Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 774 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘ Rather free for one who is not a particular friend, eh?” smiled the young man. ‘‘ Tt struck me so,” confessed the ferret. ** Now look here,” came from the youth’s lips, *“‘T want to know what Charley Thornton has been up to that they have put a detective after him,’ ‘* A detective—” ‘* That’s what you are, I should say.” Cal saw that it was useless to conceal the truth, so he bowed, ‘*You are right,” was his reply, ‘‘ Il am a de- tective. Any information you can give me con- cerniug Charley Thornton will be appreciated,” “If you want to get anything out of me, tell me what he has done. My name is Val Sedman, I will be frank, for I believe in frankness, I am engaged to Thornton’s sister, and that is why I take an interest in him, Now you willsee how the land lays. If you expect to get anything damaging against Charley out of me, you will be disappointed.” ‘* You have been frank, as you say, and I will be equally frank with you. Charley Thornton is dead!” Val Sedman nearly fell down in his astonish- ment, ‘* Good God!” he gasped, It was some moments before he recovered suf- fieiently to utter another word. He could only stare at the detective, borror in his eyes, ‘You don’t mean that?” he finally exclaimed, ‘** But I do.” ‘*It is impossible! Why he was as well as ever last evening!” ‘*Toeday he is dead with a bullet in his brain.” ‘* Murder !” “Or suicide.” ‘+ Where is he?” ‘* Tn his uncle’s house,” ** Where did this terrible thing take place?” ‘‘ In that house,” ** When?” ** To-day.” ‘‘Great Heaven! this will bea terrible blow for Ollie. She thought everything of Charley, though be was only her half-brother, I[t will nearly kill her! He was always so kind and ten- der toward her! Why, it does not seem possible this thing can be true! Tell me the particulars.” The detective did so, making the story as brief and direct as possible, *“*Charley Thornton was murdered!” That was Val Sedman’s assertion when he bad heard the particulars, ‘** You see the importance of telling me every- thing you know about the young man,” said Cal. ‘‘lam going to sift the mystery of his death,” ** And I will do my best to aid you. What do you want to know?” “TI have beard Thornton speculated—bet on the races, etc, Is that true?” ** 7 am sorry to say it is,” ‘* He sometimes lost?” *“*Of course, and he lost big sums, too. He had been losing yesterday, and that was what ailed him. He was being played for a sucker. There wasa certain man who had a grip on mi re ‘The one I took him away from last night— Silky Hall,” ‘*Siiky Haji! He is a sharp—the associate of crooks!” ‘‘Exactly. That’s the man who has done his level best to ruin Charley Thornton. He has it in for me, for I have coaxed Charley from bim several times, He was dragging him off tosome = last night, but 1 induced Charley to go ome,” Pag Hall goes on the list,” nodded Clear- Grit Cal, ‘‘ He shall be shadowed,” CHAPTER VII. PLAYING THE SHADOW. ** AND I would like the job of shadowing him,” quickly declared Val Sedman, ** You?’ exclaimed Carter. “Yes. Why not?” ‘** My dear fellow, the man is a sharp,” ‘* What of that?” “It will be a dangerous. job to dog his foot- steps.” Val laughed. ‘**T do not mind the danger.” *‘Tt will also be a difficult one, It will takea shadower who Ils not a novice in the business,” “Well, Iam ready to try it,” said the young man, gravely. ‘‘I believe | can doit all right, and I want to bavea hand in clearing up this myst«ry.” “Well, I'l tell you what you do: Go tell Thornton’s sister what has happened—impart . , ‘ “ tak * fe "Vale @.) ; ~*~ a i ee .* ¥ 4 3 . Clear-Grit Cal. the news as gently as possible. Then come to my office. If [ am not there, the boy will tell you where to find me. Here is the number,” ‘* All right,” said Val. ‘' Find something for mé to do. I want to havea part in the busi- ness. Ollie will expect me to, you know,” They parted. Carter went directly to his office. There he found a beardless youth who was lounging in an office chair, bis feet on the top of a writing desk and the stump of a cigar in his mouth. He was very well dressed, but there was acertain air of carelessness about his ap- pearance that seemed to indicate he was a happy-go-lucky individual. “Helio,” be modded, as Cal came in, his feet suddenly disappearing from the desk, ‘‘ What’s on? ‘* Business, Shark,” * Am I in it?” és Yes,” ‘Good! [Tm tired of hanging on a peg. Hope it’s something lively. Give us de p’ints,’ Shark had been a street gamin and after- wards a ‘‘ tough boy ” with a desire to become a detective. By accident Clear-Grit Cal had dis- covered there was good stuff in bim and hada taken him in as an assistant. He knewvevery crook and turn of the great city, and proved to be a wonderful ‘‘shadower,” Carter never trusted anything of vital importance in his hands, unless it was a case of shadowing, Sometimes when Shark was excited or inter- ested he would fall into the dialect of the street gamin. ** Do you know Silky Hall?” asked Cal. ** Better than bis own mammy does.” ** Well, I want you to shadow him,” ** W hat has he been up ter?” **] don’t know as he has been up to anything, but that is what | want vou to find out, Last evening he was at the Hofman House bar, Trace him from the time he left there up to the present time. Can you doit?” ‘*Can I breathe! Can a frog jump!” ‘* That settles it.” ** Where do you want me to report—here?” ‘If [ am not here, you will find me at this address, Where is Blinker?” ** Asleep in the back room, Said he had to sit upall night with his sick sister.” “All right. Strike for Hall. Good luck,” Shark threw the butt of the cigar into the cuspidore, crusbed his soft hat over his eyes and hurried out, tucking the address Carter had given him into bis vest pocket, The detective then went into the dingy little back room and aroused the office-boy. ‘‘ Brace up, Blinker,” he said, ‘* You’ve got to look after things now.” ‘“* W here’s Shark?” asked tke boy, rubbing his eyes, ‘* Off on business,” “Den Pll git a brace on, boss, Tse pritty nigh used up fer der want of sleep, but dis nap’ set me all might.” ‘**'You will have to look after the office and answer the telepbone, for I shal) not be here a great deal.” Carter then went back to his desk, and for an hour he busied bimself there, looking over some papers and studying the notes he had taken in his little book, The Seudd case would have seemed simple enough had be been willing to admit the captain killed bis nephew, but Carter did not like to think so. Somehow, he was inclined to believe that was not the true solution of the mystery, But it looked very black for Captain Scudd, The old gentleman was certainly in a tight place, and unless something could be done to rescue him, he would be apt to suffer, ‘*T suppose I will have to look up his record all the way back te the time when he was a sailor,” thougbt Ca], ‘‘ It may be time wasted, and it may give me the key to the whole thing. One never knows when he'll strike the rigbt trail. Of course the old captain may have de- liberately murdered young Thornton,” He then went to the telephone and called fora certain down-town marine journal, on which a retired sea-captain was a sort of editorial] figure- head, the real editor being a brilliant young man who could write a telling article on deep- water harbors, although he bad never been fur- ther out at sea than the eastern limit of the Sound. Jt happened that the ‘* well-known editor” of the journal was well acquainted with Captain Seudd, and able to give Carter many points con- cerning him. Within thirty minutes, the detective was seat- ~ in the office of the journal, talking with the itor, ay This conversation lasted half an hour, anc ferret departed a much wiser mau in one char nel, and still more firmly convinced Captain Scudd did not murder his nepbew, As be made his way toward the Sixth avenue Elevated, he was not a little surprised to hear the newsboys crying: ‘‘Extr-ah! All about der mysterious murder! Paper, mister?” He bought one, and found a column and a half concerning the death of Charley Thornton. ‘* Well, it beats the dickens how quickly these newspapers get hold of anything of this kind and get it into print. A little more than two hours ago Captain Scudd protested agaiust an account of the affair going into the papers, and it is not probable the secret was divulged immediately after my denarture. All the same, the papers have got it.” On the train he read the account, and a scow) settled over his face, **T expected it,” he muttered, as he discovered the papers, with one accord, spoke in & manner that insinuated there could be no doubt as to the murderer. ‘*They take not a bit of stock in the captain’s story. Well, so much the better for me, if I succeed in showing them they are all fools. I shall bave about a dozen of the so- called ‘ reporter-detectives’to contend against, and not one out of twenty of that class know their business. They are generally very fresh,” Going to the office, he found Val Sedman waiting for him there, ; ‘Ollie has gone to the captain’s,” said the young man. “I came here, and the boy said you would return soon,” Cal found there was no word from Shark, and so he told the eager young man he could not make use of him then. ‘‘Call around to-morrow,” was his advice, and Val departed in a disappointed frame of mind, Cal patronized a neighboring restaurant, re- turned and wrote some letters, and then, having had no call from Scudd’s, resolved to return to the captain’s, The street lights were glimmering as he made his way up town, He was on the point of hail. ing a car, when be felt a touch on \bis farm, and a low voice said: ‘“There goes Silky Hall—the man in the light suit, with the coat on bis arm.” The speaker was Shark, Without attracting the attention of a single passer, he indicated the man he was ‘‘ shadowing.” ‘* Struck anything?” asked Cal, as be walked along at a little distance from Shark. not even looking toward the young man. ‘Nothing much.” . “ All right. Stick.” When Sbark had passed on, Cal suddenly changed his plans, ‘‘Pil take a hand in this shadowing business myself,” he muttered, “It is not at all! likely there is going to be an inquest to-day. It is too late now. Somehow, | believe Silky Hall bad a finger in the pie in one way or another.” So the detective followed asa shadow on the gambler’s track, Silky Hall strolled leisurely toward Sixth avenue. He wes neatly and tastily dressed and was smoking a good cigar. He carried a cene, as well as the light top-coat thrown over his left arm, He seemed in no particular burry, and apparently did not dream he was tracked, _ He turned up the avenue. Near Thirtieth street he ehtered what appeared to be a cigar store. al knew the place, The cigar store was simply a blind to one of the biggest gambling houses in the city. Shark soon fullowed Hall into the store, and, strolling past the place a few seconds later, Cal discovered neither man was in the little front room, ‘* Well,” be thought, ‘‘ I have a fancy to go in there, but some of them might know me an«t! think i was piping the place for the police. i must be in some kind of disguise.” He hastened to the nearest hotel, knowing Shark would not lose track of the gambler if Hall left the place. In the toilet-room of the hotel he soon made a transformation in bis ap- pearance, He went in a common Yankee, but. he came out a ‘ bloomin’ Briton.” mutton-chop whiskers and the touch of a pencil and a little paint here snd there on his face worked a gree» change. His clothes were not just what be de- sired to make the alteration complete, so oe slipped into a clothing store and purchased & coat, bat and necktie, His regular garments be dispatched to his office by a messenger-bo - Only a comparatively sbort time bad been spent in the metamorphosis, but the change was —— :