Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 819 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

. Pe t f . + rhs _ pS) for instant use, ABS e » : 8 ' © | _l ‘* No, I fired at the lantern, not to kill him!” And they were gone, while Dick Doom’s hand, momentarily stunned by the shock of the bullet | striking the lantern, he feared was badly wound- Tt was closed, Had he closed it behind him or not? _ He believed that he had, | But he failed to remember whether he had The door swung open with a creaking sound which grated upon his ears, Then he stood and listened for the slightest * sound, of ,the dead man within the grasp of bis hand almost. i 3 \ Dick Doom’s Girl Mascot. But Dick Doom was not to be caught in a trap | ing a blonde wig and beard, but who he knew if he could avoid it. : So he crept on his bands and knees into the room, each hand grasping a weapon. He rightly supposed that tho robbers, if they had been unable to get their booty, as Dick Doom surmised, and hinted to him, would re- turn for if, and he did not like the idea of the mansion, which had become more than ever a spot of interest to those who dwelt in the neigh- borhood, and to be avoided the more also. It was just sunrise when he drove up to the gate and met Dick Doom on his way to the roached a man of apparently middle age, Sreesed in a blue suit, brass buttons, and wear- yal ; ye wus the young detective. ‘Thanks, chief, but Iam O. K., though I had a close call of it,” this morning, after daylight, brought it here for safe-keeping, ‘‘ Not half an bour ago I left it here, and now: ~ ed indeed to - it is gone,” and Dick Doom seem or not, young detective being there alone to face them | have been dealt a severe blow by the discovery yy pr 2 Fle exteenie pomutlons with pie if ie did rear, Petes a teats . | be had made, Boar. ek a8 le and, while he protec is body by o he arose bright and early, ordered his car- b a _ standing beyond the opening, 7 riage, and telegraphing for an officer to come CHAPTER XVII, , ’ | in bis right hand he grasped a revolver ready | and accompany him, drove out to the miser’s NO CLUE, | oF sas TE chief was now 48 much astounded Dick Doom, at the loss of the treasure. | At last he got him to tell the whole story over again, and then said: | “See here, Dick. others, and they do not know you. , oe? Aas Was I understand your situation i os a ; is ‘2 ton eit , lis ' > » ss 3 “ oF *. . why * : an ow am ‘ ~ 64 ‘ ~~ apes # ed, | He came to the body of the slain robber and ‘* Ah! you kad trouble, then?” Still he dared not let the robbers know there |; passed his hand over the upturned face, | #* Yes, sir. were not others with him, or they would rally [t was growing cold and clammy in death, | * Let your man gofor a coroner and some. of and return, and he would not leave the bag of Believing that the robbers had not dared re- | your men, while you come up to the house with ; treasure, 30 he shouted: turn, he raised the body in his arms and bore it | me, , 5 ‘*Come, men, or they will escape! noiselessly back along tue hall and down the “T do not care to be known ia this matter ‘Surround the grounds as quickly as you | stairs. other than as one of your mer whom you placed can!” . He unlocked bis door and entered, locking it | on guard here,” / If the robbers had halted, this hastened them | behind him and covering up the keyhole. ‘* You know best, Dick, on in flight, and Dick Doom’ was left in the The body was placed upon the floor, and draw- ‘‘Rut there is game for the coroner here, : silence and desolation of the old mansion with a | ing a cbair up to it the young detective regard- } then?” . ‘ dead man lying near and the bag of booty at his | ed it coolly, though not without an expression ‘Yes, sir, a poor devil whom [ had tokill, feet. upon his fine face which his muttered words re- | for he was trying to do as much for me,” Feeling about in the darkness for the bag, he | vealed the nature of: The chief went back to his carriage and gave fh, first came upon the body. | ‘* Ah, me! will it always be my bitter fate to | a few orders, and the coachman drove rapidly The touch did not startle him, and he placed! have to take life? away. : | his hand over the heart, | ‘*Itisa hard task, be the dead man who he Then he went with Dick Doom back to the h Ht ** He is dead,” be muttered. may. to have to kill. mansion, and unlocking the door, they entered ‘ Then he found the baz of booty, and raising it ** Poor fellow! ' the lower room, | _ to bis shoulders, for it was bulky and weighty, **Onee he was an honest Jad, perhaps with Tho chief gazed at the dea”. man, whose hands : ' he made his way down the basement stairs to | ambitions that were blasted, and maybe driven | were peacefully folded upon his breast, and then the rooms below, to crime by circumstances beyond his control. said; He felt relieved, nervy as he was, when he ‘Now he lies here having met a sad end, ‘“ Well, Dick, you do. most surely do your opened the door and found himself in the cheery | kilied as a midnight burglar, attempting my | work thoroughly.” i light of the room, and laying the bag upon the | life. ** Why not, when one has to?” was the aimost reP. table, he looked to his hand to discover just how ** Who is he, and what is he? petulant response. ' badly he was burt. | ** A loving mother may even now be watch- ‘You have bad a bard night of it here?” It was cut slightly here and there with glass, | ing and waiting for his return. ‘* No, for Tread all night, * ( and he said: ‘*He is not an ill-looking man, and I pity ‘* But I have something else to show you.” ‘‘ Ah! that is nothing, but it was a close call, | him, I pity those who love him, for, no matter ** Another body?” ‘*So the man called the woman Violet? how evil a man may be there are those in tbe ** Ts that one not enough?” ‘ ‘* And the letters on the handkerchief [ found | world who love him, such are the contradic- ** Yes, but I hardly know what to expect.” i in the deserted house were V. V.? tions of human nature, that we must love only ‘*‘ As 1 was going to leave the house, I hid it ‘* Then, too, the woman could shoot, and why | the good and the beautiful,” away, for I hardly expected the body to be’, was it not she who fired the shot thatnight | With asigh that came from bis heart, on ac- | stolen. bff ‘ which saved my life? count of his moralizing, Dick Doom began to ‘Come with me,” , ‘She did not fire to kill me, she said to the | search the clothing of the man, He led the way up to tke floor above and into man, only to smash my lantern, and that she ‘Oh! the irony of Fate!” he said, as almost | the library. | d, the first thing he found was a small pocket Tbere be stood and told the whole story. / ‘ ‘* She saw that it was held off atarm’s longth | Bible, ‘They lefc the secret panel ajar, and here it ee hs a was what ‘she wisned before I In i¢ was written in a feminine band: igre bal Coe cou re, studied its spring and manner of opéning, ‘‘ Who is that woman I wonder? ‘To MY DEARLY LOVED Boy, so put the bag of booty back in there for safe- ‘ ‘My Mascot again, for she did not wish to ‘“ CHARLIE CROMWELL, keeping. kill me, and more, ber call that there were e, : ** Soe!” rane A officers in the mansion stampeded the men and From his loving Dick placed his hand against a panelashe | ‘ Tal merits life, | ‘* MOTHER, spoke, and hegre sys what se satiny to ve om ey know me, that is certain, and it is “ug many | a Te an ornamental piece of carving as he did so, the ig Wuy duty to return the compliment and get SOURED. SUA LEN, VONNes «Une Jot, 15. panei slowly moved from its place, one end ” ‘ —m stequainted with them, Dick Doom quietly put the little Bible to one | swinging inward like a door, { ~- ? . ** Now to go up and get that body, for this | side and continued his search, But acry burst from the lips of the young de- his br. @ haunted house they say, and it may be} He found a silegrg well filled with bills, | tective which feiriy startled the chief, , like airited away,” and Dick Doom smiled blandly | and this he replaced where he took it from, The space behind the panel revealed an iron ” #6 B) the superstitious thought that flashed throug There was a watch and chain of gold, a seal | closet, some three feet in height and as many : 7 the pis mind. | ring, a pairof sleeve-buttons and a belt in which | deep, and two in width, | ® . ’ / : thor was the man’s revolver and bowie-knife, It was set io the solid masonry of the chim- a fe CHAPTER XV. ‘Here is a man who was robbing for sheer | ney, an iron strong-box thus built in, and in it in Mt Wiatiee THE BURGLAR’S BIBLE love of it, I would think, for be has here over a | were a couple of lock drawers for minor articles ape : hundred dollars, so was not in need, : of value and shelves for larger ones. fF Dick Doom locked his door behind him and “*T will leave all as I found them, except the But the strong-box wasempty. . , crept cautiously and noiselessly up through the | Bible, for that 1 wish. The chief gazed at Dick Doom and saw that > darkness to the floor above. ‘¢ There is no need to publish his name and | for the first time in his life he was unnerved, In spite of bis remark about the house being | address and hurt those who care for him, and 1{ He saw that his face was as white as the face _ haunted, such superstitious gossip held no terror | take it they little dream he is an evil man. of the corpse in the room below, and the hand “ | for him. ‘No, 4 will take the little Bible, and a run | trembled that grasped the massive iron eliding- iy Se He knew that he was there in that dreary ' down to Sound Haven will tell me who the man | door. veh ; old rookery, the nearest habitation to which, | is, and perhaps more that I wish to know, ** My God, Dick! what ails you?” where any one dwelt, was all of an eighth of a | ‘‘ Now for a night’s watch of it, though I The chief gazed in astonishment at the young bate & mile distant, | hardly think I will be disturbed,” and Dick | detective, who, but for his startled cry had ut- — | The sbots even had not been heard, and if | Doom resumed the book he had been reading | tered no word, , so, had not been heeded by any one coming to | when disturbed by the footsteps over his head, ‘‘The place is empty!” at last gasped the de- ‘? " the rescues. . | tective. | is o _ It might be that the robbers knew this and CHAPTER XVI ‘‘ Well, that means that the robbers did get : so had halted, perbaps returned. f Re the old miser’s booty, that is all.” bid | Dick Doom knew wholly the risk that he A SURPRISE FOR DICK DOOM, ‘‘ That is not all. | oy tO _,.. Yan, yet he wanted to secure the body of the Tur chief of the Secret Service was more ‘‘ Have you forgotten that I told you that the ° - i .¥ man be bad slain. anxious than he cared to admit, at the thought | man I killed carried a large bag of booty?” "Pe So he crept along the hall to the door of the | of Dick Doom remaining all night in that old| ‘' Yes.” , _ dining-room, rookery. ‘Well, I looked through it last night,and ~ 4 None was heard. op nearesb telephone to send him word to come up | exactly, but Jet me tell you one thing.” _. _ Still he remained listening attentively, until | there. i Vog, giles fo ie “er nS OS _ hefelt that if any one was there some move-| ‘Ah, Dick! it’s a great relief to find you here, ** You must not include in Lelio testimony to + ment would have betrayed them ,to his keen | for I feared harm had befallen you,” said the | the coroner, anything about the lost booty.” ®. _* bearing. chief, as be got out of the carriage and ap- ‘“ Why not, sir?” ORE I ae aman Nag gk |. 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