Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

506 glass of water do not take long to consume, and, after the meal is over, there are no dishes to clean up. According to the program he had laid down for himself, Nick assembled his “baby ” and following an hour’s work con- necting a multitude of wires to a series of cells and vacuum tubes, he put in the switch over the meter and sat down in front of a machine which had the appearance of a typewriter, but—was nothing of the kind. To this machine, there were three rows. of keys, but as Nick pressed each key, there was no click of type; no sound at all. On the machite itself, nothing happened. The effect of pressure on the keys was mani- fested on the steel figure on the floor. Before he had connected up his electrical apparatus, this “‘ baby ” of Nick’s would have excited the wonder and awe of any one with the slightest knowledge and ap- preciation of mechanical construction. This so-called “ baby ” was nothing less than seven feet in length. It was rather over one thousand five hundred pounds in weight and—it was made, limbs, trunk and head, in the form of aman. Asteel man. Huge in height and breadth, but well proportioned. This was before Nick touched a key of the typewriter-like machine. Following the first depression of one of the keys, the steel man became in actuality what it had sug- gested by form alone. It became a thing © of living movement; directed and con- trolled; oddly, terrifyingly deliberate. The steel head, shaped and visored like one of the helmeted knights of old, raised itself. Nick touched another key and with- in a second of its depression, the steel aute- maton was sitting upright. “Now,” said Nick, “ well rehearse all the old stunts and try out a few new ones. We’re going to knock Bill’s eye out. That is, figuratively speaking.” CHAPTER V. MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE, F FHEN he arrived that evening, the / first thing Bill did on entering the room partitioned off from the garage, was to look around. His investiga ARGOSY-ALLESTORY WEEKLY. ting glance swept over the cleared work- bench; the neat arrangement of electrical instruments, the clean floor and then settled on a bulk in the corner by the lathe. It was covered with old sacks. “Been cleaning up,” he remarked, “‘what’s that hidden in the corner there? That thing of mystery I saw last night?” ‘We'll come to that later,” said Nick, “Presently, Dll satisfy all your curiosity and give you a headfull to think about. There’s other matters to come first though. Your sister tell you anything; give you any sort of hint as to what I wanted to see you about?” “Nothing definite. Couldn’t get a word out of her except that you wanted to see me; tell me something as a pal and not as a cop.” ‘ That’s about the size of it. Sit down. Smoke and try and listen if you can, with- out going off the handle.” “That ought not to be difficult,” said Bill as he filled his pipe, but it was notice- able that he began to shift uneasily in his chair as Nick’s account of the morning’s visitor began to include the part taken in the affair by May. “It seems queer to me that you could let the fellow get away and never take action after laying you out and—I’ll say it’s darned funny that you should stand for him searing May. ‘Too darned funny for words. I like you, Nick. You’ve-al- ways seemed to me a decent sort, and until lately, a level-headed kind of a chap. Now, what with this freak invention and what you let that masked fellow get away with this morning, I’m not so sure that you’re not a bit touched. I guess you’ve been working too hard.” Nick leaned forward. He smiled, but his eyes. were serious in expression. ‘‘ Don’t be in too much of a hurry to judge. You haven’t got the hang of this affair. It’s not quite as simple as it leoks and there’s a good deal more at stake than you have any idea of. Besides, I believe you are partly responsible for that fellow sneaking in on me this moming.” “Me!” exclaimed Bill, ‘‘ I’d like to know what I can have had te do with it?” ‘““Doesn’t it occur to you that it was Eomicboo cS (©)