Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

222 “Two hundred dollars. Now the rea- son you’re a fool, and why all people who take bribes are fools, is this: if it’s worth two hundred dollars to the people who bribed you to have you pull this phony arrest—” “Who said phony?” “ We'll take that up later—this phony arrest, how much do you think it would have been worth to me not to have it pulled?” “ Am I to answer?” aske@the constable, who was getting cowed. “You are.” “Then I dunno.” “Two thousand dollars. And that’s why bribe takers are fools. They ought to bar- gain. If A is bribing you to get B, don’t just call it a day and let the job rest at that, but go to B and find out how much it’s worth to him not to be gotten. When you find out, go back to A and tell him there’s a new level to the ante. “ After you’ve moved diplomatic-like back and forth between them five or six times you'll hit high water mark, and in- stead of being called a bribe taker and looked down upon, people will tip their hats to you and call you a financier and a pillar of whatever happens to need an extra one at the moment. Are you too dumb to get me?” It appeared that the constable was not. “Tf you was to take these bracelets off my hand perhaps we can talk,” he suggested. “‘ They’ll do where they are.” “You're a hard one all right.” “ Only failures are softies.” “Then why ain’t I a success?” com- plained the constable. “For the same reason that a marble statue can’t become a bank president. You have the marble, but no brains to fill it.” “Tf you’d jest take these bracelets off for one minit I’d try to swipe a handful of yours,” the constable remarked long- ingly. “And by doing so you’d lose two thou- sand dollars.” ‘“‘ And they told me you was a nut,” said the constable mournfully. = “ You'll get over the idea during the next couple of weeks.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, ‘The next what?” shouted the constable. “T said the next couple of weeks—while you're my guest.” ‘““But my job!” gasped the constable. “TI got things to attend to. I run a grocery store—there’s, there’s a letter that’s most important and which I got to get off north to-night. I got a wife—I—you can’t yank me off like this—it ain’t human—” “Did you think of that when you planned to do the same thing to me for a measly two hundred dollars? Quit pulling any humanity stuff, because it won’t work. {t will do you good to see the other side of the picture. “The law’s scum like you show little enough to alleged criminals, so why should an alleged criminal show any to the likes of you. I’m just following your own tac- tics. Take a good look at them and see how you like them.” “Flint!” declared the constable, with bitter admiration. “ As hard as flint!” “ Harder.” | “T could send a message, perhaps? You got a wireless, ain’t you, My wife, she’s sick and ‘Il worry. She ain’t so spry as she used to be and can’t hop about much to speak of.” “Have you got twenty dollars to bribe me with?” “T ain’t got a red cent. I thought to be back to home in half an hour and—” “Then you can send nothing and be damned to you. Does that sound famil- og eer | “To the life,” confessed the constable, who felt that he might even then be saying the words himself in his own lockup. He attempted a placating grin. Sick though it was, it made him feel slightly better. “‘ Now there’s a few things I want to get out of you.” “Try and get them!” urged the con- stable, with returning truculence. “T will. I don’t expect you'll tell them to me of your own accord, so I'll put you through the usual thing—the third degree.” The constable indulged in a perfectly frank and hearty laugh. “The idea naturally strikes you as funny,” continued Sparks. ‘“ You know all the tricks of that game backward. What COmMicoooks (C@