Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 819 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

. . - “. 7 - 4 oa / ; ro pe when he first went over the contents of the - upon the floor and the chief kept tally. mn) a _ * They are oe What es _ “T will give youa receipt for them.” y , _ this_room other than Rasy $74 803" aula st 86 T enow 86,” Stoel a Just as he made this discovery, for the sun Was peering up now above the horizon, he saw the chief approaching, The eyes of the chief had fallen already upon the letter and he called out: ‘Ho, Dick, another epistle from your mys- terious Mascot?” ' | ‘*Tt would seem so, sir; but I just found it, as I opened the door.” ‘* Yes, it is just as the other was fastened there. ‘‘ You heard no one put it there?” ** Chief.” sc Yes, ” ‘‘ This house is haunted.” f Ah! you have seen a ghost then!” ** T don’t believe in such things—no one who has ap sense does; but I mean the place is haunted y some one whom I cannot lay hands upon.” _ ** Your Mascot doubtless, as the letter you hold in your hand there would indicate,” ** Ah, yes; let me reac it, sir,” Dick Doom led the way into the house, and the two took seats, and the seal of the letter was broken, It was addressed just as before and in the same handwriting, evidently a feminine hand and dis- . guised, : Dick read the letter aloud, and it was as fol- ‘lows: ** DroK Doom:— *‘Srr:—All warnings, all threats and entreaties are in vain, for you still stick to the track of the Gold Ghouls like a bloodhound. _ “But to show that [ hava your interest at heart, that I do not seek simply to drive you from the track of the Gold Ghouls, I return to you to-night the treasure taken from you, for I see by the papers that you were suspected of committing a theft, that is, stealing the booty you forced the Gold Ghouls to leave behind. “The one who wrote to the Herald did not know that the treasure had been stolon from you, nor does he know that it is to be returned, * *Letits return prove that [ mean you well, and once again let me beg of you to give up the fatal trail you are now following, for it will surely lead to your death, in spite of all vate can be done to save you by our Me 7” Se CHAPTER XXIII, THE RETURN OF THE ‘BOOTY. THE chief heard this letter with mingled sur- prise and doubt. ** Dick, where is that treasure?” ‘*T do not know, sir.” ‘It was not left outside the door?” ** No, sir,” _And Dick Doom made a search without. ‘** Look out of the hall door.” 3 This was done, | , No treasure was there, Then the chief said: : “ “6 ao the noise you heard in the room over- __ hey both hastened up-stairs and into the . library. . ry Dick Doom placed his hands upon the secret panel and opened it, Within the iron safe they beheld a large bag. “ That is the bag,” cried Dick, , They took it out, and the chief had the list of things in it, as published in the paper. Dick Doom also had the list he had made bag. : 85 the end was untied, and all were placed Dick Doom called out the articles one by one, ‘* They are all here, Dick.” will you do with them?” | “Turn them over to you, sir, to be placed in your safe, there to await future devélopments.” iz, Yes, that is the thing to do with them, Thank you, sir, et ut, chief?” tant _ he one who brought them back came into “Vou think ! ne 80 } Well, then some one else lives in the rooker ~ besides yourself?” — . f ‘: eM. ae eee seem 80, sir, _- “f And there are secrets ut it which I can- pyre Leen ero UF esl CO ae ; am not disheartened, especially sin ce shave gotten that treasure other crimes they nay lay up against them, 4 : Ys . - , he . e 4, : + a , " 4 7 se - ; : ; Y rel ; ‘ is i 3 4) > 7 . 6». at * se Vs ¢ i . - Ly { : ; hagl er , x o's > ; | Lt, we 5 “ ‘ Ww Cu.* . ” I , 5 ‘ : ’ . ¢ 4 ad . ‘ : i - , ¥ Te 7 e ee ik art %\ i mee } - 7 ih * = y " ? ~ ‘ r - + iv 9 hve Ai - , Ags oS Sains apee, be He AS 5 a4 , * 7 a ; aly v e a é : ) . a aN A. 4 ‘ t ‘ ; iF oF ( ; \ af A yok i Wy ae gps ve ue ‘Ki awE PP ee oe ae Re i le : ¥ vit v w* r ; SOS) eases Bane el, TOR age Ried Reh rea say iets Mee ’ = . “ ‘ ‘ = :. _— a ———_—————————— T : ae Dick Doom’s Girl Mascot. ‘*T really do begin to feel that the one who befriends me does mean well by me,” ‘* It certainly looks that way, Dick,” ** Well, chief, [ shall carmpin this old rookery, and you uad better turn the supposediy-accused map out.” ay oO, I shall keep bim there for appearance’s sake, ‘** Just as you think best, sir; but do you re- call that my Mascot knew that I had not been arrested?” : ‘* By Jupiter! ‘That is so, for she came right here.” ** Yes, sir, she knew that it was a blind mak- ing the arrest that the papers reported, ‘She knew that I bad not stolen the booty, and she felt sure that 1 intended to remain right here.” ‘* Yes. ‘‘ How does she find you out as she does?”. ‘*T cannot tell, sir, for the life of me, ** See, she first appeared in that vacant house, and saved by life,” ** She did,’ ‘¢ She next came to the hotel where I thought no one knew me,” sé és She found me out in the flat as Doctor Dick- ‘‘ She followed me here, and saved me from those with her.” és Yes,” **She knows that I was here the next night, and so pinned that letter upon the door.” ‘* Yes, and a second one too.” ‘* She did, as well as gave the little negro the note for me, | ‘J tell you, chief, I am the worst shadowed man I ever knew,” ‘* You are taking a little of your own medi- cine, Dick,” ** Yes, and I do not particularly relish it, sir,” responded Dick Doom with a laugh, - The question is, how are you going to help ‘‘T'll have to grin and bear it, I guess, | ‘** But let me make a suggestion to you, sir?” ** Certainly.” ‘* Has it come to you that in each of the mur- selected men of like stripe?” “T don’t exactly catch your meaning, Dick.” _ Well, sir, Mr. Sedley Seaton lived alone, as it were, for his servants did not dwell with him in the house,” ‘* That is go,” ‘*He was isolated, lived in a rookery, though a better one than this by far, and gave nothing to charity. “* He hoarded his wealth that he did not spend for his own pleasure, or gamble away, and was supposed to keep large sums of money in his house.” ‘* Very true.” “Old Miser Mainball never gave a dollar to ag A tise | down all whom he had dealings with, lived by himself and was known to keep large sums of money in bis house,” shige tin: et ‘ ell, sir, both men were murdered and rob- bed by the Gold Ghouls, and ae obs words as was Seaton and Mainhall, ‘* Now where dces such another man dwell?” CHAPTER XXIV. NUMBER THREE, ng their victims, struck the chief most forcibly. He was at once impressed with the idea ad- vanced, and after a moment’s thought, said: ** Dick, non areright. _ ; fe see the thing now in the same light that you do. “That is an organized band of thieves, to carry out their determination to wet gold. “Their motto is for Love of Gold, and the have settled upon a plan to get rid of just suc men as a community does not care for, and would neither miss or regret, except for the manner of their taking off. ‘They try to frighten off pursuit of them by boldly killing those who seek to track them common herd, th at they are men who have 4 wat” ders committed, by these Gold Ghouls, they have ‘Go ahead Dick, for I begin to understand - | blazes away with that the next time they commit a like crime they will select for their-victim just such a man THE reasoning of Lick Doom regarding the | eculiar methods of the Gold Ghouls in select- “I believe, as yon say, they are not of the gone wrong in life and from the upper classes, | ang Mba NA nos at any cost, for yay og sinned and fallen, they caro not now w | . : eatin s me | woman and the man he ‘‘ The feature I like least in this matter is that the woman seems to be a lady, ‘‘Sbe has loved unworthily doubtless and clings to her lover in sin and shame, ‘‘T have bad my men on the watch for the dun horses and they have not yet seen such a team, ‘* ] have bad them on the watch four the snow- white pony and the dog-cart, and though one such was found and tracked, it was not the one we wanted,” ‘* How do you know, chief?” ‘‘ Well, it belonged to one whom I know,” ** Ah! you are sure?” ‘Oh, yes, and 1 know her husband well.” ‘* And [ thought that you knew me, chief, and yet you doubted me, I saw plainly, when that ha: came out in the paper signed by A Hunted. an. '* No, Dick, I—” ‘*Don’t deny it, chief, for I read your face perfectly. “You did not wish to doubt me, and you trusted me still, yet were determined to, keep. your eye more closely upon me,” os eae a confess, Dick, I hardly knew what to think, ‘But I dismissed the doubt as soon as formed,” ‘¢Then give me the address who owns the white pony and ‘* Certainly. ‘¢ But you are away off there,” ‘‘] may be, but I am in this game to win, chief, and I shall let no page of its history go unread.” The chief wrote down the name and address. and then said: ‘Yes, Dick, you are surely right in your surmise as to the methods of these Gold Ghouls,” ‘‘ Now let us find out where Victim Number Three is, chief,” ‘‘ You mean one who is to be selected for the Gold Ghouls?” ‘‘ Yes, doubtless has already been selected, for there is no time for a villain to strike with more safety than just when any one is believing he has fled to escape detection.” | ‘¢ You are right.” | ‘Now, do you know of any one answering to. the style of Seaton and Mainhall, chief?” _ ** Yes, several.” ‘Will you give me a list of therm?” . ‘* With pleasure, rf ‘‘ There is an old woman living up across the: Harlem River who is said to be wortha great deal of money and to keep it hidden about her house. | | | ‘‘She lives ina place not unlike this, which she inherited, and she is so meav, they say, that she will not keep a dog to protect her, and re~- fuses to feed her cats, making them forage on the rats foraliving,” ‘* Does she hye alone?” ‘‘ Yes, but gives a room in the house to an old negro and his wife in return for cutting her wood and bringing her what she needs, _ ‘‘T have been surprised that some one has not gone there to rob her, knowing her unprotected condition, though they say she isa terror, and an old musket loaded with buckshot, at the boys who try to steal her appl ” lease, of the one. og-cart,” es. he, “Shoe is a good case for the Gold Ghouls, ace cording to my idea of them and their ways, for man or woman it would be the same to them. “ Any others, chief?” _.“ Yes, an old man_ who lives in a stone house back from the East River, ne of * He is called sailor forty years ago, and coming back from now lives, and which has quintupled in value, ‘“*Ffe will not sell a foot of it, keeps off all trespassers with the savage dogs he has there, — and owns a little sloop in which he goes down to the city whenever he wishes provisions, - ‘* Tt is said he always pays in old ag for what be gets, and rumor has it thathe has his private treasure buried there on his grounds, or hid‘len in hishouse.” =| rie oa ‘Thon mark my words, chief, either the old woman or the man Pa call the pirate will be — the next victim of the “ \ “CHAPT Nea | DICK DOOM LEARNS A SEORET, = (ax chief left Dick Doom still at the ol@ rookery. of the miser, after givin _ him fal particulars of just: how to find the h am of the : eaxihinimuigibent: Syne ent Ub o . - , ; veer « ss j ; . y b> At le) , t, - Ha ni of ty , . Lae | an old pirate, for he was a | one of his cruises bought the house wherehe bh gold . hog Gold Ghouls—will be Number Three,” said Dick Doom impressivly, ans: ‘ P : lam 7 P : 4) ¢ a ‘ r ' d ; XXV a Al a, ‘ eu ~ P i? . “ ‘ie ‘ ’ . ’ ’ - ’