Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 814 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 Ace High, the Frisco Detective. RI ‘‘ Although Heinrich has made a terrible | blunder, I can hardly blame him for it; and you will place the utmost trustin him when I tell ou that he is the only one in my mountain ‘gon besides the lieutenant, who knows how to find me, and he can be relied upon in any ordinary emergency. ‘You will aim to reach the house by two o’clock, and it is now past eleven, so you had best start about preparing for the trip. ‘Do you fully understand tbe plan of ths house?” ‘t Hido, yer ’igbness, hand wil! lug ther loot be- fore three o’ciock! ‘* Shall we bring the swag ’ere?” ‘‘ Yes, to thisroom, And mind there must be no failure!” With this, the yellow-bearded captain left the building, while Melbourne and Heinrich set about preparing for a burglarious visit upon the Bonapvza Widow, ** It is a bold stroke, even for me,” muttered Captain Nugget, as he set out up-town once more, ‘* But the money must be forthcoming—if not by fair means, then by foul, ‘*T am well satisfied she keeps a tremendous sum in that desk, for only the other day when I was there in answer to her note relative to mak- ing the deposit, she payed her agentshundreds in gold from a drawer that I know contained as many thousands more; and besides, the gleam of the heap of jewels I caught fairly took away my breath, ‘Very likely she has a guard stationed over the treasure, but I’ll warrant Melbourne to bring away the ‘loot,’ if any there is in the house!” Thus communing with himself, the banker- outlaw kept on until he reached the vicinity of his own office, where, moved by a strange im- pulse, he quickly removed his disguise and en- tered his private den. He bad left the lamps ublighted, but now, they were burning, though turned low down, proving conclusively that his private-secretary had been here during his ab- sence, In looking about for some cause for his subor- dinate’s intrusion, his eyes fell upon a sealed letter lying upon bis desk. Quickly opening it, he read these lines, while Jost in a maze of wonderment: ** BANDERSON & Co, :— ‘‘GENTLEMEN!:—For reasons which I will give you later, I wish to recall my engagement with you for to-morrow, and will be pleased to intrust a million of gold and securities with your firm, ** Respectfully, ANITA CARDIGAN,” For a full minute Banderson glared at the note with open-mouthed amazement, | ‘‘What in the name of Satan can it mean?’ he at last gasped, for it will be remembered he, as yet, knew nothing of his son’s adventure out on the suburban road, ‘“* A million! Great Scott! It is too late to recall Melbourne. But as it makes no difference whether be is successful or not, I will ‘ buck the gs till morniug just to celebrate my big uck! But he little thought what Melbourne’s failure might mean to him, / CHAPTER VIII. IN A DEMON’S TOILS. THE Golconda bad closed early, Taking their cue from the desperate luck of Barry Banderson, the crowd gathered in little knots all over the hall to talk the matter over. Toe gang were staggered by what they had witnessed, nor was there a gamester present who would try their luck against the ‘* Queen of For- tune.” She had been so positive that the *‘ blood” would Jose on that deal, that the crowd began to assume the idea that they were all along being systematically stripped of al) their superfluous cash through the witchery of the beautiful siren, **But the bank HAD been ‘bu’sted,’” some urged, and then they discovered a fact that had been hitherto cverlooked, namely: Ace High, the Gambler Detective, was the only man that had, as yet, succeeded in accomplishing that undertaking. Could it be, they asked themselves, that Ace High was in league with the Girl Sport, and was acting the part of ‘‘ capper” for their games? No! Ace High, though a confirmed gambler, was known from ’Frisco to the Rio Grande as a gentleman and a man of bonor, and he would never stoop to play the role of common “‘ cap- per. “ ai * > * It was simply a wonderful run of luck, backed by a heavy money-belt! This was the conclusion the habitues of the Golconda at last arrived at; but their ardor for the ** blind goddess ” was cooled by the desperate play of young Banderson, and one by one they dropped out of the gilded saloon, until the great hall was nearly deserted, Thus it came to pass that? the doors of the Golconda were closed Jong before their usual time; and, while Ruby Rob caressingly stacked away his night’s;wionings, Flasb, the Girl Sport, muffled her luscious form in the disguising foldg of a huge waterproof, and left the gaming hahl by a narrow rear exit, whose existence was not even suspected by the renowned ‘‘four hundred.” Passing through a long, dim hallway that led to an inclosed area in the rear of the Golconda, Flash entered a richly furnished private resi- dence beyond, “But she did not stay here, The house was untenanted at present, and let- ting herself out of the front entrance with a latch-key, she approached a carriage that had just drawn up at the curb, She pulled the carriage door open—hesitated, then stepped back, and glanced up sharply at the driver, whose face was shadowed by a wide- rimmed hat, ‘‘ Is that you, O’Toul?” she asked. ‘*Maix! It’s nobuddy else, me leddy!” answered the driver in a brogue that sounded significantly thick, ‘“‘Then what is the matter with you?” sternly, ‘¢ Oh, be ther light av yez two purty eyes, me leddy, Oy’m as chipper as a robin in June, so Oy am!” ‘¢ But you speak in a suspiciously thick voice, it seems to me—” **Oh, now, me leddy, yez wouldn’t deny a poor b’ye jest a drop ov ther ould cratbur!” The siren glanced sharply around, thrust her small gloved hand inside her cloak, then stepped into the close carriage, commanding: ‘* Drive on O’Toul, and never let this happen again!” Then, as the carriage rolled on briskly she drew a slender blade from beneath ker cloak and whispered, a little anxiously: ‘‘What can it mean? This is not my carriage, though it bears a close resemblance to it! ‘¢ And that man on the driver’s seat cannot be O’Toul, for he would as soon think of swallowing Prussic acid as liquor while on duty. ** Tt is some desperate plot to entrap me, **Oh, if Ace High were only at hand; but I sent bim away just when his strong arm would be most needed, ‘‘T knew my enemies would try to get me into their power sooner or later, but I did not expect them to act even before 1 had struck my urst blow at them. ‘Can it be that that terrible gang have ‘spotted’ me thus early in the game? ‘**T cannot think it an impossibility after that affair on the stage-trail, ‘* But they will find me prepared— ‘*Ha! That is their game, el?” The carriage had been whirling along tke de- serted street atarattling pace while the girl was thus communing with herself; but as she made that last exclamation it abruptly moder- | ated its speed, while at the same moment the siren became aware that a fragrant, subtle odor was beginning to rapidly pervade the close carriage, One long breath the girl took, and ber senses all but left her in a delightful, dreamy languor, and she knew she was being drugged by the powerful odor, “T recognize the perfume,” she gasped, ‘‘Tt is that of a Chinese drug—great Heaven! Can it be that they are carrying me to that sink of iniquity—Chinatown? ‘* Well, let them! Iwill block the first of their little games, at Jeast\” The girl had previously discevered that the carriage door was fast locked, probably by some spring arrangement. But nothing daunted by this, she sunk to the bottom of the carriage, aud, with a balf-dozen firm thrusts with the keen blade she held, suc- ceeded in making an aperture in the thin floor boards, | Then pressing her face close to the opening thus made, the entrapped girl drew in great draughts of the life-giving oxygen until she felt herself once more in complete possession of her senses, Hardly had she recovered from the effects of the small portion of tha drug she bad inhaled, than the carriage stopped, a small window near ' ‘when be discovered the outlines of the dro the driver was drawn open, and Flash knew, — though she could not see him, that the fraudu- lent O’Toul was gazing in upon her. ** All right, boss,” she heard him address some person upon the curb, ‘‘ Ther vixen air limp ez a Tag, an’ layin’ in the bottom of ther keer- age!’ This was replied to by a voice that caused the Gir] Sport to almost betray herself by a cry. It was the voice of young Barry Banderson! ‘**Good enough, Cotty! Let Shiny, here, take the team back, ** Open tho door and I'll carry her in!” The siren was dumfounded! She bad supposed she was a prisoner in the hands of the yellow demons of Chinatown, and it bad been her intention to make a desperate fight for freedom, with both knife and revolver, as soon as the door was opened, But this was different, She believed she saw through the scheme of the young *‘ blood,” and at once resolved to ussist him all she could to a cer- tain extent. So, when the door was opened, the Siren of the Golconda appeared to be wrapped in the most helpless insensibility upon the bottom of the carriage, ‘Hokey! But she air a daisy!” quoth Cotty, as Barderson lifted the limp but beautiful form, and bore it into the buildigg. * Why, I'd run ten times the risk yew hev for jest one smack from them air red lips of hern—” ‘*That will do, Cotty!’ commanded the 6¢ blood,” a ‘**{ want you to understand that you must | show exacily the same respect to this lady that you would if she were my wife—which she may be yet, if I find she has the ducats | think she has!’ ‘* Won't I astonish the ninny!” thought Flash, and she could hardly resist an audible chuckle, Young Banderson deposited his fair burden upon A pile of soft cushions that graced the luxuriously furnished apartment into which he had borne her, then said; ‘You may go now, Cotty. I will get Hop Sing to give her an antidote for his infernal drug—stay; you may post yourself in the second anteroom—I may need you!” and the two ab- ductors left the apartment, ‘* Ah, yes! Hop Sing, you’are needed badly!” leughed Flash, rising from the cushions when the two had passed from bearing. ‘*But while you are preparing your antidote, I think I will take a look at my surroundings. ‘Ah! Here is an unlocked door—I will in- vestigate,” and she passed from the room, When Banderson returned, accompanied by a fat and hideous: visaged old Chinaman—the pro- prietor of the ‘‘ dive,” be found his cage empty. ‘Heavens! She has escaped by that door—it must have been unlocked!” he cried, The Chinaman turned deathly pale, ‘*Die vixlen!” he hissed, his words jumbled terribly by excitement. ‘‘Sblee will rluin Hop Sing. Imulst find her—stlay here—don’t dlare follow mle!” and he dashed from the room with wonderful speed, considering his corpulency. In the mean time Flash had made a dis- covery. Tracing her way along a narrow hall, at the further end of which appeared a huge black curtain, she was surprised to hear the low hum of many voices ahead, Approaching the curtain softly, she drew it slightly and peered through, ' What she saw was a dozen masked men, seated around a jong table, and by the frag- ments of conversation she caught, she knew the band before her were the remnant of the once powerful society called ‘‘ The Hounds of ’Fris- co! She drew back hurriedly, for she knew it meant death to be found there, only to find ber- self confronted by the demon-visaged Hop Sing! ‘* Ab, vixen! I'll dim those prying eyes of pours before morning!” he hissed, as he caught er up in his powerful arms, CHAPTER IX, TWO NARROW ESCAPES, Ack HIGH, the Gambler Detective, had taken his life in his bands many times, but never, per- haps, in the whole course of bis wild and {des- perate career among the law-breakers of the wild West, had he been forced to weigh every atom of chance with such nicety as when he mone himself in the fatal drop-chair of the rib, He well knew, when summoned to the alcove by Cotty, that a trap had been laid for him, and oor beneath the chair, he knsw what was to the: instrument of his destruction. He realized he was in a desperate situation, *~ a - 7 hp & os ms > eee i 6 eee es &~ ' .