Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

HOW MANY CARDS? they descended to find a crowd of excited tenants gathered in the halis and on the stairs, with a biue-coated officer pushing his way through the throng. “ Get back, there! It’s all night, there’s no trouble. It was jyst a bit of a row, but it’s over now, and no one hurt.” The po- liceman winked broadly up at McCarty on the stairs and then addressed the jabbermg crowd once more. ‘“ Get back where you belong and quit making a disturbance or Tl send for the wagon and run you all in! Come down, sir.” ! He led them out imto the vestibule and “ Detective Sergeant Martm tipped me “You're former Roundsman McCarty, sir?” “Yes. Special deputy mow ander In- spector Draet,” McCarty expleimed briefly. “Woman on the fourth floor, rear, under the name of Hildreth, is wanted down- town, and we almost had her, but she got away on the fire-escape. Take Martin and search the yards and the roofs, and if you find no trace of her leave him on guard im the flat until he’s relieved. Report by tele- phone to Inspector Druet at headquarters.”’ “ Right, sir,” the policeman replied with immense respect. “ What the Hildreth wo- man like?” “ Hall walked clear over to Fifth Avenue and waited all this trme for a bus,” he an- nounced. ‘ He’s just started up-town, and J came back according to your instructions, Mac, but you were nowhere around, and i couldn't keep on sounding this horn! All at once hell broke loose here in the house, ‘and I figured you were in it, somehow.” McCarty explamed gruffly, adding a de- scription of the Hildreth woman, and Mar- tm whistled. “ The Helwig girl to a T!” he exclanned. “And that valet—so that’s how the land lays! We'll find her if she’s on the block!” After a few final orders, McCarty, with Dennis in tow, returned to the drug-store, and nodding to the surprised clerk, he en- tered the telephone booth and called up po- lice headquarters. A: long ten minutes elapsed before he reappeared, red and per- Jed us straight to her. 343 spirmg, and said in a hurried undertone to his companion: ‘Yost is on his way up to the Creveling house as fast as the inspector’s own car can take him. He’s to find out if Hill ts there and stand guard over him.”’ “But why?” Dennis spoke cautiously out of the side of his capacious mouth. “ Why don't he run him in again and bring him up before the magistrate to-morrow to be held for trial? You've got a clear charge against him now of aiding and abet- ting that woman to jump her bai; that’s what the legal sharks call it.” } “ Instead, if it’s not too late for the frst ‘editions, the inapector is going to see that that he’s been released for lack of evidence and is back at the Creveling honse,” Mc- Carty responded. “ Yost will be there to see that he don’t get out agai or send any messages, and to trace and report any phone calls that may come for him.” “T get you!” <A light broke over Den- nis’s face. “ You think the woman will maybe try to reach him there when she learns that he’s out again and back on his job?” : McCarty nodded. ‘““ She doesn’t know that he’s been in the neighborhood here to-night, nor that he He'll keep on de- heving that she’s safe enough, and think we're only guarding him on his own ac- count.” He iurned to the clerk, who was watching them with cunocus eyes. ‘ What are your hours here?” ‘ Fight to eight,” the latter replied, stil staring. ‘“ Where do you live?” ‘ Right np over the store. The janitor’s wife takes care of my four kids. but I wouldnt feel easy about ‘em if they weren't here in the same building with me. Say, who are you fellows, anyway? It seems to me you're asking a lot ef ques- tions around here—’’ “And I’m liable to be asking a let more! ”’ McCarty interrupted grimly. “ We're from police headquarters, if you want to know.” “ Po¥ce—” The Gerk gripped the edge of the show-case. “‘ Those—those dreths—” EOMNIC OG COlini