Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

SUNDOWN CAFE, at Al Boscoe, new standing at the door of the patio, at the grotesque mozo who had earried the harp, at the grave and bewitch- ing face of the girl herself. He imagined himself suddenly caught in a mesh of circumstances which he himself had woven. The Sundown Café was his trap. Sailors had lost their lives there, many others had been shanghaied, many, it must be confessed, had consorted with the devil there and had started on the road te damnation. It was the trapdoor to hell. One could imagine that that very door at Herzog’s foot which led to the wine cellar opened into what John Bunyan might have termed a “‘ byway to hell!” And now a strange feeling of chagrin and fear enveloped Herzog. He had caught him- self; He had worked his own ruin. He— like Herod—was damned. “ The key? Yes, the key, I know of that. It was left here—” “You,” the girl said softly, but with a tone that he interpreted as implacably cold, “vou are the keeper of this key as well as this posada where it was left. I must go to my ancestor’s tomb, I must confer with him. Something has come inte my life to- night—a sin? No, it cannot be. Where to. turn? What to do? I must go to the tomb.” As was a habit of his, Herzog dwindled somewhat after the manner of a mud tur- tle, the thick skin of his neck folding up as his head drew downward. The lower left hand corner of his mouth twitched and stretched as if to keep back the flow of to- bacco. Again he managed to speak. “ Ves, the key must be got for you, semo- rita. I myself shall get it. Where it is right now I—yes, I know where it is, but I ean’t say, for it is a secret place where I keep my greatest treasures—” He went on mumbling to himself: “The damnable thing! If she finds Grimpen’s body there—” He paled. “Yes, b’God, I understand everything now! It’s Grimpen’s body that’s bringing all this trouble on me! Why else should she get this whim into her head. A capricious woman is all she is. No, she ain’t a capricious woman. She wants to get into that there tomb because something’s callin’ to her.” 247 Herzog’s one desire now was to get into the tomb himself and bring Grimpen’s body out before any more attention was attracted to the place. Already he felt that for the first time in many years the eyes of the whole community were focused there on that forgotten pile of granite, “You wait in your room,” he urged the girl. ‘“ This is no place—a gambling den— for you. Go up there. I'll come to you— when I have the key. Don’t think I’ll keep you waiting. Don’t think I’m stalling, I'll get it for you. Your wish must be granted, lady! Old Herzog knows that—s’help me!” The girl obeyed. Herzog found himself - beset with fears, not knowing which way to turn, baffled, frantic. His wife must be the one who had that key. She apparently had not been in the room during the scene. While Salome was asking the king for the head of John the Baptist, Cora was out in the patio where she had just extorted a hundred dollars. from Glamours. Glamours came now into the gambling den alone, sat at a table and started to lay out a pattern of cards. Partly to keep away from this man of the sea whom he feared more than he feared any one else in that house, Herzog sneaked out to the patio. There he found his wife. She was spitting on her thumb and rolling back the corners of the bills, an eager and tri- umphant smile twisting her mouth. It was a delicate mission to perform. The key now had a tremendous value. It was worth more than gold. But to get it away from the old harridan Herzog knew that he must not emphasize its value. “ That key you filched from my neck,” he said, “ while I was sleeping—” “Who fileched what key from whose neck?” Cora asked. ‘Somebody got the key to Papaquillo’s tomb while I was taking my siesta. I want it!” “ For what?” ‘““Never mind that. You stole it, so come through. I have use for it.” “Use for the key to Papaquillo’s tomb? Tell somebody that and let them search me. Tell somebody you want to get Mate Grimpen’s body out of that there vault. Then,” sarcastically, “ theyll help you.” Gomchoook (C@