Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

OLD SPECIE, 149 ‘Shall I hold the door??’’ ‘Until I see you.”’ Once more the detective stood in the middle of the apartment looking around. He was sorely puzzled. Where could the man have gone? No doubt this old house had some strange hiding- place, but he was bound to find out the truth if he had to pull it to pieces. ‘ Could there be a trap? The ceiling showed no signs of such. A carpet covered the floor. | He walked around looking at this, but when the circuit of the room was made, he did not see that he was any nearer a solution of the problem than he had been before. Something must be done. He looked at John. | That worthy seemed just as nonplused. Evidently no assistance could be expected in that quarter. Just then the detective felt that inclination to sneeze—the same feeling that had come near betray- ing him to Snyder when hiding in the old straw down in the cellar. Now it was turning the tables. The sneeze would betray the other man to him. He did not attempt to repress it now, but gave several loud sneezes. Then he stepped softly forward: Reaching the large fireplace, he bent down and olanced up the flue. His attention had been drawn to that quarter by the sight of black dust in the shape of soot settling upon his hands. Gomichboo SS) €o 3