Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 742 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 when be reached the sidewalk his first act was to do this. He discovered that the letter was addressed to— ‘* BURTON VAN LOO, ‘¢ That’s in a good quarter,” said the boy ferret withasmile, “If | could see what is in this letter I would give a good deal—that is, all I am worth; but Pll deliver it and get a look at Van Loo,” It did not take the young and eager messen- ger loug to reach S—— street, and when he rap up the steps of No, 244, he was ushered into a wide ball and ordered to go into the parlor and wait for Mr. Van Loo, ‘*There’s money here,” thought Billy Winks while he waited for the master of the house and amused himself looking at the fine paintings on the wall. ‘* This is a better house than the one to which I tracked Chuck Holcomb.” His words were cut short by the entrance of a man at whom he began to stare the moment he caught sight of him, This was Van Loo, a fine looking, florid-faced man with a superb figure and gray side-whiskers after the manner of an English nobleman, Billy at once handed the man his note, and that gentleman dropped into a chair and opened it. hile he sat there the boy had a good op- portunity to study him, and he improved 1t. He saw a faint smile overspread the man’s face as he read, and when he had finished the message he looked up at Billy with the paper Ms ws on the table. ‘* You're to take a message back? That’s the way I understand this matter,” he said, and then he drew writing materials toward him and be- gan to write. ‘*Go on,” said the boy to himself while be watched Van Loo. ‘“*The man at the restau- raut told me nothing of the kind, but if you want tointrust me with a letter it’s all rigkt, Mr. Van Loo,” The person at the table finished his task, sealed what he had written and addressed it to **Spanker,” thinking, no doubt, that the boy knew the rest. ‘*Take that to bira, and here’s something for your trouble,” said the man, and a silver dollar rolled toward Billy Winks. Billy smiled, bowed his acknowledgments and withdrew, but he had barely left the house ere Van Loo, looking again at the letter on the table, lost color and fairly flew to the door. He had discovered that no answer was re- quired and that be bad committed a serious blunder in sending one, But Billy Wiuks had cut around the corner and was out of sight and he had his curses for his pains, ‘*Gone with the letter!” growled the man, go- ing back into the luxurious parlor. “ [ ought to be kicked across the continent. What if the boy opens that letter and is sharp SnOney to figure out what it means? Great Cesar! 1’m a fool,” and kicking an innocent cat half way across the parlor, he sat down, swearing more than ever. Meantime Billy Winks, highly elated over something, was on the street with the letter re- ceived from Van Loo burning a hole in hia inside pocket, ‘“T think Pye picked up an important link,” he chuckled, ‘It’s almost as good as finding ous Holcomb, for ’ve an idea who this Van oo is, CHAPTER VII. MASTER AND MAN, It was later in the day when the sender of the note by Billy Wloks, sitting in the cool parlor of the fine house on S—— streét, was aroused by the jingling of the bell ip the hall, and when there stepped in the room the man who had met the boy detective in the restaurant, he gave vent to an exclamation of delight, ** Did you get my letter?’ demanded Van Loo. ““What letter? was the quick response, ac- companuied by a look of wonder. “Why, the one I sent back by the boy who brought yours,” ‘* Did you do that? If you had read my note carefully you would have seen that no answer was required, The truth is, I sent that message by one of these street Arabs and the chances are that I will never see bim again.” Yan Loo’s countenance clouded and he gasped for breath, ‘‘I did discover my mistake when it was too sate ;, the boy was off and I could not overtake m, a ** Oh, let it go,” said the other in an off-hand way, though it was evident tnat he was some- what disturbed over the blunder, ‘* The boy will be looking for me at the restaurant, and 1 will drop down and waitin the neighborhood for him.” This seemed to relieve Van Loo and he took a cigar from the box on the table. ‘When are we going to wind the thing up?” he asked with a glance at bis visitor, ‘* Pretty soon with Holecoml! where he won’t be likely to give ua furtber trouble—” ‘Be sure of that as you go along,” was the interruption. ‘*Tam. I guess Simon and I are equal to the emergency. I was looking at tie girl again to- day. There can be no mistake, aud the boy is the only one who really puzzles me.” ‘* Is she reallv pretty?” ** She is very good-looking.” ‘* A type-writer, you say?’ “Yes,” ‘6 Where does she work?’ ** Up-stairs for Naff & Fancy, No. — Broad- way. Seis the veiy image of the photograph ou have shown me and if the boy looks any vay ike her, we will run “cross bim, too, I have told Simon to keep his eyes open and in the course of time we will be ready to close on both of them.” ** What about the old man?” Spanker fell,bace: in his chair and laughed. ** He’s rattled here,” be said, touching his fore- head, ‘* Yes, old Pappy Pink is as harmless asa kitten. He is all the time getting up queer look- ing inventions none of which will ever amount to anything, but, you see, it occupies his time and that is all he wants,” ‘* But you had no trouble with him?” “Not the least in the*world. He went with me like a lamb, and when I told him that 1 would furnish all the money he wanted to carry out his plans he was eager to go, No one will miss him much but a boy on whom he calls occasion- ally—a bell boy at one of the minor hotels. Old Pink and the boy are pretty thick, and he is the only one who cared anything about the old man, He’s comfortable ani is willing to stay where be is till the trump of Judg:inent blows,” “Dm glad you succeeded so well with him, answered Van Loo with a self-satisfied smile. ‘* We are getting along as satisfactorily as could be expected, | guess; but I am anxious to get back where I[ can be Blake Belden once more,” ** You'll be going back ere long,” was the as- surance. “I will see to that. I have spotted the girl—I am sure of that, but the boy is the only drawback now.” ‘* How far had Holcomb and his partner got?” “Not very far, They had just struck the city and the trail had not been found, Chuck Holcomb is a shrewd man and we did well in getting hold of him in time,” So Van Loo was Blake Belden, the conspira- tor against the fortune due the Pettibone chil- dren, and Spanker was one of the agents men- tioned to Billy Winks by Flash Phlox, Holcomb’s ard. . This man, Belden, bad come to New York himself so as to be near the scene of operations and his hand had directed the movements of his men, and was responsible for the} capture of Chuck Holcomb and tbe disappearance of Pappy Pink, Billy’s friend the inventor. ‘* When do you expect to draw the net on the girl?” he asked, after a pause of a few seconds. ‘‘Just as soon as I| get it spread to suit me,” was the reply, ‘** Don’t make a misplay.” ‘* What! me make sucha thing? I guess there's no danger.” ‘* I'd like to see this type-writer just for luck, I would know her on sight.” There was no reply to this. ‘* Would it be dangerous for me to go down and wait till she came out of the building to go home?’ ‘*T don’t know. I have always told you that the best thing for all of us in this game is for you to lie low and not appear in it at all.” ‘*T know that; but I would like to get a glimpse of the girl. You may have made a mistake— remember, I don’t say you bave—and none must be made, The wrong girl must not be netted.” ‘‘Well, if you promise to behave discreetly and uot to give yourself away you may go down and watch for her. You want to get there just about six, for she comes down punctually and goes off home.” Van Loo, or Belden, glanced at his watch. “Tl get ready now,” said he. ‘It’s nearing that time, and I am anxious for the little ad- venture, Spanker sat in the parlor and smoked until Billy Winks, the Bell Boy Detective. Van Loo came down-stairs gees quite differ- ent from his natural self, and when he announced that he was ready, both left the house, ‘* You want to be very careful,” said Spanker, in low tones. ‘* Remember that Phlox, the other one, is still at large and maybe on the watch, though I have discovered that he has paid his bill and is no longer at the hotel. He is not as dangerous as Holcomb, who is the brains of the game against us, and I am not afraid of bim.” ‘* Allright; Pll play my part of the game to perfection, and would suggest that while I am watching for the girl you go back to tbe restau- rant and see if the boy has left that letter for you.’ ‘* A good idea, and I'll do it at once, You know where the office is!” Van Loo hurried on and soon came opposite the building where Josie Jackson ran the type- writer, It wanted a few minutes of six, and he sta- tioned bimself at a convenient spot and fell to watching the door, 7 In ashort time there came tripping out of the tall building a graceful figure, at sight of which he uttered a sharp cry, ‘“*That’s the game!” he cried. ‘ By Jericho! Spanker was right. She’s as pretty asa picture. There’s no mistake, We have found tke Mg person we've been scouring the city for, and all we want now is the boy.” Josie, thinking of the man who had been in the habit of dogging her steps, threw a cautious glance around when she emerged from the house, but did not see Van Loo on the watch. In another moment the man had started for- ward and with. his eyes fastened on the girl, seemed to see no one else, ‘Great Scot!” suddenly.cried a voice at his elbow, and turning be beheld a youngish man staring at him with eyes that seemed on the eve of popping from bis head. ee an instant Van Loo colored, He saw at once that he had been discovered despite the clever mask he wore, but did not for a moment guess the identity of the otber man, ‘* Here, you don’t know me, [ guess,” and) the speaker stepped forward. ‘* Let me set your doubts at rest, You are Blake Belden and came to New York for a purpose. I want to know what your agents have done with Chuck Hol- comb, There’s no use mincing matters at this stage of the game. Where is he, I say?” hese words, spoken in a loud tone, reached the ears of Josie Jackson, and the girl, turning suddenly, saw that the speaker was the man Billy Winks had presented to her at her lodgings a few hours before. Josie involunterily stopped and looked at the pair, She saw the color leave Van Loo’s face and in a moment kad connected him with her own fortunes. “T know nothing about your partner,” cried Van Loo, madly. ‘‘I am an inoffensive gentle- man and don’t propose to be browbeaten on the street.” He went at Phlox as he spoke and a cullision was imminent, but at that momenta boy ran between the pair and Phlox was thrown back, “Don’t get into a gpetre with that man, Phlox. That is Mr. Van Loo, and you don’t want to waste time on him now,” ** Billy Winks!” cried Phlox as he fell back. ‘*The very boy I want,” exclaimed Van Loo, making a dart at the young ferret. ‘* Here; where is that letter I gave you this morning?” “Oh, it’s all O. K.,” grinned Billy. “‘ I’ve de- livered it,” ‘To whom?” ‘* Why, to Spanker, at the restaurant,” A look of relief crossed Van Loo’s face and Billy Winks and Phlox at once vanished, That was the man,” cried Phlox, catching hold of the boy’s arm. ‘‘ We have just had an encounter with Blake Belden, the head of the Golden Coil,” ‘Right you are, Phlox; but come with me. I want to show you the copy of acertain letter. I delivered the original to Spanker, but I took a copy all the same,” ‘You're worth your weight in gold,” said the admiring Phlox; but Billy Winks, laughed in Be a . a0 o, I’m all ‘brass,’ Phlox. But come and see, CHAPTER VIII, THE GRIP OF THE GOLDEN COIL, Bruty Winks led Phlox to his little den in the house where he had lodged for several years and locking the door, opened a drawer and took but a piece of folded paper. ‘‘T did it up as slick as I could,” said he. ‘I went down-stairs to Mother Snipe’s room and let Oo ~~ YU rae