Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 581 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

Double-Curve Dan. ‘‘ Have your weapons handy and follow me quickly,” he said, briefly, without looking around, He tugged at the iron ring, but it would not move, lt was as firm as if riveted to a rock. ‘*Con, take hold and help,” commanded the banker. ‘* Be jabers, Jl do anything for a change, Me heart is bruk, so it is, wid the wettin’ ’m gettin’, answered the little Lrishmau, Jugubri- ously. : e knelt down in a puddle of dirty water, with a comical expression of resignation on his face, and pulled, with Dan, at the iron ring, A tug together, and then something suddenly gave way, causing Con Joyce to sit down with a splash in the poo: of water, ‘**Ow! o-w! Be St. Peter, but it’s wet I am. Ow! murtberin’ houn’s, why did I iver kim to toe counthry onyhow?” ‘**Silence!” whispered Dan, fiercely, ‘‘ Help me with this.” The rain had stopped, though the lightning and thunder continued. It was just about the time that Wilfred Noel—or Steely Williams— gained admission to Chromo Castle, The banker now saw that the iron ring was attached to a round, flat, iron plate, like the cover of a coal cellar, revealing a dark hole in the ground, into which the water from the pud-~ dle referrei to above was pouring. ‘Mr. Hetherington, follow me, Con.” : As he spoke, Double-Curve Dan squeezed him- self through the hole and disappeared. The banker, without hesitation, went down alter him, closely followed by Con Joyce, The three men found themselves in pitch dark- ness, standing on a sticky, clayey floor. There was ang Be room when once through the hole, though it had been a tight squeeze to effect an entrance. Dan reached up through the hole and pulled the iron plate into position, ‘*The rain and mud will soon gather on it Come, again,” he observed, as he felt in an inner pocket for some matches, which he always car- ried in a silver water-tight box, He struck a wax match, and by its light looked around him, The room in which the three men stood was about six feet square, and was nothing more than @ hole dug in the ground, with boards braced around the sides to prevent the earth falling in. It had evidently, in years past, been a smugglers’ retreat, and doubtless had con- tained millions of dollars’ worth of treasure at different times in its existence, | On one side there was a low doorway, not more than four feet in hight. It was closed by a stout wooden door, securely bolted. As the bolt was on the side occupied by Dan and his companions, it dil not take him long to shoot it back and open the door, ‘*'You seem to know this place well, Dan. I suppose you have been here before in your hunts for criminals?” “No, Thisis my first visit. I learned of it only about two bours ago.” ‘Who told you?” The young detective smiled, ‘That, Mr. Hetherington, I cannot tell you. The secret police would not long be secret if they were not careful to keep their sources of information to themselves, I am sworn not to say anything about the inner workings of the service,” ‘*T beg your pardon.” Mr. Hetherington was a man of the world, and he recognized the justice of Dan Manly’s words, : ‘* Be jabers! this is inner workin’s, sure, down here. oondergroun’, Faix, me own mother wouldn’t kuow the face av me if she wuz here, be the token that it’s too dark to see anything,” put in Con. ‘You think those papers stolen from the bank two weeks ago are down here somewhere, I sup- pose?” askéd the banker, as Dan lighted another match. ‘*I do; and I believe we shall recover a great deal of the money, too, I have very reliable information,” ‘**I don’t care so much about the money if I can only get those title-deeds, They represent a large part of my daughter’s separate fortune, and I do not want to risk it in any way. You know she is the defendant in a suit brought by a powerful corporation, to claim a whole bloc in New York yity which was left to her by her mother’s uncle. If the deeds are lost*it will give the corporation an advantage that we can ill afford. Nothing but these peculiarly impor- - tant circumstances would have induced me to come on this expedition to-night, with my poor boy lying at home.” ears choked his voice, and Dan Manly, in mF eel of diverting his thoughts from his grief, said: ‘* Stoop down and go through the doorway, Mr. Hetherington, Our way lies ahead.” This was the last door they encountered—for a time, at least. Dan pushed it back into its pare but of course‘gould not fasten it, the bolt veing on the other @le. It shut with an ordi- nary latch, however, u the bolt could have been shot, too, if he had known that a little ar- rangement of wire for tbat purpose hung ina corner behind the docr, He did not know it, and hence the door remained unbolted, Dan walked along the passage in which they found themselves, and which varied in hight, sometimes being so low that they had to go almost on their bands and knees, and at other places being so high that they could not reach the top. At intervals they came to where the passage branched off, leaving two or three paths from which to choose, The young detective never hesitated at any of these junctions, but kept straight on as confidently as if he had lived in these underground regions all his life. It was very dark, for Dan had not lighted any more matches after the second had burned out, but they had no difficulty in pursuing their journey. The detective knew the way, and his two companions had nothing to do but to follow him, Suddenly Dan placed his hands on the banker and Con and drew them against the wall, They had just reached a place where two other places joined that along which they were walking. ‘* Hist!” whispered Dan. ‘‘ Notasound, Don’t even breathe for a minute.” Footsteps were approaching along one of the other passuges. They might be those of an en- emy; they could not be those of a friend. The three men remained quite still as the stranger, whoever he was, came rapidly toward them. He was evidently not afraid of attract- ing attention, taking it for granted: that any one in that secret locality must belong to the fraternity, in whose possession it had been for forty years at least. He walked with a heavy tread, and whistled softly to himscif, A stream of light shot along the passage, avoiding the three men standing against the wall by not more than three feet, It was unnecessary for Dan to warn the banker or Con to get their weapons ready, They each bad their pistols in hand at the first sound of the stranger's footsteps, : The light dodged and danced about, but never happened to strike the place where stood three desperate men, to whom discovery meant a deadly struggle. ‘* A bull’s-eye lantern,” muttered Dan. The stranger came rigbt toward them and passed—passed so fone! y that he almost brushed against the muzzle of the revolver that Con Joyce held pointed outward ready to shoot any- thing that might come along, from a Bowery tongh to a stray mastodon. If the man who carried the bull’s-eye lantern had happened to turn it toward the Icft as he passed, thus revealing the three men against the wall, he would have been shot as certainly as that Con Joyce’s finger was on the trigger of his self-cocking revolver. Had this taken place we might have had a different tale to tell. But he did not turn. He walked straight ahead, and as his flashing lantern at last disap- peared, Dan and his companions followed in the same direction. The stranger was none other than Billy the Buffer, on bis way to Chromo Castle, to which lace, as the reader has doubtless surmised, ouble-Curve Dan was taking Mr. Hethering- ton and the little Irishman. ** Now, careful!” warned Dan, as at length he approached the end of the passage, where he could hear the lapping of the river and feel the cool breeze blowing in his face. He stopped a minute to reconnoiter, and then, satisfied that all was safe, led tne way to the plank bridge so often mentioned in these pages, “Now, Mr. Hetherington, I bave reason to believe that those papers and most of the money stolen from the Hetherington Bank of New ‘York are in this shanty.” } ‘* Well?” ‘*We must obtain entrance by strategy, if possible, Failing that, by furce.” “You can depend upon my doing my best. The scoundrels!” replied the banker, grinding his teeth, ‘ An’ I'll kill every one of the murthewrin’ spal- eceas if lever git me goon p’inted at ’em,” added on. They walked across the bmdge and Dan knocked at the door, This was the knocking thut so disturbed the occupants of the castle, especially Steely Williams, CHAPTER VII. THE SHOWER OF FIRE, THe three persons in the shanty scarcely breathed as the knocking at the door was repeat- ed again and again, “ Let us in or we wil] make it the worse for you,” cried a voice that caused Steely Wiliams to clinch his fist. It was the voice of Double-Curve Dan, Then ‘all was silent, The knocking ceased and no one spoke out- side, ‘““ Vhat does that mean?’ whispered Billy the Buffer, hoarsely in the old womaun’s ear, Her only reply was to clutch bis arm in token of silence, Bes ‘‘ Trapped, like rats!” hissed Steely Williams, as he drew his dirk-knife and held it ready for action. ‘Yes, they mean mischief,” said Mag in the same guarded tones, ‘‘They are not quiet for nothing.” = ‘Better go up and look out, Mag,” grunted ill. Without another word the hag climbed to her pest of observation in the cupboard and took an observation of the bridge. It was empty! She looked for an instant down at the water, glimmering in the reflected light of the moon which bad now taken the place of the lightning, for the storm had died completely away and left a nost beautiful night behind it. ‘* Well?” growled the Buffer, impatiently. “Shut up!” commanded the woman, looking inside for a minute to say the two words, and immediately resuming ber position at tho window, Then she came in, closed the trap and hustled down the Indder, ‘ “Git!” she whispered, Billy the Buffer emitted a long whistle. ‘* Do you mean that the crib is given away?” “*That’s what!” ‘* ‘Where are they?” Mag pointed significantly downward. ‘*Somebody has put ’em on, sure,” growled Billy, as he lighted a match and applied it to the lamp. It isuo use our hiding ourselves in the dark any longer. It isa clear case of fight now,’ ‘* All the better!” mutterel] Steely Williams, as his heavy brows seemed to meet over bis deep- set black eyes, ! ‘There are three of them,” observed Mag Mullins, sententiously. ** Who are they?” **T don’t know. There is a young duck, not very big, who gets around pretty lively—” ‘Dan Manly,” put in Steely, ‘An’ an old fellow, with gray whiskers, who looks too well-fed and stiff in the neck to bea woorman. Theard the young fellow call bim Mr. Heth— Heth--Hetherbum, or something—” ‘Tleavens! it must be Hetherington!” said Steely Williams, ina trembling voice. ‘' He is the last man I want to see now.” ** don’t want to see none of ’em for my part. It’s too durned near home. If I wanted to make their acquaintance ld ratber meet ‘em on Broadway at a fashionable hour in the after- — noon, That’s my style,” volunteered Billy the Buffer, with a grin. * Who's the third?” asked Steely Wilkams, eagerly. . ‘Couldn't see, exactly. He has whiskers all around his face, and I heard him say something about ‘ Be jabers!’” “T don’t know who he can be. Prebably some one to help the other two, But what's the next thing to be done?” | “To get away by boat. I guess,” replied Billy, ‘* How shall we get to it?) Whereis the boat?” “It’s hanging close up wnder the floor,” an- swered Mag. ‘‘ Come here.” ‘Why can’t we go across the bridge and get out by the passage?” asked Bill Cranch. * And be shot from below as soon as We got the door open,” sneered the woman, ** Don't you know that those people are here for Steely Williams, and that they know every secret about Chromo Castle?” ‘* How did they find it out?” asked Bill, with a suspicious glance at Mag. ; COMING DOOKS:. COM