Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

78 in the evening. He is due at work in the course of the next hour or so.” “T know that,” Simpson said. “I didn’t expect to find him here. I wanted to go up to his room for a moment, if I might.” ‘“‘Well—” The woman’s voice trailed into silence on the word. She seemed not to know what to say. “T am going up to his room to look through some papers he has,” Simpson went on, and there was a new note of firmness in his voice. ‘I am an officer of the law. Osborne is in the company’s employ. -The company wishes to ascertam certain things about him. I don’t want Osborne or any one else to know that I have been here. You will understand that? You will un- derstand that you are to say nothing to any one about my visit.” “Very well, sir,” the woman said. She was apparently overawed by Simp- son’s majestic manner. Shelby heard the door close. ) “‘‘You can go up,” the woman said. “ It’s the last room to your left. I hope this 3s all right, sir.” “Tt’s perfectly all right,’”’ Simpson said. “ You needn’t worry. Don’t concern your- self about it at all. I won’t be long.” Meantime, Shelby had stood with his hand on the typewriter cover, too fright- ened and bewildered to move. But he per- ceived that he must hide himself from Simp- son. Escape by the hall and the window was impossible. He would not have time to get the screen out. His eyes swept the room. There was a door beyond the typewriter stand. He opened this and pushed inside. He felt about and found he had entered a closet. It was hung about with Osborne’s clothing and there was a trunk in it. Shelby pushed the door shut till it was open only an inch. Then he sank down on the trunk. His heart was hammering worse than ever and the closet was close. He felt as if his breathing must be heard all over the house. Silent Simpson’s footsteps were on the stairs. He gained the landing, came along the hall, and entered the room. Shelby heard a. switch click and there was light beyond the crack of the door. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Then there was complete silence, save for Shelby’s breathing. He almost held his breath to check the sound. He could im- agine the big man standing out there, scru- tinizing the objects in the room with his calm, deliberate eyes. Shelby thought he would never stir. He was filled with apprehensions lest Simpson come to the closet. There was nothing he could tell Simpson, because he was enlist-- ed in the girl’s behalf. Simpson would probably tote him off to a police station. Simpson didn’t let other people nose in where he himself was nosing. At last Simpson moved. There was the sound of drawers being opened. Shelby supposed that Simpson was going through the dresser. He finished that and moved across the room. He was coming directly toward the closet door. Shelby hunched himself down on the trunk. But Simpson did not open the door. He seemed to be pausing beside the type- writer. Apparently he removed the cover, for Shelby heard the click of a key. Again Simpson moved. away from the—door. There was a sound now as if a lid had been dropped down. Shelby recalled that he had seen a desk in one corner of the room, a trifling thing of a kind used’ by women more than by men. Then there was the creak of a chair. There was anoth- er sound, which Shelby could not determine the nature of. Then followed a splintering of light wood. A moment’s silence came after this, and then papers rustled. After that ceased, there was a lasting silence, broken only by an intermittent whisper of sound as if Simp- son were fingering a sheet of paper. Shel- by supposed he was reading something. ‘““H-m,” said Silent Simpson, after what to Shelby seemed an unending time. There was imfinite satisfaction in that exhalation. CHAPTER VII. A BIT OF THIEVERY. HELBY heard Simpson rise and put ‘up the flap of the desk. Then Simp- son moved about the room. As he neared the door of the closet, Shelby COMmiclboo SS C©