Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 716 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

« Sob. Ce , ? re P in ——_ wr 4" ; Soy, * - be ‘ ® Tih the prisoner’s talk was in a tone sufficiently loud for him to overhear, The prince of detectives smiled, too, as the words fell upon his ears. By degrees he was grasping the truth of a state of things that et ee Nets —— = 7 would be a surprise to the police when made " known, ‘“*But I could not help it,” the woman pro- tested ‘*T know better,” Crandford grated. ‘* You vowed that you would not allow even torture to wring the truth from you.” : ‘But it was forced! Can’t you understand? / Ob, ou do not know—” ‘Yes, I do know—that you have done the very worst thing you possibly could. And I PY know, too, that the accursed detectives have got | upon your track.” *‘Tmpossible!” the woman cried, with well- simulated alarm. ‘* Not impossible, but the fact, That bundred- dollar bill you let get out of your hands has } given you away, somehow,” ‘* But, tell me, what is going to be done?” the woman suddenly demanded, ‘‘How are you going to save yourself?” ‘*T can’t save myself, that I can see,” | “But you did not kill the woman, did you? You have—” | ‘*Of course I didn’t kill her, Would to God | that I knew who did, then it would be of some use trying to prove an alibi, You know that I didn’t kill her, that I would be the last person in the world to— But, let mesee your face; fool that I was not to demand it in the first place, I might be fooled in this way—~” He had laid a hand upon her vail, tolift it, but she was upon her feet in a moment, and his hand was knocked aside, . In the same moment Deadwood Dick swung Wr open the door, Kodak Kate darted out, the pris- oner attempting to seize her, but the heavy- YY barred door immediately swung to with a clang, barring the prisoner just as he was acting upon | an impulse to follow, : **My curse upon you!” he cried, as he saw : Deadwood Dick. ( ‘Thank you!” responded Dick, ‘But, that ’ don’t harm me any. I’m going to save your “y neck, Crandford.” “T little care whether you do or not,” was the vicious response, ‘‘ But I want you to tel] me one thing, since you have no doubt overheard all that passed.” . ‘‘ Well, what is that?” / ** Who was that woman who was in here?” **] will not answer, though I will tell you it was not Celia Ingerslee, as you supposed,’ **T know it wasn’t now, and I curse you for the trick you played upon ime. I want you to leave me to my fate and spare that woman,” i) ‘* But you are innocent of the murder, as you still insist, and as I now more firmly believe, é‘ and the right one must be put in your place. That is what I am going to de.” , ** Tf you can, you mean! But, you can’t do it. be I am as good as hanged already, and I don’t see what you can do to save me.” ‘**See here, you still swear that you didn’t kill * Phoebe Roylan? , Paws! - “T do, Iam innocent of that,” Ps * And youdo not know who did?” tf ‘*T do not, I swear it.” ‘‘Was the woman alive when you 5. house?” » | ae The prisoner looked hard at Dick, as if debat- J eee ing how to answer, | ‘I know that you were in the house, and you know I know it,” Dick urged, ‘‘I cannot see ; the sense of your holding out so stubbornly, ke cae You have just now as good as confessed all de about that part of it. Auswer my question.” a, ‘Yes, I will,” the young man whispered, 3 hoarsely. ‘*‘ When I left the house the woman left the Bc was alive and asleep. Now I have told you Y everything that I can tell. You area devil at | detective work, Deadwood Dick; you can draw Bay _ outof a man anvthing you please,” + het Dick had to smile. 1 Ae ‘‘That is all in your mind,” he said. ‘‘ But At now I have sure grounds to work uron, for I Me ents believe your statement, Now to find tha guilty * r#) ne. ** Which it may not be easy to do, Iamof the opinion.” ** And it may be easier than we imagine.” “But will you do me a favor, Deadwood Dick?” _ “T make no promises where I do not know what about,” was the guarded response. * Well, I'll tell you; if you do get at the Se murderer, and make out a case, will you help Wea me to prove that I was not in that house?” ee ‘*T imagine your lawyers will take care of ‘ hos ‘ Te Pr. > '¢: 4 ' : WIL few MEE DE OY 0S 5 RRA el Ta eee , F Pen ae wt . Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Still Hunt. La =) . —. . ; ul ?, + that,” was the reply. ‘‘ There seems to me little | revived, But who is this person? And what hope of your proving it, however.” | | are you doing with her photograph? Has this ‘“*Then there is no hope of your fastening the | anything to do with the case you are on?” crime upon another,” was the reminder. ‘You; ‘ Yes, it has much to do with it,” was the know why I was in that house at that hour. | answer. ‘ This is the woman in the case, as we Once let a jury of twelve sane men get hold of | always say. This is the womanin whom Howard that, and they will render a verdict of guilty | Crandford is interested. Do you know that without leaving their seats.” Phoebe Roylan drew twelve hundred dollars out ‘** True enough; but the fact that I do know | of the bank on the day before she was killed?” why you were in the house, is enough to clear | The old lawyer looked the surprise he felt, and you of the murder, provided another person can | his hands twitched nervously. be found who had something to gain by the ‘*'No; did she?” he demanded, death of Phoebe Roylan, The fact that you had ‘*She did. What is more, that money has nothing to gain, but all to lose, by ber death, is | been turned over to the woman whose picture a strong point in your favor, But, we shall see | this is,” how it will come out. Give me a little time, ‘*Goodness me! How much more of a tangle and if you are innocent I'll save your neck for | is this thing going to get into, Mr. Bristol?” you, though I don’t promise you anything fur- ‘I think it is rather getting out of a tangle,” ther,” corrected Dick, ‘** We are coming out into the With that, and some further remarks, Dick | light, now,” went out and rejoined Kodak Kate, and they ‘* But why should Phoebe Roylan pay such a went away together, sum over to this woman? What is she to the ‘“ Well,” asked Kate, “‘how did I play the | murdered woman? Come, make it plain,” part?” , ‘*I don’t know whether you are trying to ‘*To perfection,” cried Dick. blind me, or whether your question is all best ‘ pard’ I ever had,” straight,” remarked Dick, ‘‘ Anyhow, if it is ‘Tam glad you think so well of m the former, you can’t doit. I have got at the forts. It gives me confidence in myself, bottom on one point.” ‘* And that is all a detective needs,” declared ‘* Explain, explain!” ps Dick. ‘“‘ But what do you think of our case ** Well, Howard Crandford was in the house now? Can you see light ahead?” on that night, and his business there was to “*Yes, and plenty of it,” was the answer, | steal that money to pay it over to this very “but it is through a glass darkly, yet. But we | woman. And he made a thorough job of the know where old Phoebe Roylan’s money went to, | undertaking, too.” for one thing.”’ The old lawyer could only stare. ‘Yes, true enough. We know that it was ‘‘Are you more thap human?’ he cried. stolen out of that house on the night of the | ‘“* How did you get at these facts?” crime, and by Howerd Crandford, Further, ‘* By the most simple process in the world,” that it was passed over to this woman, Celia | Dick smilingly assured. ‘‘ Nothing so very Ingerslee,” great about it. But what do you think of it ‘“There is some secret between those two. | all?” Some powerful reason why that money had to ‘*Think! Why, I think Howard Crandford is be obtained and paid over to the woman. | going to hang in spite of all that can be done to What it is, remains for us to find out; but the | save him, that’s what. I’m sorry that I ever mystery of the murder is no nearer being solved | called ‘you into the affair. I will pay you hand- than it was,” somely if you will drop out of it,” ‘*T am not sure about that,” declared Dick. Dick was now puzzled. What meant such a ‘*T have a suspicion, but what it will amount to) stand as this? These lawyers, it seemed, wanted ** ‘You are the is yet to be learned. But that phowarees you , to save Crandford at any cost, poor ef- have of the woman— I want that to show to He was silent a moment before he spoke. the lawyers, to see whether they kaow the per- ‘*T don’t know just how to take that remark,” he finally said, ‘but rest assured that Dead- wood Dick can’t be bought off when once he has taken hold of a matter, But it isn’t so black as it looks.” ‘**]T don’t see how it could well be any darker.” “There is something more to be said. Crandford didn’t kill that woman, and I am of the opinion he didn’t, who did do it?” ‘‘ Ha! then in spite of all you do think him in- nocent, do you?” son or not, though I don’t hope to gain any- thing by showing it to them,” ’ The picture, though neither attached much importance to it, was passed into Dick’s keeping, After a talk they parted, Kate going home to lay off her disguise, and Dick turning his steps in the direction of the lawyers’ office, There a small but very gratifying bit of information awaited him, CHAPTER XII, UnlessI can, his fate is cer- A FRUITLESS SEARCH, LION-HEARTED Dick was soon again at the office of the brothers, to try to prove it, tain.” ‘* But where does your suspicion point now? Is there any other person whom you look upon as probably the guilty one?” *¢ There is.” ‘* Who is it?” Deadwood Dick mentioned a name in a still lower tone. ‘*Good heavens!” the old man cried, ‘‘ you can’t mean it!” Oliver SEP was at the railing the moment he entered, with his usual inquiry. But this time Dick was in no mood for parley or delay, and opened the gate himself and i in, much to the horror,of that small outh, ‘*'You’re not responsible for what youcan’t| ‘I mean it, or I would not mention it,” Dick help, my boy,” Dick said, smiling. ‘I can see | assured. ‘‘ And I want all tke help you can lend that one of him is in, and as Iam in a hurry | me toward finding it out. If the guilt is not to I won’t stop to go through all the forms this | be placed there, I must then look upon Crand- ford’s assertion as a blank lie, that's all.” _ . ‘* And you don’t think he has lied?” **T do not,” ‘** But this other is too horrible to be given thought, Mr. Bristol.” ‘“No more horrible than it would be in any case, A murder is a murder, and the worst of criraes,” Upon this point they held a long and earnest talk, in which Dick unfolded certain plans which were in hismind, to be brought into play if cir- cumstances favored any of them. . One thing be learned, the thing to which ref- erence was made at the close of the preceding chapter, that Susan Roylan had sent for her lawyers to come to her immediately after the funeral, and also that she wanted to employ an- other domestic in her household, | time,” Samuel Kincarth had looked up, at the un- usual occurrence—looked up with both eyes this time, and he stared until Dick was at the desk where the old lawyer was sitting. ** You have not coldly. ‘*’m here to speak for myself, this time,” de- clared Dick. ‘ Don’t let’s spend any time mon- mit Do you know this face?” e dropped the photograph upon the desk be- fore the old gentleman. It was taken up and looked at, and as the law- yer studied the face, Dick noticed that his lips twitched, and that his eyes dimmed, **-You have seen the face?” Dick questioned. ‘*It revives a memory of the past,” was the en announced,” he observed, j, Lwenty-five, at least.” had requested to supply the want, Well, it isn’t a iikeness of any person you knew, then, for this was only recently taken, and the original is just as you see her.” again, and to be in time for the funeral, ‘*T know, I know; it was only the recollection ‘‘-Yes, I do consider him innocent, and I want — answer, ‘* Then it merely reminds you of one you have Armed with this latter particular, Dick lost known?” no time in getting the information to Kodak ~ Lou Kate, telling her to apply for the place immedi- * Years ago?” ately through the lawyers, whom the old woman ~ That word having been sent, Dick set out for the house of the crime, to see the old servant it was nearing the hour for the funeral, and a | ~—_ Ay 5 a cthst et ~ uw eo wl og a | ct } £