Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 853 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

* "fe °° - # TS An Ae c reyes eT Noe es . 4 £ ”~ ~ } has _ tive followed a narrow passage some four feet. : - a+ 4 - Ora, Ms 4 ay = draw in the toils to gather up the threads of his work. He went to the home of Carlotta Cameron, dressed once more as Saul Saunders, and was admitted by the same old woman. ‘‘ Well, Iam glad to see you,” she said. ‘*You have seen the papers?” ‘Yes; you did your work well.” ‘¢ And my money?” ‘*T have it for you.” ‘Good! It is worth every dollar of it, for I tell you it is horrible to deliberately give poison to a man to kill him,” *« Don’t refer to it then.”’ ‘*To kill a man in self-defense, in anger, or even revenge is not so terrible, but to poison one as you bribed me to do with that man Westley is awful.” ‘“‘Bah! Take that roll of money and see if it does not ease your conscience,” ‘*T guess it will; but do you know I'll be scared for a day or two and would like to stay here with you.” After a moment’s reflection the woman said: “ All right, you can stay for several days, but then you must get out.” ‘‘Pll do it then, but now I only want to eta grip on my nerve.” “ll show you a place where you can stay,” and the woman led the way to an up- per room, ‘‘ Here, this is my Irish servant’s room, but she is away for a few days so you can stay here.” : ‘Thank you, ma’am, **T guess I’ll take a nap, for I didn’t sleep any last night.’’ | he left him in the room and he threw him- self upon his cot and mused? ‘*The Irish servant girl is away, is she? ‘“‘T rather guess not, for I have penetrated your disguise, my charming woman,.and yow are the Irish girl. 4 age saa ‘‘Lam so used to disguises myself that I can see through them, wet, ‘*You are clever, cunning and bold, but ou are the Irish girl, and'old Mrs. Car- otta Cameron is none other than Charlotte Hall, alias Frills the murderer. | ‘I guess a couple of days here as your guest, my dear Frills, will discover all I care to know, for I am pretty certain that you have Mrs, Granger concealed here, or near by, and also that boy murderer, ‘* At least I will soon know, for I am on the right track.” Thus musing he dropped to sleep, but was awakened to have his supper, which the old woman had prepared. | He ate cautiously, but felt that the woman held no suspicion of him, . . After spending an hour talking to her, he feigned fatigue and went up to his room. Pulling off his shoes he put on rubbers and stood ready to watch the movements of his hostess, , He waited an hour and then heard her leave the room and descend the stairs, — Noiselessly following, he saw her go = into the cellar, carrying a lantern with er. He reached the stairs in time to see her suddenly disappear in the furnace at the rear wall of the house! He had a small bull’s-eye lantern with him, and when all was dark once more he proceeded to the furnace and, after a short search, saw that it was entirely a bogus af- at. The galvanized outer sheathing turned on a pivot, revealing a space within. _ A step-ladder led down into the depths below, and descending it, the daring detec- high, for about a hundred feet, when he came to another ladder. : Ascending this he found himself in an- ; | has the Gypsy brand upon his arm by which \* a ° V vt a ha 4 - - ‘ ; @ + ¥ » OT ES se s L. 3 ‘*T amon the right track at last.” So saying he ascended the steps to the floor above, heard voices, and. standing in the darkness saw a negress and a woman talking. “Tt is Frills; but she has changed her dress—yes, she wears a mask,” tie hid away in. the darkness 13% Saw the woman come outand go up-stairs, She opened a door, the key being on the outside, and entered the room. The door was left an inch ajar, and creep- ing up dauntless Dick Doom heard all that was said between the woman and her pris- oner, and that prisoner was Mrs. Granger. What he heard caused the sweat to stand out in beads upon his brow, and he listened to the same story they had talked over be- fore, He heard the woman say that she was at last ready to go her way, and on the morrow would receive her money from Mrs. Gran- ger and then she would tell her where to find her own real son. ‘There can be no doubt?” asked the mo- ther. ‘‘ None, for I have kept track of him. He he can be recognized, and you remember that your son had a birthmark, a red leaf, upon his chest.” ‘Yes, hefhad!” ‘My God! Ihave the red leaf upon my own chest!’ and the great detective trembled like a leaf. 13% ‘‘T was stolen by Gypsies—yes, now I know why it was I determined to follow out this Granger mystery. “Oh, dear Heaven! my own mother!” Dick Doom staggered away from the door, retraced his steps, and when, half an hour later, the woman returned, he was apparent- ly sound asleep. When she had retired he went back to that other house, opened the door, called, was answered, and the scene that followed, the meeting of those two, mother and son, I leave the reader to imagine, for it cannot be described. After an hour spent with his mother, and learning that Loyd Granger was in the house, he proceeded to his room to arrest. him. He unlocked the door, started back as he turned the light upon the bed, a revolver in hand, for there sey the young crook stained with his life-blood. Never very strong in pbysique, he had been taken with a hemorrhage of the lungs and thus his lamp of life had gone out; alone and in darkness his stained soul had gone— whither? ‘ CHAPTER XXXII. CONCLUSION. Tre negress, Dinah, was next arrested, but Mrs. Granger pleaded for her as bein ignorant of how wicked her mistress was, and possessing a kind heart; so Dick Doom willingly promised not to prosecute her; his mother’s wish now was a command to him. Leaving the negress with Mrs. Granger, he retraced his way through the two cellars to the other house, crept up to the door of the dread woman plotter’s room and knocked, ‘© Who is it?” ‘‘Me, madam—Saul Saunders, and I’m cht Sy get out.” ‘Wait until I throw on my wrapper.” A moment after the door opened and standing in the s’ adow‘ the woman asked: ‘Why do you gojat night thus?” ‘* Because, mv dear Miss Carlotta Cameron, alias Charlotte Hull, alias Frills, I am anx. ious to place you behind iron bars for your murders. ‘*T have your son’s dead body in the next. house. I have set my own dear mother free, : - ‘ a ‘5 ~~ 4, T i ~ ; ’ Mone ty , a 5" » 4 ." ~~ “nf . : ap hy 2S >) Rae ee Yn Dick Doom’s Kidnapper Knock-Out. CHAPTER XXXTI. other fulse furnace, which he swung open and SHADOWED TO DEATH. entered yet another cellar. HAviIna gotten the crook’s wife off his ‘Aha! this is the way the houses con- hands, Dick Doom’s next move was to} nect. One isin the rear of the other. oe , +, ° + aa 15 so know me now as Dick Doom the New > Orleans detective, to be, in the future, Richard Granger, ex-ferret, for my life-work as a crook-catcher is finished when you are behind prison walls, you veritable fiend!” The woman stood like one dazed. She was livid, quivering, and had not the power to speak, ‘* Hold out your hands!’ commanded the detective, fiercely. She obeyed and the Golden Fetters were clasped upon the wrists. ‘Now I will secure you here until I re- turn,” He bound her securely to the bed and at once departed from the house. When he returned, an bour later, the two chiefs were with bim. They had congratu- lated him over and over again upon his sleepless chase, and when they knew all— how he had discovered himself, or in other words, had shadowed’ his own case, they pronounced it the most marvelous case on record, a Leaving the chiefs and their men in charge, Dick Doom escorted his now deeply happy mother to her home,and the next morning went down to see his excellent friend, the Secret Service chief. | ‘‘T set Saunders free, Dick, as you re- quested, and the chief of police holds West- ley upon requisition papers that arrived last night from England, for his crimes there, so that takes his case out of our hands.” ‘And the woman?” “She spoke but a few words—only said: ‘¢«T will never hang!’” ‘But, chief, your manner indicates that more has happened!” | ) ‘‘She kept her threat, Dick, forshe took a poison she had concealed about her, and now lies dead in her cell.” | “So be it! I am avenged!” and Dick seemed to be deeply moved. From to day, chief,” he spoke after a moment silence, ‘I live to make my long-suffering, much-per- secuted mother happy. You will hear no more of Dick Doom, the Ferret of the Golden Fetters.” ‘‘No more of Dick Doom, the Ferret of: the Golden Star, you should say!” cried the admiring chief. ‘I shall have that star made and on it inscribed: ‘Dick Doom, THE DAUNTLESS— The Detective who Never Failed— The Man of Honor whom all Honor,’ and be proud to have my own name attach- ed as the donor, ; | ‘* Will you accept such a gift?” Much moved the detective answered: ‘T will accept it, chief, as the most pre- cious souvenir you could bestow.” Clasping hands—the curtain drops, The career of the Famous Ferret is ended, unless, indeed, some great emergency shall call him to the front again. THE END, Next Half-Dime Library, No. 854. Uncle Sam's D.tective in Chicago; The Country Postmaster Among the Bunco Men. A Story of the Underground Counter- feiter’s Den. BY GEO C, JENKS. t most accomplished ex-convict and counter- Tha feiter, ‘Smasher Jim Walker," gets in his work at the Great Fair, much to Uncle Sam’s unit Ralph ce the chief of the Secret Service details young Rapier to the case 3 ful detective corrals this scoundrel! and his powerful gang of crooks, both men and women. makes a mighty exciting sory. Wb te Jr chioago'a most events an 7 | sored “ron fam” Don’t miss it! ms ae > ah ie aii i 4 3 Keo b tay \ How this daring though youth. = 4; e ‘ad