Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

THE MOUNTED DETECTIVE. “* Who speaks?” ** | do.”’ “* Who are you?’”’ ** No matter; are you in trouble?’ “oy es:-’ ** What can 1 do for you?’’ ‘* Help me to my feet.’’ The burglar helped the woman to her ieet and she fixed her eyes upon him; she wasa strange, weird-looking creature. ‘‘ Do you live there?’”’ she asked, pointing to fhe hcuse. : : Boe & - - Fiaty ‘** Take me in there.’’ ** Why do you wish to go there?”’ ** | am tired: 1 wish to rest and 1 wish to talk to you. I see you do not recognize me.”’ ** No; I do not recognize you.” ‘*] am old Mother Rooney.’ | ld Mother Kooney was a strange old hermit, who lived ina hut away up on the mountain. She was a strange chatacter —professed to be a witch and fortune-teller, and many sfrange stories were told concerning her. Many people considered her an old fraud, and there were others among the poorer and ignorant classes, who had great faith in her, and her medicines were even purchased by some people who would cpenly have avoided using them. Pell had heard of old Mother Rooney, but he lid not care much about her, and would have refused to take her into the house, and would not have bothered further with her, were it not tor.a strange remark she made concerning him- self. ‘* You are from over the sea?’’ she said. The young man gave a start. ‘‘Ahal 1 know Who you are. father.’”’ 7 ‘You knew my father?”’ ! ‘ Yes: I knew your father. 1 was coming here to see vou, when | fell; ycu may laugh at me, but, young man, 1 could tell you things I knew your that would make your hair stand on end !”’ The old crone spoke in a weird tone, and she raised her long arm warningly while making ‘ hei strange statement. ‘‘ What can you tell me?”’ ‘‘ Let's go in the house, where we can talk.” ‘‘ No; we can not yo in the house.”’ : ‘Why not?”’ ‘‘ My friends have retired for the night, and I do not wish to arouse them.”’ | | ‘‘ Come to-morrow and see me at my hut.”’ ‘*? do not know where your hut is, old woman.” ‘* Any boy in the village can guide you to old Mother Rooney’s hut. They won’t come nigh me, though; no, no. 1 fixed the boys; they don’t annoy me, although I am old.”’ “+ } will not have time to come to your hut.”’ ‘* You had better come.’’ ‘*T may come some day.”’ ‘* No, come to-morrow.’’ ** Why to-morrow?”’ ‘* 1’ve- something to tell you.”’ _ ** Nonsense, old woman, you can’t make anything out of me.” ‘You think I want to make something out of you, eh?” ‘* Certainly, I do.”’ ‘‘ You have no faith in me?”’ ?) No.’”’ ‘‘ No taith in my powers?’’ ‘* No.” ‘“* You’re a fool!’ ‘* Thank you; but I’ve no more time to bother with you.’’ — ‘‘ Yes, you have time to bother with me; you were with me last night.” ‘*T was, eh?’’ ‘“ Yes, I called you up in my incantations, and 1 read you through and through.” ‘“Do you know who I am?”’ ‘Yes: | know more of you than any other person in this country!” ‘* What is my name!”’ ‘‘ Your name is not Pell.”’ CHAPTER XLIII. THERE was a peculiar emphasis in the tones aud manner of old Mother Rooney when she sdid,-‘‘ Your oame is not Pell.”’ The burglar gave a start and turned pale, and his keen, fierce eyes were fixed upon the old witch as he repeated: ‘My name is not Pell, eh?”’ | ss No.’”’ ‘What is my name?”’ The old witch laughed. ‘* Come, come, old woman, you say my name is not Pell; what is my name?”’ | Pe ee el eee eee e ’ “~ Will you take me into the house?”’ et wil you come to my but to-morrow?” * Will you go with me to-night?”’ 23 Then you do not believe in my powers?”’ ‘I do net.” Ag? ‘‘ How would 1 know your name is Pe!l?”’ ‘‘ Easy enough.”’ ‘‘ How would I know that your name is not Pell?’’ | The man was silent. ‘© Come with me to my hut and you shall hear strange revelaticns. | ‘* Make your revelations here and ncw.”’ ‘*] would be alone with you.’’ ‘* We are alone here.’ ‘ We do not know who may be listening.”’ ‘“Who could listen?’’ . ‘* Night-Hawk.”’ ‘Ah, you know him?”’ ‘* As well as I know you.”’ ‘* And you fear him, eh?’’ ‘‘Wo, I do not fear him: but 1 would not have any one overhear my revelations to you.”’ ‘* And you have revelations to make to me?”’ Yes..”" ‘* Make them.’’ ‘* Not here.’’ ‘‘ Come, I will walk with you to the grove yonder.’’ 3 ‘‘ No, nv, come to my hut to-morrow!”’ ‘* Bah! you'are a fraud.”’ ‘¢You do not believe it; you are amazed at what I have already revealed; you have come to this country on a mission; you have kept your secret well, taking no one into your confidence, and yet 1 know your secret while your lips have remained sealed. How would LI know all unless I possessed occult powers?” ¥ ‘* Well tell me all you know.”’ ‘‘No, no, I will not! 1 wish to make a com- pact with you.”’ ‘‘So 1] have ccme here on a mission?’ .* ¥ @s.. - ' ‘* You know that?’’ 7! Yes.’”’ , ‘‘Then you must know the nature of my mission.’’ ec if da.’’ ‘* What is it?’’ ‘*T will not reveal more now.”’ ‘* Why not?”’’ ‘*] have a purpose in my revelations, ’’ ‘¢ What is your purpose?”’ ‘“Qome with me tc my hut and | will tell ou all.’’ ‘‘] will not go, but 1 will go to the grove yonder.”’ ‘* Meet me in the grove to-morrow.” ‘* No, I can not.”’ ‘Ah, you will be busy making arrange- ments for your little midnight job.”’ The man again gave a Start. ‘* Woman!’’ he cried, as he advanced toward her with a fierce expression upon his face, ‘‘ what do you mean?”’ ‘‘Bah! you can not scare me: I[ am nol afraid. With one touch | could strike you dead; and 1 could aid you.” ‘* Aid me?’ 6¢é Yes, ie } ‘‘ How do you know I need aid.’’ The hag laughed and answered: ‘‘] know what you contemplate; but listen. L could give you a little vial containing a “iquid that you would have to put but one drop of in a wound as large as a needie’s head, and death would be certain—and all the physicians in the world could nct detect the trick.”’ The man glanced at the old witeh. ‘‘ Come, will you.go with me to my hut?” ‘‘ You talk to meas though you were my triend.’’ 2 , ss Yes.’ ’ . ‘* Why is it you take such an interest in me?” ‘* Because you hate where I hate.”’ ‘*Ah! What do you mean?” ‘Come to my hut.” ‘* Nc, no; 1 will not.’’ ‘* 1 am afraid. ‘‘Bah! you are afraid, eh? No, no; you lie. But come, I will go with. you to the grove.”’ The two walked toward the grove. The old witch appeared very feeble and walked very slowly, while the man proceeded with head down, lost in deep thought. In the center of the grove was a running spring, and near the spring was a cluster of rocks, and: on one cf the rocks the old crane 7 = — Pa Xt . a : peter nae———__ —_ - _ a wn ’ ; ~~ ; — eo ee seated herself, resting her hands on her staff, and indeed she presented a weird sight as her wild eyes glared on the burglar as he stood be- fore her, under the starlight with folded arms. ‘‘ Now, then, old woman, what have you te say?’ ‘‘We will go back. about your name?”’ sé Yes.”’ } ‘¢ 1 said-] knew your rea: name.”’ sé Yes.’ ‘* J lied.’’ e¢ Aha!’’ ‘* You have no namé,”’ ‘“ What mean you?” ‘‘- You are a nameless vagabond?”’ ‘* Hold! or 1 will throttle you.” ‘*No; you will not throttle me. You knew your mother—you never saw your father.’’ he burglar’s face was ghastly. ‘‘ Aha! you see I am going straight to the hidden secrets of your soul.’’ The man remained silent. ‘* Your motner is dead. She revealed to you the name of your father, and you knew & man living nct far from here, who bears the same name, and accidentally you have discovered that you bear a most singular and striking Te- semblance to the son of the:man who lives in the Castle.” ‘* Woman, who ere you?’’ ‘‘My name is Kooney. I am old Mother Rooney; any one sround here can tell you who I am: they will tell you that Mother Rooney has lived in the hut up on the mountain over forty years—lived there years vefore you were born—and yet she knows your secret,” A ‘What is the object of your 1evelations to me?’’ ‘‘T am poor: 1 want money.” ‘* Money from me?”’ ‘‘Yes, money from you.”’ ‘* { am poor.”’ ‘* But you can be rich.”’ ¢é How?’’ ‘ Ah, with my aid.”’ ' ** 7} do not need your aid.”’ ‘‘ Listen: without mv aid you wil. xail in what you contemplate to-morrow night.” ‘‘ What do l contemplate to-morrow night?” ‘* You are set to do a robbery?” The burglar’s face became even more ghastly in its expression as he sprung forward to grasp the old woman, but as he caught sight of her hands be recoiled as though bitten by a snake, and the old woman’s strange laugh rang in his ears as, with a cry of pain, he recoiled from her. ‘*T am old and weak and feeble, ycung man, but you can not harm me; 1 could kill you where you stand!’ 4 CHAPTER XLIYV. PeLL was subdued; he was also thoroughly impressed, and believed that the old woman really did possess occult powers, and aiter a moment he asked: ‘Are you my friend or my enemy?” ‘‘'That depends; but answer, have | said any- thing that would lead you to think 1 was your enemy?” sé No,’”’ : ‘* J may be your friend: that depends.”’ ‘¢ On what does your triendship Cepend?’’ ‘‘- Your confidence in me,’’ ‘¢ How shall I prove. my confidence in you? ‘©? have been able to discern only the out- lines of your history and plans; 1 wish you to make me your full confidante, tell me all.”’ ‘‘ What shall | tell you?” ‘‘ Everything concerning yourself.”’ ‘¢ And place myself in your power?” ‘* Are you not in my power now? If I chose to use my Knowledge against you, could 1 not have laid low with aid and have captured you to-morrow night? could i not have gone to the Castle and wained them of their danger? Come, answer me.”’ ‘* But what shall I tell you?”’ ‘Tell me all that your mother revealed to you; are you the son of the man al the Castle or his nephew? how did you come to first dis- cover your resemblance to his son? and what are your plans?”’ ‘“You.wish me to reveal all to you?” a © | Yes.’’ ‘* How will you know that 1 am telling you the truth?”’ ‘©} well know you can not successfully lie to me,”’ | 4 ‘* And if 1 tell you all?’’’ You were asking me nh aati tt, ety A i, NA Cla i Pg gg OE mee ae