The Argosy for May — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

286 ; that I am going to give you personally forty millions in cash, as soon as we get the decision? Don’t you understand that you're not working for nothing, even if my relatives have brought me here to Italy and shut me up in this confounded villa? What?” ‘Of course!” Hoffman agreed. “Then why don’t you collect the money?” the voice rasped.. ‘‘ Why do you come around here and tell me you haven’t the papers ready? Why do you boggle everything, and tfy to excuse yourself, and all that sort of rot?” “ Well, I—” “Look here!” ‘The voice grew an- grier. “Ill tell you one thing that’ll bring a blush to your cheeks! Yesterday a man came in here—a colored man— one of the servants of the palace, or whatever it is. He came in here merely to sweep, mind you! I looked at him, and I saw that he was intelligent. I ex- plained the whole matter to him, and asked him if he could attend to it, and if he would. He agreed. Then I gave him five cents, for a retainer, and he said he would attend to everything! He said he’d go to America at once, and be back here with the money inside of two days, just as I asked him! There! What do you think of ‘hat? And you supposed to be one of the leading lawyers in New York! Bah!” With a gasp, Hoffman was on his feet. “Tl tell you what I’ll do,” he said ‘swiftly, and rather chokingly. ‘I'll go straight back and get the papers, and have you sign them; and I’ll have the money here for you before that colored man possibly can. Is that satisfactory?” He turned toward the door and felt his way. A thin hand came down on his shoulder and patted it—and a new series of chills ran through Hoffman, as a gratefully lachrymose voice squeaked into his ear: ‘Spoken like your father, my boy! Spoken like your father! Now you re beginning to talk business! Go and eet my air-ship! It’s tied to the left- hand chimney on the roof. ‘Tell the engineer to take you straight to Trinity Church, New York, and—good-by, my boy!” The treasurer of the Galpin Company was through the door, and had closed THE ARGOSY. eZ it after him. With fingers that were growing in intelligence by the second, he found the bolt, and jammed it back into place—and, for an instant, he stood and breathed hard. That poor devil was as mad as a March hare! About that last fact there could be never the shade of a doubt. And the realization gave biting point to another horrible suspicion that had been floating through his mind for some five minutes. Was he in a _ lunatic asylum ? On the face of it, it seemed incredible ; and yet—well, there were people in the place altogether too queer for comfort- able association; and he must get out and find his way home, and—ah! Here was another and smaller door! He felt about it carefully. He felt farther, and found what seemed to be a turn in the hall, or a solid wall. At all events, this door was consider- ably narrower; and—yes, it was bolted, too. This must be the back stairway ; and perhaps it led to the street; and perhaps he could— He shoved back the bolt and tried the third knob. It gave way; and, hands outstretched once more, he hurried for- ward into the endless, purposeless space before his blind eyes. A dozen feet, and Hoffman leaped back instinctively ; for, out of the gloom, had issued a wild, animal-like snarl ! For all resemblance to human sound, it might have been a tiger or a lion! On the other hand, there was a queer, savage quality that resembled a demented man’s voice ; and — Hoffman was flat -upon the floor! Strong, wiry hands, following the crash of a chair or a table, had gripped him so suddenly, that resistance was out of the question. Not altogether ignorant of wrestling, he let go of his muscles, and landed without a bruise—and, as swiftly, he had bounced back to his feet, and was reaching wildly around in the darkness. The snarl came again, and with it a~ rushing of light feet. The hands fol- lowed, too, and all but had his throat again; and the treasurer of the Galpin Company found himself engaged, on the second, in furious conflict. At the mildest, it was a wild sort of CORRICLO© S CO