Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

“YOUVE KILLED PRIVACY !” know what I’m up to. He wouldn’t stand for murder. But I’ve got a strangle hold on him. ‘To-morrow night I’m going to find out whether he knows where Ward’s secret is, and ] may be able to get hold of it through him. If that doesn’t work, we'll make a final try at the house, and then I'll pass the word to touch off the TNT mines that we’ve laid under the International plants. I think that’s all for to-night. You fel- lows can drift now and keep under cover till you get a call for another meeting.” Again Redfern switched off the light, and in the darkened room there was the scarcely audible sound of men stealing cautiously out into the night one by one. At length, Redfern was alone. The master crook turned to a big cabinet that stood beside the old-fash- ioned fireplace at the end of the room. This was the only modern touch in the antique apartment. It contained a complete small radio outfit, both a receiving and sending set, of the latest new Pigmy models. Red- fern put on the ear phones and listened to the reports of the Ward bombing coming in from a local news service, as obtained at police headquarters. As he heard the baffling account of what the police had found in Ward’s private suite, or rather what they had not found, his face took-on a puzzled expression. “* Now, what the hell does that mean —no trace of a body found?” he rumi- nated. ‘‘ Something queer about this I can’t dope out. I wonder if that boy got wise somehow, and put up a job on us? I wonder if Coddington got onto something and has been double crossing me? JI wonder if I made a mistake calling on Coddington in his office that day? That little girl secre- tary of Ward’s came in and gave me the once-over, I remember, and | didn’t like the look on her face when she went out? I wonder if she had me placed ?” 165 In the midst of his musings he was interrupted by another thud on the roof directly over his head, followed . by a piercing scream, as of a man in mortal agony. Then there was a sound as of a heavy body rolling down the shingles, and a crashing fall in the yard outside the window. Redfern stood listening, breathless and hesitant. For several minutes he waited for some other sound, his auto- matic in his hand ready for instant use. At length, when no other sound came, he stole softly to the door and opened it gradually, until he was able to ease his body through. Cautiously, little more than an inch at a time, he worked his way around to the spot where he had heard the final fall. There his toe struck something yield- ing, and he heard a groan in the grass at his feet. He bent low and turned on a flash light cautiously. It was Ivan, whom he had sent up to the ridgepole to keep guard. The fellow lay on his back, staring up at Redfern, his face twisted with pain and terror. “God in heaven, I saw him!” the injured man gasped. ‘Saw who?’” Redfern demanded. “His ghost! Ward’s ghost floating toward me on the ridgepole! Scared me so I fell!” A tremor shook the broken man, and he ceased breathing. Redfern lis- tened for a moment, his ear to the chest, then straightened up with a smothered oath. ‘What in the devil’s name am I up against, anyway?” he muttered, and stooping he picked up the broken body in his arms, and staggered off with it through a small gate in the rear of the little hedge-inclosed lot. VILL. - To return to Edison Ward, this morning, after his supposed murder and miraculous resurrection, he com- COPMIC OOO KS (E@)