Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

a : *¢ i guess not.” ‘You will tail: punished.’”’ ‘And you, propose to aid me merely warning met’ : e< Yes.’’ ‘‘ Aji right old woman, I reckon our interview is ended.” you will be arrested and by CHAPTER XLVI. ** No, ycung man; weare not done with each ether yet. 1 propose to aid you—to save you.”’ “What is your interest in me, old woman?” ‘*‘ You will see soon enough.’ ‘*} have been .a fool to tell you my history.”’ ‘* No, you have not been a fool; you have made afriend. 1 propose to give you 4 warn- ing: there is a terrible man on your track.”’ ** Who?”’ ** Night-Hawk.”’ ‘* Bah! I do not fear him,”’ ‘* He has your record down.”’ ** He has, eh?’’ ‘** Yes, and he could put his hand on you at any moment; but, for reasons, he has per- mitted you to run free.”’ ‘You appear to understand Tom Hawk’s in- tentions pretty well.”’ ‘* Yes, 1 do.’’: ** You know him?’’ ce Yes.”’ * And you are not a witch, after all?’’ ‘“fiave [ not proven my supernatural powers?’’ . ‘You have proven that you have been in eonversation with Hawk.’’ ‘* What makes you think so?”’ ‘* One man knows my story.” ‘* Who?” ‘* Mr. Pladwell,’’ * Well?” | - * And ke has told the tale to Tom Hawk, @ad the detective has told the tale to you. 1 see through it all now.”’ “You think youdo?”” , * Yes,’’ ‘- You haven’t the thing down just right yet; out listen to me: to-morrow’s little raid will prove atailure. You will be caughtl’’ ‘‘ Ah you will betray me?”” __. “** No; but I wish to save you. 1 tell you Night-Hawk can put his hands on you at any moment.’’ ‘* if he does, I may visit your hut some day, old woman.’’ | ‘* Now you threaten me?”’ ‘* Yes; I do.” , ‘‘And you will not believe 1 am your friend ?”’ ‘*T don’t care who you are; | want no more talk with you!’’ ‘* Well, look over there, young man.”’ The young burglar turned round and gazed ‘in the direction indicated; but in a moment he faced round, and a cry of amazement fell from his lips. The old crone had most mysteri- ously disappeared and iu her place stood a man / A curse issued from the lips of the young vurglar, and he made an effort as if to draw a weapon; but Night-Hawk had him covered, and said: are on! drop your weapon, or you will suffer.” ‘You are Tom Hawk?’’, ““That’s my name.” *‘ And I have hetrayed myself!”’ ‘*No; you have saved yourself. You ought to be very grateful to me. 1] am givingsxyou a chance I could lave ‘ nipped ’ you to-morrow night. as i have ali the points on you,’”’ | ‘* Brron has betrayed meso soon, eh? i see it ai! now. ° Syren bas not betrayed you.”’ ’ It is not twe hours since I opened up my Pans and you have the whoie business.”’ ‘* And no thanks te Byron for my informa. tion and so, young man, you remember the ola adage, ‘ There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the ficod ieads on to fort- une you are on that tide at this moment. you ean become az honest man or you can suffer as afelon. The choice is your own.,’”’ ‘‘ What are you getting at, anyhow?”’ ** ft sympathize with you.’’ | “ Yous, to get me in ‘hock’ ”’ “{ could have arrested ycu a dozen times: I qed sxrest you now, but I have permitted you io go free, 1 could have arrested you that night : ae set to rob me on the road, but | let you go. + ‘* }' ve teid you why, | had an idea that there nes I _LMLLLLBABAMB DLL BL was some excuse for you; indeed I suspected the truth concerning your relationship to Mt. Pladwell,’’ ‘* Bah! he told you ail.”’ ‘‘ He did not tell me a word: he only engaged me to ‘nip’ you.’’ ‘* And do you mean to tell me that you let me go free in my own interest?”’ ‘‘ Not altogether; but I could have closed in on you any time, 1 can close in on you now.” ‘“ Why don’t you?” ‘* Simply, because 1 wish to become your friend and make an honest man of you.”’ ‘Do you think that is possible?’ ‘*It may be.”’ ‘* And what is your plan concerning me? | suppose you will advise me to ‘ skip’ and leave my uncle in peace.”’ meee i Mg ‘7 won’t do it. You can arrest me as soon as you are in mind to do so; l’ve a little bomb to explode yet.”’ ‘* I wish to see justice done.”’ ‘* You do?’’ <¢ Yes.’”’ ‘*Can ycu do anything toward having dons toward me?’’ ‘* 1] think | can.”” ‘* What can you do?”’ 3 ‘‘Now 1 know all the tacts, I will see Mr. Pladwell.”’ * Well?’ ‘* 1] will find out if your tale is true.’’ ‘* All right; what then?”’ ‘© Tf it is true, L will advise him to do what is right toward you.’ ‘* And if he retuses?’’ ‘*] will take your side of the case, and com- pel him to do what is just.’” ‘‘ You appear to be a pretty good fellow, Tom Hawk.”’ pam, ‘* So l’ve heard said, even by the men whom you have been running down.”’ ** They told you ] was a man of my > | Yes.’”’ ‘* Ali right, you can trust me; there are ex- cuses for you. And new, if.you are willing to stop right short in your bad career, you will come out all right, and 1. will help you.” —** You ofter to become my friend?”’ ‘* Yes, 1 do.’’ **] accept your ofter.’’ ‘** You are sincere?”’ ‘*T am, I swear l am ‘* All right, 1 will become your friend!’ ‘* And now wkat do you want me to do?”’ ‘Go to your lodging and remain there until 1 call tor you to-morrow; do not leave the house under any pretense whatever.’’ ‘* You will come to see me?”’ ‘*] will; and now no more to-night, but re- member one thing, ] am sincere; you have a good chauce to come out all right, but if you attempt any crcoked business you are a docmed man: no fellow can trifle with me.’’ : ‘‘]T am satisfied ot that, and glad to have won such a triend.”’ justice word?’’ 17? ‘* You cwe my friendship to your misfortune: as I said, there is an excuse for you, but now that excuse ceases; you have a chance to Le- come an honest man, and if you make one false move 1’m down on you, and you will meet the consequence of all your evil deeds.’’ ‘*] swear 1 am only too glad of the chance of becoming an honest man; i became a rogue only after ] learned of my own and my mother’s wrongs,”’ ‘*You have a chance to prove that; good- night.’” — Upon the morning following the incidents we have described, the detective went to see Miss Emily North, and his salutation was: ‘* My dear child, 1 have great news tor you.” CHAPTER XLVII. T'HE young iady upon hearing the detective’s declaration permitted a bright, giad smile to beam ai] over her lovely face as she said: ‘* You bad promised mé good news and | have waited for it ever since.’’ ‘‘] have solved the mystery.” ** What mystery?’ ‘‘The mysterv of the double of your affianced.’’ ‘* And Charles?”’ ‘* He is all that you have ever believed him to be, my dear child.”’ ‘* And is he safe?”’ ‘ 1 have every reason to believe that he is sate, ’’ THE MOUNTED DETECTIV EK. ‘Tell me all.”’ The detective proceeded and told the fair girt his strange story. He told her of all his,many strange adventures and concerning all the sus- picions he had indulged, and how he had moved on step by step on the track of Pell until he had come the witch game and learned the real truth. When the detective had concluded his start- ling narrative the girl said: ‘‘ Why did you not demand an explanation from him when you first met and have saved all this anxtety?’’ ‘* Ah, my dear child, you do not understand; it was necessary that I should prepare myself te listen to his story; and again, I had other busi- ness on hand, end it was necessary that I sheuld run all the games together, It’s all right. [ was not taking any risks or losing any chan and 1 am the winnet.”’ : ‘* And Charles?”’ ‘‘ Well, I shall find him.”’ ‘‘ Why not at once?”’ ‘¢ Justice must first be don’ ** To whom?’ ‘* Henry Pladwell.”’ ‘You are so good and wise, I can not ques- tion anything that you may propose.”’ ‘‘] have a strange statement to make; | fury Mr. Pladwell, senior, is not a truly just may. ” The girl did no make an answer. ‘* He is prejudiced against you.”’ ‘‘Do not mind me in this matter.” ‘‘ Yes; 1 propose to take advantage of thi position tp compel that old gentleman to do thy fair thing all round. And now, good-bye; you may not see me tor a day or two. 1 only came to let you know that all was right. Charles Pladwell is a gentleman, and, I believe, a nobls and generous young man, and, if /e 1s right, ail will come out right in the end.”’ ‘If anything is left to the generosity of Charles, you may be essured all will certainty be right ”’ ‘* We shall see. Be patient, hopeful, and hap. py until you see me again; and now, Emily, geod-morning.”’ Tom Hawk proceeded to the Castle. He was mounted on his magnificent horse, Badger, and, as he rode over the mountain, it only needed that he should have been clad in mail to appar like a verilable knight of the middle ages, The detective secn reached the Castle, und was sbown into the library, where, a few tno- ments later, he was joined by Mr. Plad well. The detective looked stern and solemn, while Mr. Pladwell attempted to act quite cheert'ul and chirpy; but it was plain to the visitor that he did not feel as he would make it appear. As he entered the room Mr. Pladwell ex.. claimed: ‘‘ Have you come at Jast to tell me that you have caught the rascal?’ | ‘Yes, sir; I caught him a Jong time ago.” ‘* 1s he in jail?”’ ‘** Not yet.”’ ‘* He will be?”’ ** | don’t know yet. and see you first,”’ ‘* You could bave spared yourself the trouble. Il have no sympathy for him, The rascal has taken advantage of a fatai resemblance to in- augurate a cunning scheme; but 1 do nct mean to be robbed—no, sir!’’ ‘* He bas told you his stcry?”’ ‘* He has told me a story.” ‘* And you do not believe his tale?’ ‘* Certainly 1 do not; my brcther was a gem- tleman. This resemblance is accidental; the siory is concocted.”’ ‘* You really believe so, sii?’ ** Certainly I do.’’ ‘‘? am really glad that you do; it accounts for your determination.” ‘* Yes, sir; 1 do not mean to be imposed upon by every rogue who chooses to come here and claim to bea relative!” ‘‘There is no doubtabout this young man’s relutionship to you, sir.’’ Mr. Plad well turned paic, and exclaimed: ‘* Has he made you a party to the fraud?”’ ‘‘No, sir. And vow let me teil you, from the very first moment my eyes rested upon that young man, I was satisfied he was not your son, and was just as well satisfied that he was a relative, and that there was a mystery to be solved; and that is why I never amested the youth.”’ ‘* and you think you have solved the mys tery?’’ ‘* Yes, sir, 1 have soived the mystery.” ene — a J thought | would come 900kKS.com