Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

288 ‘Yes, an’ I'll bring him,” Irak declared. “Come along an’ let’s get some action.” He joined Murgson, and the two men left the room. Eddie’s spirits sank still farther. The course of affairs seemed to be still turning. And now he wasn’t going to get a chance to see the unknown backer when Irak re- turned. Before that he and Mildred would be packed off to some other apartment and afterwards they wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Afterwards— all at once he was vaguely troubled. Just how would Murg- son and Irak and Welter seek to dispose of the two wholly useless human beings they had on their hands—himself and the girl beside him who knew far too much for the safety of their plans? To his credit be it said that his trouble was mainly for Mil- dred. The vague mystery of the oriental reached out grim and laid hold upon him. Himself he was a man, but there were sto- ries—too many to lack some truth in fact— of women who had last been seen in a Chi- nese quarter and had disappeared. He glanced about the room and back to the girl beside him. She was pale, set of lip, still with that strange, unreadable expres- sion in her eyes. But she was beautiful— beautiful—and what would befall her after Blumefeldt had completed his deal and gone? Blumefeldt. He turned his troubled eyes toward him and Welter. Neither man was speaking, and Blumefeldt was smoking again, now and then turning his gaze in speculative fashion toward the man and woman seated side by side on the tumbled bed. Then, as Eddie encountered his eyes, he spoke to Portia: “ Just how were you in- duced to come here, Miss Elton?” Welter threw up his head. “ Keep your oar out of what don’t concern you, Blume- feldt,’ he growled. Blumefeldt eyed him. “I’m not sure that it don’t concern me,” he returned. “You folks appear to have had a sort of brainstorm this evening, or Harmon and Miss Elton wouldn’t be here. I’m anxious to know how many loose ends you've left lying about. An’ now that they are here, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, how do you expect to get rid of ’em, Wel- ter? Goin’ to leave town?” And Welter didn’t answer. Instead he frowned. His brows drew together on either side of his high-bridged nose. He opened his lips and closed them. One would have said he was asking’ himself Blumefeldt’s question and finding it hard to solve. He glared at Eddie and the girl beside him. Murgson returned. ‘“That’s fixed,” he announced in a tone of what seemed relief, “and Irak’s gone.” ‘So far, good,” said Blumefeldt. ‘ But I was just asking Welter what you meant to do with these two young people after everything’s over.” Murgson’s air of satisfaction vanished. Like Welter, he stared at the man and woman he could not help but regard as an uncomfortable problem. His _ breathing quickened. ‘Damn it all, Blumefeldt,” he began. And Blumefeldt smiled. He seemed somewhat amused at seeing the men who had sought to double-cross him in such pal- pably hot water through no one’s fault but their own. ‘Go on, Miss Elton,” he prompted. | Mildred complied. ‘“‘ And when I got down to the cab, Mr. Murgson was there, and I tried to draw back, but it was too late. Mr. Murgson caught me by the throat before I could cry out.” Eddie clenched his hands. Murgson— the large man now so visibly harassed, as he had been the major part of the time since Blumefeldt had arrived — had done that. His heavy fingers had choked any cry for succor inside Portia’s rounded throat. Oddly enough he recalled Irak’s words that the man would know how to “keep her quiet. if she squawked.”’ The thought waked once more the fires of rage that peril and suffering had banked for the time being in his breast; made him long to fasten his own fingers in Murgson’s perspiring neck. ‘And the message—did you keep it?” Blumefeldt asked. “ T—left it with my roommate.” ‘‘But she didn’t know where you were coming?” 8 A NOOK COMMUC (C@