Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge. silver dollars. ‘‘ Dick comes home occasionally, I presume?” ““Oh, yes. He doesn’t frequent the wharves like he used to. I know ’im a sight, you see, an’ then, cap’n, I’m willin’ to help you because I don’t like him any too well.” The next moment the dollars changed hands, and Burt Bluster’s browned fingers closed on them like the lid of a trap. ‘Where shall I report, cap’n?” he inquired, looking up into Despard’s face. The city sharp thought for a moment. ‘* At Number ——, Bleecker street, up-stairs, second floor, first door to the right.” **T’ll hit the bull’s-eye the first time!” exclaim- ed the boy. ‘* Tf you come when [ am not in, drop Mother Sturgeon’s address into the letter-box on the door. You can write?” ‘* Not like a perfesser, cap’n, but I can make letters.” Two minutes later Despard walked back, con- gratulating himself on his good fortune, while the boy stepped into a doorway and put on a coat which he had left there. ‘* All’s fair in war, Dan Despard!” he laughed. **T guess I scored a point to-night!” The boy was Dodger Dick! CHAPTER V. THE NEXT MOVE, By the time the young shadow reached Bat- tery place it was almost the hour appointed for the rendezvous with Angus Brandon, The Dodger knew nothing about the young man’s encounter with ’Roy Surface, and going straight to the place of meeting reviously agreed upon, he began to wait for "Brandon's coming. Some time before this the rain had ceased to fall, and the Park was resuming its wonted ap- pearance. Tho old benchers who frequented it during a great part of the day, and long after nightfall, had come back to their places, and Dick for a time amused himself watching them. At length the hour went by, but Brandon did not come, ‘** Mebbe he thinks [ ain’t the kind o’ company he ought to keep,” muttered the Dodger. ‘Well, I don’t belong to the aristocracy of New York, but I guess I’m high-toned enough tv be the acquaintance of a— No! I won’t say thai! Angus Brandon has been shamefully wronged by “Dan Despard and his pals; an’ while my name is Dick Sly, I'll stand by him till he gets even. If he doesn’t come within the next ten minutes I'll go up-town an’ see how things are ruaning at the Mallot mansion.” The brief period mentioned by Dodger Dick assed without a sight of the face of young randon, and after taking a final turn through the Park, the boy went back. If he had known about Brandon’s bad luck, a certain station-house would have received a visit from a boy woll known to the officer in charge. The Dodger had a few cents in his purse—the same one he had pretended to force upon Dan : ard, and five of these took him up-town on the Elevated road, He rode to within a square of an elegant house above Twentieth street, and in response to his ring, he was ushered into a hall, where he hung his somewhat dilapidated hat next door to an oval mirror, and alongside a very glossy tile. ‘You will find Mr. Mallot in there,” contin- ued the woman who had admitted him, and the Dodger was shown into a room elegantly fur- nished and expressive of wealth and refinement. At that moment the room had but one tenant, a middle-aged, robust, but stern-looking man. He reclined in a luxurious easy-chair, with his slippered feet on a cushion before him. ‘Aha! [ve just been thinking about you!” exclaimed the man, ‘‘ Think about an imp and he turns up, or something that way, you know.” Dick had dropped into a chair which seemed to fit him panel: speaker’s words, The man was Merle Mallot, and he was a mer- chant whose retirement from business the pa- pers had announced within the last few weeks, It was said that he had retired on account of an obscure disease that was slowly sapping his strength. This was one opinion. There was another that Merle Mallot had been black-mailed to a fearful extent, and other opinions still, which we need not ventilate here. Dodger Dick had made the merchant’s ac- quaintance by an accident which succeeded a and he laughed a little at the _ mysterious burglary that had thrown a cloud over Mallot’s life. _ It was true, as Roy Surface pretended to have ays ° = ™ discovered, that the Dodger was in Mallot’s em- ploy. Mallot had ideas of his own, and one of these was that the polic® were not to be trusted. He wanted the burglar of his private room huntea down and his papers recovered, but he did not want to have it done by the force. Hence his employment of Dick Sly. He believed that the boy was shrewd and faithful, in which belief he was correct; but he took good care not to tell Dick too much. ‘** Well, have you any report to make?’ asked Mallot, after his observation. ** Not much,” replied the Dodger. ‘I would like to ask you one thing, Mr. Mallot,” ‘* Well, go ahead,” ** You have told me that you suspect a man whom you call Angus,” “That is all right. memory.” ‘*Maylaskif his other name is not Brandon —Angus Brandon in full?” Merle Mallot appeared to gasp, and his hands closed Epasmostically on the arms of his chair. ‘Where did you get the other partof the name?” he asked, The Dodger smiled. ‘** You forget that I ama city ferret,” he ob- served. ‘‘I am liable to make several discover- ies as I proceed in this affair. Yes, Angus Brandon is the name,” ‘‘And a name I have cause to hate!” said Mallot, through his teeth. : ‘*Tfe was in your employ once.” ‘* And he robbed me without scruples! ” flash- ed Merle Mallot. ‘‘I tell you, Dodger Dick that you will find the burglar when you find this young scapegrace. Listen to me, I took him into my store ashort time ago because he was my sister’s child, and I wanted to do sore- thing for him. Whatdid hedo? He hastened to get into bad company; he went from bad to worse under my very eyes, and at last, to keep himself going, 6 robbed me,” ‘** What did you do!” asked the Dodger, quick- I see you have a good ‘* What would any man in my situation have done?” exclaimed Mallot. ‘* I turned him adrift, I want no thieves about me. I could have sent him to Sing Sing, where he belonged, but I was his uncle, and the disgrace which the sentence would have heaped upon me, stayed my hand. He knew I had important papers in my library yonder, He wasaware that some money was near them, Nobody else knew it; that is, no regular thief, Yes, sir, I say plainly, since you have made the discovery you speak of, that Angus Brandon is the man for whom you must look. I want the papers. They are worth more than money. He can never realize on them; they are not what he expected to take.” Merle Mallot spoke with bitterness anger. The veins in his forehead swelled and the ef- fort flushed his face, ** Did you ever think that Angus Brandon may have been lured to his ruin by some of the city ag ee and that the money taken from the safe at the store may not have benefited him?’ ‘Not for a moment!” cried the merchant. ‘** He is the thief! Whby, when I confronted him with certain evidence which my detectives had obtained, he did not denyit. He went away muttering something about gettin even one of these days. If Tr ha clapped him into prison then I would not be needing your services now. I did not want to have to tell you this, I had hoped I had given you a clew of another kind. Now I shall not stop until my. papers are back in my hands and the rascal, blood of my blood, is behind the bars! You want to make sure of the papers, Mr. Dick. If he can, he will destroy them be- fore they shall become evidence against him. Why, to tell the truth, 1 could almost see bim hanged!” The Dodger made no reply, but studied Merle Mallot while he leaned back in his chair almost exhausted by his display of passion. ‘‘T’ve heard both stories,” he mentally ex- claimed. ‘* This man isn’t willing to think that Dan Despard or anybody but Angus Brandon committed thecrime. I don’t believe the young man guilty, and, unless Despard and the league about him trips me very soon, I'll open Merle Mallot’s eyes.” ‘*TIs that all you want to know?” suddenly asked the merchant with a peculiar smile. ** About all,” answered Dick. ‘‘ Could any- sae) Ne on the documents which you have os Merle Mallot started visibly. ‘‘The right parties might,” he said. ‘* But,” he added, quickly, ‘‘ I tell you that they'll never and do Angus Brandon a particle of them to the bitter end, and I’ve mone atte to buy the best jury in New York. I’ like seo that young safe-breaker come to me for compromise, I don’t pay him a dollar!” Dodger Dick did not like to have Merle Mallot goon inthis manner, When he was excited, he spoke in loud tones, and the boy did not know who might be in the house, He had succeeded in his mission to the Mallot mansion, and was ready to take his depar- ture. ‘‘Hunt the young rascal down,” exclaimed the merchant. ‘*‘ You know who he is, and you ought to be able to find him, I presume he would like to make another raid on my premises, but I am prepared for him now, well pes red!” and Mallot laughed in a manner which left no doubts as to the full meaning of his words. The Dodger promised to report as soon as he had anvthing important to communicate, and he told Merle Mallot that he hoped to have news before long. Then he walked out of the room, leaving the city nabob alone, bile he was taking his hat from the rack in the hall he heard a soft, almost cat-like, tread. behind him, and wheeling, he found himself face to face with a young girl of sixteen. ‘You are the boy we have put on the bur- glar’s trail, ain’t you?” asked the girl. **T am Dodger Dick.” ‘**'Yes. Some of us suspect Cousin Angus who used to be in the store, but I do not. e man who came that night and drugged papa in the library was taller than Angus. I saw him fora moment, for he raised his mask on the stairs; but I dare not say so in this house. I want you to find the right person, Dodger Dick.” ‘*T will find him!” cried the boy, leaning to- ward the sparkling black eyes, ‘‘ And he won’t be Angus Brandon, either.’ I'll fight CHAPTER VI. DESPARD PICKS UP A LINK. ‘* HAVE you been through a wind-mill?” ‘* No; I was struck by a cyclone.” ** You've had a fight, Roy.” The reply to this last observation was a sickly smile which did not enhance the speaker’s looks. *Roy Surface and Despard had met again, and the former’s face, still showed marks of young Brandon’s punishment, As the reader can imagine, Surface was not in good-humor, but while he told Despard about Brandon’s arrest by the policeman, his eyes got a vengeful sparkle and he laughed in triumph. ‘*You don’t intend to appear against him, do you?” asked Despard. ‘*Not I! I have no desire to show up in a po- lice court just now. He will get to the Island anyhow, for Iam convinced that he has not a dollar to his name, and the cop who effected the arrest knows me.” ‘That will settle Brandon,” said D rd with asmile, ‘I had not seen the young tellow for some time. Thalia, you know, quit bleedin him because he had no more blood to yield, ) won’t hurt anybody. But what became of the girl—Newspaper Nell?” ‘She vanished like a sprite after I got my lick,” answered ’Roy. ‘*¢ Didn’t you find her again?” ‘‘She was not to escape me so easily!” ex- claimed the young man. ‘“‘I started after her when Brandon had been marched off by the cop, and overtook her nearly two squares away. You can bet your head, Dan Despard, that I not let her get away again.” ‘‘ Whither cid she go?” ‘To the lodgings she occupies in a quiet side street, I marked the house, took down the number and all, so we're perfectly safe on that score. The girlisa beauty, sure ons Dan, and I never noticed the striking resemblance be- tween her and Jone so much before,” ‘It is remarkable, isn’t it?’ laughed Des- pard. ‘* Now, ’Roy, I want to ae you on your guard. You were right about that wharf rat being after us.” ‘‘ Dodger Dick? I thought sol” cried the young man. **T caught him at work to-night.” t ON Of course you made short work of im. ‘‘ Curse it all! he slipped through my fingers,” growled Despard, “Dye got a g show of nabbing him soon, however. I was lucky enough to find a boy who knew him, and who holds a grudge against him, too. He is to get me the resent address of Mother Sturgeon, the young erret’s second mother. After that, we can easily trap him, for he often visits the old lady. comicbooks. ac te § + > a > . é . Fi 7 4 e | < < ™ ' f / / a f A ( | 2) 1 / } . os = iw fA ue