Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 897 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

say that I am sorry, Boo long already. We were talking about Hiram Honeybee, weren’t we?” ‘* Yes, yes—” ‘‘T recollect. There, don’t try to lift me. Let me slip down, down if I will.” Davy Doon was horrified. The look which had come into the man’s eyes was enough to terrify ary one, and he saw that the invalid was slipping, slowly slipping from the chair inch by inch, ‘*] will run for a doctor. I don't want you to die, Captain Paul, with the secret in your heart. It will never do, and if you could hear poor Mrs. Lane tell the story—”’ ‘* Let me do the talking!” broke in Captain Paul. ‘‘ Iam the one who should do it here and at this time. You want to keep still and use your ears—that’s all.” The boy detective stared but said nothing. The man gasped and after a moment of Spasm went on: ‘* Yes, yes. Iwill go back to the begin- ning. No, I can’t do that, for I won’t have time. The will, did you say? The one that was admitted after the fight in the courts? They never found Hiram Honeybee, I be- lieve. Well, I should say not!” Davy, watching the face with more eager- ness than ever, saw it change color again. ‘‘ Tfear you must hurry up, Captain Paul!” he suddenly cried, warned by the increasing pallor. ‘©Do you, Davy? Well, I will.” There was another moment of silence. It seemed an hour to the expectant boy. ‘‘ He came to this city. He got a letter to come, Hiram did. It was soon after the will was made. He signed it with his own hand. That was just what he did. This man, Hi- ram Honeybee, was a queer stick and gave us lots of trouble; but we didn’t let him have his own way altogether. One night—yes, it was after dark—lI recollect it just as well as if it happened ‘ast night— Wait! I feel something at my heart.” : Davy waited. He saw Captain Paul place his hand upon his bosom and breathe very hard. more he slipped. He was lying almost whol- ly on the floor, and his aspect was one of im- pending death. He did not continue. ‘Go on, Captain Paul! You haven’t much time left!” cried the excited boy. “ What, not much time? Well, I can't They would drag me into court if I survived and I can’t—no! I can’t say anything more!’ The sound of the last words sent a name- less thrill through the boy’s frame. He saw the lips remain open at the end of the sentence. He saw the hands of Captain Paul slip to the sides of the chair and when he bent forwurd he saw that the man was dead! ‘This is most disastrous to our cause,” he cried, standing spell-bound by the dead man and looking down into his rigid face, ‘‘ This man knew something about the plot against Mrs. Lane and her grand-niece, He would have been as good a witness almost as Hiram Honeybee. But, he will never complete that confession and J must rely on the half-rat- eaten papers in my care. [| will look through this old shanty first. I will see what it hides, for this man was in the plot though I would never have suspected it but for the rats. Captain Paul has hidden from the officers for months though they did not particularly want him, Now they will never need him.” Davy turned away and went to the wall at the spot whither he had wheeled Captain Paul at his request. He held his light so as to let it fall upon the plastering. He found the door which the man must have opened while his back was turned. It contained several small vials one of which -was uncorked and empty. This told the story of the tragic deatl. 7 Once |. Davy Doon’s Big’ Bounce. As the niche revealed nothing more, the boy ferret went te another part of the room where stood an old bureau, the drawers of which seemed to invite investigation. He found them locked and thinking that the key would be found in Captain Paul’s pockets he went back to the dead. In another moment he was bending over the body and was rifling the pockets. A bunch of keys was found and with a smile of triumph Davy returned to the bureau. - The first key was the very one he wanted, and he opened the top drawer. ‘But he found it empty; after which he unlocked drawer after drawer to be greeted with the same state of nothingness! It was very provoking and made the boy detective shake his head as he discovered that he was losing time. ‘*T will look through the captain's clothes. He may carry the secret there,” he thought. ‘*] must have the secret he would have told perhaps if he had lived.” Once more he went back to the dead, and, just as he was stooping over the body, a door opened! ‘*You young rascal, if you touch that man I will paint the wall with your brains!” The Boy Spotter started up with a quick cry of horror. He was covered by a revolver gripped by a strange hand! CHAPTER V. **GET OUT OF HERE!” Davy Doon stocd nonplused for a mo- ment and at the same time tried to make out the real look in the eyes that regarded him with the anger of a fiend’s. The man at the door was short-set and vicious-looking. His face was partly covered by a brown- ish beard which, being stubby, rendered his appearance more repulsive looking than ever and he seemed for all the world like some tramp on a mission of lawlessness. Davy stared at the man with fear and trembling, for his words told that he was -—-eo-R.e_a_aQwreEe eV ———— A in something more startling than words. The boy fell back without touching the dead man. He turned toward the person at the door and exclaimed: “‘T suppose you want to rifle the dead. If that is your intention there is the body.” ‘Get out yourself, then!” but first, turn your pockets wrong-side out.”’ Still covered by the weapon the boy obeyed and then stood motionless in the middle of the room. ** You haven’t anything contraband, I see. Now, get out and make yourself ag scarce as possible about these premises.” Five minutes later the young spotter stood on the sidewalk with the wind that came from the nearest river fanning his face. ‘‘T wonder who that man was?” thought Davy. ‘‘He took things very cool, and evidently knows just how to play his hand. He has a face entirely strange to me and I think 1 saw it for the first time to-night. The beard seemed natural, but it may have been false. I wonder how he came to know Captain Paul, and why he thought I had robbed the dead? Robbed him of what?” and Detective Davy looked about him as if he heard a footstep on the pave. He watched the old house fora few mo- ments, but seeing no one come forth he started off and in a short time was/ lost to view among the darker and dilapidated buildings.” The young detective went home, the ad- venture worrying him not a little. Captain Paul was dead and he had died with an important secret but quarter re- vealed. ‘‘T can look at the papers now,” Cried Davy. ‘‘The ones he left with me for safe- keeping fall to me, now that their owner is | desperate, and the leveled revolver said so E 5 dead. Ihope the rats haven’t found them again, But, I will determine that in a little while.” He opened a drawer in a bureau that stood against the wall and the next moment withdrew his arm with an exclamation of as- tonishment. ‘‘T certainly put them here when I took them away from the rats,” he avowed. ‘‘I laid them in this corner,” and he looked, but saw nothing like a package tied with a yel- low string. The mystery of the missing papers seemed as deep as the secret which had died on Cap- tain Paul’s lips. As Detective Davy looked into the drawer, he felt the blood mount to his temples, and then he seemed to turn pale. ‘* Mrs. Lane is right. There is a big con. spiracy on foot, and the scoundrels aré at work. Tney are playing a hand to keep back from those who ought to know the truth about that will. They know what be- came of Hiram Honeybee, and here I am fighting a league of desperate men.” Yes, the papers were gone, and though the boy ransacked the drawer they were not to be discovered and he turned away at last with a sigh accompanied by a look of determina- tion which told his true feelings. ‘*T recollect what Nell told me after her visit to Bolivar Brass’s office,” he,suddenly cried, ‘‘ When she went to copy something from a document for the purpose of giving the old man asample of her penmanship she saw therein the name of Hiram Honeybee. What did it mean and why was it there?” Davy went to a chair and threw himself upon it, A cheap clock over his head ticked away inasort of sing-song way that, while not melodious had never grown monotonous to - him. He looked up and consulted it a moment and then got up. ‘‘T might discover something in that di- rection,” said he aloud. ‘‘I have a pull with old Brags, the lawyer, and he won’t re- fuse to see me for I did him a favor when the horses were about to trample him under The boy investigator ina few minutes was on his way to the lawyer’s office. Bolivar Brass, as we bave said, was not recognized as a lawyer wre other mem- bers of the profession. e was noted for tricks which the honest guild did not counte- nance, and there were few he would not resort to if he thought they would fur- ther his cause and help him to some desired end. He had made money—made it ‘‘ hand over fist,” as the saying goes. He had fleeced a great many people and was fleecing them still; he was by profession a fleecer, a des- picable character. He had lived in his little office for years, and as he had no family he took his meals at a cheap restaurant in the immediate vi- cinity of the place so that his figure was one of the best known on the street. The young detective reached the building, and after a look into the hallway, always open, went up the first flight. He found his way to the old man’s door and there stopped short for a placard was there and bending nearer it he read; ‘Out of Town. Won’t be Back for Ten Days.” ‘That's rather sudden seems to me,” thought Davy, as he read the announcement again and again. ‘‘He was here not long ago when Nell swooped down upon him with the letter of introduction which he might have honored if she had not seen Hiram Honeybee’s name on the paper. Can it be that Bolivar Brass knows something about this matter—that he is in the secret of the missing witness? I wouldn’t put it past him, but here he is out of town and I, + : ‘ - . i | W ’ p Rs 7 ~ rs 7