Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 774 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

-*, See, 7 At - o . all ‘ Py To aM or “ =“? ai) © ~ 6 * , ;» f~ e..- ” . es ‘ % » oe &~ 7? 4 . « ° <cten 7 > = ~ - J Nae ran = Loe . yy 9 2 ar ~~ ~ ° = : — = [ . » + ain > ~ - a ~ . > 7 - -_- - . « ~ ‘ , In ze parlor.” “ ivhere else?” ** Not zat I know.” ‘* Did he seem in love with her?” No, monsieur; be like her—he nevar love her. ** You seem very certain.” "i am.” ** What makes you so?” ‘** He tell me zat.’ Carter smiled. He knew how much depen- dance was to be put in what the young man had told the maid. Lizette was quick to understand that smile. **'You vink he not tell me ze trute, monsieur, but I know zat he do so, He say she do fasci- nate heem when he be wiz her, but he no care for her when he be away, She make z9 love to heem, and for a time he t’ink eet ees sport. Soon he see where eet take heem; zen he do stop.” ‘* Are you sure he stopped there?” ** Qui, monsieur,” ‘‘ What makes you so sure?” “One time 1 see zem in ze parlor.” “ Well?” * Zey not know eet,” **Go on.” ‘* Madame she do make ze love to heem,” ** And you watched them?” ** Ob, monsieur, my heart! f do hate her zen, for I fear he do care for her!” **] understand, You watched them, for you were jealous. Well, what did you see?” **T see madame talk to heem—she speak oh, vera low! Isee her face—eet was red wiz her blood! I see ber eyes—zey do shine like ze star! She bend ovare heem and her lips be close to hees,” ‘*Go on!” came breathlessly from Carter, ‘*He seem like one person fascinate by ze snaik, He be still and look at her, She put her arms round bees neck, All ze time she talk low and I do not hear ze words. Zen she do kees beem!” ‘*What did he do?” asked Cal, holding bim- self in restraint. ‘‘Did he return her ca- resses?” _**No, When her lips do touch his he start like he was burn. He spring up and push her away. She catch ber foot in ze dress and fall on Ze floor.” ‘* And then—what?” “He do not peek her up—he stand looking down at her, She dorise to her knee and hold out ber hands to heem. ‘Charlee!’ she cry; but he motion her off.” “Great Scott! right road!” **Zen he say he have been wrong to be wiz herso much, He feel sorry.” ‘* How did she receive this?” ‘“‘Madame sudden grow vera angry., She spring up and come close to him, her hands clinch, She tel] heem he is ze one great fool and she do hate heem!” ‘* How did he receive that?” ‘““He speak of Monsieur Scudd—he say she should be true. Madame grow ze more angry at zis. She say Monsieur Scudd be vora old and she be young. Zen Charlee say he weel not be ze traitor to hees uncale, At zis she call heem fool again and swear she do hate heem—she weel make heem sora. Then she leave heem.” Detective Carter struck his hands together, **T am on the right track!” he softly cried. CHAPTER XI. A STARTLING POSSIBILITY, CAL Carter felt sure be bad struck a trail This may start me on the | that would Jead bim to the solution of Charley Thornton’s mysterious death, but that mystery was still shrouded by shadows which seemed to defy penetration, Could it be possible Captain Scudd’s treacher- ous wife had killed the young man? If so, bow was it done with the captain in the room? That was hard to answer, If she bad really killed him, it certainly was not possible the captain was an accomplice. Had he been, they might bave manufactured a very different story than the one told—a story that would have averted suspicion from the captain, But was the beautiful woman capable of such a crime? | It did not seem possible, What more could the maid tell? ** After this rebuff, did Mrs, Scudd again seek the companionship of Charley Thornton?” “Lcannot say as tozat. If only see zem alone togethare one time,” **' Where was that?” **In ze hall,” ™~ . el . = ; _, “ : > “ Ciel a a. t . rs. - a : a . tone ee Fe dS ye - = ree “ a, ect oaka os fen” dus, ays os _* =a * ae id a" fr, . F pe i Po >a = " ~—'T t > w’, 5s. ? . Per. a Seas ant ie 2 tile 1 4 aint eee eR BE RO! Sr 8 Oe TAS yin tie as ee “ . rs 8 i a vie 4 oo = sm - ‘ae * | “ a “= ce ae: Clear-Grit Cal. ‘‘ What happened then?” ‘*She stop heem,” sé Ah?” ‘‘ He try to pass, but she step in hees way.” ** And then—what?” ‘‘Sbhe hold out her hands like zis.” Lizette illustrated, her gesture being an entreating one.” ‘‘ Did he take them?” sé No.” ‘*‘ He repelled her?” *s He shake hees head and say he dare not.” ‘* What did she do then?” ‘She aske heem to be friend.” ‘Did he agree?” ‘* He say he weel evar be her friend, but not ze same as before. He say bedare not.” ** How did she receive that?” ‘* She beg heem to be ze same.” ‘But it was useless?” ‘ ‘Oui. He weel not. He is true to his nn- cale,” ‘‘ Well,” said Carter, slowly, ‘‘ Mrs, Scudd is uncommonly beautiful, and | must say Charley Thornton was almost a remarkably virtuous young man, In that respect he was a wonder for these degenerate days, I honor him!” ‘‘He was so good! Ma fois! be was like one od!” ar How did Mrs, Scudd behave after tais sec- ond rebuff?” ‘‘She go to her room, Two hour aftare ‘she do send tor me, When I go zere I see she have been drink vera hard. Her face be flush and her eyes wild. She be intoxicate,” Carter nodded. ‘‘It is plain the woman was desperately in love with the young man. What occurred in ber chamber?” ‘‘ She have his picture, and she do rave. She tell him how sbe hate heem., She truly frightun me she ees so violent.” ‘‘ This grows more and more interesting! Did she injure the picture?” ‘ Oui. Sve threw eet on the floor and stamp her foot on eet. Zen she pick eet up and begir to shed ze tear while she kees eet and call heem her darling.” ‘* What became of the picture?” ** She lock eet in her drawer.” Carter thought all this over swiftly. He saw there might be a remarkable denouement, Then a decided to lead the maid into another chan- nel, ‘*Did Mrs. Scudd always get along well with the captain?” ** | belief so.” ‘* You have never known them to quarrel?” ‘* Nevare,” ** He was always kind to her?” * Out.” “Do you believe Captain Scudd would have any reason for wishing Charley Thornton out of the way?” ‘* No, monsieur.” ‘‘Have you ever noticed anything peculiar about the captain?” ‘* He was always vera strange.” ‘* But was he not uncommonly odd at times?” ‘**Only once do I remembare zat,” ‘How did he appear then?” ‘* As eef be be asleep when ees wide awake!” The detective gave a start. ‘** How do you mean?” ‘Well, be talk—be walk and all zat, but something eet be strange about heem, I am not able to tellhow. Eetisodd. Aftare he do not remembare,” ‘You never saw hin that way but once?” ‘* Nevare,” **Do you think he bad such spells often?” **T cannot tell, monsieur.” ‘* Was he with Mrs. Scudd when he appeared so strangely?” sé No,” ** Where was she?” ‘* In her chambare.” ‘Did he ever oppose her in anything?” ‘* Nevare for a long time.” ‘* Then he used to do so?” ‘¢ Once or twice he do.” “What was the result?” ‘** Madame she have herown way. She look in his eyes and he change hees mind.” ‘‘That was strange. I took Captain Scudd for a very obstinate man.” ‘* So he ees,” ‘* And s%i!l she governed him so easily?” Lizette nodded, ‘« | do not understand that,” muttered Cal, ‘“‘ Have you seen her?” < sc es,” ‘* Have you looked in her eyes?” sé Yes.” + . . 5 7 me “= a'¥ ae / js tom eit <n : ‘They do be black—they do fascinate! I fear them!” ‘That is true, her eyes have a strange fascin- ation about them. They are beautiful eyes, but something about them makes me shiver.” The maid shrugged her shoulders, ‘‘They have a power, monsieur,” ‘* And you believe she exercised that power over her husband?” ** Why not?” Why not, indeed! Carter knew something of A mac and he fancied he began to see a ight. ‘Took here, Lizette,” he said, soberly, ‘*I do not want you to let Mrs. Scudd know you have talked with me.” ‘* Nevare fear,” P ** You will not tell her?” és No,” ‘“T may want to talk with you again,” He placed a piece of inoney in ber hand, ‘‘ At any time, monsieur. You have my t’ank, You are vera kind.” With that, he left her, Carter found himself with much to consider, He surely believed himself on the right track, but bow was he to get at the whole truth? He oe had stood face to face with Mrs, Scudd, and he x knew she was &@ woman who could not be led ot into a confession of guilt by any ordinary | means, . Not that the detective had settled the matter a in his own mind. By no means! He was not certain the beautiful woman bad apy band in the untimely taking off of Charley Thornton, but he felt that such a thing was far from im- possible, But why should Mrs, Scudd wish the young man dead? That was a difficult question to an- swer. Was it possible the beautiful woman was such a fiend at heart that she brought about his death because she had been uvsuccessful in her at- ee! tempted conquest? Cal could hardly believe a a that of her, wr Still, what other motive was there for the commission of so great a crime? Her love bad turned to hatred, and “‘ hell bath no fury like a woman scorned,” Then he thought of his conversation with her the day before, and he confessed to himself that —if she had any hand in the crime—she was a woman of wonderful nerve, to say the very K least. a: But the theory of hypnotism opened a wide field for speculation, It did not take bim long to convince himself that Mrs, Seudd was in the habit of thus casting a spell over her* husband, She possessed the mesmeric power, and by exer- cising it she was able to make her husband do exactly as she wished him to do, Cal knew that it was sometimes possible for one person to mesmerize another even though the two were separated by a considerable dis- tance. Once a “ patient” had been brought fully under the control of a mesmerist, it was not difficult to lead that person on from stage to stage till the time came when his mind could be controlled even though miles separated the two. And Cal believed that was exactly the ,condi- tion to which John Scudd had been brought by his beautiful wife. It was not necessary for Mrs, Scudd to leave ber chamber to throw a spell over the captain, By simply fixing her mind on him she coold throw biim into a trance from which he would not recover till she per- . mitted, _ During these hypnotic spells be did things of which be afterward had no recollec- tion, Had he taken the life of his nephew while in at a trance aod under the control of his wife’s will? If so, what was his crime? CHAPTER XII, AFTER THE INQUEST, THE inquest came off that afternoon, Detec- tive Carter was on bh: nd and took many notes, As he had expected, the inquest made things look very black for Captain Jobn Seudd, It re- ally seemed that the old salt bad ended the life of his somewhat wayward nephew, At first Cal was surprised when Mrs, Scudd appeared to give her testimony. She did not ap- pear at all like the almost remarkably steady- nerved woman of the day before, When he first saw her she told bim her nerves were all un- strung, but he grew surprised at ber apparent self-control. Now she was dissolved in tears and her voice was choked by sobs. But the detective was shrewd, and he discov- ered Mrs. Scudd was also crafty. The woman had sized him up as one on whom it would be useless to try shamming in order to make an im-~ - ea ae — * és ve & . P * pa , "4 ‘ya eee u - a oh a oe jah! we? + 2 . yr ay . 4 . q >t) ‘ : | | > e . fi ~ wm - ma laa Le) I C @ ) @) | - ‘ s.com