Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 908 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

| the past two years?” “‘Very well, come back here in an hour, lip, and I may have news for you.” Flip departed, and Olive rung for a bell- boy and ordered: **Go and find Mr. Norton. His room is one hundred andten. Ask him to please come here,” ° A fee accompanied the request, the bell- boy went on the search and in twenty min. utes returned and ushered New York Nat’s Double into the room. He seemed surprised at beholding an.el- derly lady, and said in an embarrassea way: ‘*Pardon me, but I think I have made a mistake.” ‘No, I sent for you. Sit down,” and Olive stepped between her visitor and the door and continued: ‘May I ask if your name is Norton?” ‘* Yes, madam, it is.” ‘You are from Connecticut ?” ‘‘T am attending college there,” and the youth seemed ill at ease, ‘May I ask what you are doing here in New York, dogging the steps of my son, instead of being at college?” ‘Your son, inadam?” and the youth grew more and more uneasy. ‘* Yes, my son, Nat Norton, who came to the city with me, and who has had you upon his track like a shadow every way he has turned—nay, you cannot leave, sir, for Iam determined to know why you have been guilty of dogging my son. It is for you to say whether you will make a clean confes- sion to me, or to the chief of the Secret Ser- vice, for 1 have you shadowed, your strange conduct demanding it. Ican send you be- hind iron bars, and the touch on that bell will place youin the hands of waiting de. tectives.” | Olive spoke in a low, impressive voice, while Nat’s Double sunk into a chair, as though overcome. CHAPTER XXIV. THE DOUBLE UNMASKED, For full a moment the Double did not speak, He had dropped in a chair, as though at first overcome, but, after a minute or two, Olive saw that he was meditating. His face grew stern and his eyes brightened, as he said: ‘*My dear madam, as you have come into the question, it puts a different phase upon my conduct, which you. seem to regard as being so wicked,” ‘*I do not exactly understand you, sir,” responded Olive, a trifle disconcerted by the * hi _ reply of the Double. ‘Permit me, madam, to explain, but in confidence, after Ihave asked you a ques- tion or two.” Well, sir?” and, as Olive regarded her visitor more attentively, she saw that he had a strong face, but appeared several years f ‘ older than she had at first believed, “You are Mrs. Olivia Chandler, I be- | lieve?” ‘ << Yes.” “And the young man registered here now and thenas Nathaniel Norton is your Pity 2 801)” ‘* More strictly speaking my step-son.” ‘Did he ever attend Yale College?” - Never,” ‘* You can account for his movements for | erfectly, for we have never been _ Separated save for very short periods Of time. “But it seems that you have turned ques- tioner, not J,” | “IT said I would explain, Mrs. Chandler, if. 4, you would first answer several questions of | mine—that I would explain, in confidence, - remember.” _ “IT shall so consider it, sir, and would now ask you why my son has been so persistently - “ a or Las Bs “ “ ie WE B. - 7 4 Ba ; ey » . ’ ay tag th * r . ask dogged by you, to such an extent, in fact, r ‘) " . ‘ - he a . ee <*« o P + 7 Lh a ¥v 5 iz? > — > 2 , 7. “ : . 7 « , ad . « il New York Nat’s Double. _ -+---—--- - - ~ eer sr that I have had to employ detectives to watch you?” ‘*Ah! I am sorry; but, the truth is, Mrs, Chandler, I guess 1 am on the wrong track; in fact, 1 now know I am, you being Nat Norton's mother.” ‘‘Then you have dogged him for a pur- pose which you will explain?” “ Willingly, “The truth is, Mrs, Chandler, I am, as I said, a Yale student, and my parents, at their death, left me a large fortune. My guardian, for [ am not yet twenty-one, allows me a large income, ‘*T wo years ago, in Boston, I saw a youth whose resemblance to myself struck me as really startling. ‘* Addressing him I learned that he had no home, no kindred, was a waif and was work- ing hard to educate himself and get up in the world. ‘* At once a fancy seized me to adopt him, especially as he said his name was Nat Nor- ton, mine being Nick Norton. ‘‘Ttook him to my hotel, fitted him up and we passed the summer together, he going to college with me when I entered Yale. ‘‘From sheer mischief, I said he was my cousin, and the striking resemblance to me carried it out. ‘To make a long story short, Mrs. Chand- ler, I was warming a viper to strike at me, for, after awhile, it became rumored about that there was a thief in the college. ‘Investigation showed that it must be a student, for money was missing from rooms, articles of value were stolen, clothes were taken, and in fact hundreds of the students suffered losses. ‘* At last it came out, as I sent my Double, as he was called, to Boston to draw my «l- lowance, ‘*He never returned; but, instead, wrote me—and, strange to say, his writing was a back hand, as mine is—that he had conclud- ed to shift for himself; that he had improved much by his acquaintance with me and bad managed to lay by several thousand dollars; and with booty enough to bring as much more, he would start business in another country, ‘Tt was a stunning blow to meas you may guess. 1 wrote to my guardian and explain- ed the situation, asking for money to pay all losses of the other students, by his thefts. | ‘‘T advertised in the college for all to state their losses of money trinkets and clothing, and that I would pay them, ‘‘T did do so, and hence cleared myself of his acts. ‘But I vowed I would some day track him down, and flattering myself upon my detective talent, Lread upon the subject, studied intricate cases and made up my mind, when I left Yale, to go on the search for the one who bad so wronged me. : ‘*Coming to New York on a visit. a short while since, I saw, as I believed, my Double, ‘“And more: I thought that he saw me and was watching me, hence I tried to throw him off my track and then in disguise shadow him. ‘‘T saw that his handwriting was. similar to mine, that his dress even was alike, and I then supposed he was trying to annoy me; so IT determined to turn the tables and shadow him, ‘‘T tracked him up to S—— in this State, by finding the cabman who had driven him to the depot, and the ticket-seller told me he had sold a ticket to S—— to my counterpart, But, he escaped me and returned here.” ‘* Yes, he went to S—— onimportant busi- ness of interest to me, and he has now gone West upon matters that I am interested in,” informed Olive. is simply a case of mistaken i entity, which am very so for, and I ask pardon for the annoyance I have caused you and your ‘‘ Well, madam, you have my story, and it cm EE —_—_ --,OO.——— 1s son, and must look elsewhere for the one who so wronged me,” Olive held out her hand and said: ‘‘T thank you, for thisinformation. Some day I wish you to meet my son and become good friends. I am going to ask you to give me your permanent address, for 1 may wish to communicate with you.” The young man wrote down his address, and Olive gave him hers, in the care of Sherman Canfield, and they parted, the stu- dent saying: ‘*T will now return to college and bide my time to run down the scallawag who wrong- ed me so.” ‘“ Well!” exclaimed Olive, when the door closed upon the student: ‘‘I have unmask- ed Nat’s Double. It shows how one can be mistaken, for 1 thought he had a wicked face, when I did not know him, and now I think he is a noble fellow, and, yes, just as handsome as Nat. ‘‘T must write Nat at once, and I certain- ly have news for him, but now, to leave the hotel and return to the cottage, as there: is nothing more for me to do here,” CHAPTER XXY. THE TRAP SPRUNG. As New York Nat and his two Ferret: pards approached the ranch where their game had his Jair under the name of Vam Allen, they gazed with considerable interest. upon it. It was a large ranch, well inclosed with wire fencing, and a stream fringed with cot- tonwood and willows rau through it. - There were clumps of bushes here and. there, good pasture lands, and upon a hill that commanded a view of miles around, was the house and the out-buildings, all in good. order, The house was a structure of hewn logs, stoutly built, large, and surrounded by brvad piazzas,”’ There were extensive out-buildings, a large vegetable garden, and fields of corn fenced in, while a large number of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs were visible, ‘Well, he has a fine place here, that is. certain, has Mr. Vance Vertner, adias the Reverend Doctor Van Elliott, alias Mr.. Lucius Van Allen, and whose most appro- driate name is the King of the Gallows, ‘‘ Well, we'll see if he can escape the gal- lows this time,” said Nat. ‘«Tf he is there?” suggested Keno, ‘Tf he is not, we will track him to where he is.” ‘‘Some one is there, for I see two men on the piazza, and they are watching us,” Foxecy remarked, ‘Yes, and we are watching them, for even at this distance I know my men. | ‘‘ Now, boys, remember our plan, make no- mistakes, keep cool, and the game is ours,” said Nat, In five minutes more the three Ferret pards. rode into the gate in the fence inclosing the grounds about the house, and hitching their horses to the rack they dismounted and ap- proached the two men seated upon the piazza, and who were eying them with the deepest interest. ‘“T knew I was not mistaken, for there is. the King of the Gallows, and the other is his. pard,” whispered Nat. ‘‘Pardon me, gents, but can we get to stay all night, as we’ves got a long trail be- fore us?” asked Nat politely, and with a true western accent in his manner of speaking, ‘‘T guess so; but, who ure you, and where are you going?’ asked the man whom Nat | had said was the King of the Gallows, but who now had discarded his clerical suit for a. rough garb suited to a ranch, as also had his er Te | ‘Well, we are three boys, Nat, Kit and