Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

122 prised to see her enter the hotel; and she had likewise noted the wonder in his eyes, caused, she supposed by the fact that she was with Sayle. That wonder of his had not disturbed - her, though. On the contrary it gave her a pleasurable thrill te know that Hamlin had betrayed interest in her. She spent some time looking into the glass, thinking of him. And when at last she turned, sighing ,a little, having some conception of the mental torture to which her entrance with Sayle had subjected Ham- lin—and feeling just a bit sorry fer him— she saw Morrell. standing just inside the door. She had not locked it, and Morrell had closed it behind him. She knew Morrell, for she had taken a good look at him in the Dragon just before Lane Hamlin had inter- fered with Morrell’s advances. The man’s huge body seemed to fill the room. She felt dwafed beside him. There was a celd grin on his pouting lips; his little black eyes were agleam with a humer that paralyzed her. She believed that she weuld have screamed for help, though, had she not seen a pistol of large caliber in his right hand, if he had not held up tthe left, the palm toward her. prove that he was determined te kill, if necessary—and her concern at the instant was for her father; while the left hand, with the palm toward her, seemed to be a sign offered to reassure her. Therefore, she stood silent, watching ‘him. “T don’t mean to harm you, Miss Rich- ards,” he whispered. “If you keep quiet nobody will ever know I’ve been in here. But if you make a noise, bringin’ that guy, Sayle, in here, Ill kill both of you! I just want to have a little talk with you, an’ then I’ll beat it.” She did not answer. His manner was insincere; there seemed to be a stealthy threat in the expression of his gleaming black eyes in the way he moved as he stepped toward ‘her. “It ain’t nothin’ to get scared over,” he whispered as he moved across the room; “not if you don’t go to gettin’ loud an’ bringin’ some one to interfere.” He low- ered the left-hand and fumbled at a pocket, The pistol seemed to. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. bringing forth a sheet of soiled paper, which he extended toward her. “ T reckon it’s just justice I’m after, Miss Richards,” he said in a placative voice; ‘‘ justice, that’s all. This here paper is a copy of a will that your mother made. I want you to take a look at it.” Half convinced that the man intended no harm to her, Miss Richards reached out a hand to receive the paper he was holding out. The next instant a huge hand went over her mouth. She was swung off her feet and carried to the door. She fought with the man, frenziedly kick- ing at him as he held her, until her strength gave out. He had bent her arms back, helding them tightly against her sides, and the big hand over her mouth and nose shut off her breath completely. She could see Merrell’s face near hers—he was peering close at her, apparently enjoying her strug- gles to breathe. But the hand continued to press—hard- er, harder—seeming to become gigantic, an implacable, remorseless instrument of death. Her lungs were shet with agonizing~pains; lights, varicolered, began to streak across her vision; the roem started to whirl in sickening convolutions. And then came a terrible, overpowering darkness. Aeons of time seemed to have passed when Miss Richards agam opened her eyes, to realize that she was gasping breath into her aching lungs. It had seemed to her that some monstrous object had been rest- ing on her head, crushing her down and down into a place where space was black and endless. Then after a while she seemed to be released and myriad lights began to dance before her eyes. Her last sensation before awakening was that she was being relieved of a terrific constriction at her throat. She struggled and sat up, to see Morrell bending over her. He was grinning hugely, triumphantly. But there seemed to be no immediate threat in his manner, and oddly, she was not so much afraid of him as she had been when he had confronted her in ther room at the ‘hotel. . Her first glance told her that she was no longer in her room, but in a strange one. She was seated on a huge, overstuffed tap- COmiclbooks (C@ 5}