Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 908 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

fier i taal of Vertner and Dunning, to connect -Sidney Seldon with the murder and robbery, the guilty conscience of the man had be- trayed him as one of the accomplices of that crime, and Nat made up his mind that per- haps he had been the main mover in the affair. **Tll tell you, Mr. Seldon, you must con- trol yourself better, for if I had been a de- \ teclive your emotion and alarm would have q caused me to feel suspicious of you.” ‘‘T know I was a fool; but after all these years and just when the cloud on my past was seemingly passing away, and I| looked forward to some happiness in the future, os your coming here and bringing it all up un- Hest nerved me. i ‘*But you say you come from Vertner and aes - Dunning?” ‘Yes, we are all anxious to have you in the game that is to be played.” **T will do nothing more in the way of criminal acts.” ‘* Have you not gone too far into the mire to retreat now, Mr. Seldon?” ‘*No, the past is buried with me. ‘‘T was guilvy, yes, as there is no use of disguising from you who have been told the whole story I see: ‘* But they did not fasten the guilt upon me at the trial, and so I was cleared, and have since tried hard to live down the cloud ow a le 39 ss ’ - PS ° - -_ s oa it put upon me | / ““My compact with Vertner and Dunning We I kept, as, for their swearing to my inno- Wes cence, I was able to aid in their rescue, odds saving the former from the gallows, and the Wis latter from ten years’ imprisonment, Ay ‘* Of course, had I not been cleared I know Np that 1 would have been sentenced to the gal- a} lows also, but for thcir saving me I saved Tk them, so why should they wish to drag me ite again into crime?” ‘ é “It is from no desire to drag you into ey 2h crime, but because they feel gratitude to you eh for saving them, that they wish to give you * a share in what they will get.” Fre ‘Tam uot rich, for what 1 then got is al- Na most gone; but I will take no more risks for a 1 riches, especially as before long I shall marry an heiress—ah! I should not have said this, as I suppose if luck goes against them, I will have to come down with the cash to help them.” ee * ~ = - 4. Ww * * : ¥ rl * SS i - rr * — ; r at y ‘Yes, I suppose they would call on you 5a under the circumstances of your getting Mey i rich, for they do not think you have much i now; but [ will not mention to them what you have said.” | ‘*Do not do so, and I will do the right thing by you some time in your need.” “«] thank you, Mr. Seldon; but what have you hedrd of Bernard Gaston, Vance wished me to ask you?” ‘* Nothing, since his noble wife aided bim to escape from prison! ‘‘ Vance, Who was in love with Sybil Gas- ton, you know, wanted me to let him hang, when I said I would aid his escape also, be- cause, as you may know, he was the scape- goat in the whole affair, and [ did wish to save him, | ~~ ** But Vance said no, and Jo, he escape — _-_~_- through the plotting of his wife, and has never been heard from since, poor fellow.” “They have no clue to his whereabouts?” “Tt is well they have not, for Vance Vert- ner still loves Gaston's wife and wants him — out of the way, and from his record sinee he deft here he would kill him, I'am sure, for I _ see that he has run a wonderful career of — —--erime under various aliases, and his escapes | front hanging have gained him the name of | the King of the Gallows.” | +** Yes, and he well deserves the name, but ae mn te to find Gaston to let him in on this ney... deal, |. ** Don’t you believe it, for he knows well _—— that Bernard Gaston was not a criminal and never will be; that he was the victim of our _ deed, and sometimes the pressure has been ~* - er 7 my ys oe «~ y a - ‘ PL bal v7 a) ‘ + A , .. New York Nat’s Double. great upon me tomake a clean breast of it.” |, ‘* Don’t do that; but do you not know how Gaston can be found?” ‘* No, unless his sister, a widow, living in New York may know. ‘* She was devoted to him, and it was said, aided his wife in his service, and she may know, but would not tell.” ‘Well, I won’t find him for Vertner; but you will not return with me, you say?” ‘*No, simply tell Vertner and Dunning that I am living down that deed of ours, and wish to be let alone; but of course, if they are in trouble any time, I will be will- ing to help them, * And tell them to let poor Bernard Gas- ton alone, wherever he may be.” Nat talked half an hour longer with Siduey Seldon, and then bidding him good- by returned to his waiting. cab, and drove back to the hotel, musing: ‘* Well, that was the cleverest act of my career, for at a venture, I did that which got the whole story. ‘¢ Now to find out who Gaston’s sister is, and her address in New York, and then back to the city on the midnight train.” CHAPTER XVI. THE RETURN OF THE FERRET CHIEF. Nat took the midnight train, and as he was waiting forit, be saw the train roll in that came up from the city. To bisamazement, he beheld a person step off whose appearance fairly startled him. ‘‘ My Double, by all that’s holy, and he is on my track!” cried New York Nat excited- ly, as for once he lost his calm manner. ‘There Lam, form, face and dress. “ But, thank goodness, he does not see me, for he certuinly has come here to shadow me, His coming is no accident, no coinci- dence—ha! there is Flip shadowing him, for I know the boy in spite of his disguise.” Nat’s Double had passed out to a hotel omnibus and entered it, and Nat saw the cunning Ferret Flip do the same. Nat would have liked a word with Flip, but dared not attempt it, so at once went to his train and was soon rolling rapidly back to New York. But seeing his Double, almost face to face, and feeling assured that he was on his track, : disturbed him considerably, ‘*T wonder if he will meet Sidney Seldon on the street to-morrow and be taken for me. ‘‘) guess, as he will not appear to recog- nize him, should they meet, Seldon will think it best to do the same—at least I hope so.” So mused Nat, and then he turned over in his sleeping berth and was soon fast asleep. He arrived in New York in time for break- fast and went at once to the hotel. ‘Ah! Mr, Norton, glad to see you back again,and you will find your mother all right;” said the clerk, ‘¢ And how 1s my Double?” asked Nat as he registered again as Nathaniel Norton. ‘‘Your Double has been here ever since you left, but departed last night for a run up home, he said, for 1 few days, ‘‘Do you know he asked about you last night?” | ‘* About me?” ‘¢- Yes, his Double and namesake.” ‘What did he say?’ ‘ Well, he said he wanted to meet you, as the resemblance between you was so great that it was complicating matters, ‘So he was anxious to find you, and asked where you were, where you had gone and when, and soon after he departed.” ‘* Well, Iam back for a day only, and if he returns tell him I am anxious to see him and to leave me an address where I can call on him when | come to the city again. ‘ - 4 ye . ns { ss , ‘ _- : * 2 : - ‘ + mol, is. i ata _~ , * . ie ‘ io 4 - a " Ty ot bh * woe | ae ee DS oa ie Wr. Se a oe ges rt tus 2 ~ P-cy mites a” % ie rie Se) A 9 _< 5 (— . ; Rahs, > ‘ ed ada “< a 7 2 ' lt al ‘‘ You give me the same room, I hope?” ‘* Yes, the one opening into your mother’s parlor.” ‘‘Thank you,” and Nat went up to his room, A tap at the door opening into the parlor adjoining, caused it to be opened by Olive in her disguise of an old lady. ore, She welcomed Nat most affectionately, and then said: ‘*Sit down, now, and I'll tell you all that . has happened.” ‘First let me tell you that I have seen my Double.” ‘‘ Tie has gone away somewhere, but Flip igs on his track, in a different disguise from that he wore here,” ‘‘Yes, I saw Flip shadowing him and re- cognized him; but Olive, that man looks just as [appear to myself ina full length mir ror, “Ata glance, yes, but he will not bear inspection, Nat, for I sat near him at dinner and watched him closely. ‘‘His shoulders slant and are not broad like yours, his eyes are not the same color, and his face is wicked, I think, rather than good, while his hands and feet are large, not small and shapely as yours are.” ‘You certainly are complimentary to me, Olive; but are you not certain he is shadow- ing me?” ‘Yes, for he looked every where for you when you left, and Flip heard him question- ing the driver thnt took you to the depot, and he departed yesterday, ‘* Flip heard him tell the driver to call for him for the four o’clock train, and so he dis- guised himself to go with him, and, as my maid, I went to the depot and saw him ques- tion the ticket-seller about some one he re. sembled, and then buy a ticket for S——.” ‘Yes, I teft him there last night, and Flip is after him. ‘‘Now about the murder case?” ‘It is about as when you left. ‘‘Of course the papers were full of it, some with garbled statements, but they all attack the detectives for not finding the murderer,” ‘‘ And they can never find them, for they suspect the wrong parties, suspicion never once falling upon the pretended Reverend Van Elliott and bis friend Starbuck.” ‘No, they have Mr, Schlossberg’s former partner, Ormann Goldsmidt’ under watch, detectives dodging him constantly,” suid Olive. ‘Well, he may be an accomplice, but [ doubt it, and believe those two friends who stopped here are alone guilty. ‘But now, Olive, I have other work for you, and Mrs. Olivia Chandler and her maid must leave the hotel to-day, as also will Na. thaniel Norton, for I have made some valu- able discoveries while away.” CHAPTER XVII. UNDER SUSPICION, Havre told Olive just what discoveries he had made, New York Nat continued: ‘‘Now, as you tell me that Keno has struck the trail of the two men we want, I expect I will have to go away, especially as Foxey writes from Chicago that he also has struck a trail he wishes me to investi- te.” : «Yes, Nat, the coil is closing upon the necks of those nien, thanks to your skillful planning.” | ‘““And the aid of the Mascot Queen and my glorious Boy Ferrets, ‘‘ But, here is the address of Bernard Gas- . She is a widow, and her name She lives in fairly © ton’s sister. is Mrs. Martha Marsden. good circumstances, I hear, and owns her home, but takes a few boarders to aid ina living and to educate her children, ‘She is the only one who knows where ~— = a