Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 569 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 up-stairs. I didn’t dare foller fur sev’ral min- utes, but when I did go, there wa’n't no light m his room. I ain’t never heerd mention made 0’ his goin’ out, but I did bear Mr, Marsh say that Ned was here ail that night. I guess he don't know that Ned was out, but you’ve beerd what I know.” Ay CHAPTER XIV. THE DETECTIVE’S CLEW. BROOKLYN BEN’S expression was very grave. ‘¢ You’re sure this was night before last?” he asked. **T be,” Pete answered, ‘‘ The night Franklin Damon was assaulted?” «¢ Yes.” ‘* Did you notice Ned’s coat at breakfast?” ‘¢ The one he had on was not tored, but he has a gripsack full o’ clothes up-stairs.” ‘Did you see him when he heard that Damon was hurt?” ¥ ea? ‘* What did he say?” ‘‘ Nothin’, at first, an’ then says he: -‘ The wicked don’t prosper fur more’n a season,’ or somethin’ o’ that sort. I don’t know jestly what he meant by that. Mr, Marsh asked him, but he didn’t explain.” Ben knew that the words had Franklin Damon, and he wondered more than ever what bad been the cause of the quarrel between Damon and Ned, He did not care to pursue the inquiry with Pete any further. He had come there to clear Ned Chester, but in- stead of doing so, be had gained news which seemed to envelop the young sailor tighter than ever in the web, Ben decided that the only thing he could do was to go home and have no more to do with the affair. He left Pete after the latter had required and secured a promise of secrecy—Ben was ready enough to make it—and walked homeward, but when a block distant he found bimself suddenly confronted by Sloan. The detective had lost all fascination for the youth, and he wished he had mever seen him. ‘* Good-morning, Ben,” said Sloan, cheerily. ‘¢ Food-morning, sir.” ‘* How do you feel, after last night’s experi- ence?” ‘* All right, sir.” ‘ ‘* Any tender bones?” ** Not to speak of.” ‘* When I first saw n’t you tell me about his uncle?” Wily Mr. Sloan had kept conversation on trivial mgtters, and smiled very pleasantly; then, when he had lulled Ben’s suspicions, oc flung this question at him with startling abrupt- ness. Ben was not in the least prepared. Taken unawares, he was startled. He recoiled, changed color, stared at Sloan and said nothing, ‘“What was the quarrel about, Benjamin?” pursued the detective, coclly, Ben grew indignant. He knew perfectly well that Sloan had laid a trap for bim, and taken him by surprise on purpose to make him show guilt; and the fact that the scheme had suc- ceeded so well, made Ben all the more angry. From that moment the detective lost his sym- pathies, and, regardless of veracity and the — of law, he quickly decided to deny every- thing. ‘‘ | don’t know anything about any quarrel,” he stoutly asserted. * Benjamin!” ** What is it?” Sloan disregarded his young ex-friend’s rude- ness, and calmly answered: “Ty thought that you wanted to be my ally?” ** So I do,” ‘** And you begin by denying a known fact!” ‘¢ There is some mistake, Mr. Sloan.” ‘‘T should say so. All my witnesses at Da- mon’s stated that, as far as their knowledge went, there had*been no quarrel between Damon and any other person, It seems that each and all of them spoke falsely. There bad been a bit- ter quarrel between Damon and Ned Chester and every one of cs knew it. Shallow-patec mortals! did you think you could bide the fat?” The detective spoke in atone of conviction which kept Ben silent. He felt that it would be useless to deny the fact, and he was deter- mined not to admit it. ‘* Ben, what was the quarrel’ about?’ asked Sloan, ‘‘T bave nothing to say.” ** Do you refuse to answer?” * Yes, sir.” “You are foolish,” was the gas * You must know that you are liable referred to ou at Damon's, why did- ed Chester’s quarrel with reply. to get Brooklyn Ben, os yourself into trouble; the law is nota good thing to fight against. I tell you that fai my lad. And what good will it do you to be Mubborn? I have the truth at last, and can easily get an- swers to my questions. I would prefer to have you make the answer, so that anything publicly.” ‘IT will say one thing, Mr. Sloan. Jf I know of any quarrel—I don’t admit that Ido—I don’t know what it was about. Tbat is just as true as we are living.” The detective looked steadily at his compan- ion, as though to read his inmost thoughts. Ben met his gaze fearlessly. ‘‘Who do you think would know the cause of the quarrel?” ‘*T don’t know, sir.” ‘* Rosalthe Damon?” ‘Perhaps she is like me—don’t know of any quarrel,” Sloan turned abruptly away, and then hesi- tated and looked back at Ben. ‘You can rely upon one thing, young man. I have the clew in this case, and | shall follow | it tothe end. Few, indeed, are the cases [ lose, | and this will not be one of them; I shall win, You have seen fit to break off our alliance, and | you will get no good out of it; I tell you that | plainly. Possibly the law will yet give youa | taste of its way of doing business!” | With this significant observation the detec- | tive hastened away, leaving Ben xyazing after | him with a troubled expression. Everything | seemed going to ruin at full speed. Sloan was | angry with him, and his threats lingered in the | boy’s mind, . Then there was Ned Chester, drift- | ing toward a whirlpool of danger, and, Ben very | much feared, really guilty. The quarrel with | Damon, and his secret trip from Marsh’s house, were significant. And the torn coat—what did that mean, if not that it was torn in a struggle with some one? ‘* Poor Ned!” muttered Ben, ‘‘ I’m afraid he’s in a very bad fix.- It seems impossible to be- lieve that he ever did it, but the case looks dark.” The boy walked slowly along, but suddenly paused again. ‘*T won’t believe it!” he declared,aloud. ‘‘ He ain’t the man to do such a thing, and | know it. He is innocent!” | It was all very we'l to say this, but Ben knew he was taking a course in opposition to every- thing reasonable; appearances were against Ned. This made Ben all the more for him. Having once decided as to his course, the obsta- cles which beset his way of belief only made him all the more stubborn. ‘‘Ned is innocent, and I wish I knew some way to help him. Wonder how it would work to put him on his guard? But no; L promised SS Sloan to keep still, and, I doubt if it would help | Ned a bit to be scared ahead of time.” Walking in an absent-minded mood Ben drew near Damon’s house. He had reached a street letter-box when he saw some one standing be- side it, evidently posting a letter. This person was no stranger; he recognized Kitty Miles, the second girl-servant at Damon’s. Instinctively bis gaze fell to the letter she held poised in her hand, and he saw the superscrip- tion, Boldly written, three words stared bim in the face, “Mr, Exlon Blair.” Another instant, and before he could read the rest of the address, the letter had been shoved into the box. Kittie turnea away. She had not noticed that one of the several persons mov- ing on the sidewalk was Ben Hamlin, and she walked quickly toward the house. Ben followed more slowly. The fact that Kitty had mailed a letter to Exlon Blair im- ressed him as very peculiar. What did it mean? The superscription had been in coarse, masculine-looking writing, but he had not re- cognized it.) Here was a new mystery, and Ben was puzzled to explain it, He suddenly quickened his steps. ‘* There may be something worth seeing when she gets home,” he thought. | Acting upon this idea he walked rapidly, in- tending to enter the house with her, She, how- ever, met a friend and stopped for a moment and Ben went ahead. When he entered the basement ball Ned: Chester was there, walking slowly back and forth. Ben went to the kitchen but lingered by the door, Kittie soon appeared, and Ned stopped his aimless promenade, ‘Did you mail my letter?’ he asked. ‘* Yes, sir,” the girl answered. “ You put it in the box with your own hands, eh?’ ‘“T did, Mr. Chester.” need not ask | ‘* Humph!” | ' IT was Rr ee ee ae ee ee ** All right, then; that will do,” Kittie went up-stairs, while Ned assumed a thoughtful attitude and lingered by the door, ‘* That settles it,’ muttered Ben, ‘* He’s been writing to Exlon Blair, and [ must say I don’t like the looks. If Sloan knew all that J do he’d arrest Ned right off, and I guess he will do so soon, anyway. It would take a pretty sanguine person to believe Ned innocent now.” The dining-room door opened and Jules Le- franc came out, ‘““Can I speak with you, Mr. Chester?” asked the cook. ‘* Certainly, Jules,” ‘* Matters are ina bad way, sir.” ** How so?” ‘¢-You know what I[ told you about Lois#” | Yes,” . ‘* What you suppose she has said now?” ‘* 1m not good at guessing, Tell me!” ‘Well, you know that i and I bave been engaged, but she acts very queer now. Ever sincs that night she shrinks from me as though oison, and when | tried to pat my arm around her waist, she said she wasn’t going to be touched by a murderer, and then she run | away,” ‘* The dickens she did!” “Yes, sir,” ‘* What do you understand by that?” ‘‘There is only one way to look at it, Mr. Chester; she thinks it was I who tried to kill Franklin Damon!” ‘* What nonsense!” ‘* That is just what it is, but how am I to con- vince her that I am innocent?” ‘*[ can’t very well step forward and prove it.” ‘*T should say not,” hurriedly answered Le- franc, - ‘*f really can’t see why Lois should get such an absurd idea into ber head,” thoughtfully added Chester, ‘What possible object could you have for injuring Damon? You did not quarrel with him asI did.” ‘* Don’t speak of that, sir!” advised Jules, looking around bastily. ‘*Do you know I have half a mind to own up and let them do with me as they see fit? Whbat- ever [ am, it don’t come natural to me to be a hypocrite. I don’t love Franklin Damon, so why should | go around and pretend that I do? Love bim! He is a first-class knave!” Ned threw up one hand with an angry gesture, while Brooklyn Ben watched and listened be- bind the kitchen door with eager attention. CHAPTER XV, THE PARLOR SCENE, LEFRANC again looked around to make sure that nobody was listening. He did not see Ben, and did not suspect that the keen-eyed youth was seeing and hearing all. ‘* I think you are reckless to speak*so about Mr, Damon,” the cook answered, ‘So they all tell me,” admitted Ned, ‘‘ but I know him better than anybody else in the house, and I speak of bim as | know him, [I’m not in the habit of hiding my Opinions, Frankness may be a bad thing, but it’s a way I got while sailing on old ocean.” ‘Tt is reckless, here.” ‘* Possibly yon’re right, Jules, so I'll say no more, Well, I’m going up aloft now. Quiet that tiger-cat lady-love of yours, and assure her you bave not turned assassin, You! Why, I'd wager my last dollar on your uprightness, Jules!” “Thank you, Mr, Chester,” answered Lefranc, with visible emotion, ‘‘ You are very kind to me, and if I can belp you in any way, you may depend upon me to do it.” he men shook hands and separated, Ned went to the upper part of the house, and Jules returned to the dining-room, while Ben. Hamlin cat eu the chance to follow in young Chester’s steps. UThe mystery deepens!” thought Ben, “and I can’t for the life of me understand what all this means, If Ned really is the guilty person, he is the most deceitful man I ever knew. But what about the coat be had torn the night Da- mon was wounded? And what about his létter to Exlon Blair?” Ben shook his head soberly, and then added: “ve got to sit down, think it over carefully, and see if I can get daylight anywhere in the darkness.” | The door of the back quietly entered, He had been occupied in thinking several min- utes when he heard the rustle of. a dress in the parlor was ajar, and he front parlor. The connecting doors were but — imperfectly closed, and when he went to that point be had a view of the interior. , Rosalthe was there, —— oe ~