Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 685 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

~ Am “— * a a 7 Ct oe 2 2.88: Se. ee - = ft Waa hy Si See NL, I ie ee re. 7, \ . : = ‘ tae and poorly lighted back room. It looked more like the lair of a wild beast than the abode of a human being. In the fire-place were many pieces of half- burned paper, and other bits were scattered over the floor, ‘*He’s at it all the time he’s in-doors,” re- sumed the woman. ‘“ Writes and destroys, destroys and writes again. Dan Sooey, as he calls himself, was once a man of refinement, Tt crops out in many places. He acted the ruffiin at the ‘‘ Eureka” as you call it, boy; but there was a time when he wasn’t that,” **When was it, do you think?” asked Hugh, — Lo ~ P29 picking up several pieces of paper and looking | at the words traced thereon. “That I can’t tell?’ [Pve heard him about Nelly.” Hugh started. ‘* About Nelly, eh?” he repeated. ‘Yes, Sometimes he would throw down the pen and break out like a madman, bim walking the fluor, and every now and then the name of Nelly would reach my ears. He appeared to be looking for somebody—for somebody whom he did not regard in the light of a friend.” ** An enemy, then?’ **It seemed so to me. Maybe he found that person at the employment agency.” The Musician Detective made no reply fora minute. ‘‘T'd like to know more about Dan Sooey,” he said, looking at the boarding-house k2eper. ‘¢ You know as much as I do, boy.” The young shbadower went over to the fire- place anil picked up a handful of papers which had escaped tne flame altogether. ‘‘Sic down there an’ see what you can make out of them,” said Mrs, Van Meter, pointing to the table. ‘* You shall not be disturbed, for Pll be down-stairs attending to my duties,” Hugh was only too glad to accept this invita- tion. ‘ He drew a chair up to the table and went to work. **Of course the Nelly Dan Sooey talked about inay not be the one I’m interested in,” said Hugh. “Still, there can be no barm in putting these bits of writing together in hopes of getting at the bottom of this mystery. I never will believe that ’Hijah Axtell told me the whole story about his trouble, but V1) bring it out link by link. ‘I’ve enlisted in this campaign for the war.” It took him a long time to put together enough pieces to form anything like a con- nected sentence. Many a person would have given upin despair; but Hugh did not think of such a thing. At last he had before him the following words: **T may never find Nelly, but I will find the in- famous thief, And when I have found him—” Here the sentence ended abruptly and Hugh was obliged to hunt for more. ‘*There seems to be two lost Nellys,” he ex- claimed, _ ‘* Did Dan Sooey find the thief at the ‘Eureka? Or, did his diseased imagination mold Burt Denman, the spider, into that per- son? I would like to know, I sball know!” Happy Hugh’s pockets were filled with bits of paper when he went from Sooey’s lodgings. He went straight to Abijah Axtell’s hotel and fortunately found tbe Jersevman in, **One question before I tell you what has happened since we parted,” said the boy, laying his hand upon the old man’s arm. You always speak of Nelly as your granddaughter, Wbat became of her father?’ Mr. Axtell fell back with a sudden gasp. ** My son?” he said with an effort, then paus- ed and began again, ‘my son went away to hunt Nelly the day after her disappearance. He never came back, but two years after his departure he was found dead in the river that flows under the big bridge over yonder.” ** Murdered?’ _ “No, be ended his life in despair. I have re- frained from mentioning this sad event because it wrings my heart to think of it,” Hugh looked into the face of the honest old Jerseyman and saw bis lips quiver, We My son’s name was found on the body,” Axtell went on. ‘‘I was written to but not until after the corpse had been buried, and I let it remain where the city bad put it. How came you to ask about Nelly’s father?’ Hugh adroitly eluded the question, and it was not pressed. e then proceeded to tell the story of Dan Sooey’s swoop upon the ** Eureka” and left Axtell to, draw from it apy conclusions that seemed natural, talk | | I could hear | > ees = i whem f ** T’ve founda clew!” said the boy sharp, ‘‘ Now for the hospital.” A few moments later he had left the hotel and was on his way to the institution which had received Dan Sooey within its walls, ‘“*How’s the man what played tiger at the Eureka Employment Bureau this morning?” he asked of the first attache whom he en- countered. ** He’s dead!” Hugh’s anxious look became a stare. ss Dead 9”? “That’s what,” answered the nurse. ‘You ain’t Nelly, I guess,” continued the man with a grin. Hugh, who was turning away, stopped and then came back. ‘Of course I’m not Nelly,” he said. ‘* But what made you say that?” ‘* Why, just before the patient, Sooey, died he raised himself in bed and cried out that he hoped he had killed the man who stole his Nelly. It was the most exciting piece of acting I[ ever saw in the bospital and ’ve seen a good many, Of course it may bave been the ravings of one in | delirium: the doctors says it was,” ‘* But it was nothing of the kind,” said Happy: Hugh to bimself as he walked away. ‘“ That man wasn't Dan Sooey, but Nelly’s father. He was Abijah Axtell’3 son, no matter what the old man tbinks about the corpse found in the river, I’m now firmly on the trail, and I sha’n’t quit it till ’ve found Nelly and brought to justice the two villains who are the meanest of their '"ind!” CHAPTER VII. PUMPING NIPS. Ir was near the close of the day following Happy Hugh’s visit to the hospital, and he was alone in kis littlerooin. He had coaxed several tunes from his flute, but had put the old friend away for the present, and was studying for the fortieth time the letter signed *‘ Jack Xerxes” which he had received from Ahijah Axtell, the Jersey man. ‘* The madman, Nelly’s father, is dead; the girl herself is still lost and Joly Jenkins wrote that letter!” said Hugh, unconsciously spehking aloud his conclusions. ‘* To find Nelly, it seems to me, one bas but to keep a sharp eye upon Joly. Mr, Burt Denman isn’t well enough to resume the street, therefore Pll devote my time to the manager of the Eureka, Nips, the clerk, is one of those prying, inquiring persons who always know a good deal about their employers’ private affairs, but the fellow seems a little dis- tant. He evidently thinks himself above Hap- y Hugh, the boy ferret. Look out, Mr. Nips. fou may change your mind one of these days.” ‘Hello, Happy!” said some one at this juncture. ‘‘ Alone, eh?’ Already Hugh was looking up and had caught sigut of the person who, if be bad listened, might have heard something about himself—Nips, the clerk, ‘** Of course I’m alone, Nips,” exclaimed Hugh with alaugh. ‘*I never bave visitors,” ‘* Mebbe you should be deemed lucky for being so situated,” and Nips walked in without an in- vitation, ‘* lm tired,” he went on, ‘* We had a hard day of it, and the entire work fell upon me. Mr. Denman, you see, is still confined to the house, and Mr, Jenkins is too nervous to do anything at the Bureau. I’m hunting recre- ation; shut up the Bureau somewhat earlier than usual for that purpose. Would you like a stroll?’ ‘** This is luck,” thought Happy Hugh. is unbending. Which way shall it be?” He spoke the last sentence aloud, ‘Twas going down to my watchmaket’s, near the Battery, and from there we might begin a lark of some kind, such as-two gentlemen of our disposition ought to indulge in.” Hugh was very eager to embrace Nips’s propo- sition, but took good care not to betray himself, He told Nips that be bad nothing pressing on hand just then, and a minute afterward the pair were On the street, They went direct to the clerk’s watchmaker. It was a very small room, and Hugh saw thatif Mr. Nips did sometimes put on airs, be patron- ized some very humble shops. “ That little old man,” said Nips wo Hugh, when they had said “ good-lay” to the old watchmaker, * is one of the best jewelers alive, He was, for a time, Watchmaker Extraordinary to His Royal Highness Somebody across the water. I bring bim all the work I can, and consequently get my jobs done at a discount, The other day Mr. Denmau gave me a lady’s watch to take to his jeweler, and what did I do ‘* Nips Ly . bs ete -— + eo 1 Z a . ‘ 7 .. i rat : - | , ‘ ea) 475 om Happy Hugh, the Boy-Musician Detective. a ~~ ” “4 but fetch it down here to Old Gatchin, and get’) it repaired ina manner that delighted my em- ployer!” “ That was pretty shrewd,” smiled Hugh, look- | | ’ ing up into his companion’s beaming face, ‘ But ) what was Mr. Denman doing with a lady's. watch? I thought he—” ‘* Wasn’t married, eh?” Nips interrupted. “Yes; you took the very words out of my mouth,” ‘* Welt, my employer isn’t married; but that don’t prevent him from having a very pretty cousin who knows something about the flute.” The boy detective started. _ “A girl play the flute?” he exclaimed, feign- ing astonishment, ‘Why not? Girls learn everything, now- adays!” laughed Nips. Hugh nodded, ‘* Is she pretty?’ he asked. Who?” ‘* Why, Mr. Denman’s cousin,” ‘*T should say so,” ‘*Tnuen you’ve seen her, Nips?” ‘*Twice, But there’s a certain sadness about her which I can’t describe,” ‘* A shadow of some sort?” ‘ve always thougbt so. When I went to the : | } 4 house the first time—it was to summon Mr, Den- | man to the ‘Eureka’—I heard a flute playiug the saddest strain you ever listened to, and when the player met me in the ball, holding the flute in her hand, I nearly fainted. She moves often, that is I think she does, for the second time | saw her she was sitting at an open win- dow in quite another part of the city, and though she disappeared the moment I caught sight of her, | knew she was the girl-flutist and Den- man’s cousin,” We need not say that Happy. Hugh eagerly drank in every word of Nips’s revelation, They had reached Battery Park by this time and, Nips having produced cigars, had taken posses- sion of a settee. Hugh noticed that his com- panion wore a new suit which afforded a strik- ing contrast to his poor garments, and the clerk suddenly noticing the mute inspection said: ‘* It’s a pretty good fit, eh?” Hugh looked half confused and replied: ‘* Rather good. You have a tailor as well as a watchmaker, Nips?” ‘Every rising young man has,” answered Nips proudly. ‘*Gatchin is my watchmaker, and Spenloe, my tailor.” ‘*And pray who is the pretty cousin’s milli- ner?” grinned Hugh, anxious to bring Nips back to the subject nearest his heart, ‘*T never got so far along as that!” rejoined the clerk. ‘* Dll tell you, though, that if Mr. Denman’s cousin has a milliner, and all young misses of quality have, you know, she’s up in her profession.” ‘‘ Of course,” assented the boy detective, bav- ing no doubts that Nips had seen lost Nelly Ax- tell, ‘*I’d like to see Mr. Denman’s cousin be- cause I like pretty faces,” Nips reflected a moment, and having no watch just then, walked over to where an old man oc- cupied a bench and got the time. ‘* We'll go up to where | saw her last,” he said, coming back to Hugb. | ‘The young Jady, you mean?’ ** Certainly—Mr, Denman’s cousin,” This was better lack than the boy ferret had dared to hope for, and leaving the park, they took the ‘‘L” and were soon being whirled up town, 4 ‘‘Are we going up among the nabobs?” asked ugh, ‘* Not quite, boy,” was the response. ‘‘ We'll stop this side of upper-tendom; but the neigh- borhood inhabited by Mr, Denman’s cousin is eood—first-class.” They rode on until Nips nodded to Hugh and at the next station both got out. ‘It’s just around the corner, if I’m not mis- taken,” said Nips, ‘ It’s number 555,” Happy Hugh kept at the clerk’s side, and as they turned into the next street Nips touched bim saying in a whisper: ‘* By Jove! yonder’s Mr. Jenkins!” Hugh stopped, and then felt himself pulled into the shadow of a house by his companion. ‘If they catch me playing spy the ‘ Eureka’ will lose its clerk,” continued Nips, pale at the gills. ‘* But the man who has just rung yon hell is Joly or his ghost.” Hugh had already fixed his gaze upon the man so suddenly discovered by Nips, and knew that he bad found Joly Jenkins in the flesh, ‘‘Ts that the house where you last saw Mr, Denman’s cousin?” whispered the boy. **That’s the identical house,” replied Nips, The friends waited a moment longer, and ;