Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 853 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

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Suddenly a knock came at the door, and An response to a command to enter, a negress came into the room, ‘‘Well, Dinah, what is it?’ asked the ‘masked woman, ‘‘ A man to see you, missus,” **Ts it the one who was here yesterday ?” ‘‘ Yes, missus, same one that came late in de arternoon.” ‘‘Show him up.” The negress disappeared and the masked ‘woman sprung to her feet and paced the floor uneasily. ‘*What if he should have failed,” she amuttered, Asa step was heard without she quickly resumed her seat and became perfectly calm. Again came a knock and the negress usher- ed into the room a visitor. He was a dark-faced man, roughly dressed, and looked just what he was, an Italian, though when he sy -e he had but very little accent. ‘Well, Pietro, you have returned,” said the woman with no show of excitement in ee voice or manner, whatever she might eel, ‘“* Yes, lady, I am here as I agreed.” ‘« You were successful?” **T was, lady.” ‘‘ How was it done?” ‘*T watched him closely to see all he did, followed him home, but no opportunit a es to seize him, and so I waited until date,” ‘* You were wise.” ‘Tt came on to rain and I waited on- ye piazza until he retired and the house was still.” ‘*And then?” | ‘‘T entered the house by a window, gained his room, but as he was restless and unquiet, I used the drug and he sunk to sleep. ‘‘'Then I searched his pockets and got the keys.” sé Yes. bP ‘*T went to his office, entered it with the false keys I had made, opened the safe, just as I had seen him do from my hiding-place across the area, and found the drawer marked ‘Granger.’”’ _ * Well?” ‘‘T took all the papers that were in it,” **Did you take anything else?” “No, lady, 1 looked over papers to sce if there were more with the name of Gran- ger upon them, but found none, so I re- locked the safe, took the keys with me and Jeft the office.” ‘*You have done well, Pietro; but where are the papers?’ “‘ All here, lady.’ He took from a bundle, as he spoke, a Jarge roll of papers, some of them having an official look and bearing seals. The woman glanced over them and said: rf un you five hundred dollars?” rz es, lady ” ‘*Here is the balance I was to pay you— five hundred more,” **T thank you, lady.” ‘‘Report to Dinah here every third day, or night, for I may have more work for | you.” ~ **Towill; lady.” ‘‘You can go,” and the woman rung the bell and the negress came to usher out the __-visitor. When alone the masked woman began to look over the papers she had so cleverly recovered, and her voice had an exultant j : 5: ‘ ; % * , Pays 2 = “a ‘ ; ~ 1% hee vf: . Fag - - 2 ; ‘ val we re ieee ee Fe ee . - " “os T ; * ad | « \ a eid), 4. ie = Nw ll) ® Ln Waa ae Nos es ai , am -_ =? * ~ \ J. oe 7. Dick Doom’s | Rt» > ' , She tree be « a ee '. * Ae on d & ay a “7 & see —s ¢ J = oe wee te ween dh d —.. . - ~ - j 3 ae ‘A yb i <- a . ox ve PTS , =v ‘‘Now Iam mistress of the situation, for with these papers, and her in my power, I can force her to my terms. ‘‘Tf she refuses, then the result be upon her head. ‘* But no, she will not refuse, she dare not, and I wiil triumph.” The woman laughed exultantly as she spoke, but her voice was harsh and there was a tone of venom not of joy in the laugh ter. CHAPTER XXYV. THE ESCAPED PRISONER. CAREFULLY over each paper went the plot- ter, her joy at discoveries she made finding vent now and then in exclamations of a strong character, until at last she laid them to one side and said: ** Now to see him; but he must yield,” She touched her bell and the negress ap- peared. ‘‘ Dinah, I wish to see the young gentle- man who came here last night.’ ‘‘ Yes, missus, I go and bring him.” The negress left the room and made her way along the hall to a door at the further en She knocked and a voice within bade her enter, She Liked bg in the lock, turned it and entered. The room was meagerly furnished, though not uncomfortable, and its occupant was a young man, His face was pale, haggard, and was stamped with, evil and dissipation; but otherwise it was handsome, attractive and intelligent, while his manners were not brusque. | ‘‘Young massa, de missus wants ter see yer right away.” ‘All right, auntie, I am with you,” and he arose from the cot upon which he had been lying, and followed her. He was taken to the rear room and usher- ed into the presence of the masked woman. The negress left the room, but did not tarry to eavesdrop, for she had received a lesson one day when she made the attempt, by a bullet being fired through the door over her head. | Aunt Dinah knew the one she served well and did not care to find out anything she did not wish her to know, after having re- ceived such a warning as she had. The moment that the door closed the wo- man removed her mask and stepping quick- ly toward the youth threw her arms about him, kissing him tenderly, He made no demonstration of affection in return, but said simply: ‘* You got me out of prison, ‘Who else would?” ‘‘T wrote to her yesterday by Beulah, and she was to answer to-day.” ‘* Had I known this I would have waited another mi ‘‘T am glad that you did not, for delays are dangerous; but was this your plot, or Beu- lah's?” ‘She was determined to save you, and gave me her plan, so I consented,” ‘‘ And Westley was left in prison?” ‘Yes, the woman I engaged to free him became unnerved and aud not make the at- tempt; but it is just as well.” ‘‘Tt is not, for he must be set free.” ‘*T will attend to that all in good time, for he is too dangerous a man to be allowed to remain in prison after he knows of your escape.’ Yes, he is a dangerous man; and _be- tween us we have told him all, so that he can destroy our plans if he will.” ‘* He can, if,he is allowed to do so.” ‘* Now what about Beulah?” ‘‘ Well, she isin prison.” ‘Do I not know that, for she remained in my clothes while I escaped in hers.” 6 ” ‘* Let her stay there. | hell / i ,. : a / ef a 7 . " ' a 7 fe at £ 5 5 WS Tio aN Re eri ce at as Te EAR LER ERI Ee Sa E 2 IRD Sie eae SI ia A. © ‘ e rgd oy ‘*Oh, no.” ‘‘T say, yes, for she knows nothing, so cannot betray us, and when I arranged with her it was in her home, not here, so she does not know where to find me.” ‘‘But would you leave her there?” “Why not?” ‘*She sacrificed herself for me.” ‘‘Why should she not be willing to suffer a short imprisonment to save you from the gallows?” ‘Tt will break her heart to feel that I have accepted her sacrifice to leave her to her fate.” ‘So be it; let it drive her to suicide and you will be free of her.” ‘* But I do not wish to be.” ‘Why not?” ‘*T love her.” ‘* Bah! what is love but a myth?” ‘‘She loves me far more than I deserve, or love her. ‘*She risked her life to save me, the day she came out in the boat when our craft cap- sized, and she did save me. ‘She did not suspect who I was, what I was, and [ visited her from time to time, and learned to love her. ‘*T asked her to marry me, and her father drove me from his hotse, for he had never liked me. “Then she secretly became my wife, and she has known since that Iam all that is bad, mean and wretched. ‘‘But she never deserted me, and when she came to see me she was plotting my es- cape. ‘‘T have gotten free, she is in prison, and ou tell me to leave her to her fate, well cnowing that her sensitive nature will drive hur to suicide.” ' **T hope that it will, for you must get rid of her, as I have other views for you,” was the response of the wicked woman plotter for evil. a CHAPTER XXVI. INFLUENCED FOR EVIL. “Wat is your plan regarding me?” asked the escaped prisoner, when the woman had made known her wish that he should desert the devoted wife who had sacrificed herself for him. ‘* Pll tell you in a nut-shell—you are to let that girl go her way, to the grave if it suits her to do so, for there is now a future before us, where we can go far from here and live in luxury the rest of our lives.” | ‘“‘T wish we could leave our consciences behind us.” ‘* Bah! why repine and repent? ‘* Live for the present is my motto.” ‘But what have you done that will en- able you to go away?” ‘*You know that I own this house, that T rae Dinah in, and the one in fhe rear of it?” é Yes. 3 ‘‘T have sold them both, to be given up— within a couple of months, when I am to receive the other half due in cash.” “Well?” | ' The money I received has enabled me to work out my plans, ” | ‘X68, ;; yr ‘You are free, I am also, and your young wife is in jail, and Wirt Westley will soon be beyond harming us.” . ‘« What does that mean?” | ‘¢T intend to set him. free, but never allow — him to find us again,” | ‘To shake him, eh?” “Yes, about that.” ‘It will be just as well.” ‘‘IT took the names you gave me, of your robber pals, and so got Pietro the Italian do some burglary work for me.” | ‘‘Did he get much?” _ a ‘* A fortune for us.” ** He is tricky, so look out,” eeey ry” “He was well paid for it, brought the * / :