Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

HOW MANY CARDS? “ At eleven o’clock this—last night, sir, in Wis room at the cl “~ Where have you been since then?” The man wet his thin lips and replied in a low, hesitating voice: “ On @ private matter. My time was my own, sir, I—I had rather not say.” . Meanwhile’ McCarty had taken advan- tage of his superior’s offhanded permission and slipped back into the study immedi- ately after the body had been removed and Clancy and the detectives had taken their departure. Save for the dark stains upon the rug where the shattered head had rested, and the strip of tapestry pulled awry from its accustomed place upon the refeptory table, there were no visible signs left to the casual eye of the tragedy which had so. recently taken place within those feur walls, but McCarty closed the door carefully behind him and stood for a moment with his back against it surveying the room. The chairs, with their adjacent smoking- standis, the bookcases, davenports, and every article of furniture which the room contained, passed in swift but unerring de- tail before his vision and he whistled softly. A delicate spring dawn was filtering in through the diaphanous curtains of the windows at the rear, and turning the gol- den glow of the electric lights a sickly lemon yellow; why had the shades not been lowered and the thick draperies which hung on either side of the casements been drawn? McCarty switched off the lights, and striding ever to the nearest windew, thrust aside the curtains and opened it. The ex- planation for the disregard of possible on- lookers was instantly apparent, for a sheer blenk brick wall rose before him about six ” feet distant. He glanced swiftly each way, and then withdrew his head, leaving the window open that the gentle breeze might drift through the room. The blank space, or alley, had no opening at either end, and had evidently been left when the Creveling residence was built in order to give light to its rear windows. _ Yet the house was practically in the mid- die of the block, and beyond that brick wall could lie only the back yards of the 2A : 305 buildings which faced on the side streets. Had Creveling caused that high blank bar- rier to be erected on the edge of his prop- erty for the purpose of insuring absolute privacy to the rooms which looked out upon it? The front of the house was no more carefully secluded from outside ob- servation than were the others in the neigh- borhood; why should the rear have been thus shut away from prying eyes? His mind still busied with the problem McCarty moved slowly about the study, measuring with a practised gaze the dis- tance between the various articles of fur- niture until he came to the long, narrow table between the two davenports which flanked the hearth. Here he paused, and taking the edge of the twisted strip of ta- pestry between his forefinger and thumb, began almost mechanically to straighten it. As he lifted it a gleam of something white against the age-darkened weod of the table top caught his eye, and thrusting the tapestry hastily aside he disclosed a small, highly glazed oblong upon which were spots of red. It was a playing card, the nine of diamonds, but superimposed upon its regular scarlet lozengers were tiny blotches of dull crimson, unmistakable in their significance. McCarty picked it up gingerly, and saw that it was torn half across its face; the crimson spots were fast turning a murky brown, and a smudge which resembled the imprint of a finger was plainly discernible. . near one side. The card itself was of the mest expensive grade of linen, gilt-edged, and despite its sinister stains had obviously come from a new deck. The back was of | a peculiar design, printed in rich colors and gold, after the manner of the ancient illy- minated text, and McCarty studied it with minute care, fixing the pattern in his mind. Then he crossed to the writing table be- tween the windows, and opening a drawer, selected an envelope and placed the card within it. This he slipped into his pocket, and then began a clase and exhaustive search of the reom, albeit he shook his head dubiously as he did.so. How that single blood- stained playing-card happened to have been slipped under the edge of that strip JOO Original ror oli G THE OHIO STATE UN ‘ =RSITTY cm) S C@