Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 2 — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

244 He had been having a nasty time of it. Never had such a carnival of crime swept the city, from below Fulton Street’s ‘‘ dead line”’ to the Bronx. Hold-ups—bank rob- beries — thefts — burglaries—pocket-pick- ings — “con” games — safe crackings — swindles—and without sign of let-up. Leave of absence had been cancelled— every “copper” and detective in the de- partment was energetically “on the job;”’ yet scarcely one legitimate arrest had been made. Law and order seemed to have been set at naught. “Clamp down the City Hall!” one news- paper demanded, with facetious irony; an- other cried that the old days of the ‘““Pump ” and “ red lights” had returned; still another, that ‘‘ Buddha’s Curse ”’ was at work. On the street, rumors were afloat that property no longer was safe, and that the police were in league with the crooks. Business houses were employing private watchmen. But the gray-haired man knew the ‘Devil’ was a she-devil, and that the Echo was merely taking her revenge. His manner of handling the Dmitrieff case evi- dently had not pleased her. “Damn that Irawadi Ruby!”’ he groaned again, as another message arrived and he forced himself on to renewed labor and to raking his subordinates over the coals. ready the press was urging /is removal. A clerk entered and whispered into the ear of the gray-haired man—who sat up suddenly. ‘‘ The merry ‘ Queen of the Shoplifters ’!” he ejaculated. “ Are you sure, Tim?”’ “Yes; sir. She wants to see you alone.” ‘““By all means. Take her into the other office. I'll see her. at once ”—a promptness so contrary to all precedent, in similar cases, that the clerk stared. Presently, Miss Zelda Carter was con- fronting the gray-haired man, now seated at a smaller desk. “ Have I the pleasure of a purely social visit, Zelda, or did the Echo send you to clean out headquarters? Nothing but a watch and a five-spot on me,” he added humorously. : ‘ “'The Echo didn’t send me anywhere,”’ abruptly said the girl, and her eyes flashed. Al- THE ARGOSY. “The Echo can go straight to h—l, for all I care!” “Naughty! Naughty!” the official light- ly reproved, but his own eyes glistened while he patiently waited. For years, he and his predecessor had waited in vain for this —— from some member of the Echo’s gang. “Look here, chief,” said the girl, after a moment’s silence. ‘If I was to talk— and say something—would you forget / said it?” The “ chief” did not hesitate, a fraction of a second. “Zelda,” he responded, ‘whatever you say to your old friend goes no farther than this desk—at least not so you'd be held for it.” The girl drew closer and talked rapidly in a low tone. ‘Great thunder!” breathed the man. “The stuff from last night’s Maiden Lane jewelry robbery! Is this straight?” ‘Positive; it’s to be delivered to her to- night, sure. Late this afternoon, she’ll be calling off all jobs—don’t want her mind on anything else, I ciecssaes until this swag’s safe.” They talked further; then the man asked: ‘ But can you work it?” “T think so. I'll try the doped cigarette game on him. If that don’t go—well, I think I know where there’s a gun with a Maxim silencer.” “Good!” the official commented, after a while. ‘ We’ll be there on time. And luck to you, Zelda. You're a brave girl, I must say!” Impulsively he offered her his hand. ‘“Tve got my reasons,” the girl snapped. Overlooking the outstretched hand, she quickly rose. “Don’t hurry away, Zelda,” protested the-gray-haired man. “I'd like to ask a few questions. For example, what sort of people put up at the inn? We've got a line on several of hen; what about the others?”’ ‘““Wouldn’t hurt to get a sine on them, too, chief; every d—n one of them.” c What? A whole hotel full!” cried the chief, swept off his mental balance. “ Still, I might have known it,” he muttered. “Now tell me something about the Echo.” ECOPMICGLOOOKS (E@)