Pulp Fiction, 1946 · page 36 of 84
10-Story Detective Magazine, April 1946 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Choke's On Me" by Mark Coe This is the opening page of an "Ace Mystery Novelet," showing Chapter 1 with both an illustration and prose text. The black-and-white illustration depicts two figures in what appears to be an interior scene—a woman in a dark dress and a man in patterned clothing near a window and desk. The story text describes a narrator arriving at the Herrick mansion in Miami during rain, entering through a side entrance, and being greeted by a plain-dressed woman who appears to be the owner's niece. The opening establishes a mystery setup with atmospheric detail about the rainy weather and the protagonist's arrival at this unfamiliar residence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Choke’s On Ace Mystery Novelet By Mark Coe perenne =< . co sa PO ee ee ee ee CHAPTER I when my lights swung off Miami Avenue past the two coral posts and onto the gravel drive that led to the Her- rick mansion. Beside the house I switched off the head-beams, grabbed up my bag, fumbled for the keys on the steering column, and jumped out smack into a puddie of mud that squished over the top of my clean white oxfords. Cursing softly, I slammed the door and followed the curve of the drive ahead to V WAS raining pedigreed puppies aa hy we wtenaee Larein 34 where the entrance light was still burn- ing. There, dropping the bag, I pressed the buzzer and waited, shaking water from my coat. A female in a very plain dark brown dress opened the door. “Mister Bowen?” she asked, even before I could open my mouth. “Yes.” I picked up my bag. “Come in.” She swung the door wider. “My uncle told me to expect you.” The hat I had started to pass came down quickly to my side. So this was the old man’s niece, I thought, a little dia- Ccomicboao SS