Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 771 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

“What's that?’ Warden cried. ‘ Who are tiey?” he Keener grasped the arm of the Man in Black. ‘*Say, it’s Eldred an’ his men. She'll be The worse off with them, To the rescue!” mi: The command came nove too soon. iy tom Bearded Brethren were in retreat, and going Sy with the soft-focted celerity peculiar to them. Fred and his companions had started to their feet; they now hastened to save tue fate-buffeted ir], 2 But at that juncture the retreat of the Brethren were blocked by men who wore the blue coats of New York policemen. ‘ ‘‘ Ha! my men are at hand!” cried the Man in Black. If the Brethren had seemed like tigers before they were more likethem, now, The dignity of the law did not appall them; finding new foes at hand, they assailed the police with fury which drove the latter back, The feeble gaslicht showed the glitter of knives, and the Brethren’s mode of attack was clear. The blue-coats would have been carved to pieces had they not known how to deal with such desperate fellows. Night-sticks bad been the weapons at first, but they could not afford to throw their own lives away. Revolvers began WV to crack, but even this did not check the mada- ; dened assailants until the last one lay pros- trate. ‘ | The woman, frightened beyond power of reason by these occurrences, had started to flee. A light-footed pursuer was on her track, and soon ran her down, It was Foxy Fred, and he caught and held her. ‘*Singin’ ’skeeters!” he exclaimed; — be seared. Pil take her ig 0’ you,’ ercy, mercy!” she gasped, ** Brace up!” cs requested. ‘‘ Don’t you see the perleece are here? They’ll look out fer you, The danger is all over— Ha! they’re at it, again! Jiminy crickets! it’s my fellers and Perce Bertbrong, now !” There was a fight on the pier, and it was not hard to understand it. Zealous Warden had tried to make sure of the crooks, and the result was another fight, The Man in Black came to the Keener’s side, ‘You're ahead of me,” he observed, * and I judge you will get the reward.” ‘* W bat reward?” ‘* For finding Clarice Walbridge.” * Do you want it?” , . e ‘“‘T can do without it. But see!—the fighting | vane is over, The crooks are beaten on the pier, and Bey Eldred’s men are dead, or as good as that, in the Ss street. Let us gotothem. Stay! I will calla patrolman to care for this girl, who has had trouble enough,” He whistled, and, as soon as he had gained the attention of the blue-coats, one of them came quickly at the bidding. He was told to care for the girl, and then Fred and the Man in Black went to the nearest group. ‘* W hat is the result?” the latter asked, ‘*We bad to do it, sir,” was the deferential reply. ‘‘ They fought like fiends, and would have done fatal work with their knives, had we not taken the only alternative.” ‘* I saw all, and you need not fear. Are they dead?” ** All dead, sir, I think,” ‘The three ‘‘ Bearded Brethren” lay pros- trate on the ground, and there was no sign of life, but as tbe Man in Black bent over them and began anerexamination, one of the trio open- ed his eyes and bis lips, ‘‘ Let me alone!” he ordered, curtly. ‘* You are more exclusive than when you tried to cut these officers to pieces,” the Man in Black remarked, sarcastically, ‘‘T have my death-wound, and you cannot add to it, Let mé alone or touch me; I care not, I despise you and yours. My curse rest be . ee ** you upon you! Police hirelings are never men. I despise you!” — ; ‘“Stoutly said, but your opinions weigh but little, Sergeant Green, take charge of all, the dead and the living.” ‘Yes, Mr. Inspector.” | ; oe Foxy Fred had been gaining ideas as he saw “how deferentially the blue-coats addressed the i ae A Sg Black, and the last words gave him more Tyan et Singin’ *skeeters! be youa police inspector?” rea he cried, in wonder. “Tam,” the Man in Black replied, briefly. He was looking toward the pier, where he _-—-—-« Seemed to find something of interest, and he snow _walked rapidly in that direction. Foxy | _ Fred followed | Warden and his assistants ‘ ‘J aah gre. | ‘ « ’ : . b= + Nt, © oe bP * o) " ; ee A, Mig ate oe \e f *%.. Ws! ING - Ls Z f - : , “ ileet ru! ~~ oka» — eam ata f ; | ad gi” is . baad 7," nS ‘ a Py ae nee J) i oe . C % < —_—_—_——_—-—--—,,,?"’":"_—SS Foxy Fred’s Odd Pard. Ba Keener looked in vain for the most familiar ace, ** W here’s Perce Berthrong?” he asked. ‘* Dead!” returned Warden, briefly. ‘*Eh? Thatso? Then where’s his body?” ‘‘In the dock. He fought like a tiger, but one of us got in a blow with a club him off the pier. It is probable that the blow, alone, would have been fatal, but he was doubly | planned ‘to seize and slay her, but Percy Ber- "aa doomed. Certainly, the blow must have stun- | throng was ahead of them. He sent mien to ned him, and if he touched water alive, he is drowned by this time.” ** Fitting end fora man like him,” commented the inspector. Finding no more of active work to do, the vic- tors gathered up the relics of the fight. The liv- ing law-breakers were soon under lock and key. Ot these Eldred was by far the most interesting, but nothing could be got from him further, He was &lmost as silent asastatue, and as defiant with his life ebbing away as in his days of pow- er, The inspector went to the quarters of the Bearded Brethren. He found but liltle there, and nothing of interest except a letter which bad that evening arrived by mail, He tore it open, read it, meditated, and then carried it to Eldred, The latter also read it, and though the contents did not make bis, somber expression change, he remarked: ‘**T have sold my life in vain!” CHAPTER XXIV, WHAT IT ALL MEANT, THE following morning the inspector and Fred called upon Harding Otis, They were oc- cupied with him for some time, and then a mes- senger was sent to Mrs, Otis, to say that a gen- tleman wished to see her, When she saw that ber husband was present her eyes began to glitter, but the inspector took ebarge of affairs with an air which, somehow, quelled her rebellious pride, and made her listen against her will, ‘* Madame,” he explained, “I am a detective who was employed some days ago to work upon a certain case. Your husband engaged me, and I took up the work only as a personal favor to him, I have operated in disguise,” Foxy Fred smiled. The inspector, as he stood there in his true form, was very unlike the lank and ministerial-looking ‘‘Man in Black.” He would never have been recognized. ‘Tt is essential to my story,” the speaker ad- rar that your husband should tell a tale of the pas Otis took up the subject somewhat nervously. ‘** Mrs. Otis,” he began, ‘‘I have not told all the truth to you, of late. Before I ever saw you I bad married, but my wife was dead. I swear that this is true, Hear my story: ‘*When twenty years old I went to Califor- pia, and there met and married Gladys March- mont, She was a noble girl, but almost a child, Her only relative known to me was her mother. From the first Isaw that tbe latter was peculiar, As time wore on I found sbe was more than that. She kept strange company, and I found out that she was not innocent of connection with the lawless work of a lawless neighborhood, ‘*T could devote an hour to describing how facts gradually dawned upon me, but, instead, will be brief. There was a strange, fanatical society there, composed of men and women, It was very old, Once, perbaps, it had been ruled by some high motive, but in that generation it bad relapsed inte a society of robbers and cut- throats, and no rnore, ‘‘ When I had been there not quite two years my wife’s mother betrayed the band, frustrating one of their choicest plans, and, helping herself to all of their money she could get, fled. ‘“Now, the penalty of this treachery was death not only to ber, but to all her descend- ants. Knowing this, my wife and I took our in- fant daughter and made a desperate attempt to get beyond the reach of the band. They did not overtake us, but, on the way, my wife fell il] of a fever and died. ‘*T was left with myinfant. I came North, Feer of the band haunted me. I was not sure I was in any danger, but by their infamous laws my babe wes dooned. For her sake I deter- mined to separate ber from myself forever, and I gave her in charge of a triend of mine in Ohio, torear,. « ““She grew to womanhood as Clarice Wal- bridge, ‘* Of late I have thou ht much about her, and, having never heard had several prisoners, one of whom was Con, but , mined to satisfy my parental feelings and haya and it knocked | time. | Ce — ce ec — 7 4 ‘at P ot et “a (o> < = Pe fF *% ED a sli WP. (7 15 her by me, This I could do without her being the wiser, as she had never heard of, or seen, me since she was old enough to remember, ‘* With the aid of my friends I managed to get her here as governess, ‘*T\ could not bave brought her at a worse ie The band had just located me, and, in ; They some way, they ‘earned who she was, seiza Mrs, Stannard, but they made a mistake Ms and took Clarice, instead, Fy ‘* Mrs, Otis, you know the truth, now. I had - been married before I met you, but my wife was dead,” He ceased to speak, and the inspector added: ‘‘Of the three men sent bere to do this des- perate work two are dead and the other, Eldred, is dying. He has just received orders from the band which removes the doom, It bas been learned that Mr. Otis’s first wife, Gladys’ Marchmont, was not the child of the woman who claimed her, and who betrayed the band. Hence, no vendetta exists@against Gladys’s child, Clarice is safe from further trouble. ‘*T have seen the orders of the band to Eldred, The papers bid bim Jet Otis and Clarice alone, and return to bis fellows, It came a little too late for the good of Eldred and bis fellows, but if the band now has any grudge, it must be against the pdlice of New York. I think we can bear it.” The ex-Man in Black arose, and Foxy Fred followed bis example, They knew they could do no better than to leave husband and wife alone, to make their peace. Outside the door the inspector remarked: ‘* We part here, buti shall be pleased to see you at any time.” ‘*Tll call,” the Keener agreed; “ bet say, it seems funny ter think of you as a detective!” ‘Otis dared not betray his interest in the case. He pretended to be indifferent, but, really, came to me almost at once, and insisted that I take the case. Then I became the Man in Black, Good-day!” ‘**So-long, my frien’, Now, I'll go ter my de- tective comrade, Juan Costa Stannard!” The following day a city daily had this news- item: “The body washed ashore, near St. George, Staten Island, yestefday, has been identified as that of Percy B rthrong, an escaped convict. Ina fight with the police, the previous night. he was knocked off from a pier of the North River by a heavy blow, Ws The condition of the body shows that he was dead | before touching the water, so the blow was the cause. Itis said that his real name was Berlong,, J and that he was a brother of the Berlong now un- oe “agg A desperate man, few will mourn his eath. Eldred died. With him went the last sign of the band in New York, for the leaders evident- ly did not see fit to wage war on the police force of the metropolis, The law did not deal lightly with the city crooks who had made life so unpleasant for the Keener and his friends, and Sing Sing received a due addition to its force in striped uniforms, Harding Otis made peace with his wife, and Clarice again became a member of the house- hold, but not as an employee, The truth was told her, and she was openly acknowledged as Otis’s daughter. Her step-mother proved unex- pectedly gracious, and the girl found deserved happiness, . Otis well rewarded all who had served him. He who may be known bere only as ‘‘ The In- spector ” and Detective Warden continued their work in the old field, with new cases, Foxy Fred and Mrs, Stannard were again able to move about the streets without expecting at- tack every moment, ‘‘Guess we bad better lay back fer a few weeks an’ hev a rest on Otis’s money,” the Keener observed, ‘‘Ordo you want ter go an’ hunt Eldred’s chums, Ef so, say the word.” It was only a joke, and Mrs, Stannard shook her head. ‘* All I ask is a peacefal York.” ‘‘ Jes’ so! That’s w’ot suits me best, but when p’izon skunks git ugly, an’ we buckle on our ar- mor as detective-comrades, we jest make the crooks o’ New York shake in their socks; we do, you bet!” life bere in New _ THE END. , ‘ 7 a i : ale ii | ~~ “comic — he ] * ' - ’ * o4 . a” mal |