Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 581 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 4 es oo <= ee ooor_— — =o ore Double-Curve Dan. Ne eee CHAPTER V. ON THE TRAIL, In one of the finest mansions in that district of fine mansions, Murray Hill, there was mourning as deep as any feltin the most squalid tenement on the east side. A bed-room, luxuriously furnisbed, with soft laces and rich hangings to guard the slumberer from every stray breeze or too powerful ray of sublight. In the center of the apartment a bedstead of ebony ricbly carved, with gilding here and there to relieve the dead black of the wood, The bed was occupied, but the sleeper would no more be disturbed by breeze or sunlight, and the elegance of his surroundings would never give him pleasure again, The cold, rigid form, that lay so still under the fine white sheet, was that of Bob Hether- ington, the pride and hope of the rich man who sat weeping by his side, A knock at the door, and a servant handed him a card, ‘*T cannot read it. Ido not wish to see any- body!” said Mr, Hetherington testily. ‘‘ Take itaway. No, stay. Let me see who it is,” He aroused himself with an effort and glunced at the card. ‘*Tell him T will come down at once, Show him into the library. Then come back and stay in the room here until some one else comes in,” While the girl was absent, the father knelt down at the bedside and pressed his lips to the forebead of the dead. What he suffered was known only to bimself. ‘*He is in the library,” broke in the girl’s voice. ‘*Very well, I will go down,” He arose from his knees and showed himself to be a tall, well proportioned man of fifty or thereabouts, with a firm chin and clear-cut nostrils—a man of will, who would pursue what he considered the right course, regardless of ob- stacles or of public opinion. ‘* Mr. Hetherington, I think Iam on the right track.” The voice was tbhatof Double-Curve Dau. He was the person whose card had heen read by the banker, and who had been shown into the library. ‘* My boy’s murderer?” ‘*Perhaps, I believe that following. up the clew I have to the people who robbed your bank on the 30th of May may be the means of my finding this villain Wilfred Noel.” ** Vell, Dan, I trust to you implicitly.” ‘* You shall never repent that trust, if I can help it,” returned the young fellow earnestly. ‘*'You keep the fact that you are in the em- ‘ploy of the Secret Service of New York a strict secret,/of course?” ‘Most certainly. I have my credentials in an inner pocket of my shirt, in case I should ever be in immediate need of them, ani I have my star where I can show it in a second if necessary. See.” He pulled aside some of the blue trimming on his white flannel shirt,and revealed a silver badge star-sbaped, on which were engraved the words: ‘‘ New York Sec: et Service Special.” ‘‘That is well,” said the banker, ‘* Now, what bave you to tell me?” ‘* 7 have received information that has led me | to come to you at this time, when nothing but the importance of the knowledge I hold would have induced me to do so,” _ “ Yes, yes, know. But go on,” returned the banker impatiently. ‘Will you go out with me to-night?” asked Dan abruptly. : **To-pight?” ac Yes,” “No, I cannot do that. I don’t care what _ information you have, or how important it may be, I cannot leave my boy to-night. Besides, my daughter—” ; ‘Tells you to go, father dear,” broke in the voice of Ada Hetherington, as she came slowly into the room, : Double-Curve Dan looked at the fair young girl, whose pale face put toshame the pretty white dress that she had worn ip the afternoon, aud that she had not changed, though two or three red spots on the skirt gave token of her brother’s terrible death. e saw that there were traces of tears upon her cheeks, but that she was bravely holding back her grief in the presence of her father. | ‘Go, father. If Mr. Manly asks you, we may * hela cane on has yey gee Remember at we have bad proof of bis judgment before.’ Mr. Hetherington p Be, to hesitate fora moment, Then he exclaimed: od ~* You are right, Ada. Dan, I will go with ou. ‘ Double-Curve Dan thanked the girl with a look, and at the same time managed to conve to her that he had already commenced his tas of hunting down her brother’s slayer, With a bow to the young detective, Ada left the room to sit by her dead brother’s side. As she mony ascended the stairs she thought of a certain day in the past spring, when, in Albany, as she was driving in her low pony phaeton, the noise of a fire-engine startled her ponies, and caused them to dash madly away. She was powerless, but a young man leaped in- to the road, and at the risk of his life stopped the ponies and saved her from an awful fate, She had barely time to thank her preserver and to learn that bis name was Danie] Manly, when Wilfred Noel, whom she had met at a reception of the miscellaneous character so common ina State Capital, and who had vigorously pushed the slight acquaintanceship since that time by bowing to her whenever he met her on the street, came boldly forward, and thanking Dan Manly in an off-hand manner on behalf of the lady, had entered the vehicle and driven Ada to her father’s temporary home in Albany. ‘‘How brave he was!” thought Ada, as the scene came back to her memory. ‘‘ How he threw himself right in front of the horses, and then the insolence of that fellow, Noel, to take session of the carriage! 1am afraid that the atred of that gloomy, mysterious young man for Mr. Manly dated from that day.” She sighed as she thought of the great grief that had now befallen her, and of which she had never dreamed those few short months ago, It was eleven o’clock when Mr. Hetherington and Double-Curve Dan stepped outside the front door of the former’s mansion, and prepared to tace the violent summer tempest. Both were protected by waterproof coats, Mr. Hetherington having lent one to bis companion, ‘‘ Now, which way are we to go?” asked the banker. ‘* Down town,” answered Dan, briefly, for now that be was in charge of the expedition, he took command, and did not feel bound to ex- plain every detail as he proceeded, It would occupy too much time. ‘‘*Lead on!” returned the banker, just as laconically, for he was a sensible man, and recognized at once the relative positions now held by the young detective and himself. ts. by the way! Are you armed?” asked an. ‘‘ No; I never thought of that. Shall we need weeps do you think?” ‘* We may and we may not.” ‘‘Which means that I had better be pre- pared?” ‘* Decidedly.” Without another word the banker opened the door with a pass-key, and stepped inside, fol- lowed by Dan. ‘Stay here a moment.” Dan seated himself in a comfortable chair in the hall, while the banker went qeuy up- stairs. He soon returned, carrying two band- somely -mounted , double-action six-shooters, which he banded to the detective. ‘‘ Very good,” said Dan. ‘‘ But I don’t think you need them both.” ‘‘T brought one for you.” ‘‘ Tt is unnecessary.’ Dan showed that in an inside pocket of his sack-coat he had a six-shooter, a knife, anda short ‘‘ billy.” ‘¢T never travel on business without my tools, met I am always on duty, day and night,” he said. ‘*T big yer parding, sorr. to-night?” 8 The voice was that of a native of the Emerald Isle, and the detective and banker both turned a as some one who bad come softly along the hall, touched the banker on the arm, ‘*Hallo, Con! What are you doing in the house?” asked the banker, sternly. ‘‘ Your place is in the stable.” ‘‘ Faix, I knows it, sorr, but betune the mis- fortoon that has .im down on us an’ the storm as is playin’ the divil wid me constitooti’n, I made bowld to kim in an’ see phat I c’u’d do fer ye, sorr.” ‘Well, Iam going out. You had better go to bed, and not trouble yourself about the storm,” was the banker’s reply. Dan Manly, who had heen watching the man, whispered something in Mr. Hetherington’s ear. & np yes, faithful as the sun,” said the latter, Wuz ye goin’ out oud. 7 ‘“Then let him go with us, We may have to deal with desperate men.” ‘Very well, Con, button up your coat and come with us. Here, take this,” handing him the revolver that Dan had declined. ‘‘Och! Be jabers! We are goin’ to have some divarshun, eh? If I meet any spalpeen wid too much talk, why, the saints rest his lr A Vll spill him all over the land, so I will. Con waved the revolver, and was evidently about to emit an Irish war-cry of the good old kind, when Mr. Hetherington seized him by the shoulder, and sternly whispered: ‘‘ Do you remember where you are, and what has happened to-day?” rn subsided instantly, as he replied peni- tently: ‘* Indade an’ I do, peace be wid him, Ah! he wuz such a purty b’ye, an’ he handled horses as well as I c’u’d meself, so he c’u’d.” Con Joyce was a little fellow, who had but lately come from the “ ould counthry,” but who already took a warm interest in American poli- tics, and was a “ Dimocrat to the backbone,” He was a merry-taced, warm-hearted, brave fellow, and he thought Mr. Hetherington and his people the finest he had ever seen, There was nothing remarkable in his personal appearance save his ‘Galway sluggers” of bright red that he still persisted in wearing, and a pair of blue eyes that were always dancing in fun or mischief, The three did not waste any more time, They walked out into the pouring rain, and with heads bowed as the blinding lightning flashed continuously across the sky, made their way down Broadway. , hey did not talk much, nothing being said but an occasional word from Dan as to the di- rection to be pursued, as he turned off here and there, and led his companions through a maze of tenement-house streets that are a distinguish- ing feature of the east side of New York. Soon the smell of the never-too-sweet East River assailed their nostrils. ‘¢ Much further, Dan?’ asked the banker. ‘¢ No,” was Dan’s short reply. The detective paused at the corner of a street under the flickering light of a gas-lamp., A police officer in uniform stepped out of a dark doorway and came forward. He stood with his back partly toward Dan Manly, and said: ; ‘¢‘Do you want me to-night? Captain Martin told me to stay here and report to you when you came along.” ‘‘Go back to the station and take off your uniform, Then come back and wait again.’ I may need you,” ‘* All right, sir.” The policeman moved carelessly away into his doorway, and the others passed on. On the other side of the dark street, skulking along in the shadow of thé tall houses was a wet, wretched figure, with a keen dirk-knife up his sleeve. He saw the conference, though he could not bear what was said. ) He shook his fist in the direction of the three men: as they went around the corner, and mut- tered: ‘‘So! You are following me up pretty close- ly, are you? Well, [ll fool you yet, assure as my name is Steely Williams—or Wilfred Noel, whichever you like.” CHAPTER VI. A NARROW ESCAPE FOR BILLY THE BUFFER. DaN MANLY led his two companions on by tortuous ways for another five minutes, Then he stopped before a large gateway that led di- rectly to a wharf. The gates, old and worm-eaten, were wide open, and as the lightning occasionally illumi~- nated the scene, it showed that heaps of old iron were the pripcipal contents of the wharf. Broken car-wheels, old rails, sections of orna- mental fences, pots and kettles, everything that comes under the designation of scrap iron, was ie = seen there by the ton, many times multi- ied. : Double-Curve Dan walked forward as if ac- uainted with the place, his companions follow- ing him closely. ‘*‘ Seven, eight, nine!” He was counting bis steps. ‘‘ Seventeen steps and a half straight toward the river from the left gate-post. This must be the spot.” Dan shuffled bis feet in the mud at the place he bad reached, and gave utterance to a smoth- ered exclamation of satisfaction. He stooped down and pulled an iron ring from the mud and water. It was securely fastened to something. “(e(oy aA (E OOO) (S-Gon