Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

98 into the slip and went up-town for break- fast. It wouldn’t attract so much atten- tion if he went through the harbor and down the river to the boat-house at a later hour. , During the first month, the firm’s check- ing account nearly doubled. They were prospering indeed. Fin, acting on advice of McCann, called a meeting of the stock- holders in the directors’ room. This was a small but highly exclusive little room in the rear of Peters’s place, where only the proprietor and his particular intimates were allowed to foregather. McCann presided. He presented the fig- ures in clear, concise terms. They meant little to the members of the Big Five. They were plain as day to Fin, for hadn’t he and McMann prepared them? | Nothing was said until he came down to the items which included repair work . and maintenance of the firm’s motorcrait, Slippery Sal: This item was large, and Smokey Joe snorted a little. “What th’ ’ell does that wagon burn?”’ he asked. ‘‘ She mus’ run on ’skey.”’ - The others passed over this item. But when McMann read, without a blush, at- torney’s retainer, five hundred dollars, and . then another item, covering the cost of his two-day tnp to Albany, which ran about as much, there was a chorus of protest. Fin sat quiet for a moment. Then his hand banged on the table. “Shut your traps, the whole dam’ gang o’ yuh. Who t’ ’ell’s runnin’ this show? Wait’n hear th’ res’.”’ They waited. All in all, the report was a favorable one. Expenses hadn’t been so very heavy. Not half as heavy as Fin intended they should become. The various items were figured out, including the cost of the whisky from the exporter. . When it had all been explained and the melon had been sliced—in six slices, the Big Five found that each had saved approxi- ‘mately one thousand dollars on a stock of booze, while Fin had made that much for a month’s work. They were not, on the whole, dissatisfied. But Fin wasn’t entire- ly satisfied. He made a mental reservation ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. that next month the expenses would be heavier. Not padded, of course, but more liberal. After several rounds of the firm’s “ dry- goods,’’ which every one except McMann seemed to enjoy, the stockholders ad- journed. Nearly four months had passed, and the Big Five had realized handsomely on their original investment. Each had received slightly more than three thousand dollars back in rebates, leaving but about two thou- sand still invested. But the original twenty-five thousand remained on deposit in the bank. Then greed overcame caution. They tried to double-cross Fin. Just as well it would have been for them to try to rob him at the end of a gun. Their chances of success would have been greater. Peters was the instigator of the move- ment to oust Fin from the combination. He called a secret meeting of the other stock- holders. When they had gathered in the back room of the saloon on the water-front, Peters looked cautiously outside and then Closed the door to the inner shrine. “Say, fellers, Fin’s gettin’ away wit’ murder,’’ was the preamble to a speech that was going to cost him more than any other talk he had ever given in his life. “ F’r four mont’s now he’s been shootin’ that stuff across an’ no one ain’t bothered him wunst. Not wunst,” he repeated, to bring home to his hearers the lack of risk there was attendant upon the enterprise. ‘“ An’ all dis time we been kickin’ in wit’ all his expenses an’ about a thou’ each and every mont’. It’s too much jack. We can save more dough wit’ Fin outside the firm’n we can wit’ him in. Th’ idea was jake to b’gin wit’, but Fin’s gettin’ an idea that we can’t make no headway wit’out ‘im. He’s wrong.” The Big Five drew their heads together over the sticky, round table and went into secret and executive session. Fin was standing in the barroom, waiting for Peters to come back. When the smug- gler entered there had been no one in sight. He believed that Peters was down-cellar filling his hip flask, and would be up in a ECOMRRIC OG SH Colin