Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

CROOKS. WELCOME. the way he beat it. I was just able to catch up in time to lock the roof scuttle door behind him after he popped out. He’s good for an hour up there.” “ He’s probably down now. Don’t you know he’s a human fly?” demanded Monty thickly through the bag. “ Perry ballyhoos circuses by climbing high building fronts. That old structure would be child’s play for him. You're the dumb-bells.” “You'll be an angel if you don’t keep quiet,” growled the man with the gun, jabbing his weapon meaningly against a particularly vulnerable spot. ‘‘ This would be mistaken for the exhaust if you make me use it.” “ All right. This isn’t my funeral—I only came for the ride,” rejoined Monty, trying to project an air of gayety through the canvas. ‘‘ What’s the idea of sending me parcel post? I’m enjoying this matinée too much to squawk. Especially when I think of the big wow finish, when the laugh is going to be on you.” ‘See here, Simple, this is no joke, y understand,” asserted a second new voice, and a hand roughly shoved Monty to em- phasize the words. “You don’t see it?” chortled Monty. “Boy, this is going to make you the laughing hit of the town! Say, would you mind looking out the ticket window to see if there’s a police flivver following? Should be.” Although he could not see them, Monty could hear one of the pair step hastily to the ticket window. He laughed aloud, for he nad them swinging, he was sure. ‘ Naw, there ain’t none following, so you might as well lay off that line,” advised the man who had looked. To his accomplice he added querulously: “If you got that windbag tied now, put a muffler on him.” “I suppose they’re following in an or- dinary car,” soliloquized Monty, cheerfully. ‘“‘T guess they’re biding their time.” ‘Can the bluff, feller,” suggested the man with the pistol, again tapping it urgently against Monty to emphasize his orders “Jf any one was following they wouldn’t wait this long. You can’t kid us, even if you are kidding yourself.” “You wouldn’t take that little pleasure 841 away from me, would you?” asked the prisoner. “ Of course, you’re doing this in your own way, so you can’t object to our doing our stuff in our own way, can you? Not unless you’re amateurs. Is it possible that this is an amateurs’ job?” “Listen, sap. If we have to croak you, it won’t be no amateur job,” snarled the man Behind the gun. “If you talk me into plunking you, it'll be your own fault— suicide. Now laugh that off.” ‘I always did want to meet up with some first class professional crook and killer,” enthused Monty. “I’m to under. stand that you’re a Grade A crook? I’d hate to deal with anything less. Are your killings always fatal?” “ Aw, this guy’s a nut,” burst forth the gunman in exasperation, “If I have to listen to him, I'll be one, too.” ‘Don’t you dare call me crazy,” raved Monty, playing up to this cue. ‘ That's what those other yeggs upstairs said when they tried to hold me up. You aren’t in with them, are you?” “What's that?” exclaimed both captors. “ Somebody else stick you up?” “Sure. Two fellows up in that office building, just as I was starting out,”’ Monty told them. “Stuck me up with guns.” “How come they didn’t take your grip thenr” demanded one of his captors in- credulously. “They did, but they put it down quick- ly when they found out what was in it,” replied Monty with a wild laugh. He would have given considerable at that mo- ment to see just what had been done with his satchel. “What d’you mean, what was in it?” demanded the man with the ticklish gun. “We know. Ten thousand smackers.” ‘“‘ He-he! Took you in, too,” babbled Monty, putting everything he had into the maniacal voice. ‘It was for my cursed brother. He put me in bad with my old man and had me cut off. He persecuted me and told lies about me. I fixed up that suit case for him. To blow him to kings dom come. I would have done it to-day, but there were some imnocent people in there, a young girl and an office bay. So I told my brother what was in it and that COnniEaoo () SS Co