Beadle's Dime Library, No. 240 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

————— —— —_— ee © ne t—t—t— | —_—_————————— aes a i ee GEE + i - Cool Head. : os Jake saw the strange weapon, and it filled | ‘“‘T handed Mr. Girton, the postmasier, that le him with terror. ‘‘ What's the use of gettin’ so blamed mad about nothin’? Nobody hain’t said nothin’—” The lunatic, her face aflame with passion, showed such & determination to force matters, that Calkins did not dare dally longer. Sliding off bis seat, be dropped upon his knees and clasped bis hands in an imploring attitude, ‘“ Beautiful King of Canteen Islands—” ‘Tam queen. not king /” ‘‘ Beautiful kiog, I mean—” ‘‘T)> you acknowledge me such?” ‘*Of course I do,” ‘‘Then you are ready to die!” She swept toward him with her uplifted weapon, and Jake managed to save bimse'lf only by a very narrow chance, Leaping to bis feet, he bounded away at the highest bent of bis spved, shouting in a hoarse voice: ‘¢ Murder! murder! mur—” Just then a projecting limb caught bim be- neath the cbin and almost lifted him off his feet. He felt that bis last minute bad come. Such must probably would have been the ease, bad nut a third person appeared on the scene at that instant. This third person was Dr. Adonijah Bell, who, as may be supposed, was never more amazed in all bis life. CHAPTER XLII IN SUSPENSE. Mrs. BURRAGE and her husband indulged in a quiet laugh, after the departure of Jake Cal- kins from the house, in the company of Han- nab Hablo, lt was manifest to the three that the rela- tive believed fully in her sanity. ‘“When I see Jake's wife, I'll tell her abont this gallivantin’ of his and she will haul him over the coals,” suid his sister. ‘‘)’m afraid Hannah will do it herself,” ob- served Ethel. ‘‘T bope so,” snapped the wife, who felt lit- tle charity for such foolishness on the part of ber brother. *‘T consider it certain that she will be seen and taken in charge by some of the attend- ants.” said Etbel. ‘Tt is impossible for her to prevent it.” ‘‘ And then what wiil become of me?” was the natural inquiry of our beroine, ‘‘She may not betray you, but, if they cor- ner Jake, as they will be pretty sartin to do, be will give you dead away,” ‘See here,” remarked Mrs, Burrage; “‘ you do not believe you can keep out of their way long, do you?” ‘IT confess I had hope of doing so.” “‘T’s impossible; why not give yourself up?’ “Do you or your husband believe I am crazy?” She looked from one to the other, but both were prompt in making answer. ‘¢ | haven’t seen the first sign of it; whether you’ve been so or not we don’t know.” ‘‘] bave never shown any more evidence of it than you see this minute,” “Tf that’s so,” said John Burrage; “ you won't have any trouble in proving it.” ‘‘T certainly ought not to have any trouble, but if they could place me in there, in the first place, what is to prevent them keeping mo there?” The question was a hard one to answer. ‘“That man who called here only a little while ago—Dr. Bell—is one of the physicians who did it, as he told you; but 1 have succeed- ed in doing one thing,” added Ethe), her face aglow. ‘* What’s that?” “Tvesent word to one who will fly to my assistance; did you mail that letter, when you went out a short time ago?’ ‘‘ Yes—that is I think I did,” replied John Burrage with some embarrassment; ‘‘I know I meant to do so.” He began a hurried examination througb the pockets of his garments, and nothing could surpass the sheepishness of his countenance, when he produced the identical letter which he had started out to mail, immediately after breakfast. ‘‘T’}] be darned!” he exclaimed, looking rue- fully at the plump envelope; “do you know how I come to do that?” ‘Forgot it, of course, like you always do,” replied his wife, twofold more angry than was her guest. tter of yours in the place of it.” ‘“ What letter of mine?” ‘‘Thet one to your mother which you writ the other day.” ‘‘ Wrote the other day!” repeated the indig- _nant wife; “I wrote it more than two weeks | | | | — rr SS — eee ee Ss. ago and I was io a hurry about it and you promised that—” But Mr. Burrage, finding what a hornet’s nest he had raised about bis ears, hastened out of the bouse, The corner post-cflice, from which the mail was forwarded to the nearest railroad station, was but a short distance off, and there was no reason why the forgetfulness of Mr, Burrage should cause delay of any account. “You see,” said Mrs. Burrage, when they were left alone and she bad expressed herself pretty vigorously respecting the carelessness of her busband, ‘‘ your letter goes to Ardville, which is only a short distance off; your friend will get it pretty soon and then I suppose he will lose no time in hastening bere.” ‘Indeed he will,” was the confident response of the maiden; ‘‘he cannot delay his coming later than to-morrow.” ‘‘Then why not go back to the asylum? He can go there after you and it will not take him long to prove you ain’t crazy.” “‘I do not know as I would bave any very great objection, after establishing such rela- tions with you as I have; but I have written to him that Iam at your house and asked him to come here for me.” “‘Tt’s only a short distance to the doctor’s,” ‘‘ But there will be delay in compelling Doc- tor Julliard to release me, while it will be im- possible to get me in the asylum again after Brayton bas found me.” Plainly Ethel Langdon had much more con- fidence in the prowess of ber lover than did the woman with whom she was holding con- verzation, “Tf you choose to stay here, you are wel- come, but I must say it will be hardly less than a miracle, if you are not taken away be- fore the sun goers down,” ‘‘Possibly Brayton may learn where I am long before my letter reaches him,” said Ethel, Inoking to the door, as though she expected to hear his knock and familiar footfall. “‘T hope so,” observed the woman, who could not contemplate without misgiving the scene that was likely to take place witbin that same room should the friends and enemies of the beauteous lady arrive there at the same time. ** Whatever the result of this painful experi- ence,” said Ethel, ‘‘my gratitude to you and your kind husband will always be the same and shall never be forgotten, CHAPTER XLIIL AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. Iv will be remembered that Orson Oxx, the Man of Iron, bad his flurry with the Winking Demon at the hour of ten in the morning. It was on the same day that Hannah Hablo and Ethel Langdon fled from Doctor Julliard’s Private Asylum for the Insane. Had it been possible or even probable to se- cure the punishment of the miscreant for the crimes already committed, he would havo hustled him off to jail without delay. But, tuough morally certain of the guilt of Langdon, Orson Oxx knew that the hour had not yet come fer bim to strike. Grand and petit juries feel a prejudice, as a rule, against detectives and their methods, and the judges on the beuch frequently bear down very heavily upon them, This prejudice, united to the lack of tangible proof, would weaken the case of Oxx beyond repair. He knew, too, that after his savage treat- meut of Langdon and Yelland, 1t would not do for him to linger in the vicinity. In such a small place as Ardville, where every one was known, it would be almost im- possible to disguise himself so as to deceive a number of those with whom he had come in such emphatic contact. He might do it in the night time, but on this clear day in autumn he could not hope to escape suspicion. Besides there was no reason why he should loiter in the vicinity, awaiting the time when the Winking Demon sbould take it into his head to indulge in the conflagration amusement again. 21 — | Accordingly, after leaving the Homestead, he hastened ir m the vicinity. When he reached the highway, he made one of his lightning changes of appearance, It was enough to answer for ordinery pur- poses, but it would not bave passed the sc: utiny of a certain individual with one eye, under the full light of the sun. Gocd fortune attended bim, for be was over- teken by a gentleman in a cartiage, who in- vited him to ride. By this means he reached Ardville mucb sooner than if he had walked the distance, slight as it was, He knew that Algol Largdon and Shadrach Yelland would take prompt means to secure bis arrest on a pretty clear case of aggra- vated assault, He resolved, in case no train was due, to walk totbe next station end board the cars, where be would not be likely to excite rus- picion in his pursuers. But, as the carriage balted, he observed a train at the depot. Thanking his friend, be leaped out and sprung upon the car, just as it was moving away. He had notime to buy a ticket and the brakeman attempted in vain to keep bim off. When the train resched the next station, two men entered and walked through from one end to the other, ' They scrutinized each passenger as they did £0, Orson Oxx saw them come in and knew what it meant, Algol Langdon bad telegraphed shead ask- ing for the arrest of a certain person whom be described. These were cflicers searching the train for the criminal. Orson Oxx was leaning against the window, seemingly sound usleep., His under jaw was hanging down and he was breathing heavily. All the same, he kept a close watch on the officers. Each one looked at him sharply, but not in a way to show tbey held any suspicion that he was the one they wanted, The Man of Iron was in the last car, and, as they had failed to find him, they scrutinized each passenger more closely. After passing to the rear, they turned about — and looked back. ‘He don’t seem to be bere,” one remarked, ‘No; he bas given us the slip.” ‘(There's one passenger I suspect.” “Which one?” “That fellow sitting near tbe middle, on the right band side.” This was locating Orson Oxx quite accu- rately, and be believed troutvle was at band, “*T see bim.” “He is that big fellow trying to look so innocent.” ‘* Let’s go for him.” They moved forward, but, instead of dis- turbing Oxx, touched the man in front of bim. When he looked up, one of the cflicers im- mediately apologized; he recognized bim as Reverend Jabez Waiker, D. D. By this time, the train was in motion again, and the officers were forced to leap cff. Shortly after, Orson Oxx left the cars at Brandon. He was without any knowledge of the name of the asylum where Ethel Langdon had been taken, and, as a matter of course, he knew nothing about her flight. He bad learned, however, during his inter- view of the night before, that she was not at the Brandon institution. By a run of good fortune, he encountered a gentleman attached to Doctor Julliard’s pri- vate asylum, who was in Brandon making in- quiries for the missing ladies, From him the detective ascertained the fact of their flight, and of the extended search that was being prosecuted for them. This individual was convinced that the two had not been in Brandon, and he was about to drive bome in his carriage. He willingly took Orson Oxx with bim, sup- posing him to be an innocent gentleman be- longing in that neighborhood. Thus, by a combination of circumstances, the Man of Iron was brought upon the stage of action whither most of the parties in whom we have an interest were -concentraling, pre- paratory to the closing scenes of the drama. It was early in the afternoon, when Oxx called at the asylum of Doctor Julliard and found the superintendent somewhat testy and ‘ _— ~~ comicbooks