The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

184 kind of man who would be scared by a fake ghost. You've given me an idea, though, Jack. We might try haunting him by wireless.” “By wireless?”’ echoed Meador and the two women, regarding Ed- wards with mystification. “Yes. I think I’ve got a plan which would break down his nerve and cause him to confess, if anything would!” They gathered around him eagerly as he outlined his scheme. “We shall have to take the wireless operatorof this ship intoour confidence, as we'll need his assistance. Every day he will hand me a wireless message ap- parently coming from the United States, although as a matter of fact they will be written by ourselves. “Those messages will all be on the subject of the murder of old Colonel Reynolds. They will be addressed to me in my capacity as counsel for the man condemned to die for the murder. “The first message will merely state that new evidence has been obtained which indicates that my client is in- nocent. The second will go a little further, and will state that witnesses who saw the murder committed have been discovered. Additional messages will explain how the crime was per- petrated from the elevated structure at Bayside Drive and Carboy Street, and how the authorities are working on a clue. which is expected to reveal the identity of the assassin. ‘Then I shall be informed by wire- less that the police have positive proof that a man named Chester Selling is the murderer; and, lastly, I shall re- ceive word that it has been learned that Selling is on board this ship, and that detectives will be waiting for him with a warrant at quarantine.” “And, of course, you will allow Sell- ing to see all these messages?” ex- claimed Meador excitedly. “Exactly. I will let him see the first one, and you can depend upon it that his curiosity and fears will be so aroused by it that he will haunt the wireless room every day and manage THE ARGOSY. to get a glimpse of the others, which, of course, our friend the operator will make it easy for him to do. " My idea-is that he will be badly scared when he learns that it has be- come known how the murder was com- mitted; he will be panic-stricken when he learns that the police suspect him, and he will be so terrified when he finds out that detectives will be wait- ing for him with a warrant that it ought to be an easy matter for us to get a confession out of him.” “A bully plan, Frank!” exclaimed Meador enthusiastically. “ I congratu- late you on it. I feel sure it will succeed.” CHAPTER XX, THIRD DEGREE BY WIRELESS. THERE was one circumstance re- garding Chester Selling which greatly puzzled Edwards and his friends, and that was the calmness and indifference with which the former viewed the pres- sm of Mrs, Jack Meador on board the ship. They had expected that as soon as he saw her and learned that she was the wife of a friend of Edwards, Sell- ing would seek an interview with the ycung woman and endeavor by threats to prevent her from disclosing the fact that she had seen him on Bayside Drive upon the night of Colonel Reynolds’s murder. He made no such attempt, how- ever, nor did he seem to be at all wor- ried over the fact that she could break down the alibi he had constructed. ‘* Maybe he has figured out that Mrs. Meador cannot betray his secret with- out also revealing her own, and there- fore he is confident that she will not dare to say a word to us on the sub- ject,” suggested Edwards. “Yes, that may be,” replied Meador, “but I’ve got a different theory, which I’m inclined to believe is the right one. My opinion is that the reason he isn’t worrying is that he hdsn’t the slightest oO COMmMiclhoo S CO