Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 598 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

: 4 - = . q Fd . . act? ’ é ‘\- « ” ee: uot Be gs } by 4 Puls i oe Lae : od ah Bw . ** \ * - ‘ (is. **T think so.” The banker arose from his chair, and coming oe to the detective, looked earnesly into his ace, ** What is it?” ** Well,” answered Owney, deliberately. “I have received information that your daughter is certainly in the city.” ‘Where? Where?” “That I cannot tell at present, though I hope soon to know, When she left the house, a month ago, she did not go to the aunt in Yonkers whom you thought she would seek.” ‘“No, no. I know that. My poor child! My Lucy!” ‘*She was not without money, and being a bright, sensible girl, she was determined to be independent, So she went to the house of a former maid, on the East side, told her story, and oe Sgey board there for three weeks.” es ** A week ago she left, and the maid does not know where she went. All your daughter told her was that she had micah employment, and that it would be necessary for her to live up- town to be near her work, What the nature of that work was she did not reveal,” ** Well?” ** Now that we know in what quarter of the city to look for her, it should be comparatively easy to find her. I am sorry you have not a photograph of her.” **So am I, but she never had one taken since she was a baby. She has blue eyes, jet-black hair, is about middle hight, and is very pretty. That is the only description I can give you.” The detective took out a note-book, and re- ferring to acertain page, nodded his head. ** Yes, that is what I have here, save that I have in addition a memorandum of the fact that she has a red mark on her right wrist about as large as a ten-cent piece, on which, when at home, she always wore a flat gold bracelet,” ‘Yes. The bracelet was one that I gave her mother on her wedding-day. She gave it to m little Lucy only a short time before she died, And now to think that my girl is away from me among strangers, and exposed to all the dangers of this great city. It is terrible—terrible!” The banker walked up and down the soft car- pet, pressing his right hand to his brow, and moaning in sheer agony of mind. ‘*What was the reason that your daughter left?’ asked Owney after a pause, during which he had replaced his note-book in an inside pocket and taken a seat near the open fireplace. ‘* She was always a bigh-spirited girl, like her mother, and I expect I was disposed to be stern with her. You see, since the death of her mo- ther, Lucy and I bave lived entirely alone with Mrs, Burton, and Lucy has always had her own way. The morning on which she disappeared, Lucy and I were taking breakfast alone, when she said something for which I reproved her.” “Yes?” “Ske retorted sharply, and I again rebuked her. One word led to another, and at last, I, without thinking what I was saying, told her that she had the same violent temper which had so often imbittered my existence during her mo- ther’s life. This made her furious, She arose from the table, dragging off the table-cloth and smashing cups, saucers, plates, and so forth, and flung herself out of the room.” | _ * Lots of spirit, eh?’ commented Git Thar Owney. "Yes. I heard her go out, but supposed that she had only gone to visit some of her girl ac- quaintances, She never came back.” The banker sunk into his chair and buried his face in his hands, The detective sat still for a few minutes, re- kpecting the sanctity of grief. Then he got up and said: ** Are you ready to go with me to the bank?” ‘* Yes, Iam ready,” responded the banker, as he recovered himself with an effort, and ring- ing for his valet, invested himself in an ulster as heavy as that worn by “ Git Thar” Owney, and a sealskin cap. ** You can go to bed, Slater. I shall not need an when I come in,” observed the banker, carel to the valet, who was an English im- portation, with smug mutton-chop whiskers, uiet manners and a thorough understanding of e duties of a ‘‘ gentleman’s servant,” which ty he had filled to a Jord in “‘ the old coun- ‘Very well, sir, Hit you should require any- you know, sir,” he said, rate po ness, as he bowed and withdrew. f wophose I had better take this, eh, Owney ?” observ . Argent, as he unlocked a drawer , * | « 4 Flute, the Singer Detective. under the bookcase and took out a 44-caliber Smith & Wesson six-shooter. ‘* Yes, 1t is as well,” assented the detective, as he took from the pocket of bis ulster a revolver the counterpart of the banker’s and examined it closely. ‘* [ don’t think we shall need them, be- cause I am satisfied that the job will not be at- tempted for at least a week to come, but it is well to be prepared.” The banker and detective left the house to- gether, Mrs. Burton carefully securing both the inner and storm-doors after them, The two stood on the steps for a moment, and the detective emitted a low whistle. Like a ghost the officer whom he had addressed as Dobbs, glided across the road and stood be- fore him, close to the iron fence, so as to be as inconspicuous as possible to chance pedestrians. ** Well, Dobbs?” **No one passed along the street since you went in, sir—not a soul.’ “Good. That will do, Dobts. Stay. Walk ahead, swiftly, so as to be a square or two in ad- vance of us, and go direct to the bank of Argent & Co,, on Fourth avenue. Stay in the vicinity, and report to me—cautiously, so as not to be o served—when I come,” Dobbs was gone, hugging the railings all the way up the street and melting around the corner after the usual manner of a well-trained New York policeman, ‘‘ Now, Mr. Argent,” from Owney, after waiting a few moments to give Dobbs a chance to get away. he banker and the detective walked swiftly up the street, and reaching Broadway, turned their steps toward the lower part of town. And even “Git Thar” Owney, sharp-eyed detective as he was, failed to notice the figure of a man, with stern face and snow-white hair, who followed them, with the pertinacity of an evil spirit, keeping just far enough away for safety, but never losing sight of the men he was haunting, for a single instant, The bank building of Argent & Co. stood in the middle of a block, It was a substantial granite structure, with iron railings to keep the common horde from looking in the large plate- glass windows, The safe faced the doorway. It was a deep vault, imbedded in the solid brick wall, and secured by a very thick steel-lined oaken door, studded with great rivets. It was considered by the officers of the bank to be abso- lutely impregnable, It is needless to say that the gas was always left burning to its full hight all night, Mr. Argent admitted himself and the detec- tive with a pass-key, and then close the door. “‘ Wait a minute. Don’t move forward for a minute, We don’t want the police from the station here now,” said the banker, as he went to a small iron box let into the floor, in a corner behind the counter and made a slight click. “Oh, Isee. Yes, I'd forgotten that.” ‘‘T have just thrown the burglar alarm out of gear,” explained the banker. ‘It is a very complete thing of its kind. No one can go with- in eight feet of the vault without setting bells ringing in three places—the vearest station- house, my residence and that of the cashier. ‘* Exactly.” ‘*T should like you to examine everything here, and see that there are no weak spots. Then, with the watchman warned to be specially vigi- lant, we ought to be able to catch those ras- cals,” ‘* We shall catch them,” declared ‘* Git Thar ” Owney, with quiet confidence, The detective walked bebind the counters, all guarded by thick plate-glass, with little pigeon- holes for the transaction of business with the public. Then he examined the president’s pri- vate room at the back, and the cashier’s office gdjoining it. Each of these rooms had a win- ow, crossed and recrossed with iron bars like a jail, and the windows looked into a narrow paved court, lighted by a street lamp with a powerful reflection that brought out every corner into strong prominence. ‘** No chance to the detective, as he glanced through the window, ‘* What is underneath the bank?” ‘* Nothing,” answered the banker. There was some sort of cellar many years ago, but it has been filled up with columns of stone so close to- ieee that it is impossible for any one to squeeze tween them.” ** You are sure of that, are you?” «Bhere petals be no possibility of any oné ' here wou no fe) y one being secreted down there?” pid “How could there? There are no doors or windows to the place, and if there were, they would not lead to anything save solid masonry. get in that way,” commented. ac? OTT Pre -as . ~sari ef * y . 2 ‘| ‘ 4 * = A re re . Sd ¥ oy [7 ee ee = ‘ <A ti ‘ iin db ree | “ : Aa ~T mm , \ . é. a This building is a heavy one, and the stone pil- lars were put in to sustain the weight of the superstructure.” ** Huin!” “Do you think it necessary to put in another watchman?” asked Mr. Argent, as the two sat down for a moment in the president’s room—the detective on a corner of the table and the banker on the arm of his easy-chair, both looking through the open door into the bank proper. _ ‘‘No. Thatis, if your regular watchman is’ ** He is.” ‘*T believe he is. I bave been watching him since we have been here.” ‘‘Watching him? Why,I didn’t know that. you saw him.” The banker spoke in tones of unfeigned as- tonishment. : ‘* Possibly not,” laughed Owney, in bis quiet. way, ‘‘ but I did, nevertheless, Call him,” ‘* Dennis,” called the banker. ‘‘ Yes, sorr,” and a comica] face, with a short,. turned-up nose, twinkling eyes, anda frame of red hair, that stuck up on topand curled around his chin, red from a little hutch immediately over the iédr of the vault. _ ree ‘“T want you to be especially vigilant for a few weeks to come.” ‘‘ Better say months, or even years,” suggest- ed the detective. ‘‘ This is a big job, and men in the bank-robbing business have plenty of pa- tience. They are content to bide their time, no matter how long it may be in coming.” ‘* You hear that, Dennis?” “Faith an’ Oi do that, sorr. Oil kape me eyes paled, an’ sorra a wan of me--will ever sfage a wink at all, at all.” ; | ** Well, Owney, I suppose that will do. I have brought you here to enable you to see for your- self how the bank is protected at night. Now, what do you think of it?” “Pretty well; but, after all, the liance must be placed on Dennis. what is his full name?” ‘*Dinnis Carrigan, sorr. Which me own father was Fighting Dinnis, of Tipperary, whar Oi was born,” put in Dennis, from bis little hutch. “* Dennis Carrigan, eh? Well, remember that. you are holding a very responsible yosition,” returned Owney. ; Mr. Argent had gone behind the counter to arrange the burglar alarm again. ; ; ‘*Confound it! I have done something to this electric button. The apparatus is out of or- der. oe" | Yes, it is,” declared the banker, as he came from behind the counter, flushed with annoy- ance and the exertion of steoping. ‘‘ Well, I guess there is no danger to-night. have it re- paired in the morning.” A last warning to Dennis, and the banker and detective were on the street. ‘‘ Well, Dobbs, what is it?” __ The police officer was standing at Owney’s elbow. ‘¢ A suspicious-looking man passed the bank twice—tall, heavy fellow, with white hair.” ** Where did he go?” ‘‘Don’t know, sir, The first time he went down the avenue, A few minutes afterward he came back. When he got to the gas-lamp at the corner of this little court I came out of the shadow to speak to him, but he got away somewhere, and I don’t know where. I leoked down the court but he was not there. You see it is so light that be could not possibly hide, It’s a puzzler to me.” he worthy Dobbs took off his helmet and wiped his perspiring brow with a black and yellow handkerchief with a vigor that left no doubt of his mental perturbation. “Git Thar” Owney was troubled. He walked down the court and looked care- fully in every corner. He gazed up and down the avenue and peered into all the doorways ip the vicinity. No sign of the big man with the white hair. “Debbs, you stay here for an hour, If you see that again, shadow him to his home or wherever he Leave a written ences for me at the station. If you do not see him for an hour, why go home and go to bed.” The banker and detective went up town to- ward the home of the former, both considerably worried over the mysterious movements and su uent disappearance of the big man with the white hair. ‘And at that moment, Norman Roundel was nic A dag vage himself, in the president's easy-cbair in the private room in Argent & Co’s Bank, while Carrigan dozed peace- fully in bis hutch a few yards away, reatest re- y the way, i -< - 2. i ( . % Y ~ + * _— oh ripe TA ‘ + ie =) = he, eat 4 | Ps a “a _ + re — ; ie » w 7) rove | [es oe Ey Ak xa] o> te * gr: ee eee