Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

COMMON The windows of the Hadler suite were all dark, and those of the suites adjoining were dark, too. Oakes Radell made sure that the pistol was in his coat pocket where he had placed dt, then moved nearer the wall of the building. He was glad, now, that he always had kept in physical trim. For here was a job for an athlete. He listened a moment longer, then crouched and sprang. His fingers caught and clung to the projection of a standpipe. Oakes Radell, calling upon all his strength, pulled himself up until he could grasp the bottom of the fire-escape. ~ A moment later he was standing on the lowest fire-escape landing, breathing heavily. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the dust from the palms of his gloves. Then, crouching in the shadows, he waited until his breathing returned to normal, un- til his heart stopped pounding at his ribs. The rest was easy, he told himself. He had only to go up the fire-escape to that open window on the floor above. The en- tire length of the fire-escape was in deep darkness, too, no light from the street arcs striking it. Oakes Radell would have chuckled again, only the theught it best not to do so. Up the fire-escape he went silently, tak- ing his time about it, careful to make no sournl, stopping now and then to listen. And after a time he stood beside the open window, his goal. Here he gathered his courage again, steeled himself once more. The room was dark; the only sound he heard was stentorian breathing. Radell parted the curtains and slipped over the sill and into the room. With his back against the wall, he stood rigid, mak- ing sure that the sleeper had not been dis- turbed. Certain of that, he reached across and lowered the window an inch at a time until it was closed entirely. Then he drew the shade. The moment was at hand now. Yet Oakes Radell moved with caution and did not forget the minor details. He crept across to the other door and listened there, hearing nothing. He fumbled along the wall until he found the electric switch, and suddenly snappedon the lights of the bedroom. Stepping swiftly up beside the bed, Radell KID GLOVES. 313 waited. Before him was the man he hated, asleep. He could do the deed now, and make his get-away. But he wanted more than this man’s death. He wanted Harrti- son Hadler to know who had slain him. He wanted to see a look of terror in the face of his enemy. Hadler’s breathing became broken; he stirred. Presently, heerolled over on the bed, and his hand clutched at one end of a pillow. Oakes Radell waited calmly, cruelly. Hadler opened his eyes. There was surprise in his face at first, and then he struggled to sit up on the edge of the bed. Radell stepped back a pace and watched. Harrison Hadler’s eyes were blinking in the bright light. And now he seemed to realize the identity of the in- truder. Sleep left him, his brain was func- tioning normally. “You!” he gasped. ‘ What—what is it? What are you doing in here?” Radell stepped closer. ‘ Can’t you guess?” he snarled, speaking in low tones. “IT don’t know—” Hadler stammered. “Think you’ll wreck me, do you?” Ra- dell said. ‘‘ Going to break me, eh? Here is the showdown, Hadler! I’ve hated you for years, and now I’m going to make you pay the price. Your associates don’t know all your plans. So Ill save my financial self, stampede them, take an enormous profit. There’s a comfortable thought for you to take with you—where you are go- ing! 9 ‘“* You—you mean—?” Oakes Radell took the pistol from his pocket, but did not take his eyes from Harrison Hadler’s face. Hadler glanced down at the weapon, and his face went white. His lower jaw dropped, his eyes seemed to bulge. ‘*You—you mean to kill me!” he gasped. ‘This automatic is equipped with a si- Jencer, you'll notice,” Radell spoke calmly. “* A silencer is not so good on a pistol as or a rifle, but it helps some. Even if the shot is heard, I'll be gone before anybody can decide where it was fired.” ““'You—you’d kill me!” Hadler gasped, again. “Why not? You've tried for years to ruin me.” comiclbooolx C©