Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 815 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 —— — fessed. ‘‘It means that I must right the wrong before it is forever too late. My dear wife, bow | have cheated and wronged her!” ‘* Don’t waste your sympathy in her direc- ‘tion, sir,” said Billy. ‘* She has been cheating aud wronging you none the less—” “Sir, your promise,” the woman sharply in- terrupted, ‘‘Tremember what it was,” Billy made re- sponse, ‘I don’t intend to break it, madam,” **What does this mean?’ the sick man ques- tioned. ‘‘I meant my true wife,” ‘*I will leave it for this woman to tell you, if she desires to do so,” Billy said, making reply the same as he had made to the woman a mo- ment before, With that he stepped back, and the man and woman faced each other. ** W bat does it mean?’ the man asked, ‘*What does it mean in your case?” the coun- ter-question. At that moment hasty steps were heard in the hall, and the door was flung open and a young woman rushed in, It was Florence Stiverson, and her face was Aushed with excitement and the haste she had evidently been making, and her breathing was quick, **Oh! papa,” she cried, ‘* if you only knew!” She gave a scornful glance at Mrs, Stiver- gon as she suid it. “Only knew what, my child?” the sick man asked, “* The Nain you have suffered. This wo- ‘man has been false to you!” She pointed with scorn at the guilty wife, me cowered before her, and her form trem- ‘*It is not for me to fling the first stone at her,” said the sick man, sorrowfully. ‘* My Own evil deeds are coming home to me now.” The girl looked at him in amazement, ‘* What can you mean?” she asked, ‘“*T mean that of all miserable beings, I am the most miserable; that, of all guilty scoundrels, Iam the worst.” ** Oh, papa, do not say so; no one ever had so good a father as you have been to me,” The sick man gave a sob, chokingly. “Call me not father!” he said. ‘Curse me, rather, Hateme, Say something bitter against ne Say the worst you can think, I deserve it Aa . ae girl looked to rin y for ythitn ieneva pa ** Surely, my poor father mu going out of his mind,” she said, P “Not so,” Billy assured, *‘ but he is in the frame of mind to do what he can to undo the wrong he hasdone. Mr, Shyrock, whom shall ‘I send for?” **Shyrock!” the girl cried, “Your father and Hickman Shyrock are one and the same,” Billy explained. With a cry the gir! reeled back, and would have fallen had she not found support against the wall. “What does it mean?’ demanded the wife in name, once again. ‘“‘It means that I have been leading a double life,” the sick mafi confessed. ‘It means that I have two wives, under different names, and you are one, It means that I have lived a lie with you these dozen years,” ° He then turned to Broadway Billy. ‘You may send for my lawyer, Mr. Hedge- ley,” he said, ‘‘ and for witnesses, I am ready to confess, for I feel that death is near, and that it were better to lift the load from my own soul in this world, if I can, than to carry it with me into the world to come,” ‘* Miss Stiverson, will you call a servant?” Billy requested. The girl, pale and trembling, nodded, and stepped into the hal! for that purpose. A servant was soon there, and Billy writing several brief notes and directing them, requested Miss Stiverson to send the servant with them in ail haste, This was done, and when the servant had gone Billy proposed that nothing further be said re- garding the complicated matter pending the arrival of the lawyer and the witnesses who had been sent for. CHAPTER XVII. A DYING MAN’S STORY. BILLY’s proposal was not carried out fully, nor did he insist that it should be, for he was eager enough himself to learn all he could from what among the three persons present, They all talked, while they waited; and al- though their wait was quite a long one it was re- warded at last, Broadway Billy’s Bank Racket. ln the mean time Harry and Seth had been having a jubilee. Shadowing the Stiverson mansion, Seth had seen Robiston come and enter the house. His stay wasashort one, and when he took his leave his face was decidedly troubled and he went away in more haste than he had come, The Silont Shadower was upon his trail, cleverly disguised, and he clung to him with determination, never arousing a suspicion, and followed him straight to Horace Shyrock’s store, There he fell in with Happy Harry, who was shadowing young Shyrock,and they madea hasty comparison of notes, In a brief time the two rascals came forth from the store, Both were pale and worried, and Shyrock carried a grip and had an overcoat over his arm, They looked keenly around them, but saw nothing to arousé their suspicions. A colored youth was a little distance away down the street, and a ragged bootblack was sitting on his box across the way. These, of course, were hardly noticed, much less suspected. The two men hastened away from the store, — the two young ferrets kept them well -in sight. No stop was made till they came to a house on —— street, where Robiston entered in haste while Shyrock waited, butsoon reappeared simi- larly armed with a grip and overcoat. ‘They mean to light out, sure,” said Harry to Seth, as they observed their actions from a handy place of concealment, ** ‘You are right,” Seth agreed, ‘‘ but we mean to see to it that they don’t. We must handle our case with mighty good care, now, or it may get away with us,” When the men resumed their way they set out after them as before, far enough behind to avoid detection, and so continued till they fell in with a policeman, when Seth stopped, his had been arranged with Harry, and he kept straight on after the game. ‘Know me?” Seth asked the officer. ** No, you rascal, I don’t,” was the answer he got, ‘* Well, I don’t wonder, for I hardly know myself, I’m one of Broadway Billy’s team.” * You!” Yes. But come along this way whilo I tell you something, for there is some game ahead that mustn’t get away.” ‘Can you prove what you say, that you are one of Billy Weston’s team?” ‘* Here’s my badge; take a look at that.” ‘* Well, 1’m hanged! But come along, and Pll hear what you have to say. It may be something important, for all I know,” ‘*It is important. Heard of the Stiverson bank robbery, haven’t you?” ‘Yes. Don’t mean to say you are on that case?” ** Nothing less, and the two men ahead there whom Harry is following are the robbers, We've got them dead to rights, and the signs of the times are that they mean to skip out and leave us in the lurch if they can, We want you to take them in and prance them down to Head- quarters, and if we are not right Broadway Billy will stand all the blame.” ‘* You amaze me, young fellow. Come on, and well scoop them,” So the policeman hastened forward with Seth, soon overtaking Harry, and they followed their suspects to the Central. There they allowed them to buy tickets, but when that had been done Seth’s policeman and another stepped up to them and arrested them, giving them the usual warning not to resist, The two men were bigbly indignant, at first, and denied everything, but when Harry and Seth stepped up and made themse}ves known their denials turned to curses, They were hurried off to Headquarters, where they arrived just about the time the inspector received a note from Broadway Billy. ‘* This is Juck,” the inspector cried, ‘‘ Here your chief wants me to send out and find you and bring you to him, with your suspects, and you walk in upon me at the moment you are wanted,” The situation was explained all around, and a rty set out for the residence of Gaffer tiversou, When they arrived there they were taken at once to the room where the sick man lay, and where they were being awaited. They were the last of the expected ones to arrive, Mrs, Shyrock and her daughter had arrived just a few minutes ahead of them, and the meet- ‘her, ing between the husband and the lawful wife had been a tearful one, though no explanation had as yet been made. The company was now complete, There were Broadway Billy and his team, the inspector, Mr. Sbyrock, of course, ands, his wife, son, and daughter; Mrs, Stiverson, Miss Stiverson, Beaumont Robiston, and the lawyer; Vance Willey, Spencer Witherton, and Mr. Stiverson’s doctor. The latter had been sent for, asthe sick man had shown symptoms of being decidedly worse, ‘‘Are we all here, young gentlemen?” the lawyer asked, addressing Billy. Mr, Stiverson, or Skyrock—it matters little what we call him now, had made the lawyer ac- quainted with what was required of him. ‘* Yes, sir, we areall here and ready,” Billy answered, a ‘* And haste had better be made with the busi- ness,” the doctor spoke, gently. ‘* Well, Mr. Stiverson,” the lawyer said, *‘ we are ready to hear your confession, With somany witnesses present we will reduce it to writing.” ‘** Impossible to do so,” said the doctor, warn- ing them again. ‘* You had better make what haste you can, gentlemen,” ** Yes, I will hasten,” spoke the dying banker, ‘“*for I can feel that the end is very near. This is my story, in brief, and it is the solemn truth, every word. Pay close attention, ‘* People who knew Gaffner Stiverson and mea dozen years ago can tell you how closely we resembled each other in looks. We were often mistaken one for the other. He and I were friends, and often helped each other in business, and I knew pretty much a!! of his, ‘* But, at last, we quarreled, over a trifling mat- ter. It was in my office, one night, and in ay anger I hurled a paper weizbt at him anditstruc him on the head, killing him instantly, I wasal- most crazed at what Il had done, and what to do I did not know. I saw the gallows looming up before me, and believed that my only hope lay in concealing my crime, ** At first I thought of changing clothes with him, and making it to appear, if possible, thatit was I that had been killed; but immediately I saw how useless that would be, for then tke crime would fall apon Stiverson, and I would probably suffer for it all the same, But, that thought gave rise to another, which I seized upon with all the hope born of despair. Could [ not carry on both personalities? I would try it, let come what might, ‘*] carried the body down into the dank cel- lar under the building, and there I buried it deeply and carefully, spending al] night over the task, I had, of course, removed all the clothing, and the body was buried stark naked, That done, I put on the dead man’s clothing, acved my own ina grip, and set out at once or Philadelphia, and from chere telegraphed in both names that I had been called suddenly away, stating when I might be expected home, Tmade a difference of three days in the time, sothat I might carry on one character chat lengta of time. ‘IT came back as Gaffner Stiverson, fell into his place, and in a little time I had my grip upon his affairs so that I was able to carry on the deception successfully. Then I had to be called away for a few days, in order that Hick- man Shyrock might reappear, I hired a room permanently in a cheap hotel at Newark, and taking the train for Philadelphia, would get off there nine cases out of ten, returning to this city within the hour as another man, I opened branches of both businesses in Philadelphia, in order to hide my secret work, and so for years I have carried on my double life to the present time,” He had been speaking in a low, excited tone, and now he stopped for want of breath. The doctor, with finger on his pulse, shook his head in ar Omivous manner, as if to signify that the end was drawing near. ‘“My marriage with this woman,” the dying man presently went on, ‘was the outcome of an attempt on her part to blackmail me, a scheme which I was in no position to fight, for it would place me in danger of exposure, and my crime might become known, I fell into her snare an easy prey, and my pity for her in this hour is not very keen. hatever position she finds herself in, she has herself to biame for it, But to my murdered friend’s child I have tried to be a father, indeed, trying to make upin some measure for my crime in my goodness to I have not been blind to the fact that my son loved ker, and I have done all in my power to oppose their union, for he is inno way worthy of her. There was little danger of his success, however, for she despises him, and it is with