Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

BLACK to seek pastures new, or, if he were more persevering than most, to play himself into the hands of the sheriff. But not this Conway. Conway writes to the newspaper and promises to return for the pay roll. He laughs, do you see? He laughs at himself, at the sheriff, and at you. Mr. Grover thereupon decides to ‘ get him.’ ”’ Words can’t convey the irony with which Fenton spoke. | “ What does cur criminal do? Does he run away? Does he lie low? No. He runs the sheriff a pretty chase, a wider chase than you know of, and then he holds up Mr. Grover himself, takes his watch and pocket money, and tells him to put his sheriff to bed. You see? He laughs. This bandit has a sense of humor, and you'll never catch him unless you use methods akin to his.” Fenton seemed so possessed by his theory that as he spoke his voice lifted from the supercilious bantering tone with which he had at first taunted his hearer, to a warm note of conviction; an almost dramatic effect of deciamation. ‘What methods? Howe?” Marion’s voice fitted the sparkle in her eyes, and betrayed the warm interest which Fenton’s words had aroused in her. Bud glowered, his gaze dropping from her bright countenance where he was to have found solace, to the dark earth which more nearly matched his mood. “‘ His methods!” cried Fenton, his voice ringing with theatrical conviction. ‘“ He uses trickery! He robs in practical jokes! Play such a joke on him, and, like every joker, he will fail into his own trap!” Even Bud Halliday could not resist the exuberant conviction of that voice. Against all his instinct and desire, Bud looked up, interested, and dropped his eyes again as he saw how Fenton fixed Marion with his SaZE. “Tf T had this pay roll to deliver,” cried the impassioned theorist, ‘“‘ I should deliver it in a manner which made every move- ment unexpected. And I’d get him. I would! I swear Ud save that pay roll and put Conway behind the bars!” “But how? How?” Marion cried. ‘Yes. How?” Bud’s cry was a challenge. 6A OR BLUE. o61 Fenton smiled. ‘Pl tell you how. Do nothing he will expect. The pay roll comes in to-night, does it not? All right then. What do you do with it? You take it to the bank and deposit it overnight. In the morning you take it over to Clay City. In the afternoon the men are paid off. Now Conway knows all this. You may be sure of that. He’s been here among us for two months. He'll know exactly how you move. All right then. Make every move differently. He may try to hold you up as soon as the money is taken from the train or on the way to the bank. You can prevent that by having a strong guard at the train, count your pay roll in the station under a dozen guns, and then—Don’t take it to the bank!” | “Put it under my pillow, I suppose?”’ grinned Bud resentfully. ‘“No. Take it directly over to Clay City.” ‘““ But it will be easier for him to take it in that twenty miles of road than in the streets of the town,” Marion protested. Fenton smiled again, very tolerantly. ‘Of course, but you must remember to do the unusual. Let the greater part of your men accompany an empty cash box to the bank. Let another party accompany an empty cash box up the main road to Clay City. Then let two good gunmen on _ two good horses race to Clay City with the pay roll by the back trails. And let them fire on sight at any one who approaches them.”’ He stopped short. Marion was staring at him as a disciple gazes on the master who utters eternal truth. ‘Why, that’s fine!” she cried. “ That’s dandy! Why, Buddy, how is it we nevei: thought of that before?” Which Bud, of course, instantly inter.: preted to mean: ‘ What a pity you can’t be as clever as the brilliant Fenton.” ‘TIT don’t see how that’s going to put Conway behind the bars,” said Bud. Fenton turned a gaze of patient con- descension upon the grumbler. ‘“That’s my part of it,” he pointed out. “You ought to be glad enough to have your pay roll saved. I can attend to the other COmiclbookks CO A i a