Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 814 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

S bed * { , . oe . Pall _ apd * a ‘ If he refused to occupy the fatal chair, one " word of the plotters wou'd bring to their aid a hundred of the most desperate characters in Frisco, ig resolved to take his chances with the cheir, Ashe seated himself, he grasped the arms of the seat firmly, for be imagined that to part with that article of furniture would mean death in some manner, and waited for the fatal drop. It soon came, as we have seen, and he shot downward into tbe dark abyss beneath the crib. Happily, Cotty had thoughtlessly prepared the man-bunter for what was next to happen; so, as the chair turned bottom upward, as the steel arms relaxed their grip upon him, the Gambler Detective brought forth every effort of his steel-like muscles to prevent himself from falling. It was a terrible strain. His arms seemed to be nearly torn from their sockets, but those white, shapely, but powerful hands never relaxed their grip. He had rightly calculated that the delicate mechanism of the infernal drop would cause the chair to again rise to the alcove after accom- plishing the fell designs of its manipulators, but his iron heart grew faint within bim as the chair began to slowly ascend witbout regaining its for- mer upright position. **Great God!” he groaned, in an agony of ain caused by his awfully distended muscles, ‘I can keep my grip but a moment longer; and in passing through the trap bshall be torn bodily from my hold! ‘* Why won’t the cursed thing turn over? nN IG mvust ! or Ace High bas cashed in his last chip! In his desperation the entrapped man made a terrific effort to regain an upright position—and succeeded! The chair flew back with a suddenness that almost tore his hands from their grasp upon the arms, His last desperate struggle bad off-et the overbalance caused by his weight, and had set oe machinery in motion that had saved his 2, When the chair regained the position in which we first discovered it, Ace High tottered from the death-trap, and leaned heavily upon the table to regain his all but shattered nerve, In a few moments the Garobler Detective was his old cool, invincible self; and, picking up his hat, which had been brushed aside in his first sudden flight downward, he placed it upon his head, exchanged bis bushy, tangled false beard for a long blonde mustache and goatce, turned his coat inside out—appearing then in a rather flash one of plaid—and thus metamorphosed from the ** tough” miner of the Jowest type who bad entered the alcove twenty minutes before, to a “ blood” of the first water, he sauntered non- chalantly out through the motley crowd of the crib, and soon reached the street. ‘Jove! But that was a tight nip, Asa, my boy!” be muttered, as he straightened his ath- ier form and set off up the street at a rapid walk. ‘‘Weseem to jump nearer the brink every time we have a scrap with the crooks; but we manage to baul ’em in at last, every time, don’t we, Asa? ‘* Well, let’s waltz around to the Goleonda and see that our fair‘ pard’ gets home all right, then we will take a squint at the trail of his ‘ jags,’ the hbanker-crook!” i During this conversation with himself Ace High drew hear the Goleonda—only, however, to meet a janitor locking up, just as he ap- proached the door, ; ** Hello! Brown, what’s the difficulty to-night” he asked, as be pushed open the door just as the key was grating in the lock, ‘Obi Itis you, Mister Asa! , ‘* Never knew the Golconda to close so ’arly before iu all the five years I’ve been here, sir; no, never! ‘* But, you see, sir, the gang got scart at young Banderson’s beavy play, an’ hev gone home to think it over, sir!” ‘* And the lady, Brown?” **Sbe was jist puttin’ on her dry-goods in the hall a minnit ago, sir!” To the large hall Ace High hurried, only, how- ever, to learn of Ruby Rob that the Girl Sport bad left the building a few moments before bis arrival, So, on he went through the secret entrance, to again find disappointment in missing the siren’s carriage, “I¢ is a foolish, if not a dangerous move, for the girl to go home alone,” and the detective again etd rapidly along the city street. &— oo ad we . <a pope it is all right, but she has too many powerful enemies, to allow her going about un- attended,” A few minutes’ walk brought him in frontof a large brick house upon a quiet street, Not a ray of light came from the heavy-shut- tered windows, but Ace High unhesitatingly aDrANS up the steep steps, and rung the door- Cll, . Some moments of silence passed, then a small wicket, set in one of the heavy panels, slid back, and in the opening appeared a hideous black face thar looked to belong to anything but a human being, though evidently that of an aged negro. Ace High pressed his face close to the wicket and whispered some words lowly, Be auswer he received seemed to stagger im, ‘¢ Not here?” be gasped, ‘* Do you mean, Aspa, that she has not arrived from the Golconda?” ‘¢ She bas not come, master!” ‘“‘ Weavens! Then I must find her at once!” and he reached the street at one hound, ‘‘What can have happened?’ he muttered, more than agitated at the non-arrival of his chent. ‘She cannot have proceeded at once to the mansion, for in that case she would have left some word behind, ‘‘ And yet—perhaps she did, and Ruby Rob forgot totell me, But to make sure, I will go at once to*the mansion, and if she is not there— “Ha! yonder is Paddy McCraken, the boy I sent to keep the captain in sight, ‘He acts a little neryous—l will speak to him!” The one in question, a lad of some twenty years, with pronounced Hibernian pbysiognomy, was still some distance away, but hurrying up the street at a swift run. He was about to brush past the still disguised detective when the latter Stopped him with: ‘‘ Hello, Paddy! How large is the stake you are running for?” ‘*Howly mitber av Moses! Ace High, darlin’!” ‘Sure, Paddy! tain?” ‘‘Arrah now; an’it’s to the divil wid the captain, but Oi’m thinkin’ av ther lady, bliss her swate face!” ‘*Ha! What mean you Paddy?’ ** Aisy now, and tell me if ther young misthress hev arriv’ home yet!” ‘*No! She is missing.” ‘*Ow, the spbalpeens! I knew it. An’ phy didn’t Oi hey ther arrum av ould Samson him- silf, sure, that I might hey lift ther murtheren divils weltering in their own gore afore they did it, wirra! ‘* But come along me jewel, an’ Oj’ll tell yez all about it as we procade,” ‘Then you bave seen Senorita Flash to-night?” and Ace High’s face was unusally pale as he asked the question, ‘‘Raix! An’ Oi hev! ‘“Yez see, darlint, I follied ther captain ter bis bole in Chinatown, an’ from there around back, an’ to bis favorite gambling hang-out, ‘‘Tben says Oi to meself: Paddy, me boy, ther captain is sulted fer keeps till morning, so supposin’ we go beck to ther dive in Chinatown an’ take anither gh til his hang-out there; so I says ier mesilf * All right, Paddy me boy, Or’'m wid vel’ an’ away we wint—Oi an’ mesilf, ‘An’ whin we got jist forninst ther Chineo house, may ther divil fly away wid me, if thero wasn’t a murtherin spbalpeen av a false- whiskered feller a-carrying ther young lady in ther house from cuten a carriage!” ‘* How long age was that?’ **Not more’n foive minuits, sir; fer Oi flew anit’ afther you loike a sthar-sphangled agle, sir! « ** Are we most there, Paddy?” “It is jist ther fu’st door around yonder corner, sir!” All this time the two had been sprinting along at a swift pace, but at theso last is Ace High uttered a sharp cry and bounded forward witb the speed of a frightened buck, ‘My God! Itis that nest of crime and vice, run by Hop Ling!” be hissed; “Itis death for me, if they recognize me within those walls; but Pll fight all Chinatown before they sball harm a hair of her head! “Ah! Here we are—now for some fun with the Celestials!” and springing up the steps, though the basement door was the usual mode of entrance to the place, be rung the bell. Already bad the Gambler Detective formed bis plan of action, so when the door was cautious- ly opened by & greasy looking ‘ pig-tail,” the man-hunter assumed a half-idiotic expression of Au’ is it yersilf But have you lost the cap- rah . wen - ’ rs + 4 - he 4 - # - 4 "te Lee ke Ae | ye + | : : : ro at Oo OP ee “e 8 ie 7 hf Of) " hy - - — d Js A tw é a \e + _- t< . —_. Ace High, the Frisco Detective. bs 7 . 1 ~ fe < ‘ . . ss s 4, 5 countenance, as though but hal? recovered from an extended opium debauch, and entered the ball with a lurch that flattened the heathen be- hind the door like a flap-jack! No one appeared to be observing them. Ace High suddenly seized the Celestial by the throat and demanded in a menacing tone; PR loath is the ‘’Melican’ girl that just came in? Fully believing the intruder was “ opium- crazed,’ the ** pig-tail’ pointed frantically to a door some distance down the hall, intent only on saving his own life, The detective comprehended the motion, and, poy the heathen with bim, hurried to the oor, In the small room beyond stood a masked man, whom upon the instant he believed he re- cognized, But at this instant a slight scream came from beyord the door opposite, and drop- ping the squirming heathen, he sprung in that direction, It was a startling sight he came upon, Flash, the Girl Sport, struggling frantically for life and honor in the arms of a bideous and powerful old Chinaman, One great leap forward and the Gambler De- tective grasped the demven in his steel-like hands, raired him aloft at arms’ length, then flung bim straight through the curtained doorway into the midst of the Hounds of ’Frisco, ‘‘My darling!” be cried, as he clasped the beautiful siren to his breast and pressed his lips passionately te ber own, ‘‘ Sir!” disengaging herself from bis embrace with an effort. ‘I believe our relationship was founded on a business basis only!” “T beg your pardon, Senorita Flash,” bowed the detective, growing suddenly pale, “JT forgot for a moment that 1 was only a gambler! . ‘‘T assure you it will not happen again!” and he calmly drew a couple of heavy revolvers as a howl of frenzy, and the trampling of many feet, came from behind the curtains, ‘‘ You have your masculine suit on—remove your outer apparel and leave the building at once, while I cover your retreat, ‘Be quick! They are coming!” Hoe had been watching those curtains nar- rowly, and with revolvers leveled, while speuk- ing, but turned abruptly as a soft band was layed upou his own. Even while giving them, tho girl had followed his directions to the letter, and none would re- cognizo in the athletic young fellow at his side the Siren of the Golconda, , '' Senor, I spoke hastily. Please forgive me, I shall not leave you'to face that terrible gang alone, J£ you do not come with me, I shall stay here to fall at your side, Plesss come!” He could sce that she was terribly in earacst, and the gang were even now at the curtaing, His reputation as a duelist and, mau-hunter was too well established for a, flight from the Hounds of ’Frisco to be construed into an ect of cowardice,and taking the siren’s hand he led the way into a side passage, just as the frenzied eang rushed into the hall, with the old demon Hop Ling at their head, A few moments later two young men, neither | of whom resembled the { loude mustachéd chap who had just entered, walked nonchalantly from the ‘* dive.” : CHAPTER 4X. AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE. THe ex-convict, ‘*‘ Melbourne,’ hid not seen fit to inform Captain Nugget that he had not only located the bouse of the Bonanza Widow beyond mistake, but had even made a midnight rounds of the elegint mansion, with the end in view of a possible future entrance for ‘* loot” on his own account, But such was the fact! So it was no wonder the ex-burglar led his pals unhesitatingly, and by the shortest route, to the seene of their criminal operations, Thanks to Melbourne’s previous investiga- tions, they soon effected an entrance, when, after a second careful study, by the aid ofa bull’s-eye lantern, of the plan of the house, the experienced convict led the way without trouble to the room containing the escritoire, ‘‘Ther ’ouse his dooced still!” muttered Mel- bourne, taking in the almost oriental magni- ficence of his surroundings with a practiced e eye, fe Seein’ has this are widder his ter give ha big ball so soon, Hi’d ’ave supposed there’d be hanough sarvents hin ther’ouse ter make ha little noise hany ’ow! ‘‘But’ere we his, me bloomin’ coves! Right yere his ther desk has contains ther swag, ‘ ’ tf ey, as ' 7 : ae Oye * ’ ih (=> apts ) Pe eee Ly - | « | « \ \ ly micboo ay ‘ a “a :* ahr Wa, oe : , 7] oe TT cilia les 4 aN ps | _ :