Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 488 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 Se re —s ee — tenance. ‘It’s a terribly serious matter. here have you been? Where did you get that absurd dress? What are you going to do?” ‘* There’s questions enough for a conversation book,” rejoined Dick, flinging his hat on a table and seating himself carelessly. ‘‘Guess I ean answer them, however. I’m in a deuce of a scrape, Will, to begin, There’s a confounded lying charge against me, which I can’t rebut except I keep my freedom. I’ve got to hide somewhere, for the police are after me like grey- hounds. As te where [ve been, I’ve made the round of the lads this morning, and with what luck do you think?” ‘* Kicked out by them all.” ** As good as that,” **1 could have told you that would be the end years ago, but you wouldn’t listen.” ‘*Can you find me a hiding-place?” **T’]l do my best, Dick. And go to prison for you, if that will serve.” ‘*Good boy! You’resound coin.” He grasped Will’s hand in warmappreciation. ‘It’s wortu spending a fortune to find one solid friend.” ‘* Tell me all about it, Dick.” The fugitive, with as much ease of manner as if he had been in perfect safety, related the events of the morning. Will shook his head at the end of the narra- tion. ‘‘Do you know you've played the fool, Dick?” he asked. ‘‘ You’ve cpoilt your chances, you hasty ninny. It was not enough to have luke- warm, friends, but you must make active foes. That back slap you gave Hal Hastings may checkmate your whole game. I would bet high that by this time he has posted the police in all Ei Me aes hiding- places.” ‘Wish I'd flung the hound out the window and broken his neck,” growled Dick. ‘‘ Won't do. You’vesold your best chance for a hand-slap. Wait a minute.” He hurried to the window and looked out through the halftopen blinds. After a minute he turned back with an alarmed look. ‘* By all that’s good, the hounds are on the track already! Here comes a group of them straight this way. The dog’s dead, Dick! They’ve smelt you out here, and I haven't a hole that would hide a cat.” CHAPTER V. DICK AND THE DETECTIVE, Ir was an alarming situation. Dick sprung hastily up and glanced through the blinds, He saw a group of. men in citizens’ dress, rapidly approaching the house. ‘‘They are officers,” continued Will, ‘I know that leading fellow. He is one of the main detectives at the Central.” Will looked at his visitor in consternation. ‘* The back door, Dick. That is the only chance left. Quick, my hearty.” ‘‘ Won't do,” answered Dick, shortly. ‘‘ Two of the party are slipping round that way. It is nll up if we can’t play it on them from within. Hold up a minute till I run the business over in my head,” e stood a moment reflectively, his eyes fixed on his friend, who wore a flowered dressing-gown and embroidered slippers. A flash came into Dick’s keen eye, ‘““You know that detective. you?” “i No,” ‘‘That’s clever. I’ve got it. We'll change parts, my boy. Off with that dressing-gown and slippers. Here, you can have my boots and coat, You'll look jolly in livery. Quick, lad. Hang it, we’ll sell them yet,” Hardly a minute passed ere the gentleman of the house was transformed to a liveried servant. Dick stood in shirt-sleeves and stockinged feet, surveying him approvingly. 1 sgt my livelyspark. This is a jolly joke, If we sell the peelers we'll crack a bottle on it, Slide like sin.” The new-made coachman disappeared, leaving his visitor alone in the sunny and well-furnished sitting-room, He was absent scarcely two minutes, when he returned, ushering in a group of sharp-faced men. But in that two minutes a transforma- tion had taken place in Dick. He was in a dressing-gown and slippers, a smoking-cap on his head, a cigar between hi lips, and his face so changed in expression that he looked like another man. He was seated in an arm-cbair, which was pushed lightly back on two legs, while Dick’s feet rested on the table edge. In his hand was an open novei, which he seemed to be diligently perusing. He Sooked up from the book as the visitors entered, Sfatenance he remarked, with a disturbed un Does he know ' Wild Dick Racket. ‘* Some gentlemen to see you, sir,” announced the new-made servant, . ‘‘Ah! How do you do, gentlemen? Glad to see you. Chairs, Jack, Please be seated. And— But pray excuse me one moment, Is the car- riage ready, Jack?” ‘* T haven’t had time to harness yet, sir.” ‘Very well. Have it ready in a half-hour. Excuse me, gentlemen, Will that be time enough for your business? I have an’ engage- ment at eleven.” ‘* Probably,” answered the foremost visitor, a smooth-faced, keen-eyed personage, who seemed to take in the whole room at a glance, ‘That will do, Jack.” The new-made servant disappeared. ‘‘ And now, gentlemen, I have not the honor of your acquaintance, and shall be glad to know why you have favored me with this visit.” Dick laid down his book, and dropped his chair to the floor, while he waited in easy po- liteness for an answer, ‘*Mr, West, I presume?” ‘* At your service.” ‘You are acquainted, I believe, with one Richard Racket?” ‘“Dick Racket? Well, I should imagine so. And a whole-souled chap he is, too, though I see by the morning papers that he is in serious trouble. There’s a lie out somewhere, gentle- men. Dick isn’t that sort of man.” ‘‘ We are here in reference to that,” was the reply. ‘‘I may as well tell you plainly that I’m a detective officer, and am here with a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Racket. You are said to be one of his special friends. If 1s our duty to see if you have concealed him.” ** Policemen, by Jupiter!” cried Dick, spring- ing up, and kicking back his chair with an angry movement. ‘ Pll be hanged if I built on that type of visitors this morning! I tell you what, gentlemen, ’m a square man—out and out. But I’m not the chap to go back on a friend. If Dick Racket applied to me Id bide him if I had to cover him with my own skin and lend him my own bones, That’s me. Go ahead now. Find him if youcan. Here’s the house, Shall I show you through it?” ‘* It is not necessary. We can make our way,” was the dry answer. ‘‘Tve no doubt. And maybe more than your way. Let me ‘see your warrant. You are strangers to me.” The officer handed Dick a folded paper. He quickly opened and perused it. ‘“That isin form. Go ahead, then. Of course you must do your duty. I tell you what, sir, if you want Dick Racket, it is not safe to leave me out of sight. If he is in this house ’ll do my prettiest to get him out of it. That’s my sort.” The detective looked quizzically at the gayly- attired speaker. ‘Perhaps you had better go with us,” he dryly remarked. ‘‘I hardly care to leave such an outspoken defier of the law to his own de- vices.” ‘All right,” laughed Dick. ‘‘I am at your service. But I warn you that you won’t nab Dick Racket while I can help him. I’m the best friend he has in this town.” ‘‘That’s an open challenge,” returned the of- ficer, amazed at the bold defiance of his host. ‘Tet me set eyes on him and I fancy your good-will won’t help him much.” ‘¢ You don’t know him. If Dick Racket stood before you as plain as I do this minute, he’d cheat you, sharp as you are.” ‘¢ Would he, eh? st him try it on.” The door opened at that instant, and the coun- terfeit coachman appeared. ‘‘ Excuse me, Mr, West. But the off horse has a loose shoe, Can you wait till I get it tightened?” ‘*1'l] have to, I suppose. Hurry up, man, Time presses,” The coachman again vanished. The officers had now commenced their search, beginning with the room in which they stood, Here, however, there was no opportunity for conceal- ment, and they quickly passed on to other parts of the house. Dick accompanied the detective with whom he had held the conversation, continuing to smoke as he led ‘him from room to room, ‘Why, I am of the same opinion myself.” The officer opened the cellar door just in time. For at that instant one of the women of the house passed by, and stood in astonishment on. seeing this strange gentleman in her master’s dressing-gown, and called by her master’s name. She would have uttered some exclamation, bub that she was checked by a quick sign from. Dick’s hand. ‘* Not a word,” he whispered, as the detective descended the stair. ‘‘It is a joke of your master’s. Nota word!” The woman vanished, with a broad grin on her face, ° Five minutes afterward the detective re- appeared, ‘ Sorry to have troubled you, Mr. West. But duty commands, I can give you a clean bill of health. No murderer’s concealed bere!” ‘Whoever told you that Dick Racket is a murderer, tell him he is a liar!” was Dick’s an- swer. ‘* As for finding him, you don’t know the sort of man you are after. You may keep up the hunt for six months, and I'll bet you a cool hundred you don t come nearer to him than you are this minute.” ‘¢ Pll take that bet,” said the officer, with pro- fessional pride. “All right. I mean it. Shake bands on it. Good-by. 1 hope you may not win your bet,” ‘‘T intend to,” answered the detective, deter- minedly. ‘* Good-by.” The party withdrew, Dick politely seeing them to the door, But the portal was no sooner closed than he was back with a hop, step and skip to the sitting-room, where the real Will West, in his coachman’s uniform, awaited him, Dick’s cap went with a wild send to the ceil ing, he kicked his slippers right and left, while he fell back in his chair laughing fit to kill. ‘‘Tt's a sell worth a thousand!” he exclaimed. ‘‘They have a written description of me, too. Yet I humbugged them to their eyes. Got a bet with that detective that he never comes nearer me than he was five minutes ago. It’s rich, Will.” ‘Richas cream. Ialwayssaid you were built for the stage, Dick. You take a part hke a born actor. Now sit quiet and tell me the bal- ance of the affair. What happened after you left us last night?” ‘Keep mum and I will tell you.” Dick proceeded to relate the events of the pre- ceding night, and to add to it certain items of information of which the reader is yet in igno- rance, “There you have the whole story, my lad. Keep it to yourself, for I don’t want the world to know it.” ‘‘There’s one point you’ve left out.” ‘* What is that?” ‘The words your uncle gave you before he: dropped off again.” ‘Oh! that was only wanderitfg breath.” ‘Maybe not. Iam good at guessing riddles,” “That’s more than I am. Well, this is the pith of it. I fancy it’s a mere string of words. ‘It is hidden—in the—brown back—Shake—.,” That was all. And spoken in that broken fashion.” ' Will sat looking at bim intently, while a look of intelligence passed over his face, ‘Your uncle was a great reader?” “Ves, A regular book-worm.,” ‘Then he would naturally refer to hooks. ‘Shake’ is only half a word. Make it Shake~ speare.” Dick kicked his chair half across the room, as he sprung wildly up, ; “Hang my stupidity! ‘You area jewel, Will’ ‘It is hidden in the brown-back Shakespeare.” Why, there’s the whole secret in a nutshell!” “Or something to put you on the track of it. But did he say nothing more?” ‘‘ Nothing. He began again, ‘In the—.’ Ther he paused and called me by name, * Richard.” I answered him, but that was the last, He spoke no other word.” “You are wool-gathering again, you thick head!” cried Will, energetically, ‘You want a fellow like me to read your riddles. ‘In the Richard—’ There’s meaning enough there for a wise Man, you blunderbuss! Look in the play of Richard the Third, of the brown-back Shakes- ‘‘ Not much hiding room in a modern house,” | peare. If you find nothing there then my he laughed, as he sent the smoke curling above his head. ‘* The deep closets of old have grown shallow as a miser’s conscience, and the thick walls with their secret stairways are now ony athways for mice, not men. This door leads the cellar.” ‘“We must search it for form’s sake. But I begin to fancy that our man is not hid in your house, Mr. West,” | guessing is all amiss.” ‘‘By the nose of St. Patrick, but you’ve hit it! The book isin my uncle’s library. I must et in there by book or crook, danger or no. nd now to get out of your house, It is not safe quarters.” , “Right again! Your brain’s worth two of: mine! Order up that bottle of wine. 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