Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

— ot a A om = . ae ve - - —e -o4 ay ——~ oe 1 » . —— —S THE MOUNTED DETECTIVE. — rs ccm et Cl LL A ny en ab D> SUBPSRSEY UREN NT ASB TRESS NS Sa a ES Ree ‘s Amey hk?’ ‘* Yes.”’ ‘‘30 are you, and 1 want you to haul that wig off, and let me see who you look like, any- how.” ‘‘Don’t put your hands on me.”’ ‘Don’t put my hands on you, eh? -Well, now, young man, I just will put my hands on you if you do not get that wig off in a jilfy, and show up in your true colors!" ‘“You’re Hawk!’’ said the thief. The detective laughed and answered: ‘‘It’s unfortunate for you, my friend, you did not make that discovery sooner.’’ The robber turned pale, and he glanced around in a furtive manner. ‘“My good fellow, l’ve got you this time, got you dead to rights, I’ve been laying for you a long time, and now mark my words, don’t attempt any funny business, or you area dead man.”’ A curse fell from the man’s lips. that indeed he had been nicely caught. 7] want a little talk with you, Pell.’’ The young man pulled off nis-wig and stood revealed as Charles Pladwell. The detective did not show any signs of sur- rise. ac Look sharp at me,’’ said the robber. “Tm ‘looking at you, young man, Jooking to see that you don’t get away, as the first skip you aifempt to take will be your last.”’ ‘Do you not recognize me?”’ ‘‘ Yes, I recognize you.”’ “Then you know ]’m no robber.”’ ‘+ Bh?”’ ‘‘You must see you are mistaken.” ‘‘T] am mistaken.”’ ¢¢ Yes.’’ ‘* How so?”’ ‘**T am not Pell, the man you want.” He saw CHAPTER XVIII. ‘I don’t make any difference to me whether you are Pell or not—yan are the man I want.”’ ‘* Why do you want me.” * Because you are one of the gang who made the raid on the Castle.”’ ‘““ What is it to you?’’ said the robber. “My words are plain.” . ‘‘Has my own father given me away? Is it robbery to enter my own father’s house?”’ . ‘“Bh? What’s that you are saying? Who is your father?’ ‘It is evident you do not recognize me.’’ “7 recognize you as an old-time thiel.”’ ‘* No, sir; lam not a thief.”’ - ‘You are not a thief, eh? Well, they all say hat when they are caught.” ‘‘7 am not a thief.”’ ‘‘ You did not follow me to rob me?”’ ‘‘No, and 1 can prove I did not; and if you have killed that man there, you will suffer.’’ ‘*You think so, eh?”’ ‘Yes, 1 do.”’ ‘*'This matter can be fixed, Hawk.”’ ‘* What matter?’’ ‘This charge of attempted burglary.”’ ‘* How can it be fixed?”’ ‘Go and see my father.”’ ‘‘S2e your father?”’ vei aig ‘‘ Where will I find bim?’’ **} am Charles Pladwell.”’ ‘*'You are Charles Pladwel!?’’ es l am.’”’ | ” ‘* You miserable villain! how dare you me such a bare-taced falsehocd?”’ ‘‘1t’s the truth.’’ ‘‘You, a confessed burglar, claim to be Charles Pladwell?’’ ‘ ‘Yes; but 1 am not a confessed burglar.”’ ‘‘ What are you?” ‘*A gentleman.”’ | ‘‘ Whew!’’ ejaculated the detective, ** you a gentleman!’’ , ‘Yes, sir, Il am.”’ “* And do gentlemen attempt to burglarize gentlemen’s houses?”’ “There was not ap attempt to burglarize a gentleman’s house. ”’ ‘ You were at the Castle the other night?”’ ‘* Yes, 1 was.’’ , a =z company with two notorious cracks- en >’? . ‘Yes, 1 was.’’ | ‘**You admit that?’ ie Yes. 7? tell ‘‘ What were you doing there?’ ‘‘]T was there to obtain my rights,” ‘“To obtain your rights? Explain.”’ | ‘‘ My tather has certain papers belonging to me which he refuses to surrender, and | deter- mined to secure them at ali hazards; they are mine, and ] mean to have them!”’ ‘* You are a cocl-headed villain!’’ -** The day will come when you will regret all you say to me}! the Pladwell estate is all mine; my father keeps it from me wrongful- i ‘Well, you have got a cheek! Where did y u Jearn vour trade, in London or Paris?’ The young man turned pale and showed signs of great nervousness, ‘‘ Aha!’’ thought the detective. ‘‘1l gct a shot in that time between wind and water!’’ ‘ I never was in London or Paris in my life.”’ ‘“- You never were, eh?”’ ‘* Never.” : ! ‘‘ Well, 1 believe you, but was in London and Paris,’’ “ My uncle?” ‘‘ Eh?” said the detective. ‘My uncle was in London and Paris.’’ ** When?’’ ‘‘ When he was a young mun.’”’ ‘ And you were never there?”’ ‘‘ Never there to learn the trade of a burg- lar.’” ‘¢ Where did you learn the trade?’’ ‘‘T am not a burglar.”’ ‘‘ Look here, young man, you are in a bad hole; now what’s your game?” ‘Tt will have nothing more to say to you.”’ ‘* Oh, you won't, eh?”’ ‘* 1] will not.”’ ‘*'That’s all right; but you are my prisoner all the same. IL've been looking for you and [’ve got you at last!’’ | ‘‘ Det me ask you one question?” ‘* Proceed.”’ , ‘Does my father know you were seeking to arrest me?”’ ; ‘‘} know nothing about your father. Mr. Pladwell ordered me to secure you if | could.”’ ‘* It’s falsel’’ | ‘‘ Be careful, young map, what you say.”’ ‘Tl repeat my words; my father did not order you to arrest me, and he will not appear against me if you do!”’ ‘¢ He will not appeal against yout’ *“ Noi": ‘‘] don’t ask your father to appear against you; but Mr. Pladwell will appear against you, and he wil) identify you as one of the burglars, and so will Miss North.”’ ‘Your name is Hawk?” ‘“Yes, my name is Hawk,’’ ‘You are a detective?’’ ‘¢ Yes, I am a detective.”’ ‘“Well, Mr. DBawk, detective, thing to tell you.”’ ‘* Proceed.”’ i ‘You are meddling in.a matter which will get you into trouble.” ! “'T am taking all those chances; but I’vea little whisper to drcp inio your ear.’’ ‘* Speak.’’ ‘‘'Phere’s a chance for you to get out of this Charles Pladwell I’ve some- serape you’le in, or you will go up for twenty yeals.”’ ‘¢ You will find out you are mistaken. ’’ ‘No, 1 will not find out I am mistaken. ] know your game, young man, and you can’t work it while ] am around.’’ , ‘‘] have no game, and my father and | are reconciled. ’’ ‘‘ Bah! you need not tell that nonsense to me; take my advice and get out of this scrape.”’ ‘‘ How can 1 get out of it?”’ HY ‘* Confide in me.’’ ‘ Confide in you?’’ Se ¥es.e ‘‘ What do you mean?”’ , ‘*Tell me who you are, and how it happens you chance to Icok so much like the real Chalres Pladwell?’’ ‘*T am Charles Pladwell.’’ . ** Tf you are Charles Pladwell you Sing Sing for twenty years, suie,’” ‘“Mv father will save me, and turn against you. Now it’s your time to make some money. ”’ ‘‘T’ve money enough.”’ ‘“My father does not want my little wild racket exposed, and he will pay you well.”’ ‘* He wiil, eh?”’ se Yes.’’ ‘‘ How do you know %”’ ‘‘ He told me so.” will go to | me. ~~ —— - ae ae —_—_ ——— - —— --- —— ? ‘This very day.’ ‘* Your father told you that, eh?’’ 6 Yes.”’ ‘‘ And you saw him the past day?”’ ¢ Yes,’’ ‘* Where?’’ ‘‘T went home and saw him. | confessed alf -|to him, and he is on my side. ’ Will you go» with me and see your father?” ‘* 7 will meet you there.’’ ‘* When?” ‘* 'Po-morrow.”’ ‘* At what hour?’’ ‘* Any time you say.’ ‘* Who is that man?”’ ‘* A fellow I met at the tavern.’’ ‘* and is he an honest man?’’ ‘* As far as I know.” A moment the detective remained silent and thoughtful. CHAPTER X1X THe detective was revolving in his own mind just how he should act under the circumstances, Hie did not wish to arrest the young man at that. moment. He preferred to let him run free until he had made certain further investigations. Tom Hawk believed the young man spoke the truth when he said he had seen M1. Pladweill, and he was willing for a time to let certain mat- ters run until he was prepared to explode his mine. At length the detective said: ‘‘See here, Pell, why not take advantage of your opportunity, and make a friend of me?’’ ‘‘1’vea better triend.’’ ; ‘* Who?”’ ‘* My father.’’ | ‘©-You are set to wcrk that scheme, eh?’” ‘*Tt’s no scheme,”’ | ‘“7f you are all right. with your father, why did you not remain home? is Byron's the prop- er place for the son of Mr. Pladwell?’’ ‘‘ My father thought it better that 1 should not show up at once.”’ ‘* He did, eh?”’ Year: The man whom the detective had knocked down began to show signs of returning conr- sciousness, and our hero fell to his plan. ‘*You will meet me to-morrow at your fa- ther’s?”’ +é Yes.’’ ‘* All right, 1 will take your word, and meet you there; but you ale making a mistake; io the end 1 wil) explode your game, and then {here will be no chance for you; indeed, you muy fvol every one else, but you will never foo! I amon your track, and 1’ll have your record. There is a chance for you, if you own up; but drive me to the discovery, and woe be tide when the day comes for me to close in: good-night, young man, when you and | me¢. again, we will understand each other much be‘. ter, and 1 will know just how to act,”’ eo The detective walked away, and left Pel} with his pal. ! The moment the detective had disappeared from sigbt, the man who had been Knocked down sprung to his feet. . ‘* Well, that was a sell!’’ he said. ‘‘ We’re a pair of fools that we didn’t tum. ble.’”’ ‘*7 should say so; and now there’s only one thing for us to do, and that is ‘fli.’ Wecan't do anything for Cheesy and Snagsy now that Night-Hawk has got us down so fine.” Thus talking together, the two men returned to the village, Pell remarking at the last mo- ment: F ‘‘ We’re all right; the ola man stands between me and Hawk, and will stand there until my scheme is over. 1 don’t leave here until I get those papers. l’ve a big surprise for Hawk yet, in spite of all his wit and cunning.” Meantime, the detective retired to his bur- row. He was indeed puzzled, though still sat- isfied, indeed fully convinced, that Fell was not Charles Pladwell; it had dawned upon him that there was a mystery within a mystery, that there was a point he had not ‘‘ got on to” yet, and he was still determinec to go slow until the clouds had rolled away a bit. Upon the morning following the incident we have related, the detective mounted his horse Badger, and rode up to the Castle. He found Mr. Pladwell at home, and was shown tp the library. Our hero had seen the gentleman but once since the night when the attack upon the mansion had been made, The two men were seated some seconds be —* , ~ . () / c be 7 le @l 4 | . 4“ . al . — 4 -~ Yh, ¥ ne ='* : - < - ' +? ys . es ~ ri a ./ . >