10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

a fy Celts be PAT Fine Ma Meet ae {\" . Nit - = ae - 5 > — ae Mt Aas AW) had) vt } i!) $ 1 deka , ‘er » Pits! a y , ; Ni hit? wa aly es a ¥ COKE BRE SEN Maem RON REIT de, 5 Wad if 4 pu da BON tt AR WON j , } aD aia ARS 8 i Lid Wy. A Ay MN, RPMS Res ad 3 = carrying a bank shipment of currency though, and there’s been a great row raised about it.” -He fished a paper from his pocket and opened it. “Pilot Walter Amsden, thirty-two, slender, brown hair. Co- pilot Frank Monroe, twenty-six, tall, redheaded, That’s their description.” “Tell you what,’ Dorgan volun- teered, “I’ll make the rounds of my line early in the morning, then go out with you. We might stumble on some- thing.” A short time later Robberts pushed _ back from the crude table and reached for his pipe. “Some one took a pop at me with a rifle, back in the timber tonight,” he said casually. The trooper fished the cartridge from his pocket, and rising, crossed to where a Winchester hung on the wall. But the weapon was a_ .30-30, and the empty shell in his hand was a .32-40. “Who's got a grudge against the troopers up here?” Robberts snapped abruptly. _ Dorgan hesitated, “No one I know of, unless—” “Unless what?’ barked the trooper. “T don’t want to get any innocent party in trouble,” Dorgan said un- easily, “but there’s a queer old nut a few miles north of here that’s apt to do ’most anything. Took a crack at me one day.” “What's his name?” ‘‘Amos Norton,” Dorgan answered, ‘the’s got a .32-40 rifle, too.” “T’ve heard of him,” Robberts said - grimly. “One of the patrols brought him in to the precinct one day for poaching. He swore then he’d kill the next trooper he met in the woods.” “Well, if we’re going to hunt for that crash in the morning, we’d bet- ter turn in,” said Dorgan, It was not yet dawn when Dorgan returned from his inspection of his trap line, and a short time later both men were slogging through deep snow - Into the timber. Dorgan explained his short absence — before dawn. “Been thinkin’ of tryin’ a different part of the country. Old © Man Norton ain’t what I call a de- sirable neighbor.” A short distance. from Dorgan’s cabin Robberts called a halt, “We'll separate here, and cover as much ground as possible. If either of us finds anything he can fire two quick shots to call the other, You tell me where Norton’s shack is, and we'll meet near there, and pay the old boy a visit.” FTER Dorgan had given detailed directions for finding Norton’s cabin, the two separated. For an hour | Robberts followed the course of a small winding river. Suddenly a small black object near the foot of a spruce caught his attention. Curiously the trooper strode to the spot and looked down at a fine pine marten, securely imprisoned in a steel trap. The little animal was frozen stiff by the intense cold. Robberts examined the trap, staring for a long moment at the initials seratched in the steel. When he straightened a long whistle of sat- isfaction escaped his lips. Mind busy with a dozen thoughts he resumed his search. The forenoon was half gone when Corporal Robberts broke through a protecting fringe of brush and gazed out over the frozen expanse of a tiny lake, And in the center of the lake lay a heap of blackened wreckage. Hal drew his Colt and fired twice into the air before hurrying toward — his find. When Dorgan came trotting across the little lake a short time later Robberts was still examining the re- mains of what had once been a big 28 tri-motored Douglas. “What a way to die!” Dorgan whis- = pered in horror, He was pointing at the snow-cov- ered figure of a man sprawled a. few yards from the wreck. Nodding in sombre agreement, Robberts turned the obey over, ca down inta, the “Pye ak we a few are left out,” — + Ky , "a MAE ¢ » EASE VPLS A Rag: ONE “Werey: 25 & 4) A Fa os A f 4 > tae t y ’ » ee tw ites a4 2 as = a Figtr’ ah iD oy yt | 4 Wry ye WV? ‘ La) a ek \ Wf fy) i § eh i ‘ . ’ : ; it ‘ Ai ty ¢ | —— — _ — a — Pa ae i oe — fy ~~ Se ot i f init Fay LARNER & TMM PAELOL TS, Oe a AN Mat Nba ha BALA ear cs Be Pay | la \