Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

HOW Ballard, who asked for McCarty’s version of the case. MANY CARDS? 020 In return he gave Mac some valuable infor- mation as to the Creveling set and explained the leader of the set was Nicholas Cutter. Then McCarty went on to view Miss Frost at her hotel and learned of the strange night visits of Mrs. Kip and her disheveled . condition and her wounded arm on her return home early in the morning of the night: of the murder. girl,’ he heard Ford say to his wife. He was in the midst of an interview with Mrs. Lonsdale Ford when the latter left him to greet her husband t the hall. The man admitted to McCarty he had some dealings with “Were done for, Waverly and had seen him the day of the crime before he bundled the ex-roundsman out of the house. Finally, McCarty returned to the Creveling house and learned from Mrs. Creveling that some months ago she had had a valuable necklace stolen. and released on bail, furnished 1n cash by a mysterious stranger. A servant, Ilsa Helwig had been arrested Then the girl disappeared. When he left Mrs. Creveling’ s bedside, the ex-rgundsman was convinced the face ef the maid who showed him to the door was familiar. Was it the mysterious face that had so suddenly appeared at one of the windows on the morning following the murder, when McCarty had looked out of the cab on his way to keep the appointment with Waverly? If McCarty was unimpressed with the quiet elegance of the house, he was properly impressed with Nicholas year. Cutter. Cutter intimated Creveling was given to brain-storms:in the past McCarty was struck with the unanimity of effort on the part of the Creveling sct to keep something dark. He instructed Druet to set the valet free at eight o'clock that evening. When Hill left the station he proceeded at once to the Creveling house. McCarty and Riordan trailed him. On the ledge of a third-story window, the fireman covered the rear premises of the Creveling mansion. Their man finally appeared and the two watchers followed him to a drug-store in the early Thirties near Third Avenue. dreth and his wife” lived, just around the corner. told her she was wanted. Quicker than thought she had slammed and. bolted the door. and McCarty entered the apartment to find their quarry had fled by the fre-escape. Frem the clerk they learned where “ Hil- When Ilsa Helwig opened the door, McCarty Riordahk In reporting to the inspector McCarty took the full blame for this untoward accident. ~ The ex-roundsman was dead set against the inspector’s conviction of the guilt of the valet. Hill; he was equally inimical to Terhune's arrogant assumption of the guilt of George Alexander, though he was curious to hear the man's confession which Terhune promised. He was tremend- ously impressed, however, by Terhune’s exposition of the historical symbolism of the nine of diamonds. “No quarter,” to Creveling that his time had come!” CHAPTER XXV. THE LURE OF CHANCE. N their way to breakfast the next () morning McCarty bought a sheaf of newspapers and when the modest little restaurant was reached he handed all but one of them to his companion. “ Here, Denny. Have a look at what the boys say about the release of Hill. I bet they’ve put up a howl you could hear in the next world if so be you were there.” ‘Which I’m not yet, but there’s no tell- ing after to-night,” Dennis said darkly. ‘*‘’You’d no call to be letting me-in for an- other dose of the black art of that Ter- hune! Have you no interest yourself in the news of the day?” | “Tm looking for a certain ad,” McCarty ‘“* Here it is: “LOST—On Thursday night, black Russian sable scarf, five skins, private seal engraved on small gold clasp; liberal reward. Address X, Daily Bulletin.” ‘‘ Whatever—” Dennis gave a little start. “Qh, I remember! And is ‘X”’ Mrs. Kip?” replied. he repeated to Riordan. “You got that, Denny? "Iwas a notice “No. Tis me,” said McCarty modestly. “ After I phoned you last night to meet me for dinner I stopped at the Bulletin office and put that in; I’d like to see Mrs. Kip’s face if she reads it! But what’s the matter with your own? You look as if something had bit you!” - ‘“Mac!” The newspaper shook in Den- nis’s excited hand. ‘‘ What was it that you heard Ford say to his wife in the hall yes- terday? That he was ‘done for,’ wasn’t ite” “Yes. What—” ‘Well, I guess he was, all right! Give a look at that!” Dennis passed over the paper and Mc- Carty read in flaring headlines: FAILURE ON STOCK EXCHANGE Lonsdale Ford & Company Go To Wall Many Small Investors and Speculators Hard Hit in Crash Below, in smaller type, appeared the story in detail, but McCarty merely glanced through it. He was working against time now; against the time when the inspector’s COMIC DOOKS.COM