Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

214 Colonel Brewer arose and walked slowly to the safe in the corner of the office. As he stooped his bones cracked audibly and he could not repress a groan of pain. “ Been down with the rheumatism,” he explained, as he twirled the knob. The safe door swung open. ‘The colonel fumbled around in a compart- ment, while the man stood by him, on the alert. In a moment the colonel stood up. In his hand he held a manila envelope. He pulled out a package of yellow- backs and counted them slowly into the man’s left hand. “__seven — eight — nine — ten — there you are. Ten one-thousand-dol- lah bills. Is that right?” At that instant there came a knock on the door. ‘The man hastily stuffed the money into his pocket, then leaned over and whispered menacingly: “ Remember—no monkey business!” “’Pon my honor, suh,”’ said the colo- nel, “Tl let you out just as though you and I were old friends, yessiree.”’ He escorted the man to the door and opened it. Liddy was waiting outside. “Pardon me,” she said, “I thought you were alone.” “The gentleman is just goin’,” said the colonel. “Good day, suh; good day, suh.”” He bowed to the man, who grinned and waved his hand in adieu as he walked hurriedly across the rotunda. No sooner had the man disappeared from sight than the colonel brushed his secretary aside and dashed out after the robber. As he reached the sidewalk he jerked out a revolver from his coat pocket. The man had evidently turned a cor- ner, as he was nowhere in sight. The colonel, forgetting his weakened condition, ran down the street, bran- dishing the revolver. As he rounded the corner, he bumped ‘squarely into Constable Haynes. “ Well, for the love of Pete!” ejac- ulated the constable. “‘ What’s up?” “A thief—he ran down the street!” 3 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. wheezed the colonel painfully. “ He— he came into the bank with a bottle of —of nitroglycerin—said he would blow—blow up the bank unless I gave him ten thousand dollahs—I gave—I gave him—’’ And then the colonel slumped down into an inert heap on the sidewalk. IIT. At half past eight the following morning, the directors had gathered in the room on the mezzanine floor. Their faces were haggard, worried. “Well, what did I tell you?” snapped Hilton. “ Maybe some day you fel- lows will pay attention to what I say!” “How’s the colonel? Anybody heard?” demanded Louderback. “ Nobody’s allowed to see him,” re- pled Burroughs. “The doc reports that he’s pretty bad.” “Tt “ll go hard on the old boy when he learns that he was scared into cough- ing up ten thousand dollars at the sight of a bottle of water!” “Is the constable sure it was the same bottle the fellow was carrying?” asked Hannibal. “ Sure it was. Haynes found it in the ditch outside. It was marked ‘ Nitro- glycerin,’ but was nothing but plain, unadulterated H,O!” “Well,” muttered Burroughs, “I guess there’s nothing for it but to ask for Brewer’s resignation—as soon as he’s well again.” “Well, after all,” exclaimed Louder- back, “who wouldn’t have done the same thing if he had been in his shoes? I would, for one.” “Rats!” sneered Hilton. “ An alert man would have found a way out!” Louderback, squelched, moved over to the window. He stared down fora moment, then turned with paling face. “My Lord! They’re starting a run on the bank. I was afraid of it when I saw that the newspaper let out that the fellow got away with a hundred thousand dollars, instead of ten. I’ll bet EO LPMICL OO KS (E@)