Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

336 side. The sound of voices came through the transom. They were pitched i in many broken keys. ‘Holy Joe’s Place,” was the name given to the Beacon Light by the denizens of the Barbary Coast. Holy Joe had long been a figure of prominence along the water-front. He took in seamen, runaway apprentices from British ships, and the flotsam of the West Coast. He fed them, prayed for them, and sent them forth strengthened in body and spirit. Abie knew Holy Joe by sight. The mis- sionary and preacher had frequently visit- ed the Blubber Room. It was rumored that he was not averse to taking a drink. There existed an antipathy between the crimp and the preacher. Abie Kelly be- lieved Holy Joe to be a sickening fraud. He had told his mother so. The mission- ary’s visits to dives and saloons led the crimp to presume he was seeking whisky. Moreover, on one occasion, Abie had seen Holy Joe staggering. “T’ve got my man!” said the crimp. “I won’t need you any more, Hansen. Go to the boat and wait: for. me.”’ “T dank I better stay around.” Abie drew himself up to his full height of five feet four inches. ‘“ I’ve my man lo- cated,” he said. ‘‘ He’s the preacher— Holy Joe!” The mate shook his blond head. he break a law?” “ Break th’ law? He’s lucky to stay out of San Quentin—what I know about him.” Abie knew nothing more about Holy Joe than the Barbary Coast gossip that the missionary was a gad-about and a nuisance. He was anxious to get rid of the mate. THe time was short. for him to supply Captain Gully with the sixth man. “At the foot of Meigg’s Wharf.” Hansen strode stiffly toward East Street. He vanished around the corner. Abie dived toward the Blubber Room. He _ went through the back door, reached under an old icebox, and pulled out a tiny vial. It was filled with a mixture of chloral-hydrate and morphia—two drugs which would pro- duce a deep sleep if taken in quantity. Mother Kelly supplied Abie with a half- pint of bar whisky. Into this the crimp “ Did ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. poured a tablespoon of the drug. He esti- mated the knockout dose for an average man to be fifteen drops of chloral and morphia. He had some experience in that line. The flask he pocketed and carried back to the Beacon Light was known as @ ‘‘shoo-fly.” Abie’s new idea was to get rid of Holy Joe and satisfy Captain Gully at the same time. His professional pride had changed to the soul-pleasing belief that the skipper of the Bowhead should be handed some- thing as a reminder of the old days of shanghaiing. It would not be good ethics to let him get off without a hot one. The hot one being Holy Joe, who most certainly. would make trouble. From Abie’s view-point all men were equal. He slipped into the Mission Hall like an eel. He took a shaky seat between a frowsled seafarer and a water-rat. -He stared over the swaying heads of the congre- gation to where Holy 1 loomed upon a platform. The preaching went on after a sugges- tive pause. The presence of Abie, the crimp, had almost brought forth a remark from the missionary. He recognized Mother Kelly’s unsavory son. He changed the text and spoke of prodigals. Abie was all eyes. He pretended to be deeply interested. Back in his brain his plan took form. He reviewed exactly what he was going to say to Holy Joe. It would take finesse to land the last man on the deck of the whale-ship. The service closed with the hymn: 3 “Salvation, Salvation—” changed to ‘There’s a Light in the Window.” The meeting began to disperse. Abie waited until Holy Joe descended the plat- form and started down the aisle. ‘“A minute, preacher,” he said. know me, don’t you?” Holy Joe, so called along the water-front, dropped a lambent glance upon Abie’s glossy hair. ‘““How are you, boy?” he asked. ‘I’m glad you came to-night. I hope to—” ‘Cut that,” said Abie, remembering his role. ‘‘ You see, I came to you because you was the only man whe could help.” “Help what?” ‘* You oA michbook (E(0) im