The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

54 THE ARGOSY. a cathedral whose gold cross gleamed far above the city. But when he left his trolley at the crim- inal court building, there were no bells and no music to confuse his mind. Only the river splashed, thick with city filth, around the piers of the bridge—just as it had the day Schwartz was condemned to die. Inside the court building, it was dim and dirty as always. McRae went down a cor- ridor and around a corner and entered an elevator which was filthy with tobacco, and greasy and malodorous from contact with wretched human beings. He had never felt, as to-day, how the sordid tragedies enacted in this building overhung in the spiritual atmosphere. At the second floor he left the elevator and walked past the criminal court-room. The blinds were drawn there. The empty and silent place opened, a black hole, from the corridor. He thought ‘of Schwartz who had sat there manacled, cringing like a rat in a trap, his beadlike eyes intent on the district attorney. In a little while, now, it would be Rawley Lord who sat there—and the district attorney could do nothing. In the shoulder which had been wound- ed that night at the Robertson ranch, he felt a prickling, then a numbness. Perhaps. it was because that shoulder would never be quite right that he was not able to for- get Rawley Lord and the thing he had done for him without thinking. It was plain that Lord had insinuated himself into the building without attracting attention. The watchman on the floor passed by and looked with mild surprise at the district attorney. McRae continued down the corridor to the familiar rooms at its end. The door of the front office was un- locked, everything of importance was locked in the safe in the inner room. As McRae laid his hand on the door-knob he was assailed by a fear; what if his emo- tions should sweep him away? He had always had a horror of being carried away by emotion—something of which no per- son who knew him felt the least anxiety. He stood a moment reading his own honorable name, in large black letters that appeared on glass which seemed smeared with soap-suds. It reassured him. The bearer of that name had never been guilty of hysteria. His life for years had been dedicated to protecting weak-nerved juries from the sob stuff constantly being dragged in by counsel for the defense. He turned the knob and went in. The public office was in Sunday trim; neat matting, a desk with writing things, a swivel-chair by the desk. But the win- dow-blind had been jerked up and sunlight poured in. McRae walked to the window and straightened the uneven blind. There was no one in sight. Perhaps Lord had reconsidered his resolve to sur- render. Surrender was a strange course for a man who seemed to have no respect for law. Just as he decided the boy had not come, after all, in the shadow of the ‘book-shelves, between the last row and the wall, he saw him. Lord had a large book, and was assuring himself as to the conspiracy law. When he saw that McRae had seen him, he came lover to the table. He looked white as chalk, and his freckles were conspicuous. McRae put out his hand. But the boy flinched nervously and re- fused to see the hand. Whatever McRae might be, as a man, the district attorney was an enemy. McRae began: “‘ There’s one thing in your favor, Lord; you surrender of your own accord. You feel. that to be your duty. You respect the law and wish it to take its course with you.” “Oh, bah! No rot like that!” returned Lord. ‘I came back because I haven’t got @ grain of respect for the law.” He folded his arms over his lynxlike, young chest. ‘ You see, I know how easy it‘ts to murder a man according to law, and I knew you were fixing to murder Pinhead.” ce I?” “Oh, legally, of course. You don’t stick knives in people, like Schwartz. ‘Just let me tell you about Pinhead. Schwartz and Shim got ready to run, that night, and they had got the sheriff and that deputy they called ‘ Joe’ bound and gageed. Well, I joined right in with them, as you know, and I saw Pinhead standing oO comicbooks CO