Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

296 moderate circumstances, Harmon, and once I had solved the problem I saw a fortune within my grasp. I’m not trying to excuse myself, either. I was tempted and I fell— only before I could put my plans into opera- tion, I was—as Marvin here would say— grabbed.” “You mean they caught you—the de- partment agents or somebody like Marvin here?” Eddie leaned forward, intense in- terest on his face. “Yes. It was done very quietly, how- ever. You see, while I had been work- ing, I had been watched. I was simply visited by a man assigned to the task and warned that what I had done was known, and I was given a choice. Either I could win immunity and rehabilitate myself by assisting the department with some of its other work—or I would lose my position and continue to be watched—remain under surveillance for the rest of my days. I— well, I elected to accept the former course— and I was asked to help Marvin on this case.” “ But, hold on!’ Eddie exclaimed. ‘“ If Marvin knew you—what in the name of time did he mean by thinking I might be working with you?” His eyes widened. If Blumefeldt was telling the truth, then his last statement made the Federal agent’s action of the past afternoon as crazy as everything else from first to last. Blumefeldt, however, nodded. “I get your point, Mr. Harmon, but—I think you’ve had some experience to-night with what we commonly term the double-cross.” For a moment he paused, and his face grew somewhat weary—a trifle worn. And then he went on: “You mustn’t forget that technically at least I was a crook—and that I was watched. I was supposed to be working with Marvin but—I wasn’t trusted any too much. In the eyes of the.department I was a thief—a man who had stolen some- thing that must be kept at any cost—a man who had betrayed a trust. I was told to get into touch with Murgson and Irak and Welter and try to learn the identity of their backer, and I found them a pretty gun shy bunch of crooks. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘In the end I arranged the deal of this afternoon, and you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you that the raid was as much a surprise to me as it was to them. It wasn’t even intended, Marvin tells me, until he thought I’d gone wrong again, and was about to put a trick of my own across. You see, they couldn’t trust me, as I’ve pointed out.” Marvin interrupted. ‘ Well, Carl, it cer- tainly did look funny when you took their money and started to write out the formula for them.” Blumefeldt smiled rather wanly. “I know it. Th’ trouble was you didn’t know that I knew they’d slipped me bogus money —and was up against a fence unless J played a bluff. Still, your raid sure did muss up my plans, and resulted in getting Harmon into the mess. “You see, Mr. Harmon, I spotted the hundred thousand as counterfeit the mo- ment I touched it, and I’d failed to get the name of the man behind them, even though I’d got them to tell me the entire history of the rest of their past work. But the mere fact that they had given me counterfeit money gave me another plan. I would have given them a faked formula which they wouldn’t know was as spurious as their money until they tried to use it, and then —I’d have used their money against them as a club.” “Just as you did to-night,” said Miss Elton, speaking all at once. Blumefeldt nodded, smiling. “Do you know, I thought there was something more behind your coming there to-night than appeared,” she said laugh- ing softly. ‘“ And when you winked at me —I—I felt sure—though even then I didn’t dream what it was. I suppose I was too much disturbed to. understand.” Eddie turned toward her. “So that’s what gave you that funny look in your eyes?” he exclaimed. “ Did they look funny?” She narrowed them now as she made rejoinder, but she smiled, Eddie nodded. “They did, and I couldn’t understand it. I knew you were thinking something, but I couldn’t imagine what.” COnmiclboool< (C@