The Safe Breakers' Gang — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

* oe 3 s i‘ wy ; #7 a, Wek ¥ 1 a <, Ge i ‘ 7 ed A, L* _ “Shall I have it in cash ?” THE LOG CA. - “Jn clean cash, and the notes will be on almost any a bank you may name, for Jules Jepworth does business | _— with all the best banks in the country, and every one of _ them honors his drafts when he presents them.” 7 f Again the speaker laughed, in his peculiar, exultant _ way, which one would never forget, if it were once heard. “Jules Jepworth, the safe-breaker, and within two ; yards of the hand of the tail-ender of the three H’s.” : the brain of the listener. Such was the startling realization which swept through And he unconsciously laid one _ hand on a weapon, while his single eye gleamed with des- _perate resolve. i “But I must keep my head cool and my hand steady,” _ was his next thought. ‘“ For Jules Jepworth is too dasper- _ateand wily a foe to encounter in an even fight. _ three H’s are all on deck, and the tail-ender mustn’t spoil at that time. The _ their plans by taking them out of pickle too soon.” Even as these thoughts passed through the mind of the ' detective, he became conscious of a startling fact. The plank upon which he stood had settled several inches, and at this moment it suddenly sank béneath his feet. ww CHAPTER XIV. A BLOW IN THE DARK. “T have thrown away valuable time, and gotten a new a — eee + | then. IN LIBRARY He walked past the house without looking at it, and kept on to another street, into which he turned. Then he made his way back to the suspected building by a short detour which brought him to it from the rear. Thus Quimby suddenly presented himseif in front of the building, and directly before the window where he had noticed the suspected attempt to avoid observation. As he expected, the curtain had been raised, and his alert glance detected a face peering furtively out. This time the face dodged back, and no attempt to lower the curtain was made. “That is the one who tried to sand-bag me!” was the verdict of the “sandwich,” as he again walked past the dwelling. It was not the purpose of Quimby to enter the place He did not think Jules Jepworth was hiding there And the presence of the ruffian of whom he had once got the better in his treacherous attempt, was sufficient to show that this was still a rendezvous for the followers and pals of Jules Jepworth. “The leader keeps out of sight, but he is playing a new and deep game, with the object of wiping out the three H’s ie Such was the conclusion of Quimby Hall as he ran over in his mind the events of the last few days. ‘‘Kach of these places must be kept under constant sur- veillance,” was his instant decision. “ And to accomplish this end 1 must have trusty help. That is the next point _heart-ache into the bargain!” was the burden of Quimby | to claim my attention.” - Hall’s reflections as he went to his lodgings, and tried to | compose himself for a night’s sleep. A vad 7. a vs, _ With his thoroughly trained will, the young detective | succeeded in banishing the unpleasant sting brought by | | his unpleasant discoveries concerning the young woman approving glance at the young man. He made his way to the nearest police station, and the moment he entered the officer in charge beckoned him Within the rail. “] never saw you before,” said the sergeant, with an “But the papers ' whose sweetly innocent face had appealed so strongly to printed a picture of you the other day, and I know ye by his sympathies and confidence. | <A night’s.sleep, as usual, made his brain clearer, and | during the next day he was able to plan and execute - , much efficient work upon the case which the “three H’s” had just undertaken. Another night passed, and in good season the “ sand wich” of the firm held a consultation with the ‘‘head-light” of the famous three. But for the first time since they had worked together You’re the chap they call the sandwich of the three H’s, eh ?” “ Yes—but be sly about it,” was the reply. “Nothing green about us, if we do belong to the regular force,” said the sergeant, while his eyes twinkled. “T’m ready to gamble on that, sergeant. But what is in the wind? Have the crooks beaten you so bad that you want the three H’s to help you a little on the sly ?” “Not that, my boy—the regulars ain’t all asleep yet. _ Rexford Hunt failed to give explicit advice to the younger! But ye see it comes handy for you fellows to have a man, or to state what theories or plans he had bimself station-house open here and there, just as an accommoda- _ resolved to act upon. Their consultation was lengthy, as we have stated; but tion, now and then. ‘about an hour ago, and I thought you’d be coming for it Here’s the message for ye—it come - when Quimby went out upon the street he felt that it was! before now !” _wholly unsatisfactory. “He intimated that something of importance had occurred since I saw him last, but he did not explain what,” mused Quimby, as ke returned to the street. “And that isn’t all, for he seemed almost indifferent to what I had to say to him. had better do next, he went off into a vague and general “sort of yarn that never gave me so much asa hint as to his real views. I would givea pretty penny if I knew what has come over the head-light of the three H’s !” _ While musing thus, and with his mind growing more and more disturbed over the singular behavior of the man upon whom he depended at all times to help him over knotty points, Quimby Hall took an L train for a section of the city just below Harlem. _ The quiet work which he had been doing upon the case had disclosed the fact that Jules Jepworth, of the safe- breakers’ gang had more than one place within the city limits which he used as a place of rendezvous. _ One, he was satisfied, was with the fair Lena in the Bowery ; another, which he had not lately visited, owing to the locality having been made especially warm by the police, was in West Fifty-fifth street ; while a third was in the locality which Quimby Hall was now about to visit. As he approached a dingy building which stood between jwo vacant lots, he saw that a shade on the inner side of ne of the windows was suddenly pulled down, as though jhe person within had seen him coming and wished to void being seen by him. This trivial circumstance was sufficient to excite the ispicions of the young detective. ys : ot Poe cf Le i? oe. DY - -* r > i P aa * ~ 4 : 4 : aE “ a - LD a 4 4 « Ba dad 7 an “ ‘ aT 2G ‘ ’ erst. 4 “te ee “? ° al CPt were, eas Wife Pf Ad ak Ee Pe - And when I asked him what I | As he spoke the good-humored officer took a telegram from his desk and gave it to Quimby. To the astonishment of the latter the message envelope was directed correctly to himself, and to this police sta- tion, showing that the sender expected him to receive it here more promptly than if it were sent to the office of Hunt, Hall & Hyde. How did the sender know that he was to visit this police station at this particular hour? _ Quimby had not disclosed his intentions even to Rex Hunt. “Somebody knows what is in my mind mighty near as well as I know myself!” was his reflection, as he opened the envelope. a The sergeant eyed him as he reaa it, and saw the flush of eagerness that mantled the young man’s blonde cheeks. “Bad look is it, or good?” inquired the officer. “Another safe broken into, and cleaned out, right in broad daylight!” answered Quimby Hall. “And where is it? And the work of that Jules Jep- worth, bad luck to him ?” ‘‘We don’t know. This telegram is from Rexford Hunt, one of my partners, and it calls me to the scene of the burglary, to meet him on the spot. It breaks up my plans for the day, but it can’t be helped. The odd part of it is, that Rex should know where to send this message so that it would reach me so straight when I hardly knew myself that I should call here when I saw him last this morn- ing.” CT looks as if the head -light could see a good ways liké ‘the papers say he can,” smiled the sergeant. ) - - . “ >? * * ee x vat oe 5 Sah net ED SSM etd ‘ x wo he .* 2 7% ‘ iy. i. ow i an Ya te a — “> 4 comic het eS ~ i) b Z i cd | ‘ ' > -— | 4 * Vy ~~ ; 4 , . é *? ee re ’ «5 *- » 4 y » - 4 bt L. y'eq? aN, = i 4 rib. “ke ion ee a ee A \ ‘7 2 ee eo Se dt he Bet ; Ce i# “ate na! 4> Me ‘ - Ss aan ee ee es 4 ’ : j ooks.com