The Lights o' Gotham; or, The Gilded Villain — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

“ walks 3 vt ¥ % ‘ Oh her \e - 6 | THE LOG CABIN LIBRARY. ee other ninety thousand, and that you hoped by surrendering a/| tall, dark figure skulking behind him in the darkness, broken part of the booty to escape with the rest. Now take my advice, | only by the glimmer of a light here and there. and go straight to the ship; you'll have no difficulty about get-| The figure kept at a certain distance from him until he ar- ting on board with this ticket. It was sold to me by the agents | rived at the foot of the street, with the North River flowing here, and the captain has never seen me. Now pick up your| darkly a few feet away. Then, in this deserted snow-bound keys and continue with the work in which I interrupted you.” | place, it suddenly sprang upon him and fastened its long, lank It was with trembling hands and a heavy heart that the young | fingers around his throat. man took the ticket and picked up the keys. He opened the| A single cry for help escaped froin the unhappy clerk, then door of the inner compartment of the safe, and a faintness over-| the cruel fingers tightened their grasp, the victim's eyes started came him as he stretched out his hands to take out the bags of | from their sockets, his face became purple. Another twist of gold and bundles of bills. It is true, he had come there to rob, | that iron clutch, and with a convulsive shudder, Ernest Min- but only a small amount to cover his present necessities, and| turn sank in the snow a corpse. which he had intended to replace before the theft would be dis-| ‘The first step has been taken,” muttered John Baxter, as he covered, but now he was stealing not of his own free will, butas | unloosed his fingers from his victim’s throat. ‘‘ Now for the the tool and slave of another. gold.” “« Hurry!” exclaimed the banker. ‘‘ We may be interrupted.” | He stooped over the corpse to pick up the parcel which had fallen into the snow. The deed was done. The bags and bundles were taken out, ; A _ At this moment a drunken man, who had come out of the cor- and counted. Ninety thousand dollars were put in a small iron | | -nér liquor store at the cry for help, staggered against him. box easy to carry, while ten thonsand were wrapped up in some) “ : ; _ The murderer looked up, and even ip the darkness there was brown paper, making an ordinary-sized parcel. | A ‘ ., |& mutnal recognition. The banker caught up the iron box by the handle, and fairly | a : ; SPOTL Oe ‘*Tom, the toper!” he ejaculated, with an oath. forced the parcel under his victim’s arm. ‘*You had better leave the safe open and your key lying on Tsay, Jack, of fellah,” /bagcoughed bie sok, yONe Far Com ee the floor. It will look more probable that way. Come on.”’ here?” Walking as if in his sleep, more dead than alive, young Min- turn followed his employer from the private office, through the CHAPTER IV. outer one, along the hall-way, and into the street. A TRANSFORMATION. They did not encounter John Baxter, for the very goodreason| With a terrible oath Baxter flung himself upon the drunken that the latter had taken the opportunity, while they were ‘tramp, and gave him such a terrific blow between the eyes that counting the money, to slip out and wait for them in the shadow | the sot went down like a shot, falling over the dead body of the of the steps of the sub-treasury building, from which hiding- | murdered clerk, where he lay as still and Rea as as the place he had first perceived Mr. Thorndyke. | corpse. A great scheme had taken possession of the tramp’s mind—a| «go that settles him,” muttered the murderer, as he picked scheme by which with one bound he could acquire wealth, social up the parcel containing the ten thousand dollars from the station, and respectability, as far as this world goes. It invol-| snow, and hurried from the spot. ved robbery, murder, and bloodshed, but he did not shrink} ‘The storm was raging as violently as ever, and the few per- from it. He had determined to be a villain, and the scene he}gong who passed him were too much occupied in protecting had just witnessed, was not one calculated to make him waver in | themselves against the furious blasts to pay any attention to his resolution. him: ‘*T will show this banker,” he muttered, as he crouchedin the | He thus reached his home without let or hindrance, and, as snow and storm, which were raging more furiously than ever;| we have seen, fairly shocked his wife to death with the gold he ‘*T will show him that I can give him a point in villainy,”’ showered upon her. Making sure that there was no onein the street to observe| After Baxter had convinced himself that his wife was dead he them, Mr. Thorndyke put on the shoes he had _ left in the hall-| was not sorry for it. Had she died but yesterday he would way, and sallied out into the street with his clerk, who had now | have sincerely mourned her loss, but from the moment that become a bank robber. the demon of crime had taken possession of his soul his love They walked past the place where Baxter was hiding without | #nd affection for her disappeared, and she became an incum- perceiving him, and when they reached the corner of Broadway _brance to him, which he was glad he was rid of. and Wall street they halted. Baxter coolly gathered up the gold pieces he had flung on ‘Here, we separate, Ernest,” said the banker, in a kindly ithe straw and stuffed them in his pockets. ~ Then, gently tak- tone. ‘* Be faithful to me and I will keep my promise. You Ing his child in his arms, so as not to awaken her, he extin- | guished the candle, left the room, and descended to the street. There are people in New York who will do anything and ask /no questions, so long as they are well paid for it. Such a one was Moses Levy, the keeper of anold clothes-shop about a block from where Baxter lived. He was reputed to be ‘Proud to the end,’ muttered the banker. ‘ Well, my object | i eae ML pe ia sas gah e hes tooo ee i, gained ab ane risk to myself than I expected. : will keep his jhow to drive a sharp bargain, he was never known to betray his wile and child as hostages for his good behavior. patrons. Baxter knew him well, as most of his clothing and Lighting anew cigar he leisurely walked up Broadway, in- | household goods had wandered into his shop, and he knew tending to take a hack for up-town at the City Hall Park. ‘that he was ready to attend to business at all Sones of the day or Meanwhile the young clerk, with the burden of remorse | night. 7 weighing more heavily on his conscience than did the valuable | He directed his footsteps to Moses Levy's store, and arrivi parcel under his arm, trudged through the snow down Rector | 4) 46 rang the door-bell. After asd it Ae an old PR: street, following the directions given him in asort of mechanical with a withered face, small black, piercing eyes, and dark way, his brain ina whirl, oblivious to all that was going on | bushy beard, opened the shutters of the room above the store about him. and poked his night-capped head out of the window. It was the Had he not been so self-absorbed, he might have noticed a | ‘old clo’s’”’ man. will soon be joined by your wife and child, and now farewell.” He stretched out his hand at the last word, but the young man did not take it. ‘‘ Heaven pity my wife and child!” he huskily murmured, as he crossed the street. ‘ ~~) - :o~ . + ~ a | “A , 2 iin tia | a a is ; jis, eM oks.com ao ew @d @