Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 598 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

—s { Flute, the Singer Detective. 5 CHAPTER IV. “GIT THAR” OWNEY TO THE RESCUR. **So,” muttered Norman Roundel, “ we know all about the scheme now, and the elec- tric alarm is out of order. Get it fixed in the morning, will he? Don’t think he will. Not if Tiger Jim is attending to his business as he will be, I expect.” He sat back in his easy-chair, threw one leg over the arm, and laughed silently as he cogi- tated. ‘‘No possibility of any one getting under- neath the bank. Ha, ha! No, of course not. And yet—how is it that I happen to be sitting in old Argent’s chair in his private room, and— yes, I will do it; why not?—helping myself to his own particular sherry and fancy crackers?” Roundel arose at this stage of his reflections and going to a closet with plate-glass mirrors in the doors, took outa bottle of sherry, a wine-glass and a silver plate containing some expensive wine crackers. He placed them on the table, and throwing open his ulster, poured himself out a glass of sherry, and prepared to enjoy himself, The door of the room was nearly closed, so that he could not be seen from the street, and he sat in the easy-chair with as much coolness as if be had been the banker himself taking a moon lunch, He had just raised the glass to his lips, when he suddenly put it down: and springing noiseless- ly to his feet, drew a heavy revolver, and with stern face, stood watching the door. ‘“* I guess it was only our friend Dennis snor- ing,” he whispered, after a pause. ‘‘ Dennis isa good fellow, and Iam opposed to bloodshed on general principles. For these reasons I hope that Dennis will keep quietly in his den until I go away. . I must stay here an hour to give the policeman a chance to gef away and still do his duty. Iam much obliged to Owney for giving his orders just where I could hear and profit by them. He’s a smart fellow, is Owney, but he won’t git thar this trip.” He sat down again and resumed his discussion of the wine and crackers. But he kept the re- vol-er on the table, within easy reach of his hand, and his face never relaxed its expression of intense watchfulness as he sipped and sipped at Mr, Argent’s prime old sherry. A. light scratching immediately beneath his chair made him start. ‘I’m blessed if I hadn’t forgotttn all about him. 1 guess I'll let him come up and get a glass of old Argeut’s sherry. He went toa corner of the room, where the closet and the wall made a small recess, and, stooping, turned up a piece of the rich Brussels ecurpet. The floor underneath appeared to be solid and compact, buc a dextrous use of a small crowbar, with a bent and sharpened end, that he produced from an inside pocket, enabled him to “pen a small trap. . A whistle under his breath into the hole, was followed by the appearance of a head and face, the latter wearing a very discontented ex- pression. ‘** Come up bere, Piper.” ** Well, I should say so,” wheezed Piper. ‘I think I’ve been down here long enough. I don’t think this is any way to treat a first-class me- chanic. After being around a theater all the evening, hearing another fellow singing my fa- vorite part, and then winding up by being squeezed into a narrow space between two stone walls, a man isn’t likely to feel-very good: this job ought to pan out big, for the work before- 4and is hard enough.” Roundel did not answer, save to motion his partner to be quiet. But he gave his hand to the disgusted litule tenor, and with one pull bad him Standing in the room. c **Take a glass ot wine. It is my particular brand.” Ezra Piper reciprocated the grin with which this was whispered, and drank two glasses of the sherry in quick succession. ** Good boing for the voice,” he wheezed, ** Excellent. ‘* Maybe I shall be able to do Nanki-Poo to- might.” ‘* Perhaps so, but Iexpect you will have other thimgs on your mind, ‘This job must be done to- night.” * Sure?” ‘Yes, the burglar-alarm is ‘fixed.’ There will be some five hundred thousand dollars in the vault, mostly in big notes and negotiable se- curities, and we can work the cousin racket on Dennis Carrigan very easily,” ‘*Ah! Well, what do you want me to do mow? I don’t like to hang about a place where I am going to do a job before it is time to work,” Roundel stepped cautiously to the door, and peeped out, Dobbs was standing on the steps in front of the bank, with his back toward the door. His hour had expired, and be was preparing to depart, still wondering what had become of the big man with the white hair. ‘* There is one thing certain, my dear Dobbs,” muttered Roundel, apostrophizing the uncon- scious Officer, ** 1t will take a livelier man than you to get the grip on Tiger Jim,” Dobbs looked up the street and down the street, and then Roundel and Piper heard the steady tramp of nis No. 11 feet as he marched, with head erect, but in very low spirits, toward the police station, Carrigan was now fast asleep in his little coop above the vault door, and Roundel opening the door of the private office, walked boldly into the banking-room, followed by Ezra Piper. ‘** Now, look around you, quickly, Ezra, and see what you have to do, while 1 stand behind the door-post and keep watch,” Speaking thus, Roundel took up his position where he could not be seen from the street. It was now between two and three o’clock, and Fourth avenue at that particular point was epn- tirely deserted, Piper glanced up at the window of Carrigan’s little hutch, His partner shook his head impa- tiently, ‘* He’s safe enough, I tell you. The drink he took just before twelve o’clock has settled him. I took care of that. He won't wake up unless you make a great deal of noise.” ‘*T won’t do that,” ‘** Well, get to work.” Piper dropped on his knees behind the end of the counter where he would be invisible to any casual passer-by, though a person coming up the steps and Jooking through the glass door might see bis feet. He wheezed a good deal as he felt in his pock- ets for certain tools of steel, highly-tempered , with which wood, iron, steel or glass could be overcome swiftly and noiselessly. ‘* Hurry up, there, Ezra,” warned Roundel. ** All right; I’m at work.” Selecting a small crowbar and ascrew-driver, with the latter he unfastened some screws that held one of the boards of the flooring in place, and then with the crowbar he lifted the board. He now had an open place about: two feet long and six inches wide. . Have you got it, Ezra?” whispered Roun- del. ** Vous ‘*Good, Now fix it.” ‘*T will. Here’s the wires lying along as nice as can be,” wheezed Ezra, exultantly. His actions were swift and dexterous. He used a small pair of pincers, with a cutting at- tachment, such as are’ used by beli-hangers. With these he severed the wires in two places, taking from each a piece nearly two feet in leagth—that is, as much as was revealed by the opening.” ** Ain’t you through yet, Ezra?” ‘* Very nearly.” Carefully and in a workmanlike manner, Piper replaced the board, covering it with the matting that he had taken up, and leaving no trace of his operations behind him. ‘* There,” he wheezed, complacently. ‘I think that burglar-alarm is silenced for a few days. Even if they do try to repair it to-mor- row, I don’t think they will have time to locate the trouble.” ** All right, eh?” asked Roundel, “Yes,” chuckled tbe other. ‘They will change the batteries and tinker around, and find it won’t work. Then they will advance the usual set of theories as to the trouble, and final- iy they will conclude to Jeave it for another ay. ‘*Have you taken a general] observation, so that you will know how to go to work without any waste of time to-morrow?” asked Roundel, checking his companion’s ratber dangerous rhapsody, “Yes, I have seen all I want. I shall make quick time to-morrow,” ‘* Then let us get out,” ‘To the corner of the private office, both went, Piper went down the hole first, followed closely by Roundel, who by a method known ony to himself which he had employed successfully in other jobs before this one, replaced the carpet |’ over the loose board from below. In the cellar there was not too much room, but the contractor who had been paid -to build the columns of stone to strengthen the building long years ago had made a little extra profit by set- ting some of the columns further apart then was called for in bis contract. Thus a passageway through which a man could squeeze bad been left, and bad been quickly seiz- ed upon by Norman Roundel to aid him im his plan of robbing the bank of Argent & Co. As had been said, there were no doors or win- dows to this cellar, but an opening into an ad- joining cellar had been made, and communica- tion with the street in a roundabout way estab- lished. The adjoining cellar was under a large dry- goods store, and was used for keeping old boxes, spoiled goods, wrapping paper and similar things, Roundel and Piper walked swiftly, byt quiet- ly through it, like persons acquainted With the locality. From this cellar they let themselves into another, and from thence into a yard. A door from which a blaze of light streamed opened into this yard. ‘* Shall we go in, Piper?” : ** Yes, ’m parched,” answered Ezra, prompt- y. ‘* Very well. Though I do not think it is wise. We do not know who we will meet. Anyhow, I'm going to take some precaution.” A quick movement, and Ro>undel's white hair was covered with a brown wig, while his cheeks were adorned with heavy sweeping whiskers. The change in his appearance was simply mar- velous, ‘* Now, Piper.” ** Wait a moment.” An adept in the art of ‘‘ make up,” Piper put some cheek pads into his mouth, and bis usually sunken sheeke became plump, completely chang- ing the character of his face, A touch of rouge and a blonde mustache were added, and the most intimate friend of Ezra Piper could not have sworn to his identity. The two men stepped through the door and found themselves in an all-night saloon. A voice that they recognized at once as that of Peter Graul, stage-manager of the Euterpia Theater was telling in low tones about the new tenor who had turned up in the nick of time to take the place of a fellow who had lost his voice just at the time when he ought to have had it. As Roundel and Piper entered the bar-room Graul turned around and saluted them with a boisterous ‘‘ Good-evening.” He had evidently been drinking enough to prevent his vision being as good as usual, or he might, as an old actor, have detected the fact that Roundel’s whiskers and Piper’s mustache were false. As it was, he took their appearance for granted, and ordered - the bartender to ‘‘give these gentlemen what they want, at the expense of Peter Graul.” The two new-comers glanced around them and saw that the room was: mpty save for a stranger with gray bair and spectacles, who sat behind a table at the end of tbe room puffing a cigar and. apparently absorbed in a newspaper. “In the theatrical line? asked Graul, tronizingly, as he leaned his elbow comforta- ly on the bar and looked his new acquaintances over. ‘* No, sir,” answered Roundel. “Ah! I’m sorry for you. Great business, Merit always rises to the top there—if you have luck, and influence, and money.” “So Ive beard,” “Yes, sir. Now, there's a young man at my theater—Euterpia, where the opera of ‘ The Mikado’ is bemg done with such magnificent success, as we say on the show-bills, ahem!— There’s a young man at my thester, who bas just come forward asatenor. Splendid voice, sir! Never heard anything hke it in light opera before, sir! Well, our regular tenor—a worth- less, skulking fellow—was taken sick, or said he was—lost his voice completely—confound him! I didn’t know what todo. Saw a fellow among the stage bands. Know by the look of his face that he was a singer. Picked him out at once. Said to him: ‘ on and sing the part of Nanki-Poo, and you shall have a hundred dol- larsa night.’ Said he had never sung anything in bis life. I told him I knew better, He must goonand sing. Made him get into the costume and forced him on the stage,” ‘* How interesting,” wheezed Piper. ‘Yes, Well, do you know that young man’ was so nervous that be couldn’t sing his first solo, and I had to sing it from the wing, while be moved his lips and pretended that the notes came from him.” As Mr. Graul uttered this astounding false- hood he looked full into the face of Roundel, as if to impress the truth of his remarks upon him. ** And did the new tenor make a hit?” micbooks - . af 7 » “Eom + ee oe a oe #2 : bs a ‘ =