In his surprise, Edison Ward dropped the automatic clattering to the floor. “Marian!” he exclaimed, and in- voluntarily held out both hands. “Edison!” she cried in return. And before either realized what they were doing, they were in each other’s arms. But in an instant, the girl drew back. “We mustn’t!’ she exclaimed. “ Quick, they’re coming! They’ll kill you this time! They’re all around the place!” “ But I thought you were married!” irrelevantly interrupted the still dazed Edison Ward. “Nonsense! ve been kidnaped and kept in an old cellar by that fiend of a Redfern. He spread the report that I was married. I overheard their plot and escaped to-night. They got the servants away by tricks and held them. They’re going to torture you until you give up your televisor secret, and then kill you. Oh, what shall I do?” Eomie JOOMKS (E@)