The Argosy, October 1906 — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

e- Be CAUGHT. pher—McKnight, I think he said his name was.’ “What do you want to see him for?” “To do something which I ought to have done long ago—get him to make us prints of this fellow with the close- cropped hair. He’s preserved the nega- tive probably. The pictures may help us a whole lot in our efforts to round up this bunch of mysterious foreigners.” They wént up to the fourteenth floor of the Mirror Building, where the art and photoengraving departments were situated. By rare good fortune McKnight hap- pened to be in. “Tf you'd arrived five minutes later you'd have missed me,” he said. “I was just about to go up-town to get a picture of an old woman who is celebrating her hundred and second birthday. What can I do for you, gentlemen?” “You were telling us the other day about the snap-shot you took for Du- pree,” replied the lawyer. ‘‘I suppose you haven’t destroyed the films, Mr. McKnight? 2 “Yes, I have. Unfortunately I spilt some chemicals on them when I made those prints for Dupree, and ruined both of them. It’s too bad, isn’t it? By the way, I can tell you something interesting about that picture. I had another ex- citing adv enture concerning it only an hour ago.” - “Vou did, eh?” said the lawyer ea- gerly.- = Tell us all about it please, Mr. McKnight.” “Well, I’ve heard from the man with the close- -cropped hairs” = “You have. In what way?” "Thad a visitor up here an hour ago. He was a tall, bearded, foreign chap, ~ spoke with a slight accent and had long, black hair reaching almost to his shoul- ders.” Packard” and - the: postmaster uttered an exclamation. of startled surprise. "What did- he. want of you, Mc- Knight—tell me a= > gasped the lawyer. = Zee asked 1 me a6 “same question you just -put—wanted to know if I had de- stroyed those films. Now, I was kind of suspicious of the chap, so, although those films were destroyed, E replied : __*What’s that ee to do with. you : 553 SFT give you a hundred dollars for the original films,’ was his answer. -_ “You can bet ce was sorry then that I’d spoiled them, but thinking to- have some fun with the fellow, I said, ‘I wouldn’t part with those films for a million dollars, my friend.’ ”’ ‘What did he By to that?” Packard eagerly. “He got very excited,” replied the* photographer. “A look of fear came over his face, a look of fear mixed with fury. ““*T’ve got to have them,’ he said ex- citedly. ‘I give you two hundred dol- lars for them.’ “What do you want them for?’ I asked him. - “* Never you mind what for I want them,’ he answered sharply. ‘I. must have them. Do you understand me?’ He spoke threateningly and there was a commanding look in his eye which raised my dander. -_ “Vou must have them, eh?’ said I. W ell, let me tell you, my dago, you won't get them.’ ‘There were some films lying on that table over there and I happened to glance toward them as _I spoke. The fool dago followed my glance and evi- dently thought they were the ones he was after. Before I could guess what he was going to do, he had sprung for- ward with a cry of triumph and seized them frenziedly. In his mad rush he kicked over a thousand-dollar enlarging camera and smashed it to pieces. “That was his finish. Five strong photcengravers rushed at him and grabbed him angrily. Well, he strug- gled furiously and it was all they could do to hold him. ‘ Get a cop, somebody,’ yelled the boss. ‘ We’ll send the crazy dago to prison for this.’ “When he heard that he was going to be arrested he struggled more des- perately than ever. He rolled all over the floor with the entire photoengraving asked -foree on top of him. Another ap- paratus was smashed and _ furniture kicked all over the place. _ It was a hot fight. But what do you think hap- pened in the struggle?” “What?” cried Packard and postmaster eagerly. “The foreigner was badly mussed up. the ecom : | | comicbooks