Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 196 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ee narcotic which had evidently been administered to him, Peloton’s assistants, too, had talked the mat- ter over before retiring, and one and all pre- -ed themselves for a tough time in the morn- ing with the “ mad John Bull” as they termed the stranger. Morning came. Within two hours after the gray light stole in through the strong iron bars of the grated window, the patient opened his eyes and looked around him. The effects of the powerful nar- cotic still lingered in his system, and for a few moments his mind did not work clearly—he gazed vacantly around, but, little by little, he realized that he was not in dream-land, and then suddenly he sat bolt upright in the bed. ** Well, curse me, if this don’t beat cock-fight- ing all hollow!” he eried; Then he passed his right hand over the upper part of ,his forehead as if to push back stray iocks of hair, but this was a useless prc ceeding for not a bit of hair was on the man’s head. -Apparently, though, he was either not aware of this fact, or had for- gotten it, fur a most complete expression of amazement took possession of his face as he slowly passed his hand all over his head, evi- dently in search of the missing scaip covering. * ay 1 be eternally jiggered if I ain’t as bald as an eel!” he muttered. ‘‘ But, where am I, and what does allthis mean, anyway? Where are my clothes? Is thisa prison? Am I myself or somebody else?” Then he leaped out of bed and ran to the win- dow. All he could see through it was the gar- den and the river in the distance, He searched the room Macrosen Ds Not the slightest trace could he find of his clothes, for the attendants had been careful to remove every garment. There was no furniture in the room—nothing but the bed, which was a little iron one, like those generally in use in hospitals, and the pa- tient sat down upon the edge of it and looked around him ruefully. ‘* | should believe that I am crazy, if I wasn’t sure that I am not!” he exclaimed, ‘‘ although what I have gone through since I struck this accursed country is enough to addle the brains of almost any man. But, what is this den, any- way? and what does itall mean? Is it a prison —a hospital, or what?” Then, actuated by a sudden thought, he jump- ed up and ran to the door. As he had sur- mised—it was fastened upon the outside. He tried his strength against it, but the house was an old chateau, built in the days when houses were put up to last, not constructed after the flimsy fashion common to modern times and the man soon saw that were he possessed of twice the strength that dwelt within his frame he could not hope to make his way through the door. “Well, well, I sup all this mystery will come in time,” he mur- mured, Pp turned away from the door and sat down again ae the edge of the bed. And, as he sat there, he was a most uliar sight: completely bald, a stubby beard rien a ing his chin, aud attired in a long nigh which covered from neck to heels; upon his face the expression of complete bewilder- ment which the novelty of his position pro- duced. ‘‘ Somebody will come soon, I suppose, unless they intend to leave me to starve to death, and then Pll have an explanation or a fight,” and he doubled up his brawny fist in a menacing way. ‘Great Cesar!” he suddenly cried, ‘‘ the oile are ten to one, though, that I won’t be able to understand a word of their cussed lingo. Blast these frog-eaters and their parley-yoo- in )” Saad as. he finished the speech, there came a slight noise to his ears as if of some one at the door; his eager gaze wasat once riveted upon it, A little panel, inthe upper part of the door, which escaped his i tion, opened noise- ys and the ne pags apnea face of Monsieur eloton appear e aperture. — ‘‘ Hang me if he don’t jook exactly like a cut- throat! It is the jailer, I suppose,” the prisoner thought, “‘ but, as the fellow in the play says—I must dissemble.” And so he nodded familiarly to Peloton and smiled in the most friendly man- ner. Peloton was a wary customer, but for all his cunning the smile of the stranger succeeded in deceiving him, and so he unlocked the door and entered the room. An attendant who was be- hind him, with some clothes hanging over his. arm, remained in the doorway. The patient arose, and despite his rather culiar costume, received the master of the in- ean in a dignified way, with a ceremonious WwW. : The French as a nation are nothing if not po- lite, and Peloton, delighted to find, as he ono , that the new-comer was not inclined violent, responded to the salutation in the most cordial manner. ; “‘ Now let me see if I can fmake this infernal jackass understand me,” the potion’ said to imself. ‘‘ He doesn’t look as if he could speak anything but their confounded French gib- cr some explanation of —e_eee CO ee La Marmoset, the Detective Queen. With a dignified wave of his hand he pointed to the window, so well secured by the strong iron bars. **Speak English, eh? Is this a prison?” Now the Frenchman did not understand En- per at all, but the word prison he did compre- hend. “Prison!” he exclaimed, with the emphatic shrug of the shoulders peculiar’ to his race. ‘Oh, mon Dieu, no! It is a retreat—my re- treat—M. Peloton’s retreat!” We spoke in French of course, and the word retreat—retraite in French—the other could not ac) «Sie ‘* What the devil does he mean?” the supposed Jobn Bull muttered. ‘‘Hesays that it isn’t a prison, but what the deuce does he say it is? A hospital, perhaps. Say, is this a hospital?” Now this word being so entirely different from the French hospice, the master of the es- tablishment shook his head; he did not compre- hend; but, in order to forward matters a little he signified for the attendant to come forward with the clothes. Handing them to the patient, Peloton signi- fied by signs that he was to put them on, There was a jacket and pantaloons of coarse stuff, very much the same in color as the garb worn by the galley-slaves at Toulon—a cunning de- vice on the part of asylum-master to trace his birds in case any of them should escape, A man in suchacostume could be easily traced. A pair of coarse stockings and common shoes com- pleted the dress. ‘* That is a nice sort of a rig for a gentleman to put on!” ejaculated the patient, in utter dis- gust, as he took the clothes from the hands of the oe Frenchman. ‘ But I reckon almost anything s better than what I’ve got on. A man can’t very well make a dash for liberty in a night-gown.” So he proceeded to array himself in the clothing; but, as he was a biz man, and the jacket and pantaloons of medium size, the fit was anything but good, ‘By Jingo! I feel as if I was in a strait- jacket!” he muttered, after he had finished but- toning the orem garment over his broad chest. ‘* And now that Iam ina presentable condition, the quicker I get out of this the better, for it is evident they want to keep me here, and, as we can’t understand each other, an explanation is impossible.” Carelessly both Peloton and the attendant had moved to one side so that the way to the door was open comprehended his intention, the patient had gained the threshold, but escape was cut off by 8 stalwart attendants pos in the entry without, ‘* Oho, weare in for a fight!” the patient cried. CHAPTER XXIII. A DANGEROUS CUSTOMER, PELOTON and the attendant within the room had followed the patient upon the instant, but he, discovering that his escape was cut off, hur- ried to the window in the es direction, not hoping to escape through it—for this casement, like the one in the room, was guarded by hea iron bars—but to prevent his foes from sani ing him inthe rear. His room was the last one in the on and the passage ended at this win- dow. With his back against it, and his formid- able fists doubled up menacingly, he awaited the onset, Confident in their numbers, four against one, they approached, but when they came near the fractious patient all suddenly halted, ‘* He is a fighter,” wled one of the men. ** All these John Bulls fight like demons with their fists,” declared another. And despite the brute force which dwelt with- in his own massive frame, Peloton was asaverse as his men to test the prowess of the stranger, and so he tried diplomacy before resorting to actual war. Speech being impossible, he had to resort to signs; so he held up one finger, then he counted himself and his satellites and displayed four fingers of the other hand, then nodded from the ‘pe gto to the four, and shook his head vio- ently. r One against four, eh? And you think that I haven’t got any show,” he muttered. ‘* Well, that remains to be seen. I’ve licked four men in my time, single-handed, and though, maybe they wasn’t quite so big as your crowd, yet they knew how to handle themselves, which no Frenchman I ever saw could do. So, come on, you accursed frog-eaters! In two jerks of a lamb’s tail I will smash you up into corn-bat- If Peloton had been a understood, the other’s ——— was equally to compre- hend. Those terrible fists and hing eyes meant business, certainly. Peloton shrugged his shoulders. ** The madman will not listen to reason, and therefore we must beat him down; but, look out for his fists, and do not give hima ce to strike you. So, when I say the word, all close in on him together!” ** Avance es led Peloton, and the four sprung ‘ame —Peloton in advance, r er Lo ff , and, before either of the two Ae The iron-like fist struck squarely between the keeper’s eyes, and floored him as if he had been shot. In his fall he knocked over the man be- hind him; but hardly was Peloton down, when out came the left fist and the man on that side, catching the blow right in the throat, wag — over allina quivering heap—terribly art, 9: The third man, rushing in, clutched ‘the pa- tient, but the stranger, with the greatest ap- parent ease, broke the Frenchman’s gripe secured an ‘‘ under hold,” and threw him, hea down, on the top of Peloton and his assistant, who were _ pens! 3 themselves up. Then with a deer-like leap the patient bound- ed over them and fled down the near-by stair- way. Picton and his men followed as soon as they could pick themselves up and on the ground floor were joined by the madame, armed with a most formidable club, **Oh, you fools, dolts, idiots, to try to fight with an Englisher with your !” she yelled at the top of her lungs when she caught sight of their bruised and battered countenances, *‘‘ Get. sticks all of you or else he will escape!” Out into the a taey the whole party hurried, for the patient had dashed through the open door into the grounds without. From the door of the mansion the main en- trance into the garden could not be seen, as, af- ter the old fashion, the drive-way wound around like a snake, and from the house that portion of it which led to the river appeared more like the main avenue to the gate, so the fugitive was de- ceived and ran toward the river instead of to the gate. The mistake cost him some loss of time and so when he reached the street entrance the porter on guard there, alarmed by the noise, was ready to receive him. . This porter, an old soldier, understood the necessity of prompt action; therefore, when the tugitive came bounding along, with a billet of wood in his hand, which he had caught up as he ran, the guard romney leveled his short car- bine and put a ball into the flying man, who took but a dozen steps more, then pitched for- ward upon the earth. ‘**Oh, mon Dieu, Jacques! Why did you fire!” ctied Peloton, in despair. ‘‘ Why did you. kill him?’ ‘* Ah, colonel, there is no danger of that,’ re- lied the porter, saluting; ‘‘I merely winged m so as to stop his flight. The hurt is not at all dangerous.” . And so it proved; the bullet had passed through the fleshy part of the leg, inflicting a painful wound but not one affecting or endan- So Feloton was consoled; no probability now that the patient would attempt to escape for some time. CHAPTER XXIV. THE LAST OF THE AMERICAN, Tue discovery of the remains of the murdered American—for he had been murdered there was not, apparently, the shadow of a doubt—was a ee ume in the cap of Mon- sieur Antoine the Minister of Police, The newspapers rung with his praises. Pub- lic opinion, always as fickle as the wind, veered about. A week before the gata Ba police were a set of blind dolts and their chief no bet- ter, but now that the mystery had been fer- reted out, no city in Europe could boast of a 55 force of nosed detectives! Of course not! One thing only troubled the police and the public; the Italians, who had evidently com- mitted the deed, had succeeded in escaping with- out leaving a single clew to their whereabouts ; the route even by which they had left Paris was unknown, and the keenest search by the police — to gather anything satisfactory in regard This was really not to be wondered at, for, according to the best information obtainable, the criminals had a week’s start, and in seven days a man who has such reason for haste as an accusation of murder pursuing him, can get. over a good deal of ground, But that the I boy should be able to evade the argus-eyed officials was wonderful, He at least had not had seven days’ start— hardly seven hours; but, eitiecenges Monsieur Preval ‘‘moved heaven and earth,” not the slightest intelligence in regard to him could be procured. Indeed, Rinot was the ouly person in all Paris who, apparently, had ever seen the. lad. But that he wasin ce, probably in Paris, the police felt sure. tion; the whole line of the frontier was alarmed, the police at the sea-ports were noti- fied, so that it was clearly impossible, Monsieur Preval declared, that he could eseape, unless he was capable of assuming some impenetrable dis- guise, which could not be done by such a boy. The American had been decoyed away Py a. woman dressed up as a man; clearly one of the Italian women masquerading, and had been murdered in some obscure retreat, the old house in which the remains were found, proba~ The telegraph had been promptly put in mo- . Gomichboo (SC 7