Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

THE CONFIDENCE MAN, ualty list with an appraising thoughtful- ness. “It’s not nerves, Wade. But if you play any dangerous game long enough, it gets you. They’ve never got anything on me yet, and that’s why. I stop at the right time. ‘“T can’t get rid of the feeling that there’s something going to happen. I told you last week that I was going to let you wind up this asphalt graft alone, and I meant it. I’ve eot to get away; give up the game—for a while, anyway.” “ Forget “it!” . snapped Wade. ‘“ You got the wrong dope on this calamity stuff. You’re Corvan, you are—the Great Cor- van. Kennedy and Spillane ain’t in your class. You got the brains, the front, the nerve, and the talk. You ain’t any com- mon con man. . ‘“You’ve read books; you’ got a mind. Barnum was a piker compared with you. You can steal railroads, if you want to; and play with the United States. Treasury just like I’m playin’ with this asphalt graft. And you could get away with it, too. “ Fell; | shake. hands with you for the favor of hav- ing you take the gilt off them.” He paused for an instant, having no more words, ‘“ And you talk of quitting the game!” The Great Corvan locked his hands be- hind his well groomed head. “Vou say a lot,” he pointed out to his companion. ‘‘ But you don’t seem to head in anywhere.” . | ‘Head in?” cried the flustered Mr. Wade. ‘‘ Head in? Don’t you see what I mean?” ‘To make a long story short, I don’t.” ‘‘T mean this. There isn’t any other man has ever been in the game that got away with the graft you have for the last ten years without ever having a private in- terview with a post office inspector. You’re slick, you’re clean as a whistle. See? There ain’t a dick in the United States got anything on you. You can’t quit any more than a bear can go naked. It’s your birthright.” - “That sounds fine, but the fact is my birthright is beginning to pall. I’ve gone stale, I guess. But what’s the answer? I suppose you would like me to stay in New a ‘the suckers come around and - palm. Can’t you get me?. 643 York all summer and cook up a scheme to sell the Capitol to the British ambassa- dor?” Wade gazed reflectively at the finger nails of one Jean hand. “No,” he said. “ When you said you was stale, you said a mouthful. You ain’t like the rest of us, Dan. You read too many books and think about people too much. That’s bad. All people are either suckers, or bigger fish that live off of suckers. You are the biggest shark of them all. There ain’t anybody too big for you.” He turned away from his polished finger nails and looked squarely into Corvan’s eyes. “Now, what you got.to do,” he added, “is to get away somewhere and forget it. Forget the boobs of every kind and variety. Forget the old cons, and the young come- ons. See? ‘Just live for a couple of months as if you was born in one of old P. T.’s minutes. Just like an ordinary hick, Then you come back, and we'll get together on the big fall graft with some lays that ‘Il knock their eyes out.” Corvan’s expression didn’t change. Upon his face was the boredom of a satiated monarch. He smiled tolerantly upon his prime minister. “ Back to the farm?” — ‘“ Hell, no. Listen.” Wade took a ruler from the desk and emphasized his words with rhythmic taps of the wood upon his ‘When you moved out of here last week and pulled that one about not being able to stand the old graft any more before you left, you tipped me off right then to what was the matter. ‘ Back to the tall grass for our Daniel, I says, and I sent out one of the best little cappers that ever played the in-and-in, to look for a place for you to rusticate in. Ever met ‘ Snake’ Maddox?” “No. Tve heard you brag about him, though.” “ Sure. He never turned a trick except- in’ probably a phony crap game, before he got back from the war; but I met him then, and he’s come along something magnificent. He’s quiet—looks like he might be a Sun- day school ‘boy—and oh, man, but has that youngster got the nerve?” Mr. Wade COMMMcloOoks.com