The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

750 pronounced the name of a first-class foreign power in a voice hushed with awe and ven- eration. ‘My guess as to your nationality was also wrong,” remarked Fosdick soberly. ‘Very well, Mr. Synka, if you are disposed to meet my conditions, we will go on with the present transaction. You'll pardon me, I’m sure, if I verify the amount of the pay- ment.” He took the satchel from the willing hand of the little man and removed a packet of the money. “Each of. these contains, thousand dollars,” he said. “Yes, a thousand,” agreed Synka, who was now on his knees by the suit-case, ard- ently fingering the plans and uttering little exclamations of delight. “Tf you don’t mind waiting till I get out of here, Synka,” said the lieutenant sud- denly, “I wish you’d delay your celebra- tion. I’m still sensitive and the sight of those things makes me ill.” The little man got up and looked at him inquiringly. A scarcely perceptible gleam of suspicion crept into his eyes. ‘You are now too deep in the conspiracy, my friend, for me to have any fear of you,” he said craftily, “but I warn you to keep faith with me in every respect. Men in my profession are essentially desperate in a it appears, a crisis. I wonder, now, if we should have left that window open! We have spoken softly, but—” He paused; then, before Fosdick appre- hended his intention, glided swiftly to the window and pulled down the opened sash, dragging the tweed coat from the sill as he did so. Fosdick uttered a smothered imprecation, and at the same instant Synka cried out, in wild alarm. His eye had fallen upon a small, silk-covered wire which ran out of a pocket of the coat and extended over the sill and downward. With the darting quickness of a snake the little man let go the coat and whipped out an automatic, beating Fosdick’s hand to his own hip-pocket by a second. The lieutenant knew that the time for parley and strategy had passed; that fin- gers do not dwell long upon triggers in such crises. With his left hand he let drive the satchel of money, hard at Synka’s head. Its impact sounded synchronously with the sharp “ping” of the automatic, and as ‘to hear this! THE ARGOSY. the small steel projectile whirred past his ear so close that he felt the air which it displaced, he saw the little man topple backward and fall over a chair. In the same breath he threw himself upon him, holding him down and grappling the wrist of the hand that still clutched the dangerous weapon. The sound of hurrying feet came from beyond the door, and then there was a loud knock upon the panel. “Break it down!” shouted Fosdick. There was a great thud, a splintering crash, and the door burst inward. Colonel Thurston, Captain Waters and an artillery sergeant sprang into the room, and Fosdick, wresting the pistol from the hand of the helpless spy, stood up and saluted. The elderly commandant of the fort — looked at the little man whose swarthy face was distorted with fright and rage, and smiled grimly. “Put your handcuffs on this fellow, ser- geant,” he ordered, ‘“‘and take him to the fort with your squad. “Fosdick,” he went on, turning to the dieutenant, ‘“‘we arrived in the room below just in time to get all we-needed of your conversation, and it was exactly what we wanted. You did a handsome piece of work, Fosdick, and you won’t lose anything by ) Captain Waters stood open-mouthed with amazement. ‘By Gad! Harry,” he cried, ‘‘I’m happy But I’m bewildered. The colonel—begging your pardon, colonel! — put it over on me. Until a moment ago I thought we were running you down as a traitor. I’m blessed if I understand the game even now!”’ Colonel Thurston patted Fosdick affec- tionately on the back. ‘Secrecy has been the keynote of this affair, Waters,” he said. ‘‘For some weeks Harry Fosdick has been engaged in per- forming a very valuable service to his coun- try. The man with whom the sergeant is now engaged in the hall is one of the craft- iest military spies in the world. He has ob- tained important information in past years by working upon the susceptibilities of cer- tain poor fellows to whom money meant the breath of life. We knew that he would be after plans of the new defenses, so we de- cided that the best bait for a trap would be a man notoriously down on his luck. GomiGcbdooks (C@)