Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

OUT OF THE WORLD FOR A WHILE. ““T guess so,” the officer said, and he - went tothe door and gave the turnkey a leisurely order to bring Allison in. Allison was a little uncertain as he came into the room, but the worst of his jag was over. He looked a little frightened as he glanced at Radcliffe. “This is an outrage, Radcliffe,” he said. 4 f Radcliffe withered him with a look and went up to the wicket. ‘‘ Papers ready?” he asked. The officer looked at Allison. “Where did you get your booze, mis- ter?” he asked. ‘‘ Know some place where they sell it?” “T gave it to him,” Radcliffe said. “I got it right out of my cellar. Is that any of your business?” “‘ Mebbe not this trip,” the officer said. - “ But if I was you, Radcliffe, I wouldn’t be turnin’ too many drunks out of your house in the night.” “What do you intimate?” Radcliffe asked angrily. ‘“‘T don’t intimate nothin’. I’m sayin’ it as plain as I can. A man can have his private stock, as I understand it, but he don’t send drunks out of his house and get away with it for long. You can sign your name right there. I suppose you got prop- erty worth more’n a thousand dollars.” Radcliffe said nothing to the jibe. He scrawled his name and turned to Allison. “Come on,” he said. “You be in court on Monday mornin’, fellow,” the sergeant called after Allison. Allison cast a look of hate at him and followed Radcliffe into the street. The three other men came on their heels. Rad- cliffe threw open the door of his car. ‘“Where’s your car?” he asked Allison. Allison passed a hand over his forehead. There was avsettling down of the fog in his brain. “Damfino,” he said. Miller?” ‘“ T suppose it’s up on Main Street where you left it,” Miller said. think of your pulling this bone at this stage of the game.” “Shut up,” Radcliffe ordered. Allison.” “ Where is it, Get in, “My God, to 725 Seagrave stepped up to them and laid a restraining hand on Allison’s arm as the man lifted a foot to step into the car. He let the foot fall and turned about, shaking himself impatiently free. ‘“T’ll have a man-to-man apology from you, Allison,” Seagrave said. “Oh, you shut up.” ““ Apology for what?” Radcliffe demand- ed belligerently. “It’s between him and me,” Seagrave said. ‘“‘ Don’t you interfere.” Again Allison moved as if to enter the car. Seagrave took him by the shoulders and whirled him about. “Why, you damned gutter snipe,” Alli- son screamed. He struck out at Seagrave and Seagrave laid his flat hand against his face and pushed him back against the car. Allison fell through the open door and sat there, unwilling or unable to rise. “What ’re you trying to do, Seagrave?” Radcliffe demanded. ‘“ Keep your hands off him.” “ Off you, too?” Seagrave asked. Radcliffe was boiling with rage. He had interested himself in Allison’s rubber com- pany, and he had hoped, in the uncertain condition in which he found his finances - generally, to profit by Allison’s final clean- up. He was enraged to think that Allison had brought himself under the eyes of the police at this critical time. His eyes now swept Seagrave. He had a longing to find relief in violence. It flashed across him that Seagrave could not possibly be in as good physical condition as himself. By all physical laws, Seagrave’s health should have been undermined. In their boyhood he had not been Seagrave’s ‘physical equal; he ought now to be his su- perior. “You forget you’re talking to your em- ployer, don’t you?” he temporized. “Employer, hell!” Seagrave ground out. “You’re no employer of mine. I quit you to-night before you came down here.” “That’s an excellent return for my kind- ness,” Radcliffe said scornfully. ‘ Kindness, hell, also!’ said Seagrave. “You don’t know what kindness is. You = Allison are a es to draw to. Allison cComick Bee S con