Amazing Stories, Vol. 2, No. 1 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

ete tie) Me a Me nah |} THE WHITE GOLD PIRATE CHAPTER I _ A Suspicious Offer by Telephone, for the Sale of Platinum to the Government IOBERT GOODWIN, scientist, inventor 4| and head of the great Chicago labora- eae tories and experimental plant which Disets C4 bore his name, glared at the telephone eae] on his desk. The ringing of its bell had interrupted him in the mental solution of a problem and it irritated him. In no pleasant frame of mind he took down the receiver and growled “Hello.” “Are you in the market for platinum?” inquired a man’s voice, without preliminaries. Goodwin started, and straightened up in his chair. For some months now he, in common with several thousand other persons in the United States, had been waiting quietly, but none the less eagerly, for. someone to ask that very question. There was no agitation or surprise in his voice, however, when he replied. “Undoubtedly we would be interested in the thing yap mention,” he said, “that is, if it is of good qualify—and safe.” Rather neat and intriguing that, he thought, if his caller was indeed the man he suspected, the bold and resourceful platinum pirate for whom he and his fellow watchers had been so patiently waiting, the man who had set the expert man catchers of the United States Department of Justice by the ears. The man was talking again, in a peculiar nasal drawl that reminded Goodwin of various Southern men he had known. “The stuff I’ve got is better than ninety-five per cent pure,” he was saying. “I can let you have a hundred ounces now, up to a thou- sand later.” The scientist gasped. demand by certain indus- tries—for electric - light bulbs, motor-car ignition contacts, telephone and other electrical instru- ments, jewelry and den- tistry—and every ounce is precious. Yet this man was offering, as a farmer offers eggs or butter, to let him have as much as a thousand ounces. It was staggering! “Tt’s kind of you to offer it to me,” Goodwin said, successfully coneealing his amazement and playing for time while he scribbled furiously upon a paper pad at his elbow. “Of course before I would enter upon negotiations for it I would insist upon making a test.” He tore off the sheet of paper, upon which he had written “Platinum. Notify Barry,” and waved it aloft to attract.the attention of an assistant on the other side of the room. “Certainly,” the man on the other end of the wire was saying as the assistant leaped to Goodwin's side, took the paper and departed on a run. “You will want to make the test in your own place, of course. Suppose I send around enough of the stuff for that purpose?” “And the price?” asked the scientist, hoping he could hold his caller on the line until that assistant “6 Platinum always is in its true scientific aspect. story. _ made good on instructions given him long ago in 4 Rie > 4 < i. we o-8 Toe by Tee white gold in this amazing scientific detective tale is, of course, platinum, which is far more precious than gold. It is a story in which science is used at every angle to defeat the criminal—a plausible story, too, that sweeps you along with it until the final denouement. The X-ray episode is particularly interesting an account of We assure you a good half hour’s reading in this 31. case this very thing came up. Three minutes would be more than enough. Two would do in a pinch. He pictured what was going on in the office beyond the door to the laboratory. His assistant would be getting in touch with Barry, chief of the investiga- tion bureau of the department of justice in Chicago. The telephone operator would be urging the girl at the central exchange to hurry with the tracing of the telephone from which the platinum salesman was talking. “The price,” said the high, nasal voice,” is one hundred dollars an ounce, for one ounce or a thou- sand. Take it or let it alone.” “Oh, I'll take quite a bit,” replied Goodwin, with one eye on the door through which his assistant would return. “The price is immaterial and a hun- dred dollars an ounce is reasonable enough, in view,” he lowered his voice, “of the present scarcity. I suppose,” he hesitated, “I suppose it is safe to handle?” 6 Looking For a Platinum Pirate PON that question and the way he had led up to it and said it, the scientist was staking a great deal. If, as he suspected, this was indeed the much-wanted platinum pirate he might be put off his guard if led to believe that Goodwin, wanting the “white gold” which was so hard to get, was not caring overly much where it came from. “That,”-snapped the man, “is the second time you have expressed the hope that this stuff is ‘safe.’ It’s not dynamite and it won’t explode, if that’s what you mean.” Was he really ignorant of conditions in the plati- num market or was he trying to get Goodwin to be definite before committing himself? The scientist, with no time to think it over, chose to believe the latter and rose to what he believed a bait. “T’ll be frank with you,” he said. “I want plati- num, yes, but not so much that I can afford to have embarrassing questions | asked if it is traced to me.” Apparently that was sat- isfactory. ‘You needn’t let a fear of that worry you,” came the reply. “This stuff comes from an unregistered claim my partner and I have been working. Naturally we haven’t said anything about it, not wanting a mob of pros- pectors buzzing over the landscape. Shall I send you that sample?” Goodwin glanced at his watch. The man was determined to have the conversation end quickly. Perhaps, though, he would hang on a bit longer. “Where is your claim?” he asked, ignoring the Other’s question about the sample. “I mean what part of the country, not its definite location, of caged - He was purposely wordy, sparring for ime. “Canada. Ontario province. Way up beyond Parry Sound,” was the curt reply. “How about the sample?” “Send it,” said Goodwin, as his assistant appeared - a 4 . “ « MS - > | > ’ eo | Re i > cOmMIIECDOOKS. con ry 2 a ede Sag” f b pis o4 , et ee 2< anal i” 2” © sees -~ . FT eRe CY ae Bess" - » .