Argosy, Vol. 112, No. 2 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

THE SECOND-SEER. mind than she could read Chinese. She’s tricked you, and the mayor and everybody else, into believing she was a bear-cat at telepathy. She’s just a plain telephone girl, and a crook at that!” ‘““ Hey, now, just a minute!” interrupted the chief. ‘‘ You can’t tell me anything about Ruth Mauve. There was another gink tried to say what you’re saying about her, and he got in bad. She’s a clever little woman, and a friend of mine. I know her personally.” ‘But you don’t know how she works her telepathy stunt,” said Togley, unperturbed. “You think all she’s gotta do is to * con- centrate,’ and wave her fingers through the atmosphere and get on report with you. Look at this, chief!” Togley produced from his pocket a cop- per plate, a coil of fine insulated wire and a miniature telephone receiver. ‘What is it?” asked Broggan, reluctant- ly beginning to display interest. ‘This copper plate came off the center of the stage, front, at the Majestic The- ater,” grinned Togley. ‘‘ This coil of wire came out of Ruth Mauve’s good-looking clothes. This receiver came off one of her shell-like ears, where it was hid under her fluffy chestnut hair and a silk blindfold. I managed to get hold of part of the outfit before they left.” Chief Broggan seemed on the verge of seeing a great light. “Well, what t’ell did you have to do with it?” he demanded testily. “Oh! I was the unseen spirit! I was the guy who read the messages out to her over her dinky little telephone, and told her who it was when some well-known fish wrote her a question. You see, they shot the little slips down a chute to me, under the stage, where I had a special peephole Be sure to follow 299 to observe the mystified boobs in the audi- ence. Everybody thought all the time the real questions was in the hat, all sealed up in envelopes, but they was using dummy slips to wave over Ruth’s busy little dome. ‘‘ All Ruth had to do was to sit down in a certain place, and put her foot on this cop- per plate in the floor. There was another plate on the sole of her dainty shoe, and that made-a connection. She could walk all over the house, if she wanted to, just so she came back to the little copper p‘ate that rang my private number. Pretty nifty for telepathic stuff, hey?” The chief bit the corners of his mustache and looked troubled. ‘“ Look here!” he growled. ‘ I want the truth: What did you know about the alder- man from the Fourth Ward?” Togley smiled delightedly. ‘Say, chief, that was great! I swore I’d get next to that snake Bendleworth for can- ning me. Never mind how I got the tip from the police commission that he had pre- ferred charges. But I knew if that old Fourth Ward ghost ever walked it would get Bendleworth’s goat. I didn’t know a thing, chief, but I worked with him on that little case, and I just suspected. Honest, is that why he quit?” The chief nodded. ‘Say, Togley,” he proposed. ‘“ You want a good job on the force, don’t you? A sort of—we’ll say, chief of detectives? Well, it’s yours. And you’re gonna forget this — er — Ruth Mauve business, ain’t you?” Togley looked hurt. ‘But chief—” “* Ain’t you?” ‘Sure chief. But I don’t see why—” ‘“She done me a good turn,” said Chief Broggan. “The Red Road” _ BY GEORGE C. SHEDD Author of “Cold Steel,” etc. September 27 Gomichbooks (EO) —-- a ee Be Ss