The Argosy for May — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

AT. HIS The dots and dashes ceased. Bob left the key and helped Haverson open some food. As they ate, they discussed the situation. “What are we going to do?” Fred asked. “I can’t see any particular use in remaining here, except that we'll be able to tell the outside world how the city is destroyed. We aren't stopping the destruction, and we're not helping the people outside to get in.’ “Tye been thinking of that,’ Bob said. ‘‘ But how can we stop the work of this: scoundrel, whoever he is, when we do not know how his work is done and don’t know where he is? A man who can destroy a great building as easily as he has done can do almost any- thing. So we'll have to be careful how we go about it. ‘“T take it for granted that we are the only people inside the town, except him- self. If we try to conquer him and make a bad break, he’ll be liable to des- troy us, and then the city would be at his mercy even more than now. ‘The only thing we can do, as I see it now, is to take it easy and try to locate him, and after we do that we can move ac- cordingly.” “Do you think he. will destroy the entire city?’ Haverson inquired. “T don’t know what.to think,” con- fessed Bob. “I can’t imagine his ob- ject. If it is to loot the town, he’ll not destroy it— at least, not until he has done the looting.” “But how can he hope to escape?” asked Fred, “if he loots the town? It is surrounded by troops, and they’ll catch him if he attempts to leave with his plunder.” ‘A man who can destroy a building as easily as he did—”’ began Bob. Fred did not say more. It was evi- dent that they faced a problem beyond their comprehension. “ Well,” Bob added, “‘ we can wait.” ‘“Do you suppose he thinks we were destroyed in the Electrical Building?” Fred remarked. “'That’s what I’d like to know,” said Bob. “ He didn’t cut in while we were reporting to the junction tower. I have an idea that he had tapped the wire near the Electrical Building, and that his connection was destroyed.” 4A MERCY, 241 “And perhaps his connection is not destroyed, but he has not been where he could hear the sounder?” ‘If that is the case, we are liable to hear from him again,” Bob replied. They left the room and journeyed to the roof once more, and there they looked over the dead city. There was not a trace of smoke in any direction, not a human being, nothing to indicate the quarter from whence came the great power which had destroyed the Elec- trical Building. Bob laughed as he saw Fred get be- hind a chimney. “No use to try to hide,” he said. ‘You may be getting directly in his line of vision instead of away from it. I don’t think I am a coward; but when [ fight I like to see my foe, or at least know where he is.” “We'd better go back then,” Fred replied. “We ought not to take chances; for, if he does locate us, he’s liable to end our days on earth.” So they descended to the ground floor again and went to the little rear room. The sounder was ticking frantically. Bob rushed across the room and an- swered. “ Anything else happened?” the junc- tion tower asked. ‘ Nothing else,’’ Bob repliad, “Let us know immediately ss other property is destroyed.” <li -dowt!’ “ Arrange with Haverson so that one of you can answer our call every hour, day and night.” “We'll arrange it,” Bob replied. The wire was ‘ broken,” and there was a silence for a moment. ‘Then the dots and dashes began again, but they ‘were coming from the dreaded unknown instead of from the junction tower, “I see you escaped destruction,” the unknown said. “You must have wit- nessed my work, however. Have you nerve enough to remain in the city after seeing that2” “We're still here, old man,” answered Bob. “I warned you to leave before noon, and you did not. ‘Therefore, you must take the consequences. If you start at once, you may be able to get out of the city safely; but if you delay another CORMICLOOKS (CO)