The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

3175 4. “Get out of here, both of you,” he cried. Apponnetti’s hand stifled Mrs. Granger’s scream, and she allowed herself to be pushed _ toward the dining-room and into it, her daughter following, turning back a horrified glance over her shoulder. Lansing’s assailants, taken by surprise and viewing Lansing’s fortified position, had paused, deliberating. Rimini advanced with a revolver to the edge of the table and thrust it as close to Lansing as he dared, keeping in mind the poised weapon which the besieged one held in his hands. “Come out or I’ll shoot,” warned the baron. Lansing laughed at him. “Why don’t you shoot then?” he jeered. “Why? “Because you don’t dare. You want to do your murdering in the quiet places. Here you might get caught at it. Shoot any time you like.” Apponnetti, hovering in the background, moved to the dining-room door and closed it. Rimini beckoned to Clarkin and pointed to one side of the table, to which one of the pair of brutes moved. The other re- mained at the center and Rimini took the other flank. Then, with concerted move- ment, the table was pushed inward in an ~ attempt to pin Lansing against the window casement. But the Discobolus descended with crash- ing force, narrowly missing one of the hands which was withdrawn in the nick of time. But a great piece was gouged out of the table. Thereupon one of the assailants picked up a small onyx clock and hurled it at Lansing’s head. He saw it in time to dodge and the missile went beyond him, shatter- ing the glass of the window and falling to the street below. ; Lansing then released one hand from the statue, reached down and seized a metal card receiver. It left his hand with the speed of a baseball, and Lansing had the satisfaction of seeing it land fair on the luminous brow of Rimini, who slumped over backward to land on the floor, where he lay still. The room was immediately filled with cries of rage. One of the husky pair, leap- ing forward, clutched Lansing by the breast _ of his shirt, just as Lansing delivered a blow on the fellow’s shoulder. It was a fearful blow, and the man fairly screamed with pain, his hand at the same time falling from 693 Lansing’s breast with the entire front part of the silken garment in its fingers. Lan- sing had just time to aim another blow at the sprawling form when he caught a flash of steel and saw the man’s side-partner diving forward, knife in hand. With lightning-like alteration of aim, Lansing caught the descending hand a glancing stroke and sent the knife flying into a corner of the room. The attacking force now retreated, the man with injured shoulder swinging it around his head, as though to restore feel- ing, cursing the’while in French. The other, whose hand had been struck, was fingering it, as though searching for broken bones. At this point the dining-room door flew open and Helen Granger stepped out. “T shall not permit this any longer. There will be a murder here. I command you to let this man go.” ‘You do not know what you are saying,” cried Apponnetti. ‘These men are officers of the law and this fellow is resisting ar-~ rest. The affair is out of my hands.” He nodded to one of the ill-favored pair, who immediately stepped up to the girl and laid his hand upon her arm, as though to lead her back to the dining-room. She threw his hand aside and faced Lan- sing. ‘Will you submit to be arrested if these men lay aside their weapons and promise not to hurt you?” Lansing’s face was set in a scowl. He was seeing red. ‘“Y’ll do nothing of the sort. These men are not police. Do you not know what an American detective looks like? These men are murderers, thugs. You low damn scoundrels, V’ll show you what it means to _ do me up.” With a short sharp cry he pushed th table from in front of him and leaped out whirling and brandishing the bronze statue like a maddened Dervish. He had no idea of escape now. He was filled with no thought but that of wiping this band of cutthroats off the earth. Before his assailants could recover from their astonishment he was upon them, the very epitome of lithe, hard-hittiag, venom- ous fury. His first blow sent one of the hulking creatures to the floor like an ox. Apponnetti, who seized a poker from .the fireplace, struck wildly, the brazen imple- ment glancing off Lansing’s cheekbone, in- flicting a cut, which, however, was not suf- ip COPMICLOOKS (E@)