The Argosy, October 1906 — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

- Sad : Bridger. ~ + BY — OF THE BLIND ALLEY, verily believe it was the man ahs broke ; into yeur house—came through that al- ley, cressed. the lot, came in here and up the path—and went straight through door into Professor Gorman’s l”? that house ! ~“" Nonsense, ° sir!” ““ There is no nonsense about it. in there now!” | “But, my dear fellow! z cried Mars- fand. “ ‘Prefessor Gorman——_—"_—_- He’s Zee don’t care aE he’s Ss an angel with | Wings!” — “ That oak 4 is under’ This = “and Tm going to get chim! ss “But I can’t “permit it. The pro- fessor has been steatly annoyed Sf an vers. What. will = Say to. me-—— tective, = ie you remain foe ‘and Sat of sight.” ” — house, and Marsland followed closely. “He tang the bell and a maid “opened the door. “Ts the. Jivieser at ‘home?’ Zs queried At the Sie of his voice a ver old, very benevolent, white-haired man ap- peared from the ‘study in the rear. “Tam Professor Gorman.” “T am a private detective—my riame is. Bridger, ‘May I search your house?” A Imomentary gasp of sheer amaze- ment, and = of the benevolence dis- “appeared. = ‘Hang 3 you, at Ts my “hotse. sup- posed to be a harbor for criminals: ? You, Mr. Marsland— “Mr. — er — = Bridger Believes, you know——” ~ : “T don’t Seve anything. I know. The burglar. who has been operating re- cently in Rockhaven is just now under your roof, professor. remain there, “if we. spend the evening ar- guing the. question, I cannot say. He’s here, however, at this moment, and I should very much: appreciate your kind and immediate, —— to ——— for Pe “My ape fan? My dear Mr. Mars- land!” stammered the professor. a why, I hardly know— | “Tf he’s not an “utter fort fool, he’ll be gone again in two or three minutes,” —— ase ur: ed and rine: for the front of — ‘beside it a shallew, sire - from Bering ; ; I have wonderful success merely skins upon frames. - How © Jong he'll. c . The ‘professor ano his head angrily. “Then go on with your ae sir, and I shall accompany you.” Without _ hesitation, Bridger walked straight to the rear of the house. complimentary as it may have been, he ran quickly threugh the library. _ Noth- ing was revealed. He tried the door at the rear; it opened under his hands and showed a long alleyway of green foliage and flow- ering plants. This, then, was the hot- house, Bridger stepped down and walked the ~ Jength of the place, glancing keenly un- der the benches. 3 He feund nothing whatever—the view across the fleer was unobstructed, and no place existed for the hiding of a man. At the end another door met him. He opened it witheut pause and strode into the professer’s aquarium. It was an odd apartment to be found in a dwelling. About the sides were glass tanks, filled with fish ef many kinds. A deep pool at the far end held a pair of seals, and muddy enclosure showed some half dozen alligators of different sizes, big and little, motionless and sleepy. For the moment Bridger stared around curiously, and the professor, noting* his interest, smiled benevolently again. = You are astonished at my ‘collection, Those seals were -brought down with them. The ’gators, too—what do you think of them?” ““They’re beauties, Bridger. ‘“ All alive?” “Oh, no. The two larger ones are That. one died befere I had had him a week, I’m sorry to say. The big fellow ever there was breught north in 1889. He died about seven years ago. The small one to the right——”’ But Bridger had returned to his mut- tons. He cut off the professor’s amiable I suppese,” said discourse with a nod, and looked about. Across the aquarium, a man was working at one of the tanks, and the detective called out: “Has any one been in here within the last five or ten minutes?” “Eh? No, sir.” The man looked up in astonishment. comicbooks.co 565°