Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

} ce ey = . 3 _ villain last night,” she murmured. _been watching me, being treated thus, and by ‘a newspaper girl. Look here, Miss Nell. I am in a position to make things almighty uncomfortable for you unless you tell me why you went down to Baldy’s last night, and what business you had with that young whartrat who is gnawing holes into other people’s granaries.” ‘ibe eyes of the New York girl instantly got a look that surprised Despard. ‘** You threaten me, do you?’ she exclaimed. ‘You we're ‘playing spy last night! Your friend got. knocked into the gutter just as he deserved, and as usua, the police took the wrong person, but he is at liberty ere this, and ready Lv seltia signe more old Cebts, one against you, Dauiel wesparc.” MNows aper Nell bad not forgotten the name she hau Keurd Brandon pronounce at the board- ipg-house, ind slie was forced to smile at the effect produced on Despard when she spoke it. ‘‘What is the name you just applied to mo?” he asked. ‘* Daniel Despard!” repeated the girl. ‘* You have a dozen names no doubt, but you see that one at least is known to me, I think it fits you well, sir.” “Oh well, call me what you will!” he ejacu- lated with a cutting sneer, ‘‘ It does not break the force of my words, nor rob me of an iota of my power. You can league yourself with the vermin of the docks, but I will hold the winning cards at the end of the game!” ‘* Very well, Mr. Despard. have come here to tell me this.” ‘*Oh, you can show your blood, but blood doesn’t win now,” he laughed, ‘‘ When you.see the Dodger, will you tell him that the hand he slipped through last night will hold him in the end?” ‘** | will tell him!” cried Newspaper Nell. ‘‘ Is that the only message, sir?” Despard bit his lip at her coolness, ** ‘Tell the safe-robber, Brandon, that he wants to keep away from his old friends Dan and’ Roy. We know too much, and he doesn’t want to go up tbe Hudson for a long term where men have little freedom and no enjoyment, by Jove, no! ha! ha!” **Look out for yourself while you warn others, Dan Despard,” cried Nell, ‘* What do you mean?” He took wu mad stride toward the girl who straightened before him, and met him calmly, look for look. “Play tho game out and discover what I mean, ‘‘ she went on.” ef You don’t know anything?” he said, There was no answer. ‘Tell all you know! I don’t care!” he hissed. ‘* A newspaper witch isn’t going to wreck any- body’s fortunes. But, mind you, Nelly, look out for number one as you go along. Goand settle with your newspaper people. You will not try to play against me when you come back to sober second thought. You can’t afford to do it, girl! By Jupiter, you cannot!” His face, flushed with rage, almost touched hers while he gave vent to the last sentences, The next moment he was at tie door, and as the girl still made no answer but gave him a look of defiance, he ground a curse between his teeth, opened the portal, and rushed out. A smile passed over Newspaper Nell’s face when she heard the front door bang behind him, and then she walked to a little mirror and sur- veyed herself for a moment. ‘Dodger Dick plaved a fair estimate on that ‘*7 have yet to learn why he and the man called Roy have There is a deep, dark scheme of some kind uppermost in their minds, and [ am to be one of the victims if they do not fail.” The newspaper girl left the house, but did not come back after dinn¢ér as was her wont, The afternoon came, but bo young girl sold papers at Wall and Broadway. er regular customers wondered what had become of her, ancl bought their afternoon read- ing of some one else. ight came, A boy rung the bell of the plain brick house in the side street, and Mrs. Hollystone said that Nell bad not been home since mvrning. In the trap, for a thousand!” cried the boy, who was Dodger Dick. CHAPTER VIII. . THE DODGER STEPS BETWEEN. AnGus BRANDON passed an uncomfortable You need not night in the station-house. He did not regret the blow which had sent Elroy Surface into the tter; but he was much concerned about Nell, _ in whom he had taken considerable interest. . ¥ - 7 mine} >" ue Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge. . ee He was fearful that the young rascal had fol- lowed her home, if be bad not subjected her to insult; and |te promised himself to find out at the tirst opportunity, and toshow Dan Despard’s companion that the girl had a champion able to protect her, , What was Brandon’s surprise when he was summoned into the office of the station, and there confronted with Dodger Dick? The wharf ferret and the ofticers about the Jace seemed on the best of terms, and when randon told the story of the street encounter, and the Dodger showed ’Roy up in his true light, the prisoner of the night was discharged. ‘* Now,” said Dick to his friend, ‘*’Roy Sur- face and his friend Despard know that you are stili on hand, and they won’t stop at anything. Those two larks have a deep scheme afoot, and Nellis to be dragged into it. I followed Des- pard last night, as you know, and picked up some important information, 1 want to-day for work in another direction, You are to keep shady, but at eight to-night I will join you at the old bench in Battery place.” ‘* Pll be there,” assured Brandon, eageriy. ‘Tf you happen torun across either of the pards, don’t give yourself away, Let them think, if they will, that you have been sent to the Island. We'll give them a surprise later on. ‘‘It was almost eight o’clock when Dodger Dick learned at Mrs. Hollystone’s door that Newspaper Nell had been missing all day: The thought that followed the startling infor- mation through bis mind was a natural one. If the girl had fallen into the clutches of Des- pard and ’Roy Surface, woe to them, thought the young detective! The Dodger had his engagement to keep with Brandon, and not long aiter his discovery of Neli’s absence, he appeared in the Park, on the jookout for his friend, He walked straight to the bench near which he had first encountered the young man, and when near it be halted suddenly, and then stepped into the shadow of a tree. ‘The bench bad occupants, a man and a woman, and the former was Angus Brandon himself. ‘One of his old acquaintances,” muttered Dick. ‘‘He must have had a time with ’Roy Surface before they got him down to their level. Ah! the woman is going to leave, She isn’tina happy frame of mind, and Brandon seems to be talking through his teeth.” The Dodger could see the couple with distinct- ness, for they were quite near, and the trees did not interfere. “Great heavens! it is the woman whom I tracked to Tenth street with Despard lastnight!” su denly continued the boy. ‘‘Issbe the per- son who has been blackmailing Brandon?” And then, as the couple had moved toward him, he heard the young man say: ‘‘ No more blood from me, I tell you.” ‘Very well. You will have to put up with the consequences, be they what they may,” was the answer, Brandon laughed bitterly. ** You may think that my hands have been for- ever tied by the crime of the store,” he said, looking straightinto Thalia’s eyes. ‘‘ Iam not afraid to face all the information you threaten to impart to the public. What am I, anyhow? —A. person who bas been sleeping in the parks, a man whose life has been rendered desperate by the shadow of a crime which was not all his! [I will not disguise any thing, You come from the brace of raseals who pulled me down step by step until I was ready to do their work, on have hounded me like a sleuth ever since that night. You bled me when I had obtained a re- spectable position; you put your hands again into my pockets until, to escape you, | flew to the stree:s—I became a beggar! Now, 1 say, do your worst. [laugh in yourface. But I add, while I tell you this, that the victim may turn on the hunter one of these days, You can carry your infamous scheme a little too far, I have no position to lose now. You can’t whisper into an employer’s ear. Ha! ha! my queen of black- mailers, it does me good to tell you this. Go back to your companions and tell them that the golden well is dry. You don’t like it, I see. Well, I can’t help it. Good-night, madam. The treasury is empty—Good-night!” The Dedger saw the eyes of the woman glitter like a serpent’s. He noticed her draw back, throw a quick look around, and then lean sud- denly toward Brandon, ** You dare not turn on me!” she hissed, ‘Try me and see!” smiled the young man. ‘* "You shal] not!” was the quick retort. Brandon turned coolly and walked away, For a moment Thalia eyed him with tigerish glare, then all at once her hand dropped to her pocket, but instantly came up again. Dodger Dick who saw all this sprung from his tree, and with an agile bound, placed himself between Thalia and the young clerk. Brandon happened to look back at that mo- ment, saw the wharf spy, and turned, Thalia stopped. ‘‘That is the spy Ione saw at the house last night,” she thought. ‘‘ Dodger Dick is Angus Brandon’s friend.” There was a smile of victory on the boy’s countenance when he encountered Thalia’s look, and as Brandon came forward, the woman slip- ped away and vanished. ‘You've had company,” exclaimed Dick. ‘* The leech that used to bleed me!” was the reply and Brandon looked after Thalia, but saw her not. ‘I told ber awhile ago,” he went on, ‘that the jig was up, and she now knows that my purse will open no more when she pulls the strings.” ‘‘She can show her teeth, Brandon.” ‘That she can!” laughed the young man. “I did not want to attract attention, and when f saw that she was going to have a scene, I walked uway. She is Tien Despard’s friend, and got all her cues from him.” Althou;h Thalia had disappeared, she was not very far away, and at that moment her sparkling black eyes saw Brandon and Dick. ‘* Despard has got to crush that boy!” came from between her teeth. ‘‘ We can’t succeed till it has been done. He must execute no: partial play, either. The snake must be killed, not scotched.” She continued to watch the pair until they moved away, “Pll find him now,” started off. The following second she was touched by a human hand; and turning half-way around with a start, she looked into the smiling face of the very man she wanted, Despard. ‘* A little too late in one sense, but justin the nick of time, for all!” exclaimed Thalia. ‘* Let us walk this way. I want to show you some- body. He has not left the Battery. What! won’t you go?” ‘I think I know whom plied the city sharp, ‘I see me just now nor here,” “Are you afraid of a boy?’ exclaimcd Thalia. ‘*Domt go off in an explosion of passien,” smiled Despard, ‘* When | fear a boy, I'll turn parson. Isay I don’t want the young imp to see me just now, and thatis true. | want you to play a big hand epsom to-night. I have just come from the house, where I told Ione that Id find you here, trying to get a dollar out of the man you have bled so well,” “I did try it, but the purse was empty!” laughed Thalia, ‘' I made a discovery though.” Well?” ‘*Dodger Dick and Angus Brandon are friends,” ‘That is nothing very new. The young wharf rat got him out of the station this mcrn- ing. Did the pair go off together?” “Yes; they are barely out of sight now.” ‘Let them go. "Roy and I have held a coun- ciland decided that we must make the first move to-night.” ‘* Must I play the hand?” as Yes ? she went on, as she ou have seen,” re- o not want him to ‘* Come, then!” cried Thalia, in an outburst of eagerness, ‘‘I bave always told you that I could manage this affair, and 1 will show you that I can do more than bleed a young clerk. Is the girl, the fly the web caught to-day, per- fectly safe?” ‘‘ Safe as a real fly in a trep of steel!” was the response, : “Then I am willing to let Brandon and the Dodger go; but we must not forget to catch the wharf Norway.” : ‘In time—in good time, Thalia!” laughed Despard. | The city tiger and his friend walked from the spot, and passed from the Park, Not far behind them glided a figure that kept in the shadows, and which did not let them for a moment get beyond sight. Despard and Thalia took a cab fer the house on Tenth street, Both alighted im front of it and went In, and the cab waited at the curb, A few minutes later the pair came out and were driven away, °, ‘* Don’t forget anything,” whispered Despard. to the woman, who leaned back in the vehicle, a gleam of intense eagerness in the depths of her eyes. ‘*Not a mite!” came the answer, “I am Eomicboo * Le iW 3 .y ¥ . é — a @ | a) \ wa | i ¢ ‘