Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 488 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 a ee ee The search proved in vain. No trace of the fugitive was found there. They advanced then up the two flights of stairs, front and rear, to the second floor. This was in its turn tkor- oughly searched, with the same result. The rooms swarmed with human beings, but all de- clared absolutely that no stranger had entered their apartments. It did not take long, indeed, to prove this, for there was not a hiding-place in the house, The few closets were quickly ex- amined, and every point that could possibly have concealed a himan being searched. But in vain. The detective grew profane ashe ascend- ed to the third floor. The affair was growing puzzling and vexatious. ' This floor was searched with the same nega- tive result. The fourth, and highest floor, that containing Joe’s room, followed. The fugitive had vanished as utterly as if he had been swal- lowedup. The officers ended their search in the room from which it had begun, hot, angry and excited. Will West sat there, quietly, a cigar between his lips. Joe was staggering about the room. Moll stood against the wall, a glowing look in her eyes. Some deep thought seemed working in her dazed brain. ‘‘ Empty handed, eh?’ asked Will, hiding his surprise and satisfaction under an air of indif- ference. ‘‘ Where’s your man? It will look con- founded scaly for three men on the track of one to go back empty-handed.” ** We will not go without our prize,” answered the officer sternly. ‘‘ You will go with us, Wil- liam West. You have aided a criminal to sy 20 That is a serious charge. You must answer for it!” “1” exelaimed Will, ‘I did not lift a hand!” ‘‘That plea won’t work, my friend. You helped him on a former occasion, You shail find that the law is more than a plaything.” . Will groaned internally. It began to look as if he was in a scrape. At this instant Moll started forward, fierce with passion. ‘‘ You haven’t half done your work,” she de- clared. ‘* He is in the house somewhere. Come with me. I hate him? I know every nook of the house. He cannot hide from me!” She led the way forward, the officers follow- ing, with the forlorn hope of success through the aid of this woman. She had spoken with such cat-like spite that they could not doubt her words. ‘* T hope to may hs won’t succeed, you’she devil!” declared ‘Will, when they had left the room, ‘But I bet high you don’t find me when you come back.” He cautiously followed, making his way slyly past them and down the stairs. He breathed with relief on gaining the street. He had, for the present, escaped an unpleasant situation. Meanwhile Moll led the way toward the up- per floor, and down to the level of the third floor. ‘““We have searched this thoroughly,” re- marked the detective. ‘‘I am satisfied there is no one in hiding here.” ‘‘ Whatis that window doing open?’ demanded the woman, with little attention to’ his words, ‘‘ Tt was shut an hour ago. Someone has been there.” The window referred to was at the end of a passage, It looked out from the rear of the house over a range of yards, and the back regions of otber houses, She advanced to the window and looked out. There was a show of derisive scorn in her eyes as she turned back. ‘‘] thought so,” she remarked. ‘* He escaped by this window.” ‘‘ Bv this window!” exclaimed the detective, doubtingly. ‘‘That is impossible, woman. It is a clear fall of thirty feet. Nomancould jump it without breaking bones.” | ‘* Jumped? Who said he jumped?” ‘‘ How else could he get down? There is no tree, no vines, no—” ‘ ‘There is this,” she interrupted. She pointed to the tin water-spout that ran down close beside the window. ‘*Toat? It.is impossible!” “Tt is true, though. I tell you, you don’t know your man. He is one of the best athletes in your city. See here where his foot scraped the paint from the sill. And yonder are the marks where he scratched the pipe. I tell you he has fooled you to your eyes.” The three men stood gazing with wide-open eyelids at the pipe, while belief in the per feat slowly e its way into their minds. ‘¢ Tt cannot be!” exclaimed the detective, ‘No living man could do it,” LLL LL LLL DLL LDDLDLD LL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LC taal a She led the way quickly to the yard of the house. At the bottom of the pipe, as she had said, was a thin layer of mud, and there, unmis- takably, were recent marks of a man’s feet. ‘* Look!” she said, pointing downward. ‘‘ Now will you believe?” ‘*By the Lord! I wouldn’t have believed a man living could have done it! low has the fingers and feetof acat! Stir your- selves, lads; he has not much the start. oer overhaul him yet.” ferent directions, on the forlorn hope of ovor- taking spry Dick Racket, CHAPTER X, DICK ON A MASQUERADE. Mors than two weeks have passed since the era of Dick Racket’s bold escape from the po- lice. During that time he had been searched for with all the ardor and skill of the service, yet he is still free. No trace of him has been found. During the period in question he has not re- mained long in one hiding-place, but has changed his location from house to house at the slightest trace of suspicion, until every part of the city has known him as a guest. When we find him again it isin the tap-room of an up-town English chop-house, Dick is thor- oughly adapted to the locality. He is aressed in a suit of light check, with a high-waisted cutaway coat and a flaring red bandkerchief at bis neck. His face is adorned with bushy side-whiskers, and has an expression of sly cun- ning, in strange contrast to its ordinary open look. His hair isdrawn down low over his fore- head, and his plaid cap thrown well back on his head. Altogether he presents a strangely trans- figured appearance, Opposite him sits a full-faced personage, dressed in the rough costume of a workingman, et with very little sign of labor or exposure in tne hands and face, ‘*Landlord!” cried Dick, in hoarse tones, while he beat a tattoo on the table. ‘‘ Fetch us hanother go of ’alf-and-’alf. Hand be lively! tir yer blarsted stumps!” ‘*No hurry,” said Dick’s companion. ‘t We are not dying of thirst yet.” ‘*Dry hup, jockey! S’pose I don’t know ’em? Won't stir a peg ’cept ye stick pins in’em. So ye hain’t found yer chap ao hey?” ‘* No, confound him! He’s as fly as a seven- year-old fox.” Dick leaned back in his chair and laughed as if hi oy amused. he Dic Racket’s a ’oss, I tell you. ’E’s a reg’- lar ’oss. Don’t hI know’im? Oh, no! Maybe not. Yell ne’er find’im. Ye’ll ne’er find ’im if ye ‘unt a month.” ‘* But you know his ways, you say? You can put us on his track?” ‘*Dunno has I said that.—That’s the tap, land- lord. Prime ’alf-and-’alf.—Well, maybe I can. I know summat habout’im. Best kiss yer pew- ter while the lip’s wet. That’s’ow to get the cream 0’ the brew.” He finished with a long pull at his foaming mug, in which he was emulated by his com- nion. ‘*'You’re the deuce for getting off the track, my friend,” said the latter. ‘‘ Come, now; keep square down to business. You tell me that you know Dick Racket well.” ‘*‘Hain’t no one knows ’im better,” was the positive answer, while Dick’s broadened face grew still broader with a grin. ‘* Why, we ee ’ was has hintimate has two kittens in a slipper. HI’ve slept with Dick hin the same bed, and drank hout o’ the same mug. Do hI know ’is iding-places? Why, hI’ve heen with ’im in ’em all. Do hI know Dick Racket? Well, that’s a joke |” He lay back in his chair and laughed heartily, ending with another strong pull at the mug. ‘* Well, see here,” replied the other, a little testily. ‘‘I have no time to waste in talk, We want that Dick Racket. We want him bad. Itll be a hundréd dollars in your pocket the day you hand him over to us. You know all the hiding-places, you say. Put us on his track then, or put him into our hands, and the cash is yours,” ‘* Nary time,” answered Dick, with a cunning sce a LE LLL LL LL LLL r. ‘‘ What do you mean? You are not going back on your offer?” “This ’oss hain’t no donkey, my cove. There’s 2 cool five ’undred hoffered. I want the ’arf o’ it, hand hI won’t take a red cent less. Why, the fel- | | over clean,” We ey darted out of the gate and away in dif- The officer, as he seemed to be, hesitated a minute, in apparent thought. Finally he ex- tended his hand and grasped that of Dick’s across the table. ‘‘It’s a bargain. Two hundred and fifty in clean cash is yours the day you put your man in our hands. But there must be no half-and- half work. For that sum you must hand him ‘Alf and ’alf’s good,” rejoined Dick, finish- ing his ag. ‘* But if hit’s to be ’ole ’og, hI’m ° yer ’oss. Don’t hI know Dick? Well, maybe . not. But hl’ve honly to say to ’im, ‘ Dick, there’s cash on hit, let’s go snacks,’ hand ’e’ll cave, right there, Hit’s a bargain, hold chap,” The disguised officer looked rather doubtfully at his boasting companion. He finished, bow- ever, by drinking the remainder of his ale to Dick’s good luck, and turned to leave the room. , You know where to find us when you want ‘Don’t hI know? Hain’t goin’, be you? Let’s ’ave hanother mug.” ‘“No, no. I must be off. Good-day. Don’t get boosy. There’s work before you.” ““Good-by, joily hold lad. ‘Ope ye hain’t took too much yourself.” He waved his cap tipsily in the air, as his comrade disappeared, while his broad English face beamed with good-humor. But the officer had no sooner disappeared than achange came over Dick’s countenance. His broad face narrowed and lengthened, a shrewd smile marked his lips, and he seemed to be suddenly transformed into another man, He laughed with a keen enjoyment. ‘* Look out, my sly lad,” he said, ‘‘or I may nail you for that reward yet. Mercy on us, if this goes on, I'll be in the pay of the whole de- tective force. This is the third I’ve had a pri- vate interview with now. Hadn't I best apply to headquarters, and put myself on their books as a sleuth-hound, to run down Dick Racket? Bet high I could sell them all.” He leaned back in his chair in great self-satis- faction. Customers were coming and going, and Dick amused himself awhile with watchin them, while a host of thoughts flowed in quick succession through his active brain. ‘* By all that’s lovely, but ve whipped my team down-hill at a jolly rate!” he said: to him- self. ‘*‘ What’s come of all my frolics and junk- etings; all my wild nights and royal days; all my sprees with the lads, our suppers and sand- wiches, our tricks and wagers, our dances and deviltries? All gone to the winds. All flown to the dogs. And here am I skulking and hid- ing, fighting and humbugging the police, not a cent in my pocket but what’s borrowed, and a deuce of a ticklish charge hanging over m head. I can feel the knot of the hangman’s rope under my ear at this minute. Does a sport’s life pay?—that’s the question. I’ve sowed acres of wild oats, and Lord, how thick the weeds are coming up!” He rested his head on his hand in serious meditation. ‘But after all, my tricky uncle drove me to it, I wasn’t born a fool. I[l-usage bas made me one. And now that he wants to redeem his roguery Pve got nothing to show but that con- founded riddle, which Old Nick himself couldn’t make sense of,” ° The beer was certainly in Dick’s brain, His eyes closed after a minute more, and he fell off into a sound sleep, with the thought of the mysterious document still troubling bis mind? t was not a dreamless slumber. Dozens of fancies raced through his brain, all more or less connected with the puzzling document. He read from it the most extraordinary meanings, The paper itself took strange shapes, and was now a dragon and now a serpent, Finally his dreams took on a new phase. With a start, even in his sleep, he saw bis uncle again, seated in the chair in the library, and with the same ghostly aspect which he had worn on a former occasion. In its hand, however, the spectral figure held up a paper, like that of Dick’s dream. And the eyes of the visionary phan- tom were turned to the left, where were visible a long mirror, in whose clear surface the paper was reflected. Dick looked therein, and to his surprise he saw : erfectly legible lines of writ- ing. He eagerly set himself to read it, with a hope, even in his dream, of solving the mystery. “Meet me at Jake’s, at sharp ten, to-morrow. Have you made anything yet of the puzzle which I left with you? If not, bring it along and we will tackle it together. I have an idea, Cover your track if youcan. Don’t let the hounds trail you, as before, Yours, R.” Gi’ us yer fist on hit and the chap’s yourn. Git yerself hon record, my arty.” ‘“(1ome down-stairs and we will see. It is ‘6 Jake’s” was a saloon in the western section’ muddy at the bottom.” M4 of the city. 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