Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 3, 1924 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

848 had possessed the secret of bleaching gov- emment money—and he had been intend- ing to sell it to these men for a personal gain. .And they had paid him the money— he had it. And then—then Marvin and the police had broken into the room. Blume- feldt left through a window, jumped off a roof onto Jenkins, and ran up the street— to him. And—and—he caught a long breath. ‘‘ See here,” he exclaimed, “I’ve got the answer. Blumefeldt took their hundred thousand with him when he ran?” Marvin nodded. He was watching, watching. There wasn’t even a quiver to his chill blue eyes. * And he destroyed the counterfeits he had in his pocket by dropping them into the bowl of bleach before he went out the window?” Once more Marvin nodded. ‘Only he didn’t,” Eddie declared in tri- umph. ‘ He destroyed them all but one— and he found that one after he’d started to run away from Jenkins—and so he gave it to me and slapped me, so I’d run after him, and make a commotion, and help him to get away with that hundred thousand dollars, and—” His voice trailed off, lost its first note of absolute conviction, faltered and died and left him sitting with a scowl upon his face, and tightly clenched hands. Because Marvin’s expression had subtly altered, and where the man had been seem- ingly giving his attention to Eddie’s ex- position of his alleged solution of Blume- feldt’s actions, he now seemed in some way amused. ‘“ Aren’t you overlooking the fact that the bill he gave you was genuine, Mr. Har- man?” he suggested. ‘ But—couldn’t he have thought it was counterfeit?” Eddie stammered. ‘ Couldn’t he have got a real bill mixed up with those counterfeits he was using—and not have known it—thought the thing was bogus in his hurry—just put his hand in his pocket and felt it and not had time to examine it closely—and thought he’d better get rid of it in case Jenkins overtook him.” And then again Eddie paused, because once more Marvin and Salles were exchang- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, ing glances. And something was the mat- ter—though Eddie didn’t know what it was. Only he was sure that whatever it was it boded no good to him. For Salles was actu- ally grinning and Marvin was shifting his blue eyes back from the captain. In a sort of half understanding daze, Har- mon heard him speaking. ‘‘ That’s exactly what he did, Mr. Harmon. Blumefeldt kad a genuine hundred dollar bill in his pocket with the counterfeit notes, when we broke into his room.” Eddie gasped. He heard Miss Elton echo the sound. He sank back in his chair and regarded Marvin in something like horror. He had thought he had found the solution to the problem and once more he had blun- dered. Blumefeidt had been in possession of a genuine hundred dollar bill and Marvin had known it all along. But—it wouldn’t do to let Marvin see that he appreciated how this attempt at explanation might be turned against him. ‘* He did?” he said rather weakly. ‘* You mean—you saw it when you were watch- ing?” ‘Exactly. Blumefeldt had a genuine bill he alleged he had used as a copy in making the counterfeits he showed. He had to give some reason for selling the formula of the bleach instead of using it himself and he told Murgson that he couldn’t make good enough plates himself to insure suc- cess In their use.” ‘ Then—what is there so surprising in his having given it to me?” Eddie made a dogged effort to combat the fresh coils in which circumstance seemed determined to involve him. ‘ He was in a desperate hurry and he had no time to determine whether he had thrown the genuine bill into the bleach or not.” Marvin, however, did not seem inclined to argue the question. ‘‘ The surprising thing, Harmon, is not that he should have given it to you, but that you should have suggested the possibility of his having a genuine bill of that denomination in his possession,” he said. “ But-—that was the denomination of the bill he gave me,” Eddie reminded. His breathing quickened. Oddly enough, with- out having done a thing to merit such treat- 3A COMIG DOO! ©