Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 210 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

~w 7 asa ea en a a a ee a eee ' His rooms were luxurious; he had a negro valet to attend his wants, and all be needed was the aid of a bold, bad villain to act as his tool, to make him a happy man in his own estimation. Suddenly upon bis reveries broke an intruder. It was Jeff, his valet. ‘He am come, Mars’ Mark,” he said. ** Who has come?’ “The one you wants to see, sah.” “Did he give you his name?” “* Yas, sab, fer dat is how I recognize him, sah,” ‘What name did he give you?” ‘Senor Peto.” ** Ab! admit him.” Jeff departed, but soon returned, and accom- panying him was the Senor Pietro, whom the reader bas met before, as the one who pro- cured the crew for Captain Bess, though at that time he had not been called upon to per- form that service, the brig Lioness, with her girl commander, not baving yet arrived in port. “The Senor Mark Mortimer!” said Pietro, inquiringly, as he entered. “Yes. Do I address the Senor Pietro?’ You do.” “Here, Jeff, you can go out for an hour if you wish to,” and Mark Mortimer tossed his delighted valet a piece of gold. ‘*Now, Senor Pietro, you can state why I am honored with this visit?” and Mark Morti- mer turned bis gaze full upon his visitor. ‘You asked a gambler friend to name a man who could do some work for you, I be- lieve?’ “T did.” ** He named Senor Pietro?” ** He did.” “You asked him to send him to you to- night?” “ True,” ‘1 have come, for Iam Senor Pietro, and Z will undertake your work.” “‘Witbout knowing what it is?” Tes.” ““T6 may cost you your life.” ** J take all chances for gold.” “*It may be red work.” “Tt cannot be redder work than I have core,” **It may be to kill.” *‘] am not afraid to kill.” “A woman, perhaps.” “A life is all the same to me.” “Well, I guess you will do,” said Mark Mortimer, with a shudder at the cool villainy of the man. “T will do anything for gold,” was the calm response. * Lie, kill, steal, or—” “*Or anything I am paid for.” “ You certainly are a villain, Senor Pietro.” “No more than the man who pays me to do the work he is too cowardly to attempt,” was the quick retort. Mark Mortimer’s face flushed crimson, and his impulse was to spring upon the man before him; but the very devilish nature of the man told him that he was just the one he wanted to aid him, and he answered: “ Well, I'll not quarrel with you, Pietro, for I confess I do not care to do the work myself, #0 shall bire you.” “* Gold makes me a willing tool.” “You shall have it. ‘“ Now to work.” “T am ready, senor.” “You know who I am?” ay do.” “*T am said to be rich.” “*Very rich, I have heard.” “Tam not worth ten thousand dollars to- night.” “Then, if you cannot pay me, senor, I will depart.” ‘*Unless a certain person dies.” “ce Ah!” “Yes, if one person is dead; I am a very rich man.” “Then, why not remove that person?” ‘That is just what I wish do.” “Or hire me to do, “Weil, senor, name the block in your way, and I will remove it.” “It is a woman.” “Tt is immaterial.” 4 My sister.” “You have to mourn, not I, senor.” “She is at her plantation home, The Ever- glades.” Buccaneer Bess, the Lione ee ee a ee **T will go there and kill her,” ‘* No; she must be enticed here.” ** How, senor?” ‘* My yacht lies at the Lake, and my idea was to have you go to The Everglades, as though to see me, and while awaiting me there, my yacht would arrive, and the negroes report to my sister that I was very ill and had sent for her. “You can take advantage of her coming to accompany her, and watching your chance, hurl her into the sea by night.” “*A good idea, senor.” ** And you will undertake it?’ ‘“* Certainly, senor, with pleasure.” “Then that is arranged.” “When the gold amount is fixed, yes.” “We will talk of that afterward, for I have more work for you.” “You have but to command and pay, senor.” ‘You have heard of Perey Wyndham?” ** The gentleman you shot in a duel?” ** No; his son.” **Oh yes, the gallant young man who cap- tured the pirate craft known as the Skeleton Schooner?” éé Yos. ” **T have heard much of him, senor.” * Well, be is my foe.” ** You mean you want him removed?” ce Yeas.” “When?” ** As soon as you can remove him.” ** He lives near you, on the coast?” ** He does, at Lakelands, his plantation.” *‘On the water?”, “Yes, not two hundred yards from the shore.” ‘That will be easy to do.” ** Mind you, if he is simply killed, by no one knows who, suspicion might fall upon me. ‘“* But if a vessel were to put into his harbor some night, rob his house and kill him, then, you know, it would all be laid to pirates,” ‘True, and a good idea, senor. **'You should have been poor, so, like me, you could make your daily bread as a hired assassin like me.” Again did Mark Mortimer feel like springing upon the man; but he wisely refrained and only answered with sarcasm: “I feel honored by your opinion of me,” “Your talent for evil prompts it, senor; but when do you wish your friend, or rather your foe, to die?” “As soon as you can actin the matter, so name your price.” ‘First, we will consider the killing of your sister,” coolly said the wretch. ** Well?” “How much do you inherit by ber death?” ** You are insolent, sir.” ** No, for I must bavea basis to work upon.” ‘* How mean you?” “It you get a large fortune, my fee is large. “Tf an ordinary sum, then I can only charge accordingly.” “Ab! well, I geta fair fortune, s name your price.” ‘*Ten thousand dollars.” “Bah! are you a fool, man?” “Not such a fool as you may take me for, Senor Mortimer.” **Ten thousand dollars! preposterous,” ** You win that much at cards sometimes.” “True, but I will not give it to you.” “Very well, get another tool to do your work,” **Call it five, and I will pay it.” “‘T have but one price, senor.” ** And do you intend to charge me the same sum for killing Perey Wyndham?” ‘No, for you get no gold by that transac- tion, only revenge, as I understand it,” “Well, name your price for that work.” ‘‘ He bas plenty of plate in the mansion?” ** So I am told.” ** And jewels?’ ac Yes. ” ** Well, pay the charter money for the ves- sel, the crew, with a hundred apiece for the men, and make it a thousand for me, and I'll do the work.” “Pll give you two thousand for the work, and pay you half ofthe gold down for each agreement.” “When will you pay the balance?” ‘*Upon demand, when the work is done.” “Enough, let me have the six thousand now,” Why, that sum is a aa eee ss of the Sea. _——— The money was counted out and handed to the assassin, who at once took his departure. Soon after Jeff returned, and he at once re- ceived orders to go after a young physican, whom his master had often befriended, and then to give out to all callers, that Mr. Mark Mortimer was lying dangerously ‘ill, and could see no one bnt his doctor—and thus began the plot against Mabel Mortimer and Percy Wynd- ham, KL LL CHAPTER XXXVI, PIETRO'S PLOT, WHEN Pietro the assassin returned to his antiquated quarters, in a disreputable part of the city, he at once sent a servant fora man who frequently aided him in his devilish work, Now the Senor Pietro was an Italian, but claimed to be a Spaniard, and spoke the latter language as fluently as though he had been to the manner born. In Italy he had been a noble, by birth, but an assassin by nature, and the result was he gratified a petty revenge upon a rival, and had to fly to the mountains to save his life, where he took to robbing travelers as a means of sub- sistence. Drifting into Spain, he from thence came to America, and though he landed a pauper, he soon accumulated a goodly sum from plying his evil calling, that of robbery, in New Orleans. Witb ambition to rise in his profession, he bought him the old mansion, and letting it be known that he could be bought to do deadly work, soon had plenty of customers, none of whom had any cause to complain that he did not give entire satisfaction. To add to his golden revenues he also became the recipient of smuggled goods, and from that drifted into securing crews for pirate vessels, and in his nefarious trade had enriched him. self. Thus the reader will see that Mark Mortimer bad hit upon the very person to do his red work for him. Upon the arrival of the man for whom Pietro had sent, he was shown up to the host's private rooms, and was made welcome witb a bottle of good wine. “Well, senor, what is it now?” asked the visitor, who was a dark-faced man, and one of the worst types of creoles in the city. “IT want a most delicate matter attended to, Conrad.” ‘* Yes, senor.” ‘* A woman is to be killed.” ‘* Of course.” “She is to be put out of the way, you know, so that a riva) may have full sway.” ‘* Of course, senor.” “She is to be gotten rid of in a peculiar way.” * Of course.” *“'You are to go to her home, and ask to see her brother. ‘*]f he is there, you know, then seek a situa- tion as overseer with him; but I will see that he will be kept away, and I am only advising you against accident.” ““Of course.” “Just tell his sister that you will await his coming, and about that time a yacht will arrive with information tbat the lady’s brother is very ill in New Orleans, and begging her to go to bim. ‘“You beg like a pauper to go on the yacht, and on the way over, the first you get throw her into the sea,” ‘**Of course.” “That is your work to do,” ‘*T see, senor.” ‘“Name your price.” “T’ll name high, senor.” “Why?” ‘‘ Because the chances are against me,” “ Bah! it will be easy to accomplish,” “Well, I have another reason.” ‘*Name it,” *‘Tt’s a woman I am to kill.” “ Ha! ha! ha! you who killed your wife, hesi- tate to kill a strange woman.” ‘*Tt’s because I killed a woman once I hesi- tate to do it again, Senor Pietro, ‘‘A man is different, but a woman, no, no!” “‘Then I will get Rudolph.” “No, I did not say I would not do it, only I needed a good price to ease my conscience,” ““ What price?” ‘* A couple of thousand,” “You are a fool, for money is not 80 plenty.” Dali ath intends NiGdoo (E(0) (C “S ( (0)