Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

563 Fenton all but purred. “[ hope this failure won’t spoil Con- way's sense of humor,” he remarked. But even his superb ego could not ignore the cold displeasure with which the as- sembled men of Clay County were regard- ing him. ‘““T don’t guess there’s any sense in stick- in’ round here making talk,” rumbled Gro- ver suddenly. ‘‘ Here’s the pay roll, Hedge; s’pose you gimme a little memoranda for it.” “* But dad!” cried Marion in protest. “ That’s all right, sis,” he silenced her with a look rather than with his words. “When you calc’late to stack the deal agenst such scum as Conway, I’m playin’ yore hand right through. But ’—his tight grin brought understanding to his eyes— “when it pans out into a pink tea with these here St. Looie stage hands callin’ the cards, why, I pass. There ain’t no use pro- tractin’ things no longer. anyways, that I see.”’ Marion, too shrewd in intuition to sur- render an atom of prestige in argument against the immutable verdict of her fa- ther’s voice, registered her protest with one frigid glance. “That’s fine, Mr, Grover.” Hedge stepped forward to the desk with a sat- isfaction that crowned long hours of sus- pense. His smile widened as he took the bag from Grover’s hand, and widened far- ther as he scribbled a memorandum for it. “Of course that’s temporary,” he said. Grover, bank president, hotel man, and monarch of the Prairie Grass, accepted the slip of paper with an air that stamped the transaction with finality, and as Hedge reached forth to pick up the bag from the broad expanse of his desk, Grover lifted it out of his hands and carried it across the room. ‘ Till morning,” he said. ‘“‘ We'll put it here. Open up, Hedge.” He stood patiently beside the old-fashioned safe while Hedge worked the lock and threw it open. He tossed in the bag and stood while the heavy door swung shut. Hedge arose from his knees with a sense of life renewed. ‘And now,” set forth Paley Grover, “the party’s over. You can all go home.” ' these men and their minds. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. He aimed his words so palpably at Fen- ton that the man could hardly have mis- understood him; and yet, as Mason and the men about him moved toward the door, the incorrigible delver into barren mines spoke with a voice which halted them by the sheer power of its inflections. ““Yowre missing the chance of your hife!” he cried. ‘““ Now what?” Grover glared at him irri- tably. Fenton smiled at him with aggravating nonchalance. “I told Miss Grover,” he said “ that to deliver the pay roll here securely was only half the work we had ‘to do. The other half is to lay hold of Conway’s person.” Grover lowered upon him. “ You won’t do that with talk, young fel- ler!” he rasped. ‘‘ Men up here don’t come to pink tea parties an’ give theirselves up.” ‘No? I think you’re mistaken.” Fenton spoke very confidently. “ Now listen to this. We’ve got your money here safe and sound. Well, you don’t suppose Conway’s going to swallow that, do you? He’ll never stop short till that money is either paid off to the men or in his hands. That gives him until to-morrow noon, doesn’t it.” Hedge sniffed loudly. “Tt gave him till to-night!” he snapped. “That money sits in the safe until noon to-morrow, and the men come to that win- dow in the cage for their money. There isn’t any yeggman or bandit in the country can get into this cage without all of five hours’ work with special tools. Conway lost his last chance when that bag passed through the steel door there.” He indicated the sliding door of meshed steel which guarded the cage that inclosed the office. ‘“Of course. But he’ll come.” Fenton made no secret of his supercilious regard for ‘When he comes, let us.say he fails to get in. All right. Then he’ll go away, and we'll have to think of a new trick to deliver our pay roll next month.” He observed with satis- faction the disconsolate shadow which passed across the faces before him. ‘ But supposing he should come and find the steel door you brag about hadn’t snapped comiclbooolx 1e@