Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 106 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

_— —— 5 Ny, ib ‘ 4 ' | 8 AR 8 ee a ee we — = . — oe ~ Se ees ete ae - = i ee at eo a eG — oi - « — ee ll ‘ation, for ‘* Like a’ bloodhound, yer honor.” ** And what luck?’ **V’ve thracked him—I’ve thracked him like a fox to his hole!” Dooney answered, his little eyes gleaming and his whole face lit up with an eet of savage joy. The face of Burke became radiant also, for he put full faith in the declaration of the process- server, knowing the man so well. Dooney Was a shrewd, cunning rascal, and one not ‘casily outwitted. ‘That is good, sir, and now I suppose the we thing is you want me to lay him by the uee@ls, ‘*Yis, yer honor; and I thought that, seeing how much yer honor was affected by the blag- ;ard, that mebbe ye would be willing to stand 1 trifle for me trouble,” and Dooney leered sig- ificantly at the officer. It was no secret in the neighborhood that the Hould Boy of Glingal, as Shamus O’Brien was cenerally called, was a most dangerous rival to Captain Desmond Burke for the hand of pretty Maggie Moore. ' ‘You are a cunning rascal, Dooney; I see that you intend to combine business with plea- sure!” Burke protested. *‘ You want me to pay you for your information and at the same time execute your vengeance upon the man who thrashed you within an inch of your life,” ‘* And isn’t that right, yer honor?’ Dooney demanded, with another leer. ‘‘ Shure! it’s not wrong to turn an honest penny whin ye can.” ** Oh, thatis ail right. Idon’t object. Give me information so that I can secure the person of James O’Brien and you shall have five pounds,” ‘* Dead or alive!” the process-server cried, with a malignant grin upon his ugly features. “No, no!” the captain exclaimed; ‘ not dead! I wouldn’t give you five pence for James O’Brien dead.” Doouey looked amazed. ‘*Oh, I mean it, man!” Burke hastened to say. ‘*O’Brien is of no value to me dead. It isalive l wanthim. So mind; alive he will be worth to you five pounds; dead, nothing.” ‘** Paix! yer honor, he’s a desperate man and mebbe it won’t be aisy to take him alive.” ‘* We must surprise him with such a force as to make resistance useless,” the captain an- swered, ‘*That will do, mebbe; but, captain dear, ye must have plinty of min, for this same Shamus O’Brien is a tearer.”’ **T will look out for that; but now, where is ‘ne to be found?” ‘* Begob, captain, you would never guessin a hundred years!” * Well, sir, l am not anxious to guess!” Burke retorted, impatiently. ‘**Oh, it is marvelous! Shure! the cutest wouldn't come at it ina thousand times!” * You are wasting precious moments; come to the point at once!” ‘*T have bin on the watch for him for some time—in fact, iver since I got wind that Sha- mus O’Brien wasin the country. 1 had asmall taste of a suspicion as to where he would be af- ther hidin’; and, sure enough, I tracked me bould bucker to earth. He has been consaled, sur, in the house of the Goose-girl.” ‘*Oho, then, it is in Kitty Sheelan’s cottage we must look for |. im?” ‘*No, sur, you’re not warm yit; it’s nearer home than that.” ** What do you mean?” **T mane that, at nine to-night, he will be here ; it’s an appointment he has wid Miss Mag- ie Moore, d’ye mind! He has bin consaled in itty Sheelun’s cottage, but he got wind, I’m thinkin’, that he was being tracked, so he fled to the hill, but I kept close watch on the house, for I thought that sooner or later 1 would get a clew to where he was, and so I did this very night, for as I lay consaled near by | heard Kitty sind Tom FPee to bring me bould ma- rauder to O’Neal Hall at nine to-night to see Miss Maggie Moore.” The captain was most decidedly astonished, and yet the bold act was like the man. ‘* At nine e-e s eh?” he repeated. ‘* Well, the chances are that there will be more persons resent at that meeting than either Maggie or hamus O’Brien expect.” CHAPTER XIV. WALKING INTO THE TRAP, O’NEAL HALL was an old, rambling building, constructed after the usual fashion of all the houses that date back to ancient times; first, here was the main, square house, built as much ‘a defense as shelter; then wings, all construct- / | at different times, as the caprices or the in- ome of the various owners suggested. One not well acquainted with the old house could easily become bewildered in the many devious, winding passageways. The young heiress was housed as befitted her rs. O’Glory, like all persons of her class, who manage by hook or by crook to rise from nothing to something, was a great stick- jer tor the ggasi of life. As one of tha richest heiresses in the county chen, Miss Moore had an entire wing of O’New Hallset apart fr ber special benefit—not that Shamus O ‘Brien. she had the least bit of use for the six spacious rooiss which Mrs. O’Glory, with a great flour- ish, informed her had been prepared for her ac- commodation when she became a member of the lawyer’s household, after her father’s death. Maggie was extremely simple in her habits, and as quiet and unassuming as though she was only a maid of humble degree, instead of being the heiress of old Patrick Moore, of Killkerran. A single maid sufficed to attend her, and she really shrunk from all display. The wing of the hall which the heiress occu- pied faced the deer-park. There were three rooms on the lower floor, and three above. A private door led into the park, so that it was the easiest thing in the world for the heiress to arrange an interview with any one, wthout running any risk of discovery, if she chose so to do. Nine o’ the night was near at hand. Desmond Burke, having been duly warned by the informer, as related in our last chapter, had made all needful preparations to give Miss ' Maggie Moore’s nocturnal visitor a most com- plete surprise. The captain had come to the conclusion that he was most decidedly in luck, and that that night was destined to be the turning point in his fortunes. His pursuit of the heiress had, so far, been a most fruitless one; but, with the “rebel,” bold Shamus O’Brien, in his power, terms might be made. Burke had revealed the whole matter to the lawyer and his wife, and the mingled rage and astonishment of the pair were most amusing. ‘*The huzzy! To so far forget her position and the respect due to the roof that shelters her!” Mrs. O’Glory exclaimed, in fierce anger. ‘We'll be afther laying me bold lark by the heels, anyhow!” the lawyer had consoled him- self The first burst of astonishmen$ over, the cap- tain unfolded his plan to the two, and both of them immediately approved of it. ‘*Faith! captain, dear, it is a foine head ye have!” Mrs. O’Glory remarked, admiringly. The lawyer was equally complimentary. Both of them fully entered into Burke’s per- sonal plans, too; the money was the main thing, after all, and not the lady. If she was willing to buy O’Brien’s release at a good round sum, the captain would be stupid to refuse to accept the ransom. The trap was cunningly prepared. The ca tain and Lieutenant Smithers, to whom Burke had confided the secret, lay in wait, concealed in the park without; the old lawyer, his wife and Mickey Feakle, the clerk, hid themselves in a closet in the passageway leading from the pri- vate door to the heiress’s apartments; so, evenif after O’Brien’s entrances, he took the precaution to fasten the door behind him—-which was not likely, as he would be pretty certain to leave it open so as to escape freely in case of an alarm —they could open it and give admittance to the watchers without. : All who had been admitted into the secret could be trusted to keep it, if everything work- ed as the plotters expected, and Maggie Moore, with her gold, bought the freedom of the hunt- ed and proscribed outlaw, James O’Brien. All the men had armed themselves to the teeth. O’Brien was known to be a desperate fellow, and unless it was made plain to him at once that he was at the mercy of the trap- x mig be he would be pretty certain to makea esperate resistance. . But, four to one—coupled, too, with the ad- vantage of the surprise, was certainly odds en- ough even to daunt the heart of as bold a fel- low as Shamus had proved himself to be. Lying flat upon the soft turf, concealed be- hind the trunk of a giant oak, the captain and Smithers kept diligent watch. Each one grasped a revolver in his hand; they were prepared to take ‘‘ Mister” O’Brien so completely by surprise that the outlaw would think discretion the better part of valor and yield on the instant. ‘Tt must be near the time,” Burke muttered, his ears keenly on the alert to catch the ‘slight- est noise. ‘‘ Past it, my dear captain!” Smithers assert- ed. ‘I am positive of it—I would bet five pene on it, Perhaps he won’t come—may ave got wind of your little caine aatEet icious, you know, like an old rat—laughs at all kinds of traps, by George!” ‘“‘ He will come!” the captain exclaimed, con- fidently. ‘The light that burns yonder in the window is placed there as a signal for him.” And, sure enough, in one of the upper rooms of the wing, a waxen candle, placed upon the broad window seat, sent its flame out into the inky darkness of the night. ‘* Yas, it looks like it.” hs ‘* As long as that light burns there it signifies that the coast is clear.”’ ‘* A beacon of safety to light the storm-tossed mariner intoasecure harbor, eh? But in this case, thanks to your deuced cunning, it’s a false light and will wreck the ship of fortune of our bold Irish friend if he is unwise enough to steer by it.” ‘* Hush!” exclaimed Burke, abruptly, his ear close to the ground, ‘‘ I hear footsteps.” 8 ee ee rrr SSS tse hls het sts ts etttiheesetsteestestte _stairs—he’s wid the gurl now. | i hh di SS ae ae sl EO — _ ———_ — ‘** By Jove! you are right!” added the lieuten- ant, after a moment’s pause. ‘** And there is more than one.” *‘T say, suppose that he has brought three or four of these wild Irishmen with him?” suggest- ed Smithers, after the somewhat alarming dis- covery was made that the new-comer was not alone. **It is a woman!” Smithers stared, but after listening for a mo- ment he saw that his companion was right; the rustle of a petticoat could plainly be distin- guished. ‘* What the deuce does this mean, you know?” he demanded, perplexed. But, Burke was quick to solve the riddle. ‘It is the Goose-girl, of course! She comes as a guide, and, probably, to keep watch outside so as to prevent a surprise.” PT ag will rather interfere with our plans, eh? ‘* Yes; but we must contrive in some way to surprise her. 1 fancy that if we can creep up to her, and suddenly place the cold muzzle o! a revolver on her fore ead, she will not be apt to be so vigilant a sentinel as might be.” “By Jove! I should say not, unless it fright- ens the girl into hysterics, and then she will be apt to scream at the top of her lungs.” ‘We must risk it; there is no other course,” Burke averred. The near approach of the footfalls at this : point put a stop to the low conversation, Through the darkness of the night came two - forms, stealing onward with careful, cautious. tread. Despite the thickness of the gloom the watch-- ers were able to distinguish the figures, although not to recognize the persons, One'was a woman, and the other, following: close behind, a man. They proceeded straight to the private door’ and entered, and the two in ambush plainly heard the sound of the door cautiously clused after them. ‘‘The woman is going to stand sentry inside,. if that is the little game!” Smithers announced, in astonishment. ‘*Yes, and I am afraid that it will upset our plans,” Burke replied, rising te his feet as he spoke—an action which the lieutenant imitated.. ‘*Old O’Glory may have sense enough to take the bull by the horns and rise superior to the situation,” Smithers suggested. ‘“*He may, but 1 fear not: but we had better close in. Inside of five minutes we will know whether the trick to-night is to fall to me or to James O’Brien.” The two advanced rapidly, but with due cau tion, to the private door. Just as they reached it the door was opened in their faces and the old lawyer appeared. ‘‘Whist! we have him, the murtherin’ blag- gard!” O’Glory whispered. ‘ He’s gone up- Be me sowl, in, ye ought to bate him black and. cap blue.’ ‘¢ And the girl—the girl that came with him?” ‘* It’s the Goose-gurl, of coorse!” the lawyer exclaimed. ‘‘I recognized her voice, fer she spoke asshe passed through the hall, She said) —the baggage! that there was not the laste dan— er. ae I am afraid that she will find before she is many minutes older she is not sotrue a prophet as she thinks,” Burke returned. ‘‘ But now let us advance at once; the quicker the surprise the better.” ““Not the laste taste of a lie in that! Go ahead, captain!” O’Glory assented. Me the stairs the party went. First came Burke, Smithers at his heels, then O’Glory and his clerk, and, last of all, Mrs. O’Glory. Although afflicted with a mortal fear of fire- arms, yet the spouse of the lawyer could not restrain her curiosity nor abstain from a scene . which might have a tragic ending. CHAPTER XV. THE DISCOVERY. ALL of the men were provided with revolvers with the exception of Mickey Feakle, and no persuasion could induce him to trust himself with one of ‘‘them new-fangled pistils,” as he expressed it. He declared that he was much more likely to damage himself than the outlaw if he attempted to use one, and so fell back on the weapon most natural to his race, a ‘‘nate . blackthorn twig.” The door of the heiress’s apartments was : ” halted for a enommen’, | reached and the “ army just the pause before the spring—the fa spring, the results of which would give Shamus ‘Brien to the tender mercies of an English jail. Sounds of conversation came plainly from the room within; it was clearly evident that the destined victims had not the slightest appre- hension of danger. ‘‘Now then for it!” commanded the captain, and with the oil he turned the handle of the door, and it rudely open entered the. followed cl room within, osely by the rest. The occupants of completely astonished at the unexpected inter- | S he room were, of course, (E@) Comicboo