Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 543 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

) | | rising indignation as Copeland came back and that the door had been opened; still be did not Jook around for a moment. Then a footstep on the floor sounded clearly, and Copeland looked up. For a second the lawyer could not believe his eyes, A well-dressed young girl stood before him. Her face was fresh and beautiful, and the New York law-sharp could not help noticing the grace of her figure, * Ah! good-morning, Miss Lucy,” he stam- mered, ‘* You do me the honor of a very early ‘visit. My safe is inclined to be troublesome—” “Sol see,” smiled the girl, who was Norris Gibbs’s ward, and the last person the lawyer ex- pected to see in his office. ‘* My visit is some- what early, but I think its importance will be excuse enough forit. Iam in no great hurry, if you desire to get into your safe very soon.” The coolness of the girl perplexed and amazed ‘Chubb Copeland. ‘*Tn fortune’s name what can have occurred to fetch Lucy Lukens to my office?” he asked hiraself. “It can’t be that the girl dreams— No! that is not possible!” And then he left the safe for his visitor. ‘Tm in no hurry,” resumed he, taking a chair opposite the one occupied by the broker's ward. “I believe you just intimated that im- portant business makes you my caller. AmI1 to have you for a client, Miss Lucy?” “I think not, Lonly want to ask a question. What makes Mr. Gibbs maintain that the rob- bery took place at eleven o'clock, when J know he wasn’t in the library until after twelve?” Chubb Copeland turned all sorts of colors be- fore the positive-young girl. Here was a thunderbolt for which he had not been looking, and Lucy Lukens had dropped it With very little warning. He tried to collect his thoughts on the spur of the moment, but could not. **T--T really cannot say. Does Mr. Gibbs say sof’ he replied. ‘You ought to know what he says, Mr. Co land; you are his lawyer,” she suggested, with a provoking smile, ‘Yes, he sticks to it that the robbery took pare ateleven. The library clock stands before his chair and he could see it all the time,” she finished. ** Have you mentioned this to him?” asked the lawyer, recovering a little, ‘No. You may do so if you wish. I have left Mr. Gibbs’s house for good.” What! you go away before his guardian- ship expires?” cried Copeland. ‘Pardon me, but am free, I have un- doubted proofs of the fact that I was eighteen three days ago, and I prefer to live no longer on —th street.” This was bombshell number two, but the law- yer met it by walking across the room and cool- y locking the door in Lucy’s face. CHAPTER V. THE DOUBLE ON THE SCENT. — WHat does that mean?” asked tae girl, with resumed bis seat. Mis manner was, to say the least, provoking. ff Luey had any doubts befcre that Norris Gibbs's legal adviser was a cool or a dangerous man, she had none now, ‘It means that I do not want to be interrupt- ed while I talk with you,” answered the lawyer, bestowing a peculiar smile upon his visitor. *» The fact is, we office people are so frequently interrupted of mornings that the thing has be- come a nuisance. Don’t you think your last ‘step one of poor policy?” ‘*T cannot look at it in that light.” “Mr. Gibbs has been good to you,” ‘‘ But I am eighteen, and my own mistress,” “That might be disputed, Lucy.” “By Norris Gibbs?” exclaimed the young girl, smiling. ** Yes, and by others.” ‘*T shall meet the issue fully armed if it comes,” was the rejoinder. ‘I thought with some other people that I would not be of legal age until the twelfth of next month, but a cer- ‘tain discovery proves otherwise.” Copeland, the lawyer, was silent for a moment, By what means had Lucy Lukens discovered that the broker had no right to longer exercise the authority of a guardian over ber? ‘* Who has hel the girl to this piece of news?” be menta ly exclaimed. ‘‘She cannot have apr ay Nay out help, Has e young fellow whom she has been ing in the par “worked this mischief?’ sit Li oi; Tien he addressed Lucy again, “Ts isa bold step, and one you may always Dodger Dick’s Double, regret,” he remarked, ‘It is not too late to re- trace your steps, and I infer that Mr. Gibbs as yet knows nothing of your determination.” ‘‘ It is too late!” and Lucy spoke with a cer- tain emphasis which the lawyer could not avoid catching. ‘‘But to go back to my question, Mr. Copeland. Why does Mr. Gibbs stick to the hour of eleven as the precise time of the robbery?’ The lawyer had to answer that he did not know, and then he remarked that the ex-broker in his excitement may have mistaken the right time. Something very like a sparkle of derision ap- peared in the depths of Lucy’s lustrous eyes, and the keen lawyer saw that she treated his im with contempt, ‘* Tl admit that be may have been excited, but he persists that he was wonderfully cool, and in proof of this he has detailed to minuteness the operations of the two plunderers, One hardly knows how to take him, It is all very strange to me,” ‘* Confound the girl! She doesn’t intend to be convinced, She will give somebody trouble if she airs her opinions wherever she goes,” ‘* Where do you intend going, Miss Lucy?” asked Copeland. ‘Of course you have not moved without preparation.” ‘*T have friends who will welcome me,” was the reply. ‘* But, you will not keep us in ignorance of your whereabouts? As your guardian, Mr, Gibbs will have a certain settlement to make, and you must be a party to the proceedings,” ‘*I will let you have my address when it is needed,” responded Lucy. At this moment there were footsteps in the corridor, and Lucy and the lawyer heard them stop at the door. ‘*The letter-carrier,” thought Copeland, and then he heard a rap which took him across the room, The person at the door was a boy with a note, and as the lawyer took it, Lucy left her chair and came forward, ‘* Are you going, Miss Lucy?” asked the law- yer. ‘‘T am going,” answered the girl firmly. **'You can inform Mr, Gibbs that I have left bis house, and, if you like, you may say in partial explanation that I may explain in the near future. [Iam convinced that I am legally my own mistress, notwithstanding his assertion, or this step would not have been taken.” Chubb Copeland stood between Lucy and the detain her, but instead, he put on as'pleasing a face as he could and opened the portal. matter,” said he. ‘*‘Of course you know that Mr. Gibbs put out the large reward for the pur- ose of securing the return of certain papers of interest to you.” **So he says,” smiled Lucy. foun | will know it. Copeland,” he New York lawyer could hardly believe for several seconds tht the girl had slipped through his fingers. ‘* By Jove; this is something unlooked for—a shotrfrom a masked battery, as it were,” burst from him, ‘‘Can’t I see her lover’s hand in the whole affair? Left Norris Gibbs, has she? Found out she is eighteen, I wonder where she got ontoj that piece of information? Well, we'll find her. Vd like to see a girl as valuable as sbe is to us hide long in New York, big as it Ty Then he suddenly thought of the folded mes- sage the boy had just delivered, and opened it, The following moment a cry burst from the lawyer, for the paper was from the broker, and at a glance he had read it: “My Dear Cope:—Lucy has left with a certain aper that itis not to our interest for ber to have, f you see her, for Heaven’s sake detain her at all hazard. Thisis very important. The girl-at large with what she knows is absolutely dangerous. * Gress.” Why didn’t I open this before | let her out?” cried the lawyer, indignant at his own proceed- ing. “The next time—pshaw! the next time may nevercome. I ought to be kicked to the Battery for my stupidity,” and he tore the mes- sage into fifty pieces, and tossed the whole into a waste-basket. Within the next two minutes the enraged lawyer rushed from the office and appeared on the street in a state of excitement. If he was looking for Lucy Lukens he looked in vain, for the girl had vanished, and he again cursed his ‘‘ stupidity,” a pretty good word for the occasion. “If they are Well, good-morning, Mr. ‘*T trust you will take another view of this | | } ' A All at once the law-shark turned and hurried off, followed, though he knew it not, by a nim- ble-footed boy whose evident intention was to ars 6 him in sight, Chubb Copeland went almost direct to Norris Gibbs’s house, and bursting into the library without ceremony, he drew an exclamation of joy from the man, who appeared to be waiting for some one, ‘* You got my message, eh?” exclaimed the ex- broker, ‘ST dia,” ** Wasn't it a thunderbolt?” ‘* Not very much of one. Lucy had just left my office,” grinned the lawyer. ‘The— Old Harry!” cried Gibbs, ‘‘ What was her object in visiting you?” ‘* She propounded a strange question,” “Well?” **She wanted to know why you persist in say- ing She you were robbed at eleven o’clock.” orris Gibbs laughed, but his merriment was assumed, **1 don’t see anything in that,” he observed, ‘‘ But she says that she knows you weren’t in this room that night till after twelve.” The New York broker started at the finish, ‘* Does the girl say that ?” he cried, sé Yes.” ‘‘ What do you say?” Copeland shook his head. ‘‘T really cannot tell,” he answered, . **Ts Lucy positive?” ** Very positive.” Gibbs looked at the clock ticking on the mantle. ‘*] wonder if it could bave been the time she says it was? hecontinued. ‘I told you in my message that the girlat large was dangerous, but I did not refer to anything of this kind. Did she tell you that she had discovered she was eighteen.” ‘She did.” **But she did not inform you how the dis- covery was effected?” +e No. . , ‘‘ Well, the girl played burglar,” and Gibbs leaned toward Copeland, and grew white while he spoke, ‘‘ There was only one avenue open to a discovery of this sort, and she sought it out, Yos, sir, Lucy Lukens visited this room last night, and found a paper which proves her her own mistress from this time on, hen I found a note on my table this morning, saying that she had gone out, a terrible suspicion flashed across my mind and I went at once to my desk. door, and he bad it in his mind for a moment to | It did not take me long to discover that she had | been there. The pens was gone, and of course it was in her hands, That is why I wanted her detained at every risk. If I bad reached you a little sooner all would be well,” ‘*Ten minutes sooner would have done,” re- plied Copeland, who did not think it policy to tell the broker how long he had held the mes sage unopened. * Mate was against us, but never mind, We will force her over to our side. The girl has to be found.” ‘*T see that plainly.” ‘‘She must be found at once.” And Norris Gibbs sent the words through closed teeth. ** Who is the best detective in this city?—I mean the man who knows enough to keep his mouth shut if he is well silvered,” ““T know half a dozen such fellows, but I ony like to try the catching of the girl my-~ self, The broker looked at Copeland amazed ‘I think I have a clew which I can follow up successfully without the assistance of any of 1ese professional sleuths,” ‘“* But you might neglect the other business in hand,” cried Gibbs quickly. ‘ You were going to attend to the boy ferret who threatened to give us trouble.” The lawyer laughed. ‘‘T can work two strings at once, Gibbs,” he chuckled. ‘1 know something else besides law. Let me try my hand after the runaway.” ‘*Do it, but for fortune’s sake don’t fail. I wonder how she knows it was after twelve when the affair took place?” ‘* She did nét condescend to enlighten me.” ‘She appeared to know nothing when the detective questioned her.” ‘* That is true,” ** Well, she knows too much to suit me, and the sooner she is effectually muzzled the better for all parties concerned,” and Gibbs smiled significantly as he emphasized the last words, he interview terminated soon after, and the lawyer left the house to be shadowed by the same boy who had watcbed him to it, It was not Dodger Dick, although he had thes UNA nicboo “Co @