Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

370 “Well, sir?” ‘Sanford, get out those clothes!”’ The valet cast aside deception. He came a step closer to Jack. “ Sir,” he said, “may I speak two words?” ‘“ Twenty.”” “My name is Vaudrain. You know that. Ten years ago that name was known in the Tangle. It isn’t quite forgotten there now; and IJ haven’t forgotten the Tan- gle. Sir, you have been there once and you’ve come away scot-free. God knows how. But the second time it will be differ- ent. Sir, upon my word of honor, if you go back again there’ll be bloodshed. T know the Tangle and I know this.” “ Are you through?”’ “Yes, sir.” “Then get the clothes.”’ He tore off his overcoat and flung it across the room. His coat and waistcoat followed. And Sanford went without a word to obey orders. He laid out the old clothes carefully. as though they had been evening dress from an ex- clusive tailor’s shop, and then disappeared into his own adjoining chamber. When Jack was dressed he tapped lightly on the door, and then pushed it ajar. “Tn the morning, Sanford,” he began “ tell Mrs. Lodge—” ‘« Sir?”’ queried Sanford, and appeared at the door huddling himself into his coat; his own outht for the Tangle was complete. The master measured him silently. “ Man to man, Sanford,” he said sudden- ly, ‘“‘ I want to tell you one thing: you’re the cleanest fellow alive, bar none!” And as if ashamed of this outburst of emotion, he turned on his heel and led the way down the stairs and out of the house by a rear entrance. But the moment they stepped out onto the street they came within the range of eyes to which the glow of the street lamps was as clear as sunshine; before they had gone two blocks they were followed by a slender fellow in a derby hat who whistled as he walked, and whose gait was amusing- ly uncertain. They wound straight across the city, and down-town, until Sanford, as they turned a corner, touched Jack’s arm. “Sir,” he said, “ thev’re on us alreadv.”’ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “‘ Impossible! ”’ ‘Sounds that way, but for eight blocks a fellow in a derby hat has kept after us.” Jack looked back along the empty street. ‘Then he’s given up the chase?”’ ““He’s found out our direction and he’s phoned the alarm ahead.” He looked curiously at Sanford, for the man was trembling with panic and fighting to keep his voice level. ‘‘ Sanford,” he said, “ for the last time: will you go back to the house and wait for my return?” “Sir,” said the other, ‘ for the last time: T will not!” They spoke not a word after that, but cut across the town at a rapid gait until they came to Malvern Alley, which runs a dark, crooked streak out of the heart of the better residential section and comes out in the cen- ter of the Tangle. It was quite without light, and the big buildings which fenced it kept the alley dark as a throat, except where Streets cut across it at irregular intervals and marred that perfect shadow with a more or less dim light. It was at one of these crossings as they neared the night noises of the Tangle itself that they came across a huddled figure, who crouched in a corner of the wall, wrapped in a vast shawl. Of her face they could make out only her eyes, a glimmer in the the darkness; and for the rest, a: meager, clawlike hand stretched out before them. Jack avoided the hand with a shudder, but in so doing he dropped a small handful of silver into the upturned palm. They had not gone on six paces when they were stopped short and whirled about by a low ‘hissing behind then. It is the one sound which everything that flies or walks dreads, that sibilant, piercing noise, the primitive signal of warning, and when they turned they saw the claw-hand of the crone beckoning them back. ‘“ ‘Whist!”’ she whispered, and craned her neck to look up and down the street, and then bent her face up with an effort so as to look straight into the face of Jack. “It’s } Tiger, right enough,” she muttered to her- : self. “ Whist, Tiger!” He conquered his repulsion and leaned . closer to the wrinkled fares pn iciaaalice