Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

“YOU'VE KILLED PRIVACY!” A few minutes later Ward, feeling around in a clump of bushes which he had located in studying the picture up- stairs, found the end of the cut tel- ephone wire, and in less than a minute had spliced on to it the end of the wire of the little pocket telephone trans- mitter and receiver he had brought along with him; and ina half a minute more he had Inspector Curley at police headquarters on the wire, and was talk- ing to him in a low whisper. Presently he stopped and let the phone fall. Then, putting an arm gently around Marian, he drew her down to a seat hidden under a shelter- ing shrub, where they were safe from the prying eyes of the raiding gang of watchers by the wall. “Now, dear,” he whispered, “all we've got to do is to wait till Inspector Curley’s gang arrives and surrounds this place. Then it will be all over but the shouting. He’s going to send a young army, and they'll come very quietly. In a few minutes these yeggs will find themselves outnumbered about ten to one, and Redfern’s conspiracy will be at an end.” And it turned out just as Edison Ward predicted. There was some sharp firing for a few minutes after the officers arrived, but the attack was so sudden and so unexpected, that the resistance was brief and futile. Red- fern himself stepped out of a side door of the house to see what the noise was about, and ignominiously walked into the arms of two officers. He was in THE 187 handcuffs before he knew what was happening. A little while later when Edison Ward and Marian Lord were on their way home in a taxicab with the chauf- feur who seemed oblivious to every- thing but his business of driving, F.dison whispered, after a considerable period of silence: “ Marian, do you think you will be able to stand the life of publicity that you would have to lead with me?” “Oh, ’'m not worried about that,” she said, snuggling a little closer. “‘ Of course, I’ll want a lot of publicity at the wedding. Every woman does. Then I want just as much privacy on our honeymoon, which is another thing every woman wants, and I know a lovely little place we can slip away. to and nobody will ever dream we are there. Then I want to live happy ever after in a nice happy medium of pub- licity and privacy.” “But how will you manage that last?’ Ward asked her. “Oh, I won’t need to manage that,” she said. “ Just let human nature take its course. Before you’ve been shut up with me in your comfy little lab- oratory for a year, everybody’ll forget how your face looks, particularly after I’ve taken you to a nice facial surgeon I know about, and had that old scar removed, which is the principal thing that strangers remember about your face, and the only thing I don’t like about it.” And Marian had her way. prophecy came true. END Also her (C@ (E@)