Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

104 “ T heard last night,’ I objected. * That’s because of the transom,” the woman said. ‘“ You opened it for that camera. But Pasqual didn’t know you’d opened it. I told him about the camera this morning, and about that opened tran- som, and—nom de Dieu—you should have seen him turn color. He thought you’d taken his picture!”’ These revelations were of such a serious nature that Cronk and I determined to in- vestigate them further. It was a simple matter to order that Mexican down to the hall and question him. He was obviously afraid of Cronk and me, and we had good reason to believe that a little pressure would make him say some- thing to incriminate himself. Miss Shirley followed us out into the hall. She wanted to be present, she said. I was somewhat averse to this, as [ knew that with her moral protection the mozo might not be sufficiently intimidated. But the girl insisted, and her old Mexi- can mozo, when he eame downstairs, looked up to her whimpering and begging her not to leave him alone with us. She had no intention of leaving him alone, I could see that. She stayed in the hall with us, guarding him like a mother protecting a recalcitrant boy who is being catechized by the police. I did my best, however, to get the upper hand of the sniveling little wretch. “We have a photograph that was taken of you last night,” I said. Miss Shirley looked up at me in sur- prise. ‘‘ Is that true?” she asked. I disregarded her question. “ You were in the judge’s room, counting money. Py- thagoras Awls was in there, too.” That last statement, although I did not know it when I said it, was the one thing that broke the old mozo. The fact is every- thing I had said was the plain truth, de- spite the fact that I was only guessing at it. “Tf these things are not true, Pasqual,” his mistress said gently, “ you have the right to deny them. And I will give you a chance to prove they are wrong.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ligerent Maizie, and then back again to his mistress. ‘What have you to say?” Cronk asked. “If you have a photograph, sehors—” he began. “Our photograph makes a denial rather futile, doesn’t it, now?” I said.- “* Si, senor.” “Very well, nial.” ““ How can I mak the denial?” he whim- pered. “You can’t. That’s just it. agree that you were in there. where’s the old Negro, Awls?” The little mozo burst out suddenly, tak- ing on a sort of desperate vehemence as he realized he was caught: ‘‘ How do I know, por Dios? The black—he is no frand of mine. Where he is, Heaven knows, not me, Pasqual! In the Fires, perhaps.”’ “Who sent him to the Fires?” “The Diablo incarnate!” Pasqual cried as if from the depths of his heart. “Tf Awls is found dead—in the bayou— or somewhere about this house, do you realize who will be blamed?” He looked up, bewildered, and after rack- ing his poor, bewildered old brains over my statement, he cried out: “You mean me—Pasqual—you mean I kill thees black man to death? Ees a lie, por Dios. I swear by the angels abov’—what do I know of thees black man? Some one leap upon him—si—I hear that wis my ears. The light she is blow’ out; the Negro he is cry lak the death cry.” “And who do you think it was that leaped upon him?” I asked. He took courage at this. It was the first indication I had given of not bullying him into confessing the murder himself. He looked up at his mistress, and his trembling lips stiffened slightly as his cour- age came back. Then he said: “The Maestro—he is come back from the Fires to kill us all! He is come back last night to kill thees black hombre!” We did not answer for a moment. The fact is Shirley and Cronk seemed to be then. You make no de- Let’s all Now, then, only too ready to believe what the mozo = The mozo’s lips quivered. His one good | had. said. Maizie and I still went on the =a eye roved te ss eas his mistress Lee —* She a > . ~ bp , ry’ eA ayaa 5 U Aas \ ee te ae cone ; Be S bi = ae Net Sas F ¥ el comicbooks.com