Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 432 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee Ee CR A LL LG AE --—_———— ee Oe -———s—‘“ ee ‘You nave not still that.mad scheme in mind?” he cried sharply. ‘‘ That wild idea of killing yourself?” ‘* Would you have me live disgraced?” asked his uncle, with unyielding resolution. Will’s face burned with vexation. He clinch- ed his fists in helpless spite. ‘* Tf I dared tell you all!” he cried. ‘* Butthe detective has pledged me to silence, and honor forbids me speaking. I have my sense of honor too. Wait, uncle,” he exclaimed with a sudden thought. ‘‘Wemay beintime yet. I will go to the detective and urge him to carry cut his scheme at once. If we are not here at three detain your visitor. We will not be long af- ter.’ Without waiting for an answer, Will hasten- ed away, ; Mr. Middleton looked after him, roused for the moment to hope and animation. But the old despair quickl settled again upon his face. “It is only a bors wild notion,” he said, loomily. ‘‘Or he is seeking to deceive me, es, that is it. If there was any hope they would not conceal their plans.” He turned and roamed irresolutely through the rooms of his splendidly-furnished mansion. The hours passed by. Dinner was announced, but he had no heart to eat. As he thus irresolutely wandered the police spy covertly followed. Every movement was watched by this man’s keen eyes. He was seek- ing to discover if the desperate man had yet some weapon concealed, It was on the point of the hour of three when the despairing man ascended to his office, yet oc- cupied by the empty safe. e made a quick investigation of this and the adjoining room, while a look of anger marked his face. ‘So they have been at work,” he exclaimed. we They have dared to remove my weapons! Fools! Did they think to get the better of me by such a shallow artifice? I have here that which could kill six men, in my Own posses- sion!” He tapped his finger meaningly on his vest. The police spy, who had listened to these words, drew back from the door irresolutely. ‘“So! Hehas poison about him,” he cried. ‘‘ What is to be done? He may be too quick for me. Imust be keenly on the alert. If I could but manage to be in the room. I must contrive some plan. It is a desperate case.” Fifteen minutes afterward the door-bell rung. Its clang went like a pistol-shot through the heart of the waiting debtor, — Yet Silas Middleton was no weakling. With the strength of a mental giant he forced the expression of despair from his face, drew him- self up into his ordinary, dignified attitude, and sat awaiting his visitor with a face as calm and composed as if it was some ordinary busi- ness operation which he had to perform, ‘*Mr. Pearson Fletcher,” announced the ser- vant at the door. i The tall, dark-faced man entered, with a stiff bow and a forced smile. “T am very happy to see you, Mr. Middle- ton,” he said. ‘*I should have called sooner, but have been unable. Time is precious with me to-day, but I have nothing more important than my errand here,” _ He held out his hand, The broker sat unmov- ing, and made no effort to take it. An expres- sion of surprise and displeasure marked the vis- itor’s face. ‘‘T cannot take your hand, Pearson Fletch- er,” spoke the host, slowly and deliberately. ‘I ean take the hand of no honest man; for eues ceased to be a man of honor myself.” ‘+ What do you mean, sir? I do not not under- stand you. The diamonds—” ‘Are gone, I have proved a faithless custo- dian. I have suffered them to be stolen. I am unable to keep my solemn pledge!” These words seemed drawn from the very denths of the soul of the despairing man, The visitor sprung to bis feet, with a look of anger and disbelief. ‘Lost! Stolen! Itis false! You have made away with them! «ou have used them for pur- poses of your swn! This is the father again in tne son! And I, like my father, have suffered myself to be deceived a second time by a Mid- dieton!” “T expected this,” answered the broker, qui- etly. ‘‘ That I have not done as you say I will prove, by offering you twice their value.” — “ Their value? Tt is nothingtome! It is the diamonds I want. The diamonds I will have, or I will proclaim a dishonorable conduct in the streets of New York, and brand youevery- where as a liar, a Villain, and a thief!’ aan ‘‘“You may. You have the right to do so, But you cannot hurt me. You cannot dishonor me, because I will not live to bear dishonor,” an- swered the broker, rising in dignity to his full hight. ‘‘The man whois ready to die for his honor cannot be disgraced. I offer my self here as a victim upon the altar of honor and probity.” His hand, which had rested upon his breast, was suddenly withdrawn and carried to his lips. At the same moment a loud cry came from without, and the police spy rushed into the room. He caught the hand of the suicide, and jerked it forcibly down from his mouth. Yet there was a smile of triumph on Mr, Mid- dleton’s face, as he turned it upon his assailant. ‘“You are too late,” he calmly said. ‘‘ See! The bottle is empty. In ten minutes I will be a dead man. I have lost my life, butsaved my honor.” The spy looked at him with glaring eves, and then turned and ran hastily away. ‘‘A doctor! A stomach pump!” he muttered. ‘‘T must bring help at once!” The two men were left alone. There wasa covert smile of triumph on Fletcher's dark face. Middleton was as calm and unmoved as an ancient martyr. . ‘‘T have paid my debt with my life,” he quiet- ly said. ‘ Do you ask more?” ‘‘ No,” answered the creditor, with a look of ferocious joy. ‘Fool! you do not know what you have done, or for whom! I donot know a Middleton, you say. You do not know a Fletcher! Did you imagine that the injury done by your father to mine was forgotten? Did you fancy that your weak payment of the debt would end the demands of vengeance ? He made me swear on his death-bed to be revengcd on the house of his foe. I have devoted my life to the purpose, and have succeeded in revenging my father on the accursed race of the Middle tons. Blind fool! The diamonds loaned you were but a lure! It was I—J—that stole them from you. I have hunted you to death—death or dishonor! I had sworn it. It is accom- plished!” He had picked up the fallen vial as he spoke and read its label—strychnia, He turned with an intention to lock the door of the room; but ere he could do so it was thrust open and a man appeared, at sight of whom the villain re-, coiled. ‘** Josephs!” he exclaimed. ‘‘The man who called on me to buy those lots! What brings you here? Ha! Is it as I feared? Did you conceal yourself in my house, and steal that caf ye te stood crouching like a cat, as if about to spring in fury on this intruder. ‘Keep your distance, Fletcher,” said the Pin- kerton detective quietly. ‘Don’t try that on. It might not work. I have another name be- sides Harry Josephs, and that name is John Logan! You need not tell this gentleman that you stole his diamonds. I know it. The paper you lost two days ago has quidee me to where you had concealed them. I have them here.— eep off!” repeated Logan, sternly, as he drew a pistol. ‘* You will find me a bad man to at- tack, just now, you doubly dyed villain,’ Fletcher stood like a wolf at bay, his teeth listening in his fury. eu So, he have hunted me down!” he sneered, ‘“Tt is too Jate. I have won my revenge. I care not what becomes of me now. My foe is dead— slain by bis own desperate hands.” fe Logan turned quickly toward the despairing broker, who sat crouched in a chair, his face fullof agony. But, it was mental agony rather than physical. His wild haste had driven him to a terrible deed from whose consequences he saw no escape. Logan picked up the bottle and glanced at the label ‘Good heaven!” he cried.‘ This is terrible! Where was your nephew? Were was my man? After all my precautions they have let you do this!” As ho spoke steps were heard on the stairs, and the spy hastily entered, followed by a digni- fied personage. ores “He is here, doctor,” cried the apy ‘You must go to work at once. He is dying now. Here is the bottle.” , The doctor took the vial and looked at its label, while his face fell. ‘Did ha drink the contents of this?” he asked. Can you do nothing *Yes,. I saw him do it. to save him?” ‘“No.. He is past hope. There is no remedy or antidote to that virulent poison, after & half hour in the stomach.” , ‘‘T am not.so sure of that,” came a Voice from the door. Invincible Logan, the Pinkerton Ferret. } 15 einammmmmeamteememeeandte ta ee) All turned to see who spoke. It was Will Emory who entered. ‘*T have been seeking you in vain,” he said to Logan. ‘*I have overheard your words, My uncle has killed himself by poison you say. Is this the bottle that held it?” oF ae ‘Smell that,” he said, handing it to the doc- tor. ‘Has it the odor of the poison?” ‘“No,” answered the doctor in_ surprise, ‘That vial is wrongly labeled. It did not con- tain strychnine.” “T judge not,” answered Will, ‘‘ for I washed it out, filed it with a solution of quinia and re- turned it to Mr. Middleton’s pocket. I have not been asleep. He is in no more danger than any of us present.” At these words the seemingly dying man sprung hastily up, the despair on his face giving way to an expression of hope and gratitude. ‘will! Will! Is that the truth?’ he cried, ‘¢ As Tam a living man!” ‘Thank God for that! I have played the fool. I owe you eternal gratitude for saving me from the consequences of my folly!” A fearful oath broke from the ne of the vil- lain at this utter destruction of his hopes. ‘By all that’s evil!” he yelled, “‘ you shall es- cape me by no such trick. Die, ingrate! And take with you the curses of your deadly foe, Pearson Fletcher!” He had drawn a pistol as he spoke and leveled it with sure aim. Only for the kand of the de- tective, who stood near, Silas Middleton would have been a dead man. But the pistol hand was knocked up and the ball went through the ceiling of the room. ‘‘You had better come with me,” said the de- tective, dryly. ‘‘ You are not safe here. I can find you better quarters.” Without a word the baffled scoundrel obeyed, hanging his head in an aspect of utter despair. He had played his last card and lost, and all the life seemed to go out of him as he meekly fol- lowed the invincible officer away, What followed it is not necessary to relate in full. Suffice to say, the joy that reigned in that mansion was fully equal to the gloom which had so lately enveloped it. In fact, our story is done, and only the neces- sary last words are called for, The mystery of the diamond robbery had been fully revealed, the deadly malice of the long-brooding villain thwarted, and the law had laid its heavy hand on him, to bring the retribution which he so richly deserved. Three villains had been detected by the Invin- cible Ferret in the course of his investigation. The law dealt with all three for their separate crimes, and the prison doors opened to receive them for long terms of felon service. As for Silas Middleton, he had been taught a lesson which he never forgot for the rest of his life. He returned the diamonds that same day to the hands of their owner, by the aid of the detective. His honor was saved, and he took rood care never again to get himself In a posi- pe in which he ‘would need such a perilous oan, His gratitude to his nephew was deep and abiding, though it vexed him a little at times to think how completely he had been cheated . _ Yet Will is now a full partner in his uncle’s busi- ness, the name of the firm being Middleton and Emory, Brokers. os The Pinkerton detective, Invincible John Logan, wes in something of a quandary. He felt that he had no right to the ransom money, ‘Yet he could not reveal his masquerade as Count Ormond without shaming his fair friends, A rtion of the money had gone to the lesser vil- ains, Becording to his promise, but the re- mainder lay lke a white elephant on his hands, ; Mr. Middleton finally relieved him of the dif ficulty, by receiving the money and sending as a secret donation to a well-known charitable institution. Yet the detective was not permitted to suffer for his honesty. An equal sum was forced upon him by the generous and grateful broker, a5 payment for the valuable service he had re- ceived. He would gladly have given the detec tive twice the sum had he demanded it. One mystery remained for the fashionable people of society. What had become of Count Ormond? He failed to return from-New Or- leans, according to promise, and many @ wonder was wasted on the missing nobleman. : What had become of him is a mystery which has not yet ceased to trouble the leaders of New York society. | THE END. co mM