Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from Amazing Stories March 1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
THE DOUBLE SPY
By Dan T. Moore
Illustrator: Sanford Kossin
Meet the man with no name. Nothing cool about this cat. Hewas built along the lines of a necktie rack, weighedslightly more than a used napkin, and was as shy as the antein a crooked poker game.
No sex appeal there, you'd say. Yet within the space of afew days every woman in the country melted into quiveringprotoplasm at the very thought of this mystery man!
DEAR EXCELLENCY:
The communicating time will be here soon. I have started this letterearly to be sure it will be ready. This is the first time I have feltsafe when communicating with you. Our enemies at home can solve suchextraordinarily complex ciphers that I have always been uneasy before.They cannot possibly solve an entirely new language like this one; alanguage based on an utterly different theory from our own; with newsymbols; and even set down with a different writing instrument. Ourlong periods of study together have brought their reward. YourExcellency, I appreciate the rare privilege of knowing a language thatonly one other person at home knows, and that one person, yourself.
I am having many dangers and horrors in America. As we both realized,it is impossible to carry out my mission without lots of their money.I could not even begin my work, nor buy the expensive equipment neededfor my experiments without finding a way to make money.
In only a few weeks I discovered the quickest and easiest way to do itwas to become an entertainer. The people here like to be shocked andastonished. Naturally I am well equipped to do both. I was animmediate sensation. I got into what New Yorkers call "The Big Time."
Each night at 8:30 I went to a theatre in a place called Times Squareand put on my act. Thousands of people paid to see me. I was very wellpaid. There is a newspaper here called "Variety." It carried anarticle about me. The headline said: STRONG MAN TERRIF WOW SOCKEROO100G 3D. The numbers at the end mean the theatre took in $100,000during my third week. After the article appeared every seat was soldweeks in advance.
You will be amused, Excellency, when you hear what I did in this show.I came out on the stage practically nude except for an abbreviatedleopard skin. I walked over to a pile of iron rods. They werehalf-inch concrete reinforcing bars about six feet long. I picked oneout and dropped it on the floor. It made a terrible crash. This was toprove to the audience that it was real. Then I wrapped it around myneck and tied it in a regular four-in-hand necktie knot. It was alittle hard to get the ends to come out even. I had to pull and haulto arrange them just right. This caused tremendous laughter. They knewno one could do this with an iron reinforcing bar. They were sure itwas a trick.
I chose the man in the audience who was laughing the loudest and askedhim to come up on the stage. With a little persuasion he did so. Iselected another iron bar and wrapped it around his neck. Then I tiedit in a four-in-hand knot and adjusted