Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

= i aie i o ‘ ~ to be a sweet, brave young Creature. - vent the robbery.”’ t \ ‘* And | know better, ”’ | ing that she should warn them off, a:inough as ‘* Then you must havesome grounds for your | an oificer | did not dare do so myseltf.’’ declaration. ’’ ' ‘** And you believe she really sought to pre- . '* All the grdunds I have are the facts that | vent the robbery?’ are known to you. 1|-Know itisimpossible that; ‘* Yes.”’ a noble youth could be transformed into a burg-} ‘* Then you admit she knew of itin advance?” lar and assassin in three short months; this Is a A eae strange world, ang wonderful incidents are of ‘‘ How do you explain her knowledge?’’ daily occurrence, and this is certamly one of| ‘‘ That is a mystery that remains to be ex- the strangest experiences of my life; but 1 am! plained, tut 1 have my own theory. Of one now fully satisfied that there is some terrible | thing J] am certain—Emily North is not in sym- mistake somewhere, and the robber Pell and | pathy.and accord with the robbers, even though your son Charles Pladsvell are two different in- | one of them may be your son.”’ dividuals. ’’ ‘*Mr. Hawk, I am a wretched man; l have ‘‘ Bless you, sir, for those words! but I have | no desire to live. 1 can not face the disgrace no reason to believe you are right; there are | and intamy that have come upon me.”’ certain facts known to me which prepare me to ‘‘ Mr. Piadwell, listen to me. On my honor believe that indeed within three months my son j; [ assure you that 1 do nct believe in the guilt has been transformed by the siren into a_ bad, | of your son.’’ wicked man!”’ Ws 2 ‘‘ How do you explain the fact of his being ‘* My dear sir, I do not believe the young girl | in this house, under a mask, in company with to whom you allude is a bad girl. | believe her |a burglar? How do you explain this wound, lt am sat- | when 1 saw with my own eves my son, and no isfied that you are prejudiced against her.’’ one else, hold the weapon from which the bul- ‘‘ Why should 1 be prejudiced against her?’’ | let came?” ‘* Because she is only a governess. ’’ ‘‘ Have you ever been abroad?’ ‘You do not know me, sir!) Were she a} ‘“* Yes.” worthy person, I care not how humble her po-| ‘‘ Have you .any recollections: that would sition, I should not have opposed the wedding.”’ | make it possible that you had another son?’’ ‘‘ J.et me ask you one question: What object; ‘* No, sir.”’ would even a siren have in converting the son! ‘The answer came in a most decided tone. of a millionaire into a common assassin? would ‘* Have you any nephews?’’ it pot be mere siren-like if she were to seek to| *‘ No, sir; 1 see what you are trying to estab- reconcile him to his father?’” lish.” ‘* Oh, sir, listen: 1 am a man of business;} ‘* What, sir?’’ my heart pleads fer me to accept your theory. | ‘‘ A resemblance; but you can not succeed. I love my son; he is my only boy. He was to '1 had one brother. He died in Paris when he have been my heir and successor in business, | was but a mere youth, unmarried. I never had but 1 can not blind the positive evidence of my |a sister, and | have no cousins or relations suffi- own senses. ] can not go contrary to my Own | ciently near to account for a resemblance so good judgment. I can not deceive myself in | perfect and striking as to even momentarily de- order to gain a few moments’ unsatisfactory | ceive a tather.”’ peace of mind. I have but one hope now.’’ ‘‘ This is all very strange, si1, and yet to me ‘* And what is your bope?’’ it appears even more strange that the son you ‘That the whole aftair was merely a mas- | describe could become a robber. Have you ever querade on the part of my son, intended to; heard from your son since he Jeft your house?’’ lower my pride and change my wil] and temper a) OS ae toward him.’’ ‘*In person, or by letter?’’ ‘‘ Did you ever observe any characteristic of ‘* 1 received a letter from him.”’ your son that’ would suggest him capable of ‘* And what was the purport of the letter?”’ such a ghastly masquerade?’ ‘‘ He said he was going to South America.,’’ NO. Sit , ‘* Tid he name a date when he was tv sail?’’ ‘““« Does that wound upon your forehead sug-{° ‘‘ No.’’ | rest a masquerade?” ! ‘‘ Did he name the,city he intended to visit?”’ ‘* No, siry’’ ‘* No; he merely wrote and told me he was ‘‘ Then’you may dismiss that hope.”’ _ going away.” : ‘“Ah, but it was the siren who urged him ‘* Did he write to Miss North?’’ on; it was her hand that guided his aim.”’ ‘‘ 7 do not know.’”’ ‘*] know better, sir.”’ ‘‘Thut is all the word you received from ‘‘Do you know the young lady?’’ | him ??’’ ‘*] have seen her.’’ Ves ” 3 7 pent ‘‘ Well, sir, 1 have one thing to say—”’ ‘* This very night.”’ All further talk was cut off by the report of ‘* 'Where?”’ 4 pistol in the parlor. ‘‘ In this house.”’ ‘* In this house?’’ ‘<'Voes\ ‘* What mystery is this?’’ ‘There is nv mystery; you saw her your- CHAPTER X. self.’’ i és “Yes; but why did you not report her pres-| Tom HAwk sprung away like a flash, and ence?”’ ran across the hall to the parlor. He was just in time. T'wco men had gained access to the room. A dasperate atlempt was being made by the two robbers to rescue their companion, The young geutleman who had been placed as a guard had discharged his weapon as a signal at the moment an attack was made upon him. At the instant our hero entered the room one of the masked robbers stood over the youth, while the second fellow was seeking to unclasp the darbies on his pal’s wrists. As the detect- ive dashed into the room, both burglars made a dash for him, and only discovered their mis- take when one of them received a blow from a locust that sent him sprawling. The second man dashed away the instant his pal went over, and with a desperate effort rushed through the open parlor window. Tom Hawk ran to the window, but the man had disappeared, and the detective returned to make sure of the tellow he had downed, and, as he clapped the darbies on the man, he re- marked: ‘* Well, Cheesey, old boy, L’ve got you this time!’’ ) ‘‘ You’d never. have got me if I’d’known it was you in here doing the business.”’ : ‘* Yes: 1 was waiting for you fellows.’’ Mr. Gains was uninjured, and our hero saw that Snagsey was all secure when he removed both burglars to the hail. ‘‘] knew she was on an errand of mercy.”’ ‘* An errand of mercy?’ eé Yes,”’ , ‘ : ‘*} do not understand.”’ ‘* She was here to perform a duty that 1 could not undertake; to avert a catastrophe which it did not become mé to do.”’ ‘* Will you explain?’’ ‘*] will explain my theory.’’ ‘* Please. ”’ ‘The girl planned.”’ ‘* Ab, how would she know?’ ' ‘« That is a mystery I can not explain.”’ ‘* She got the information frcm my son, and that fact confirms all the fea:ful suspicion.’’ ‘Tt matters not how she secured her intor- mation, one fact is certain: she sought to pre- knew that the robbery was ‘* How do you know?” ‘‘] will explain; she came to this house two hours ago.’’ ‘¢ How did she gain admission ?’’ ‘‘ That I can not tell you; Dut.she accident- ally ran across me in the parlor, and in the darkness she mistook me for one of tae robhers and she warned me to leave this house, to flee away, warned me that their plans were known.”’ ‘* And why did you not arrest her?’’ ** Simply because in your interest I was will- reece eeepc meee emanate aaa an I EEE ‘*I do not think the fellow will come back. acain, Mr. Gains, but we wiil be on the safe side. Ido not wish to put you in any peril.”’ ‘* 1 wish 1 had seen the fellows before they closed in on me su suddenly.”’ ‘It’s all right; you are unlujured, we've got. another one of them, and we’ll keep him; you watch the same man. 1 want to ask this chup a few questions.’’ The detective led Cheesey into the library and said: | ‘I’ve got another one of them, Mr. Plad- well. and we wil] see what this fellow has to | >? say up the captured burglar. ‘* Ab, I reckun I will when you see a chance to ‘ flit’ on a bit of information.”’ ‘*] give nothing away.’’ ‘‘ Who planned this job!”’ ‘* You'll tind that out.” . ‘* You didn’t plan it!”’ ‘* Of course I didn’t.’”’ ‘“ Who did?’’ | ‘‘] don’t know; I was only passing the house, and, hearing .a row, ran in to see what was going on, and got nabbed.’’ The tellow’s face wore a knowing expression as he made the statement. ‘* How long have you known Pell, Cheesey?’’ ‘* Who’s Pell?’’ demanded the burglar. ‘“ Ah! you don’t know Pell?’’ ‘** Never heard of him.”’ ‘* And you’ve nothing to offer?’’ ‘‘Yes; I’ve a good defense, when the time comes; but it’s no use talking to you. I’m not giving anything away to you.”’ The detective took the robber to the hall, and, returning to the library, said: ** you see, sir, neither of those fellows know that your son is their pal.”’ ‘‘ They do not wish to tell the truth.”’ ‘* Let me tell ycu that, despite their seeming heroism, both cf them weuld squeal in a min- ute, if there was a sure chance to save them- selves. They put on this heroic air simply be- cause they know I can not release them, unless they have a dead set on me; and, let me _ tell you, did they suspect their pal as your sop and heir, they’d plead that in defense so quick we wouldn’t have time to consider their proposi- tion.”’ ‘Mr. Hawk, what do you propose to do?’’ ‘* 1 propose to investigate. I will tel? you the truth, sir; I could have captured Pell, but | did not wish to do so at present. 1 wish te ‘pipe’ the man, and find out who h3 really is, and then you and | will consult.’’ ‘You are a kind and noble man.”’ ‘“ We will not talk about that; but there is one favor 1 will ask; you will not give the least inkling of your suspicion even to your daughter, or any other member of your family.”’ ‘*] will keep silent, sir.”’ ‘In a few days I will have some important information for you; and, in the meantime, if youvare called upon to testify concerning the two rascals I have caught, you will not speak. of the presence of the young lady, or intimate that you recognized the third burglar. Let i¢ appear that he did not raise his mask when he saw you.” | | ‘* You can depend upon me, but, sir, | cam see that a great sorrow o’er hangs me.”’ ‘*Mr. Pladwell, mark my words; from this moment dismiss cll suspicion from your mind that one of the burglars was your son.’’ ‘*T can not doit. JI appreciate the kiudness ot your motives, but I can not conceal from myself the truth; Charles, my son, fired at me intending to kill me. lt was because of the rec- ognition. lnow believe that he sought to do so; but I can not be deceived, this blow will kill me. lI shalt net live to suffer under the dis- grace. Your kindness gives me a respite, gives me time to pass to my grave ere the shaft falis.”” ‘Mr. Pladwell, 1 swear Iam not seeking te. deceive you, and ] swear | have good reson for believing that it is only a case of fatal re- semblance. I pray you do nothing rash until you hear from me, and I promise you that even though it prove to/be your son, you shall have an opportunity at least to avert the impending exposure of your sorrow and disgrace.”’ lt was dawn when the detective spoke the words above recorded, and he requested Mr. Pladwell to retire to his room and seek more rest. ‘* What will you do with your prisoners?’’ ‘‘ With the assistance of one of your neigh- bors, with whom I am acquainted, I shall take them to jail,”’ | ‘* You won’t get anything out of me}t’’ spoke