Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

o10 Oakes Radell was dressed in an incon- spicuous suit, and he wore a dark motoring cap that was pulled down over his forehead. He believed that he would not be noticed particularly in a crowd. He wanted to purchase a pair of thin kid gloves, but he did not want the world to know of his purchase. Stopping the roadster in the middle of a block, Radell crossed the street to a cheap department store. He had been watching the newspapers of this town, and he knew that to-day there was a sale of men’s gloves at this particular store. He entered and drifted down an aisle toward the glove counter. There was a throng of men before it, as bad as women at a bargain day rush. Oakes Radell smiled inwardly when he saw that his luck was still with him. A quick glance at the throng told him there was nobody near he knew. Oakes Radell did not frequent this part of the city on his visits, and few men who knew him did. He realized that it would look pecu- liar if an acquaintance saw Oakes Radell buying a cheap pair of gloves at a bargain counter. But he trusted to his luck. He edged closer to the counter. There was one huge tray of gloves—black kid, light weight—that attracted his attention immediately. The sign on them said one dollar ninety-eight cents. Oakes Radell had the exact change ready. ‘Pair of those—pnines,” he told the clerk. ‘‘ Never mind wrapping ’em up!” He took the gloves and handed over his dollar ninety-eight. A moment later the gloves were in his coat pocket, and Oakes Radell was hurrying from the store. In his roadster once more, he turned back toward his home city. Once out of town, he traveled fast, always with an eye for traffic officers. He did not want to be over- hauled and put under arrest, but he did want to make as good time as possible. Again he came to the rough road that ran into the brush-bordered ravine. Again, ‘he found that the highway was deserted. He chuckled as he guided the car out of sight of traffic. His luck still was with him! Now he coupled the speedometer again, drove back to the highway and rushed ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. toward the city. Late in the afternoon he rolled up to the garage where he kept his cars. A mechanic hurried forward. “‘ Have a good drive, Mr. Radell?” “Very good. But I think there’s a fouled spark plug.” *T’'ll look at it this evening, sir.” ‘“‘ The gas consumption is the main thing. Afraid the mixture is a bit rich. Let’s check up on it.” “Yes, sir.” “‘ Remember what the speedometer read when I left?” Radell asked. “I wrote it down on this card, sir— eight thousand five hundred sixty.” ““Um!” Radell grunted. ‘ And we have just a hundred more now.” “¢ So I see, sir.” ** Now check the gas and let me know to-morrow. I know how much I had in the tank when I started.” Oakes Radell walked slowly around the comer to ‘the bachelor apartment-house where he resided. He went up to his suite, and not until he was safely inside his living- room, with the corridor door locked behind him, did he indulge in the luxury of a smile. So! That mechanic would swear, if necessary, that he had driven the roadster only one hundred miles. And the round trip to that other city was one hundred sixty. That gas tank had been fuller than the mechanic had known. Just a little thing, but it was one of the minor details. And Oakes Radell had planned an abundance of them. He sat down in an easy chair, lighted a cigar, and thought it all out again. They might suspect him when Harrison Hadler was found dead. But they would not be able to fasten evidence upon him. He had spent the afternoon riding out of the city, a thing he often did when he was involved in some big financial schem2. A score of men could swear to that habit of Radell’s. He had purchased a pair of gloves, but they never could be traced to him, he believed. And he would use those gloves that night, and drop them at the scene of the crime. He had plenty of gloves, but he did not want to use an old pair of his own. He might accidentally drop one COMmiclboo SS C©