Adventure, December 3, 1920 — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

136 . treated men who saw ’em—aromatic spirits of ammonia is the remedy. Romance? I don’t see any romance in riding with your guts gritty all day and sleeping with your head in a leather bag so you won’t wake up dead. Nix on the romance! I went there on business. And if I’m forgiven previous sin, Ill never sin again.” They laughed at this. Kilgore was about to speak, when I held up my hand. “Gentlemen, I ‘ike you fine, and I’d like to hear the story; but I’ll confess that I’m a wee bit nervous at the present moment. Your friend Death is at liberty, and he’s a swift actor. I suggest that we put Mr. Hat Shui out of sight before we do any more talking.” “Oh, ayel’” assented McAuliffe promptly. “T misdeot me——”’ “Righto,” said Kilgore, leaning over. ‘Catch hold!” He had the body by the feet, and I caught hold of the shoulders. We carried the corpse out into the hall and down the front stairs to the lower hall, and so into the kitchen and the rear poreh. There we paused If you’ll remember, I was in my shirt sleeves. Snuggling Hat Shui’s head up against my breast made it inevitable that I should get quite a bit of blood over my shirt and arms. This recalled to me that there must be a mess up-stairs. “Let him wait here a bit,” I said. “If you gentlemen will scout around, I expect you'll find a spade or something in the vicinity. My mother was always trying her best to raise some radishes in the back-yard, so there must be implements. I'll run up-stairs and clean up the floor—keep things straight as we go.” I SLIPPED up-stairs the back way. It was no lie about being nervous. With all these things happening, and that suit-case full of gold in the attic, my nerves were on edge. I went straight to the attic room and dumped all the gold into a little old trunk of my mother’s, locked it, and then came down to my own room again. Within five minutes I was getting the floor cleared up with a wet towel. Naturally this work did not improve the condition of the towel, or of me either. To get rid of the rag tem- porarily, 1 went to the open trunk and tossed it in with the unclean linen. A little box, in the corner of the trunk, caught my eye. I was thinking of the rubies, and it occurred to me that here might be a cache of stones; anything was likely, with this sort of crowd. I stooped over and took up the box, which looked like a large pill-box. One sniff of it told me the story, however, and when I opened it I was rather disgusted to find it filled with opium-pellets. This gave me another line on my lodger—an opium-eater. Where he could get the stuff was a mystery, for in this country it’s hardly made —_ Adventure any more except as smoking-gum. I slid the box into my pocket and went down-stairs. My three friends were standing over Hat Shui, whom they had brought back into the - kitchen. “I say, Day!” spoke up Kilgore. “There’s not a sign of a spade around here!’ “All right,” I returned cheerfully. ‘There “must be something to dig with. If not, use the two knives—— At this instant the door-bell rang. It was a long, hard ring, as from a.hand that did not intend to be kept waiting all night. I must have started, for McAuliffe grinned wickedly. This made me angry. “Beat it outside!’ I motioned to the back door and caught up my coat. “Lay hold, Mac.” Kilgore stepped above the body. “We'll get it out on the rear steps.” I nodded. ‘‘Good enough. That’s the best we can do.” Shutting the kitchen door behind me, I passed through the hall. If that confounded Death had really managed to get the police - on the trail, they would insist on looking around. Then I came to a halt as the voice of Fandi Singh floated after me. “Day! If;anything goes wrong—l’ve a car on the street behind, near the bungalow.” “Thanks,” I returned, and went on, button- ing up my coat tightly. At the front door my worst fears were realized. I opened the door to confront two gentlemen whose hard-jawed features and general air be- spoke the plain-clothes man. None the less, they were polite enough. “Mr. Day?” I admitted the fact. “We're from the Ingleside sthtion=the sarge called you up a little while ago?” “About the murder?” I forced a smile. he said | “Yep. Right afterward that no-name guy called up again. Said we’d find a Chink’s body “But in a room on the upper floor, gave us the loca- tion and all. Say, what’s all this about?” I opened the door wider to admit them if they so desired. “Well, I chucked out a couple of lodgers today and I imagine they’re trymg to make a bit of trouble. Want. to look over the place?” The first detective glanced at his partner, who nodded. “Tf you don’t mind, yes. Just to make sure it’s a fake, you know——” “Come along, then; the house is yours, gentlemen.” I flatter myself that my manner deceived them completely. They entered and I led the way up-stairs. It was plain that this accursed James Death had done his work thoroughly, for at the head of the stairs they went directly Gomichbooks