Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

THE HANDWRITING ON THE hanced by a photograph of Miss Barbara Norcross, borrowed from the society editor. The Shadowers, Inc., a hitherto unknown firm of private detectives employed by Richard Monckton to demonstrate the fact that his father had been killed by a burglar, came in for more or less facetious comment. They had been approached, but declined to grant an interview. George smiled grimly to himself as he ~ pictured the form that declination had prob- ably taken if Ethel were the one to have delivered it. Then he cast the paper aside and, rising, strolled over to a thick-set in- dividual in light tweeds with a purple neck- tie forming a back ground for an impressive but off-color diamond. “You're the house detective?” he asked in his most urbane manner. ‘“ Have a cigar?” ‘“‘ Thanks.” The gorgeously arrayed per- son nodded. “ That’s me.” ‘“Come up to my room a minute.” One ministerial eye closed suggestively. ‘‘ This is about the time of day when, a few years ago, it was customary to take a little nour- ~ ishment, and I find it difficult to accommo- date myself to modern ways in my declining years.” The detective chuckled and followed him to the elevator. When they were settled behind the locked door with the flask half emptied, George remarked: ‘That was a queer character you had in the next room here. Radwick, he called himself. He cleared out in a hurry this morning.” “Sure, but he paid up.” “T did, you mean!” George announced quickly. ‘‘ He borrowed twenty-five from me last night, but I didn’t know it was for that purpose; he was going to show me the city.” “Veah? There are a lot of birds like that floating around, and we do our best to protect the guests from them, but if they fall for the old line and don’t squeal till after the orber guy’s made his get-away, it ain’t up tous.” The detective spoke pleas- antly enough, but with an air of finality. AS You’ re lucky he didn’t nick you for mo’e.’ a George I’m not complaining.” WALL. 90a poured another drink for his guest. “I'd just kind of like to know where he went.” “To Chicago, I guess. Anyway, that’s where he’s booked from, and when he set- tled his bill he asked if he could get to the Grand Central in ten minutes; that’s when the flyer starts.” “Chicago, eh?” George shrugged. “ It wouldn’t do me any good to follow him for. that twenty-five. Maybe you could tell me of some of the sights here? I’ve never been East before.” When the detective had descended to his duties once more George packed his bag, paid his bill, and asked at the desk when the next train left for Circleville, Ohio. The last half hour had not been wasted; the house dick had been fixed by Radwick, that was plain. Otherwise he could have said that the departed guest simply walked out of the hotel with his bag, as George himself was doing, and let it go at that. Unless he was vastly mistaken, Radwick at the present moment was not more than a block or two nearer Chicago than when he left, for he’d stick around to get a line on what his follower would do. What George did do was to proceed to the corner and pause after rounding it, to glance swiftly up and down the avenue. The roar of the elevated road overhead was deaf- ening now that the day’s traffic had thinned. He hurried to the station a block down to board the first uptown train, aware that his clerical garb and even the shabby bag he carried rendered him an easily identified figure. But it was not for more than an hour that he reached the genteel, slightly run- down boarding house on Madison Avenue where he resided permanently. He had spent the intervening time in covering his tracks, and for a man who had succeeded “in doing so when five States were on the lookout for him in connection with an original and lucrative swindle, the maze of the city made the task mere child’s play. Experience had taught him the futility of theatric disguises when a simple change of scenery would do the trick in a far more subtle and effective manner, and the person who issued from the boarding house as darkness fell was still attenuated and stoop- GComichbooks S (S@)