Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

— a i lle fate - - ——_ r : - ~——-< 4 = * * he 4 - > a a So. aa = - -_ - , os ee scheme, ard then we will do the rest.”’ > —_ etiend —_ — - 22 Se ee weidan with your help, and if you stand to us you will come in tor a big rake when the *‘ flood ’ has vecen let out.’’ , ‘“ What’s your game?”’ ‘When he comes here, you must call off two men who will be here for the purpose; the detective wil] tollow to take in your plans. You must give him a chance to do so, and In his hearing you must arrange for a big robbery ‘1 see your game; it'sa decoy !”’ | 46 Yes.’’ ‘“ All right, “min with yeu.” ‘* And, old man, listen! it’s death for you to fai! us!” ‘* You can depend upon me.”’ The three men a few moments later entered their wagon, which had been standing under the shed al! the hours they had been there, and the party drove away. Had the rascals looked under the building they would have seen their man; but after all, it might have proved a fatal look for each one in succession, as the detective held two cocked revolvers 1n his hands, and he was a dead shot. A few moments after the three robbers had driven away, Tom Hawk crawled out from his hiding-place, and putting on the riddled hat and coat which the men had tossed outside, he entered the bar-room just as Byron was closing up for the night, although it. was far into the morning. As the detective entered, the door, the tavern- keeper uttered a cry of alarm, and stocd with starting eyes like one who sees a ghost. CHAPTER XXXIV. Tue detective with the riddled hat upon his head and the identical coat that had gone through the fusillade, staggered into the room and exclaimed: ‘‘ Byron, mine friendt! hello, old fellow, how you vos, eh?’ As intimated, the tavern-keeper gazed as: thouch his glance were fixed upon an appari- tion direct from the grave. He made no an- swer to the detective’s salutation. ‘Vell, vy don’t you speak mit a feller? Hello! how you vos?’’ ‘*“ Where did you come from?” Byron. ‘Vell, L tele you. 1 vos taking a sleep under your house. I vos not ready dot 1 pay money tor a bed, and'I goes down under dere and sleeps mit mineself, and, by shimnetta! I vos vakened up mit a noise like guns, and } shust cruwls out mit mine coat and hat and vaits, and by shimnetta! 1 vos right; dey vos having fun shooting at mine coat and hat; but I vos not dere, so I vos shoost crawl oudt mit mineself and now, oldt feller, vot vos it ali means?’’ irre. The tavern-keeper was trembling like an aspen leaf; the man realized that he was stand- ing face to face with the Black Douglas of that region—the wonderful Tom Hawk, the terror of eriminals from Yonkers to Albany. . Indeed, she fellow felt as though he had really come to final judgment. ; ‘‘ Who are you?’? demanded Byron. ‘‘ Hello! you vos not know me?”’ ‘No; and 1 want you clear out! My heuse closed !”’ : ‘* Your house vos closed?’ e6¢ Yes. > Ba ‘Vell; I tought you vos shust open mit de mext day’s business.’’ ft ‘¢11’s no use disguising matters,’’ said the tavern-keeper suddenly. ‘‘I don’t want you here. 1 don’t know you, and you have neazly cost me my life.’’ The detective at once dropped his disguised tone, and answered: | ‘‘ Byron, you.are in a bad scrape.’ ** How?” | ‘ts Between me and the villains you are in wiih you stand a bad chance.”’ ‘¢7 am in with no one.”’ ‘* 1 overheard your little conversation.”’ Byron was a quick-witted fellow, and a man ef considerable nerve, and he apswered: “1 knew you were around, and f did all I could for you.”’ ‘©? did, certainly. You know I let you into their biggest secret, and at the same time I was trying to save myself from being hacked to pieces. ’” ‘¢ You are a shrewd fellow.”” demanded ‘3 Ar honest man has to be shrewd when he } gets taught in such @ scrape as 1 am in at this goment!”’ é : | OE ~ a — ~ ~_ ~ aa LLL A NIGHT-HAWK, ‘‘ Yes, you are in a bad scrape.”’ ‘* And you vot me init, and I’ve had noth- ing to do with either game.”’ ‘You knew 1 was under the floor?’” ‘“* And you led those fellows to find me?” ‘‘T was only playing a game. I knew you would not be there when we got there; if you were, ii would be your own fault, as I gave | you plenty of time to get away before I let the secret out.”’ ‘* And you want me to believe that you were acting in my» interest?’’ ees. ‘‘ You will have to prove it, old man.’’ ‘How can ] prove it? Can you nct see the facts as they are?”’ ‘You can prove it.’’ és How?’’ ‘Go in with me now.”’ ‘*T can not.”’ ‘Why not?” | ‘7 am not ready to thréw my life away.”’ ‘* Those fellows will down you.any way, after they are done with you.”’ ‘7 don’t propose to have anything to do with them.”’ | ‘Bah! you can’t work that game. If you do not aid them in downing me, they will down you; and, old man, they can not down me. l’ve got things-dead on them, and your only safety is to fall in with me.”’ , “And puta mortgage on my life furever?”’ ‘* Hardly.”’ | ‘¢Phose men will never forgive me.”’ “ They will never know it.” ‘“Tet me stand off. You say you have all the points?”’ 3 ‘Yes; up to your last little arrangement.” ‘¢ What is our last little arrangement?’ “To catch meinatrap. 1 will not becaught.”’ ‘“Then how can | help you?”’ ‘‘ There is a robbery game on foot.”’ ‘¢'You say you have all the points?” ‘* Not the particulars.”” - ‘‘ 1 dare not teli you anything.” ‘*Do you want me against you?” €é No,’’ ‘* Then open up.’ ‘ Later on; I must wait.”’ ‘* Wait for what?”’ “1 sce what those fellows will do after what has just occurred.”’ ‘“ Will you give me all the * points ’ after- ward?’’ ea ‘* Listen to me, night.’’ “¢ KI right.”’ “You will know me; 1 will core in this shape.”’ The detective described just how he would appeal. "aka ‘¢ What do you want me to do?”’ ‘* Carry out your scheduie as Stanley ordered ou to do.’”’ ‘“1’m getting myself ina mess.” ‘No; you are getting out of a mess; stand to me, and 1 will guarantee no harm shall come 4? 1 will he there to-morrow you. “+ 1 will think the matter over.” ‘* Where is Pell?’’ ‘‘T have not seen him lately.’’ ‘‘ What do you know about him?”’ ‘‘ Nothing, only that he is one of the gang.” ‘‘ Did the fellow ever take you into his con- fidence?”’ éé No.”’ ‘* Never laid claim to any big relationship?”’ ‘*Not to me.’’ . ‘Ig he in with the machine-shop gang?’ ‘* I think he is.”’ ‘* When did you see him last?’ ‘‘T’ve not seen him for a couple of days.”’ ‘¢Do you expect to see him?” ‘* He may turn up.”’ ‘* 1g he ip the racket. the gang has on hand?”’ ‘‘ He was to have been in it.”’ ‘* What is the ‘ lay ’?°” ‘¢ 7 will not tell you now.’’ ‘“You want to get away from this part of the country ?”’ ‘¢T can’t leave my business.” ‘* But, if you made a big stake?”’ ‘* Then 1 might talk.’’ “ All right, oid man, To-morrow night will tell the tale for-you, and 1’ll know which way you play.” . | ‘ll not play against you; but I must study my steps.”’ | ‘“That’s all right: good-night.”’ Upon the day following the incidents we -— ~~ — — ona i =P? y= —_ —_- — - = = - a — - — - » a ee =z a = ee have described the detective made certain ar- iangements. He was laying plans r6i « gran haul and a big ‘‘ closein.’”’ He only liad a few more ‘‘ pcints ’’ to ‘‘ catch on to,’’ when he would be ready to strike a tremendous blow on the side of order and safety; the night that fo.- . lowed was destined to be fraught with thrilling, adventures. CHAPTER XXXV. At the appointed hour, as arranged with Byron, a man dressed exactly as the detective bad described reached fhe tavern. The disguise was an excellent one, and Byron admitted that, had he not been previously ap- prised, he would have been deceived. As the evening wore on a singular incident. occurred; more strangers arrived at different. periods than had ever been in the house before. The tavern-keerer became bewildered, al- though he had a suspicion on which he based an explanation, and his suspicion was that all the new-comers were members of the gang. Stanley had said two or three men would be there, but it appeared as though he had sent @ dozen, and the tavern-keeper made up his ming that a tragedy would wind up the game. One ot the strangers at length gol an oppor- tunity and made himself known by passing, the prearranged signal. | ‘‘ How many of you are here?’”’ demanded Byron. ‘Two or three of us.”” * ‘‘ No more?’’ ‘“ Well, there may be mote,”’ ‘‘ Our men, most likely.’’ ‘ ‘* So I thought.”’ | ‘*-You are only to act with three of us.” ‘* Designate the three.”’ The man managed, when an opportunity offered, to point out his two immediate ccm- panions. ‘Ts he here?’’ demanded the member of tbe gang. ‘* He may be.”’ _ * Are you not sure?”’ es No.’’ ‘* Why not?’ ‘‘ Je is under cover, and ‘here are so many strangers here to-night 1 will have to feel tos him.) 3 2 ‘* No need.”’ ‘““ Why not?’ . 7 ‘‘ When we carry out the captain’s orders be will uncover himeelf.’’ : ‘* What is the game?”’ ‘It was explained to you.” | ‘‘But the pregramme must have Oecn ehanged.’’ ‘ ' “ What makes you think sot’ ‘The fact that there are so many men here.” ‘‘They are here to guard against any sur- prise.”’ ‘*‘ And you mean to carry out the regular pro- gramme?’’ ** 'Yes.”’ ‘‘ No attack will be made here to-night?” ‘‘ That depends. ’’ ¥ * ‘Tf that is the game, 1 must know it.”’: ‘It is not the game; we are only ready for all contingencies. ”’ ‘ We must go slow.”’ ‘* Why?’ 3 ‘¢ We will give the game away; we are play- ing against the keenest man in America!”’ ‘ All right, we have plenty of time, and wé are under your orders. ’’ | | ‘“Oniy for timely intormation.”’ ‘‘That’s the racket.”’ ‘“‘ (ft! Do not stand and taik to me now; we will run together again.” The man drew away. The tavern-keeper was in trouble. It would have suited him to have had the detective downed, but there was a chance that, despite their keen game, the detective might get the best of the play, and then it would go hard with Monsieur Byron. It was his game, to use a common explession, to make himself * solid’”’ with both sides, and he watched his opportuni- ty and sent over a ‘‘ tip ’’ to the officer. A few moments later, Byron slid out from the room, and, some five minutes later, Tom Hawk ‘' flitted ’’. also, and he met the tavein- keeper in the hall-way of the dwelling patt of the house. | -** You wanted me?’’: «6 Yes.’ ‘* Well, what’s the play?” ‘‘The house is full of strangers.” ‘“So I see. Who are they?”’ > cbooKs;com-