Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

_had thrust one hand into his pockets. 12 ? * bay wr “w . Dodger Dick’s Best Dodgre. cross the threshold, she came forward with agility for one so large, and waited for his order. The Dodger was not very flush and there was nothing which he particularly needed, but he conciliated the Amazon by purchasing a r of needles which be thought would suit Mot er Sturgeon. Then he began operations. ‘Can you tell me anything about a gentle- anan who boards about here?” asked Dick. ** What’s he like? We have nobody but gen- tlemen hereabouts.” ‘* Of course not; that’s why I called ’im one,” Then Dick proceeded to describe Despard. The woman’s eyes twinkled near the close. ‘The gent has rooms over us,” she said. ‘‘T’m sure he has. He never bas any dealings with us, but I see him once in awhile come and go. He isn’t in now, for if ’m not mistaken, he went out just now.” ‘“‘T wish I had seen him,” exclaimed the boy, with an innocent air. ‘*‘?’m always missing somebody. Who runs the house?” ‘“It’s owned by a crippled man who never ets out. His wife, Mrs. Uphold, tends to the usiness, They’re in the back-room on the second floor, but they’re not likely to ,know much aboat the man you’re looking after.” It was all the information Dodger*Dick could get from the Amazon of the notion store, and he was compelled to withdraw. One point had been gained, He knew where Despard had regular lodgings, and that was something. Dick hovered about the place the rest of the day, and when night came without bringing Despard back, he moved upon the house again. This time he boldly but with stealth entered the hall. It was partly lighted. ‘* What is it, my young rat?” sung out a voice, and an angular woman of fifty, with sharp eyes — : peaked nose pounced upon him like a field awk. “You're Mrs. Uphold, eh?’ answered Dick, recoiling from the clutch. “That’s just who I am, and Ill show you what itis to enter arespectable house where you don’t board. Say, who are you, and what do you want?” ‘Give a fellar time to get his breath, won't you?” replied the boy. ‘‘ You’ve already fright- ened me out 0’ a year’s growth.” ‘* Then, come in as you ought to come.” Dodger Dick had dealt with all kinds of city characters, but he knew he needed all his wits to get ahead of the one he had encountered. ** Mebhe you'd like to lose your best boarder,” he said boldly. The woman seemed to lose what little color she had. **'You don’t board here,” she exclaimed. ‘*Right you are, madam, but my friend Des- rd does, and he doesn’t allow his boys to be insulted by no landlady,” - Despard?” echoed Mrs. Uphold. ‘I don’t know—” ‘**Don’t know the gentleman with the keen eye and the black mustache?” ‘* Oh, Poynter!” ejaculated the woman. ““Yes, Poynter Despard,” put in the boy quickly. ‘* Well, I came here for him; he wants something that’s in his room. Shall I go back and tell him that you stood like a lion between me and the door? I can if you say so.” ** Why didn’t Povnter come himself?’ ‘* Business of importance,” whispered the boy. **T guess [’ll go back. You want to lose a boarder, I see.” ‘““T do not, especially not one who pays like Poynter.” Then let me get what be wants.” Mrs. Uphold drew back mollified. *“You know where he rooms,” she went on. “* Second door to the right on ths next floor, If IT had known you were his friend and here for him, of courze I would not have stopped you. I will tell him so when he comes back.” “By Jove! Ill have to go back without car- rying out his orders,” suddenly cried Dick, who « He forgot to give me the key.; Of course he keeps room locked, Confound it all! after the mae SPs too, and on important business!” e landlady of the house seemed to see a good chance to undo the evil she had wrought, and the uext_ moment she produced a key and handed it to Dick, telling him to lock the door when he was throuzh, mens Dick bounded up-stairs, and disap- “The second door to the right, wasn’t it?” murmured the boy, ‘‘I will see what is beyond the portals,” | He was promptly at the door which he un- a with the key furnished by Mrs, Up- old. A. moment later be was in the tiger’s den, . Locking the door behind him so as to keep out the prying eyes of the landlady, the Dodger went to work, He was anxious to find the missing docu- ments, for Merle Mallot had declared that they must be back in his hands within a few hours. If the room held them Dick was resolved that they should be delivered up. Despard was not very fasbionable at home although he often appeared in dandy garb on the streets, His room was not as clean as it might have been, and as the search proceeded, Dick dis- covered that the city tiger’s den was likea great many otbers. “He went from place to place, searching each one carefully, now a closet, now a stand. The papers did not turn up. It 2 Oy that Despard had transferred them to Thalia, but the Dodger did not believe that he would trust the woman that far. Theflast object to be searched was the single bed which occupied the darkest corner of the room. ‘Dodger Dick approached it with fading hopes. He,ran his hands under the covers. % Nothing!™he cried. ‘‘ By Jericho! I guess I’ve struck an empty nest. Well, Captain Despard, you cannot say that you have not been searched.” Just as the boy was. withdrawing his hand he was thrilled by a touch, ‘Hello! ,what is this?” he exclaimed. “A package of papers, by all that’s good!” The next moment he held up before his dilat- ed eyes a flat packet which looked like the arti- cle he was after. Dick went to the light, breaking-the wrapping tape as he did so, rawing one of the documents from the pack, he opened it and glanced ovor the writing. ‘‘it looks valuable, but I’m no lawyer,” he said to himself. ‘‘It appears to be what they call a legal document. Ah! here is Merle Mal- lot’s name signed at the bottom, This is what I want!” A second later a noise beyond the door star- tled the a “Then he heard a key fumbling about the lock on the door! * . " . \ae ns . ‘ re fe ~ rit ; , , - | Dodger crept over the sill and lowered his body Seay 3 the building. . at once, crash! crash! and Dick loosened his hold and dropped. Despard had thrown his body against the door, and it hai yielded. The city tiger was in the room, but one second too late. For a minute the sport stood bewildered in the middle of the apartment, and he did not at once see the open window. Meanwhile, Dodger Dick had alighted on the roof of a low, back building, from whence he lowered himself to the ground without injury. It was better luck than he had expected. ‘*T wasn’t a second too soon!” exclaimed the Dodger, looking up at the open window. ‘“‘If Despard bad charged the door when he first reached it, [ might not be here to laugh at his folly.” Dick ceased suddenly, for a face had appeared at the window, and the boy was forced to hug the dark wall which he touched. Despard knew that his young foe had escaped him, but he did not believe it too late to effect a recapture, ‘““If the rat is in the yard I will get him,” thought the Gotham sport, and he drew back from the window and vanished. Now, if ever, was the Dodger’s time, He knew that the ground-room of the build- ing was occupied by a notion-store, and he in- stantly resolved to gain the street through it. He found a door which was unlocked, opened it and rushed into the place it revealed. It proved to be a small storage-room, with light enough in it to show the little spotter an- other door leading into the main store, Dick sprung forward. ; All at once he appeared to a woman, who ut- tered a wild cry at sight of him. He knew her to be the proprietress of the establishment. Dodger Dick did not wait to prove that he was no thief, but bounding down the rcom be- tween the counters, he disappeared from the woman’s gaze before she could catch her breath. Once in the street, Dick considered himself safe. He did not know what had become of Des- pard, and now, for the present, he did not care, His only desire was to elude the New York tiger, and to reach a place where he could de- termine the value.of the document he had re- covered from the league against Merle Mallot. Dick had several places where he could safely The Dodger started back, and thrust the packet | examine the papers, and he chose his a into his bosom, % What if Despard, the city tiger, was at the door |! Dick knew that the portal could not be opened in the usual way, for he had left the key in the lock on the izside. It was fortunate that he had thought of this. ‘*Hey, there! Mrs. Uphold!” called a man’s voice, which the Dodger with a thrill recognized as Despard’s. ‘* Who’s been tinkering with my door?’ A moment’s silence followed the words. ‘* Mebbe the boy you sent didn’t, lock it right,” answered a voice, which Dick imagined came from the landing above. ‘‘What boy? By heavens! I sent no boy here!” growled the New York sport. ‘* Why—indeed, Mr. Poynter, he said he came from you.” ‘* When was he here?” * © About mie minutes ago,” *¢ And you let him into the room?” “Yes, I—I—” Despard swore like a mad hussar. ** Maybe he’s on the inside now!” he exclaim- a cent for the damage I do ed. ‘** I won't pa your door, Mrs. Uphold.” The woman uttered a cry of horror, and aso heard the man step back. Ss don’t want to meet the tiger just now,” he sai The following minute he sprung to the back ac slipped the catch, and threw up the sas A glance into the night showed him nothing but darkness. He could not see what was be- low. ‘* Tt must be a drop,” he sent through his teeth. ‘* There’s no other help for it now.” CHAPTER XV. A NEW TURN IN THE GAME. As the reader may suppose, the young detec- tive of the docks did not wait long before he earried his hastily-formed plan into execution. Indeed, he could not wait long. Trusting himself to an unknown fortune, the “\ | appole Merle | | quarters under Mother Sturgeon’s roof. It was some time after his adventure when he reached the place, and in a small room, the door of which he had carefully locked, he began his task. ‘*Merle Mallot wouldn’t like me to look at these papers,” said the Dodger, to himself. ‘‘ He wants them brought back without having been inspected. But since Newspaper Nell is some- how mixed up in Despard’s game against the merchant, I feel that I have a right to see what is here,” The wharf spy was cunning, with no large amount of education. He could read writing readily when it was not too bad, and could write a big blundering hand himself, He found the papers, there were several, written in chirograpby rather hard to decipher, but in a little while Le mastered it enough to be able to read it slowly. ‘‘By Jericho! I must let Brandon see these!” be exclaimed. ‘‘ There is something here that sets me a-thinking. What is all this about giving somebddy’s property to a little girl, and allot executor and such? ere is the name of Mallot signed in a different hand from the other writing, and here is that of Nelson in still another hand. The girl mention- ed all through these papers is Florette. Florette who? Ah! that is it! Great Cesar! I recall something just now. Nell once told me that she believed she was somebody else than Newspaper Nell. She once received a‘visit from an old man who asked her if she ever remembered Jerry Dunn, and when she ‘aid she did not, he laughed and said he could get a fortune for her if he dared. Nell did not take any stock in the old fellow, but he wrote borne eon a paper, which he told her to look at when he was gone. Nell did so, and found on the paper the three words—‘ You are Florette.’ She threw the pa- per away, for she did not believe the old fellow, who seemed to be partly out of his head from the way he carried on. But now these papers ap- pear to confirm the story. If Merle'Mallot car- ried out his trust, why does he want these papers so badly? Ican see some things with half an G boo CSG com ‘ we 4 ~~ =