Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

S40 boro, keep your beazer in this room for the next five minutes or we'll knock you off if we have to cook for it.” With that the pair backed out, after peer- ing nervously into the hallway. Monty whistled the Rogue’s March as they exited, which caused the hawk-beak to raise his gun threateningly. Only for an instant, though. Then caution and his stout pal prevailed. The door closed behind the pair. Al- though they moved on rubber soles, Monty was certain that the men hastened away immediately, once they stepped out of the office. However, he was in no hurry to pursue them and was sitting on his up- ended suit case when the door was unlocked and swung slowly inward. A bare-headed man who seemed annoyed, started in and paused, staring in surprise at Monty. The latter promptly exclaimed: “You are the renting agent, and you're looking for two men who were looking at this suite. They sent you out on some wild goose chase.” “They asked me to go out and call in their partner, who would be waiting in a big maroon limousine,” explained the rent- ing agent, peevishly. “I couldn’t find any such car or man. Are you the partner?” “ They did try to induce me to place my money in their hands,” grmned Monty. “ Next time they ask to see an office, tell ‘em to apply for a suite at the Tombs.” “You mean they were crooks?” gasped the agent. “They thought they were stick-up guys until I showed them they were all wrong,” elucidated Monty. At his request the agent guided him to the freight elevator on which he descended to a side door. This enabled Monty to re- turn by a new route to his ticket van and to scrutinize any suspicious-appearing loiterers who might be watching the front entrance for his reappearance. He also avoided running into the pair who had tried to hold him up and who, after second thought, might have lingered in the hallway to try again. Perry was not on the driver’s seat. Pos- sibly he had alighted to buy some smokes. ‘The interior of the ticket van was the safest ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. place to be with that money, for in that crowd on the sidewalk a husky srieak thief might wrench away the suit case and run before Monty could talk him out of it. Circling the rear of the crowd without being observed, Monty slipped into the van and slammed the door which he had left ajar for a quick reéntrance. The snaplock clicked and, with a sigh, he dropped his valuable piece of luggage. “ Now to get ten thousand pennies to make change for bargain hunters,” he chuckled, gazing out of the ticket window for sign of Perry. Behind him lay a folded canvas banner which usually was hung near the ticket window when the van was on tour. On this were piled two empty mail bags for the specie. Without warning, one of these bags was pulled over his head. V. A METALLIC ring—the snout of a pistol —was poked into the tender section of Monty’s back at the same moment that the stout sack eclipsed his head and shoulders. “ Not a sound, if you don’t want to be bumped off,” spoke a new voice through the muffiing canvas folds. Monty was conscious of four hands— there must be at least two bandits inside of the van. They had slipped inside while all eyes were on the building entrance. Hidden beneath the canvas, they had awaited his return. Would they tie and leave him, or would they drive away with him, he wondered? As if in answer to his unspoken question, the van started off, while his two captors dragged Monty back from the window and threw him on the floor. Could it be that Perry was in with this gang? Monty did not believe that. For Perry was a friend, even though he had not always been exact- ly a Sunday school boy. “You needn’t hope for help from your boob chauffeur,” announced the man who had promised to shoot. ‘‘Oh, what a dumb-bell! I told him you had sent word for him to join you on the roof of that building and to hurry. He must have thought you were staging a battle up there, GOMIGDOOo C SS Co