Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

— - ee 320 Then Varnum broke down completely and talked in a torrent. ““¥ didn’t mean to do it. ~He attacked me. I can prove it was self-defense. He was drunk, and when he saw Wimbleton drive by the first time he said he was going to waylay him and do him up. Then he turned on me and said he was going to kill me because I was a witness. We fought, and he had nearly choked me senseless when I happened to whirl just right and threw him against the bench. His head must have hit the iron leg. Just then Wimbleton drove by again, and I heard the officer coming. I didn’t stop to think. I just threw his body in the road back of Wimbleton’s car and yelled for the police. Don’t tell the police. I'll pay you anything you want.” “« Officer Regan, do your duty,” said Bar- ney grimly; and the waiting Regan emerged from behind the safe. III. “ow did ye guess it?” asked Tim ad- miringly, after they had gone. “J didn’t,” said Barney. “I had evi- dence the boy here had done some dirty trick, but I’d no idea what. I just bluffed him into spillin’ the beans.” “What evidence had ye?” “The evidence of the boy himself. He’s yeller.” “ But I didn’t see it like ye said. They'll ask me in court.” “Tet ’em. ‘Tis a trick the police use themselves. We can swear to the boy’s confession.” The next morning Pen Wimbleton was back in his own apartment, free and exon- ~~ <_< Ya fe 4 ee ee Oe — Oe pe at” ee ~~ | =» . a en ak FS pt ers ad = ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. erated; but he was not happy. A friend who had called at the jail the morning be- fore told him that Mary Harwood and her father had just returned to town. Yet, that last day in jail had passed, and he had heard nothing from Mary. Now he felt it was too late. He would never know whether she had believed in him or cared for him before he had been proved innocent. While he was still ruminating bitterly his morning mail was delivered. In the midst of a miscellaneous assortment of letters was an envelope bearing the corner card of the Primo Garage. He came near not opening it, thinking it a bill, but the crabbed, nearly illegible handwriting in which it was ad- dressed aroused a faint curiosity. In the same crabbed hand the letter read as fol- lows: DEAR Mr. WIMBLETON : Pardon me bein’ so bold as to write you. I’m wantin’ no thanks fer helpin’ you out. You'd do the same fer me. I’m just writin’ to give you one more bit of evidence I’m thinkin’ you may need, if you'll pardon me bein’ so bold. Miss Mary Harwood come into the garage yesterday with her father when he came to get their car out, they havin’ just come back to town. When I was talkin’ to Mr. Har- wood I minded the young lady, thinkin’ no- body saw her, standin’ in front of your car and pattin’ that little brass divil you have on the hood, and out of the corner of me eye I saw there was tears in her eyes when she did it. Very respectfully yours, BERNARD DOHERTY. Ten minutes later Pen Wimbleton was on his way to the home of Mary Harwood. He didn’t stop to get Lucifer this time. He was in too much of a hurry. U U U THE 173RD NOVEL, ORIGINALLY PRINTED SERIALLY IN THIS MAGA- ZINE, TO BE PRINTED IN BOOK FORM IS DAN BARRY’S DAUGHTER BY MAX BRAND Author of ““ The Untamed,” “ The Night Horseman,” etc. (ArGcosy-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, June 30 to August 4, 1923.) 4 Published in book form by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. Price $r.po. . ee Eomichooks - . a ee