Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 671 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

a fs 3 If he could gain a little time—if he could put off the settlement until to-morrow—he would accomplish bis purpose. : “Tam ready to compromise, but not quite ready to pay,” said he. ‘‘ I want the papers de- livered in the presence of a third party,” Weldon started. ** Have you a secret-sharer?” he queried. ** Never mind that, A third party must be resent,” ** Call him in,” ‘*T cannot just now,” ‘When can he come?” ‘* By eight o’clock to-morrow,” ** And you will pay then?’ ** Yes, **On your oath?” “On my oath?!’ Mark Murchison answered promptly. He was reaiy for anything by which he could gain the desired time. ** Very well,” said Weldon, ‘‘at eight o’clock to-morrow I will be here. Have your witness ready, but remember tbat I will come prepared. Iam armed as Pye never been armed before, and i can make those papers utterly valueless to you, The young man looked Murchison squarely in the face while he talked, and if was not until be had said ‘‘ good-night” and passed from the house that the nabob moved or spoke. ** He knows too much,” he cried, ‘* I’m deep- er in his clutches than lever was, In heaven’s name, how did he make the discovery? I must See Catchem. He shall play swift and fast for me! But before he quitted the house he ransacked some drawers and his safe. He took from the latter certain papers which he destroyed in the flame of his table-jet, acting all the time like a man pursued by a Nemesis. . When he had done this he left the house, and the maid coming down to the library, saw abundant evidences of his work, Meantime, as we have seen, Webb Weldon had been followed by a figure from the very steps of Mark Murchison’s house, He went home—that is, to the little room in which, while waiting for him, Polly had fallen into the hands of the detective, Jersey Jed, who had followed her to the house, bad left her to go to Murchison’s domi- cile in hopes of finding Webb Weldon, and with the result just noticed, : He had now tracked the young man home, and believing that the papers were stiil in his possessicn, he resolved to get them by a coup, to put off which any longer looked dangerois, Knowing that Weldon would not surrender the documents without a struggle, Jed made up his mind that a battle would have to be fought for them, and to this end be took risks and made his way to a sloping roof that lay directly beneath the young man’s bedroom. This window had no shutters, but the curtain was pulled down in a manner which threatened to prevent the boy from seeivg the interior of the room. He was not baffled, however, fora thin strip of light enabled him to see Weldon seated at a table, from which he rose at last to prepare for bed. But alas! for Jed’s well-formed plans. His watch-hole was so circumscribed that he could not see Weldon all the time, and when he passed beyond either side of the window, he was momentarily lost. During one of these intervals the curtain was “suddenly jerked aside, and a pane of glass flew to pieces in Jed’s face, The boy detective fell back with a sharp cry of horror which had hardly ceased to sound when the window went up and a hand closed on his collar. ' The next moment he was dragged over the silland into the room, Webb Weldon laughing triumphantly at the time, and when Jed recoy- ered he found himself in an arm-chair with the last member of Holdfast & Co, gazing down upon bim. ** Still on the alert?’ exclaimed Weldon. ‘*’m always there,” was the quick answer, ‘* Don’t you know that you can’t win without my help?” ‘It looks that way,” acquiesced Jed, a sud- den thought entering his mind, ** Yon admit it-at last, do you?” ** Why shouldn’t [?” -. Weldon made no avswer for a minute, during which time he continued to watch the boy he had caught, ‘* 1 want toshow you something,” he went on. *““You know me and whatI have. I need not conceal the truth, I want money, boy; I want a large sum and the way the world wags now- Jersey Jed, the Boy Hustler. adays we get money by our wits. licnaires add to their store by fleecing one an- other and nobody objects, I’m no nabob; there- fore, if [ play hawk against one of the gold-bugs and strip him of a few feathers which he never came by honestly, what’s the difference? But, look here! I havesomething that'll deligbt your eyes,” As he finished, Weldon took from his bosom a few papers, at sight of which the boy detective nearly jumped from his chair, ‘* They make your eyes sparkle, do they?” cried Weldon. ‘They've been in good hands ever since that eventful night in Jersey. You recol- lect it? Tobe sure you do, Look! they’re all here, five in all!” and Weldon fingered the ends of the papers in a manner which enabled Jed to count them. ‘** Don’t you intend some day to give them up and let them vindicate the family name?” the boy queried, ‘*| want money, I say, What will you give for the documents?” and Weldon held the papers toward Jed, ‘** You know we’re worth nothing,” replied the boy, insulted by the villain’s words. ‘“Can’t make s> much as one offer?” sneered Weldon, ‘ What did you intend doing from the roof? Was I to be robbed while I slept?” Jed said nothing, ‘*These papers will make my fortune,” con- tinued Weldon, ‘A man always looks out for ‘number one,’ That’s been my motto through life. Vm sorry, boy, for ’d rather sell to you. ll come down fifty thousand. Think of the drop. Write out a check and the property is yours.” ‘‘ It belongs to us as it is!” ‘*To you, when I’ve held it for six years?” grinned the young man, ** Yes, and t will have our own!” Jed Jeffreys sprung from the chair as though shot out of jt by aspring in the bottom, Three feet did not separate him from Weldon and the papers, He went straight at the schemer with all the strength at his command; be fell upon Weldon, pushed him back against the wall, tore the papers from his grasp, and jerking loose, bound- ed.to the door and fled. CHAPTER XX, THE WIND UP, Mr, WEBB WELDON was not long in realizing that, by capturing the boy sharp he had -ob- tained possession of a tartar. He knew this the moment he felt the precious documents wrenched from his grasp, and when he rushed after Jed it was too late, The Jersey boy had escaped with the long- wrestled for prize in his hands! ‘The jig’s up now!” disconsolately growled Weldon, ‘‘This knocks me out everywhere, and especially on the ayenue. Polly filched the lost lettér to no purpose, and Lola’s father won’t listen tome now, [ never saw sucha colla in all my life. I would have won if the boy had not matched me, To-morrow Mark Murchison would have come to time; but I haven’t a vag 4 weapon in my hand now, Notone? Hold! He gasped, when I hinted at the other thing. I am not wrong in my surmises, Nottingham didn’t die with heart disease, He was murdered, and the man who did the deed wauted—what? The wey papers the boy took!” eldon brightened up as thoughts of this na- tur flitted though his mind, ‘It’s worth trying,” said he. *‘ Mark Murchi- gon must pay well to keep my mouth sealed, I know who killed Nottingham!” Weldon would have carried his new plans into effect—indeed he was on his way to Murcbison’s house, late as the hour was, for that very pur- pose—when a hand touched his arm and the next moment he was walking alongside of Cap- tain Catchem, who had caught him on the street, ‘* Don’t give me trouble, Mr. Weldon,” said the detective quietly, ‘‘The game is up and you’ve lost a bride and a fortune,” ‘ Weldon looked his deep chagrin, but made no reply. ‘We're going to the station, but they won’t hang you for it,” continued the ferret smiling as 6 spoke, ** For what?” “Por the old Jersey burglary;_ they never hang for such exploits; but, there’s Nottingham, of Holdfast & Co.—” . Killed! You know it, Captain Catchem!” broke in the young man. i I know it,” answered the detective with de- cision. ‘*That was Mark Murchison’s work, H These mil- | couldn’t wait, He wanted the papers without paying for them, and so he went to the house, found Nottingham there, or Was surprised by bim, no matter which, and they bad a fatal tussle, That’s your idea, eb, captain?” The detective nodded. That night Webb Weldon reflected in a cel] in a police-station. Captain Catchem had spoken truly when he said that the game was up. The grated door, and the darkness and silence of his narrow chamber confirmed this, Captain Catchem feeling sure of his man, waited until the following morning before ring- ing Murchison’s bell. ‘lm glad you’ve come!’ exclaimed the maid the moment she saw him, ‘‘ He came in after midnight, went to the library and is there yet. ve been afraid to enter, as though somethin terrible has happened—everything being so stil in there,” The detective pushed forward, opened the door leading into the library, and stopped on the threshold, Ataglance be saw the form of Murchison in bis chair at tbe table, upon which he leaned with his face buried between his arms, A few strides carried the detective to his side, He bent over and lifted the nabob’s head, One look was all he wanted, : The end had come for Mark Murchison, He was Gead! But, this was not all, On the table, held down by a paper weight of solid silver, was a document which made clear the mystery of Nottingham’s death; but as we do not wish to darken the conclusion of our ro- mance with the narrative, we leave the reader to guess the truth, Besides being a confession, the paper was a will, as well, and the Jeffreys at last received justice at the bands of the man who had so deeply wronged them, The documents which the boy detective re- covered from Webb Weldon established his father’s innocence and removed from his family the foul stigma under which it had suffered so long. itd seems that, while looking for Captain Catchem, Murchison discovered that Weldon had been arrested, and believing that the papers, which he should have destroyed, would condemn him, be wenf home and—died! Webb Weldon was tried for the old burglary, after all. him, and he received “‘ Jersey justice” at last. lola Lewis, whose honor Jed had saved by balking Weldon, became the happy bride of the young man whom she loved when ber father was caught by Webb’s artful story, and Lewis pere never regretted his daughter’s choice. But the happiest of all were the Jeffreys, “T thought all the time that Murchison was trying to cover up some piece of rascality,” said Captain Catchem to Jed and his mother, “and 1 made up my mind to serve Justice while I worked for him, It’s all right now, boy: and if you ve no objections we'll open an office in new Sp ny and bang out a sign reading ‘ Butler & effreys, Detectives,’” : Jed laughed heartily at the famous detéctiye’s conceit, but the dream became a réality before many months had passed, and ‘“ Butler & Jeffreys” greets the eyes of many who know not the secret of the partnership, As to Polly, she was released, and disappeared the same day, going no one knows whither, _— Scissors Simon still cuts profiles witb his nim- ble shears, and Jed frequently visits bim for a jolly hour, ; [ tell you, boys, Grit and Perseverance win, all the time, especially when Honor pilots the way. THE END. mnt Beadle’s Half-Dime Library. 666 Deadwood Dick, Jr., Back in the Mines: or, The Mountain Amazon’s Double Game. By Edward L. Wheeler, 667 Bob and Sam, the Dalsy Detectives; or, The Gamin Spice? Big Stake. By Charles Morris, 668 The Buecanecer Midshipman; or, The Sea Rover's Ruse. By Colonel Prentiss Ingraham. 669 Broadway Billy Abrond; or, Dhe Bootblack Bravo in San Francisco, By J. C. Cowdrick, 670 Norway Nels, the Big Boy Mountaineer; or, The- Rival Ranchmen. By O}l Coomes. 671 Jersey Jed, the Boy Hustler, or, Shadowing the Shadower, By T. e. Harbaugh. 672 Deadwood Dick, Jr., in Durango; or, “ Gathered In.” - ler By Edward L. Whee A New Iasue Every Tuesaday. The Half- Dime Librayyg is jor rile vy al!) newsdealers, five conte per copy, or sent by mail on receipt of six cents each, BEADLE AND ADAMS, Publishers 98 William Street, New York, com Polly’s confession fixed the Crime on —— i