The Argosy, October 1906 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

Sse = ag = ag = : * a Sf = = — <= Se Ss tow at whee Im sitting, Soe = yp m talking to a chap that thinks he’s : about as slick as they’re made—and I’m z = not a little bit impressed!” sneered. the sree big man. “You come up with that —— athe Vou confounded ruffian!” thun- ae dered Carter, rismg quickly. ‘“ I'll have = the police in here and you'll be thrown out of the door—or through that front | window—unless you get out!” 7 ey The other left his Ebeu and faced yates pees “Vou call in all the police: you like, and I won’t be thrown out until I’ve got that case tucked away in my inside— _ pocket. His hand was raised, and Carter’s SUP at bas) OP Ae Webs 7,8 tN a ae = Pe « , 7, / 7 » fein a ~ own hands were not loath, it seemed; to _. -_.accept the implied challenge. But Joyce suddenly stepped in be- tween the men, and the smaller compan- jon of the visitor dragged him back to Ree the chair. — _* “Now, now—gentlemen!” cried the = junior partner. “ This will not do at Be alk; you know! You sit down there, Car- i { Yt s ieee v a 2 ter, and don’t make an idiot of yourself. _ % see As for you, sir, I think Tost it would be See better for you to leave.” rs “Tl leave when = take that little -. _ Jeather case with me.’ Se “Tt isn’t hee better go 1 now.” eS (oat is- here and I’m not going!” was x - the reply. wae - Joyce Se eacaed his shoulders — = "stepped back; Carter was quite himself i= = aga. re NE man,” he said, to the belligerent ~ intruder, “ T ‘presume that you are in —_-your right mind and know what you're Se talking about.” gs “TY believe so,” retorted the other grimly. > “Therefore, I ask you to accept my ee “renewed assurance that I haven’t the Ee -_ Vaguest notion as to the whereabouts of _ this confounded leather box—past, pres- ace ent, or future—and I would ask you to = Fake that as my final word and go.’ == ANE you a expect me to do See 50 Pe pees = ee T hope. that you = I am very aes Se tly, as = settled: back e Sec You seem to possess a reasonable D’ye understand that!” You can’t use what you know and what — over the box and let’s call it settled. oe : ee amount — Se “sense_ e yourself—just ask : yourself whether the a you re offer aie ing isn’t a bit thine” — oS Carter raised his eyebrows, but was = =< silent. = ass 2 “Here you. go and find the tase. You - == look at it, and it looks like some one’s cS sample case, perhaps, or even a jewer case. You're a comparatively rich man, I should judge—you have no desire to retain it. Therefore you. “put the advers S 7 tisement in the paper. Then you come _ back here and grow curious—and_ finally | = open the box...And when you've seen — ==: what it really does contain, you decide, ee very naturally, that you'll hang on tet = That’s a pretty straight story, isn’t i= —= “As a story, very straight. It hap pens to be a long way from the truth. Se “ Qh, not so far, I guess. .Come, now. you have—I’ll block. that for you if ‘it~ takes every second of, my time for the”. next ten years. You’ll have no chance - = = to do what you want to do with it. I’m = telling you the- straight trath—why not = _hand it over?” SES = “ Because I don’t happen to have it -tepeated Carter wearily. = =e “ And you know nothing about it?” ee = Then maybe, Scie at that, eee ae recognize my name. It’s Benedict ! Bee eae See suddenly did the word come upon Ss Carter that he started very markedly. — SS So this was the Benedict mentioned oS — Rathbone and Ormsby! He wondered = less now that the old man had seemed so. frightened at the approach of Benedict; = but at least he had nothing to fear, He was about to speak when it grew = ‘apparent that the start had not passed es unnoticed. Benedict was groting 2s oa sae pleasantly. — Sees ‘Don’t know anything et eA dé <— v2 you? And yet you jump like a scared —S rabbit when you hear ay name! 2 = = “It was not—— — ZA “Of course not! poe What's” es the use of wasting words? You- know a where you stand and so do I. -Hand = “That is impossible.” patiently. a = eS Benedict glared at Kh for a ‘minute = : or two. The glare softened, then, to a= smile that was almost admiring. _ Carter si ighed = nT ¥/ coe iv = SS — 3 ae < — SS a a = 2 i le — = , 5 = ee ¥ Pm le * AE — ~ Lge Soe Te