Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 571 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

not likely to be known, unless the cashier was a eat deal sharper than he gave him credit for ing, for the other man could not possibly know of his being there, not having seen him previously. ‘* Are you ready to help me?” the cashier de- manded. ‘‘ Yes, sir, I am,” was the reply, ‘“‘And you swear that you will keep the se- cret?” sé I do.” These questions and answers were given in a low tone, and the detective could barely make them out. ‘* And you know what is required of you?” ‘Yes, ter a sertain extent, but you must put meon ter jest what you want did in th’ matter so’s we won’t misonderstand each other.” ‘‘That is quite right.” ‘Well, then, I am ready ter be instructed.” ‘Very well, and you must give close atten- tion.” ‘* All right, I’m ready.” ‘In the first place, then, you will take a mes- sage to the girl that she is wanted at a certain lace at a certain hour.” ‘* But will she go?” “Yes, sir! I will take care that it will be such a message that she won’t disregard it for a moment,” ‘* Well, then what?’ “Then you will offer your company to the place I shall note, and if she will allow you to do so, you will accompany her. If not, then let her come on alone, and you hasten on and join me. Do you understand this?” ‘‘ Yes, that is all straight enough.” ‘‘ Then a little this side of the place named I will be in waiting with a el all ready, and when she comes along we will bundle her in and then away.” ‘That looks all easy enough, if you kin do your part in gettin’ her out of the house with the decoy note.” ‘And I agree to do that part of it without any trouble. Now go to the stable and wait until I come.” : * All right.” And so they parted, each in a different direc- tion. This man was a stranger to the detective. It was not the one he had seen in the bank that, afternoon, What the plot could be Hooper could not guess, Had he been aware of all the evil the cashier was up to, and of his intention toward prey Lucy Fielding, he would have un- derstood it al When the cashier had walked away, the de- tective was about to follow when heavy hands fell upon him and he was rendered powerless in a moment. Some hands held his arms, others held his legs, and still others were placed over his mouth. He was seriously in the toils. “Your little game is up, Mr. Book-agent, and the hour of settlement is at hand. How do you find yourself? We hope that you are well, but we know that you won’t be, in a few short -hours.” Hooper recognized the speaker as the man he had seen in the bank. And, not only that, but now he could see that he had then been in slight disguise, and that it was one of the men who had escaped from him so cleverly on the previous night, Rreadless to say he felt sick, He had thought that he was something of a detective, and in- deed his record was very good; but here he was being handled like a very novice, Very little was said, but the unfortunate shadow was speedily bound and gagged, and, being carried a short distance, was bundled into a wagon, and then all the men—four in number —springing in, the wagon was driven rapidly away. Andasitrattled along over the road the detective was blindfolded. CHAPTER XIII. HOT ON THE TRAIL, “ Atr-Ling LUKE was off duty. This was the night for which he had asked, and the night in which he intended to try his hand at laying the ghost at the bridge. When he reached Marysville with his train that morning, he went at once to bed, in order | ~ to secure his usual rest. He had changed off on the road with the en- gineer of a stock-train that was going west, the engineer of which was to run bis train while he was Off, and thus he got back to Marysville a day earlier than he could had he made the round trip. This is mentioned, by the way, to make all clear to those who are versed in railroad asnatters, Air-Line Luke, the Engineer Detective. ee ee eee It was about two o’clock in the afternoon when be got up, and his first care was for his inner man. e secured a hearty dinner, and then he felt able to cope with all the ghosts in the county. His next care was one of a different nature. Going to a well-known gun-store, he asked to see some revolvers, and the weapons being laid out before him, he made a good selection, and one which the dealer complimented bighly. ‘‘You have the best revolver I had in my stock,” he said. ‘‘T am glad to know that,” responded Luke. ‘‘ May I ask if you are an officer?” the déaler questioned. ‘‘ No, sir, I am not,” was the young engineer’s reply; “I am a locomotive engineer. I shall keep the weapon on my engine.” ‘* And no doubt it will some time come in use- ful there. I see by the papers that one of the Freight engineers had quite an adventure last night near West Plain. Do you know him?” Luke smiled. ‘‘T happen to be the one who had that adven- ture,” be admitted with all modesty, and then to avoid further questions, after he bad given an account of the affair, he pleaded haste and departed. ext he called at the office of the superintend- ent, having received a telegram to do so. ‘‘Good-morning, Luke,” saluted that officer. ‘‘T bear you had another adventure last night?” ‘Yes, Luke admitted, ‘‘and it came near being a serious one, too.” ‘‘SoI should think. Is it true that it was Dan Fielding’s ‘daughter who stopped you?” “+ Yes, sir.” ‘‘T had heard so, and I wanted to be sure. Now what do you think of that matter?” ‘‘ In what way do you mean, sir?” ‘‘ Well, what do you think was Hogan’s object?” ‘Why, I have heard that he had it in for me because I happened to get his place as fireman when he was discharged.” ‘And you think that was why he cut the tree?” ‘‘ No doubt it was.” ‘‘Then you think there was nothing further back of it, eh?” ‘“T do not know, of course, but as I am going down to Wet Plain this afternoon I will try and learn all I can about it.” “That is what I wanted to see you about. As you are going down there to hunt ghosts, I want you to turn detective and do a little man-hunt- ing as well. Do you think you can do it?” “T can try, sir, if you will tell me what you want me to do,” ‘‘ Very well, I want you to make some In- Seam in a clever way, and find out whether ogan was alone in that affair, or whether he was only the tool of some other rascal or ‘*T will do so.” ‘¢ Hogan has met his fate, so he is counted out; but if there was any one else in the plot with him, be must be hunted down and brought to justice. If he is allowed to go free, there is no telling when he will try some such game again.” ‘“f will do the best I can,” said Luke, and after some further remarks he went away. And the next train out found him on his way to West Plain. When he arrived there he went at once to the home of his promised bride, and Lucy, of course, was more than pleased to see him. The afternoon was by this time well advanced, and Lucy knew that he must be off duty, or he could not be there at that hour. And of course she made that her first inquiry, alm “Yes,” said Luke, ‘I am off duty for a trip. I nc going on a ghost-hunting expedition to- night. ‘* Ghost-hunting!” ‘* Exactly so, my pretty one; to go along?” ‘“ No, I thank you,” Lucy then she asked: “ Are you going to hunt for the ghost that is down at the Warland River bridge—the one all the railroad people are talking about?” ‘Yes, that is the one. I will make you a present of it if I catch it,” witb a laugh. ‘“You have not caught it yet,” retorted Lucy, “but if you do you may keep it.” So they talked on for some time, and then Luke changed the subject, . “Lucy,” he said, ** I want all the information you can give me about that affair of last night.” ‘[ have told you all there is to tell,” the girl answered. ‘ ‘Then please tell me all over again.” would you like answered. And 11 Lucy complied, going over the whole case as far as it was known to her, ‘* And that little girl said she overheard two men talking about it, eh?” inquired Luke, ‘‘ Yes, that was what she said.” - ie ae would not tell who they were.” sé oO. ‘‘ Have you any suspicion who the second one was?” ‘Tf I have it would not be right to mention it, for it might prove but a suspicion, and would be unjust to the one suspected. ‘Perhaps you are right, and I will not press you on that point, I must ask where I can find that little girl, however.” ‘She is down at that wretched boarding- house,” Lucy explained. ‘‘So I thought. I will go down there at once and seeher. I will return in the course of an hour, or at any rate in time to take tea with you and your father, if you will permit me to do so.” Nothing would please Lucy more, and with this understanding Luke set out to find Ettie Hogan. e bad no trouble in finding the boarding- house, for he knew well enough where it was, but he was not so fortunate in finding the little girl of whom he was in search. She was out, and that was all the information he could get. Hogan's body, by the way, was not at the house, but was at the shop of an undertaker, if it bad not already been buried. No one seemed to care anything about the matter, and no one bad spoken about it to the little orpban. Luke was about coming away when he was stopped by one of the work-girls of the house, who said: “‘Dhe gurrel was sint fer beer above an hour ago, sir, an’ it’s down in dhe saloon yez will be afther foindin’ her.” Luke inquired what saloon, and then set out to go there. hen he arrived he was told that the child had been there, but bad left her pail and had gore on somewhere else. Here was a block in the game, but at that moment two men entered the room and one of them said, addressing the barkeeper: ‘‘That little gal of Hogan’s is down there at the undertaker’s, and she is raising merry Ned because he will not let her see her dead father.” ‘‘ Where is the shop?” asked Luke, instantly. He was told, and immediately be set out to find it, or rather to go there, for he knew the ci * well enough. hen he came there he found the situation just as the man in the saloon had described it. e little girl was at the door and was begging to be allowed to see her father before he was taken nway forever. Just as Luke arrived the undertaker came out and harshly ordered her away. Ay young engineer stepped up at once and Said: ‘‘Mr. Stone, please oblige me by allowing me to see the body of Mr. Hogan.” ‘“You are none too early,” declared the un- dertaker, as he threw open the door, ‘* for Iam about to take it away. Come right in.” Luke gave his hand to the little girl and led her into the shop, and much to the undertaker’s displeasure he had to do the very thing he bad refused to do. That is, be had to let the child see her dead father. ‘When the child had gazed for a moment upon his face she was ready to go, and thanking the undertaker for obliging him Luke led her away. When they were out of the place, Luke said: “You are the little girl who ran and told Miss Fielding that the tree was to be cut down and dropped across the track, are you not” ‘Yes, sir,” was the reply. ‘ And I am the engineer whose life you saved by so doing,” Luke explained. “I would no doubt be dead now had it not been for you, and I shall not forget you. Where are you going to live, now that you have no one to care for u ‘“‘T never had any one to care for me any- how,” replied the child between her sobs, “‘and I s’pose that I'll have to stay at th’ boardin’- house.” “Would you like to eave there and have a good home and grow up to bea good woman?’ “ Yes, sir.” ‘Then you shall, Come with me.” Air-line Luke led the child straight to his own home (it has been mentioned that his home was at West Plain), and placed her in the care of his mother, and when he hed told the whole .story his mother took the child to ber arms and her future was secure. ic “comicboo a, 7. Cc \ | _ Yes Me “Bag?