The Argosy, January 1906 — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

NO WAY OUT. it was some friend of Rosa’s, or maybe a servant. “ What on earth they wanted to take a third party along for, when it only in- creases their chances of capture, I can- not imagine. They are a fine pair of young fools, and no mistake.” He began to pace impatiently up and down the floor of the waiting-room. “IT suppose this is more or less a wild-goose chase [’m embarking on,” he mused. “The devil knows where they may have got to by this time. I suppose the chances are one in a thou- sand that I shall find them. It’s worse than looking for a needle in a hay-stack. And yet ’m going to catch them sooner or later. I’m determined upon that. I’ve faced tougher situations than this in my time and won out, and why should my luck go back on me now, I should like to know?” Iiven as he asked himself this ques- tion, he saw something which startled him so that he staggered backwards and the dress-suit case fell from his hand. Magnificent as was his habitual self- control, it was-not proof against this surprise. Tor, coming from the direction of the trains and wending his way through the crowds in the waiting-room, a tall young man was advancing toward where he stood. There could be no mistake about it at all. For a second Perriam was in- clined to believe that his eyes had played him a trick, but as every step brought the other man nearer, all doubts vanished. The tall young man was Arthur Ladd, fugitive from justice, wanted by the police on a charge of wilful murder, and yet walking almost unconcernedly through the crowded waiting-room of a railroad station in the heart of New York. -Perriam did not stop to ask himself what this could mean. Without even stopping to pick up his fallen dress-suit case, he stepped for- ward and confronted this unlooked-for apparition. * Arthur Ladd,” he said quictly, half believing that the other man would dis- own the name. * Hello, Perriam!’ exclaimed the 301 other heartily. “Iam glad to see you ” —and he held out his hand, but it re- mained outstretched in the air, for Per- riam pretended not to see it. “So you believe in that ridiculous charge, too, eh?” said Ladd, flushing at the open slight. “ You think J mur- dered that wretched jeweler, eh? Well, you can think what you like, my boy, but I’m innocent, and some day I shall be able to prove it.” He turned haughtily on his heel and was about to depart, but the reporter laid a restraining hand upon his shoul- der. | “ Not so fast, young man,” he said in « calm, cold voice. “ If you wanted to run away, you should never have come back here. You must have been crazy to have returned when you had got safely off. However, now that you are here, you’re going to stay. I give vou a choice of cither accompanying me quietly down to police headquarters or of being turned over to the first uni- formed policeman we find outside.” “Oh, I don’t object to accompany- ing you,” said Ladd, with a bitter laugh. “I came back to town to give myself up. I’m not going to run away from the charge. I was foolish enough to allow myself to be persuaded into leaving town yesterday, but I saw the folly of my course as scon as I stepped off the train, and I took the very next one back, determined to give myself up. I’m ready to stand trial on this ridicu- Jous murder charge. Ill go down to headquarters with you right now. Come along.” Perriam looked at his _ prisoner searchingly. He appeared to be sin- cere. “Tf you attempt any funny business, I want to warn you that ’m- armed and ~ intend to shoot,” he said quietly, pat- ting his hip-pocket. Ladd shrugged his shoulders by way of answer. Perriam called a cab, and they drove down-town to Mulberry Street. During all that ride neither man said a word. Perriam would have liked to ask Ladd what had become of Rosa, but somehow or other he shrank from men-~ tioning the girl to his successful rival in love. comicbook com