Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

HOW MANY CARDS? old boy should have done himself in. But why have you come to us?” His tone was friendly and McCarty smiled broadly in response. “Well, sir, your name was given to the inspector together with the Waverlys and Fords and several more as being among Mr. Creveling’s closest friends and those most likely to know if he was in any trouble. I’m not properly connected with the force, though I was. once, and the in- spector calls me in now and then to help him out with details he hasn’t time for. I’ve already seen Mr. Waverly, but I thought I’d come to you before any one else. If you’ve seen Mrs. Creveling you'll know what attitude she’s taken in the mat- _ ter, and if in spite of the medical examin- er’s report she insists it couldn’t have been suicide—”’ “TY know.” Mr. O’Rourke nodded with a quick jerk of the head, and added: “Look here, haven’t I seen you before? Your face is familiar, somehow, and your voice, but I can’t place you.” “You have, sir, and my lady, too; but ‘tis long years gone. That’s why I came to you first. All Mr. Creveling’s friends are likely to be dragged in if Mrs. Crevel- ing persists in disregarding the medical re- port, and I wanted to save ‘ the ’ O’Rourke from what annoyance I could.” ““¢The’ O’Rourke!” The young man’s voice was suddenly husky. ‘‘ No one in ‘America has ever called me that!”’ “You were not the O’Rourke when I left the old country, sir,” McCarty re- sponded quietly. ‘‘ Your father was alive en, God rest his soul. You were just a bit of a lad with a thatch of hair like a shanty afire,, who hunted and fished with me many’s the time, and Lady Peggy, sav- ing her presence, was all petticoats and curls, and forever tumbling down—” ‘Oh, and you didn’t tell me!”? A warm, soft light glowed in Mrs. O’Rourke’s eyes, and she held her tiny gloved hand out im- pulsively. ‘‘Who are your I ought to remember—?”’ “My name’s McCarty, ma’am, though ‘twill mean nothing to you, you were that young—”’ “But it means something to me!” ~N 107 O’Rourke clapped him heartily on the shoulder. “ Timothy McCarty, by all the powers! Timmie McCarty, who knew all the deepest pools and the thickest coverts, and where the Little People danced at the turn of the moon! You came to New York to seek your fortune—” ‘* And landed in the police force.”? Mc- Carty’s face grew suddenly grave. ‘I’m retired now, and a landed proprietor with tenants of my own; but now and again when my old chief calls on me I take a hand in the game once more in an un- official way, of course. I happened along the avenue last night when the policeman on the beat discovered the body of Mr. Creveling—’tis too long a story to go into now, but twill be all out in the afternoon papers—and when the inspector got there he kept me on. If the motive for suicide can be established—well and good. Mr. - Terhune can potter around with his micro- scope and his little scientific machines as long as it pleases him and Mrs. Creveling will authorize lim; but the matter will be dropped from the records of the depart- ment. If, however, no reason for Mr. Creveling’s killing himself can be found, and no actual proof that he did do it be- yond the opinion of the medical examiner, then the inspector’ll have to have every- body that knew him up on the carpet. That means notoriety for all his friends, and I thought if you could give me pri- vately a tip on why he maybe put himself out of the way I could see that you and my lady would both be left out of it.” McCarty paused expectantly, and Mrs. O’Rourke’s eyes traveled from him to her husband; but the young man shook his head, and with his hands thrust deep in his pockets, turned and began to pace the floor. ‘“'That’s the deuce of it!” he muttered. ‘“‘ Creveling was my friend, and I am as anxious as any one could be to see the mys- tery of his death cleared up; but I cannot for the life of me conceive any reason why he should have killed himself. It couldn’t have been any financial trouble for he’s—” “Well?” asked McCarty, for the other had caught himself up abruptly and stood staring down at the hearth rug. ECOMRRIC OG co ww