Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

668 “ That’s a good joke! I was suspecting you all the time of being his pal. He made a pretty fool of me all right, and I felt sure he was my Uncle Gregory. How were you so clever as to guess he wasn’t?”’ My frank admiration pleased him, as I intended it to. He gave me an almost friendly leer, which had the effect of mak- ing his face uglier, if possible. | ‘“* ‘You can’t fool a man who is after your blood,” he chuckled. ‘‘ Say, do you know what he done to me out in Chi six years ago? Pulled a big con game, and then had it framed up on me while he lit out with all the kale. I was sent up to do my stretch while he got clean off. Well, I swore that as soon as I got out he’d get his from me, and he’s going to—if I have to walk from here to heil.” . He clinched one big fist, and I began to understand my Uncle Richard’s hasty de- parture. One blow from that would crush in a skull like eggshell and only the man’s drugged condition had kept him from his full vengeance. It had been a wise thought of Richard Deane to fill him full of mor- phin, but he should have either halved or doubled the dose. “ You'll have to swim part of the way, I’m afraid, but he’s a thorough rascal and deserves punishment.” ‘“'You’re more sensible than you look,” growled Clinch. “ Lucky for you.” ' I accepted the dubious compliment as gracefully as I could, for I wanted to get more out of him. . “But, you haven’t told me how you knew he was here.” “The girl tipped me off.” My heart sank. So Shirley was in it, after all! “How?” I asked quickly. “‘T had just got out of the stir, and came ‘to New York because I heard the Big Swell was working down that way. A pal of mine put me wise to her address; I knowed . her and the Big Swell wasn’t on good terms and I thought she’d be glad to tip me off for a chance of getting even.” ‘““She wouldn’t betray her father?” He snorted. ‘“‘ Being her father didn’t make him any kinder to her or her mother. She -was a ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. swell woman, a regular lady she was; and he treated her like a dog till she -up and left him, her and the girl, who was fifteen then. ‘“ She died a few years after, and Shirley was left to look out for herself. Much call | she’s got to love her father.” I was silent, remembering Shirley’s words in the library about not raising her hand to save her father. Had she known to whom she was saying it? And yet those words did not chime with the fact that she had- stolen down-stairs to leave a message for that same father. It was still a mystery, I must get some more out of Clinch. ‘“She didn’t tell you, then? I thought you said she did?” “ Well, not exactly; women is queer cat- tle. She said she didn’t know, but I guessed she did, so I hung around keeping an eye on her until I saw her leave the house with a bag. I trailed along out of sight and saw her go on the Sound boat. “I followed without her seeing me. I guessed she was going to meet him and warn him that 1 was on his track. Little fool, she ought to have been as glad to get even with him as I was.” “Ah!” I exclaimed. I saw now .why Shirley had tried to warn her father. When Clinch came, knowing his desire for re- venge, she realized that her father’s life was in danger. So she did care, after all! ““Why did you go into her stateroom?” I asked abruptly. “Well, it struck me she might have something in her bag that would give me the tip, so I slipped in while she was on deck and was going through her things | when she came back and found me. I tried to make her tell me by scaring her, but, Lord, she gave me the devil instead and run’ me out. She’s got spunk, that girl.” I privately agreed with him. ° . “I thought I saw you following us over the moors. How did you hide in the boat, and why didn’t you come across that first night?” ‘““ Hiding on the boat was soft, I went down in the engine-room. I followed you on the moors to make sure where you were going. I thought you was in with her, too, so I judged it best to keep out of sight.