The Argosy, April 1912 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

BETWEEN TWO ALIBIS. killed him, struck him on the head as you would a dog, and left him there dead. Murdered! Murdered by you, Oliver Hazard. “You lie!” shouted Hazard. “Why you did this we shall establish sooner or later.”’ ce You—? PP] Hazard sprang to his feet, and was starting toward the chief when O’Brien reached out with the palm of his big hand, hit Hazard under the chin, and sent him flying back into his seat. Hazard lay crumpled there for a moment, and then straightened himself out, little angry blotches coloring his cheeks. He had never been struck that way before. “You have a temper, I see,’’ remarked the chief. Hazard did not reply. garded him musingly. “T think,” he said, “that you are hardly in the mood for conversation at present. We’ll keep-you with us here to-night, instead of sending you to the city prison, and in the morning, I imagine, you'll be more reasonable.” “Keep me here to-night!” cried Hazard. “Why not?” “But I have told you I am not guilty. You have nothing to prove that I was The chief re- guilty; no motive—nothing. Why, it’s absurd! You must see that. I have im- portant business to attend to. I shall be at my office or at my hotel if you should want me. Oh, I have no desire to run away. I have nothing to run away from, and no- where to run to if I had. You are a sen- sible man, chief. You certainly do not think I am guilty.” Chief Hawkins looked at steadily without replying. As a matter of truth, he was beginning to have a well founded idea that perhaps, after all, a mistake had been made, and that Hazard was as innocent of this crime as he himself was. Hazard’s whole bearing gave unequivocal hints of veracity. He certainly did not act either like a murderer or like a man who had anything to conceal. If he was play- the part of a good citizen, arrested on charges that were not well founded, he cer- tainly was a fine actor. And the chief knew enough about human nature to realize that Hazard was no actor, whatever else he was. A man of the criminal type Chief Haw- Hazard TT kins would have known how to handle, or even the man who beyond peradventure had committed an offense charged against him. But Hazard’s general demeanor had baffled him. He shook his head. “As I say,” he frowned, “you may be in a more reasonable mood to-morrow morn- ing. We'll try and see that you are.” Hazard was about to reply when there was a stir in the outer office. There came a knock at the door. “Come,” called Hawkins. ; The door swung open, and Schmuck, the watchmaker, accompanied by a detective, entered the room. “Ah,” said the chief, rubbing his hands, “here is Mr. Schmuck. Good morning, Mr. Schmuck. Have you ever seen this gentleman before?” Schmuck adjusted his eye-glasses, and looked at Hazard. Then he shook his head. “No,” he said finally, “I have never seen him. Not that I remember.” “What!” cried Hazard, leaping to his feet. “O’Brien,” roared the chief, “if that man speaks again until I tell him to, smash his head in.” O’Brien moved swiftly to Hazard’s side. “Now, then, Mr. Schmuck,” said the chief genially, “you say you never saw this man. He is charged with murder. He said he stepped in at your shop this morning to have a crystal put in his watch.” Schmuck uttered an exclamation. He stepped over and looked at Hazard closely. “Oh, yes,” he said; “he did.” “He did! You old fool! said he didn’t,” snarled the chief. “What do you mean? Be careful now. No lies.” “T’m not lying, chief. I didn’t recall when I first looked at him. But he cer- tainly did come into my shop this morning to have his watch fitted for a crystal.” “All right,’ was the ungracious reply. “ Now go on and tell us all about his visit.” You just CHAPTER VII. THE BOOMERANG. SCHMUCK wrinkled his brows, giving thé impression of a man who intends to strain all his faculties in the imterests of truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. “Well,” he began, “I had breakfast at the usual— ” COMmicloool< CO