Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 100 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

ee — — —— ————————————————————————— ‘On a horse, and he is swift as the wind!’ has- tened to answer Pierre Plaque, who thought he un- derstood the meaning of the Voodoo, and desirin to save ir, villainous neck from tie vengeance 0 ee enemy, Philip De Vin, by doing her ail possible avor. “Take his horse, Helen Varcla, and fly to the res- eve of your daughter!” and in the same breath she guve directions to find the abode of Pierre Plaque. Instantly acting upon the commen of the Voodoo, the actress ran from the house. But there was no Sore at the pave, and she glanced helplessly about er. “Oh, for a horse—a wagon—any thing that will carry me to the rescue of my chilu!’’ she cried, and even as the words left her lips, a mounted cannon came rumbling along, drawn by two horses trotting . The course of the artillery piece was to- ward Place de la B stille. _ Without pausing to ask its destination, or without even ask permission of the drivers, and heedless of the s at which horses and cannon were going Helen Varela threw herself onto the carriage and clung to the seat like a veteran of the corps, The maid, Annette—who had, by an order from her mistress, in company with Zabach, who guarded her safely past Belial, returned to the house of JZ. Epont when Franz Edouin, Xlmo and Helen Varcla started to interview Victor Bramont in the cellars of Hi Bibou—was just then gazing from a window, and saw the act of the woman she was sure was her wistress, which caused her much wonderment. ‘* What can be the meaning of all this?’’ she ques- tioned herself. ‘“‘ But a moment ago lsaw two men mount a horse, over there, and ride swiftly away; and now Helen Varcla rides after them upon a can- non, Oa! Is it possible that Victor Bramont has escaped, after all, and that my mistress is in pur- suit She will not let him get off easily, I am sure!” ; The discovery made by Philip De Vin, in the large, room, was that transom over the doorway which the Voodoo mentioned when stipulating that Victor Bramont could have his life and liberty if, at the expiration of half an hour’s confinement with Franz Edouin he was able to demand to be released —first surrendering his knife by passing or throwing it through that same transom. The door being very high, the transom was baron reach of a leap. Nor was there any means for climb- ing, as the lock of the door was imbedded invisibly in the stout, riveted wood, and the interior had no knob; showing that the apartment had been ar- or for the express purpose of serving as a p n. But with two men, venturous, desperate and fertile in expedients, the mode of escape was easy. In less time than it requires to relate it, —-P De Vin—who was the smaller and most supple—had climbed upon the shoulders of Bramont and grasped the sill of the transom. uirming cautiously through and dropping to the floor outside, he turned the key which the Voodoo had left in the lock. Silently as two cats the pair stole forward through the aarkness —a darkness which enveloped them almost immedi- ately upon lea the doorway, for the sole light of the room from which they had escaped was given by a very small lamp set in a shelf-niche, a lamp that was constant ept burning by the Voodoo. ** Diable !” exc r Bramont, in his throat, after & moment. “Thereis alight ahead! It is thesame door through which I was once carried to-night!—I know it by. the calf’s head.”’ “Pa bleu! Tread careful, there,’’ warned De Vin, as they began descending the stairs, for both dis- tinctly heard voices in conversation beyond the parialy opened door. The speakers were the Voodoo and Pierre Plaque. The two men reached the door op as Ximo said: Now, Pierre Plaque, I know that Osalind Ray, the supposed daughter of Dorlan Ray, the artist, is the daughter of Helen Varcla, whose true name is Selissa Gordon. I know that she fied from her home on a horse of dangerous spirit. I venture that the horse has carried her to your house. She is there now!" Instan De Vin exclaimed, in an audible hal Parbleu! Now then, my Osalind, I know where to look for you! I shall lose no time in recap- oa you, once | am out of this devilish den!”’ An ramont, simultaneously: Diable! My Osalind has run off and is at the ee eee ee Re ee Seth me pat 1@ pater Bean of a as ding the house. Sac In the same second each felt an iron e upon the aor, ene starting round they beheld the stern of the mulatto, Zabach, who held them like a vise. Simultaneously, as if with a single thought, each one struck a terrific blow with the stiletto vies all along, had been nakedly griped by nervous Ss. 7 oat /" snorted Bramont, as he gave a savage Parbleu !”’ hissed De Vi the hilt. e Vin, burying his blade to The blows were aimed to kill, and Zabach stagger- pal mrt phar ey Aving vent to that palette used 00 tos 1 just in time to catch his fallin form. eee oe They wrenched themselves free and fled. Making unceremonious spre riation of the horse which Pierre Plaque had left tied to the ring in the pave, they mounted and galloped away. But there had been a mutual discovery in the words uttered by each, when they exclaimed together at the door of the Voodoo’s anteroom; aud De Vin who sat behind, was thinking: F “Hallo! Parbleu! This man—Victor Bramont— is also after Osalind Ray! If he is my rival, why should I not stab him now, while I have a fine oppor- tunity, and thus be rid of him forever?” Actiig upon the Reteat, he cautiously drew back the to, inte bury it in the ribs of the unsuspecting Victor Bramont. CHAPTER XXIL THE SURPRISE OF BRAMONT. Victor BRAMONT was too shrewd to be unaware of dangerous position in riding before Philip De Vin, for: a strain very & that in which the thoughts of De Vin ran, he muttered: The French Spy. 17 “Sicre/ This will neverdo. In my haste to es- | wonderful eyes flashing and both muscular arms | bared to the shoulder, in readiness for combat. cape from the sorceress Voodoo, I have placed my life in the hands of Philip De Vin, by allowing him to ride behind me on this horse. Osalind Ray—my Osalind. Diable! The fellow may take it into his cracked head to give me a sly dig with the stiletto with which I—fool! —armed him.” The horse was galloping forward as ferociously fast as his double load would permit, and at the moment when Bramont finished his muttering they were passing a bright lamp at the corner. Casting a side lance at the shadow on the pave, produced by this ight, he was startled at seeing, very distinctly, an arm of the shadow of the man behind him drawn back and motionless—for it was then that De Vin had decided to strike that blow in the ribs which would rid him forever of the man who was his friend ashort time yrevious, but whom he considered his deadly enemy now. Discovering his danger by the fortunate shadow on the pave, and acting with lightning quickness, Bramont gave the rein a sudden and powerful twist, causing the horse to take a tremendous, sidelong, lurching bound. De Vin, totally unprepared for any such performance, toppled from his seat as though stricken with a club, falling with a thud which stunned him for several minutes. * Diabie! I am rid of him!’ exclaimed Victor He, too, is after | Bramont, digging his heels into the horse’s belly and | dashing off at increased speed. court and reined in his stolen horse;—with a jerk that brought it to its haunches—directly Lefore a restau- rant of lowest reputation, whose existence he had discovered by a dull-burning light over the greasy entrance. Sounds of bacchanalian revelry issued from this place, boisterous with lewd songs and drunken whoops. Dismounting he passed the door and Bramont uttered a sharp cry of astonislhineut, fol- lowed by a yell of terror; for the moment the door was fully open, a large, ferocious form shot through the air, and a pair of massive snarling jaws closed upon the cloth and flesh at his throat. It wes the dog, Belial. As Bramont staggered and struggled in the tenacious and terrible gripe, he managed to shriek. ‘Ho! Sacre di ble’ Kill her! Kill him! The woman and the dog! Fire! Kili! Ho!’ : The reports of thirteen pistols rattled and rvng upon the still night air, and while their echoes filled the street, Helen Varcla, unharmed, sprung into the very midst of the ruffians, slashing right and left with her two swords. CHAPTER XXII. THE WHISTLE OF FRANZ EDOUIN, CoLoNEL l’nitie DE Vin quickly recovered from the effects of his fall, and after venting adireimpre- cation upon the head of the man who had so clever- ly cutwitted and discomfited him, and shaking his fist at the deserted air of Rue de Lafayette, he start- ed on a half run toward the nearest prefecture, He knew that Victor Bramont would hasten iothe abode of Pierre Plaque and attempt the ca; ture of Osalind—attempt her capture, because, like Bra- | mont, drawing his conclusions from the words of A few blocks further on, he tirned into a narrow the Voodoo, Le reasoned thus: Osalind was not the child of Dorlan Ray, but of a woman named Selissa Gordon, whose assumed name was Helen Varcla; Pierre Plaque had the maiden in his power; the ob- paused in the midst of a rough assemblage with | _ and perhaps had left her strongly guarded by one or “Hello, here!’ he shouted, loud enough to be | heard, at the same time casting a handful of silver . fierce faces and riotous doings. among them. ‘*‘Who can tell me where to find a man by the name of Pierre Plaque?” ‘* Oh, Pierre Plaque is the Death-cart driver! Every- body knows him!" apswered one fellow, with a maudlin voice, while several others were scrambling for the money which this new-comer scattered so lavishly. ‘“* Diable! But I want to find out where he lives!” and another handful of silver glittered in the air, fall- ing, jingling and rolling, upon the floor. Under ordinary circumstances, Bramont would have been considered a madman, to throw away his money thus; but he had an objectin view, and the people he addressed were too soaked with wine to think of anything but the fact that this visitor had brought a shower of silvir pieces with him, which they lost no time in gathering. ‘**Oh, as for that, mon ami,” said one, more sober SSS than the rest, ‘for a couple of francs 1 will under- | take to show you the way.”’ ** Diable ! Il want a dozen men to show me the | way. Each man must have pistols anda knife. A | louis apiece to all who serve me the way I wish!” of all. It was not difficult to find men armed in the ject of the visit of the Death-cart driver to the Voo- doo, was to ascertain the whereabouts of Helen Var- cla and demand a goodly rum of money for the re- storation of herchild. This being the object of the cunning Plaque, it was not likely that he would give his prize the slightest opportunity for an escape, more of his ragamuffin associates. Victor Bramont, then—argued the wily colonel— would not undertake to effect so valuable a capture without adequate assistance; hence, if he, De Vin, would wrest the beautiful and persecuted maiden from the guard of Pierre Plaque and the probable confederates of Pramont, he must have a force at his command sufficient for the annihilation of bo:h. It was with the last idea revolving uppermost in his mind, that he made all haste to the prefecture, which had lately received specia) favilities for elec- tric communication with the various head-quarters of that vast military organization which the Com- mune termed the legitimate National Guard, in wklose rabble ranks the notorious Ludes was figur- ing prominently. No time was lost in flashing over the wires a mes- sage to send a score of cavalrymen toa certain point not far from the abode of Pierre Plaque; and rub- bing his hands in satisfaction, he started away to meet the detachment, in company with tworenegade soldiers of the line who had been commissioned as officers since the insurrection. “Our destination,” he remarked, in aloud tone, | confidentially, ** is the abode of the Death-cait driver hoarse shout of readiness burst from the throats | manner Victor Bramont had stated. Since the sack- | ing of storehouses in the Rue St. Dominique and on the Boulevard de Latour-Maubourg, there were few inhabitants who were not fully equi »ped with guns, pistols, swords and other weapons. Even the gorcon who received orders for refreshments wore a belt bristling with revolvers and a bayonet. In less than five minutes a squad of a dozen men were in line upon the pave, with Bramout at their head, and by his side the ruffian who had volun- —that worthless and abominable creution of the Delecate of War.” ‘What is there in that direction?’ asked one, ey ag out briskly to keep pace with the impaticnt De Vin. ** Partleu / my comrade. The daughter of Dolan Ray, the artist—my promised Lride—is there, a teered to show the way to the abode of Pierre | Plaque. ‘*Forward!” ordered the fellow, flourishing a pis- tol, and the squad advanced with soldierly tread. * What means that sound?’’ asked Bramont, as he heard several whistles, before, behind and elsewhere | ; lamp discovered the pale, anxious face of Franz around him. “Nothing,”” answered his ignorant companicn, | ** All sounds are common in Paris now ”’ But when they had traversed another block, Bra- mont said: ‘* Now, tell me what that means?” for he noticed | another series of sounds, first like the hoot of an owl, then like the caw of a crow, then like the note of a nightingale. “As I tol | lind, you, all sounds are common in Paris | now,” was all the fellow answered, as he led on to | byways and unfrequented routes. ‘*Now then!’ ground Bramont between his teeth, forgetting the whistles and bird-calls, ‘“ with these same thirteen cutthroats—thirteen as black-faced resecals as ever I saw—I shall capture my Osalind, the prize for which I have waited seventeen years, and who must now be a beautiful maiden! Besides, they shall aid me to burn down the den of that sor- | ceress Voodoo! Also’’—and his teeth glistened in a crin of devilish exnberance—‘‘they shall, by m order, strangle Franz Edouin, if we are lucky enoug to find the doz of a detective! Diibie! 1 have cheated him of that pleasant little game with the American bowie-knife! shall clasp the lovely Osalind in my adoring arms! Sac e! How deiightful! Icould dance in my abuad- ance of joy! Ha! ha!” They were not long in reaching the abode of Pierre Before I sleep this night, 1 | ; prisoner.”’ ‘“‘Oh! But why the need of so much force? Pierre Plaque, for fear of his rascally neck, would not dare refuse to give her up to Philip De Vin.”’ ‘* Walk faster. And look to your weapons, I will exolain.’”’ And, as they went, De Vin pro.eeced to relate the cause of his apprehension that a strong force would be necessary to accomplish his pury ose. As the three figures :eceded from the prefecture, the figure of a fourth man emerged from the shadow of a gate near by. Coming forward, the light of the Edouin. ‘‘Kind Heaven receive my thanks for having per- mitted me to hear those words spoken by that scoundrel, Philip De Vin!’ he murmured, gazing up at the starlitsky. ‘* Never fear, but i shall be ihere, too, and we may try our strength on equal terms, before you dare touch the form of my beloved Oga- This whistle *’—drawing a peculiar silver whistle from his bosom—‘'] have rot used since the bombardment by tie Prussians. Many of ifs ser- vants are dead—let me see how many are alive to- night!’ e placed the whistle to his lips and blew a loud, shrill cali unlike any sound made by an ordinary in- strument. Ere three seconds had elapsed, a gate- way almost direcily opposite was opened, and an answering call, exactly similar was given. Franz Edouin ran to the man who stood at the gate and exchanged a few words with him. Thetwo separated, going swiftly in opposite directions. Presently the whisile sounded again, thin again, Plaque. Door and windows were tightly closed, and | there was no sign of life within. ‘* He is asleep, mon ami, or else out upon business with his infernal Death-cart,’’ said the leading ruffian, glancing over the front of the small house. ‘Hark ye!” spoke Victcr Bramont, to the vaga- bonds awaiting his orders, ‘ Pierre Plaque is out, I know. But there is a person inside whom I desire to possess. That person is m romised bride—a maiden, She is the captive of Pierre Plaque, and, doubtless, he has left her well guarded, If it comes to a fight, are you prepared for it?” ‘Yes! Fight!” was the response of these men, always ready to Co anything for money. ood, Now, Ishall make that door open. Watch.” | And advancing to the door he delivere kicks, crying: ‘‘Open. Diidble! Open, I say!” Contrary to the expectations of Victor Bramont— who really looked for violent resistance to his de- n, Helen Varela mand—the door swu wide o 6toed upon the threshold, a d in each hand, her a a a volley of | then several in concert, the number fast increasing until it seemed that Boulevard de Magenta, Kue St. Martin, and all the localities and by-streets in the vicinity of the Ambarcadere, Prison St. Lazare and the Military Hospital were suddenly populated with significant whistles that werbled, chirped and echoed unheard-of notes in every direction, while bere and there a solitary figure could be seen moving with a >> an noiseless step through the gloom. hese were the whistles which first attracted the attention of Victor Bramont when lhe staried to march with his thirteen hired ruffians from the miserable scene of debauch at the restaurant named in the preceding chapter. Within fifteen minutes after the sound of the first whistle not less than thirty men were gathered rear the Chate.u D’ecu, and a minute later Franz Edouin was among them. These men all wore large, black soft hats and a cape. Beneath each cape was a belt with a short sword and a brace of pistols. The signal which had brought them together was one they had not heard since the victory by the Prussians, and was only used by certein leaders to intimate the necessity of an immediaie concentra- wen ofa Aero: “py - the Cosentive aeewion, OF ite various spies and deputies, in that partic section te which the signal seemed te be confined, By @ re Gcomichbooks