The Argosy, October 1906 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

LE LO CKED = CASE a= = € “arter’s 'S expression: was inscrutable. pees The -other hitched uncomfortably. “See here, sir, has Rathbone been here?” ; “Tt is not capone? — = Then—say! Did you give him the eget 2 é ~“T did not.” “ Honest?” cried Ormsby eagerly. \ ‘““T said that I did not.” . Ormsby regarded him| keenly for a moment. He slapped his thigh and burst into uproarious laughter. That’s great! “Well, by George! On my word, that’s great! When did you. tumble?” “Tumble to what?” = To: the contents of the box, of ‘course.’ 3 ao : = —. were ae contents of the box?” asked Carter again, and suddenly. “Oh, get- out!” Ormsby chuckled good- naturedly. “You don’t know— of course you‘don’t know! ‘That’s why « you stood off poor old Rathbone! ” The inscrutable expression was main- tained only by a struggle; curiosity ‘such z as he had rarely known was ee S=- Within -Catter, = = ~~“ Look here, | now,” “Ormsby -_ briskly. “Vou think you've got a line on the whole Sa don’t you?” “Um, um.’ : | «Well, you ‘haven’ t! $ my word for it, you haven’t. You don’t know ‘the: inside of the thing as I do, a = The inside of what? . ~ “© Pish}” tésponded Mr. Ormsby toler- -antly. “But you don’t and -you can take that as a cold fact! Oh, I know what you've got—or what you think . < you've got. Say, I suppose I know more ZF about | it than any man, barring Rath- Be bone and Benedict—and, of course, the : ~~ other parties.” ~~ Benedict! The other parties ! : = were they? Who was Benedict ? fe Carter scowled; he was very near to Who being bafiled—indeed, he was baffled, and - a Te: admitted it to himself. And having a admitted it, he found himself very impa- tient at frittering away so many valuable 3 a | ees minutes over an affair in which shed eK ea ; _ * = =. “began. ee can takeg, -—that’s all. us that I know nothing whatever about the “My ree sir, I suppose all his =s > rather. foolish m bound to admit that a it is the result only of curiosity on gS = part. I may as well be frank with you.” pies oo ieee Ormsby looked up in some 3 astonishment. 2 ‘IT haven’t the case-at all!” =< 6 What! ” ‘“ More than mee I have never seen Be 1 es 5 19 = “Oh, come now— ‘““And I don’t know the first ae about the matter, save what I have | gleaned from you and a very excitable — person who left just before your ar-_ rival,” = “You mein Roareeene LS ‘That was the name he gave.” Carter bent his gaze upon the specifi- cation papers, with the studied absorp- — tion which business associates understood — as dismissal. : But Ormsby was not one of his busi- ness’ associates; he brought his chair nearer to the desk. : -““But, my dear fellow, you inserted — that advertisement! You described the case perfectly! You told people to ap- ply to you—and here I am! Certainly, — you never conjured up such a perfect de- x scription out of thin air!” = “T don’t know who had that notice = printed—I didn’t!” es: = ‘“You—bosh, Mr. Carter!” =F The amazed expression gave way to one of incredulity—nay, more, of flat : —— disbelief. Carter was a little astonished. = Why—bosh? Ss 2 ‘Oh, we understand all that,” laughed Ormsby. ‘‘I see precisely how the matter stands, man! Lord, can’t ET _ look through a stone when there’s a nice, | big hole bored in the center?” = “Which means that you don’t believe Sx me: ? ”? : — . “Oh, we wouldn’t put it so Ararshig= as all that,” chuckled the other. “ You are a bit absent-minded for the moment “T am not at all absent- minded. Mr. Ormsby. When I tell you that I- kno nothing whatever about the case and advertisement, it is the ee fact. You — com niles Pes