Beadle's Dime Library No. 258 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

owt ———— SS ' inevitable, believed his only safety to be in 9 Mr. Jackson would be sure to separate Rose from the mother whom she cared for so deeply. ‘‘T will rest for a while and hope for & change im Mr. Jackson’s feelings, and in the meanwhile I might—” Again Allen paused, The alee was strong in is mind to investigate further the Sinclair affair, to get more light on the case of Edmund Bartlett, of Red Bullet Bar, CHAPTER VIII. NEW LIGHT ON THE CASE. BerorE Allen slept that night be had madea resolution; before noon of the following day he proceeded to carry it out. He called upon a man of his acquaintance who had at one time | been a detective. This man, whose name was Blenker, would doubtless remember a good deal about the Sinclair case, and Allen knew he trust bim, e frankly stated his wish; but without any reason. The ex-detective looked at fim sharel ‘** Why oa you interested in the case?” he the house and killed the uncle. I have before said that the intruder’s boots were eights, while Robert's were but fives. Again, the torcing of the doors was done by practiced burglars, and it is not likely Robert could tell the tool used from a corkscrew.” | “In your opinion, what became of the house- | keeper and ber child?” ‘Despite the oft-repeated assertion that Rob- | ert went alone, I believe the housekeeper went with him. She was pretty, and he was not blind—I believe they went together.” Allen besitated for a moment, and then said: ‘* Mr. Blenker, I believe she was his wife.” The ex-detective whistled. ‘* Why do you think so?” *“ Because [ know he had been secretly mar- ried to some one.” Allen’s confidence thus begun, he did not pause until he bad told all and to the minutest degree. He knew who he was talking to, he had decided that the ex-detective was the man upon whom he must rely for aid if he had help from any ove; and Blenker was still an active and intelligent man. ee 4 2 Pogo was giving me an outline of if He exhibited no surprise at Allen’s story, and the other day, and as you were then a detec- | felt as little as he showed; but his eyes sparkled tive, I th t you might tell more,” with professional zeal, “ What did Garland tell you?’ Ah! that he had known as much as that Allen repeated the story, omitting only that | twenty years before! Then it would bave been part wh referred to the ‘‘ housekeeper’s” | easy to hunt down Edmund Bartlett, if he was concerned in the matter. ve. one That is the story known to the world,” said “Tt may not be too late now,” said Allen, Blenker, slowly, and. then, with an abrupt | eagerly. change of manner, and with a good deal of em- Blenker shook his head. asis, he added: ‘*I wish I knew the inward “Few trails survive the test of twenty ts of the case!” | years,” «** Hasn’t everything been cold?” “ Yet, Bartlett and Eben Garland still live.” Blenker smiled quietly. ‘One might as well try to wring a secret ‘*My young friend, if the criminal history | from a flint rock as from Garland. I know him that is smothered was written out, people , of old. Hope nothing from that quarter.” would be astonished.” ‘* But what of Bartlett?’ ** He is easily reached, though some distance away. Red Bullet Bar is near the line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, I think. But, once there, what would you do? If, as we suspect, the man was the principal in an in- famous plot, be is not going to betray himself.” ‘He must be made to confess.” * How?’ It was a question which Allen could not an- swer, and he said as much, but Blenker showed This was a beginning, and after some per-_ suasion, the old man was made to tell what he | | Ww. At the time of the Sinclair murder he— Blenker—was a member of the detective force, and be was among the first men seni to the scene of the tragedy after it was reported at quarters, | cept for the dead man and those who had | discovered him, the house was deserted, Robert Sinclair, the housekeeper and her infant son no disposition to drop the case. It was one had disap Blenker bad no clew to.) which had weighed n his mind for twenty begin upon. | inald Sinclair had not been | years, and troubled not a little. Now, Allen’s revelations had added fuel to the smol- dering fire, and he felt all bis professional zeal ari used, | ‘‘T want to think of ‘this matter,” he said, at recognized; for, in order to visit, his nephew, he bag gone several miles from his home. , Blenker went eagerly at work. His first dis- covery was that the rear door had been forced | ; .There, he argued, the assassin had last, ‘It is a pity thatowe cannot find Tom entered, and near there, too, the mud had fallen Qnuain. Since he did not kill the babe, he ought from his boots, though he had removed them to be willing to talk if properly fed with gold. after going some ten feet or more, The size of , He would be in no danger” boots had been about eights. The ex-detective paused. ~The next clew was at the door of the dead “Of what?’ : man’s room. Blenker decided that he had “It has just occurred to me that he may be locked the door before retiring, leaving the key the slayer of Reginald. He had the grandson: in the door.. The marks of burglar’s tools were | perhaps it was also a part of his work to kill both key and lock; hence, the door had been | the old man.” . Next, not a penny was found in the “Then let us find Quain!” the younger man ’s pockets; it looked as though a thief | exclaimed. ‘** How will we do it?” Blenker dryly asked. Again his practical nature had checked the more ardent one of his young friend, but Allen was not long at fault. ** Advertise!” he said. ‘But Quain left here in consequence of a had entered the house and killed him for his money. | Such was Blenker’s report to his superiors, | but by night a far different theory bad been erate ed—that which all the world knew; w Robert had killed his unele because of the quarrel over the forgeries, and then fled. crime which would give him fifteen or more . Blenker did not believe this theory, and he | years, if he was taken. An advertisement onid keep him away, rather than bring bim began to make a stir to confirm hisown, His : eyes saw proof enough that Robert inclair bad not. been concerned in the affair, and he presented his views energetically to his superiors. They listened coldly, and when he at the o the following morning he to St. Louis.” | ‘“‘An ordinary one would; but he might be lured by a aap Why can’t we insert a notice which would lead him to think he had fallen heir to a large sum of money?’ Blenker pronounced the idea a one, and promised to give due thought to it; where- upon the two separated to meet again the next day. Aiten returned home. Several letters la upon the table in the sitting-room, one of whic was for Eben Garland. it was an unusual! circumstance for the lawyer to receive any mail at the house, Allen looked with a listless curiosity at the post. mark. ’ It was “ Red Bullet Bar, Colorado! No explanation was necessary. The letter was from Edmund Bartlett, beyond a doubt; but the firm sealing bid the contents from his view. He held it to the light of the window and char- acters began to form; the envelope was one of those thin ones that reveal more than the writer intends. Allen did not scruple to make use of the in- formation thus afforded, and the followin fragments were open to his view, consisting o a portion of several lines: ‘He must be brougbt to Red ’’; * confined in a secret place under’; ‘“‘my cellar, where no one will’’; “ he must die there alone.”’ was directed to proceed to California, and a captured criminal back to St. Louis; an t order against which he protested in : work, by means of delays, occupied six months; when he returned, the Sinclair case was practically settled and forgotten. ‘* 1 was not allowed to work further upon it,” he added; ‘‘and my superiors left me only my convictions.” bat they ” “* Were that Robert Sinclair had no hand in the murder, but that the case was smothered.” it was amassertion which Allen had mentally anticipated, but it did not prevent a start of mingled emotion. Just then, nothing worldly tno have caused him more pleasure than to now that Robert Sinclair was innocent, and e opinion of a skilled detective was not to be despised. 7 . * But,” he argued, after a brief pause, “if he was/not guilty, why did he flee?” “That is the myster which I would have ed if left alone,” said Blenker, in unmistak- able vexation. ‘‘ Of course, he had a motive bis going, and a drama was doubtless some- | where mi up. It may be the quarrel over Such were the very startling extracts open to forgery was renewed after the arrival of ; Allen’s view; singular extracts, indeed, to be —— in the letter of a middle-aged millionaire to his lawyer. | The naturé of the letter was such that the the banker, and Robert, thinking prosecution flight; and that, after he went, thieves entered SEES ONS) ee) CHa Se ew oom, young: man was tempted, to open it then anx there, but while he hesitated Eben Garland’s footsteps sounded in the hall, and he had barel time to toss it back on the table, bury himself in an arm-chair and pretend to be busy with a paper when the lawyer entered. Knowing that he would take no notice of the letter, so seldom did he receive one except at bis office, and wishing to watch while he read, Allen carelessly called his attention to it, at the same time watcbiug him in a mirror across tbe room, A frown crossed Garland’s face at sight of the handwriting and he glanced. quickly at his nephew. The latter, while secretly watching, seemed busy with his paper and the lawyer's gaze was withdrawn. . He walked to the window, sat down and read the letter. By that time he was on his guard and bis face gave no sign; but when he bad fin- ished he sat for so long a time in deep medita- tion that Allen could not but see that there had been food for deep thought within the envelope, He suspected, too, that Eben was far from being pleased. Alone in bis room the young man took his turn at meditation, “3 pees a doubt, that letter was from Ed- mund Bartlett. Now, why does he write thus? According to what I saw, some one is to be lured to Red Bullet Bar, confined in a secret lace, and killed. Can it be these two men have en engaged in another crime, besides the ruin of Robert Sinclair? I would give a good deal to know the name of the man refe to in the letter. Why can’t I? The letter, unless A sd viously destroyed, will to-night remain in Gar- land’s pocket. Why can’t I enter when he is asleep, and read it?’ _ CHAPTER IX. A MIDNIGHT DRAMA, ALLEN bad not arrived at the point of consid- ering such a step without remembering that it is considered very dishonorable to examine an- other person’s letters under any condition; but the idea had taken firm on of bis mind that Bartlett and Garland bad been partners in a nefarious crime a score of years before, and that it bad been continued up to the present time; and he thought himself morally justified in using any and all means to baffle them, ‘Tf they wronged me out of my birthright, it is quite time that I struck back,” he thought. ve minutes later, as he went over the ground again, he was ready tosay that his idea that he was a Sinclair was absurd, foolish, mad; but it is hard to subdue what has become a rul- ing passion, Thus it was that, at midnight, he left his room and proceeded to that of his putative un- cle. He tried the door and found it locked, but this did not surprise him—Eben Garland bad never been known to sleep with an unlocked door or with a window unfastened, He con- sidered the benefits of fresh air of small im- portance to that of being secure from lawless men. He spept one-half of bis life in wronging his fellow- beings, and the other half in dreading their return blows, Luckily, however, he bad a weak point—bis heart! Not that be was in love, but that «qual- ly fatal and more speedy disease, at which men never lanap, had fastened upon him. Knowing be was liable to die suddenly at an bad an extra key to the door which charge of Allen. By means of this key the young man intended to enter. He listened; all remained silent. He turned the key, yyooned the door ajar and again lis- tened, e lawyer’s regular breathing was the wr sound he heard. All seemed favorable, hen he passed through the door and bis attempt had fairly begun. He was greatly aid- ed by a knowledge of Eben’s systematic habits; he felt sure that at a certain point he would find a chair, and over the chair-back the coat which contained the desired letter. | Cautiously he moved forward, listenin each step, but the old man a on 2 pa y. Allen, however, was doomed to a disagreeable surprise, Without the least warning a pair of muscular arms closed about his body, pinioning his arms, and a voice hissed in bis ear; ‘‘ Not a word, or you die!” It was a fair warning, but Allen was not the kind of a man to remain inactive in such a case, while bis long practice in a gymnasium had given him many tricks not known to the ordinary man. Thus it was that, an instant after the warn- ing, his heels flew up, described a half circle in the air and, while the unknown’s hold was broken, Allen alighted fairly on his feet, Another moment and he had seized the yn- known in a tenacious grasp, Which was at once returned, though the same voice again arose: “ Let go, <a "1 hag’ hy ag g md heart ” Allen’s only reply was [oO Ca im in a re- sistiess Jock and stretch him at full length on the floor, falling over bis person as he did go, As they went down a voice which was clearly that of Even Garland arose in wild cries of alarm. The combatants were too much interested to heed him. They arose together, seizing each time, he e left in after (E@) Eomicbooks