Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 685 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

’ sr 1 a al _ =e «. ——- Tv" -— ww EE rT ——eEEeE ee - nf — ' > — . Nite - ‘ ’ . rig \. : Happy Hugh, the Boy-Musician Detective. then, when Joly was about to jerk the bell-knob again, the door opened, The manager of the ‘‘ Eureka” seemed to look startled. ‘‘Ts Miss Bertha in?” Nips and Hugh heard him ask, “You mean the young lady who was here,” answered the woman in the door, ‘¢‘T mean Miss Bertha.” ‘‘P'm sorry, but 1 cannot give you any infor- mation about her. You see I took this house but three days ago. Its former tenants bad just vacated it—” ** Do you know where they went?” **T do not.” Joly looked nonplused. ‘* Ts that all?” asked the woman. Joly bowed stiffly. ** Look here, Mr. Natchett,” hesaid. ‘‘ I want to know if those foreign fortunes ever pan out to amount to anything.” ‘* What, have you your eye on one?” and the lawyer grinued until Joly saw his little false teeth. ‘* Yes—no,” was the reply. have an opinion.” Natchett fell back in his chair, as was his habit just before delivering an opinion, and for a moment blinking at the ceiling lke an owl facing the sun, ‘“*T’ve known ’em to pan out well,” he said, slowly looking at Joly. ‘* What country?” ‘*Say England.” ‘* Fortunes come from there sometimes.” ‘* Still, I'd like to ‘**T’m called unscrupulous and heartless,” he went on. ‘‘I’m the shark of the bar, the vul- ture lawyer of New York, and mebbe I haven't given the right advice all my life; but bere’s a case I won’t touch unless it be in the interests of justice, This pageis from the register of Pren- low Parish, Dumfries, Scotland, It records thaton a certain day many years ago, Mortimer Axtell married Jeannie McDonald, as fine a pair as ever stood before the minister. Afterward they left Scotland—the young man quarreled with his people, refused to take a farthing of the family estate, and so forth. Years rolled on, The old father changed his will, He cut his son off altogether, but said that his daughter —word had come back from somewhere that Mortimer was the father of a little girl—should **T reckon it is,” avd the the door slammed, ‘** How about Scotland?” be the heiress of the Axtell wealth, I don’t and the manager of the ‘‘ Eureka” came down ‘* Pd rather risk one from there.” know what became of Mortimer Axtell; he the steps, disappointed and angry. “Pll les him know that he can’t win alone!” cried Joly, halting in front of the house, ‘“*Here’s a pretty go. He’s at his cute tricks, and wants to monopolize everything. It was to have been share and share alike, and, by Ju- piter! he can’t afford jo set up a game against me!” 5 At the conclusion of his speech, Joly started off, fortunately not coming toward Nips and Hugh, and when he had vanished, Nips said: ‘* We're too late. The nest bas new and strange birds. Joly is feeling hurt. He calls to see the pretty flute-playing cousin, anid she has moved. He seems to think that some one has utupagameonhim, I’m afraid Joly’s jeal- ous.” And Nips laughed. There was some Scottish blood in Noah Natchett’s veins, and Joly feared that this fact might have biased his opinion, ‘* What part o’ Scotland?” queried Mr, Natch- ett, after a short silence, ‘*Say from near Dumfries.” The next instant the old lawyer, instead of blinking at the ceiling, was looking straigbt into Joly’s face. ‘* Mr, Jenkins, do you intend to employ me?” he asked, ** To do what?” ‘To get your fortune for you,” Joly Jenkins laughed. ‘* By Jove! that’s good!” he cried, ‘ Think of the manager of the Eureka falling heir to a lump of Scottish gold! I wish there was a never came back. Probably he died long ago.” ‘* He did and his wife, too,” said Joly. ** Ha, you know, do you?” cried Natchett, ** Go on,” was Joly’s answer. ‘* You interest me,” Still holding the yellowish paper in his hand, the old law shark continued: “Tt’s a big estate now—worth many thou- sands. There was a clause in the will which provided that should Mortimer Axtell’s daugh- ter marry and have a daughter, the mother dying before the estato was claimed, the daugh- ter was toinherit. Now, there must be a legal heir somewhere,” ‘* What makes you think so?” asked Joly. ‘‘A line of good Scotch blood seldom runs out,” answered the old lawyer, ‘‘ Besides this, By this time the manager of the ‘‘ Eureka” | chance!” if there was thought to be no legal heir living, was more than a square away, and in another, ‘* Then, you’re not the person?” you, Mr, Jenkins, would not be here asking my street, and Happy Hugh proposed a moving on. ** No,” opinion of thet paper.” ‘** Hits me exactly!” exclaimed Nips. They left the sbadow of the wall and walked toward the house Joly had just quitted. Hugh glanced up at the door when they got opposite. e saw the number—555, While he looked the curtains at one of the windows parted, and the next instant he saw there, with her face framed in lace, a young girl whose appearance thrilled him. Was it Nelly? It happened that Nips, looking away at the time, saw nothing of this, and before he could see it the curtain came together and the face was gone, ‘* A thousand to one that I’ve found Nelly Ax- tell,” said Happy Hugh to himself, ‘* This is ood luck with a vengeance. I'll be back here just as soon as [I can ‘throw’ Nips. I see that it is diamond cut diamond, and all in the family, ‘** But you take an interest in the matter?” Joly suddenly bent over the table. ‘* W bo occupies the next room?” he asked, in a whisper, ‘* Kent and Kineon; but they’re not in now,” answerel Natchett. ‘*The room overhead is empty; the one below us belongs to a man just now out of town, and the basement—” ‘‘ Hang the basement!” brokeinJoly. ‘* Now, I'll show you something.” He unbuttoned his waistcoat and drew forth a long and well-worn envelope, from which he proceeded to extract a paper, Noah Natchett’s deep-set black eyes glittering the while, Joly shoved the paper across the table, the lawyer pounced upon it like a vulture, opened it, read a minute and then looked up, his face, yellow when he began, now ghastly. ‘** Is this yours?” he cried to Joly. ‘* Yes, sir.” ‘* Tt looks that way to you,” said Joly. ‘‘ Tt is that way!” was the prompt response, The manager of the ** Kureka” reached out for the document, but it was quickly with- drawn, ‘‘Not yet,” said Natchett. ‘“‘ Pll tell you something else. This leaf was cut from the register of Prenlow Church some years ago, The theft occasioned a good deal of excitement at the time, About the same time certain other events of adark nature took place on this side of the water. I recall now uw newspaper para- eraph which, if you had not called, I should not in all probability, ever have thought of again, [I received a letter—Heaven knows how the writer thereof koew that I was once a parish clerk—asking me to look out for a young girl who had left her home in New Jersey. In the letter was the newspaper clipping I have men- tioned. But there was no fee in the letter; [ too. I’m getting there, ha, ha!” And while he ** How long have you had it?” was busy, and it was tossed aside, I say my Jaughed, Hugh did not see.the shadow which ‘‘Some years. You know what it is?” mind goes back with great clearness to these even then was at his heels, nor dream of the “Ido. I wrote it myself.” events just now. Vm more than you thought great danger so near at band, ** You?” me, eh, Mr. Jenkins?” ‘Yes. I was parish clerk then.” It was a laugh that seemed to rasp Joly’s CHAPTER VIII, JOLY JENKINS'S BLUNDER, Leavinc Happy Hugh to his self-imposed task of getting rid of Nips, who liked company just enough to give the young detective a world of trouble, lef us go back and look after Joly Jenkins whom we left walking rapidly from the scene of his disappointment. Joly did a good deal of talking to himself, nor grew still for a single moment until he plunged suddenly into an open doorway and running up- stairs greeted a man who occupied a dingy law- office with spider-webs across the upper panes. Mr. Joly Jenkins opened his eyes with amaze- ment, ‘‘ It was a rainy day, and the light in my little room was so dim that I could not go straight all the time. Here’s where I made a blot:” the old man touched the paper with the tip of one of his mummy-like fingers, ‘* Yes, sir, that’s the identical leaf from the Register.” The. paper before bim seemed to transport him back to old times and otber scenes, ‘“T wasn’t ‘Old Noah Natchett’ then,” he wenton. ‘I had not begun to help one portion of mankind prey upon the other, I was a parish clerk, nothing more, but, by heavens! [ was bones like a cold file, ‘‘ You'd better leave this with me,” continued Noah, glancing at the paper in his hand. ‘That paper? Ican’t! I can’t say that it be- longs to me.” ‘Not to you? To whom, then?” Joly said notbing, ‘Don’t you know it’s compromising to have stolen property in your possession?” ‘*T know it’s not exactly right before the law—” ‘**See bere!” Old Noah was leaning over the table toward Joly. The old tin sign on the outside of the dooriu- | happy. But you don’t want me to tell you this, “Go back to your business,” he said, ‘* Tl formed the public that ‘‘Noah Natchett, At- | Mr. Jenkins?” keep the paper for the time being. I¢ will be torney and Counselor at Law,” occupied the ‘“No. I wanted to know whether you consid- | safe with me. It proves a point in law, and dirty quarters, a fact well known to Mr, Jen- | ered that writing genuine—” , I’m the living witness, Some day the beiress of kins of the *‘ Eureka.” ‘The lawyer was small, dried-up, spectacled and sharp of feature. He wore a wig which sometimes came off with his bat, and the few buttons he boasted of were not on his glossy coat, Despite his appearance, Mr. Natchett was shrewd, and, withal, unscrupulous, He was hated by his legal brethren who knew that those who wanted certain kinds of advice weat to him and got it for less money. The old lawyer’s eyes fell upon Joly with an €vil and avaricious gleam, ** You haven’t been here for some time, Mr. Jenkins,” said Natchett. ‘‘I see by the papers that you had an affair at the ‘ Eureka.’ By the wy how is Mr, Denman?” _ Joly said growlingly that Denman was *‘ com- ing round all right.” ‘Glad to hear it,” answered the weazen-faced sharp. “Friend and employer of yours, you he | do,” ‘* Certainly, since you wroteit yourself. Now, supposing a large fortune depended upon your swearlnpg to the genuineness of the document before you—” ‘Would I swear to it, eh?’ again broke in Natchett. ‘No, I would not!” Joly looked thunderstrack. “ Why wouldn’t 1?” cried Old Natchett, ‘In the first place, 1’m a serpent that bas shed his skin, Does the snakeever go back and resume the skin cast off? No. For me to swear to that paper makes me parish clerk again, See? Secondly, I won’t dip my hands into any ras- cality directed against the acquaintances or friends of my young manhood,” Joly thought he should fall from his chair, The idea of Noel Natchett, regarded as one of the unscrupulous law-vultures of Gotham, talking about honesty, was something worth wondering at, ‘ a nN RS the Axtell thousands will turn up. She’s bound todoso. You can’t afford to have a paper like this in your care. Why, man, tbhey’d send you to prison on sight. You say it isn’t your prop- erty? Whoclaimsa right to it?” Joly’s eyes flashed while his face flushed. ‘You can’t hold that document!” he cried, rising and pushing his chair back with a kick, ‘‘T didn’t come here to give it to you, nor to let you score an unexpected victory, Give it to me!” Joly looked across the table into the dancing eyes of the little old lawyer, ‘‘Not yet, Mr. Jenkins, If the paper ain’t yours, as you have just admitted, what right have you to it?” ‘*That’s forme to keep to myself.” The next moment Joly came round the table, his bands clinched and _ his eyes on fire; but all at once one of Noab Natchett’s bunch of fingers came up over the top and the manager of the (acre — ——— eee) — ES ————————————————— Old Noah seemed to read his client’s thoughts, know. Eureka looked into a cocked revolver! aie \ie <*. SY a he . eS ‘* . 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