Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

POOR LITTLE PIGEON. with her, is, in all likelihood, her father, in so far as I have as yet been able to judge. Referring to Newton’s figure, Haddon dis- tinctly stated that there had been a traffic in drugs at the local military post and there is ample indication to justify the assump- tion that Phillip Newton is a military man.” ‘“‘ A soldier?” Bryce erupted, and puffed out his stubby brown mustache on a pursing lip. ‘* Well—great cat! That ain’t so bad an answer as to where the doughboys were gettin’ their hop. That would look as though Haddon was shootin’ pretty straight at him.” ‘“‘ And yet, looks are sometimes deceiving, Mr. Bryce. And as it appears in this matter from both our charts and Haddon’s letter, we are dealing with circumstance,” Dual returned. ‘‘ Phillip Newton is an officer rather than a common soldiez, in my esti- mation. Because while both he and Miss Rand are white, the organization now sta- tioned at Nogales is a part of a negro regiment.” ‘“ Negroes? Negro hopheads! Oh, cheese,” said Bryce. ‘“ All right, Mr. Dual, let it lay. The only trouble with me is that every time I’m right—I’m wrong.” Dual’s firm lips twitched the least bit in the world for the first time. ‘‘ Further- more,” he continued, “ there are definite indications in both the figures I have erec- ted, to point to a mutual affection between Newton and Miss Rand. “Love?” I questioned softly and looked him full in the face. “Love,” he assented. ‘‘ Yes, Gordon. A love declared and—returned.”’ “ Humph!” Jim grunted with a return f his irrepressible penchant for comment. ‘‘Mars in love with Venus, an’ Neptune tryin’ to spear Newton’s sun. Haddon goes out there to grab a gang of dopesters an’ all he gets is a girl sweetie of an officer of a blackbird outfit and her old man. No wonder he was in doubt. He must have told the truth and nothin’ but when he wrote Glace that he wasn’t sure he had the thing in hand.” “‘ As to the actual events leading up to Haddon’s arrests, we know practica'ly nothing,” Dual resumed. “I have found him a very good judge of values in the past. 169 That he has appealed for help in the pres- ent matter would indicate that he is no less at the present time. Hence, I think we may safely assume that having advanced as far as he has, he finds himself at a standstill more or less, able to convict the prisoners in question on the evidence in his possession, yet unsatisfied to rest on such an accomplishment. “There is in tropic and semi-tropic waters, a species of marine life, which, when pursued and in danger, expels from its body a pigmented fluid, which clouds the vision of its pursuer and ofttimes en- ables it to escape. It is the cuttlefish. In the recent war, mankind made use of the same principle in the smoke screen— and mankind of a criminal type has adopted a parallel principle for years. When hard pressed, the wrong doer is prone to seek to blind the perception of those who would apprehend him, by a deliberate distortion of facts. To my mind it appears quite possible that Haddon has come to suspect rather than actually evaluate some such condition in the present case.” “‘ Referrin’ to this Neptune party,” said Bryce. Dual answered without hesitation. my estimation, yes.” ‘* And boilin’ it all down,” Jim continued slowly, ‘‘ since he shows in both them charts, it’s your opinion that Haddon maybe suspects he’s caught nothin’ but some min- nows instead of the big fish.” Dual smiled slightly. ‘‘I think I may say that our deductions ‘ boil down’ to the same residuum, Mr. Bryce.” ‘“‘ An’ we’re going out there to hook this —now—cuttlefish.” Dual replied slowly and in a deeper tone than he had yet employed. Indeed, as he voiced his words, it was as though he pro- nounced a verdict against which there was noe apppeal: “It is written, Mr. Bryce, that once the student is ready, the Master appears, and it is no less true that when the hour of ce In atonement approaches, the veil of secrecy — and deception is rent asunder and the cul- prit, weighed and found wanting, in the scales of cosmic Justice, stands forth. To that end, we shall join forces with Haddon CORAICLOO S CO nn