Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

446 course. He simply lifted one on an occasion when a second lieutenant was careless. CHAPTER VI. CRASHING A LOFT, HREE days after his conversation with Korbeck and following cer- tain preliminary investigations of his own Nick spoke with one of his as- sociates in the pool room. “{ want five of you birds to-night,” Nick announced. In the newspapers a gangster’s as- sociates are usually referred to as con- federates, which is a libel on a sacred word; or as other thugs, or in some other way that strangely avoids. the proper connotation. The right word is friend. A burglar mob is usually bound to- gether by the loose fetters of friend- ship, not a very lasting tie as a rule in spite of all that poets have written, ~ but a firm one while it lives. “It’s a fur job,” explained Nick. “Can we get Owen to go with us? He knows the fur racket hke I know pool balls.” “Til ast him.” “And how about that plumber’s helper across the street? We got to get through a wall. We need crow- bars.”’ “Tl ast him.” | “No. Don’t ast him. Tell him I want to see him.” “* All right.” This particular friend of Nick was pitted with the scars of smallpox and chewed incessantly, not tobacco, which is the attribute of supposedly tough men, but chewing gum. — ™ Now,” prompted Nick, “ we'll need a car, so go out and pick one up. Get a Caddy, and be back here with it by eleven o’clock, ready to start.” At eleven Nick’s manner was that of the anxious host attending to all the details of a poker party, rather than ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, that what the general public and stage directors believe to be the pre-crime manner of a head burglar. At five minutes past eleven Nick was relieved toy hear through the side windows of his abbey the unmistakable sound of that particular eight cylin- dered car which he and like minded persons favor for daring work -that sometimes requires reliable speed. “Come on, you fellows,’ ordered Nick, to four youths who were as self- conscious as if they had been going to a ball whére> they would meet only their social superiors. “ Let’s move.” As he led-the clattering squad down the narrow flight of wooden stairs to the street, Nick’s breast was filled with a feeling like that which has exalted leaders of men in all sorts of enter- prises since the first raid of one group of cave men on some of their fellows. The ability to feel it, to taste intox- ication frem its blood tingling quality is that thing which is variously called leadership, executive ability and bossi- ness. Nick had it in a virulent form. He loved authority so well he some- times spoke pleasantly to people he would have preferred to curse. “Stop by Lefty’s room on Third Avenue, Johnny,” said Nick to his smallpox friend. “ Lefty’s tools are there, and take your time. We got two nights and a day to do this job. “T sent Harry on ahead to get ac- quainted with a smoke watchman. If he can cook the: watchman with the bottle I gave him we won’t even have to whisper on this job. “This is gonna be good. There'll be a fur coat for everybody’s frail. And real jack!’ Nick was beginning to feel some of that enthusiasm for his work that made the risks of such undertakings seem mild in contrast. That lusty hunger that on occasion drives all of us out to look for buried treasure, to get something for nothing, was working in his blood like a ferment. . The car, after traversing the nar- COPMICLOOOKS (E@)