10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

and soft-voiced. And he liked to read _ especially history. But because she was wiser than he, Mary had decided that he must prove his worth by living one clean, honest year. He had done that. And she had written him that she was all ready for the wedding. Mary knew. But nobody else—for Mary’s sake—must know. HEN it happened. He was walking down the street. He had almost reached a corner—carrying a hand- bag, A car was standing at the curb. On the sidewalk, near the car, was 2 young man. Joe had almost passed him when he recognized him. He tried to hurry by, but the young man stopped him. “How’re you, Joe?” he said, staring . at him queerly. “Hello, Louis,” Joe answered, paus- ing for a minute. Joe really hadn’t wanted to see Louis, because Louis belonged to a past that he wanted to leave far be- kind. And, of all of his old associates, there were none he liked less than Louis. But, having stopped, it seemed necessary to be friendly. “How’s things, Louis?” asked Joe. Louis’ grin was barely visible in the darkness. “Busy as hell,” he said. “Busy as hell.” Joe was uncomfortable. ‘“That’s swell, Louis,” he said. “How’s things with you, Joe?’ Louis said then. “Couldn’t be better,” said Joe. He would not, of course, tell him about Mary, nor about anything else, for that maiter. “Leaving town in the morning.” Louis didn’t seem to be looking at him. But he kept on talking, musingly. “What's in the handbag, Joe?” Joe answered promptly: “History, Louis. In four volumes. One large and three—” And then it happened. Louis was paying no attention to Joe at all. An- other man had swung around the cor- BIG-HOUSE BAIT —____—__—_______9y- ner, was a few feet away. He stopped abruptly as he saw Louis. Something appeared in Louis’ hand. Fiame stabbed the. darkness. Shots shattered the stillness of the night. The man cried out something hoarsely, then sank to the ground. A gun clattered on the sidewalk be- side the fallen man. Louis was in the car instantly, and driving rapidly away. Joe stood quite still, unable to move. He was still thinking, wildly, of Mary. LMOST at once, another man appeared from around the cor- ner. He was a large man, with a cun- ning face. He had, Joe somehow no- ticed, a long thin nose. He stared at the man on the ground. He seemed not to notice Louis driving away in the car. Then it was that Joe realized in a flash that he had to get away. This man had seen him. There was a dead man on the ground, a gun alongside of him—and no one else but Joe. And that would mean a murder charge! There was the dead man—and there was the gun! Louis’ fingerprints would not be on that gun, for he had worn gloves. Joe would probably find it im- possible to prove that it wasn’t his. If he were caught, he would be charged with murder; his past record would be brought up, and even if he managed to prove his innocence, his future with Mary would be destroyed. Louis, of course, would have an alibi all ready; it wouldn’t do any good for Joe to tell the police that Louis did it. The man on the corner was still staring at Joe. Suddenly; two or three other men appeared from doorways across the street..Joe turned and ran down the block. He was far short of the next corner when another large figure appeared ahead of him—a patrolman. Joe stopped short. It appeared to him vaguely, then, that several men were running in his direetion.