Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 543 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

, R a: : - .. ”* ' 7 . { Dodger Dick’s Double. exact build, face and movements of the wharf spy detective. He had also an eye as keen and as black as the boy sleuth’s, It was the Dodger’s double! CHAPTER VI. ACROSS A TABLE. Ir Dodger Dick could have seen this boy he would have been startled by the resemblance to himself, It was almost perfect and the double had the Dodger’s gait to make the matter the more per- plexing. Copeland had not the least suspicion that he was followed, He did not go back to the little office over the Square, but proceeded to the Bowery where he was soon Jost sight of among the people there, Not long afterward he reappeared in the house of a woman pretty well known by the name of Bessie Bullion, although her amount of wealth was by no means large. This woman pretended to tell fortunes, but the secret police knew her for an accomplished fence whose house could tell many a dark tale of stolen property if fortune would just endow it with a tongue. The woman was surprised to see the lawyer and for a moment she feared that the call boded her no good, but when he spoke she knew she had nothing to fear. ‘‘Can you take a visitor for a short time?” asked Copeland. ‘* A boarder you mean, don’t you?” '** Well, a borrder,” was the reply. ‘* What is she like?” ‘Tt is not a lady,” smiled Copeland. talking about a boy.” Bessie made a show of aversion. .**T don’t like boys,” she cried, ‘** You will not be expected to like this one,” persisted the lawyer. ‘* Is he your protege ?” **Not much! I wanted to know if you could ive him a secure room until further orders, he pay will be excellent and prompt.” The woman’s eyes sparkled. The mere men- tion of money was enough to give them a gleam. ‘¢ When will the boy come?’ asked Bessie, ** Some time to-night.” ‘* With you?” ‘* With me.” ‘* W hat is to be the pay?” ‘‘ Twenty dollars a day.” The fortune-teller of the Bowery leaned quick ly toward the law-sharp. ‘*T don’t ask many questions,” said she, with a peculiar look. ‘I always think it isn’t my business to inquire into the motives of those I have dealings with. Now, some people would ask you why you want the boy boarded, and who he is, You know your own business, Mr. Copeland, and I can only say that I hope it is honorable,” The woman’s assumed seriousness was enough to bring a quiet smile to Copeland’s lips, and he replied by saying that all his transactions were strictly honorable, which Bessie knew was not true. ‘‘Now for the catch,” exclaimed the lawyer to himself, when he had bargained for the boarding of a boy who threatened to give somebody trouble. ‘‘I know the woman, Bul- lion, as well as the next one, and | have no fears of her. Ten dollars adaed to the daily stipend will make doubly sure the ri 6 and the boy shadow will discover that he has been directing his wits against the wrong person.” Not long afterward Chubb Copeland was in his office listening to the story of a would-be client who was willing to drop a fee into his ever-hungry purse in return for some much- ‘““T am ‘needed assistance, At the same time the boy who had watched him to and from the broker’s house was talking to two men, one a giant and the other a stout dwarf, under one of the largest trees in Union uare, ‘He went to Norris Gibbs's, did he?” asked the big man, ‘‘ That’s just what he did,” ‘‘ Hrom there whither?” ‘6g Bessie Bullion’s.” The two men exchanged swift glances, ‘“ Why, that woman—” ape speaker stopped, and caught the boy’s smile, * Why don’t you go on? We all know what Bessie is. I reckon she’s taken in more swag than any woman of ber years in New York.” ‘‘So she has, Ted; but we don’t like to give her a bad name away from home,” was the laughing answer, ‘‘ What did Lawyer Copeland go to Bessie’s for?” wi rr * = J ~ —~6 « —— “_ » —_ ‘** T don’t know.” ‘* Well, we want to find out.” ‘*T can go there, if you say so.” ** Do you know Bessie?” ‘¢T reckon I do.” “Then we want you to go and get onto the | but never mind. I’m not here to compare rep- real business of Chubb Copeland’s visit. We are | utations, If you want to get away, good-by. getting along nicely, I think. It is a cute game, | We’ll meet again perchance,” and I'll bet a thousand—-” | In an instant Tony Ted’s eyes got a wicked ‘If you had it, count,” put in the little man. | gleam, and placing both hands on the table, he ‘‘ Of course, Noxie—if I bad it. Well, ’'d bet | sprung up and leaned across the board toward double that amount that the scheme originated | the Dodger. in the lawyer’s pate, and was elaborated by | ‘‘Have a care, my fellow fox,” he cried. Norris Gibbs, the retired money-shark. But to ‘‘You may underestimate the cunning of Ted ‘¢ Remarkably cool some people think, but not so sharp after all,” was the rejoinder. ** How’s that?” ‘‘Live and learn,” smiled Dodger Dick. Bessie Bullion’s you go, Ted.” Tompkins, If you get that reward it wil] be ‘* When?” after the hardest tussle of your life, and they ‘* As soon as possible.” say you’ve had some pretty tough ones while on ‘* But, see here, There’s no danger of the | the trail. Look cut for number one wherever woman mistaking you for your double, Dodger | youare. We don’t intend to let the prize get Dick, the wharf-rat sleuth, eh?” asked Noxie. away from us. At any rate, Dodger, it isn’t ‘*T reckon not,” laughed the boy. ‘I guess | going to drop into your lap. I look like you, Bessie knows me from the Dodger. If she | but ’m your equal in more ways than one, and doesn’t, what is she telling fortunes for, ’'d like | your master in several.” to know? It won’t hurt if I don’t get around to These were sarcastic words for Dick to swal- Bessie’s before night, will it?” low, and they sent the blood boiling through his ‘* Perhaps not.’ veins. * All right. Dll be there. | If Tony Ted had not withdrawn at the end of gents,” and the Dodger’s double left the park | his speech, there might have been a collision, bench and sprung nimbly away. | for Dick's combativeness bad been excited, The two men watched him several moments | and he thought of showing the boy double that in silence, he was his master with the fist. ; Now, good-day, * A good ’un,” decided the little man. At — rate, Tony Ted left before a meeting ‘“ A regular reynard,” was the reply. ‘‘ He is | could take place, and Dick saw his rival quit as shrewd as the Dodger himself, and the resem- | the restaurant. blance is strong enough to deceive a mother. ‘¢ He is confident of bis own abilities,” thought Chubb Copeland did not go straight to Bessie | Dick. ‘So, Mr. Ted Tompkins, you are going Bullion’s from —th street for nothing. We | to take in the five thousand! ith the assist- will get onto another part of the scheme when | ance of the Hercules and his pard, J presume. Ted reports.” Now that I know you, I thik I ean keep up As the boy left the Square, his figure was seen | with your tricks. I see now how Norris Gibbs by another youth of his own age, and a moment | came to mistake me for tke street fox who is later he had a tracker at his heels! after the reward. It is not at all strange anv ‘*T know now that I havea double:and yen- ‘Jonger. I guess my resemblance to him won't: der he goes,” exclaimed the second boy, who was | get me into trouble.” Dodger Dick. ‘*‘He is the person who visited | The Dodger could think so, but for once in Norris Gibbs soon after the robbery, and for | his life he was mistaken, for the fatal likeness whom I was mistaken when I went there. And , was soon to get him into very serious trouble, he is in the employ of the big man and his little | and he was to feel the game slip through his friend, and they are mixed up inthe mysterious hands, Gibbs case, too. Tl just see what is in you, my | sprightly shadow, for we have to become ac- quainted some time.” CHAPTER VIL. THE DODGER’S FATE, Dodger Dick followed the boy some distance Mr. CHUBB COPELAND did not forget his and saw him enter a cheap restaurant. | promise to Norris Gibbs to play detective He reached the door in time to see him seat | enough to find out what had become of Lucy himself at one of the back tables. | Lukens, and who were ‘‘ the friends” she had Dick stole in and without warning dropped | spoken of in his presence. into the opposite chair. But he had another job on band, and it was The effect on the double was prompt and | one which be considered of great importance, ludicrous. | The lawyer was firmly convinced that Ton ‘Do [ look like anybody you’ve seen?” asked | Ted was the boy spy in Foxcraft’s employ, and, Dick | as we have seen, he was very desirous of en-» sé I should say you do,” was the reply. a | are Dodger Dick, ain’t you?” You | trapping the pend “Hes ot long after his visit to Bessie Bullion, in ‘‘Tam Richard Sly. And you?” | whose house be had engaged secure quarters for The double hesitated an instant. the rat be expected to catch, he struck a vein of ‘‘T am Ted Tompkins, sometimes called Tony | luck at a time when he did not think one very Ted, though there’s not much style about me,” | near. answered the double. | . ‘The speaker was uneasy, and Dick could see | covery of the person he was looking for, and that he had surprised him at an inopportune | the lawyer resolved not to lose sight of the time to draw him out. * | young spy until he was ready to nab him, A moment after Ted’s reply he pushed his ‘*T guess you won’t try to pump Gibbs any chair back. more,” exclaimed Copeland, watching the boy from asafe distance. ‘* You seem to like to hang around in the vicinity of my office. Serv- | ing I don’t know why I | tried to pump me about the papers that belong- ed to the girl Lucy. When you get ahead of Chubb Copeland in any way, you'll know at, Just wait till nigbt settles over the city, then I'll show you the swoop of a night-hawk that'll startle you out 0’ your shoes.” ‘What! are you going?” asked Dick, leaning across the table and touching his double’s arm. ‘* You haven’t even ordered yet,” ‘“‘T don’t intend to. dropped in here. I’m not hungry.” ‘Do you taink you'll get the reward?” Tony Ted’s eyes got large. “ What reward?” ‘‘ Why, the five thousand dollars offered for the men who plundered Norris Gibbs.” ‘* What do L know about it?” “Come. I guess I know a thing or two,” smiled the Dodger. ‘‘ You called on the broker soon after the affair. Did he give you much in- formation?” ‘* Precious little if you want to know,” snap- ped aoee Ted. ‘‘How much did he give you ‘¢ About as much as you got.” ** Well, is that all?” The boy double pushed his chair back again, and drew his arm away, ‘* It is all for this time, though I want to say that I’m going to beat you if I can,” ‘* You can’t do that!” cried Ted, ‘You're not much of a Sleuth, anyway, Dodger Dick. I don’t make any pretensions to being a detective, but I guess r know more about the Gibbs case than you’ve ever thought of. It wasa cool trick, wasn’t it?’ the lawyer-sharp. Square, but he had not lost sight of him, and when the hour for the swoop arrived he found him just where he wanted him—not very far from the fortune-teller’s bouse. If the rascal’s victim was suspicious of any foul play he exhibited na signs of it, and Cope- land was overjoyed at finding everything play- ing so nicely into bis hands. It happened that the boy ferret was walking leisurely down the Bowery when the lawyer caught up with bim. eS SS se arm, and he turned to see the eyes of Copeland glaring viciously at him. ‘* See here; do you know who you've caught demanded the boy. ‘‘T reckon 1 do,” and the lawyer leaned for ward and continued in menacing tones: gre “Comic ‘¢ Maybe Tony Ted isn’t the fox he lets on to be, ~ This was nothing more nor less than the dis- | our master probably—the Hercules who Night did not come a moment too soon for The boy had led him several times from the All at once the youth felt a hand grip on his: J00KS.com - Ne