Darke Darrell, the Boy Detective — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

DARKE DARRELL, 101 CHAPTER XXI. RECOGNIZED. Why Darke had desired to cazture Leotine, he scarcely knew. Had she set fire to the house? Had she not been guilty of treachery toward him after all? He began to think so—she had called to him in such pleased SUT pra shot him such a fond and yearning glance. Finding that she had effected her escape through the crowd, he turned his attention to the burning building. The firemen had forced open the door and windows, and were dragging their hose through the parlors, and up the wide stair-ways. In a few minutes the firemen had the flames so much un- der their control, that Darke concluded it was safe to enter the house, if sufficient caution was exercised. He stationed a detetive at the door, and another at the gate, then entered the house, accompanied by Patsey and two of Patsey’s friends. - He at once led the way to the library, the smoke breal- ing away, the water rushing down the stairs like a small rivulet. He was on his way to the wing of the building, by the route he had taken after falling through the trap. How was he to open it? Where was the secret spring located? While puzzling over that, a fireman came into the library from the balcony. He had an ax in his hand. ‘‘Hand me that, please,” ordered Darke. The man obeyed, without asking by what authority. He caught the gleam of a badge on the coat collar of one of the detectives, and that was sufficient. Half a dozen vigorous blows with the ax, and the trap- Gomicbooks.co