Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

250 ““'What’s too bad about it?” “Oh, everything. Especially his play- ing a cheap joint like that. That’s no place for a decent fellow to play—a lot of gun- men and their girls. The police raided it last week—”’ “T guess that’s Dick’s business!” “Well,” Manning said soberly, “I’m darned if I don’t think there is something in this heredity thing! Dick’s got me wor- ried!” IV. I lay awake most of the night thinking about Dick and giving myself a lot of blame that I didn’t deserve. If it had been anybody else I could have said truthfully that I wasn’t in any way to blame and any- body that would make a fool of himself the way Dick had had no character. But I loved Dick. I couldn’t help it. Next morning was ghastly. The news spread all over the office when somebody found a little paragraph in the morning paper telling how the police had raided that dance place again and Dick Cryder was among those lined up in a night court. Dick came in late, looking like a ghost and Mr. Bowman sent for him at once. When he came out of the private office a quarter of an hour later he walked directly to his desk, with his eyes fixed off in space, cleared one or two things out of the draw- ers, took his hat off the tree and started to walk out. And every eye in the place watching him and guessing what had hap- pened between him and Mr. Bowman. He stopped suddenly by my desk to say in a low, hoarse whisper, “I’m leaving, Cora. The reason why will be all over the place inside an hour—”’ “Ves,” I said miserably. “Well, there’s just one thing!” He gripped the edge of my desk hard. “ Promise me that you'll keep your faith in me,” he said fiercely. “ If just you will believe that I’m all right—that I’m still on the level—” “Forget it!” I whispered. “ Of course I believe in you! When I like anybody I don’t change my mind as easy as that!” Dick gave a sort of groan. © “Come around to the flat to-night,” I said. “ We can’t talk things over now!” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. He looked confused and worried. “I wish T could! But—” “Well, then to-morrow night —or the first chance you get—” “The very first evening that’s not taken,” he promised. But five days went by and he didn’t come near me. Meantime as he predicted, the dirt was all over the office in half an hour. Dick Cryder had been fired, not because of his jazzing around, as I supposed, but because he was suspected of having a hand in the attempt to rob Mr. Bowman’s safe! I was simply stunned. It was so utterly ghastly listening to all that rotten gossip and Dick not there to say a word for him- self that I finally spoke to Mr. Bowman when I brought him his letters to sign. ““They’re all saying that Dick Cryder was dropped because he tried to break open your safe,” I told him. “ Dick’s not there to speak for himself. I think it’s up to you to do something about it!” Mr. Bowman looked at me steadily for perhaps five minutes that seemed half an hour. There wasn’t any expression on his face. Finally he said quietly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything.” { gasped, “ You accuse him?” ‘“‘{ don’t accuse him, but the ugly fact is that Cryder was trusted with the com- bination of my safe. He has been dropped because he refuses to clear up certain points the police think he knows about. That and —his unfortunate history.” I saw red. For just a minute or two I wasn’t really responsible, I was so mad. I blurted right out, ‘‘ You fools! I don’t won- der at the police—they’re nitwits—but you! The idea that you would believe this!” Mr. Bowman didn’t get mad. He just looked sorry. “‘ The whole business is in the hands of the police,” he said quietly. “IT can’t interfere. Send in Carlyle Man- ning, will you please? I want to talk to him about taking over Cryder’s work.” Not a word of call-down to me about flaring up that way. That awful five days! It was all suspense, it seems to me, just waiting for something to happen, and nothing happening. Even the news that Dick Cryder was dead would COMmICcloo (”) S CO)