Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 145: 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, had the courage of his kind, and Brown and Horton were practically strong-arm men, An act of violence was not beyond them. Those two had to smile at Radcliffe when he put In an appearance. They guessed Radcliffe would do what the boss wanted him to do. He looked, Brown said, like a wet dishrag. “Well,” Radcliffe asked, “ what’s up?” “Sit down,” said Allison. Radcliffe looked at him with a flush com- ing into his pale cheeks. He didn’t like Al- lison’s tone. “Tl stand,” he said. want?” Allison knew from past experiences with the authorities that any plans he made sud- denly to recoup himself must have ample ramifications. He couldn’t permit himself to get into a panic and jump at some hair- brained scheme which would lay him wide open. He thought now that he had spun a fine and strong web, and he wanted Rad- cliffe to act as the fly. He knew Radcliffe pretty well; he had studied him, feeling out his weaknesses. He had long ago discov- ered that at bottom Radcliffe was an arrant coward. “Your business is about to go flooey, Radcliffe,” he said. Radcliffe sank into the nearest chair, dropping his pose of aloofness. ‘What do you mean?” he asked. “T’ve found out about this new stove that the Seagrave company has,” Allison said. “It will sell for twenty per cent less than anything you can produce, and it has your best stove beaten a city block. What’re you going to do about it?” “Ts ruin for me,” Radcliffe breathed. “Tt is unless you let me help you,” Alli- son insinuated. ‘“What’s your plan?” Radcliffe was pallid and shaking. He rubbed his forehead as if he were bewil- dered, too. Allison enjoyed an inward smile. He hadn’t been mistaken about Radcliffe. ““The thing for you to do is to sell out io the Seagrave company, isn’t it?” he asked. “Would Mrs. Seagrave buy?” Radcliffe “What do you 935 asked. ‘ What good would my foundry do her?” “‘She’s got to have more room,” Allison said. ‘She proves that by the fact that she grabbed at my lease. It will cost her something to equip a new foundry. She could let the lease lapse and still make money if she could get your foundry at a reasonable figure.” “She wouldn’t give me fifty per cent of what it’s worth,” Radcliffe objected. “TI can’t make that sacrifice. I put up some paper at the bank to raise money for you. How about that money, anyhow? Are you in a position to do anything for me?” “The Allison company is bankrupt,” Al- lison said in a smooth voice. “ By God—” Radcliffe began. Allison raised a silencing hand. ‘There isn’t a thing you can do about it, Radcliffe,’ he said. “‘ You. can’t have me pinched, you know. You went into my company with your eyes wide open. Have me arrested, and where will you be? If I should go over the road, you would follow me. You can see that, can’t your” Radcliffe could see it. He had thought about it a good deal since he had risen to Allison’s bait in the hope of cleaning up some of the easy money which everybody was trying for, since the wave of speculation had swept across the country. Radcliffe saw himself hemmed in on every side. “Have you a definite plan?” he asked nervously. “Now you're talking sense,” Allison ap- proved. ‘ Yes, I have a plan. What its details are I guess you don’t need to know, do you?” ‘““{T won’t go it blind,” Radcliffe said with a sudden picking up of his nerve. “Don’t trust me, eh?” Allison sneered. “Very well. I'll tell you what the plan is. You go to Mrs. Seagrave and accept any offer she will make you. Get all you can, of course. Have her pay you with a check. I'll take care of the rest of it.” Radcliffe looked at the gross face which Allison had thrust toward him. He saw what Allison meant. “Vou’d raise the check?” he asked. “Well, you couldn’t. How could you change the perforations?” COMME OO S (CO) inn