The Black Mask — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

wo wir “The same day?” “The same day.” “The same Smith?” - “The same Samuel Smith—or a man _ who is described as looking exactly like him and who used that name.” “But I tell you he’s dead.” “Maybe so, maybe so. But he wasn’t last Wednesday, not six of him.” “But he couldn’t—” “No, he couldn’t, any more than he could have done the same things at the same times at seven different hotels. ~But they could.” “I get you! There were seven of him—then.” “Seven is right—seven men who looked alike, who dressed and acted in the same way according to a carefully prepared and rehearsed schedule, each of whom appeared, did his little stunt, and disappeared by and on the appoint- ed minutes.” “But that lets them out of cracking the vault—if they left the day before. Everything was all right up to mid- night Wednesday a week ago.” “Six of them left town that Tues- day.” “Six? Six! Then the seventh turned the trick and—” “Aren’t you forgetting the dead man found in the vault with a knife in his ribs ?”” “Well, I'll be—” The Man Who Was Seven SN ae ie automobile for his getaway if it had not been for the man in the vault. He com- pletes the count.” “That surely lets them out of it—at least of getting away with the million. But if they didn’t—then why all the acting? They must have been mixed up in it in some way, or one of them wotldn’t be in the morgue. And I was almost ready to finger Snedeker’s ~ check! Damn!” “Then you found something at the bank ?”’ “T did—or I think I did. I can’t be sure until—but wait until I tell you. I[ - told Snedeker what I wanted and he gave me the run of the whole place— but with that idiot Daniels tagging at my heels and blatting every second about the ‘effrontery of the miscreants’ in picking on the Totem National for their ‘dastardly outrage.’ To hear him you’d think that the Totem was the only bank that ever had been cracked, that it was nothing short of sacrilege and high treason for rude hands to touch even a deposit slip belonging to it. If Daniels was judge and jury the thieves would be convicted on sight and boiled in oil—when they’re caught. And he thinks the whole city, state and coun- try administration should come to a halt until the heavy hand of the law is laid upon them—and that of the Totem Na- tional on its million. He got on my “You probably will, if you continue‘ nerves until I wanted to hit him, choke to insist on it. But don’t let’s worry about fhat—yet. I’m anxious to hear what you found at the bank. There’s nothing except the results that is inter- esting about my afternoon’s work. I simply made the rounds of the railroads and steamship offices, depots and docks, until I satisfied -myself beyond any doubt that all six and only six Samuel Smiths had left for the places I named, that they actually had gone and not merely pretended to. I would have thought the seventh one had taken an him, anything to>stop his incessant cackle—until I discovered what I think I discovered. Then I didn’t hear his clack any more, though he kept it up without interruption. He—” “Oh, cut the Daniels part now, Jim, Tell me what you found.” “Well, I think I found the way the thieves or thief got into the vault.” “You did?” “Think, mind you. I’m not sure and can’t be until I get a chance to investi- gate further. If I’m right I don’t want » Lo |) ay cComichooks.conl — ie er — =— SP eee ee ae ee Mahe. . : 2 § .