Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 685 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

en, re ae a a tt ‘ . ot “ - EOS” 4S RNS ae a4 mie is. i = — CHAPTER V. THE EUREKA’S TERRIBLE CUSTOMER, ‘‘ Ho, ho, ho! ha, ha, ha! I guess I have a right to laugh, though it’s at my own expense,” ‘“ Well; bave it out. I won’t interrupt you,” These ’words were spoken in the private office attached to the Eureka Employment Bureau, and the hour was one not very remote from that which witnessed the scenes of the preced- ing chapter. Mr, Bart Denman, after his tilt with Abijah Axtel, aad sought out his friend, Joly Jenkins, and the two worthies were occupying luxurious chairs in the little nook aforesaid, “Pm not much out, after all,” continued Denman, when he had checked his somewhat boisterous merriment, ‘* His breakfast knocked a dollar all to smithereens, but then it did me good to see him shut up like a clam the momeat i came to business, Somebody has posted him,” ‘Since he landed in Gotham, think you, Burt?” “Tt looks that way to me.” Joly was thoughtfully silent for a moment. *“Mebbe he’s employed a detective, and has been ‘ posted’ by him.” **T don’t think he knows enough to employ a detective.” ‘* Well, tell me all about your adventure, and then | may give an opinion,” Denman selected a cigar from thé box on Joly’s handsome desk, and between puffs of fragrant smoke retailed the incidents we bave already described, At the same time Nips, the flaxen-haired clerk attached to the establishment, was busy booking names and dispensing information in the outer office, and be was so far along in the intricacies of the business that Joly did not have to volunteer his assistance, Mr. Jenkins listened attentively to everything Denman said. Once or twice he pointed his mustache and frowned or approved, as the narrative seemed to demand, and for some time after the end of the story, he sat silent and studied the ceiling. ‘Don’t you think it’s the old man?” asked Denman, ‘*There’s not the least doubt of it, Burt,” re- plied Joly. ‘‘ Your description of him brings fresh to my mind a little incident which hap- pened last night.” ‘* Let’s have it.” ‘* After I had shut up I went round the cor- ner to see the boy who bas been giving me a few pointers on the flute. He had a visitor, as I dis- covered when I reached his door, and from what I saw of bim—” ‘“*The visitor, Joly?” **The visitor, Ilsay from what I saw of him, Burt, I believe he was old Axtell,” ‘*‘ With that boy?” cried Denman, ‘* With my tutor,” answered Joly. ‘‘That’s odd. What do you think it means?” Mr. Jenkins did not reply. ‘“What does the boy do besides play the flute?” “T’ll be hanged if I know. He’s a daisy at that. Hedropsin here now and then during business hours, which seems to indicate that he’s a young gentleman of leisure. Burt Denman leaned forward, and his silken hand crept out like the bead of a serpent, until one finger touched Joly’s arm, ** Some of these gutter rats know a good deal,” he said. ‘* They are sharper thav a tack. “When will your boy tutor be here again?” “Ob, I can get bim at any time.” “ Between now ani! noon?” “Tthink so, ll try right away.” Joly rapped on the desk with his knuckles, and Nips promptly responded, ‘*T want a note delivered,” said Jenkins, ‘ It isn’é much of a job and you needn’t be gone five minutes.” ‘*)’m your man,” grinned Nips, at the same time glancing at Denman and mentally valuing the diamond on his shirt-front. Joly wheeled his chair to the desk and dashed off a note which he folded and placed in his clerk’s band. “Tt goes to No. 963, S—— street, The name is Hugh Hatton, third floor, to the left. But if he’s in you'll hear a flute and you can’t miss him,” aoe took the message and was off in a jitty. He had scarcely left the building when there came into the reception room of the Bureau a tall, broad-shouldered man who caught Joly’s eye. ‘‘A customer,” whispered the manager to “ = ———— = = *. ™ _-_= ‘ - ~_ == ad | 7 s « rs , > rete ithe tall F : : ~ ‘ , a a » é t) * ° “ . Denman, and springing from his chair he bast- ened into the room to fill Nips’s place. The man had a coarse, unshaven face, his eyes were deep-buried and had a half-famished glare, and Joly felt glad that he bada counter between him and this customer, ‘Is this the place where you get people work?” said the stranger in a rasping voice. ‘* This is the Eureka Employment Bu—” ‘*Give it to me by sections, boss,” interrupted the man. I can’t zrasp the whole outfit at one time.” Burt Denman, who could see Joly through the open door of the private office, smiled at his partner’s expense. ** Yes,” said Joly, somewhat nettled by what he had just listened to, ‘‘ we find employment for people who are in need of it.” ‘‘ A philanthropy, el?” The cadaverous speaker had reached the counter and was looking over it at Joly with the rolling eyes of a hyena. ** Bless me if he isn’t a lunatic,” thought Jenkins, ‘* What do you charge?” blurted the man. Now was Joly’s chance. Of course a person like the one at the counter was penniless, ‘‘ Our fee is ten dollars,” said Jenkins, for nabobs; but we can’t help people to soft snaps for nothing.” The stranger sbut his teeth with a snap, ‘You're tat enough to eat,” he said in tones that seemed to chill Joly’s marrow. ‘I baven’t had anything between my jaws since day before . yesterday.” Joly believed this. He would not have said anything disrespectful of any statement the wild man might have made. ** Well, put me down on your books,” con- tinued the stranger. ‘‘I haven’t got a dollar to my name, and I know you demand a fee in ad- vance—” ‘‘Not at all,” urged Joly, anxious to get rid of bis visitor at any price, He opened a large book and dipped a pen into the inkstand. ‘* Your name?” he went on, glancing over the Joly wrote the name upon the page before him. ‘* Profession?” ““] haven’t any particular profession just now.” ‘* What do you want to do?” The eyes beyond the counter got a devilish twinkle. ‘*T want to commit murder!” ; The pen almost dropped from Joly’s hand, ‘‘it?s a fact. Thbat’s the sort of employment I’m looking for,” resumed Sooey, “ Your sign says: ‘ Employment guaranteed to all.’” ‘*But we don’t help people to violate the laws.” sé No?” “Of course not. If you want tocommit mur- Jer, Mr. Sooey, you’ll have to do it without a boost from this pocket The man growled. He looked straight into Jenkins’s eyes, and that worthy wisbed that Nips would come back, or that Denman would unbend enough to come to his rescue, ‘*I must help Joly out of his snap,” decided Denman, at this juncture, and the next moment he stood in the doorway leading behind the counter where Joly was perched, His footsteps evidently fell upon Dan Sooey’s ears, for be turned in an instant, and the next moment they stood face to face with the counter between them. For an instant there was a nameless stare in Booey’s eyes, and, all at once, with a yell that seemed to shake the solid building, he cleared the obstruction with a bound and fel] upon Den- man like a tiger, “'This is the man I want!” he cried, beating down the hunds Denman threw up in self-protec- ‘“‘He knows ine ’way down in bis heart. He knows tion. My name’s not Dan Sooey to him. What it is!” Joly was breathless and spell-bound. He saw the man force Denman back into the private of- fice, where followed a desperate struggle, and When he found that be could move, he ran through the room into the street to bollow ‘ Po- lice! police!” at the top of bis lungs. _As usual, not a blue-coat was within sound of his voice, and when be ventured into the build- ing, he saw Sooey lying face downward on the floor, while Denman, bis fine clotbes bloody and torn, looked like a person finished by a tiger, ‘*T’m no millionaire!” ‘‘That’s all rigbt. We don’t find employment top of Nips’s desk. ‘** Dan Sooey.” . Happy Hugh, the Boy-Musician Detective. sea It was too much for Joly, and with a short ery he reeled from the scene and fell in a faint at the foot of the counter, just as Nips made his appearance with Happy Hugh. ‘Great Jericho!” cried Nips, with bulging eyes. ‘‘ Just see what I escaped, boy. <A cy- clone of death has wound up the Eureka!” CHAPTER VI. A SURE CLEW, OF course the swoop of the madman created the most intense excitement throughout the neighborhood. The Eureka Employment Bureau was one of the institutions of the street, and the tragedy which had been enacted witbin its walls got to- gether a tremendous crowd, It was found upon examination that neither of the three participants in the affair was dead, Mr. Burt Denman was somewhat bruised and pretty well choked; his fine coat was in ribbons, aud ihe diamond pin was round inthe hand of Sooey, the would-be murderer. The ‘* Eureka’s” customer was the nearest dead of the trio. The examining surgeon said that his rage had exhausted his vitality, and he was removed to the hospital with the chances for recovery decidedly against him, As to Joly, he came out of his swoon and jeaned back in his arm-chair witb fright stamped in his countenance and nervous to a degree, Denman, at his own request, was taken to lis lodgings, but Jenkins remaiued at the Bureau, Happy Hugh was not noticed until after the patrol wagon had taken Sooey to the hospital, when, finding Joly the sole occupant of the snug little office, he slipped in and announced him- self, “Did you send for me, Mr, Jenkins?” asked the boy. ‘Yes, but vou’ll have to come again. Mr. Denman wanted to see you. He had something to say—something important, I suppose; but this cyclone of ,murder—I call it that, though neither of us was killed—interfered with his ar- rangements, Drop around again this evening, and we'll call on Mr, Denman at his rooms—that is, if my nerves stand the strain they’re under- going just now,” ‘*] think your nerves can stand anything, - Joly,” said Hugh, bowing himself out, and a moment later he was on the street once more, There seemed to be something about the madman’s assault which both Joly and Burt Denman were keeping back, Hugh bad noticed that while Jenkins told the ‘story of the affray, he was watched like a hawk by bis employer, and that before Denman went away the two bad a private conference in the office. Who was Daa Sooey, anyhow? Hugh’s only sight of bim was had when he was carried to the patrol wagon, and then he saw a pair of glaring eyes, a wild and baggard tace, and long skeleton hands which reminded him of claws, He revolved these thoughts in his mind as he Jeft the Bureau and was about to walk away when a dirty card lying at the edge of the pave- ment attracted his attention, Going forward he picked it up and saw there- on an address in pencil, It was evident, from its looks, that the card had been carried in a pocket for some time, but the young detective managed to read: ‘“D. Sooey, No. 99 P street.” ‘“‘ Here may be a chance to find out something about the wid man,” said Hugh. ‘Tl attend to it at once and then I'll look after Mr. Axtell and let bim know how the elegant sharp had his clotbes ruined.” 99 P—— street was not difficult to find, and oot long after picking up the card, Happy Hugh was there. He was met at the door by a tall woman who ve about to slam the portal in bis face when he spoke: ‘Mr. Sooey’s in trouble,” said Hugh, ‘“ He is, eh?” exclaimed the woman, ‘ I’m not at all surprised. ~The moment I saw him 1 knew he was a bad man, but he paid in advance an’ | was in debt, an’— But vou know how it goes, boy? In trouble, is he? Tell me,” Hugh was shown into a small parlor at one side of the hall and Mrs. Van Meter, a pro- fessional boarding-house keeper listened to his storv,. ‘What else would you expect of a man who writes nearly all bis time and tears up every thing be puts down?” she exclaimed. ** Does he do that?” ** Come up to his room and I'll show you,” The woman led the way up-Stairs to a smal] : : r.« 4 ort » . ’ 4 - at ‘ 4 ‘ oF ae ee ‘ C \ f 7 fl h . y . Mm ¥ = -, “$ é a = i re 7 oe ——e-— \ , ’ ' at ' ae ; aka : ¥ . —_—s * Sammut —