Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

: How » are : te chess men set upon the board? First, your father. He possesses the knowledge of our approximate position and the means to reach us. When he does so, he further possesses the means to cap- us, to sink us if he so desires, to sub- us to trial, to capital punishment, to you will—if he so desires! And I? Against this formidable array? A few little guns, a boat of indifferent speed, a few men, and, my dear, you. “Of lesser value, but still of account, I have Mr. Rutledge and also Mr. Sparks. They are of little account in comparison with you, whom I consider as my queen, but then I have known a single pawn to been the deciding factor in a game f chess. You marvel at the manner which I know these things, these facts about the movements of your father. The East is full of things that are strange, my dear, of things that are occult.” “ Bosh!” snorted Sparks. “ Flubdub!” The interruption shattered, for Fang Wu, what had been a rather exquisite little dramatic moment. It disturbed him into a frown which he ruffled upon Sparks. “T beg your pardon?” “1 said bosh—bosh and flubdub.” “ And why "—Fang Wu grew icily polite —** might I inquire, do you remark * bosh ° and ‘ flubdub °? I regret that my knowledge of your language is so halting that I am unacquainted with the precise meaning of the two—the two—er—gems.” “Say. fisten here, bo, stop tryin’ to pull this snake charmin’ act on this little trio, because we're wise, wise Hombres!” Sparks pointed an emphatic finger at Fang Wu. _* The only occult thing about the business Ritictets atiacths Ik Tai tented after the D. T.s I handed n this mornin’, to cop the dope about m | rteapriceghepgalie Ghat e tit ae y ‘ham op,’ did, just, succeed | a inter- sovting a Saks a Ge g mes sages that were being tossed betwen ie Western State and a freighter, by name of Walter Goodman. It appears that the Walter Goodman caught sight of us around dusk, and that she has betrayed our op- proximate location to our pursuers. Per- haps there are some other little bubbles that you might care to prick?” “ There is—several.” “T am at your service.” Fang Wu bowed elaborately. It amused him to be com- plaisant—to an extent. “ Ain't it a fact that the time when our steward, Hong Wing, and them two mess boys were found knocked out cold on the deck of the pantry, and he claimed that they'd been handed the fadeout by some prune who first switched the lights out on them, and yet them lights was on when we found the three of them lying there, that Hong Wing pulled the stunt himself, so as to make us think the steward’s de partment wasn’t in on the little game? Ain’t it a fact? “ And ain't it a fact that the time when the saloon mess boy got into the old man’s cabin where I was sittin’ after decodin’ that there message you sent, and the lights were put out, that what he wanted was t get that message? And that the reason why he didn’t knife me was because he wanted to find out where I had the message hid- den? And that, sudden-like, Hong Wing, moseying around outside, learns that Pete and this here dame is headin’ our ee so he pounded on the door to make @ mess boy open it up so as he c ra | off before Pete got there to help m o me Mtechey ~~ comicbooks.com