Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 793 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 Dick Doom in Chicago. . Dick Doom told the doctor of how Leo Leffing- well bad saved the life of his half-sister, and that rumor had it she had taken her life when ‘she discovered bim to be her brother.” CHAPTER XXII. A TRAIL ON HORSEBACK, Tue doctor oe at the name Leffingwell, ‘when spoken by Dick Doom. ‘* You say he was known as Leffing well?” ** Yes, sir.” ‘* That was the name of the man I spoke of, so the woman must have married him, after Carroll got his divorce from her.” ** Yes, sir, it » ould seem so,” ‘‘ And the boy was given the name of the step- father.” ‘* So it would seem, sir.” ‘** And is the mother alive?” “That I do not know, sir. ‘** But, doctor, I wish to thank you for your ‘great kindness, as you refuse to accept re- mmuneration for your valuable time, and I will send you the whole story of the affair, along with any new developments I may discover in the case,” ‘*MayI ask, sir, your motive in raking up ‘these old things now?” ‘*T will tell you, sir, that I believe Miss Carroll did not commit suicide,” * Ah!” ‘* And I am determined to find out,” ** [ see; but her mother did, the girl heard of it and simply acted in the same way.” +*One moment, sir?” és Yes. » ** Could a girl, Pine back in an easy-chair, ‘drive, with her left hand, a dagger nine inches long one in width, to the hilt in ber heart?" ‘Was she left-handed?” ** No, sir.” ‘* She could not.” ** Could she do it with her right hand?” baie forthe moment the point touched ‘tbe heart the downward movement must cease,” ‘* But the hilt leant diagonally to the left.” ** Indicating the left hand,” ‘Yes, sir.” ‘* The blade was nine inches long?” ** Yes, sir.” ‘* And was driven to the bilt?” ** To the very bilt, sir.” ‘That, to me, sir, would seem impossible,” ‘** That is my theory, sir, and when I work it out I will send you my results,” ‘Thank you, Mr. Doom, I shall be most inter- ested to know,” ‘*And remember, the bands lay in the lap, there was no evidence of struggle, only that dag- ger in the heart,” ‘*Then her hand never gave the wound,” the doctor said firmly, Thus they pepe and soon after Dick Doom was eastward bound, He stopped off in Omaha, and at once conault- ed a Directory. The name be looked for he found, and then went to the number. A ring at the bell hrought a lady tothe door who said that the Leffingwells had lived there, ‘but.Mrs. Leffingwell bad died some time before and the place had been sold to the present occu- pants, Tbheu Dick Doom sought the death records. He discovered that Leonidas Leffing well, specu- lator, bad died several years before, Kate Leffingwell, his widow, had died lately. He went tothe cemetery and found there a bandsome monument upon which were the names of the husband and wife, He also discovered in the marriave record of the court tbat Leonidas Leffingwell and Kate Lowndes Carroll bad been married in Omaha upon a certain date fifteen years before, The record of wills also showed that Leoni- das Leffingwell had left his wife his sole heir and that she, Kate Lowndes Leffingwell bad left to her beluved son, Leo Leffingwell, her entire property, which was of considerable value, and that he had administered upon the estate, sold all the property in Nebraska and de- parted for parts unknown, Then Dick Doom set: out to find the former home of the said heir, Leo Leffinzwell. _it was no easy task, but after a long and diligent search he discovered that just prior to the death of Mrs, Leffingweill a telegram had been sent from the Omaha ¢ ffice as follows: “TO LEO LEFFINGWELL * NornTH PLarre, ** Nebraska. «legraph operator please send following to Ti 6 Blue + I nch, and expenses will be paid.) Iam . Come to me at enna Moreen, The detective, after showing his authority, had gotten a copy of this telegram. Then he took the back trail on the railroad for North Platts. Arriving there Dick Doom discovered, after a visit to the telegraph office, that the telegram had been delivered to a friend of Leo Leffing- well, who was bis partner with bim in a ranch, and happened to be spending a few days in wn. Anxious to learn all he could of Leo Leffing- we.l’s antecedents, Dick Doom procured a horse anda guide and started on the sixty-five mile ride to Little Blue Ranch. They camped on the way at night, and arrived the next day before noon, There were three men at the ranch, and Dick Doom asked if Leo Leffing well was there. ** No, pard, he hain’t,” Of course Dick Doom expected this answer but he had to give a motive for coming and so had asked for Leffingwell, “Is he not abuut somewhere?” ‘* Well, no, he’s a long way off, for he’s gone down into New Mexico, to the mines,” ‘‘T am very sorry, for I wanted to see him. ** Has he been gone long?” ‘* Waal, he come here with a pard and bought this ranch, and we was cowboys for ’em, ‘**The pard wasn’t here hardly any, but one day came and said as bow a mine o’ his in New Mexico bad panned out rich, and they of course got the gold-fever and lighted out, leaving us ter ruo ther ranch, so we is doing it.” ‘¢ When was this?’* The man gave the date, ‘‘That was just at the time of his mother’s death.” ‘*We never heerd notbing of his mother’s dy- ing, pard, * Did not his friend bring hima telegram from North Platte? ‘* Never heard of it, pard,” was the answer. CHAPTER XXIII. AN UNERRING TRACKER, Dick Doom had decided to return at once to North Platte, but the response of the cowboy to his question about the telegram caused him to Ba y: ‘* Well, my friends, I'd like to stay over here until to-morrow.” ‘*You are more than welcome, pard, you is, for we bas grub in plenty and cabin room.” Thus invited the ferret began his work of questioning. ‘* You see, my friends, Iam in the law busi- ness and your late pard, Leffingwell, has bad a fortune left him by his mother,” ‘Good for him, for he was a dandy fellow, pene a grizzly and with a heart in bim likea eer, ‘*T am anxious to find bim, you see, sol will have to go to New Mexico after him and I wish your aid in telling me about where I bave to look for him there. ‘“* But you say you did not hear of his mother’s death?’ ‘* Not a word,” ‘* Just what day did he leave bere?” It was given, ‘* When did bis friend come after him?’ “The day he come up from Platte they went away, for the pard seemed ina great hurry to be on the go.” ‘* Were you here when he came?” “< We was,” ‘“* And what did he say?” ““That he was just up from Kearne heard as how a mine he had in New was panning out big. ‘* A pard he had there working it he couldn't trust, so told Leffingwell to go right with bim as it was the making of a fortune for both of them,” ‘* Had they been friends long?” “Well, they came up here together from Colorado, and I did hear say Leffingwell said he had saved his life there, some months before, and since then they had stuck together. ‘* Leffingwell bad struck it rich in Colorado, and then sold out for what he thought was big ‘* But he had been given worthless paper for it, 80 was ruined, go come bere and went to rancb- ing, along with t’other fellow.” ‘* What was bis friend’s name?” ‘He ealled him Fritz, and he looked likea German, while he talked with a little foreign twist to his tongue.” ier kind of a looking fellow was Leffing- we / ‘* A dandy from boot-heel to slouch,” “Describe him, please.” and exico *“*He wasashedow over six feet, erect as a pg and had a pair of- fine shoulders on m. , ‘“* His beard was long, and his hair too, and of a yellow bue. ‘*In fact thetwo men were as like as two oe Bat B h hoto of Leffingwell ‘ But Barney here was a photo o we which be found after he left. ‘* Show it up, Barney,” Barney got the pbotograph frum a crack in the logs and Dick m saw that it was taken in Leavenworth, Kansas, and the original was certainly a splendid looking man, ** Would you part with this, my friend?” “Takeit if its any good to you, pard,” was the answer, Of Leo Leffingwell’s career before his unlucky mining loss in Colorado, the men could teil noth- ing, while Fritz they said often went away from the ranch and was not liked as his pard was, Both were men of education, the cowboys as- serted, and Fritz sung well. He also seemed to be the one who had the money. After considerable, questioning the detective gotan idea of the locality, by a word dropped by Fritz, of where the mine was, and the trail ee had taken to get there, he next morning the ferret and his guide started upon the return to North Platte, and ar- riving there, Dick Doom at once sought the tele- graph office. **T wish to see the receipt book, sir, please, in which Mr, Leffiogwell’s friend signed for the telegram,” be said, He was sbown the book and asked to have the name photographed, which was allowed, when he showed his authority, The name was photographed at once, and a proof well finished was to be sent to Dick Doom’s address in Chicago, The name was Fritz Von Belo, Then paying his guide Jiberally for his services Dick Doom took the train for Denver, whither Fritz bad said to the cowboys they would go by rail and there get horses to ride on down to New Mexico, He had ascertained from the guide that they had not gone to North Platte to sell their horses and take the train, but to Julesburg, for be had seen them tbere, he recalled. Stopping at Julesburg Dick Doom discovered that two men, answering to the description of Leo Leffingwell and Fritz Von Belo bad sold their horses there and bought tickets for Denver, So to Denver he went, and although it was an old stamping-ground of his it was with the great- est difficulty that be was able to track his mien, after the time that had elapsed. But at last be traced them to an obscure hotel, ond there on the books were their names, as fol- Ows: ‘‘T.z0 LEFFINGWELL, New Mexico.” ‘* Fritz Von BELO, New Mexico.” ‘*The landlady remembered the gentlemen, and that one had gone East from there by rail, called by a telegram, she said, whicb be had re- ceived there, and the cther had bought a horse and outfit, and gone to New Mexico, she be- lieved, to look after some mining property for both of them. ‘*Do you know what called the man East, madam?” was asked, ‘‘T think be told me he had a telegram that his mother was dying.” Here was @ quandary for the ferret, Such a telegram had been sent from North Platte to Nebraska, yet Fritz had not, in the presence of the cowboys, delivered it, So Dick Doom sought the telegraph office, and discovered that no such message had been re- ceived or delivered to either of the parties named, at the time the ¥ were in Denver. This was a surprise, and he returned to the landlady, ‘* You are sure one of the men went East?” “Ob, yes, for bis friend rode off in the morn- ing, to join a train of wagons going to Pueblo, and he waited and took the night train,” | ‘“Mr. Von Belo went South, then?” “*No, Mr. Von Belo went East, by rail.” a ess you are mistaken, Madam.” 7 Well, they are so much alike I may be; but my. son will remember.” he son was Called and asked the question as to which of the two men went East. ‘*Mr, Von Belo.” ‘* You are sure?” ‘*T am, for I heard bim tell Mr, Leffin that he was awful sorry the telegram called him East, but he conld find the mine all right, and he would join him tbere later on, as soon as he