Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

FORFUNE UNAWARES. 5) using a napkin for a gag, I applied to the one I had bottled. Then I opened the door carefully. There was no sound in the house. It was proba- ble the gamblers had gone home. What employees were awake, hearing only one shot, would figure that Pop had the situa- tion in hand and not interfere until they were notified. Pop, his usually genial face a mask of baffled hatred, still faced En Sue. “Ned,” said En Sue, “I want to make’ sure of something. I think our venerable friend has been using a hold-out. See what you find under that well-starched shirt- bosom of his.” I reached under Pop’s arms and broke away the studs. Attached to the stiff linen was a contrivance of nickel, two sheets of the metal the size and shape of a card, arranged with a clutch that would clamp the card he palmed and applied under cover of his handkerchief and take it between the two covers as he operated a cord that ran down his clothes, and was worked by the opening of his knees. Similarly it could be released. ‘““See what the cards are, Ned? nines, I think. I missed them lately.” The nine of hearts and the nine of spades were tucked away thus snugly, wait- ing to fill threes or another pair; nines, perhaps, if they came his way. “Tf I had you in China, Mr. Crandall,” said En Sue, ‘‘ I could measure out an ade- quate judgment. As it is—stand up.” Pop did, shaking with rage. He wore no belt, but stout suspenders. I soon had his arms secured with the webbing, which was not elastic, and looked around for some- thing to use on his ankles. “He has on laced patent leathers, Ned,” said En Sue. “ See if there are loops at the back. If so, tie his laces together and slip his necktie through the loops.” I wondered at En Sue’s perfection of ob- servation as I found it correct and discov- ered, moreover, that the combination of laces in front and straps behind made a perfect fettering. Another napkin stopped any impulse he might have to yell. En Sue was gathering up all the cash that was in sight. Both ‘“T don’t know how long that hold-out was working,” he said, “ but I’m going to give Tomlinson the benefit of the doubt and pay him back what he lost. If there’s anything over we’ll hand it to charity.” Pop’s face was purpling with temper back of the napkin. En Sue stepped over to the door. I had slipped the pistol into my side pocket, and I looked for and found the one that had so nearly settled En Sue. It was a double-derringer, just the sort of arsenal a crook of this species would slip under his waistband, hidden beneath the flap of his vest. As I lifted it from the floor En Sue whirled. ‘Some one coming up the stairs,” he whispered. “‘ They’ve got suspicious. Good thing you opened that window. Come on.” - I supposed that he had picked up the red godling with the coin, but as he sprang across the room I saw the tiny joss still squatting on a pile of chips. I stopped and reached for it while En Sue flung up the sash. The door opened swiftly, and I faced two men, one the dealer of the faro bank and the other the man who presided over the roulette wheel. Both were armed. I was directly in line between them and En Sue at the window. ‘Duck, Ned, duck!” I heard the latter call. I had tucked away the joss in my vest, and I grabbed both hands full of the chips and flung them hard in the faces of the pair before I made two sidewise leaps and reached the open window, describing a V. En Sue slammed down the sash as I came under, and then we were over the balcony, down in the dried-up garden. There was a crash of glass above us as we landed, and some fragments came tinkling down. But no one came out on the balcony, nor was the window raised. No more shots were fired. I imagine one of them freed Pop, and he was convinced that discretion was the wisest policy, the way things had broken. The next instant En Sue, who was the lighter, had mounted my shoulders and was on the wall reaching down his hands to me. I knews his wrists and arms were steel- sinewed, and I hooked on to them, climbing up the interstices of the bricks till I could comiclboooks C©