Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 819 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

. Pa “ : : ¥ ; « i : . - ; . : ay mA . fete | ot "7 F - ? ‘ ‘ f SS ; vere : Ws . ¥? ~~ i i. pv Ce tal : Noe +e \ ried ey pis ad . re 1 = . —— CHAPTER VIL. KNOWN IN HIS DISGUISE, One glance at the card and the chief broke out into a hearty laugh, while be said: ‘¢ Well, Tam sold, Dick Doom, and 1 admit it. ‘) did think that you could never deceive me again in your disguise, but I give it up that you can do so when and where you will, for you are the most consumate actor of char- acter [ ever met. ‘‘ What a furor you would have made upon the stage.” iy ‘* Pardon *me, chief, but I wished to visit you in disguise, and so [ had to carry out my imper- sonation, as there were others about, ‘‘Had you been alone I would at once have told you who I[ was,” : ‘It is all right, Dick, and you can play me whenever you please, for it keeps me on the alert. ‘‘Now what do you know about this murder of old Miser Mainhall?” ** Next to nothing, sir, more than that 1 learn- 7 ed jast night the murder would be committed,” ‘‘ Ha! and bow did you learn it?” ‘‘T will tell you just what happened, sir, and in my life of strange adventures it was about, the strangest,” Then Dick Doom told the chief of his going to the hotel and of the visit of the messenger. ‘*You know, chief, for the sake of being able to use my diszuises unsuspected, I register as Mr, and Mrs, D. Richards, and pay for board for two and three rooms, a bed-cbamber on each side of a parlor. ‘‘This enables me, when disguised as a wo- man, to go and come at will, you see.” ‘¢+You are a shrewd one, Doom,” ‘‘T must take no chances, sir, upon making any mistake.” ‘* No, you are wise there,” ‘‘ And yet you see by this messenger coming to my room, and bearing this note, that I am known to the writer of it.” * You think the writer was the messenger?” ** Beyond all doubt,” * And a woman?” ‘* That is certain,” . ** And she knows D. Richards as Dick Doom?” ** She certainly does, sir.” ** That is bad,” “It is so bad, sir, that I must change my quarters.” | ‘¢ To another hotel?” ** No, sir, | shall go to anapartment house and get a flat.” ‘* That would be best.” ‘Yes, by seeking one’ that is well occupied, and where any ove going in and coming out will ‘not be noticed,” ‘* True.” | **] will ask you to getia good man to seek such a flat, a lower floor one preferred, and pay for it for me,” . s ** Certainly.” 3 ‘And secure if for Doctor Richard Dickson and wife,” - The chief wrote down the name, and then turned to hear what more the young detective bad to say. ‘* Now, chief, I must, though hiding from this mysterious mascot of mine, as she calls herself, seek to fin! her out, for she knows me, for one ‘reason, and more, she knows of the Gold Ghouls,” ‘You think so?” **PDoes she nob warn me to stop tracking them?” ; ** So she does.” , ** And does her letter not tell me that another deed of crime will be done by them?” “Youare right.” _ “ And old Mainhall is the victim.” “Yes. for their card was about his neck, “T tell you, Dick, I do not like the way things are going, for we dare not let the papers get hold-of the fact that there is an organized band of men who murder to obtain gold, as we would never be able to track them Gown.” ** Yes, they would make it hard for us to solve the secret, sir, by putting a thousand and one theories before the public.” _ “Then, too, the killing and murdering of my men, who have been sent on the track of these Gold Gaouls, I have let it be thougbt it was the work of roughs of the different districts, and not that they were brought down by any clan of _.. eriminzals,” * it is best to lt it be go thought, sir, at least for the present,” , _. Yet the papers are calling us incompetent _, and every day { am roughly attacked.” __ “Success in the end, sir, will wipe out all un- _ kind criticisms against you,” ** Tf success comes.” | _ ie are A " as as ; ‘ : , us iz ‘i Dick Doom’s Girl Mascot. ai i ‘¢ Tt will, sir, for I am now wholly interested in this casv, and I must confess that the danger to face, and difficulties, render me the more anxious to ferret out the mystery.” ‘* 7 leave all in your hands, Dick,” ‘* Thank you, sir. ‘* But, that 1 may wholly understand the situ- ation, let me know all about the Sedley Seaton case, and about old Miser Mainhall as well.” ‘*T will tell you all that I know, Dick,” and the chief told the story as given in the following chapter. CHAPTER VIII. THE STORY OF THE SECRET MURDERS, ‘“ As I understand if, Dick, from all reports brought in to me,” said the chief, ‘* Mr, Sedley Seaton was left a fortune which he gained through those who had the claim of inheritance being disinberited, ‘* Ho bad been a poor man before this streak of good fortune, and at once launched out into a fast life, though he did not spend his money freely, and only spent it on his own pleasures. ‘‘It¢is said that he was so mean that he even gave the man who left him his vast fortune, a most wretched funeral, and jewed down the bills then presented to him, ‘‘ He countermanded the order given by his benefactor, for a handsome monument, and put over the grave a cheap slab only. ‘‘At length, losing by some stocks, and ina speculation, which was followed by a_ logs tnrough the failure oi a bank, he put his money into gold and paper and built a safe in bis house for it, where be could watch it himself, ‘‘Of course his actions became known, and that he held in keeping under bis own roof a very large sum of money, was whispered about, ‘*He lived out in the suburbs, in what had once been a grand old house, and kept three servants, a cook, valet and coachman, ‘* These servants, from all accounts, were shut out of the house every night after dinner, and not let in until the master rose in the morning. ‘‘Then he ate a most hearty breakfast and drove into town, leaving the cook and valet to guard bis house, ‘*‘ He lunched bounteously in the city, enjoyed himself as he thought best, and returned home to a good dinner, for in eating and drinking lay bis extravagance, as well as in dressing, “One morning he was not up at the usual ‘hour, and the servants became alarmed, ‘‘They at last broke iu the door, and he was found lying dead in his room, having been killed by a kuvife-thrust,” **The door was locked, sir?” oe Lee ‘‘In alarm the coachman drove at once to the nearest station, where, fortunately, I happened to be at the time, and I returned with him, ac- girth bo by a couple of officers. ‘‘] then saw that the locks had been opened by false keys, and the safe had been entered in the same way, evidently an expert having been the one to do the work. ‘*Sedley Seaton lay dead on the floor, bis hands crossed upon his breast, and about his age tied with a red ribbon, wasa card. Here it is. The chief took from a drawer a card with black edges, and upon it in re: letters were the words: ‘*For Love or Goup,” “It is just such a card as this that my first assistant tells me be took from about the neck of Miser Mainhall,” ‘* Showing that the same men did the work,” ‘Oh, yes; those whom my men call the Gold Ghouls,” ‘* Did they get much money, sir?” ‘ T rather think not, for the books of Sedley Seaton revealed that he had squandered a very large part of his fortune, for it, was found out that his main business when visiting the city was gawbling, and he lost heavily, I learned, ‘Still, the robbers must have secured any- where from ten to twenty thousand dollars in gold and bank bills, while the property 1s worth a large sum,” . ** Did be leave any heirs?” ‘ ** Not one that can even ha heard of,” ‘* Now as to the miser, sir?” ‘* Well, old Peter Mainhall was a cross-grained old follow, who was once a tramp, it is said, ‘* ke disappeared for several years, and when he returned bought the louse where he lived, and paid cash for it. **The house is an old rookery, an old-time mansion, but there are a half-dozen acres about it, and they are worth a hundred thousand, if cut up into city lots. i ate ae ~ - 7 ; : : ; ‘ * ° ~~ La? ¢ 7 . : i . a ; : A a rn Ps i-¢ a . a! - per «gan Ar na —a me ee ee an [RRS oS Se i 6145-0» e ne, owe LX ‘erie J ute 8 ; rs a ee z i “7; ‘2, f F b es aod ow oe — wae +. se os v. : ‘*The man had money, yet never spent a dol- lar more than he had to, never gave a cent to charity, and it was said had a large sum hidden away somewhere about the old rookery,” ** Do you think he did bave?” ‘* Yes, for be kept no bank accounts, and had at times loaned out money in sums of five and tep thousand dollars at a usurious interest,” ‘Then his love of gold cost him his life, as did Mr, Seaton’s?” “Yes, Dick, and these two deaths, at the hands of the Gold Ghouls, show that the clan of cut-throats are selecting men as their victims who they know have the ready cash, and leave no one to prosecute a very close search for the murderers,” ‘* Tt would seem so, sir, and yet they alsoseem very determined that any one who goesona search for them shall be killed,” ‘*They do, and that is just the mystery you are to solve, Dick.” ; ‘‘T will, sir; but now let me go to my hotel, change my disguise, and, as the pretended at- torney of Peter Mainhall, meet you at bis house, and we'll look over the situation there to- gether.” ‘* All right; it is just what I would like.” CHAPTER IX, THE SECOND WARNING, AN hour after the departure of Dick Doom, in his disguise as an old maid, the chief was at the house of the bal tin man, Peter Mainhall. j<-4 Tek es, ct He had not had\ time to look over the situa-— tion, when up drove a carriage from which alighted a chipper old gentleman in blue coat and brass buttons, a bigh black stock, gold spectacles and a bigh hat, Gis face was clean shaven, and his gray hair was worn long. “TT am spe Ue Cortin, sir, attorney for my lamented friend, Mainball, ‘¢Sad death, sir, sad end, was it not?” The chief hal made up bis mind that the law- yer was one of the old school, an old-timer, and was going to be very polite to bim, though | he had not suspected that the miser had an at-: torney, when in a low tone came the werds: ‘¢ Don’t let me fool you this time, chief.” ‘Dick Doom!” gasped the chief, and_taen he said aloud: } p “ Yes, sir, ll show you all that I can about this sad affair,” and he led the way into the house, The old miser lived upon the ground floor, — though the upper one would have been more— pleasant, while he made use of but two rooms— out of the score that were in the mansion, \ One of these he used as a kitchen and a din- — ing-room, and the other as a sitting-room, and there he also slept, | Ho kept no servant, and if he did allow the house to go to ruin for the sake of repairs, he | kept his fences in good condition, so that in-— trudjers s,ould not disturb him on the six ccres that surrounded his abiding place. | ‘‘T have summoned a corover jury, Mr, Cor- tin, and the milkman who discovered the mur-— der, and the neighbors who knew Mr, Main- hall’s mode of life will soon be here, so that you © can bear all the testimony,” said the chief to the — pretended old lawyer, | | ‘Thank you, sir, thank you,” said Dick Doom aloud for the detectives present to hear, while in a whisper he said: i ‘You have the Gold Ghoul’s card?” cs Yes.” ; *« Be careful not to let it be suspected that the same ones who killed Sedley Seaton committed — this murder.” **T certainly shall,” ’ “You think they got the old man’s gold” **T can find no trace of their having done— so, or having failed to get it,” | i The chief and Dick Doom then heard what the detectives had to report, after which they — went all over the old mansion from cellar to at- tic, ae When they returned to the room where the body lay they found the coroner, his jury and | the milkman, with a few of the nearest neigh- bors assembled, res ms The coroner’s inquest lasted an hour or more, — and yet all that could be decided upon was » that the drxzi man came to bis death at the hands of a party, or parties unknown, and that | tbe cause of the murder was beyond doubt to— obtain gold which the old miser was said tc have hoarded up in his house, | hs ie The milkman said that he had been paid | cash each day for bis milk, and that the miser | often had a roll of bills with him, __ | an He was known to bave money by the neigh- bors, always paid for his groceries, and many { » é : » : ¢ . ‘ia ¥ ot “~ i. - ‘. 7 5 a | é oe > Sc Nive TR SL, Stil ~ eae es ; te AY Wee ae sae on *? 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