Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 .** Bark! you give one word of warning and i will down you!” : ‘*7és IJ’ came the answer. ** Mr. Pladwell?’’ Yes.’’ “« Sir, why did you not obey me?” ‘*} could not sicep, and 1 came down to “watch. lam an old soldier; ] can aid you.’’ ‘* As you are so determined, sir, lL will not object that you should aid me. Keep your position here, and, if you get a chance, seize one ot the fellows, and at the same time give an alarm; but if you are injured, remember, | warned you to leave the whole business to me.”’ ‘‘You need not fear. You underrate my skill, strength, and coolness. Now that the men are in my house | am determined to capt- ure them.”’ : | The conversution above t1ecorded passed quickly, and the detective returned to the door ot the room and arrived just in time to see one of the men flash his lantern and steal along the hall. Tom Hawk stole out and followed his man, and tracked him up the stairs to the upper hall, The burglar came to a halt at the head of the stairs, and slid the mask of his lantern, and his position was revealed plainly to our hero in all later movements, ‘‘T’ve got this fellow, sure,’’ muttered the detective as with noiseless tread he darted for- ward just as the burglar entered one of the bed- rooms. The detective took up his position outside the door, and fully five minutes passed, when the burglar stepped into the hall with a gold watch and chain in one hand and his lantern in the ot ber. The supreme moment of the adventure had arrived. Tom Hawk sprung forward and closed in on the man, and at the same moment clapped the darbies on his wrists. The scoundrel stood aghast as the detective tore off hat and mask attached and revealed the fellow’s face, while at the same instant be said: ‘<]’ve got you all nice and handy, my dear!’’ It was too late for the burglar te offer resist- ance. He was fairly caught, and he moved his lips to utter a warning cry to his companion, whee the detective shoved a club against his eneek, and said: | | “ Utter one syllable and you will catch it I'he robber was silent. He would have liked fo give an alarm, Sui > was net prepared to die, and he was an 0% ysnough bird to under- stand that his captor was a man of his word. LLL LLL {7:7 The detective moved, with his prisoner, to- | ward the stairs, intending tu take him down and place him in charge of the master of the house, when 2 thrilling incident occurred, A cry of agony rang through the house, fol- lowed by a loud report, and then there came a shrill wild scream, a heavy iall, and all was still. The detective caught hold of his prisoner and actually dragged him down the stairs like a sack of salt, and upon reaching the bottom of the stairs he swiftly tied the man’s feet and rushed toward the library. Meantime a scene of terrible confusion ensued; the cry and the report had aroused the household; servants ran screaming from their rooms, and the members of the fam- ily also came forth pale with affright; lights eere lit, and the young man who was a visitor at the house came rushing down the stairway, with a light in one hand and a pistol in the other. He proved to be a plucky lad, and as he rushed into the library he covered the detect- ive with his weapon. ‘‘ Hold, young man! Don’t shoot! officer! Come here with your light.” ‘The youth-was a marvel in his way—not so excited as to be beside himself, and he took in a part of the situation and obeyed the officer’s command. \ Mr. Piadwell lay upon the floor, bleeding from a wound in the head, but he was not un- ecnscious, and, when raised.to his feet, mut- fered: ‘Thank God ho “ot away! what a Uorror!’’ I’m an Oh, heavens, GHAPTER V1. ‘mE young guest advanced and demanded: ** Who shot you, sir?’’ It at once became evident to the detective that the master cf the mansion bad spoken un- guarsiedly, for he answered: **} am not shot; no one shot me.” ‘* We Leard a shot, sir; and you are certainly wounded!’’ | | NIGHT-HAWK, i Am Tr | ‘Yes, sir. You have a wound here.’’ ‘‘ Well, well; I must have wounded myself. I thought I saw a robber in the house. How awkward I must have been!” — As Mr. Pladwell spoke he caught the glance of the keen, sad eyes of the detective fixed upon him, and he answered the glance with an appealing look, which the detective wel] under- stood. ‘* Your house was entered, sir,’’ said the de- tective, ‘‘ and. 1 have captured one of the vil- lains,’>. | ‘‘Let the poor devil go!’’ he involuntarily ¢xclaimed. | **TLet me eee, siz, how badly you are wounded.’’ The detective placed his hand upon the wound. At that moment a young lady rushed into the room, and to her frantic appeals the detective was able trutbfully to say: ‘*Tt is but a slight wound—a mere skin cut; but it was a narrow escape.’’ ‘‘ Who did it, papa, dear? Who did it?’’ she demanded. | ‘*] think I did it myself, my dear,’’ said the father. ‘‘ Yes, yes, I did it myself,’’ and as he spoke he again looked appealingly at the de- tective. The latter reached over, pretending to be ex- amining the wound, and whispered: ‘* You need not fear, sir; your secret is safe with me. But let me answer all questions, and you agree to what I say; I am cooler, and know what to say. You may say something you will be compelled to rettact.’’ ‘* Oh, sir!’’ moaned the old man. ‘* Hush!’’ said the detective; and, turning to the daughter, he said: “* You must not question your father now; he is very much excited, and 1¢ally does not know what be is saying. He has not recovered from the shock.”’ The daughter, whc was a handsome. girl, proved also to be a woman of nerve, and, when she learned that her father was not seriously hurt, became quite calm, ‘* Who are you, sir, and how is it you are here?”’ | 3 ‘*1 am a detective, miss, whom your father and some other gentlemen engaged to break up the gang of burglars who have infested this district. 1 learned that a raid was t1 be made or this house, and I was on hand to ijoil their attempt and arrest them.”’ ‘‘Did my father know of your presence in the house?’’ ¢* Yes. ”’ ‘*And why did you permit him to run tbe chance cf getting killed?’’ | ‘* The risk is the result of your father’s own obstinacy. 1 tried to persuade him to remain in his own room and leave the affairio me, but he would not. He came down to take a hand in, contrary to my orders.”’ : ‘* And did you see one of the robbers, papa?’’ asked the daughter. ‘‘See him, my child? ah, Kate, Kate!’’ ‘* Hush, sir, you are excited; you must not talk; it’s all right now, the burglars are out of the house,’’ and again turning to the daughter the detective said: ‘* You must not question your papa now. Do you not see he is suffering trom the sudden shock and is not responsible for what he says? Return to your room; all danger is past now.”’ ‘* But I can not leave papa.”’ ‘* Yes, yes, Kate; go to your room, I am all right. [ feel better now. Did you say, sir, you had captured one of the sccundrels?”’ Sad eS, Sir,” ** Where is he?’’ ‘*In the hall safe and sound, and if your daughter will retire to bed again we can ques- tion the fellow I captured.”’ As the detective spoke he passed a meaning glance to the master ct the house. ‘* Go to bed, Kate, dear; it is necessary.’’ ‘‘ Why, papa, 1 can not sleep.”’ ‘* Well, you must retire to your room. I in- sist upon it, and you, Mr. Gains, 1 am much obliged to you for your gallant run to the res- cue, but we will excuse you. Please lead my daughter, your cousin, to the dvor of her room, and then leave me alone with the officer.”’ ‘Can | not do anything for you, papa?’’ ‘* No, no, child; no, no, my hurt is a mere trifle. ”’ | ‘** You need uot fear for your father, my dear young lady. [assure you the wound does not amount to anything; and now as I must be away from here, and wish to have a few mo-} ‘unless you confide in me and give me a fraas ments’ talk with your father on private busi- ness, I hope you will obey dis con:manii.’’ And to the young man the detective said. ‘' Please seé the young Jady to her room, and then come down-stairs.’’ Seeing that he was to be permitted to return | down-stairs, the young man urged his faiz cousin to leave the room, and she at length per- mitted herself to be led away. The moment they were gone, the master of the house demanded, in a hollow voice: ‘* Do you know the truth, sir?” ‘* Hush! we will talk the matter over pres- ently. 1 have capiured one of the robters.’’ ‘* Oh, let him go.”’ ‘* No, no, it is not necessary, at least not un- til we find out how much he knows.”’ : ‘* Ah, I see.’’ At this moment the young man returned, and the detective said: ‘* My young friend, I am going to get you te act as guard for me for a few moments,”’ **] am at your service.”’ ‘* Yes, yes; come this way, please.”’ The detective led the way out into the hall, and, seizing hold of the bound robber, dragged him into the parlor and said: ‘*You stand guard over him; do not leave him, and if he attempts to move give the alarm !’’ ‘* What is your object, sir?’’ asked the man. “*T may use him as a bait, a decoy,”’ said the detective in a suggestive tone. ‘*] do not understand?”’ “1 will explain. His companions may come back to rescue him, and we will capture the balance of them.’’ ** Ah, I see now.’’ ~The young man began to realize that after all the watching of the bound man was a post ef danger and trust, and he was satisfied. **T can depend upon you?’’ ** Certainly.’’ | ‘* You will give an immediate alarm?”’ ** I will, sir!” ‘** All right, keep your eye peeled and do not let the fellow talk to yeu, nor leave him an in- stant on any pretext whatever.’’ ‘* You may depend upon me.”’ The detective returned to the library and found the master cf the house sitting there, pale, and with a look of horror upon his face fearful to behold. ‘* Now, sir, what have you to tell me?”’ ‘* Nothing!’’ came the answer. ‘* Yes, sir, you must tell me all you saw in this room.’”’ CHAPTER VII. ‘‘Srr, 1 do not know what facts you may possess, but I know all you suspect; consider my terrible position, and”’permit me to keep my lips sealed.”’ ‘* No, sir; you must speak! piness demands that you should speak!’’ ‘* 1 can nct speak, and had that bullet come from any other hand, 1 would now pray that it had.entered my brain.’’ ‘* Listen, sir; all may not be as hopeless as you believe.”’ ‘What do you mean, sir? No, no! speak not to me, now! Reform, eb? is that what you mean? No, no! Neither reform nor death even can ever wipe from my heart the horror that has heen imprinted there this night!’’ ‘* But, sir, you do not take what I mean?”’ ‘* What do you mean? What can you mean?”’ ‘*] will speak; there may be some terrible mistake there.”’ ‘* Some mistake?”’ A ‘*It may not be!”’ ‘* Sir! ] saw with my own eyes! the mask was removed! ‘Yes, yes; the murderous shot which was fired at me came from the hand ot—”’ The old gentleman’s voice was choked, and tears rained down his face. ‘* Sir, it is possible that you have been de- ceived in spite of the evidence of your own eyes.” . ‘* Lmpossible!”’ ‘* No, no; yeu are not awale of the strange experiences that have come under my observa- tion. strange and wonderful as it may seem, to be- lieve that there is some fatal mistake in this matter !”’ ‘* It can not be.”’ ‘*] can_not aid you in arriving at the truth & Cats mg OP Your own hap*” I tell you piainly 1 nave good grounds,: —— — ’ ye cHbOOKSTCOMm