Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

we 10 **T should say so!” chuckled Despard. ‘‘ You have interested yourself in a matter which does not concern you. What does Merle Mallot pay for your services?” ** Merle Mallot?” ** Yes—the up-town nabob who hires a wharf ferret to find a lot of papers which he is very anxious to get his hands on! MHe’s afraid to trust the Mulberry street shadows, eh, Dodger Dick?” ‘* That is not my concern,” answered the boy boldly, for he saw that denial of his identity cing useless in the presence of a man who knew im. ‘*OF course not. can’t get into small holes. pects, my boy?” Dick said nothing. ‘Keep still if you want to,” continued Des- pard with a smile. ‘* Merle Mallot’s boy shadow is not likely to deliver a very promising report. Because ho has fallen into the hands of the enemy, you see.” ‘* Yes, you are the enemy!” was the reply. ‘You are the man who entered Merle Mallot’s residence and drugged him. I have not been on a false trail, Damiel Despard.” The man gave Dick a fierce look and leuned toward him. ** How did you first strike it? know,” he said. The boy seemed to draw back. ‘* Won’é tell me, eh?” exclaimed the city sport, and his face instantly darkened. ‘‘ Don’t you see that you are in a trap which I control? Have a care, my young Norway of the docks. You are in the hands of Despard, who knows how to deal with spies and paid shadows.” The man left his chair and came toward the Dodger, who saw the inward flashes that illu- mined his eyes. ‘‘I guess I know you pretty well,” the boy cried. ‘* You’ve gained a reputation under sev- eral names, and "Koy, your young pard, isn’t far bebind you in that respect.” ‘*'You know us all, by Jove!” and Despard bounded at the boy detective and caught him with both hands, ‘‘ You slipped through my fingers when I thought I had you on Tent street, but now the game is mine! You had better reigned king of the docks, my young trailer. ‘This caso is the last one you are to un- dertake, and Merle Mallot, who seems to have so much confidence in you, will never get to pay you the last wages,” ** Maybe he will pay some oneelse to your det- riment,” came through the boy’s teeth, while he looked up into the fiery eyes that hovered over him, ‘* You need not think, Dan Despard, that I am alone on this trail.” ‘* You have help, have you?” cried the city tiger. ‘*‘ Have you taken a partner in the per- son of the young safe-breaker who robbed his uncle before he was three months in his em- pluy? He’s a fit companion to watch people, sure enough. Why we could have sent him up the river, but out of pity for the poor wretch we let him go.” **It was all your work, but let that pass,” re- He knows that a big rat What are the pros- I’m curious tv or the Dodger. ‘‘ It was the beginning of the ig scheme which, I presume, originated Mi your brain. The woman called Thalia helped the cause along. Forge ahead till the end comes, It isn’t far away.” “Which means that you expect to render the scheme futile!” broke out Despard, his grip tightening on the Dodyer till ‘the fin- gers seemed to sink into the flesh ‘“‘As far .as you’re concerned, the hunt ends here, and - the victory dreamed of never comes! [ have never failed, Dodger Dick, and in my time I’ve had some pretty big schemes on my hands, When I catch a rat I never take him into the street to kill him, and thus give him halfadozen chances to get away. 1 finiso the animal in secret, and to my satisfaction, So now, we’ll begin the play.” ‘he next moment, and with a movement which could not be anticipated, Despard’s hands darted at the boy’s throat, and the young detec- tive was jerked from the floor without cere- mony. Resistance was useless though Dick tried to ~ tear the hands away. He felt a horrid sensation of choking taking ssession of him, myriads of stars in wild con- Paice danced before his eyes, and the close of a frantic, but useless effort to free himself, ray- less darkness came, and he knew no more! For several momepts Despard held the boy in the light and looked at his work. ‘**T guess the rat is done for!” he exclaimed. “T was lucky tonight. When I told Thalia that I would go down-town and look up ’Roy, I — ow “ * nn ——--— — mat ee ee ae Alig tia ee tig ae —— aij 7) + -_ ee 9 ~— > ~<a Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge, had no thought of catching the troublesome dock shadow. Merle Mallot is without a trail- dog now, and the whole game is in cur hands, What shall I do with this young night cat? He’s fixed for all time, for my hands knew just what to do when they touched his throat. Il leave him here for a spell. He'll not be gone when I[ come back.” Dodger Dick was borne across the room toa cot in one corner and tossed thereon with an expression of brutal triumph. Then Despard stole from the place locking the door carefully behind him, and went out into the street. Not long afterward he came back accompanied by ’Roy Surface whose discovery of tiie Dodger on the cot we have seen. ‘*There’s nothing between us and the fortune now,” exclaimed the young sport. ‘Nothing that frightens me,” was the an- swer, ‘‘ Angus Brandon is no barrier at all, and Newspaper Nell, who might have baffled us, is safe enough. The trouble lies yonder, Roy, but I guess I have fixed it, With Dodger Dick out of the game, as he certainly is, I can almost feel my share of the million in my hands.” CHAPTER XII. AN ASTONISHED FLASHER, IN the little room which Dodger Dick some- times occupied at Baldy’s, near the wharf, Angus Brandon, the young clerk, was waiting for the boy shadow. It was the day that had followed the night of events, the night so disastrous to the Dodger. Brandon knew nothing of these things, and while be waited for the wharf spy he thought of Newspaper Nell, whose disappearance was known to him. The morning was well advanced, and as the sun crept higher, Brandon grew impatient. W hat kept the Dodger? : ‘By Jupiter! if anything has happened to Dick, I should know it!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ The woman who discovered in the water park that Dick and I were friends, is Dan Despard’s con- federate, and she may have put that rascal on the boy’s track.” He resolved to wait no longer, and run a risk of doing the Dodger harm, by keeping indoors for his return to Baldy’s. He left the boarding-house, and plunged into the hurry of life and business that awaited him in the open air, Thalia, the beautiful black-mailer, was not now on his trail, and when Brandon thought of her he shut his hands madly, and vowed that she had bled him for the last time. Anu hour later the banished clerk stood on a corner watching the movements of a young man, the first sight of whom had sent hot blood rush- ing to his temples. ‘* Youw’re not up to anything legitimate, "Roy Surface,” said omega to himself. ‘* You never waste time walking back and forth past a certain house unless your interests are at stake insome way. That house is not your home, either,” Young Mr, Surface, the city flasher, did not see the sharp eyes that watched him. Brandon had chosen an excellent point of observation, one from which he could watch without great danger of being seen. Not very far away ’Roy was walking up and down the sidewalk in a seemingly careless man- ner, but Brandon was shrewd enough to see that it meant more than mere pastime, For some minutes walk and espionage were kept up, and in the end a man came out of the building that was guarded by ’Roy and walked away. The young sport did not follow this person, as Brandon thought he would, but darted into the house, which was a cigar-store in front, and vanished. Brandon wanted to follow ’Roy’s example, but policy forbade, and he had to content him- self where he was. ‘ ‘* Tt seems to me,” he murmured, ‘that when [ was in the clutches of Despard and ’Roy Sur- face, I used to visit a cigar store along here. The dealer and ’Roy were on the best of terms, but he was a fellow whose looks I never liked. If he owns the store in which Roy has disap- peared, something crooked 1s in the air.” After a while, as the young sport did not come out, Brandon left his post and walked rapidly past the establishment. The front room was empty, but in a second apartment beyond it, his searching eyes caught a glimpse of two figures; no doubt ’Roy and the cigar-dealer. - a ee ; eT TF For some reason Surface had refused to enter the store while the man who had just left was there. This indicated to Brandon that his errand was not an honest one. The young clerk did not desert the place. On the contrary he remained in the vicinity keeping © an eye on it, and eagerly waiting for the city flasher. "Roy came out at last and rather suddenly. There was a look of triumph on his face, and Brandon could see that he bad accomplished sume object in which he was deeply interested. ‘* Now for a race, I presume,” chuckled Bran- don, as he started off after the sport, who walk- ed rapidly off without looking around to see whether he was followed. ‘‘ If he doesn’t force me to take a car, L shall be satisfied, but, at all events, I am not going to lose sight of my quarry.” Brandon was right when he concluded that be was to have a chase after his old companion. *Roy seemed to bo in search of a goal some dis- tance away, and was not willing to trust bimself on the street cars that particular morning. The tracker kept him in sight despite bis rapid walk and the crowds of people already astir. When ’Roy turned into Bleecker street an ex- clamation of wonder escaped Brandon’s lips. ‘* Can he be going to the house to which Des- pard told Dodger Dick to carry Mother Stur- geon’s address when the boy palmed himself on him as Burt Bluster?”’ exclaimed the young clerk. ‘* Dick told me the whole story and the number, so I will know it if "Roy enters the place.” Sure enough, in a little while, the New York flasher darted into a hallway and Brandon at the same moment saw that the house was Num- ber ——, the same mentioned by Dick, of the dock, As the chase had ended for the present at least, Brandon had nothing to do but to watch the premises and to wait for ’Roy’s reappear- ance, He did not wait long. All at once the young sport rushed out of the lace, his face considerably flushed, and his eyes lled with excitement. ‘*Something has gone wrong!” thought Bran- don, while he watched ‘Roy, who had halted un- decided on the sidewalk. “The chappy looks like he did not find things to suit him in the place. He is bewildered.” Mr. Elroy Surface was more than bewildered ; he was thunderstruck. ‘Confound it all! I wonder if the @aptain came back!” exclaimed "Roy. ‘‘ That wasn’t tne understanding—not by a long shot! I could- n’t have missed the room, for ve been there fifty times.” He looked up at the house, then up and down the street, bewildered still as much as & man could be. ‘*T’ve got to find Despard!” he cried, starting off like an arrow lanched from a bow. ‘If he doesn’t know anytbing about this, the wheel «f fortune has stopped at the wrong notch fcr us, condemn me if 1t hasn’t!” ' Brandon could not help smiling at ’Roy’s seeming eagerness to make time, and plunged after him with zest acded to the mystery that surrounded the new pursuit. Since the personal encounter between the two young men, Brandon, at Dick’s suggestion, had divested his face of the set of whiskers he usu- ally wore, and the change had considerably altered his appearance, "Roy went straight to the nearest Elevated station, and Brandon, with hat-brim pulled down over his brows, bravely followed. ‘*To the end, Mr. Surface!” ejaculated the young clerk. ‘* lam in for the war, as you sce! The Dodger would give me credit for this chase if he could witness it.” - The ears took both ’Roy. and bis follower to the station nearest the house occupied by Thalia and Lone, Tue young man’s excitement had not much abated, and Brandon, seeming absorbed in a paper, saw that he was eager t reach his desti- nation. The second chase ended exactly where Bran- don expected it to end. "Roy, the flasher, entered a fine-looking house on Tenth street, and the young clerk was brought to a halt. - He could not follow his prey beyond the door, and the spot was not one easily watched without danger of being seen. If Brandon could have entered the house ef *Roy’s heels, he would have seen him ping 4 confront a beautiful girl who greeted him wi an exclamation of joy. Eom age Cte © FDOOKS.CO