Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 849 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

follow as a matter of course.” “There is one thing I could wish.” *“* And what is that?” **That I might be Laura Holman instead No, no, I don’t mean that at ef myself— all; 1 could wish to be Laura Holman and myself at thesametime. Do I make it plain?” Her face was flushed, and he appeared not a little excited. ‘*] understand what you say,” he faltered, **but [ hardly know what you mean. are you coming at?’ ‘Why, I will tell you. I have come here with that determination, and J will not cheat myself out of it because it is a delicate mat- ter, You can but know that I prefer your company above that of any other gentleman, Norman.” ‘1 know we have always got along well together, Miss Athorne.” “Then you will not call me Irene?” ** Tf you insist,” * Yes. yes; and I beg that you will do so. Norman, I love you, and I have it in my ower to make you far more happy than aura Holman ever could,” She spoke rapidly, breathlessly, almost, and caught his hand as he tried to draw away from her, his own face pale. **Trene!” he gasped, ‘* ‘Yes, yes, | mean it!” she cried. ‘* Do not despise me; that would kill me, now that I have dared so much.” ** No, no, I won’t despise you; far from it, if you are honest in what you declare; but, ou have changed the subject suddenly. ou said you had come to talk with me, about my lost fortune.” ‘And you think it is that I am after?’ ‘*] do not say so.” ‘*No, no, I tell you truly it is not; at the same time I have come to talk about it. I can tell you where to find it, Norman.”’ ‘* The deuce!” ‘*T readily pardon you for that; I know it must surprise you.” ‘** But, surely you donot mean it. Where did you get an inkling of where it is con- eealed?” “TI can tell you nothing, or rather I will tell you nothing. If you have discovered that I am just a little soft, confessing what I have, do not think I am also a fool,”’ “‘[ know you are far from being that. However, go on and tell us just what you have in mind,” “Yes, I will: I have come to sell this secret to you.” ‘‘Hal now it is business, Well, you tell me where to find that tin box and I'll give you a twentieth of whatever it con- tains.” ‘‘How generous! But, my price is not money. 1 want you to discard Laura Hol- man and let me make you happy in her stead, and then [ will place this money in your hands.” ** Impossible.” ‘‘Can she bring you such a dower as that?” ‘* She brings me no dower at all, but she has my heart, and in justice to her I cannot listen to another word from you upon sucha rey ied : e rose as he said this, she following his example, her eyes flashing. “You despise me!’ she hoarsely whis- pered. ‘* You will now scorn me for having confessed that I love you!” ** You have known me for years; you knew me even before I knew Laura, Why did you wait until I had fallen heir to this for- tune before making your confession? Your ern sreuce against you.” “Aa, ha, ha! You have hetred a fortune, yes; but you have not got it yet, and you are not likely to get it. When you are tired of searching you may come to me, but you Broadway Billy’s $100,000 Snap. ee ss — <_< - a FS sand see no reason why the second should not | unless you are prepared to pay it. I will | now take my leave,’ ‘*Do you know where that box is?” “‘[ have in my possession the means for finding out where it is, if I do not.” “Well, I cannot pay the price, so I will have to let you keep your secret. I stand | ready to fulfill the offer I made you, how- What | ever.”’ ** Pah! Sherwin!” With that and a toss of her head she was I bid you good-day, Norman | gone, leaving Sherwin to stare after her in have heard my pres and you need not come | hi amazement. He watched her from the window until she passed beyond range, when he left the parlor and repaired to hisown apartment up- stairs. There he threw himself upon a chair and tried to think it out. If she really did pos sess such knowledge as she claimed to have, how had she come by it? Here was a ques: tion for Broadway Billy. Meantime, what of Billy's visitor? This was none other than Ticket, the Arab, who had been making merry with Happy itd while he awaited the coming of the chief, ** You here, Ticket?” Billy eee ‘* You tet he is, boss!” cried Harry, ‘‘and he’s got p’ints fer you linked together like so many sassages,” “Well, ’'m glad to hear that; but suppose you let him answer for himself.” “All right, boss,” Harry acquiesced. “Ticket,” with a bow to him, ‘‘you have’ got the floor; take it and stand on it hard /” ‘* Well, Ticket, what is it?” asked Billy. ‘*You know when I left you last night, after gittin’ that talk in the saloon fer ye?” ‘Certainly, my boy.” ‘* Well, you told me I'd better go home— that was what you said, but I hadn’t any all the same. Anyhow, you said I’d better get my night's sleep, but ] didn’t feel like givin’ up vet,” ‘Well, what did you do after that?” Why, I went pokin’ my nose around this place where the robbery was to be, to wait and see the fun,” ‘‘Ha! now I begin to suspect something. Go on and tell me all about it. I begin to believe you are a first-class Ticket, unlimit- e Ms ‘* Don’t know nothin’ ’bout that. I’m lit- tle, but I get there just the same. Well, I went in that alley between the houses on the back street and crept through to the fence, and there I founda hole and crawled through it. Then I got in a dark corner and there I waited. I could sleep there just as well as anywhere if I couldn’t keep awake, so I made up my mind to make a night of it, anyhow. Well, I was there, when all of a suddent a man popped out of one of the winders hke he was shot out.” ‘* Just as I suspected. Go on.” ‘* Yes, he popped, but that was the last of him, fer he was gone so gy 1 couldn’t tell where he went to, hardly. Then another mation he had so much desired, a clue to the identity of the mysterious man of the pre- vious night, 5s Seicd CHAPTER IX. TRYING TO DETERMINE. Ir was early in the afternoon when Nor- man Sherwin ag i in to see the young prize-hunter. He found him alone. Billy greeted him cheerfully, invited him to be seated, and immediately made the ob- servation: ‘“You have discovered something, Mr. Sherwin?” ‘*What makes you think that?” ‘Why, I read it in your face.” ‘You mean you are guessing at it, from ue fact that I have called so soon after see- ng you.” ‘That tells me you have something te make known, of course, but it is your face which shows it to be a discovery and a favorable one—or at any rate so you think it.” ‘Well, you are right, no use to deny it; I have a clue almost within reach.” ‘* Almost within reach?” “Yes, but not quite, I fear, unless you are able to pluckit; 1 certainly see no way of getting at it.” “Explain,” Thereupon Sherwin told all about the call- er he had found awaiting him upon his re- turn home, withholding nothing which he thought would be useful to the detective, ‘* Now, what do you think of it?” he de- manded, upon concluding. ‘‘ When there is a woman at the bottom of it you never know what to think,” was the response. ‘‘That is about the strangest feature yet.” ‘‘ It knocks everything else all to pieces. If the other, I mean Miss Merrett, has al- ready discovered the treasure, then this one is either greatly mistaken or is telling a bare- faced untruth.” ‘‘That’s so. Ontbe other hand, if Miss Athorne tells the truth, then it is pretty good proof that Miss Merrett has not got hold of the money,” “Exactly. But, if the other does know ‘about it, won’t she try to get it for her own benefit ?” ‘*T should think it quite likely, sir.” ‘Then the proper thing for me to do is to have a watchman in that house.” ‘‘ And you could trust no one so well as yourself. I meant to suggest to you the advantage of your stopping there,” ‘*You think I had better do that?” ‘‘By allmeans. And, insist upon sleeping in the dining-room. ‘There is a big settee there, I noticed, which would nicely answer the purpose of a bed. Your cousin would hardly raise an objection.” ‘Not if she’s as honest with me as she pretends,” ‘‘ And even should she object. you might stay in spite of her, I should think, under the circumstances. You have a big interest man showed himself at the winder, an’ 1); there, and ] imagine you could get a permit could just make out it was aman. I s’pected | from competent authority that would over- it was t’other feller. eyes open, an’ purty soon somethin’ was movin’ long the fence.” ‘So, that was his trick, eh; threw himself in the darkest shadow?” ‘* He was as close as a cat to the bottom of ou, but I da’sn’t let on fer fear of | rule any objection she might raise. So, I waited an’ watched, both) try other means first.” But, ‘¢ It will be known that I’m there,” ‘Yes, that can’t be helped.” ‘And my presence would be likely to deter any timid ones from searching,” ‘Yes, and your life would not be wholly the fence, boss, an’ he moved like he was a | safe from the more desperate ones, I must sly one, too, till he came to that hole, when | warn you, so you must be armed. through he went, an’ then I heard him on his ‘““'That’s so; but what I was going to say, feet, an’ I tell ye I was through that hole | a woman would hardly venture to make again not long behind him, an’ was after him | the search, knowing I was there, and so I like I was his shadder; an’ so we had it, to | could gain nothing by being on the spot to, make it short, till I follered him clear home, or toa house where he let himself in, an’ that was the end of it.” ‘* Where was that house?” asked Billy. Ticket told him, and Billy complimented | sup m highly. Here was a clue to the infor- watch. ‘Your gain would come in protecting your property.” Wh: aa true; but that property cannot pe apy my needs if lam never to get hold t. ? —_ ee