The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

THANKS TO THE 5B. R. -f, starting after him as he sped quickly to the rear. The beer bottles were still there, half filled! One twitch sent Dr. Bowen’s hand into his cash pocket. Another brought it out with several white pellets between the finger-tips! A third caused the other hand to flit over the beer bottles. Then Dr. Bowen, giving thanks to the man who invented the ‘“ blow-up ” prep- aration in hypodermic tablets which ~ causes their quick solution, tore after the other two and reached the kitchen not ten feet behind them! His little blaze was doing nobly; at first glance the flames seemed to be break- ing through from the cellar. Consumed with apparent excitement, Dr. Bowen bumped into both gentlemen before they had even found the light, establishing his presence with them should calmer after- thought cause one or the other to review the happening. And now, while the smaller man switched on the lights, the chauffeur stamped industriously at the blaze—and it was gone! “Was that only—a paper on fire?” Dr. Bowen cried breathlessly, dabbing at his brow. “ That was—just a paper,” the chauf- feur answered, looking at him. “And I got a sneaking suspicion that you—” ‘Well, I don’t know the idea of all — this, as you’re aware,” Dr. Jim said, very energetically, “and I’d about given up trying to find out when I smelled that smoke. But by gad! if my life’s going to be imperiled by a couple of half- drunken thugs throwing matches around, [ll start something in here that they’ll hear outside! Get that?” The chauffeur’s too intelligent gaze, puzzled though it might be, wandered from the charred fragments back to Dr. Bowen. “You won’t start anything, mister,” he said. ‘“ And I got an idea you lit that up!” “Have all the idiotic ideas you like, but stop throwing matches around!” Dr. Bowen retorted with an angry little laugh. “I’ve been treated to enough insanity for one night, my man. I’m not going to be roasted without making some noise, believe me!”’ = Why, how could he light that up, Joe?” the smaller man asked, ‘with what seemed reason. ‘“‘He come down the front way; we could ’a’ heard him if he came down back and—-why would he ’a’ done it?” Dr. Jim, calm returning, turned back to the hallway. ‘““ Mice started it, if you didn’t, I suppose,” he said briefly. ‘‘ Look around and pick up any other papers that are lying about.” The chauffeur gazed after him for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. Dr. Jim, without a backward glance, but with divers angry mutterings, returned slowly to the stairway, paused to look over the floor of the billiard-room, and called sharply: “One of your cigarettes has fallen to the floor. There’ll be another blaze in there in a minute. Look after it, you!” Then he mounted the stairway, to the region of the thick carpets—and stopped. He could hear them better from this point than anywhere else. He waited as their steps returned to the billiard-room and clattered about the hardwood floor. He heard their mumbled discussion, as to just what had caused the queer little fire and, very shortly, grinned to himself as their limited intellects discarded the matter as immaterial and of no further interest. The chairs scraped, and there was some discussion as to the cards which had been laid aside hastily at the alarm. Two minutes of highly profane argument and the matter was compromised by another deal; five minutes of muttering followed that, and then, after a brief silence, came the sound he had been waiting for—the thump of an empty bottle, set. on the floor! _ “Any more suds out there?” the chauf- feur’s voice inquired. CORMGCEOOOLKS <T 37 . (6)