Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

SOME I’ve slugged you enough. You don’t seem to think that I am serious about this thing. I’m going to prove that I am. You tell me where I can find Barbara Alden or Ill kill you!”’ Frayne looked up at him dazedly. A terror that Hamlin had not seen in his face before was in it now. But his terror was not of the gun that Hamlin held in his hand. He twisted his head and looked at the door through which he and Hamlin had en- tered. He gulped, choked, then said, his voice shaking: “Wong double-crossed me. Something’s up. I—I thought he was too damned po- lite. Wong knows—I tell you he knows! They blamed you for knifing that Chink —the night you busted up the place. And all the time they knewed I done it—they must have seen me—the damned, yellow- faced hypocrites! Didn’t you see the way Wong looked at me when we came in the door? I saw you. You thought he was meaning you, but I tell you he meant me, Hamlin—me! He’s sent for me a dozen times since that night. Now I know what for!” He looked into Hamlin’s eyes—the look of a cornered animal, sensing the imminence of death. “ Sure, Pll tell you now. Why shouldn’t I? What in the hell has Morrell ever done for me? Got me into this mess—telling me to knife the Chink that night so’s it would be blamed onto you. He’s out of it —kidnaping girls. ‘Soft—eh? Well, I’m telling you. He took her to a shack down on Eighth Avenue—off it a little piece—be- tween Eighteenth and Nineteenth. There’s an alley leading to it from Seventh. It’s at the end of that. You get in from an area- way at the end of the alley, turning to your right into a door that leads into a hall. It used to be an old house—Seeley Gray owned it. He left one room furnished— Morrell says he and some more fellows used to hang out there. “You can’t miss it. There’s a Chink joint on one corner of the alley and a wop fruit-store on the other. The room where Morrell’s got the Alden girl is on MAN! 139 the top floor, at the head of the stairs that you have got to go up—at the end of the lower hall.” ~ “ How did he get her there?” Was suspicious. ‘He’s got a friend working in the High- land. He had it fixed up with the guy to have the freight elevator at Miss Alden’s floor last night. He got into Miss Alden’s room, chloroformed her, and took her down to the basement of the Highland in the freight elevator. I was outside, with a car I had hired. I drove them both to the room, and left them there. That gets-you, eh?” he ended when he saw Hamlin give him a startled look. , Hamlin was convinced that Frayne was telling the truth; and the man’s explanation of the method Morrell had used in getting Barbara Alden out of the hotel was plausi- ble, and explained why both Morrell and Miss Alden had so quickly disappeared after Morrell had taken her out of her room. Hamlin stood erect. He put the pistol into a pocket, and, facing the front of the room, examined the locks on the windows. Frayne, sitting dejectedly in the chair, watched him. Finishing his inspection, Hamlin started Hamlin _ to turn. He heard a slight sound behind him; heard Frayne’s voice—a muffled shriek. He wheeled—an instant too late— his right hand flashing toward the pistol. The room seemed to be full of yellow-faced men, and there were more coming through the rear door. He saw all of this in a flash—before his hand had reached the pistol—even before he had fully turned to meet the danger that had stolen upon him. He remembered ceasing his efforts to get the pistol out, realizing that he would not have room to use it. He had brought his shoulders around, wrenching himself free from a dozen clutching hands that came at him from all directions; and had driv- en his fists into the faces that were nearest him, when some heavy object thudded against his head. After that, for an in- terminable time, he seemed to be drifting in space that was black and endless. (To be concluded NEXT WEEK.) GO DOOLK (C@ S|