Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

SHELBY’S HEAD-ON CRASH. hand and clutched him by the sleeve and drew him into the hall. ‘Make no noise,” she said. ‘“ The police are after you.” ‘“T know it,” Shelby said. ‘I was hid- ing behind the rain-barrel while they were at the.door. I want to change my clothes and get out of here.” “Tt would be best,” the woman agreed. ‘They may come back when they don’t find you elsewhere and search the house. They would go tramping through an honest woman’s house without so much as a by- yer-leave. - You are not safe in this dis- trict. Th’ rummies! Did they think I'd tell them anything? They took my hus- band to the police station one Saturday night when he was feelin’ good, and there they tet him lie till Monday mornin’. He got pneumeny and died. I hate them all. “ Boy, you seem like a nice lad. If I can help you escape them hounds, I will. The one man spoke of your red beard. 1 get you a razor. You had better shave it off. Get into other clethes. Leave your bucket here. You will be all right. Them cops haven’t sense enough to look for two kinds of people at one time.” Twenty minutes later, aided by this hater of the law, Shelby stole from the house and waiked down the street. “Keep your eye peeled for cops,” had been the woman’s parting admonition. Shelby was keeping his eye peeled. CHAPTER VIii. THE WEAVING BEGINS. UT he met no one. Not even a saun- tering policeman was in his way. When he reached Simpson’s house -he found it dark. He went up and rang the ~ bell. Simpson came down the stairs at once. He threw open the door without pre- liminary question. “Come in, Shelby,” he said, with one glance at the latter. “ My wife told me you cafied me up.” Shelby followed him into his den, a small room at the lower end of the hall. It was a severe room with only one table, two chairs, a couch, and a bookcase in it. 83 “{T was lying down to catch a few winks,’’ Simpson said. ‘“ What’s on your mind? What ’re you sweating about?” ‘What did you find in Osborne’s room, Sitent?” Shelby asked, as he sat down. Simpson gave no start of surprise. His eyes narrowed a little, but that was the only sign from him. ‘You followed me there, did you?” he asked. “T didn’t,” Shelby denied. “ But I know you opened Osborne’s desk.” “ Very weil,” Simpson said. “ Let’s have no mystery about it. I’m not going to tell you what I found there. What else?” Shelby drew the pliers and the oblong box from his pocket. He rose from the chair and pteced them on the table. ‘* Have a look at those, Silent,” he said. Simpson glanced at the pliers without picking them up. He did pick up the oblong box and removed the cover. ‘“ Where did you get this stuff?” he asked. ‘““In Osborne’s room,” Shelby answered. Simpson stared down at the little box in the palm of his hand. Then he looked up at Shelby. ‘ Just tell me the whole story,” he said. Shelby went over the events of the night thus far. Simpson sat motionless, looking at him. ‘Why didn’t you come out of your hid- ing-place while I was in Osborne’s room?” he asked when Shelby had finished. “TI was afraid,” Shelby answered. “I thought you’d be sore.” “T might have been,” Simpson said. “I don’t quite understand about Osborne’s being with the policeman. I followed him to the office when he left Miss Sutherland’s and he got ready to go to work. Just a minute.” He took a telephone from the table and called the despatcher’s office. He asked if Osborne were in the office. “No,” he said when he had got an an- swer, “TI don’t want to talk to him. Don’t tell him I called up.” ‘“Qsborne is mm the office now,” he said. “He said he was feeling a little off-color along about eleven fifteen and went out for a walk. That dovetails with your story. Wait till I get dressed, Shelby.” comicloool C©