Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 3, 1924 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

TOTEM Ford’s face when the man had returned with a dead weasel to finish him off that morning. He had reached down to turn MacGregor over and the officer had nearly dislocated his shoulder. Only by luck had Limpy escaped. Then he had hurried to report to Sing Yat, only to see the girl he loved a prisoner. The girl’s captors had not known the identity of their captive. They had selected the prettiest. girl and that automatically eliminated the rest. The suffering of the other native girl now soft- ened her own blow. She had seen a new Limpy Ford, different from the one who al- ways had money and brought her presents. The male prisoners were sullen, but aboard the Taku, homeward bound, Mac- Gregor turned the wheel over to Edith and proceeded to take the sullenness out of the pair. Presently they talked. He had one question to answer when he reported to Gregory and he knew now the answer must come from them. ‘“ Who killed Jennings?” he demanded. “We didn’t! We weren’t near there. We can prave we were at Wrangell.” “TI know you didn’t kill Jennings, but I want to know who did. Now out with it, or I may charge you with it just for luck. A jury wouldn’t require much evidence in your particular case.”’ “ Limpy Ford killed him! He stole Flem- ing’s knife and when the point broke off he saw a chance to throw suspicion on his partner, so he ‘put the knife back in Flem- ing’s cabin. where he’d find it.” MacGregor nodded. He glanced up as Edith entered. ‘“ Bob,” she said, “ what happened to my father?” “Pye been waiting for an opportunity to break the news. I didn’t just know how to go about it. He was knifed and I have no doubt Limpy Ford did it, though he van- ished at the time. How did you know?” “But he is not dead, Bob. You have forgotten the radio receiving set on the Taku. I was playing with it and tuned in on the broadcasting station at Juneau. They say that despite his desire to die that he will live and be prosecuted for Jennings’s murder. Why should he want to die? All these years I have worked with him. You THE SIGNS. 839 know he was different after the rock fell at Treadwell that time. But he is getting better, Bob, and now that I have just won out, this comes.” ‘“Don’t worry; he won’t be prosecuted for Jennings’s murder, nor anything else, considering the suffering he has undergone lately. He believes you dead, Edith; that’s why he has no desire to live. Tell me why you fought against his killing Limpy Ford and yet you were willing to kill him yourself if necessary.” ‘‘ Because,” she replied, almost defiantly, ‘dad had made threats; public sympathy was against him, and I knew that if he killed Ford even in self-defense it would mean either hanging or life imprisonment. They had quarreled and the day I shot you I thought it was Ford returning, for a robin had been placed at our door that night. As a matter of fact, he was in the vicinity, for he caught me within two hours when I was getting you a drink. Only the night before I had completely won my fight with dad. He had planned to take the right trail when you came. You missed your boat. Dad stole it and anchored it two miles away, so that if you decided to take me prisoner I’d have a chance to escape while you were hunting the boat. If not, then I was to tell you its location.” “ How’d Limpy Ford escape drowning when Markey threw him overboard?” ‘He swam from rock to rock until he reached shore. It was that that convinced him he was immune from death. Sing Yat had told him no living person could kill him as long as he enjoyed the favor of the god. That proved it.” “ T guess that clears up the deviltry caused by that infernal legend. That is everything except the happy ending. Most legends have a happy angle, you know, Edith, and it sort of seems up to us to work one out.” . He looked at her intently and she glanced back shyly as if to assure herself they were not observed. “Vou solved the mystery, Bob,” she re- plied, ‘‘ perhaps you can work out a happy ending.” “T can, and I’m going to begin right now1”’ he replied. END COMIC OO! (©