THE OTHER WORLD - Vb-tech.co.za

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“All you’ve got to do with this is
produce information,” Fancife explained. “I
want to know who brought the furs today,
and where I can find the person.”
“Wasn’t there something said about
five hundred?”
Fancife reached into his hip pocket
for a billfold and began counting out twentydollar
bills.
“You’ll get it,” he said.
Two Wink casually reached into his
coat and a moment later Fancife was looking
into the threatening twin maws of a largecaliber
derringer.
“I’m afraid I’ll need more than five
hundred,” Two Wink said.
THE two men examined each other
during tense moments while Two Wink
brought the car to a stop near a street light in
a deserted section of the park. Each one saw
that the other was not afraid, and a mutual
respect sprang up between them.
“I didn’t figure you would have a
gun,” Fancife said disgustedly.
“I did have, you see.”
The strained silence continued.
There was no noise other than the muttering
of the engine and the ticking of a valve
tappet. Breeze moved the park trees, and
leaves cast squirming clusters of shadow.
“Well?” Fancife said questioningly.
“I can see only one answer to this,”
Two Wink said thoughtfully. “Someone has
bred a new type of fur-bearing animal, and
skins of that animal were offered on the
market today. That fur, if a man had had a
monopoly, would be worth millions. So I want
in. I’m no hog.”
“What do you mean—no hog?”
“I want fifty per cent. Half.”
Fancife chewed his lower lip. He was
thinking. “And if there was more to it than just
a new fur-bearing animal?”
“Half. Still half.”
Fancife continued thoughtful, until
finally he drew in a deep breath.
“I like your style.” He scowled at Two
Wink. “I don’t think I would care much for you
personally, but you don’t handle yourself bad.
I could use you.”
Two Wink said frankly: “I was just
thinking the same thing. We might do each
other some good.”
There was a silence. Then, without
further speech, with no other manifestation,
they shook hands to seal the bargain.
Another silence followed, for they were both
somewhat surprised, suddenly realizing that
they understood each other fully, that their
minds worked in exactly the same fashion, so
that each seemed to know exactly what the
other thought and intended to do. It was
almost uncanny.
“We should make a team,” Fancife
said.
Two Wink put away his derringer,
admitted, “Yes, we should.”
“Our first move,” Fancife announced,
“is to get hold of the man who brought those
furs to St. Louis. And the next move,” added
Fancife, “will be to get rid of a fellow named
Columbus.”
Chapter III
THE GANG-UP
THE yellow-haired young man who
was built like a blacksmith was having his
troubles.
The airplane stewardess said: “I saw
the fight begin, and he didn’t start it. The
other man hit him first.”
The policeman asked, “Who kicked
your teeth out?”
“The other one,” admitted the copilot.
“Not this fellow, but the one who got
away.”
The yellow-haired young man made
an impatient gesture with his large, strongfingered
hands, then gave a convincing
speech.
“So why not turn me loose?” he
argued. “This fellow attacked me and I simply
defended myself, so the fracas was not my
fault. I didn’t even know the man, therefore
he must have been a nut of some kind. You
better be devoting your time to finding him.
Why, he’s probably a crazy man running
around loose, a menace to humanity.”
The policeman said, “You didn’t even
know him?”
“My name,” said the young man who
had furnished half the fight, “is Arnold
Columbus, but naturally I get called Chris
Columbus. I’m from New York. I’m a fur
specialist, and I frequently travel to remote
parts of the world. You’re liable to run into me
inside the Arctic Circle hunting unusual
sealskins, or you might find me in the Andes
Mountains dickering for a catch of special
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