Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

. « a . > - ft , or J Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge. The merchant did not reply for a moment. “*Pshaw! a few dollars will buy this boy,” he said to himself. ‘‘I need not teil him all, but he ought to know what I promised about the * personal’ in the papers. is advice might be worth something.’ Then he proceeded and told the Dodger some- thing about Thalia’s visit, The boy detective listened intently from the depths of the chair in which he had seated himself, Merle Mallot chose his words as he proceeded, for he was on important ground. When he finished he saw the Dodger’s counte- nance brighten. ‘* You want to send the ‘ personal’ to the pa- pers,” he said. ‘‘ Write it out, and I will take it down-town.” The merchant gave Dodger Dick a look of surprise. ‘*Do you mean that?” he asked. ‘‘ Certainly I do.” ‘‘But I am uot to pay them one hundred thousand for my papers?” ‘* Aren’t they cheap at that?’ inquired Dick, with a smile. ‘*Yes—no! no! Idon’t want to compromise with the gang. If1 give them a chance—if I yield now—I will be forever black-mailed. That woman is &@ professional.” ‘*And the man, too,” observed the young otter. ‘‘ Write out the personal. Ill take it own to the counting-room.” ‘* Is this policy?’, ** I think it is.” Merle Mallot went over to his desk and wrote for a minute, watched the while by the Dodger. ‘The game is fairly on,” the boy murmured. ‘Those papers held over Merle Mallot’s head would finally drive him mad. It is not hard to see that Dan Despard and his pals wanted the pers for a certain purpose, and he and ’RKoy urface have not been watching Newspaper Nell for nothing. Somehow or other the girl is mixed up in their big schemes to rake in a for- tune; Nell’s mysterious disappearance is proof of that. I[ don’t care so much about Merle Mal- lot since [I’ve heard how he treated Brandon after he had made his losses good. He hasn’t been exactly straight all his life, and I’m likely to find something out before I get to the end of this string.” By this time Mallot had finished his work, and a moment later he placed the following ‘* per- sonal” in the Dodger’s hands: * Bostness—Accepted., 40th St.”’ “That will do,” remarked Dodger Dick, glancing up at Mallot. ‘I will see that it ap- pears in to-morrow’s issues, It tells just enough, and will put them in high spirits.” ‘*But you are to get the papers, understand. IT am not to be bled by the gang.” The boy nodded. Once more Merlo Mallot was alone in his 0 anaenee rooms, but the old color did not come ck. ‘*if I knew whether Jerry Dunn was alive to appear against me, or whether he is really dead, as I had believed, for years—I say if I could be- come satisfied on this point, I would know how to proceed, Let me see. I used to have the record,” He went back to his desk in the library and hunted through its papers a long time. At last he found a slip 2ut from a newspaper, and holding it near the light, he read it with a good deal of interest. “That is itl” he exclaimed. ‘It says that Jerry Dunn was run over by a butcher’s wagon five years ago, and that he died from his inju- ries. I'll admit that these newspaper reporters don’t know everything, but, as I never saw old Jerry after the accident, [ had a right to con- clude that he was dead. Now, the woman who was here to-night asks me how Id like to have him mount the witness-stand. I don’t believe it! It was a scheme to scare me into the trap, Jerry Dunn is as dead as a herring!” Merle Mallot put the cutting back into the desk, and glanced at his watch. Already Dodger Dick was hurrying down- town. Name time and place. “I know where Jerry used to live,” mur- mured Mallot. ‘‘ He had a friend who lives there yet, for I saw him in the basement door not three weeks ago. If Jerry is alive he will know it.” The following minute Merle Mallot picked up his hat, and stole on tip-toe into the hall. _ It was not common for him to leave the house atnight. Since hisretirement from business, he yo ys We sebihe. whe ¢. Pe i seldom went out at any time, and his secretive- _ gave rise to some strange rumors about m. He walked rapidly to a corner not far from his home and took the Elevated cars, During the ride down-town he was uneasy, as if he counted the minutes. When he alighted, he was in a certain quarter of the city where wealthy men do not transact business after dark. Merle Mallot had come thither for a purpose, and in a little while he was gliding along in the shadows of the build- ings as much as possible. e was unconscious of the fact that he had a SPY at his beels. f he had looked back he might have seen the well-dressed young man who had seen him come down the stairs of the ‘ L’ depot. Merle Mallot kept on until he reached a cer- tain basement where there was a light in the window. ‘*This is the place,” he said to himself, and wre the steps he went, and knocked at the door, A youngish man opened it, evidently not the person Mallot had come to see. The merchant was taken aback, ‘What has become of the old man who lived here several weeks ago?” asked Mallot, politely declining the invitation to enter. ‘* He is dead, sir.” ‘* Dead? Wasn’t it sudden?” ‘‘ Somewhat, sir. He was run down by a horse-cart and had bis neck broken. Did you want to see him?” ‘*T did, but never mind.” ‘*T moved in here from next door,” volun- teered the young man. ‘*Then you may have known Jerry Dunn.” ‘That’s just what I did. He’s been dead— let me see—” ** About five years?” helped the merchant. ** You’re right! Hit by a butcher’s wagon, wasn’t he?” Mallot nodded. ‘**{ helped to lay old Jerry out,” continued the garrulous a fellow, much to Mallot’s satis- faction. ‘* He didn’t die for some time after the accident. I recollect that he was several times called on by a fine-looking stranger, a city sport, I always thought.” ‘* What was his name?” inquired the merchant, with a slight start, ‘“T don’t know, but I heard old Jerry call him Dan several times before he died, After Jerry was dead, the man looked the house over as if he had a right to.” Merle Mallot made no reply, and seeing that the young man had told all ho knew, he pressed a dollar upon him and withdrew. Again ho had the spy at his heels, and when he entered the cars to return home, he was watched until the train moved. ‘Tf he wants to find old Jerry Dunn, he won’t find him above ground!” laughed the spy, going back to the street, ‘* Merle Mallot is full of curi- osity to-night. But we've got a firm grip on his Jurse-strings; and he shall never know what it is tobeafree man. I always told Dan there was a million in tho scheme, and I believe it.” Not far from where the spy had lest Merle Mallot, a man suddenly touched his shoulder and drew from him a ery of recognition. ‘* We've made a ten-strike to-night, "Roy!" exclaimed one of the men whose handsome face proclaimed him Dan Despard, the city tiger. ** What was it?” ‘**T can answer you best by showing you some- thing,” was the reply. ‘*I was in big luck a few minutes ago, This time the river eel did not slip throuch my fingers.” ’Roy Surface, who was the spy at Mallot’s heels, followed Despard around a corner and up a flight of stairs into the second-story of a build- ing. Despard unlocked a door, and turning on the gas, pointed to a cot in one corner of the room. ‘* Look for yourself, Roy,” he said. The young sport went forward and bent over the bed. “It is Dodger Dick!” he cried, and Despard laughed with the sarcastic glee of a fiend. CHAPTER XT, DICK IN THE SNARE. *Roy, the young sport, knew the occupant of the cot at a glance, ‘* How did this happen?” he exclaimed, wheel- ing upon Despard. ‘“T caught him when I wasn’t looking for a prize of the kind,” was theanswer. ‘‘Do you the slip through my fingers any more, OY *Roy Surface thought not, He knew Dan Despard, for much of his life had been passed in the city tiger’s company, and he was aware that he had no mercy, and pursued a foe to the bitter end. Dodger Dick had met with misfortune in a singular and unexpected manner, and we can retrace our steps from this point to witness it. When the young wharf spy left Merle Mallot’s house, he carried, as we already know, the ‘* nersonal” which the merchant intended should be inserted in several yeni papers that it might meet the eyes of Dan Despard and his confederate Thalia. The Dodger went straight down town intent on the business in hand. Despard and Thalia in the cab were some dis- tance ahead of him, and he had no thought of encountering either very soon. Dick intended to deliver the ‘‘ personal” at several sini "1 offices, and then began an active search for Newspaper Nell, taking up a certain incident whicb he thought might be worked into a clew. The illuminated dial that stands high above the trees of City Hall Park told that the hour was getting late when the Dodger finished his errand, He did not know that a man had seen him emerge from the counting room of the last news- paper building, nor did he dream that Dan Des- pard the New York sport was on the watch. Dodger Dick walked away with certain plans crystallizing in his brain. he streets that throng with busy thousands during the day, had fewer pedestrians now, but one of these was stealing upon the young detect- ive with the stealth of a jungle cat. Suddenly Dick felt a hand on his shoulder; it tightened before he could turn his head, and the grip became like the merciless grasp of a steel vise. ‘You don’t want to squeal!” whispered a voice at the boy’s ear, ‘‘ You’ve been fairly caught and I don’t intend to bave any trouble with you.” One look into the face of the aker was enough for the dock shadow, for it showed him the features of Despard, the city tiger. ‘*You’ve no right to hold me!” exclaimed Dick, drawing back just enough to test the sport’s grip. ‘No right, eh?’ grinned Despard, ‘‘ Come, my young ferret. You’re sharp enough to know that I wouldn’t bag you for nothing. Walk right along with me, and make no noise.” And he started off, his look and grasp admon- ishing the Dodger that it would be policy to keep ae with bim, and with a silent tongue in his ead, At length Despard boarded an almost empty car going up town. . Dick was forced to accompany bim. The sport’s hand had been transferred from the boy’s shoulder to his wrist where the fingers seemed to burn their way to the bones. He sat between the Dodger and the rear door of the car, and all the time watched him with the eye of a hawk. The few passengers who got on and off did not suspect the relations existing between the pair, though good eyes would have noticed the manacle of flesh and bone, The car kept on till Dick’s journey to prison seemed interminable. . Despard said nothing, but his keen dark eyes were on the watch, and the Dodger’s chances of escape dwindled away, The city sport left the car on Bleecker street, ‘ Ha!” thought Dick. ‘He is going to the room to which, as Burt Bluster, promised to bring Mother Sturgeon’s address.’ In alittle while Despard dragged his little prisoner into a darkened hallway and then upa flight of steps. othing was said until a door on the first landing had been unlocked, and the Dodger found himself in a small but tolerably well fur- nished room. Despard locked the door behind him, ‘You weren’t looking for me?’ he exclaimed as Dick recovered his breath. ‘“ Why should 1?” was the reply. ‘*Come away from that dodel You need not play ignorance when Iam onto the whole lay,” laughed Despard. ‘‘ They give you credit — for a good deal of cunning, Dodger Dick; but I didn’t think you'd let a non-professional pick you up in the street as I have done. Don’t oe know that some trails are dangerous for you?” The boy said nothing for a moment, but — looked into the Gotham tiger’s face as if he were collecting his own thoughts while he tried — to read it. “Tl admit that I was caught napping,” he said at last, (Ele) “S | OO e) ANCE —