Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

Gamentals we ought to establish ‘before banking on this accommodating lobe of gray matter.” “ For instance?” questioned Bailey. “'To start with: was Connors kidnaped or did he disappear in ee with some rranged plan of his own?” Pim feidreped—some one wanted him, and they got him. His call for help proves that. Furthermore, he came here with us, because we asked him to. It was his intention to go direct to the Grand Central Station and take the first express for Boston.” ‘That sounds fair enough,” was Bruce's comment. ‘“ Do we want to spend any time on the question of who got him and what they want him fer?” — ‘No; we do not. In my opinion, we should dismiss that for the present. The next three days may help us to solve that section of the problem. Just now we better stick to our known facts. We agree that he was kidnaped, and that it was his voice we heard calling for help. Also that he was spirited away in a cab.” ““ Correct.” “The mystifymg part of it to me is this, granting that they got him out of the back room by some means unknown to us, how did they manage to reach the street?” “YT give it up,” replied Bruce. - ‘* And I admit that it is too deep for me,” said Bailey. ‘I’ve had them pull coins out of my ears and ducks out of my silk hat, but I never supposed it was possible to whisk a man right out of a room while looking at him.” Further speculation being useless, they locked up the Cracker Pot and started for home with the understanding that Bailey was to take breakfast with Bruce in the morning. Therefore at 8 a.m. they were seated in the dining room of the rectory for a brief discussion of their future plans. First of all, Bailey was to call updén Captain Wal- lers and relate the peculiar circumstances under which Bruce had become obligated to Connors and to inform him of the latter’s Stramge request and Bruce’s consent. They agreed that it would not be wise to mention Connors's mysterious disappearance, as it was short, as Sun seemed to be an appropriate UM to concentrate upon Connors meee About an hour later Bailey aet Bruce de Lisle’s message to Captam Walers: who seemed both pains —s amused at t lovaltv of his clerical friend. | ““ Tell him not to worry,” said he. “The chances are that the place will be as quiet as a Sunday school. This man 4 is as square as a business of that character will allow him to be, but sooner or later we will have to clean him out.” Bruce had agreed to meet Bailey at the Cracker Pot by ten o'clock on morning, which gave him ample time to fol- low his usual custem of spending an hour in the gymnasium associated with the Parish House Community Service, where, to the consternation of the staid board of govern- ors, he sometimes instructed the young men of his church in the “‘ manly art.” Upon entering the Cracker Pot they found Emile industriously polishing sundry bottles and brasses behind the dingy bar. in front of it, a blear-eyed wreck was plying a short rake over the sawdust-covered floor. It was Joie the Jug. “TY am a friend of Connors,” said Bruce to Emile by way of introduction. “Yes, sir,” was Emile’s response. ‘“He’s gone away for a few days,” con- tinued Bruce, scrutinizing the man’s face for the purpose of trying to discover how much he knew concerning the sudden de- parture of his employer. One of Emile’s tricks was to assume the mask of dull stupidity when in doubt, and this he now attempted, but there had been one fractional moment of uncertainty, and mm that brief space Bruce noted the glint of satisfaction in Emile’s eye. ~ Lam here with the knowledge and con- sent of Captain Wallers,” he added, “ an in a general way will look after the business during his absence.” “Yes, sir.” This terminated the verb eliminaries — between them. Each'had taken his meac of the other. A. —