Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

OLD SPECIE. 129 some way or other to defeat the government in the way of beer stamps. However that might be, it had long been closed up, and not used for years. Lights illuminated it brightly. A. small oil stove heated it also, taking out the dampness, for the work done here was of a charac- ter that would not stand wet. Two men were present. One was Delmar. The other Old Specie looked at and chuckled when he had a good view of his face. ‘Philip Snyder, as I live,’’ he whispered. The name was that of a counterfeiter who had given the government much trouble: in the past, and always eluded capture. His work was well known, but he was like a fox, and could never be caught at it. Even now he was well disguised, having grown a beard, but the eyes of the detective were accus- tomed to penetrating beneath such things, and he immediately read the truth. ‘‘A strong combination—Delmar and Snyder—the two best known coney-makers in America. Jupiter! - what luck for me!’’ This was his thought. He watched them a little while. Snyder worked the press. He was very careful and methodical. Under a strong light Delmar was examining the bills, dried over the heat of the stove. He had quite a little pile beside him. If these men were unmolested for a month they could have printed an immense fortune. (E(0) oofe) cS (G0) 3