Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

008 ‘“ Now,” he went on, “ you’re here and I'll see what I can do in the way of enter- taining you. I was just about to demon- strate my invention to your brother. The show will take place in the inventor’s back room hall.” Nick threw aside the sacking covering the bulky thing in the corner and turned to watch the effect on his guests. He had no reason to complain of the result. Bill jerked forward and stared without a word at the monster figure of steel. Slowly he took in the details. From the massive head, his gaze traveled down the heavy shoulders and body. He stared long at the jointed arms; the broad, blunt fingers; the thick knees and ponderous feet. May screamed and backed against her brother, but she quickly recovered her poise, ““What’s that horrible, ugly thing?” she demanded. “ You don’t mean to tell me that you’ve been wasting your time making a great big dummy like that. Why—you must be absolutely out of your mind. What in the world is the use of it? <A tin man. Where’s the joke? I fail to see it, Nick. You'll have to point it out to me. Vm rather dense.” Nick flushed. May was not quite in earnest in all she had said, but there was a sharp edge of sarcasm in her voice. ‘““T guess I’ll have to actually demon- strate that I’m no candidate for a padded cell,” said Nick tartly, and going to the control machine, he pressed a key. From a reclining position in the corner, the steel man came upright. Three—four keys did Nick depress in rapid succession and a flow of power: of seeming, actual life appeared to course through the mass of steel shaped in the form of a man. With an entire ab- sence of jerkiness, the steel giant rose to his feet. There he stood, firmly balanced—im- movable, waiting. “That Nick’s putting something over on us,” declared Bill. ‘ There’s some joke on us somewhere. It—it’s not natural to make a thing like that move—unless—” ‘‘’There’s a man inside it,” finished May. “Sure, he’s irying to kid the pair of us.” “‘ Nothing of the kind,” asserted Nick irri- table and brought his hand down again on the control keyboard. The most he expect- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, ed from May was a squeal of startled sur- prise, but he got more than he bargained for. The steel man swung round sharply. He made one stride toward May. He tow- ered over her, and—barely had Nick time to touch the key which switched off the in- visible power. Then he jumped for the girl He caught her as she swayed and shook her gently. 7 ‘“Easy—hold on, May,” he urged. “ That was a rotten trick of mine. I didn’t mean to scare you so badly. It’s all right; there is nothing to be afraid of.” From the safe shelter of Nick’s shoulder May took a sidelong, investigating look at the object of her fright and—ridicule. She recovered her nerve almost as quickly as it had forsaken her. ‘“T—I’m not scared any more,” she de- clared. ‘I was startled, that’s all. had no business to make him move like that. What’s inside it? Now that you’ve proper- ly excited the interest of both of us and startled Bill just as much as you did me, let us into the secret.” “Yes, and tell us what good it is; what use you're going to make of it,” added Bill. ‘The usefulness of my steel baby re- mains to be discovered,” explained Nick, “he would make a good watchman or—a first class burglar; but I'll show you what’s inside and satisfy you there’s nothing of the human in him, not even a bone.” Taking a small wrench from the rack over the work table, Nick removed four bolts from the chest of the steel man. He then took off a slightly curved steel plate and beckoned to Bill and May. Heads close to- gether, brother and sister gazed into the in- terior illumined by the flash light held by Nick. All they could see was a confusion of shining bars of polished steel; shafts, curiously shaped sockets; universal joints; glistening wires, bare and taut, and coils of braided cable. -“ Darned if he isn’t filled with a motor. He’s all machine.” “That’s it,” agreed Nick. gine plus—” ‘““ Plus what?” ‘““ Plus my brain, or will.” “Sounds fine,” said Bill, rumpling his hair, “‘ but I’m just as wise as I was before.” “* He’s en- Eomichbooks You. (S@)