Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

644 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. paused dramatically at that, and after fix- ing Corvan with a piercing blue eye an- swered, the question himself. . “He has,” he pronounced briefly, “ And he’s got control. The best little lad for bringing in’ the come ons I ever developed.” The hard voice of the man spoke proudly. “Well?” smiled Corvan, who was still lenient, still patient. “ Well, I sent this kid out to look fora ~ country home for the Great Corvan. ‘A regular country estate is what I want,’ I told him, ‘ where Dan Corvan can go with a high powered car; and you'll be his Man Friday like millionaires have in the books.’ Well, he found it.” Corvan appeared to lose his patience at this. “What the devil are you raving about, Wade?” he cried. “I don’t want any country-gentleman stuff. . I’m not a nervous wreck.” 8 Wade used his hand with the ruler in it, to brush aside the interruption. He seemed to contain an idea of which he was cynically proud. “Not a nervous wreck,” he agreed, “ but kind of stale. Well,. Snake Maddox has found just the right place. Ever heard of Brookhampton?” | “Sure. A Long Island resort. And if it’s there, the deal is off. I can stand the ‘boobery of the big hotel graft, but this country-home-by-the-sea business exhibits humanity in a phase of stupidity too abys- mal for a delicate stomach. All golf and cocktails, show and shoddy.” Wade nodded wisely. “T said you thought about people | too much,” he remarked. ‘ Well, Brookhamp- ton isn’t the place. The place Maddox has got is a little fishing village over on the Sound shore opposite Brookhampton. It’s - called East Harbor. Its population is all native, fishermen and such; poor as hell. - “But there’s one place there that’s like the old families that built it used to live in all over New England, I guess. It’s all proud and simple, with big lawns and old trees, private drives and like that. We ~.. - “ But I don’t want to be lord of a manor: Haven’t I got manners enough?” “You don’t get me, Dan. You go down there, see? You’ve got lots of money, I guess, and when this asphalt graft folds its tents next week, which it will have to do because the post office dicks are getting real inquisitive, your share of the pickings will be, anyway, fifty thousand. | “So you go down there, and you'll have a big car and horses and servants; and Snake Maddox will be your valet and con- fidential man—see? In that way you'll get all sorts of time to relax and forget this campful of boobs called New York; and you can think out a set of tricks for the fall . trade that ‘Il set a record.”’ He was obviously trying to carry his partner by the sweep of his enthusiasm, but while Wade spoke the lenient smile of the Great Corvan had faded. In place of it had appeared an expression which charged his eyes with the metallic glitter of an un- -mistakable disapproval. Yet his voice re- / can rent it for the summer, and you can move in there and live like the lord of the ' ganor,. See?” - mained smooth as oil. “And you say Maddox has already sot this place?” he asked. . “Got it? Sure he’s got it. Rented it for the summer. And a housekeeper and gardener. All you got todo is ship down an outfit of nifty duds, get the finest car in the market, and motor down to the old family mansion. See?” “T see that you're shopping off on “the wrong foot, Wade, and right into the fire at that. You might have consulted me be- fore going to all this expense.” Wade looked quickly into the eyes of his partner and saw there condemnation. His hard countenance tightened, grew hard- er. Wade did not like opposition. ‘You don’t like it?” he asked. “T don’t,” snapped Corvan. “ You're all wrong, Wade. For.the mood I’m in at present, a> week among the rubes would drive. me mad.” He arose. and walked ner- vously to the window. ‘ There they are” —he indicated the scurrying crowds which moved like massed insects on the streets below—*“ thousands of them—millions. All out for the graft. All scrambling to feed their bellies at the trough. ; “T tell you, Wade, I envy the fellows COMmiiclooe