Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

‘COLOSSUS OF the chap who followed you round here the night before?” _ A blank look came over Bill’s face. Nick followed up with another question: ‘“ Did you come straight from home?” he asked, “or had you been around doing some of your private investigating.” “Vd been watching a place, but I'll swear there wasn’t any one around when IT left there.” “You'd take oath there was nobody watching you?” inquired Nick. Bill shook his head. ‘‘ No,” he said re- luctantly, ‘“‘ I’m too old a hand at the game to be so cocksure. I don’t believe I was followed, but it is possible. Anything is, if a crook is clever and crafty enough, but I don’t see how you can blame me.”’ “T’m not,” put in Nick quickly, “ all I’m trying to get at is some fairly straight line whereby we can identify that masked man. If he was the fellow who was outside there with you when—when you saw what you did in the door of the garage, that will sort of give us a starting point. It would be fair to assume that he came from the place you. were watching, won’t it? If that point is established, then the rest will be easy. You'll be able to identify him and—” “ Vou’re going too fast,” interrupted Bill,- ‘‘T’m as much in the dark as you are. The place I’ve been watching on and off, is that boarded up house over near Swanson Lane. I’ve been following up a hunch as it were. One night, a couple of weeks ago, I was passing there and I thought I saw the flicker of light. I thought I did. That's all I have to go on. Since then, I’ve not been able to pick up anything that would back me up. I had to lay low. Suspicions don’t go with the powers that be in our line. I’ve got to have some _ proof, before I can come out in the open or else— get laughed at for my pains.” ~“ But,” persisted Nick, “it’s more than Jikely that you are right. You're not the fellow to see things where they are not and if there is somebody in that house, they're there for no good. Ever been inside?” Bill shook his head. “ I thought of getting the keys from the agent and taking a look to-day, but I didn’t get a chance, but all this is getting away from what I want to THE RADIO. 307 know. Why the dickens didn’t you let us get after that fellow?” “ Because of the publicity. If I’d sent in a formal complaint; laid a charge against that masked crook, the whole place would have been turned upside down. Your people would have wanted to know all kinds of things. You would have had to tell what you saw last night and to save you from being put down as a bug, I’d have had to demonstrate. The whole business would have got into the papers and instead of having one nosey crook after me I’d have had dozens.” : “How do you make that out?” “Easily enough. The thing I’ve in- vented is worth millions and—I have no protection; no patents. Even if I had the money to protect myself in all the countries in the world, it wouldn’t amount to any- thing. The thing’s too big. I’ve got to get my price for it and hand it over to some big concern. As a matter of fact, it ought to go to the government. No private corporation ought to be able to control it.” “You're talking big,” said Bill. “ Are you sure not going it a bit too strong?” “Seeing is believing,”’ Nick answered as he got up from his chair, ‘“ I'll show you.” “Wait a minute,” interrupted Bill, “listen, there’s somebody knocking.” ’ Without stopping for a reply from Nick, Bill hustled for the outer door. He flung it open. ‘ May!” he exclaimed, “ what in the name of goodness are you doing here?” The panting girl darted past her brother and tucked her hand under Nick’s arm. “There’s nothing the matter,” she ex- plained breathlessly, ‘‘ that is, nothing that J can explain. I got anxious, that’s all. I —I lost my nerve. Listen, Nick, I want you to promise me something. You must come home with Bill and me to-night. This lonely place is dangerous for you all by yourself. vention of yours I’d rather them get it than that you should be hurt. Perhaps killed.” ““ Nonsense,” said Nick, but the trembling voice of the girl communicated to him a sense of fear. Fear, not for himself, but for her. Still, it does not do to give way to one’s fears, even for another’s safety. Nick put the subject of danger aside. If there’s anybody after that in- (E@) GComichbooks