Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

110 tired early, but passed a wretchedly wake- ful night. I slipped on a—a rug yester- day and fell, spraining my arm—” She broke off, biting ber reddened lips. “I must ask you to excuse me—”’ “Who sent that message, Mrs. Kip?” McCarty interrupted sternly. ‘““T do not care to say; it was a confi- dential communication from a—a_ close friend of the Crevelings,” she stammered, and then drew herself up. ‘“ Why do you ask me all these questions? Who are you? My maid says you inquired for my com- panion, Miss Frost.” “Yes, ma’am. Will you tell me where she has gone?” McCarty ignored the inter- rogations. | ° “To Chicago,” Mrs. Kip replied hastily. ‘“‘ A—a relative of hers is ill and sent for her.” Then her manner changed and as though impelled beyond the dictates of her own prudence she asked: “‘ How did it hap- pen? Who shot Mr. Creveling?”’ “ Himself, ma’am. When I saw Mr. Waverly this: morning just before he sent you that message *twas thought that a murder had been committed, but it’s been proved that Mr. Creveling died by his own hand.” Mrs. Kip wavered and the color swept back in a warm tide over her face. “ Suicide?” she murmured. ‘“ How— dreadful! I sympathize with Mrs. Crevel- ing, but I know nothing of their affairs, nothing, and I refuse to be catechtsed fur- ther! My maid will show you to the door.” CHAPTER XV. MELT ING FROST. cCARTY smiled to himself as he left Mrs. Kip’s house and started east- ward. ‘That shot in the dark had found its mark; she had not denied that Waverly was the sender of the message warning her of Creveling’s death, and that he himself had been interrogated in connec- tion with it. But why had she been so wamed? How was she concerned and what had her relations been to the dead man and to Waverly? Could it be that she was the woman in the case, the woman because of ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. whom they had quarreled a fortnight fore? ” That she had been apprised of his pos- sible coming and knew that he was no re- porter McCarty was well aware despite her pretense. Why had she lied -so hastily about the whereabouts of her companion, Miss Trost? But for the lucky chance of his arrival at the moment that the trmk was being removed he would in all probo- bility never have heard of the woman. Could the event of the night have had any- thing to do with her sudden departure? McCarty boarded a down-town Madison _ Avenue car, his thoughts still busied with the queries which that brief interview evoked. Mrs. Kip had protested against his interrogation, but she had not dared to turn him summarily from her door until she learned that suicide had been accepted by the police as the solution of the mys- tery. Did she believe that Creveling had killed himself and was notoriety all that she feared? The only statements she vol- unteered were that she had retired early on the previous night and the explanation of her bandaged arm. She had slipped on a rug—but was that the true explanation? She was pretty enough in a florid, over- blown way and there was a devil of mischief - in her eye; just the type to appeal to a man satiated with cold beauty and smoth- ered in conventions, yet she wasn’t the sort to lose her head. McCarty was convinced of that. She had made a hard fight for social recognition, according to Jimmie Bal- lard and now that it was won she would take care that no hint of scandal jeopard- ized it. There was something vaguely fa- miliar about her, too, and McCarty had an almost photographic memory. Where had he seen her before? At the Fitz-Maurice “Hotel he alighted from the car. It was well on into the lunch- eon hour and the lobby of the fashionable hostelry was crowded, but he shouldered — his way through the throng to the desk and asked for Miss Letitia Frost. After an interval he was directed to the elevator and upon one of the upper floors he was ushered into a tiny rear suite, to find him- self confronting a stout, elderly woman with a high, thin nose and bright, dark eyes, ECOMRRIC OG SH % Go ww