Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

= __pered. ——— I couldn’t Stay up there = a ‘rapped rat.” “Tes all ae ” said my raisthes hold- ing out a hand to ar = Our friends are at the door!” - 3 Melanie did not notice me at first. She half collapsed within. my mistress’s em- brace. “Oh, Jess! Oh, Jess! Oh, Jess!” she murmured. - Black Kate ikea on at this speechless- ly. The woman was half out of her senses with pain. She looked like a wounded wild animal. | Meanwhile the Enocking cn the door was redoubled. The door key still hung from -Kate’s nerveless hand. I took it and ran out. I opened the front door, _and Inspector : Rumsey and four men came tumbling in. I pointed silently to the dining room door. I followed them in. © For a second the inspector looked bik ly at my mistress, then his face lighted up. “Ts everything all right?” “ Right as rain!” she ead. smiling. She : looked down affectionately at ‘the dark head on her shoulder. “ This is Melanie ‘Soupert. I have her safe.” The inspector siatched off his cap. “By God, madame,” he cried heartily, ‘‘ you're the greatest woman of your time!” Melanie quickly raised her head and, looking in my mistress’s face with some- thing like alarm, tried to withdraw herself from her embrace. ‘““ Who are jour? she whispered. I was just behind her. ‘“ Melanie, don’t you remember me?” I asked. She turned her head. Her big dark eyes widened. ‘“ Bella!” she said in amazement. “ Bella Brickley!” She looked back at my mistress with eyes bigger than ever. “‘ Then you must be—” She stammered. ‘ You must be—”’ 3 “Your friend,” whispered my mistress. “That is Mme. Rosika Storey, the mas- — _ ter mind of us all!” cried Inspector Rumsey magniloquently. Melanie tried in earnest then to detach herself from my mistress’s supporting arm. “You mustn’t—you mustn’t!” she whis- “© Not the likes of me.” : pointing to Black Kate: prisoner. She appears to be il]. You had “Tt’s you!” he cried in great relief. z Mme. Storey clung to her, smiling, and Melanie subsided. -© Vou did it all jae me?” she whispered. - “ Did you think I was going to let you go?’\asked my mistress. Melanie began to weep out of sheer weakness and relief and gratitude. To the inspector Mme. Storey said, “That is your better have medical assistance for her. But watch her well.” “ Never fear, madame; *” said = inspec- tor grimly. “You have the other one? “Safe outside, madame. ‘Did you search him?” - By way of answer, the inspector handed He’s hand- over the little green baize bag which had passed through so many hands" that eve- ning. My mistress made sure that its con- tents were intact. _ _“ Bring him in for a moment,” she said. 7 How different was the second entrance = of that man! The superboss, the man of mystery, had been brought low indeed. He had been unmasked, of course: one of his eyes was beginning to purple ‘and his lip was cut. Yet he still, showed traces of his power. He kept his head up doggedly, and he preserved his remarkable faculty for keeping his mouth shut. I recognized him now, and a great load “* Oh!” of astonishment was forced from my breast. It was John McDaniels, the head of the famous detective agency which had acquired such a name among the rich for the recovery of stolen valuables! Of course! Oi course! Now I began to see it all. As the inner workings of the scheme revealed themselves to me I was all agog with amazement. The detective agency was equally a part of the organization, of course. One department of the business tobbed the rich, and another department recovered their jewels—if the reward was sufficient. Furthermore, the outlawed part of the organization aided convicts to break prison, while the reputable part instantly ‘ran them down ” if their master was dis- pleased with them. How simple, how in- genious, how efficient! Eomicboo (E@) S