Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

348 its rightful place was upon the mantel and tobacco had never profaned it before! As to the dream book, its possession had been the one shameful but fascinating secret in McCarty’s life; where had that ‘meddle- some officious son-of-a-gun found it, and how had he got in? “Is it boarders you’re taking?” Dennis inquired innocently. ‘“ "IT'would be well for you if you had .as good bolts on your doors as the Hildreth woman had!” “The gall of him!’’ McCarty found hts voice and muttered wrathfully. “It would serve him right if I had him took up for breaking and entering!” He pushed Dennis unceremoniously into the reom and following closed the door with a resounding slam. Instantly with no trace of sleep in them ‘Terhune’s slightly promi- nent eyes opened wide and be smiled with perfect self-possessian. “There you are at last, my dear Mc- Carty! And Riordan, too; so you are still hunting in couples? I have waited for you some little time.” He spoke chidingly, and McCarty’s sandy mustache bristled. “I was not expecting you, sir. May I ask how you got in?” “Ob, I had no difficulty; both of your doors open quite readily with a skeleton- key, and of course I could not wait about outside.” Terhune waved airily toward the nearest chairs and as though hypnotized Dennis sank into one of them, tut Mc- Carty ostentatiously removed the china tray from the table and substituted a famiiiar, battered one of brass liberally patterned with verdigris. “T hope you made yourself at home, sir!”’ he nemarked ironically, his grim eyes fasten- ed on the book upen his uninvited guest’s knee. “I see you found something to amuse yourself with while you waited!” | “ Ah, this elemental but highly entertain- ing isttle forerunner of our friend Freud?” Terhune smiled again indulgently. “It is interesting to note bow coincidentally the interpretations which mere superstition has placed upon the subconscious agree with the conclusions which science has reached.” He laid the book upon the table and McCarty hastily retrieved it. “lent friend the inspector. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “T don’t know any guy named Frood,” Dennis observed unexpectedly. ‘“ Does he say that dreams go by contraries, Mr. Ter- hune? {I dreamed the other night that my step-brother over in the old country, that’s drunk up two farms and about eight droves of pigs already, was strung up by a vig’- lance committee and then cut down im time to save the worthless life of him—” He paused to draw breath and McCarty took advantage of the opportunity to sug- gest: “ You wanted to see me very particalar- ly, Mr. Terhune?” “Yes, but merely to tell you that the little affair of Creveling is practically It seomed to promise a nice little problem at first, but it proved to be a very simple matter, after ail.” “Yes, sir?” McCarty replied cautiously. ‘‘ So the inspector was saying down at head- Quarters just now.” ‘‘ Druet?”’ Terhune irowned. ‘I can- not conceive how be could have obtained the data which has come into my pos- session? Even I would never have discovw- ered the truth had it not been for my years of profound analytical study; an advantage which has not been attained by our excel- It must have been sheer guess work on his part and yet I cannot imagine upon what grounds he could predicate the fact of George Alexan- der’s guilt!” ) ‘“* Alexander’s—” speech and Dennis’s eyes almost started ing about Mr. Alexander!” ‘‘ Ah, ha! I anticipated as much!” Ter- in complacency. ‘‘ He is upon the wrong track again, then, as usual. A good man, a steady, reliable plodder, but prone to stub- bern prejudices and too obstinate to admit even to himself that he may be mistaken!” There was just enough truth in this Criticism of his superior to stmg McCarty and he retorted loyally: “He wasn’t on the wrong track in the last case on which we all worked together, though, Mr. Terhune.” COLM AOOLK G McCarty seemed to . COlini