Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

846 surface obstacle who passes his whole life on the same spot. Miss Carson tiptoed to the door. Per- haps with a little better information as to the thickness and construction of that door, she could have hurled her strong young body straight through and accomplished a dash to the outer world before they could have caught her. Frowning, she looked it over and—why, she could distinguish what the low voices were saying! Myra grew quite tense and listened. That was the little dark man. . + hand it to you, anyway, Joe. You’re a dumb-bell, but you got away with this fine!’ He laughed softly and as if much pleased. The chauffeur also laughed, more noisily. “IT don’t have to wear no crape for my brains, old-timer!” he stated with becoming modesty. “The two that were on the car? Did you have to muss ’em up much?” the small man inquired further. ‘Why, they ain’t even cut!” announced the chauffeur. “ That part was a pipe, I’m telling you. Anybody falls for a shot o’ hootch these days, even guys that never took a drink before. This, now, pair 0’ swell guys was sitting up front, waitin’ for the doll and pretty near froze t’ death when we came up. Nick, here, asked ’em could he beg a light, and we got into conversation with ’em that way. Not such bad guys at that. Easy t’ talk to; that’s what I was scared of most at the start.” Myra grew even more attentive; recent history seemed to be unfolding before her very ears, as it were. ‘There was no call t’ be scared of ’em,” her driver pursued. ‘“‘ Around five minutes and we was all like brothers. Pretty soon, how about a little drink, I says. It costs nothing and we know where it lives, I says. First off, they couldn’t see it: I mean, the big guy that was driving looked sad and shook his head and the footman bird come out and says they’d die for one drink, but they dassent leave the car. Well, around that time the wind started t’ blow like it was comin’ straight from the North Pole,” the chauffeur chuckled. ‘‘ The footman fell first and the chauffeur didn’t take a lot more ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. teasin’. So around the corner we takes ’em, and to the empty house you picked out, and Nick ’d got the basement door open before we started, so in we goes. I soaked the big guy and Nick soaked the little feller, and they went out like they’d been breathin’ ether for a month.” “ They’re well tied?” the small man asked anxiously. “Til say they’re tied! They were tied tight two minutes after me’n Nick ’d got their coats and hats, bo. We got their mouths all stuffed nice, too,’’ said the chauf- feur with a touch of pride. ‘If them guys work loose short 0’ two days I’ll eat my— say, what ha’ you got to eat here?”’ “ Sandwiches—pot of coffee in there on- the stove. Never mind that now. Tell me the rest of it.” ‘‘ There ain’t any rest! We went back and drove around t’ the side where it’s dark, and left word with the carriage man, and then the jane come out and hopped in with- out even lookin’ at us. That’s what y’ git for being one o’ these proud young billion- airesses, too damn good to look at a guy that’s drivin’ her car!” the chauffeur re- flected. “If she’d ’a’ lamped us careful, we'd never ’a’ started. I don’t look no more like the guy that was drivin’ that car than you look like Jack Dempsey. Hah!” con- cluded the chauffeur with a yawn. ‘“ What kind o’ sandwiches y’ got?” The girl winced. She had been hungry, had she not? For that matter, she was still hungry, but she wanted to hear more. She was obliged, by the dark man, who quite ignored the food question in: ‘* Made it absolutely clean, eh?” ** Absolutely, kid!” “It looks pretty good! pretty good.” ‘Tt does till daylight, when some motor- cycle bull comes along and lamps that car standing out front.”’ ‘You'll have to take that and lose it, as soon as you've eaten,” the dark one said briskly. ‘‘ Might not be a bad idea to run it into the river, Joe. Yes, do that if you can. ‘Take along your own coat and hat and leave this stuff on the dock. That ’ll look as if you went in after it and never came up.” V’ll say it looks comicloool C©