Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 569 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

gee Se me they persisted in going on, they could have no | help from him; he would not even identify the | criminal, if he was brought before him.” *T see, I see!” exclaimed the detective. ‘* All this points directly to Chester as the assailanc. Damon, noble man! will not testify against his own nephew. What forgiveness! hat no- bility of character!” Ned, who had maintained complete silence, smiled sarcastically. ‘* Justice will have its due, however,” added | Sloan. ‘* Such a crime shall not go unpunished, | Mr. Brodby, will you kindly act as my aid, and see {that Miss Rosalthe Damon appears here | without delay?” Brodby bowed stiffly and withdrew. ‘That confounded detective is on top!” he muttered. “‘I’d give a year’s salary if I could see him beaten, but he has got it down fine, I suppose. It is too bad!” : The officer came upon Rosalthe at once, by chance, and delivered Sloan’s message, Wil Mr. Brodby did not intend to have her surprised, and thus frightened into betraying her secrets, so he hurriedly told just what she must expect. She grew very pale when she heard that Ned was under arrest, but did not otherwise show as much agitation as was to be expected. brodby did his best to encourage her, and then she entered the parlor, She bowed stiffly to Sloan, and ignored everybody else. ‘** Miss Damon,” said the detective, abruptly, “IT bave made an arrest.” “Of these four men?’ Rosalthe asked, with perceptible sarcasm. ‘** No; of Mr, Chester.” ‘‘ Did it take four to arrest him?” Sloan frowned. ‘* No levity, if you please, Miss Damon. What IT now want is to have you state what you know about Chester’s visit here the night that Frank- lin Damon was wounded,” “Was Mr. Chester here?” innocently asked Rosalthe. ' ‘* You saw him.” “Pardon me, Mr. Sloan, but have you more than human knowledge? You haveasked me to tell my story, and now you are trying to tell it forme. "You assume too much, sir!” Rosalthe who had been considered one of the gentlest of girls, had suddenly assumed a severe, haughty manner, and Sloan, experienced man of the world that be was, grew confused. Was he to be pu’. down by amere girl? He tried to re- tort, stammered, and then grew red in the face with vexation and chagrin. ‘Do you deny that you saw Chester here?” he demanded, as soon as he could speak. Steadily and proudly Rosalthe uttered the words, She was not speaking the truth, but there are times when few persons hesitate to tell a falsehood. One is when a friend is accused; right or wrong, all who Jove him then rally to his aid, Right or wrong, Rosaltbe looked very beautiful as she stood there with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. ‘* Beware!” cried Sloan. ‘‘Be careful that ou do not make yourself party to a crime,” ‘* Tt is for you to beware, sir!” sternly uttered Ned Chester. ‘‘ Miss Damon is not obliged to answer any question out of court, and you have no right to act the bully here. her, sir, you shall answer to me!” The door-bell rung. CHAPTER XVIII. BEN HAS A WORD TO SAY. LEFRANC was not so absorbed in what was going on that he could not hear the bell. He did hear it, and force of habit made him hasten to answer the ring. His departure from the room broke the intense Concentration of thought which reigned there, and, aggressive as Ned’s last remarks bad been, all waited ia silence without knowing why they did so, There was a murmur Of voices in the hall, and then three persons entered, Lefranc, Ben Hain- lin, anda tall, soldierly-looking gentleman, At sight of the latter Sloan quickly arose, for he recognized in him one of the leading detectives of the day, ana his acknowledged_ su or. This gentléman may be known hereas Mr, White. Sloan bowed, and was about to say something, but White, giving him only anod, addressed Ned: ‘Is this Mr, Chester?” o ‘* That is my name, sir.” “Then I have good news for you: the would- be murderer of your uncle is arrested!” Sloan's lower jaw fell. ‘He is in the hall,” added White, ‘‘and with your permission, I will have him brought in.” Brodby’s face expanded to a broad grin. White made a motion to some one in the hall, If you insult Brooklyn Ben. On, eat A EL. a es ee" and then two men entered, leading a third be- tween them. This man, who was handcuffed, was Exlon Blair, ‘* Here is the criminal,” declared White. ‘‘ Gents,” said Blair, airily, ‘‘ bas any one of you a bit of tobacco? I fear I shall havea toothache to-morrow, or next week, and a stitch in time is worth a pound of cure, or words to that effect.” ‘‘No doubt, Mr. Chester, you are surprised,” added Waite. ‘‘ T confess that Iam, though if the man proves to be the guilty party, I shall always wonder that I did not suspect it before.” ‘He is the guilty party, and we have his own confession to it, but I claim nocredit for un- earthing the fact. All the credit belongs to a young man who has proved himself a regular sleuth-hound. This is he,” And the detective chief laid his hand on Brooklyn Ben's shoulder. ‘* Here is our young Vidocg,” he declared, **Don’t flatter me,” demurred Ben, smiling; ‘©4t was only luck, and a little reasoning.” ‘* And it was the reasoning that won the game,” declared White. ‘‘ Mr. Chester, do you suspect what led to Blair’s crime?” ‘* Unfortunately I do,” Ned answered, in a low voice, ‘‘I trust that you will not make the affair public—” ‘‘ Thbave made it public already,” loudly pro- claimed Blair, ‘‘and I am not going up to Sing Sing without letting the whole world know that the high-and-lofsy nabobs are just as much vil- lains as the common trash like me. The police know me as a skillful forger. Mr. Franklin Damon heaid of me, too, and he made my ac- quaintance—” ‘* T beg that this story be suppressed,” cried Ned. ‘* 16 shail not be suppressed,” persisted Blair. ‘‘Let bim tell it,” gravely added White. ““We of thé Police Department can’t hush up such a case as the deadly assault upon Mr, Da- mon, and all the facts must come out,” ‘* That’s right and proper,” said Blair. ‘* You see, Franklin Damon sent for me and said that he had heard how skillful I was with the pen, and he had some work formetodo, It seems that his business was in a bad way, and he wanted more money, He was guardian to 15 ‘“Tt seems they were afraid that Kittie, who bad learned their secrets by chance, would | tray them, and were resolved to take her to sea, whether or no. Blair bad before told the cap- ' tain that be assaulted Franklin Damon, and | they talked about it freely. ‘be rounesman 'andI both heard Blair confess, and then we | went to the station, got more police and arrested | the whole gang of pirates, including Blair, the | captain and Kittie. ‘*] first suspected Kittie this afternoon. I 'saw her mail a letter to Exlon Blair, and when | she came into the house Ned Chester asked her if she bad mailed his letter.” “The letter I sent by her,” interrupted Ned, ‘‘ was not to Blair, but to Captain Bings, of Bos- ton, under whom I served my first term at sea.” ‘*T found out before long it was not you that addressed the letter to Blair,” responded Ben, witha nod. ‘'Do you remember how I came to your room, and got you to back a letter forme?” ‘* Yes,” Ned replied. | ‘That was to see your writing. | you had not backed the letter to Blair, and, | coarse as the band was, I suspected it was Kittie j I knew then who wroteit. I know, now, that she did.” ‘‘T will explain about the torn coat,” put in Chester. ‘*‘I did come here the nigys Damon was injured, but I did not see him. 1 bad ceter- mined to skip the town, being disgusted with my uncle. I came to get my own money I had _in my own room, and was adwitted by my good | friend, Jules Lefranc. My coat was torn on my way home by a drunken man who met me on the street, and grasped me roughly.” For the benefit of the reader, a short explana- | tion of certain facts which were slowly revealed | may be given at once. Only Kittie Miles was knowing to Blair’s assault on Damon, but sev- | eral persons drew wrong conclusions, Lefrane, knowing that Ned bad been in the house, was very much afraid that his young master really did commit the assault, Rosalthe, having chanced to see Ned in the ball, enter- tained the same fear, Lois Beauvais had seen Jules return after letting Ned out of the house, and she leaped to the conclusion that Jules was the criminal, while Old Eagan founded bis sus- picion against Rosalthe on a_mere trifle—an interview between the girl and Damon. Rosalthe Damon, but no settlement of her | Thus, slight circumstances gave the various father’s affairs had been made, or would be un- | parties wrong impressions which worried them til she was twenty-one years old. Franklin had | greatly, but, as we have seen, all were bent on absolute control, and nobody but him knew a i about her affairs, or how much money she had in cash, real estate and so on. Her guardian knew this, of course, and his plan was simple: he proposed to have me forge a paper which would set ten thousand dollars of her pro- perty over on his side of the fence at a few sweeps of the pen.” Blair paused, looked at the eager faces before him, and then eugpes lightly. “T can’t be bauled up for that forgery, for it was never done, Luck was against it. Several interviews were necessary, and Ned Chester finally discovered the scheme by chance. He accused Damon, and I hear that they had a bigh-daddy row. Damon finally agreed to drop the idea if Ned would keepmum. Ned kept his romise, but Damon was not so conscientious. e sent forme again; Icame the night he was hurt; he let me in at the front door with his own hands; ard we went secretly to his room, There wequarreled, I asked for more pay; he got angry and attuckea me; we had a hot fight and I beat him senseless, That is how Franklin Damon was hurt, gents.” | soe looked at dumfounded Mr. Sloan with a smile, ‘“* After settling him,” added Blair, ‘‘ I locked the door of his room and pushed the key back under the door. I had a sweetheart in the house, in the person of Kitty Miles, and she let me out of the house and locked the basement door be- hind me.” ‘* Let young Ben Hamlin tell how he followed Kitty Miles, to-night,” now ordered White, Ben told the story modestly, In the account of that pursuit already given one fact was kept back—although Ben at tirst supposed the woman in the brown dress to be Lois, he soon discover- ed her to be Kitty Miles. From the point where we left him he continued the story in these words: #3, ‘The captain did not see me asI crouched un- der the gang-plank, but went back on the deck of the schooner. I had found out that the men intended to be pirates,.and I went and told a policeman. Just then, a roundsman. came along. He doubted my story, but was willing to test it. We went back toward the schooner. Kitty had gone below, and the captain and Blair were talking. We listened. Percy Grayson entered the parlor. He start- | ed back with an appearance of surprise. ‘* What does all this mean?’ he asked. ‘“You know well enough!” retorted Sloan, ‘You set me on a wrong trail! You wrote an anonymous letter to me—though I learned from whom it came—telling me that Chester was undoubtedly the Bg party, and so on. | As I already suspected him, you put me all 'wrong, I have failed in this case, and .yousve | got to take your share of blame, Mr. Graysorm |_ “The best thing Mr. Grayson can do,” cried | Rosalthe, remembering the man’s persecution | of her, “is to leave this house. We have had quite enough of him!” The ovject of her anger stood red-faced, con fused and silent. ‘T think I will withdraw,” added Silcan. **Mr. Chester, I have lost my cards; but I con- gratulate you. Take good care of Ben Hamlin, , and—make him a bona fide detective!” _ He bowed and withdrew, while Brodby smiled in a highly-delighted way. Ned arose and shook _ hands with Brooklyn Ben. | ‘“My boy,” said he, “I can’t thank you 'enough in words, but you have done nobly, and you can count me your friend while we | both live.” And Rosalthe smiled upon Ben in a way | quite as pleasant as words. keeping their secrets, After three years: Exlon Blair, ‘the captain,” and the other | would-be pirates are in Sing Sing; Grayson is | supposed to be in California, and Kittie Miles is leading an honest life m an out-of-the-way town. | Jules and Lois are married, and are still ser- | vants in the house where we met them, but the | master of the house is—Ned Chester. | Franklin Damon partially recovered, but con- tracted pneumonia and lost bis life. He died repentant, and Ned succeeded to all bis property. And Ned did) more—he married Rosalthe, and left the sea forever. Ben Hamlin is at school. Ned is paying all bis bills out of gratitude for his past servi aos Ben’s rapid progress foretells a su THE END.