Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

/ ALIAS THE ANGLEWORM. listens to lectures on it. I wonder how many typewriters he has to sell a day to get hold of so much fleece? Golden fleece,” ruminated Mr. Bugbee enviously—“ that’s what he said was the kind that bought chips in. a poker game. ‘“‘ And be was talking about Jase Tred- way, too. Lord knows, he ain’t never had much golden fleece, ‘less’n he fleeced somebody else out of it. If he hadn’t been nephew to the city marshal, they’d locked him up long ago, instead of lettin’ him pull all that raw stuff in the poker game. He'll come to some bad end yit!”’ Mr. Bugbee, caressed his chin more vigor- ously. ‘“‘ Business,” he told himself, “‘ must be awful good when a typewriter salesman smokes s@egars like this. Business means money, ’nd money is another name for golden fleece.” He was still staring up at the centerpiece as if it might be interested in the trite truths purveyed by one who deemed him- self only a little angleworm, with an ag- gressive temperament. CHAPTER VI. “ INSPECTOR ” BUGBEE SEEKS EVIDENCE. ME BUGBEE roused from his long, long reverie, and became a man of action. He came out of the hotel office, crossed the lobby, and went up-stairs with a celerity that suggested he was “bent and deter- mined ” on using methods to “ roust out ” his guest and get him into the poker game as spectacular as the guest had used in try- ing to sell a typewriter to Cashier Phelps. Mr. Bugbee knew what Jimmy had done in the bank, down to the most minute de- tail. Mike Bums, the sandy-haired, slender - paying teller of the First National, who bad been talking with Mr. Bugbee when Jimmy fmished his supper, had retailed a veracious and first-hand account of the opening epi- sode in Jimmy Stuart’s Coalport career. Mike Burns had not stopped with the facts to which he was an eye-witness. He also voiced opinions of Jimmy, opining he might be advance man for a gang of burglars. .4 Arcosy 401 “Take it from me, Tim, I’m right. He didn’t come into our bank to sell a type- writer at ali. That was only his ‘ cluck.’ ” Mr. Bugbee was not inclined to credit it. ‘““T sent him over,” he explained. ‘“ He asked me the name of the big smoke, and { told him Henry Phelps. He’s got too much money and he smokes too good see- gars for a burgilar’s job.” “Maybe I’m wrong,” said Mike thought- fully. “I hope I am wrong. He’s shining up to Viv Baldwin. I know Viv and I know Norm, her brother. I like Viv my- self. I was out to her house and spent an evening a few nights-ago. If this fellow is wrong, then we ought to look out for Viv — until Norm comes home. Don’t youAhink so?”’ Recalling Mr. Stuart’s mention of a girl he liked well cntiien 10 give &..g00d Cigar, Mr. Bugbee agreed. “We'll keep an eye on him, thén,”’ said Mike, “ and also keep this strictly between us, unless we get something on him that might look good to the authorities. Norm is too white a boy to come back and find Viv all snarled up by some fresh drummer.” Mr. Bugbee promised. It was just here that Jimmy, emerging from his supper, spying what he had pre- viously termed a little ‘“ bantam,” took a slaat.at his shoes. Mr. Bugbee remembered this conversa- tion, in detail, after he also concluded that his guest, after a series of maneuwers almost as peculiar as those in which he had in- duiged in the bank, had suddenly broken off their talk. It now seemed to the clerk that maybe the guest was trying to divert Mr. Bugbee’s attention from what might be his real pur- pose in coming to Coalport. Hence, Mr. Bugbee decided to do a little s inspecting. sd His note for oat money was shortly due in the First National, and Mr. Burns might aid him in renewing it, if he aided Mr. Burns. Reaching Room 36, Mr. Bugbee applied his eye to the keyhole, noting a light shin- ing through the calico mask over the tran- som. The key was in the lock, so Mr. Bugbee next applied his ear. comic VOO S CO inn