Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

SHELBY’S -HEAD-ON ‘CRASH. “He does?’ she whispered. “He was watching that house, too, ap- parently. He told me he knew I was inno- cent of the murder because he had seen you and me get on the car.” “ Did he say why he was watching the house? Did he seem to know why I was there?”’ “Tf he knew he didn’t tell me,” Shelby replied. ‘He hasn’t told me anything, in fact. He’s looking up something on his own hook. He doesn’t care what happens to me.” “Oh, yes, he does,” she said. “ But when Silent is investigating something, it’s hard to interest him in anything else. Don’t you see that he will be able to aid you when the time comes?” ‘“‘ When he gets good and ready,” Shelby said. ‘ Well, he told me to come in here and find out what you and Osborne had been talking about. I’m not here to spy on you. If you want to tell me anything that I can repeat to him, I'll do it. If you don’t, of course I can’t.” “ There is nothing I will tell you,” she said. “ Mr. Osborne came to see me on a matter that we had discussed many times before Mr. Thornton was killed. It has nothing to do with that.” “T suppose he wanted to marry you,” Shelby said. The girl’s ready color flooded into her face. “Why should you suppose that?” she asked. ‘“‘ He naturally would,” said Shelby. He was not trying to flirt with the girl or be flippant with her. He was too tired in mind and body to attempt that. He was so tired that he was ready to speak almost anything that came into his mind. The girl seemed ‘to sense that. “ You're pretty well worn out, aren’t you?” she asked. “ It must be very un- pleasant to be hunted by the police.” ‘“< Tt’s a time when a man needs a friend,” Shelby said glumly. The girl sat looking at him for several minutes. Her eyes were speculative. At last she said: “T need a friend myself, Mr. Shelby. I need some one to help me. I had been Td thinking about you to-night and wishing you were free. I wondered what had be come of you. I had read the papers of course.” | Shelby cheered up appreciably. To have been thought about and wondered about was a good deal just now. He edged for- ward on his chair and his eyes brightened. ‘“‘ Oh, I’ve been down in the mouth,” he said. ‘“ Never mind about me, Miss Suth- erland. If I can help you in any way, just tell me how and I'll go to it.” “Wait just a minute,” she said. She left the room, but returned almost at once. She held a folded letter in her hand. “This is the letter you received, sup- posedly from Thornton,” she said. “I wish you’d look at it again and tell me if you find anything out of the ordinary about it.” Shelby took the piece of paper. The girl sat down near him. He studied the writ- ing word by word. At last he shook his head. “It looks like any ordinary typewritten message to me,” he said. “And so it is, with one exception,” the girl said. She rose and came to his side and bent over his shoulder as he held the paper. Shelby could feel her breath on his cheek. She pointed a slim forefinger at the writ- ing on the paper. Shelby watched her hand with fascinated eyes. He wondered what she would do if he should suddenly take it in his. ‘““Do you see that the typewriter on which this was written has no period?” she said. ‘ All the periods have been filled in with pen and ink.” Looking closely at the periods Shelby could see that this was true. They had been carefully made, but the difference was discernible, especially so with the period after Thornton’s typewritten name. There was the minutest blur of ink there. “T see it,” Shelby said. ‘“ What about it, Miss Sutherland? Is it important?” “It is of the utmost importance—to me,” the girl said, and she went back to her chair and sat down. “You'd like to know whose typewriter this was written on?” Shelby asked. comicloool C©