Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

' : RED HAGAN PAYS. ner and the other he slipped into his own pScket. Then the two men covered the box with a close-fitting tin lid. Together the four hands bound the box with tape, and over all they dripped liquid paraffin. ‘“‘ Sure shel keep thataway?” asked a voice. “We could get life, and then leave this to our heirs,” chuckled the other. ‘“ No worry.” . Hagan saw the box lowered reverently into the prepared hole, and the four hands scraped earth on top of it hastily. The sound of the dirt falling on the tin was ghostly, but Hagan was.no longer suscep- tible. He watched every movement of the hands below him with the intentness of a cat watching a mouse. When the hole had been completely filled, the site was covered with a fine white dust to hide the surface. “All set?” The voice sounded as if it were at Hagan’s ear. “ Yeh—let’s go.”’ ‘“ Wait—let’s shake—neither of us will ever squeal.” The voice trembled. The grimy hand just below Hagan hesitated a little, then raised and clasped another. For a full half minute the two hands were all that Hagan could see, and so still was the house that he heard the crack of the men’s knuckles in each other’s grip. ““Me for you, Bill.” ‘““ Me for you, Severy.” ‘““Me for you, Hagan,” and he grinned to himself in the darkness. Suddenly Hagan saw the two hands jerk apart and poise tensely in the air. “‘ What’s that?” “ That’s them—sure as hell.” went out. Hagan heard the noise of a motor on the gravel road. This time it was close. “ They’ve got us. Get away from the pile.” The voice below him was hoarse. “Up through the kitchen, ”” said the other. wer first Hagan did not realize his dan- He was thinking only of the wealth in in the ground below him. He stood up, and stared down at the floor. Already he was looking into the future, at the easy life again, the idle, spending life which he loved so well. The light ‘ %9 A sharp command followed by the crack of a pistol awakened Hagan to his position. He rushed to the door. He couldn’t afford to be taken with this bunch. At the door he heard footsteps in the hall. He turned and scrambled’ at the window. A. light from close outside flashed mto his face, and ° he staggered back, now really frightened. He cowered under the table like a whipped dog, and lay there waiting. The room door opened slowly. Hagan hid his face in his armss ‘“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” he cried. There was a moment of silence. Then in the dim moonlight Hagan saw a man back through the doorway dragging another by the shoulders. The latter’s feet thumped helplessly on the floor, and he was groaning feebly. “Where did they get you, Bill?” asked a husky voice. There was no answer except a deeper groan. “ Are you goin’, Bill? Eh? Are you goin’, pal?” The voice became hard and fierce. Hagan saw the man who was standing draw a gun and jump to the win- dow. The kight from close on the outside flashed again, and he fired twice at it. He tried to jump back as the fusillade of shots grashed through the jagged pane. The pis- tol dropped from his hand and spun across the floor almost at Hagan’s feet. heard the man swear softly—or pray—and he fell in a queer heap in the middle of the room. | . _ The room was very still again—the still- ness of death. Hagan reached down and picked up the pistol. The barrel was still hot. The light at the window flashed again, and in its glow Hagan saw a pack of bills on the floor. Without thought ex- cept that there was money he crept for- ward and picked it up. _ . The door creaked slowly. A_ light flashed irifo the inner darkness and centered straight on Hagan. “Drop the gun, lad. You ‘haven't hit any one yet. longer.”’ The voice was low but firm. Hagan’s hand relaxed, and the gun and pack fell to the floor. Numbed by terror and disappointment Don’t make your. sentence Hagan — (C(O) nn) (C 6)(0)©) S (C(O)