Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 897 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

Bm” LO she said to the girl were almost startling in their import. ‘* Look at this,” she said, holding up a let- ter which gave evidence of having been through the mails. ‘* What is it?” ‘‘Don’t you see? I sent it to Holly, my niece, and it was found in one of the ferry- houses by a boy who must have read it, for in it I gave Holly particular directions where to find me, and that’s how the boy Knew that the letter came from me. He gays he picked it up in the ferry-house awhile ago and - brought it to me hoping to get something for “ +" 1 - 7 aw ~ “ : Lit - why ‘ : ; ee ‘ 3 , - e+ j . = his trouble and I gave him my last penny.” Nickel Nell took the letter but did not look at it while Mrs. Lane eyed her with a great deal of curiosity. ‘“ Why,” said Nell at last, ‘‘ this would indicate that Holly came to the city.” “ That’s what alarms me, If she was not here how could the letter have been lost in the ferry-house?? They have to come over on the bcat to land in New York from the Jersey City depot, and Holly must have come.” Nickel Nell said nothing for a moment, but the dreadful truth was gradually forcing it- self upon her. She seemed to see the shape of a trap for the unwary; she almost felt that the girl from Jersey had been deceived by a story calcu- lated to deceive the shrewdest and when she looked up at Mrs. Lane she saw a face very white and full of fear. ‘‘] am going down to the ferry,” cried the oldlady. ‘‘ I will, perhaps, by inquiry there find out if a girl who looked like Holly came across the river.” . ‘* You shall not go alone,” was the instant response, ‘‘| will go with you.” It did not take the two long to get ready for the trip and in a short time they were on their way to the river. Nell thinking of the strange finding of the letter feared that the worst had happened, and when they reached the ferry she had but little hope of learning anything about the grand-niece, Mrs. Lane beat down her eagerness as well as she could, but she showed considerable ex- citement, Her first care was to look for a policeman, but as none was to be seen in the ferry-house itself she hobbled outside and accosted the first one she caught sight of. He listened attentively to the old lady and when she was through he said quietly: ‘*T thought something was wrong the mo- ment I saw the pair, but the girl said all was rack and of course 1 had no right to inter- ere,” ‘* You saw her, then?” ‘I certainly saw a young lady who an- swers your description of your niece. She was met by a man inthe ferry-house and they took a cab out yonder, for I watched them till they were driven off.”’ “Taken in charge of by a man?” gasped Mrs. Lane as she showed signs of swooning on the stones, ‘‘ This is terrible but noth- ing more than I have feared. 1 shall never see Holly again. She has fallen into the web of sharps and will never come back to comfort my old age after we shall have won the battle against the plotters.” She pressed her hands wildly to her head and staggered back. ‘‘ What does this mean, miss?” asked the policeman looking at Nickel Nell. ‘‘ Was she looking for the young lady?” ‘‘She was, and, what is more, the girl has fallen among plotters and even now may be in prison or some infamous trap,” ‘* Tell me all you know about the case.” Nell was proceeding to do this when Mrs. Lane sprung up and caught her sleeve. ‘*Don’t! Don’t tell him, but let us see what we can do,” Nell looked at her in amazement. ‘I fear we can do nothing.” fie - 7 r 7 ve - bd ‘ a” *, ico ; 4 ’ ef - a) ‘. nits 5 fi | - Ao « Ve i i ; r a * Mg ; - P * ‘ a ta” “ =" + 7 Ry. ¥ : a] >| a ; _ 9 .. > = ~ - * ‘ ‘ ” . 4 Ww > —— — ——- ~—aee ee se Davy Doon’s Bigy Bounce. “We can go to the boy who sometimes! She advanced toward him with the fury ferrets out such things as this. kind to me when he found me wandering in the streets without shelter and hardly enough to eat. He will take this matter in | hands and from what you have told me, | Nell, I believe he is as good as a dozen | men detectives.”’ ‘‘Who is she talking about?” queried the ofticer. ‘*She means Davy Doon.” The man smiled for he well knew the | boy, and turning to Mrs. Lane said assur- | | | | i her, shrunk nearer to the wall; and Nell, watching him like a hawk, saw that be was ill at ease. But, all at once, Mrs. Lane stopped, and then stepped back herself. ‘You are certainly he,” she went on, ‘I | know you are that rascal. I will not touch you, but from this hour, having found you, I will give you all the trouble you can take care of, and you will soon learn that I am not to be trifled with.” The man said nothing. Now and then he nervously pulled his mustache and eyed the old lady with the look of a fiend, It was evident that he had fallen into a. trap of his own setting, that he bad not ex- pected to see Mrs. Lane there, and when he 'turned to quit the place she came at him ingly: “Tf you need a rat who can get into dark places and out again that boy is just the person for you, but I fear he can do | nothing with a case of this kind.” ‘‘[ will see him. Many thanks to you, | but we must see Davy,” fe was | of a tigress, and the man, actually fearing They went off together and the officer with her hands clinched and her face ulmost. smiled and shook his head as the twain dis- ; scarlet. appeared. Another trip to the Boy Spotter’s house | ever this man goes we will be at his heels!” resulted in the same manner; Davy was | she cried. notat home and fora moment Nell and her | friend stood nonplused in the narrow corri- dor near the door. Some time had passed since the young de- fective’s adventure in the underground corri- dor and the night was advancing toward the middle hour. lt was late for women to be abroad, but Nell and Mrs. Lane did not think of this while they stood near the boy’s door wonder: ing what kept him away. All at once some one came up the steps, and clutching Mrs, Lane's arm, Nell pulled her back among the shadows and they stood together with bated breath while they watch- ed the top of the flight with their hearts in their throats. Perhaps Davy was coming home! Presently a figure rose above the topmost step, and with a sudden cry of ‘‘’Tis he!” the old lady sprung forward but the next instant drew back and seemed to shiver, | Nickel Nell who had witnessed this start- ‘“‘T will follow you! Come, Nell! Wher- ‘*He shall not escape us now, lL have been looking for him as well as for Hiram Honeybee, and haying discovered him, first, we will make the most of our luck.” Nickel Nell, who knew something of city ways, would have dissuaded Mrs. Lane from carrying out her threat; but, the woman was: determined; and when the man reached the: and looking at the staircase he turned, woman, said maliciously: ‘Tf you follow me, madam, it will be the most unfortunate play cf your life!” With this he went down the stairs, his feet seeming to give emphasis to his words. as he planted them on the steps. CHAPTER XI. OUT OF THE WEB. A Boy stood leaning against a dark wall with something moldy in his hand, He could not see his hand before his face and while he stood there breathing the nox- ious odors of a charnel house he recalled his. ling scene could not speak, but looked with | last adventures. all eyes as she saw the person on the steps pause and stare at Mrs. Lane who was look- ing at him with her eyes seeming to stare | ' hideous hand the papers he now held in his. from her head, + Look! we walked out of the court-room and left him in possession of what never should have | been his,” exclaimed Mrs. Lane, who was I haven’t seen that man since | He had lately stumbled over something which upon investigation he found to bea skeleton and, stooping, had found near the grip. Davy Doon was still the prisoner of the corridor, for he had discovered that such was the place of his confinement and now covering the man with her quivering finger. | stood listening at the wall, for sounds had ‘‘What brings you to this place? Do you; come through it as if he were not very far know where the boy is?” Nell noticed that the man was good look- ing and well dressed and for a moment thought she had seen him before. ** Don’t tell me that you are not the man who impersonated Nat Natty at the trial,” continucd Mrs. Lane. ‘‘-Youare that person | and you dare not deny it.” He smiled and came forward as if he was going {o play a cool game of bluff. ‘*You are mistaken. Ihave been taken for a Mr. Natty before now and you are the second person who has been mistaken in this matier, I don't know Mr. Natty only through his reputation, and I must say that you two women are out rather late and in a strange place.” ‘*You can't deceive me. I watched you too long at the trial and if I were to be hanged this minute my last breath would accuse you of being the man who won the hard-fought contest and who cheated the rightful heirs out their rights. You are Nat Natty, so called. J dare say are fliving high on the money you stole that tinfe, What has become of Holly?" The man started in spite of his assumed coolness and fell back almost to the door of Davy Doon’s room. ‘Confess! I ought to sink my fingers into your throat and thus in part pay you back for your villainy,’ 12s ie iff bd : f S.. oe , ; te a. ie Pe Ts v4 sol aw 25 +" gad from a merry lot of drinkers, who seemed to be making a night of it. The bones of the skeleton lay at his feet, but he could not see them, for his only match had been used, and he was without the means of making another light. Hours had passed since his capture by Jack Jason and his friends, and the dungeon had shown no signs of giving him up. It was as provoking as it was terrible. ‘‘T must get out somehow, but how?’ queried the boy detective. ‘‘I am anxious to see what I have picked up bere in the dark and who wrote it. I more than half be- lieve that I have found Hiram Honeybee; but, that is to be settled in the near future This paper ought to show me whatI have found,” | He went to the end of the corridor for per- haps the twentieth time. It seemed as impregnable as ever and he felt like turning back and dying in the dark with the secret of the hunt in his posses- sion, Suddenly the sounds which he had heard before became louder and the revelers more boisterous. Davy listened with all his might and seemed to distinguish the strains of a drinking song as it floated to his ears from somewhere he knew not whither. 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