Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

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So ~ => ul A yg ea ee — a — -—- -ot 14 fore either opened the conyersation, when the} that the gentleman bad made some strange dis- . detective said: covery; that he deszred to have the burglar ar- ‘* Well, siz, I have come to talk over matters | rested. , | with you.”’ 3 ‘* No matter who the voung man may be, he ‘‘ Have you captured the third burglar?’ will go to jail as your son!”’ ‘© Vos” ‘‘ He can not, when I repudiate the relation. ‘Ah, good!’’ ship.”’ | loom Hawk was astonished. ‘* Your repudiation in the face of the extra- “*] captured him, and let him go.”’ ordinary resemblance will amount to nothing ‘* You let him go?’’ unless the real Charles is produced, and even Mi Vee, | then a great difficulty will arise to establish the ‘Why?’ identity.’’ é ** At your request.” The master of the house appeared deeply agi- ‘** At my request?” tated, as he said: y ‘Yea. ? ‘* How can that be?” ‘*] do not understand.’’ ** Because you have once proclaimed the ‘*] captured the young man last night, and | burglar to be your son!’ he said he had seen you during the day, and; ‘‘ To whom?’ you had’ expressed a desire that he might be set ‘* To me.’ free. ’’ ‘‘ To you only?”’ ‘* And could you release a prisoner upon my m= INO." request ?”’ ‘“‘ To whom else?’’ ‘* ] did under the peculiar circumstances.”’ ‘* Miss North.’’ ‘* You did not do your duty!”’ “Ah! Isee it all now!’ ‘* Are ycu anxious to have your own son ar-|} ‘‘ What do you see?’’ rested ?”’ ‘* She is in the conspiracy ?’’ ‘* He is not my son.” ‘Ah! you suspect a conspiracy ?’’ | ** He is not your son?’’ The gentleman turned red in the face, be- ‘* He is not! He is an impostor!’’ traying the fact that he had made an admission ‘There was a cold gleam in the eyes of Mr. | he had not intended; he made no answer to the Pladwell, and a hardness in his voice when he | detective’s query. spoke, an unnatural hardness, and the detective; ‘‘ You do not answer me, sir?’’ mentally exclaimed: } ** I will talk with you at some future time.”’ “*Aha!l Here is another mystery, but l will| ‘‘ That means our present conference is at an get through all these webs in the end.”’ end?”’ ‘‘ You are satisfied he is not your son?’’ ‘* At present I have nothing more to say.’’ ‘‘Lam!”’ ‘*'Then lam to understand that you desire ‘*‘ When did you reach that conclusion ?’”’ me to arrest the burglar, Pell?’’ ** Within an hour.’’ ea. ‘* Did you see the young man yesterday ?”’ ‘‘And push the charges against him to the eee. full extent of the law?”’ ‘* Did he come here?”’ . Vea 3 “* 1 met him on the grounds.’’ ‘‘ All right, sir; you have given meacue; I ‘* And you had a talk with him?”’ shall Know how to act.”’ “* Yes.”’ The detective left the huuse, and mounting soon became evident that they were out tor 4 good long stroll. Tom Hawk had recognized the two men whom he had seen following along after the girls. He knew them to be two vile ‘* birds of prey,’ and he set to ‘‘ pipe ’’ the parties, deter- mined, if an opportunity offered, to give the ‘‘ birds ’’ the worst plucking they had enjoyed for.a long spell. The detective had other reasons for following the party. He was satisfied in his own mind that the “ birds of prey ’’ were in the neighbor- hood on other business than merely trailing two fair young gitls; and the detective was also sat- isfied that a nice little scheme could be worked in connection with the accidental discovery. The girls wandered on, and the men followed, and soon the party had reached quite a lonely and remote spot. Tom Hawk saw the two dodgers exchange a few words, and then quicken their pace; and he also quickened his steps, and secured a posi- tion from whence he could observe all that passed. The girls had come to a halt, and had thrown themselves to rest after their long walk on the sward under the shade of a clump of trees, when the two men approached and addressed them. The faces of the men were not inviting, and the girls were scared from the start, and one of them, in her excitement, commenced to remove her ring apd other articles ot jewelry, to hand Over without even waiting a demand for them. The men disdained being robbers, and sought to allay the fears cf the ladies, and partially succeeded; and all might have gone well had not the rascals betrayed themselves by a too sudden and undue familiarity. One of the rascals bodly attempted to kiss one of the young ladies. His impudence and familiarity were indignantly repulsed. The girls saw through the men and were frightened. The moment had arrived for the interference of the detective. He sprung forward, and called - ‘*“And you were then convinced that not your sou?”’ ‘*'No; 1 was not convinced then, but 1 am mow.’ ‘* Fully convinced ?’’ ae & ae : ‘* And you wish me to arrest him?’’ ‘* That is your own bu3iness, ”’ =‘ But suppose he claims to he your son after arrest?” ss. eke ‘*} shall deny the truth of his claim.”’ ‘* But are you prepared to disprove that he is our son?’’ ‘* Will it be necessary ?”’ MUOB | . ‘* How can I do it?” ‘< There is a way to do it,’’ ‘* How?”’ ‘* Pioduce your son in court.’’ ‘But I do not know where my son is; 1 may hear from him.”’ ‘* Until you do, this man will be accepted as. your son, as'the resemblance is so stiiking.’’ ‘* But you first suggested that he is not my gon ?’’ | ‘'] know 1 did; but I have since fuller evi- dence that makes it appear that he 2s your son.”’ ‘* He is not, Ll am assured, fully assured.’’ The detective had changed his tactics. He originally had sought to convince Mr. Pladwell that the burglar was not his son, and had sud- denly veered round. . ‘“]f this young man is not your son, who is he, sir? You must have some suspicion?’’ ‘*] have no suspicion.”’ ‘Mr, Pladwell, you may as well confide in me. Some day the truth will come out—this wonderful, this even more than twin-like re- semblance is explainable, and vou must have some suspicion as to how it arises.”’ ‘* | have no suspicion. ’’ ‘*'Then I with others must believe the young man is your son, und I shall arrest him?’’ ‘* Do your duty, sir.”’ **] wish ycu to fully consider all the conse- quences. ”’ ‘*] have considered all the consequences, but I will ask what will be the penalty for his crime?’’ ‘Twenty years in jail.”’ ** Well, sir, do your duty /’’ —_—— —_—_————- er" he is CHAPTER XX. THERE was a strange gleam in the e,es of the master of the house when he said, ‘* Do your duty!’’ and the detective was satisfied his famous horse Badger, rode down toward the village; as he rcde along he was met by two men driving in a buck-board wagon; the men looked like workmen, but our hero went under their appearance, and made a startling discov- ery. | "awieea in the village, he stabled his horse, and took a stroll through the town. Tom Hawk was not known in the village under his real character. He was stopping at a boarding-house, anf had let it go out that he was an invalid sujourning in the cc untry for the benefit of his health, and that his horseback, rides were taken for the same purpese. The detective arranged for his absences at night, ty stating that he had a friend some miles awav across country, wifh whom he remained’ over- night occasionally. Our hero’s changes and transformations were all worked when absent from his lodging-house, and not even Miss North nor any one else rec- ognized him under the character of the invalid gentleman, as the bold nightrider who scoured the country in the track of the roving bands of burglars, members of the one organized gang. ' ‘Tom Hawk had set out to *‘ nip ’’ every meni- ber of the gang. He intended his work to be thorough, and he had gathered many little ‘*tips’’ which occasion had not as yet neces- sitated the utilization of, but he meant, to ‘* close in ’’ On @ general raid at the right time, and show: in the end that for theweeks he had been ‘**‘ hanging around ’’ he had not been idle. fle wandered through the town, and met sev- eral groups of summer tourists, and finally he passed two Joud-looking men who were follow. ing two young ladies on their way to the creek, as the inlet from the river was called. An unuttered exclamation rose to the detect- ive’s lips as his eyes fell upon the two men, and he turned in his walk, and quietlv follow- ed in the direction taken by the two young ladies. The latter kept upon their way, evidently un- conscious, in their innocence, that they were being followed. . | Tom Hawk was a deteptive-looking man, an gotten up as an [nvalid, he was young-looking, and no one would ever have dreamed, when gazing. upon the pale-faced, seemingly slender, weak man, that he was one of the most power- ful and formidable men in the fraternity. In- deed, the detective often tovk advantage of his ability to assume an effeminate appearance to work some ot his gamest tricks. The young ladies did not enter a boat at the creek, but took a walk along its sho®, and it > ° . ¢ -¢ : 4 <a wf oe ee — inl sa ” “ ‘ “ - -» » - ’ Out: ‘“ Held on there, you scoundrels! What are you doing?”’ Ps ; The two men at once desisted, and the girls seeing that help had come, ran away like two deer, leaving our effeminate-looking. Hawk to fight the two “' birds of prey.’’ The scoundrels were mad, and one of them demanded: hat ‘* Who are you, and what in thunder do you mean in making such a hullabaloo to scare those two young Jadies?’”’ , “* It’s all right,’” said the detective, ‘‘ it’s all tight; the young ladies are gone!’’ ‘“ Well, it ain’t quite all right, mister!’’ ‘* Eh! hhow so?’’ ‘* You owe us an apology; we're two gentle- men.”’ ) ‘Ide not think you were acting like gentle- men.’’ ‘*Those ladies are friends of ours; it was your halloo that scared them away!”’ ‘‘ Ah! is that it?’’ quietly responded our hero. CHAPTER XXI. THERE was something peculiarly aggravat- ing in the tones and manner of the detective when he said, ‘‘ Ah! is that it?’’ and one of the men said: ‘‘ That isthe fact; and now, mister, you will please apologize!’’ ‘* A pologize?”’ 6 Yes..”’ ‘* For what?’’ ‘* Calling us scoundrels. ”’ ‘DIGI call you fellows scoundre]s?’’ ‘* Yes, you did.”’ ‘* When?” ‘* When you first hallooed to us.”’ With the most aggravating ccolness the de- tective said: ) ‘*] got it right the first time, didn’t 1?”’ The man approached our hero and demanded: ‘* Dare you repeat the epithet?’’ ‘* Cartainly, 1 dare.’’ ‘* Let’s give him a toss ip the river, Billy,” suggested one of the men. ‘“T’lt be hanged if it ain’t a good idea, Jerry.”’ The detective pretended to be very much scared, and made a move as though to go away, when one of the men Called: nn