Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 2 — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

ry = him, he felt that these men were close upon him. Convinced that he could not escape without being seen (there was the driver outside to reckon with, too), he was cursing himself for a brainless, meddlesome fool, when his glance encountered a stairway rising to the first floor. A bound or two carried him to these steps, and he was half- -way up. the flight’ before the men entered, in some mysterious manner. They passed swiftly through the cellar, so that Alan—grateful for the dark- ness—was able shortly to resume his climb. He finished it without delay; turned the key which he found in the door; and again found himself -in the corridor. Alan’s present desire, however, was to quit the House of the Echo at the earliest possible moment. He seemed in a fair way toward achieving his aim, when the girl of the rose stepped from the dining-room into his path. The moment she saw him, she paused—and Alan had no alternative but to do likewise. She opened with a full battery of smiles, together with the admiring exclamation: “ That certainly was some playing! You ‘ got that moth-eaten old guy that calls him- self a violinist skinned a mile—lI’ll tell the world!” Alan was spared the blush of modesty, only by the unexpected appear- ance of the Echo, The stern mistress of the House seemed grimly surprised, as well as exasperated. Her eyes flashed a dangerous warning to Zelda that sent the handsome young lady scurrying away, evidently perturbed, but muttering resentfully to herself: ‘‘ Do be- lieve the old hell-cat’s jealous!’ Meanwhile, the Echo looked narrowly at the discomfited young musician, ‘“T thought you’d gone, some time ago,” she said shortly. Muttering something about having mis- laid his hat, Alan bade her a prompt good- night and hurried toward the exit. The Echo gazed ruminatively after him. ~ Presently, she walked to the Caen s desk in the dining-room. “Charles, have a man on aii at all times in the lower hall, and see that he re~ ports to you when anybody enters or leaves the House, she instructed—adding: ‘Let THE HOUSE OF THE ECHO, 227 me. know personally of any unnecessary loitering.” Alan, having reached the porch, and feel- ing somewhat chagrined at his bungling, glanced toward the auto truek. What he saw, astonished him immeasurably. The vehicle—if it were the same one—had ef- fectively camouflaged its appearance! From an auto express, it seemed to have been. converted into a grocer’s. delivery au- tomobile. While he looked, the driver whisked a canvas cover over the top, fast- ening it snugly. Of a sudden, the fellow sprang to his seat, threw in the clutch; and—with a short blast of the horn—the truck rolled off at all speed. Soon. afterward, a man leaped up the cellar steps and started to close the cellar-door. Before this could be accom- plished, however, a pair of heavy-footed strangers. came pelting along; barking the command: “ Leave that door open!” They reached into their pockets as they followed the first individual down into the cellar. Alan still was waiting at the end of - the porch, directly above the cellarway, when the two reappeared. He heard one re- mark in a heated voice to his companion: “The stuff went in there, alright! ’Twasn’t boxes o’ groceries, neither.” The other snorted, responding bitterly: “Sure, Jerry! But did yuh ever know of any stuff that didn’t disappear—right into the air, yuh might say—th’ minute it reached the Echo?” In next morning’s paper, Alan read with considerable excitement of a daring hold- up and robbery on a New Jersey road. It seemed that the two men driving an auto express had expertly despoiled another truck of its consignment of valuable silks. The supposed auto express. had been traced to the East Side of Manhattan. CHAPTER Iv. ® LISTENING IN, fF VEN while his bow flew and his fingers danced and his violin sang this even- ing, Alan could not rid his mind of a pre+ sentiment of strange adventure about td befall him. (E(0) 0)(6 6) (E@)