Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

944 ways been very particular about that. I’ve been careful to keep the business of the company separate from my personal busi- ness. I’m afraid the cashier would turn this check over several times before he cashed it. You can see him standing there in the bank, turning it over in his hand, can’t you, Mr. Allison? Then he’d take it into Mr. Adams’s office and ask Mr. Adams how about it and Mr. Adams would say it was peculiar. And then they’d phone to my office and find I wasn’t there and—” She shook her head slowly as if she de- spaired of what Adams, president of the bank, might do. “Well, we'll have to get hold of one of the regular checks of the Seagrave com- pany,” Allison said. ‘‘ Nothing simpler than that. Have you a key to the office with your” ‘No; it’s at home.” Allison paced the floor for a moment, his head bent. “TH tell you what we'll do,” he said. “Vou telephone to your home and tell the servant there to have that key ready when it is sent for. Ill send one of the men for it. Then you phone to the office to the watch-. man and tell him to take the key from who- ever brings it and get a blank check from your desk. That will fix it. I’m obliged to you for thinking of this, Mrs. Seagrave. It might have been a fatal slip.” “Oh, don’t thank me,” Ruth said. ‘“ Shall I use the telephone now?” Allison nodded. Ruth got to her feet and started for the telephone. Allison laid a hand on her arm. Seagrave sprang and pushed Allison back. “Tf you so much as put a finger on my wife,” he said, “‘ we'll stop where we are, no matter what happens.” Allison shrank a little from Seagrave’s blazing eyes. He didn’t want another row. The neighbors might think that they had had enough and telephone to the police. ‘YT was merely going to say that Mrs. Seagrave was remarkably cool considering the situation she finds herself in,” Allison said. “ Well, warned. “There, Arthur,” Ruth said, still in her don’t touch ther,” Seagrave ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. light, cool tone. ‘“ Will you please see if you can get the house on the telephone? We may as well get this over with.” He was as astonished at her coolness as Allison was. He shot a glance at her and found she was looking at him, urging him with her eyes to do what she said. She seemed to say, in that glance, that the next move in order was to use the phone. With- out understanding, he moved over to the instrument. The telephone was just beyond the door which led into the hall. As Seagrave passed the door, it occurred to him that if he had been alone he could turn the knob and leap into the hall, taking a chance on flight. As the door was now it was locked from the outside, but a turn of the knob would open it from the inside. He dismissed the notion at once, for he could not hope to help Ruth to escape in that way. He took down the receiver and spoke the number of the house into the transmitter. There was a considerable wait before the old servant answered. “« Just a moment,” Seagrave said. Ruth walked over to the telephone. Sea- grave stepped back. As she took the re- ceiver from his hand she whispered: ‘“‘ Stand back so that the door will screen us when [I open it.” He thought suddenly that some one was standing beyond the door and he had an explanation of Ruth’s coolness. “You stand so that you will be nearest the wall,” he whispered back. ‘I'll open the door.” She put the receiver to her ear and be- gan to speak into the telephone. Seagrave waited five seconds till he saw her lean against the wall. Then he turned as if to walk back to the center of the room. When he was directly opposite the door, he sud- denly reached out, turned the knob, and jerked the door open. There was an oath from Allison and star- tled cries from the other men. Seagrave refused to screen himself with the door. He had intense curiosity to see what was going to happen. He saw Allison bring up his hand with a gun in it. The gun was pointed in Sea- erave’s direction. But Allison did not pull ConmicbOGks.co