The Safe Breakers' Gang — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

“ an - - a ea * e “— : futile ™ = - — ~ ad ~ a (ge «Tu ~~ * —> 4 in, + % Te yee ’ é - 7 a4 . 2S Se oe a RAS ee re ——— giving the big hand of the stranger such a grip that the latter actually winced. THE LOG CABIN LIBRARY. No, 14. J a ——a- Es ee ee ee ‘ Meditate on the habits of prairie dogs!” he repeated, speaking very fast so that the attention of the pther was “Your face isa new one to me,” said the fierce man. wholly occupied. “ But there is that in it that gives me a feeling of fellow- ‘Well, that is a little tough, when I never saw an ani- ship. I hope you have come to stop with us, and to join|mal of the kind you mention; but I suppose I will have us in the next one of our grand expeditions 2” to submit if I am to join your distinguished society. The detective in that first swift glance into the face of | But before I abandon myself to the solitary part of the the stranger had fathomed an unexpected truth. W hoever, and whatever, this man might be—whether his name was really the same as ‘that of the noted safe- breaker or not—or whether or not he had direct or indi-. rect connection with the safe-breakers’ gang, he was him- self as wholly irresponsible for his speech or actions as a child. “The man is certainly a little out in his upper-story—a a crank of some sort, who imagines himself to be either the famous safe-breaker, else he is playing off more cleverly | than anybody I ever fell in with yet. But I can’t under- stand why Lena was talking to him in the way she did, unless there was a deal of methodin his madness. He certainly ordered her about as though he was used to if. And what is more, why did she go to consult him nate ‘programme, suppose that I do this.” The hand which had approached so silently at this mo- ‘ment gripped the other by the collar, jerking him _ back- ward, while at the same time one of Quimby’s feet tripped those of the cranky individual from under him. he man came down with a heavy shock that seemed to shake the house to its foundation. Before he fairly had time to realize what had occurred his hands were manacled, and he was lifted bodily and placed on the bed. “There you are, my hearty!” exclaimed the detective, ‘pausing long enough to look down into the bewildered face of the cranky strarger. “Here Iam!” he echoed, not offering to stir. ‘And I suppose your poor noddle isin such an addled admitting me? If he was a dangerous lunatic, and she | condition that it will be useless to try to get any facts out knew it, why didn’t she tell me the truth about it, instead | locked me into that room. If she did she missed her reck- ‘of you. of letting me run my nose into danger in this way ? But. perhaps she thought to keep me out of trouble when she. So I'l! bid you good-by, with the hope that you will do all the meditating on the habits of prairie dogs that you feel inclined.” Without another glance at the strange individual, whose oning, for if there is a mortal on the spinning surface of | v vagaries bad only served to waste the time of the detec- this globe who has a faculty for getting into all the close, pinches there may be lying round loose, that mortal is, Quimby Hall, sandwich of the three H’s.” This was the sort of soliloquy, which was running: through the mind of the detective while he stood before tive, the latter went from the room, clesing and locking the door after him. “But there is a meaning to all this nonsense, and I’m going to know what it is before I go away,” said the “ sand- wich” of the ‘‘three H’s,” ashe returned to the room to the now smiling stranger, and tried to get something! which Lena had first conducted him. tangible out of the maze of mystery in which this part of the case seemed involved. In the first place, although it was clear that this man was a half-crazed crank, and that he might be so managed as not to prove dangerous, it was at the same time equally clear that Lena had something to do with the real Jules Jepworth. Otherwise, how came she to get the watch bearing his name in the eases, from Gopher, the pawnbroker ? And why did the telegraph boy bring a message hither, for Jules Jepworth, unless such a person made this his : <) home ? But while the detective was revolving these points in his brain, he at the same time decided what to do. “What sort of an expedition are you getting up, my friend?” Quimby asked. At the same time he drew closer to the stranger and managed to rest one hand on the back of a chair partly behind the other. “Why, you know, I couldn’t think of letting you into our secrets without first obtaining a pledge of secrecy from you.” “What sort of a pledge do you want? I’ll swear by the moon—or the sun—or any of the planets——” “No, no! But you will have to be initiated into our band in the regular way. There will be a formal meeting to-morrow night, and in the meantime you will have to remain in a dark room, and meditate on the habits of prairie dogs.” While the cranky stranger was giving voice to these novel instructions, the hand of the detective, which rested go harmlessly on the chair-back, slowly rose until it was on @ level with the collar of the stranger. 4 ne ‘+ ‘Lee ¢ ae 4 ld ‘ ta a of, : Te .- 5 Bm tlt, Are, oe hes : oe sche . ; nd res ay ‘ X | He opened the door unhesitatingly ; but as he did so he byes himself confronted by two powerful ruffans, both of whom flung themselves upon him. CHAPTER X. A STRANGE VISITOR. “Come in!” The request was spoken by Rexford Hunt, the “ head- light” of the “three H’s,” in answer to a quick, decisive knock upon the door of his office. The hour was late upon the night next following that of the robbery of the bank safe. While the individual members of the great detective firm did all the actual detective work themselves, they nevertheless employed many assistants in various parts of the country, whose duties were simply to obey special instructions from headquarters. From these a great many telegrams and letters had been received within the last day or two, and Rexford Hunt was therefore engaged until this late hour in reply- ing to them, and in digesting their contents. | He was surprised to have acaller at that hour. And, while he was thus free in inviting the unknown visitor to enter, he laid his hand carelessly upon the revolver which was always upon his table within easy reach. The door opened, and a tall; powerful, dark-faced man came in. The stranger wore colored spectacles; his face wag smooth-shaved. 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