Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 543 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

i ee a ee — = ek Se ce 4, 4 —_—1-—— ——EE ‘Say, Ted; chere’s a boy who looks like ' you,” said the woman dropping her voice a ’ g notch though not too low to prevent it from reaching Dodger Dick’s ears. The young double pretended to be struck with surprise. ‘*T have no double,” he exclaimed. ‘* ‘Yes, you have.” ‘¢ Then, I’d like to see him.” Bessie Bullion shook her head and laughed. “Youll have to hunt him up if you would oe. pleasure,” she answered. * Who is he?” ** Some call him Dodger Dick. Do you know him?” ie | pte not.” “The little truth-stretcher!” cried the oung prisoner. ‘If I could get my door open 1e’'d Own up to having seen me if nothing more. Doesn't know me, eh? He is giving Bessie some rich taffy and for a purpose, too.” ‘* Where is this countefeit of me, Bessie?” asked Ted. ‘* Every where.” The woman from her actions evidently be- lieved that the boy double knew more about Dodger Dick than he wanted to tell. ‘You don’t want to tell me that you've layed sleuth all over New York and never eee of Dick of the docks,” she exclaimed look- ing straight into Tony Ted’s face. ‘I can’t see that I’ve surprised you much. Confess that you know your double.” ‘‘ Never saw him!” replied Ted unblushingly. Bess of the Bowery said no more, but went to another subject in a way that was amusing. It told Tony Ted that she did not put the least faith in his asseverations. He might deceive some people with a deliber- ate falsehood, but not Bessie Buillion who knew him so well. Dodger Dick was curious to see the end of the interview, Bess and Ted did not return to him any more, and after awhile the boy bade the woman good- night and went out. ‘** He can’t deceive me!” observed the woman, turning back toward the boy detective’s prison. ‘‘He knows the boy I’ve got in the crap, but I wasn’t going to let them meet. They may be friends. o knows?” Without noise Dodger Dick had descended from his perch of observation, and was quietly awaiting a visit from the woman, but none came. Bessie went down the hall to a flight of steps beyond a closet door, and a minute afterward she stood in a dark place that bad a damp and musty smell. “Why not?’ said the woman, grasping a _ rope which she found in the darkness as readily rth as though a lamp had lighted her to it, ‘‘ Didn’t Isay that 'd pay him back if I had to livea hundred years to do it? Sold my scheme out to she cope, didn’t be? { am to have thirty a day while | board the Dodger, but the money doesn’t come from Chubb Copeland’s pocket because he has none, I can draw my pay as long as I wish even if [ pull the rope now.” At this moment a strange sound came clearly to Bessie Bullion’s ears, She dropped the rope and started toward the steps. , ** Somebody is up there,” she murmured, list- ening, ‘ It is a man, and he is hunting me.” The woman went up the steps and stopped at the closet door with eyes on the alert. Presently a figure came into view. ‘What do you want?” asked Bess, With a quick start the man turned and came forward. “ve found you, thank fortune!” the words seemed to come out iM gasps. ‘* You were right, Bessie, and I was wrong. The boarder [brought you is not the person I thought he was. . The woman’s eyes fairly sparkled, “What did I tell you? But, no! you knew everything,” “He is Dodger Dick,” continued theman, who was our old acquaintance, Chubb Copeland, ** How did you find it out?” “T ran against the other boy just now.” $6 You did, eh? Why didn't you pick him ** Catch a fox when he knows you want him will you?” grinned the lawyer. ‘‘ Bessie, I want your help just now. By some means or other that young rascal must fall into my hands. I don’t care how. The boy you hold you may turn loose if you will.” “Turn him out?’ And the woman’s face seemed to get a sudden blaze of indignation. * You brought me the right boy after all, though cet a LL RRR Ce ee. ee a eee ee eee ert Lis LA ' Dodger Dick’s Double. the wrong one in vovr eyes. Turn him loose shall [? When did you lose your head, Chubb Copeland?” % ‘he amazed lawyer drew back and stared at ess, ‘If ’m not mistaken it would be a bad day for you if I were to follow your permission,” she went on, ‘‘ No, sir! [ turn no serpent out to bite me some day. Ill take the other boarder if you pay me enough, but something startling must be in'the air if you are afraid of a boy. Ted Tompkins is a slick one, and you'll find him your match,” ** Do you think so?” ‘* Try him and see.” **{ will, and win, too!” cried the lawyer, ‘*‘ Before morning, if I get a chance, I'll fasten the hooks on him and show him a thing or two. Then we'll have both of the boy Dromios, and you can get even with your pest and help me to fix mine,” ‘* Bring him on!” answered Bess with a laugh, and the Union Square legal shark repeated his boast and clinched it with an oath which made it stronger—to his notion. CHAPTER X, VALUABLE DOCUMENTS, CHUBB COPELAND left Bessie Bullion’s house in a Cazed way. Hard upon the startling discovery of the con- dition of the treasure-drawer of his safe, he had found out that the boy captured and brought to the Bowery den was not the one » anted., The lawyer felt like a person who receives a stunning blow. **Something’s got to be done, and that soon,” he murmured, ‘‘It was the fatal resemblance that fooled me. It can’t happen again, how- ever, for Bess has one of tbe Dromios safe enough, and the next one I pick up will be the right party. The person who robbed me of those pavers evidently knows just what he wanted, Was it Foxcraft, the City Hercules? No; he could not have entered my room with- out waking me. Conld it have been his stout little companion? No, again, By Jupiter! it must have been the boy. Dian't I see Foxcraft and the young scamp in the Park together? I hate boys. I always did, and these city gamins are the meanest ones we have.” Copeland was in no good humor when he walked away from the fortune-teller’s with his eyes on the alert for Tony Ted, the Boy Double. ‘* ve got two jobs on hand now; one is to find that boy, and the other to get onto Lucy’s trail. The girl [ think will not be hard to find, and I can afford to let her go till I strike the youn thief’s trail. Let me see. Where shall t begin?” The lawyer turned suddenly into a street at his right hand, and speedily disappeared. ‘You looked excited, Mr. Chubb Copeland. Has some rival lawyer taken a case out of your hands? Be careful, old fellow, or you will give yourself away to some parties who may throw you into hot‘water.” These words, which were not heard by the New York lawyer, came from the mouth of a boy who had followed bim almost from the very steps of Bessie Bullion’s house, f course he was Dodger Dick’s rival, and when he saw the lawyer vanish he turned and walked in the opposite direction, as if he consid- ered furthar pursuit worthless, ‘‘What did you discover?” eagerly asked a man who was joined by the boy in one of the numerous open parks of the city not long after- ward. ‘‘ You went to Bessie’s?” 6 Yes.” ‘¢ Well?” ‘‘Ohubb Copeland was there sure enough.” **T told you so.” : ‘ Bess wasn’t very communicative,” continued the boy. “Didn't you get anything out of her? ‘‘ Not enough to do us any good,” Foxcraft’s countenance fell. ‘‘T think I see through it all, Ted,” he answer- ed, leaning confidentially toward the boy on the bench with him ‘and lowering his voice, ‘] have figured a little since I saw you, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the girl is at Bes- sie’s,” Tony Ted drew back and looked amazed into the big man’s face. “You don’t think that, Captain Ferd, do you” he exclaimed. re) ‘Well. ‘I can’t think so. The irl, Lue Lukens, hae left the broker’s; et got ante that, you know, Noxie may discover something by visiting Norris Gibbs, and he may not get a particle of news.” ‘** Here comes Noxie now.” At that moment the short little man came up and halted in front of the pair. ‘** Lucy bas come home,” spoke Noxie, and his words nearly lifted Foxcraft from the bench. ‘*T don’t believe it!” cried the New York Her- cules. ‘*The girl wouldn’t be going back to Norris Gibbs this soon if she Jeft him for good,” ‘*He said she went out with his knowledge and consent,” ‘* He toid you this?” és Yes.” ‘‘ It is false—false, I say,” responded Foxcraft in tones that made the boy double clutch his sleeve and advise him to be careful. The stout little man took a seat on the bench an gave an account of his interview with Norris ibbs. Foxcraft and Tony Ted listened attentively till the last word was out, ‘*Did he seem to be spinning a yarn?” asked the boy. ‘* Not at all,” | ‘*T gness he was, though. The girl is not home. I think I can find her within two hours,” ‘‘ Do it!” cried Foxcraft, turning on the young detective. ‘*‘Haven’t we got about everything else? I still believe that she is at Bess Bullion’s house, and that her presence there drew Chubb Copeland to the place.” he boy shook his head. ‘You don’t believe this enough to try to find out,” continued Foxcraft, smiling. **T will try, if you insist.” ‘*T insist. We must know where the girl is. You say you can find her within two hours, Well, you won’t get her anywhere than in the Bowery trap. e want the house searched. You know it well, Ted,” ‘* Don’t 1?” grinned the boy double, ‘ If there is a portion of that famwous place I don’t know all about I’d like to see it,” Before the conference in the park broke wp it was determined that Tony Ted should go back to the Bowery den and search it thoroughly for Lucy Lukens. “Were getting the upper hand at last,” laughed Foxcraft, looking across a table into his companion’s face some time afterward, and in a room not very far from the place of conference, ‘*Tt looks that way, but we can’t pame our price till we have the girl secure,” was the reply. ‘But we'll have her soon after Ted locates the prize. You can’t estimate the value of those papers,” and the city giant left his chair and went to one corner of the room, where he not only took up the carpet, but also raised one of the boards that formed the floor, Tbrusting bis hand into the opening thus re- vealed he drew forth a large yellow envelope with which he came back te his comrade, ‘* Here they are, Noxie,” he went on, dump- ing out upon the table the contents of the packet, which consisted of legal papers resembling deeds. ‘* Here is the prize for which some of the best detectives of New York are looking. with all their cunning to back them up. Itisa wary mysterious affair, eh, Noxie?—very mysterious, should say. Look at ‘em there. <Ain’t they worth five thousand dollars? Why, I wouldn't sell ’em for half a million if my name was on ’em instead of a certain other person’s.” The short man drew the papers toward him and ran over them with nimble fingers and sharp eyes. **T guess they’re worth all you claim they are,” he replied, pushing them back when he had completed the examination, ‘““Of eourse. They deed to Lucy Luken’s property worth ten times as much as we ex- pect to accumulate in our lifetime, Noxie, The sroker—sbrewd Norris Gibbs—was keepiag these papers in trust for the girl. They were to be surrendered to her on her birthday at which time, you know, his guardianship was to come to an end, Lucy knew that some papers were to fall into her bands, but the value of them was unknown to her. She never knew how much her father was worth when he died, and I guess Norris Gibbs and his lawyer did not go out of, their wav to tell her.” While Foxcraft spoke be put the into the envelope which he bore treasury under the floor. “Our safe has no combination-lock, but it is just as secure as with one,” he smiled to Noxie, ‘‘The boy knows nothing about it?” ** Of course not.” : ‘Tony Ted is shrewd and, I trust, faithful.” Foxcraft’'s brow instantly darkened and his eyes seemed to flash as he leaned toward his partner. rs back og te to the choo