Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 238 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

a eee — a Pee _ _* = a ee ee oe n 16 It did not require any extraordinary capacity for reasoning to decide that Girard Ardway, dead or alive, must still be within the walls of the mansion; he must be concealed in some place totally unknown to the household; this place must be accessible from the bed-chamber, coe eee ee — —— without necessity of one’s passing out into the | hallway; the blood-smear indicated that the | body had been dragged into the fireplace. Within the fireplace, then, must lie the secret. And this was verified when within ten min- utes—and hardly able himself to explain pre- cisely how it happened—Harry Hound was kneeling before an opening the size of one whole | side of the fireplace. Beyond the opening was a blackness and close- ness of 2a he that was of a shudderful feeling to the beholder’s flesh. The Hound experienced all the sensations of a man on the verge of a startling revelation. At this juncture the bed chamber door, al- ready slightly ajar, was pushed further open by some one beyond. The well-oiled hinges gave no sound to betray the presence of a spy. Slowly the door moved in and back, anda face appeared there, looking in—a beautiful face, that was strangely pale, with black agate eyes, that even in the dim backward reflection from the lantern were dully sparkling witb a mingled curiosity and self-apprebension. The stealthy spy was Edna Crystol. One glance she gave at the kneeling figure re- sembling Royal Ardway—one glance at the black aperture, showing that a secret was being laid bare—then she vanished. Harry Hound, in silence, stooping lower to the narrbw hight of the mysterious hole, passed through to explore. A few feet beyond he was able to stand ereet, and the bull’s eye, as he circled it around him, showed a compartment not four feet broad by ten long. The wall at one end and side was the studding, laths and plaster forming the wall of the bedroom; on the other two was the brick- work forming the corner at the front and side of the house. At the further en'l was a small, square, open hole, without any cover, and the thick black- ness below it seemed ready to mount or stream upward, as the envelope of some demon shape. To note all this required but a second’s glance, The next instant Harry Hound recoiled. An excinmation impossible to suppress broke from his lips. He had nerved himself for almost any strange disclosure. But the sight that greeted bis eye: shook even the fibers of his inured frame, and nizh caused the Jantern to fall from his grasp. He had made, indeed, a terrible discovery. Almost at his feet lay a human form, balf uudr ssed, drawn up in a painful heap, splat- tered with blood. Arms, legs, the whole body, in fact, were twined by the coils of avery lon ropa, with hard knots here and there, whic rendered the person absolutely incapable of moving, and in the mouth was an ingenious gag with firm fastenings. This object, this apparent corpse—the flesh still being tortured after the semblance of a heart-rending death—he saw was Girard Ard- way! CHAPTER XXI. MARGRIP MAKES HIS- TERMS. At a seasonable hour in the sunny-bright morning a visitor rung the bell at the mansion on Prytania street. Sus Margrip. The lawyer’s coat was buttoned tight; in his f.xv face there was a look of ‘ business,” He smarted under the utter refusal of Edna Crystol to pay him $5,000 which was fairly pro- mised; he writhed, mentally, under the discov- ery that the owlish marauders of the night gone had robbed him of a considerable sum of money that had been left all too carelessly in his desk. Silas was in bad temper. With the step of a dancing master in a hurry he brushed past the servant who opened the door, and in a tone decidedly imperative, said: ‘*T have called to see Miss Crystol. Is she— ahem !—is she in?” “'Yos, cir;” “Tell her Iam here. Silas Margrip. Beina hurry. Urgent—in presenti.” In the small reception-room at the rear of the hall he frisked and trotted to and fro impatient- ly. "The wheezy, wheedling accent of voice had vavished; his manner of speech was short, sharp, cuttingly pitched. His eely fingers rub- over and over, and his face wore a grimace of sudden and extensive arrogance. In short, the miser lawyer held a winning card, and he meant to play it with an unspar- ing hand. The servant presently returned to say: ** Miss Crystol is too occupied to see you, sir.” *“ What—eh! But it won’t do—oh,no! Nota bit. Go to her again and—” “Miss Crystol told me to say, if that ‘ wouldn’t do,’ that sbe positively declined see- ing you, and I was to show you the door.” Silas tip-toed across with the suddenness of a spider on its web, laying one hand on the man’s’ oulder. _ Hank Hound ee ee -— - She swept into the room with a quick, | ‘* Ahem! well, you will return to her, never- | theless, and tell her that if she does not come down at once, ’ll—yes—Til have her out of this house in less than twenty-four bours, Under- stand me? That will bring her ladyship on a trot. limagine. Away with you!” the last so quick and sharp that the lackey was somewhat startled. At the instant the lawyer made this speech, the figure of Royal Ardway was descending the stairs. The words were loud enough for him to hear. When the ascending servant, with the amaz- ing message, had passed him, he slipped stealthi- ly, by a convenient door, into acurtained alcove at the rear of and connecting with the apart- men’, Edna very promptly acted upon the remark- able message. haughty step; her cheeks were burning and the black agate eyes were like smoldering embers. ** Are you the impudent person who dared to send such words to me by a servant?” she de- manded, hotly. ‘* Now, my dear young lady,” said Silas, with mocking suavity, ‘‘ do not fly off in unbecoming tantrums. You will listen to what I have to say— t Such insolence is unbearable!” ** Ahem!” **T shall call the servants to put you out of the house—” “Take care that it is not yourself they put out,” was the menacing interruption. Edna was breathing hard. She was furious. But something held her back from an outvent of that wrath; something more than mere curi- osity rendered it desirable that she should hear what was bebind the bold threat. ‘You are a crazy man,” ‘**'You think so?” ** Tt must be.” “Why? ‘Only a crazy man would dare to be so in- solent to me in my own house.” ‘‘ We shall see, my dear young lady.” ** What do you want?” ‘The $5,000 you owe me.” **T owe you nothing.” ‘You agreed, before I brought you from your obscurity in St. Louis, to pay me the sum of $5.000 as soon as you were positively estab- lished as the ward of Girard Ardway.” ‘“Ycu are a blackmailer, and a bungler at that.” Silas preserved his equanimity. ‘‘You will find, my dear young lady, that I. ama lawyer of good standing in New Orleans, and I know mv busiuvess pretty thoroughly. I want my $5,000.” ‘And | tell you, as I told you once before, I never made such a promise; 1 never was in St. Louis; I never saw you in my life until yester- day.” The listener in the alcove started at he-ring this. If shenever was in St. Louis, then she was, plainly, not the girl with whom Girard Ardway had negotiated to become his ward and heiress. But he thought, as did the Jawyer, that this was merely a play at brow-beating, to escape a promised payment. “You are determined to persist denial?” *“*T am only denying a statement that is pre- posterous.” y My dear young lady, you are fooling your- self. ‘*T cannot tolerate this much longer—” ‘Your game is coming to an end.” ‘What game, sir?” **T will blow the whole thing unless you con- sent to two items I shall propnse.” ‘*Oh, you are a lawyer with a price?” sneer- in this ingly. & First, my $5,000,” continued Silas, in a business demeanor unruffled by the sneer. ** Money first, always, you know. Item No. 2: you must relinquish your idea of marrying yal Ardway.” This was an astonisher for the beautiful girl. How could be know anything of ker passion for Royal? She could not believe that Isabel would have dared reveal the circumstance, and above all, to a stranger. =a do not at all understand your last insult, sir, ** But you will find out what it means if you refuse to trade,” ‘* Trade?” ** Just lend me your ear, briefly, while I state the case. Now, when I found you in the city of St. Louis, you were, as you frankly stated, an orphan; you could not recollect your parents; you were earning a livelihood by painting pic- tures. Ahem! Your name, you persisted, was Louie Crystol—not Edna. I honestly believed that you were mistaken in regard to your own identity; I sueceedei in persuading you that your real name was E,ina, and a brilliant life, a fortune, awaited your acceptance. In return | for my services in establishing you, if was stipu- lated that you should pay to me the sum of | $5,000.. This is all familiar to you. Now you eee refuse to Parad bean part of the bargain—that’s ‘ the long and s ort of it. It won’t work, my ; the Crescent City . Detective. | | dear young lady. ed . - * - - e-em —— _ — - a ls I have you squarely ina corner. It has been a mistake allalong. The chances are you will have to vacate the lofty pedestal—tumble down, I must inform you that within the last twenty-four hours the real Edna Crystol has come to the front. I can produce her—yes—with proofs indubitable. Demmy! I will, too, if you keep on with vour nonsense. Her mother, Martha Crystol, too, is alive, and can furnish a mountain of evidence in support of herself and child. You can net furnish any such evidence. Do you see, my dear young aay, exactly how this thing is—hey?”’ He paused, bis ratty eyes fixed upon her and his face in a snaky grin. A fearful tumult was waging in the bosom of the beautiful girl. It was a heat of mingled anger, chagrin and dread. She felt herself defeated. Through her brain was flashing the exclamatory thought: ‘‘ Ah, I have made a misstep! Why did I not fathom this when first I met this man? Percy Desmond did not sufficiently inform me. I see that I must yield and buy up Margrip; he knows too much. Though I place no credence in this story about a real Edna Crystol being found, he is apt to be a dangerous enemy.” Silas watched her closely. ‘‘What do you propose?” she asked, scarcely above a whisper, so intense, half-blinding was the fire within her. ; ‘‘Ahem! Now you are talking sensible.” ** Be brief, sir.” ‘*T want my $5,000.” ‘* Well, you shall have it.” ‘‘T thought so, Sensible, very sensible at last, my dear young lady,” : Anything else?’ ** Ob, yes.’ ‘‘Whatis it? I desire to end this interview.” ‘‘T remarked that you must give up hopes of marrying Royal Ardway.” ** How do you know I bave any such hopes?” ‘* No matter—I know it.” ‘*Even admitting such a thing, what is your obj et?’ ‘- My dear young lady—excuse me.” ‘*Tell me, and [ will pay for that also.” Margrip’s eyes glistened. More money for his miser hoardings. ‘‘ Well, by a strange coincidence, it seems that Royal Ardway is, at this moment, himself in love with the rightful beiress, Edna Crystol.” ‘“Impossible. I know that he has plighted his troth to a young lady named Clyde,” Sly Silas only bowed. ‘“T consent to your terms,” Edna said,a brupt- ly. ‘‘If 1 doas you require, I understand that Il am not to be interfered with?” ‘* That is the ticket, exact. Jn extenso,” ‘‘Give me your address, In a few hours I will send a check.” Margrip, with a bow, presented one of his professiona! cards. As the ecard passed he was looking straight and triumphantly into the black-agate eyes. Something he saw there caused him an imper- ceptible start, He had made a discovery. On the street, a few minutes later, he ex- claimed: ‘* Jupiter! what can it mean? Maybe this girl is right when she aversthat she never meade any bargain with mein St. Louis. Tie girl in St. Louis had brown eyes, or I’m dreadfully mis- taken; this one hss orbs of jet. Can it he this is not the girl I found for Ardway? If so, then who the dogs is she’—where did she come from? —how did she get there? Ahem! no matter. My $5,000 is all right. That’s settled, communi consensu,” Edna remained standing in the center of the room when the lawyer had departed. The beautiful head arconed slowly. The listener in the alcove maintained his eavesdropping position. Within the minute there was a tinkle at the door-bell. ——_—- = CHAPTER XXII. A CLEAR ‘GIVE AWAY,” THE newcomer was Percy Desmond, The Prince. é : ; : Edna, hearing his voice of inquiry in the hall- way, advanced from the apartment, showing herself and saying: “Yes, [am at home, Mr. Courtley. Will you walk into this room?’ ‘*Good-morning, Miss Crystol,” saluted the handsome adventurer, bowing gracefully, and moving toward her. > The moment he had entered the room at her invitation, Edna closed the door, ber hands behind her, remaining on the door knob, as if she would hold him a prisoner. ‘*l have something for you,” he said, sup- pressedly. “What?” ‘Behold for yourself.” With a slight flourish he extended a legal- shaped decument. On its back she read the indorsement: ‘Last WILL AND TESTAMENT OF GrRARD Anpway!”* It was a most valuable present at that time. ‘‘ Ah! Iam glad you secured this. How—” fi ~ Oe = "comichbooks. co) o ¥ .\ eas 2ate 2 . a" = .