Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 701 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

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Not until then did he think of the womar whom Mrs. Miggs had seen at the front door, then he paused, as he did not want to encounter any one after entering the house like a burglar. hotograpb Fred stood in the dark some time trying to decide on his future movements, when, all at once, a door was flung open directly before him and the shriek of a female rung in his cars! The young detective could not repress a smile at the woman’s terror, for she was as white as a sheet and almost dropped the light she carried. She fell against the wall, gasping for breath, and staring at Fred as if her eyes would fly from her head. ‘I’m no robber,” remarked Fred, reassuring- ly, as he stepped forward, ‘I came here by accident, really thought I was getting into my aunt’s house, and intended to surprise the old lady, you know,” The frightened woman got a little courage at this and breathed easier. ** You're a boy, ain’t you?” she asked, ‘‘ When I first saw you you looked as tall as Goliath and just as fierce, There’s nothing in this house to take now since Ae went away, and I’m glad he’s gone. ‘*Oh, you’re alone then?” ‘*T am now but it hasn’t been very long that way,” was the reply. ‘‘ Did you have boarders?” ‘**T had one.” “He didn’t find fault with your cooking, I hope?” vt wasn’t that,” grinned the woman, who Wasa spare creature with a pale, sad-looking face which impressed Fred from the start. ** They took him off against his will.” ‘* Hadn’t be a mind of his own?” ** Not on some things,” answered the woman, nig But, you’re in no hurry to find your aunt, are “T’m not inagreat hurry. She knows I’m all oy wherever I am, and I’ve always turned up safe heretofore.” The woman invited Fred into another room and when he had entered she closed the door and locked it. “T want to tell somebody something,” said she. ‘I don’t want to bea party toa crime, It isn’t my nature; but sometimes you know we ¢an’t help ourselves.” The boy spotter said that such was often the case, and he wondered what the woman would say next, ‘My name is Sarah Sackett. I am a widow. My husband fell among bad men some years ago and, to help him out, I did that which I should not have done. In other words, I, too, violated the law. Well, time passed and my busband came back—I need not tell you from where, I thought that the past would be forgotten and that we would be happy again. Our happiness bowever was brief. Once more the man who had been the cause of John Sackett’s ruin came forward and he fell into his clutches, as before. I tried to keep him from evil, but he was in the power of his evil genius, and just when he was trying todo well he fell again, this time for Gs _He died before they could find him or another crime, and I was alone iu the world. ‘*'You would think perhaps that the man who had been the cause of our misfortunes would not think of me, poor widow; but he had kept track of me all along. He had a companion who some- times helped him in his villainies, and one da I discovered that [ was again in his power. He came tome and said that he had a friend who would come and board with me, and I had to consent, for he held the past over my head, like acoward., Well, he brought the man one night and from that hour to the time when he took him away in a closed carriage, he was my strange uest. “Was he like the man who brought him to your house?” arta the boy sharp. Alp Not at all,” the woman hastened to say. . 228 Was the strangest person you ever saw, ** He was all the time making little things with wheels, springs and the like. He could do any- thing in that line, knew all about mechanics, and made me some funny things while here, Why, be once made a clock thas had a skeleton er . eee Le ae 2 ee . ' ‘ P FF - ' « - man in itand when the hour was to be struck the door in frontof the pendulum would open and the skeleton would come forth and blow the time on a tiny horn.” ‘* Wonderful!” exclaimed Fred, at the same time thinking of Johnny Miggs’s experience, ‘“* He never was idle only when he slept and then it seemed to me that his brain was the busiest, for when he awoke be went right to wk, and was sure to produce something new, 1s00% began to suspect that the man was insane on certain subjects, and once when! mentioned about a lot of diamonds which I saw in a show- window down-town, he sprung from bis work- chair and declared that they were his—that they bad been stolen from him a long time ago. I thought he would rave till the people outside heard him, but, just then, Mr. Sharp came in, and my boarder calmed down right away. never saw any one have the power over a buman being that Simon Sharp seemed to bave over him. When Mr. Sbarp got a chance he took me to oneside and told me never to say diamonds in his presence again, I tell you that something was wrong about that man being in my house, He was in the grip of the same men who ruined my husband and made my own life a burden, Tis true I’m rid of my guest, but I bated to see him go, for he was good company, though I could not get him to refer to his past life. He seemed to have forgotten it,” ‘Did he want to go away with Simon Sharp?” asked Fred. ‘*No, but he submitted when Mr. Sharp in- sisted. ‘*Couldn’t you discover anything at all about his past life?” ‘*T tried to pump him many times, but every one I was baffled somehow. He had a queer way of passing his hand over his forehead, as if his memory was deficient. I caught hiin at it when he was alone. Would you Jike to see where he worked?” ‘‘T would like nothing better, for your story has interested me in your boarder,” Sarah Sackett took the lamp and led the way intoa small roo. It bad no carpet and there was a work-bench on one side, ‘They took all his tools with them,” explained the woman. ‘“ Mr. Sharp carried them away in a box. You see they made a clean sweep of everything.” Photograph Fred, who was looking around, nodded, He could see nothing that promised to lighten the mystery surrounding the strange workman. ‘* What did hedo with what he made?’ sud- denly asked the boy. ‘* Oh, as fast as they were finished either Mr. Sharp or his friend would come ard take them away. They looked like machines on a very small scale, but they were perfection, every wheel was in its place, for ke finished them with great care. Inever saw a man like him.” ‘* Didn’t be do any writing? I would suppose that he would get some letters.” ‘* Bless you no, He never wanted to know what was going on outside of this house. Don’t you think from what Ive told you that he wasn’t exactly rightin the upper story?” **It looks that way to me,” answered Fred, ‘““Of course you don’t know whither Simon Sharp took him?” ‘** That’s his secret, not mine,” laughed Sarah Sackett. ‘‘I hope I am rid of the spiders at last. I feel like a new woman already. But, I can’t help tbinking about my late boarder whose name I never heard; he seemed to have forgotten it himself, but he didn’t forget how to make wonderful things like skeleton horn- blowers and the like, I feel better since telling you what I have, I wish they could find that poor man and take him from the power of Simon Sharp and his partner. I'll never help them agdin in their villainies. I wish you had come a little sooner, for then you could have seen for yourself.” The young Carhera Sharp wished so too, and frankly told the woman so. He now realized what bad escaped him by a few hours; but he bad found a sure clew to Jerry Jump’s father, and resolved, while he listened to the widow, not to relinquish it until the rascals had been gathered in, and the great wrong righted. ‘*T don’t. know about another nest controlled by Simon Sharp,” said the woman, ‘‘ Of course he has taken the victim to anuther place. May- be he grew suspicious of me; I don’t know, If you want to find the victim of the conspiracy you'll have to watch the pair; but 1 want to caution you to bewareof both! They will stoop to anything. My husband used to say that Simon Sharp had no heart, and I’m sure his companion is no better.” : fet ‘> So 4 diget! yea’ Ss | aD va ef ‘ : *. f/f": <> ; ; ‘is c quit 2 4 | aa ‘ = A! ‘ — . nt Nate Ei be Sega ta" ors x4 My tt ie - <b . » — | “in : ~ ’ . f ? : < 7 Fred assured Sarah Sackett that he would look out for number cne, and thanking her for her information, went back to the open window and leftjthe house. . ‘* More news for Jerry. He may be at the house by this time. He said he would slip away from Simon Sharp as soon as he could, and he ought to be on band; and the young detective flitted through the streets and bounded up the stair leading to his lodgings. Jerry bad not returned, and whew Mrs, Paster told bitin that she had seen nothing of the Jersey boy, a fear smote his heart, ‘*What if Jerry, too, is in the clutches of the two scoundrels who have his father in their trap?” be exclaimed, and to his mother’s sur- prise he rushed out of the house without ex- plaining bis startling haste. CHAPTER VIII. ENTRAPPING HIMSELF. THE Camera Sharp knew that Melly’s day’s work was over, and that if he wanted to see her he would have to go to her quiet lodgings. He accordingly bent bis steps in that direction, and ere long surprised the newsgirl at ber frugal and rather Jate supper. Always in a happy mood, Melly was de- lighted to see Fred, and immediately inquired after Jerry, whose absence she at once noticed, Fred’s reply embraced all be knew about the Jersey boy’s absence, and Melly listened with absorbing interest. She, too, feared that Jerry bad been lured into a trap by Simon Sharp whom she had not seen since selling him a paper, though she was sure that Jasper Paget, the man with tbe dropped sbouider, had passed her stand just before ber closing bour, ‘** Fred,” said Melly as the young detective was about to take bis departure, ‘'] hope you will keep up the hunt til you’ve found not only our friend Jerry, Lut his father also.” ‘*Don’t let that bother ycu, Melly. Ive en- listed for the war, and I propose to stay in the fight till it is finished. Find-Jerry? Why, of course I'll find bim, and his father, too, I ex- pect the rascals have got away with some of the diamonds, but it’ll be victory enough to restore Thomas Jump to his family; and that means, ou know, the be fling of two scamps who have een at large long enough,” Fred Paster was in a Lrown study wben he reached the street. He had a number of friends or the secret detective force, men whom be bad helped witb his little camera, and he cculd secure the assistance of balf a dozen; but be had re- solved not to ask for it, “Tl see what I can do without them,” was his decision, ‘‘ They’d want more than half the glory, and I want to get along al! by myself for once,” He went from Melly’s abcde to the lart place to which he bad traced Jasper Paget, He hoped that fortune would favor bim in some manner, and throw bim back on tbe trail which now seemed lost. As he approached the house he saw the door ‘open and the next moment Mr. Peget Limself stepped upon the pavement. ‘his was a bit of fock that delighted Fred, In an instant he had drawn back into the shadow of a brick house and watched Paget come forward at a brisk pace. When the man had passed him he dropped quietly upon bis trail and was soon playing shadow to per- fection. ‘* Baldy” Paget walked several squares and dropped into a store presided over by a small man who had but one eye, but it was enough, it was so black and keen; and Fred, drawin | near, saw him pick up an evening papér an lean ageinst the counter for a perusal of some of its contents, It seemed to the Camera Sharp that Mr. Paget was waiting for some one, for he did not seem very much interested in the paper, and every now and then would glance out as if he had caught tke sound of a familiar step. Presently some one brushed the young detec- tive and the next minute Paget dropped the per and came out. The two met under the amp, and Fred saw the greeting that passed be- tween them, The man whom Paget met was not so tall as he? besides, he was younger and looked like a gay frequenter of the parks. Photograph Fred now saw him for the first time, and regretted that it was night, for be would liked to bave “caught” him with his “ detective,” After awhile Paget and the young man walk- ed away, followed by the boy spy, an were tracked to a wine-shop in the vicinity. They