All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

THE HOUSE OF SORCERY. As I raised my head from the floor two gray eyes were boring down, watch- ing every movement of my filching fingers. But as I replaced the bag on the desk those search-light eyes in their expressionless frame were again glued ceilingward. “T beg y'umble pardon,” I continued my interrupted apology. ‘‘ Didn’t mean t’ hurt y’ feelings. Tl r’serve—hic— my will. t’ tel’phone—hic—m’ home f’r ’n hour.” “ Certainly,” she conceded, smiling graciously, very well pleased with the favorable impression she was apparent- ly making. I zigzagged over to two telephone booths alongside the door. ‘They con- tained slot machines, and thus required no operator, for which I was thankful. I entered one and closed the sliding glass door behind me. The man with the face of a mummy and a hobby for studying interior dec- orations was sauntering into the adjoin- ing booth. * Sound chuckled to myself. Eves will be fooled.” | dropped a nickel in the slot and called the number the occupant of apart- ment No, 12 had given me some half hour or soago. And when the German accent voiced its ‘‘ Hello,” I answered, imitating the girl’s voice to a nicety. I had been ‘studying its every inflec- tion while she spoke to me. That had been my specialty in the St. Louis Stock Wiil y’ ex’use me minute? Got y wife won't be proofi—these booths,” I “Mr. Gimlet- Company — impersonations; and _ it stood me in good stead at this very moment. “ Hello,” I responded in the girl’s rich, musical tones, “ do you know who is speaking ? 8 * Nah,” he returned at once. “ Vat iss der matter? Didn’t my man ar- river? “Yes,” I replied. Then I told him in a few cee words just what had happened. He swore very fluently, considering 873 that the English language handicapped him, and utterly regardless of the fact that a “lady” was on the other end of the wire. I interrupted his flow of brimstone. “Listen to me!”’ I called sharply. “Tt is all right, now. After I sent your man to fetch you, I succeeded in whee- dling this‘drunken fool into giving me the ring.” “Ach! Himmel! You're a peach— von big peach!” he shouted over the wire, “As soon as your man arrives,” I continued, “send him at once to the lobby of the Garford Hotel on Broad- way. I'll meet him there in about half as I can get rid of him the ring.” “ Goot! Here he iss now.” * All right—good-by.” Highly pleased with my successful effort at imitating the girl's voice, I dropped another nickel in the slot. “Now, to fool her own brother,” T told myself, and gave the number of the apartment-house where he resided, which I had noted carefully while sit- ting at the switchboard. A good mem- ory Is a handy thing in cases “Tike this. In a moment my colored friend was connecting me with apartment No. 12, “ Tello,” the girl’s voice greeted her brother, ‘‘ ’m talking to you from the Willington.” I shivered in my boots for fear he would detect the impersonation. But no. ““Yes—did you pass the ring along all right?” “No,” I replied, and told him briefly what had transpired. Not being handicapped like Kron- holtz, he swore rapidly and volubly, with great picturesqueness. “Listen to me,” I interrupted. “ I have persuaded this drunken fool to go with me to the Hotel Saint Claire.. You are supposed to be my husband, and are stopping there—understand? “He says he will give up the ring if you can describe it, so it is not so comlicbooks. Conn