Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 849 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 ‘We'll get hold of it. If this girl you have told me about knows as much as she claims to know, there will be a way of get- | the mysterious man whom he had encount- ered when taking refuge behind the curtain. ‘‘And you have no idea who that man ‘ag i ting at it. But, does she say she knows her- | was?” Sherwin asked. \ self where it is?” | ‘*On the contrary, I have, now. My boy ‘* Her last words led me to think she must ; Ticket was on hand when the fellow disap- know. At any rate, she seems to believe she | peared through the window, and succeeded does.” Broadway Billy’s $100,000 Snap. ee ee ee Cr + i - -—— Oe Ce Ce een eee aaa es a ‘ ‘* She will be inclined to sell you out, now, i imagine, for revenge.” ‘Yes, sol fear. But, have you any sus- nicion how she can have learned what she knows, Mr. Weston?” “Yes, and no, A rather uncertain an- iu following him to his hole, the address of which he gave me, This morning I sent | him to learn who lived there, and you have just heard his report.” ‘*The deuce! Can it be Lyddon?” ‘** Does it not look so?” ‘“It certainly does. The knave! Ill go swer to your question, but that is what I | and choke it out of him—” mean. It may be known to some other, who has told her, otherwise she is the origi- nal discoverer.” ‘* And you can’t decide which?” ‘Tl am inclined to favor the first men- tioned.” ‘“‘Then the secret is really not her own, but held by another?” " mas Oi “Why do you favor that theory more than the other? Might she not just as well dis- cover it as anybody?” ‘No, for her time and opportunity are more limited.. The more I think of it the more I am inclined to think the secret is not hers at all, Maybe she was only bluffing ou.” ** No, I can hardly think that.” sé Why chy ‘Because, her move was a desperate ary ; she must have had something to back it with.” ** Yes, I thought of that, but, the further I look the more it seems like a bluff, for I do oe really believe she possesses this secret at all,” ‘* Well, what is your reason?” ‘*T’ll tell you: I think she knows of some other person who des possess it, and whom she thinks she can get it away from.” The door opened, and Ticket entered. The little Arab stopped short, on seeing a stranger present, and would have backed out again had not Billy detained him. ‘‘Come on, my lad,” Billy encouraged. * Did you find out what 1 sent you to learn?” ‘* Yes, sir,” as the boy came forward, hat in hand. ‘* Well?” ** Shall I speak right out, sir?” ‘* Yes, let me have it, for it is in this gentleman’s interest.” ‘* Well, the house is the one a lawyer, a Joseph Doorman, lived in, and now his man, Paul Lyddon, lives there.” “Ha! Good enough! You may go now, Ticket, but drép in again at five, when you will find one or both of the boys here, and if there is anything further for you todo they will tell you.” * Yes, sir,” and the delighted Arab took his leave. ‘My youngest aide, sir,” Billy explained to Sherwin. ‘‘I feel that my force is now complete. But, haye you any idea who the person can be from whom she has learned this secret, 7f she knows it?” ‘* Not the slightest.” ‘* How about this man Lyddon?” = “* But, he does not know the secret.” **S8o he says.” Do you suspect that he does know ‘*‘T suspect that he knows more than he has so far revealed,” ‘*'Then he is a contemptible cur and cheat. seats hardly think him so mean, Mr. Wes- ** Let me tell you something, confidential- ly, of course. t night there was another masked man in the Penrose residence be- sides the two I captured.” : “* Indeed ?” ‘* Yes, the fact;” and Billy told him about ‘ ‘* You must do nothing of the kind. Leave it all to me, for thus far we have no proof against him, you see.” ‘* But, the boy saw him.” ‘* Not to recognize him; that is, he did not see his face at all. No, we must go slow, and for that reason I have told you about this in confidence. Now tothe point. Are Lyddon and Miss Athorne acquainted?” ‘* Yes, they are; and not only that, but he loves her.” ‘‘Ah! Now we are getting at it. The fellow does know where it is, and has men- tioned it to the young woman, hoping thus to win her.” ‘** If this is so, what a rascal he is! Let us go and see him at once and have it out with him—or not that, of course, but let’s go and determine whether or not it is true.” ‘‘T will go, with the understanding that you allow me to do the talking.” ‘* Yes, yes, I’ll do that; 1 could not cope with him at all.” ‘Come right along, then, and we’ll see m. Billy left a brief note for Harry and Seth, and the pair set forth immediately. Arriving at the lawyer’s office, Lyddon re- ceived them cordially, making inquiry at once whether anything had been discovered. ‘Yes, we think the tin box has been found,” said Billy. The man gave a start, exclaiming: “You don’t say!” ‘*T ought to have said we suspect it has,” Billy modified. ‘‘ Can you tell us how Miss Merrett came by the means she seems to pos- sess?” . “The money she is using? Why, you are aware, the bank-book was left to her; I sup- pose she has taken money from the bank,” ‘‘ We find there has been no money taken from the bank whatever, since the old lady died, sir.” Lyddon looked surprised, making no at- tempt to conceal it. ‘Tg that so?’ he mused. ‘‘ Then it is a question, certainly, gentlemen, where her means come from, She had nothing; and I supposed she had drawn heavily upon her aunt’s bank account. This is something which should be inquired into, by all means,” ‘* Yes, I shall now make it my business to do that, assured Billy. ‘‘Now, Mr. Lyd- don, I want your advice as to how I should proceed in another matter.” The lawyer leaned back in his chair, all attention. CHAPTER X., SOME FINE FENCING TRIED. ToERE was certainly nothing in the man- ner of the lawyer to support the suspicion Billy and Sherwin had against him. He was cool, and his actions were perfect- ly natural. Sherwin was watching him closely, as was also Billy, though tbe latter did not appear to be paying him any such attention. ‘ ‘‘I know that you are interested in the finding of the hundred thousand dollars left to Mr. Sherwin, Mr. Lyddon,” Billy ob- served as a preface. ‘‘ That being so, here is something else which cannot fail to inter- _ a ' — ennai bur tort ’ rr an tiene Vai € '@) : ry é¢ . 4 R.* — hi + e ~ = | “¢ > AM est you, something which I did not mention this morning.” ‘* Yes?” ‘‘ There is a certain person who is inter- ested in another way. I met him there last night before the arrest of the two rascals who broke in to steal. The reason I did not speak of this before, 1 wanted to learn who he was first, and now I have found out. I met him there in a room, behind a curtain, and had a brief tussle with him, in which he overcame me and escaped.” ‘* Well, this is interesting, truly.” Still there was nothing in the manner of the man to support the suspicion, and yet the suspicion amounted almost to proof posi- tive against him. ‘“ Yes,’ Billy continued, ‘‘ it is interesting, for it shows that there is going to be a fight for this fortune, hidden as itis. And now the question is: Had this man aclew to the hiding-place of the tin box?” ‘‘Do I understand you to say you know who he is?” ‘Yes: Iam sure of my man.” ‘Then why do you not have him arrested, and so nip his game right in the bud?” ‘‘Now that was just what I wanted to see you about. Iam a detective, but I/am not a lawyer. While I am satisfied that I know my man, I could not prove it, and I thought I’d ask your advice about arresting him.” “That changes the whole phase of the matter, sir. A man might rob you, and you might be sure in your own mind who the robber was, but unless you could prove the crime against him there would be little use in your having him arrested. That is just the way it stands here.” “Yes, such was the view 1 took of it my- self. Then you advise against arresting the man ?” ‘Looking at it as a lawyer, I must so advise.” ‘But, it would give him, some trouble, and it would be likely to deter him from making a further attempt.” ‘And if you failed to prove anything against him he might make it exceedingly interesting for you afterward. It would be a serious step for you to take, without the positive proof,” ‘‘ What do you think now, Mr. Sherwin?’ and Billy turned to him, ‘ Don’t you think we had better not meddle with the man?” ‘‘ Yes, that is the sensible course, I sup- pose,” Norman agreed, ‘‘T think so, too. We have been to search the house, Mr. Lyddon, as | told “See we in- tended doing,” turning again to the lawyer. ‘And with no success, or you would have come here with a different report, I well know. I think it altogether useless to search, without a clue, and I don’t know where you are going to get one,” ‘*And it might now be altogether useless to search even with a clue,” Billy added. ‘*Ha! Why so?” ‘‘We have some reason to think the for- tune has already been found.” ‘You can’t mean it. This, then, was really your main object in coming here, I take it—that is to say, it is the most impor- tant thing you have mentioned.” Billy felt that now he had scored a point against the man, small as it was, but he did not appear to notice the blunder the lawyer had made, or almost made, for he had very skillfully covered his error. ‘‘It is just possible,” Billy proceeded to explain, without pause, ‘‘ that the man who was there last night discovered the tin box and carried it away with him.” ‘Little good it can do him, if you know who he was, as you claim.” “You think, then, he would not dare to use it?” ‘‘ Would he not be a fool to do so, know- ing that you have a suspicion against him? But, J hardly think he found it.’ - -. a > f° v > , ar oC lag tewrl cal on