Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

I EE = £55 - a a es ae Ss — — whole thing away clean, I Electro Pete, the Man of Fire. Smee His recent ducking had ruined the fuses he usually carried loose in his vest pocket for in- stant use. In the darkness in which he found himself at the foot of the joisted steps, therefore, be pro- ceeded with utmost caution lest he plunge down some unseen hole, : Groping thus, he found the steps which he knew led upward into the house. Then up the steps he went; presently he reached and passed the door of the same room West had entered. The blackness of pitch was beyond. But he saw what appeared to be a minute speck of light at an elevation about breast high, and advancing to this discovered it tobea small hole in another door. It was through this hole that the evil eye had watched bim when he was in the shop of the Jew, and when he made the discovery of the the valise that had been stolen from the drum- mer. And as he applied his eye to the tiny aper- ture, he saw on the other side the form of Jacobs bending over a spot in the floor, from which he was just then extracting— A small, velvet, belt-like package, A thrill passed over the sleuth, For at that moment he saw the identical belt of diamonds described by Dimble as having been stolen from him! The Jew was secreting the precious parcel busily about his person, when a startling voice interrupted the proceeding. ** Hold on, ol That’s that you have there?” With a gasp, the Jew turned. A look of white fear came into his visage as he found himself covered by a revolver, and be- hind the weapon a pair of eyes that contained an unmistakable sternness it would be folly to disregard. si Fy gracious!” “Tl take that little velvet belt, if you man! please.” “Dere wos not’ing in dot belt—no, no,” Jacobs cried, with wide orbs, as he remained on his knees regarding this unexpected intru- der. * “Tl take that belt,” repeated the detective, more sternly. Jacobs groaned out dismally: ‘You wos aropper! You haf come to rob a poor olt mans—” ‘* Fling that thing over here, or I'll blow the whole top of your head off!” Jacobs fairly jabbered in a combined fear and rage at this prospect of losing the equiva- lent for ten thousand dollars which he had that very night put up for division among the wharf rats. But he glanced covertly at the gleaming bar- rel of the revolver and into the face of the man who was, he gins tee some mere robber. Then, with a curse in Hebrew, he flung the valuable receptacle toward the detective’s feet. CHAPTER XVI. IN THE NICK OF TIME, ‘ie detective stooped and picked up the Feeling it carefully, he became convinced that the precious stones were within it. S it away in a pocket, he said: Now, old man, I want a word with you.” ““'W’ot more you wos want? You haf rob me eC te ‘“*Oh, no! I haven’t robbed you; I have only secured, luckily, the diamonds that were stolen from the gentleman at the Mansion House. Now, I am after the balance of the plunder that was gotten there. And I want you to tell me how it was so adroitly obtained, and exactly who it was that obtained it; then you will go with me as a witness, and if you don’t give the ba rison for a Seng send you to p pretty g aden wos a detective!” broke in the astound- ght this time. me, what will it be?— nat ron ei A clean hreast of it, or will you While the ew stared and hesitated—perhaps debating whether it would not be better for him to make the confession desired—something occurred to alter the whole aspect of the scene in that little Y% Still keeping Javobs covered by the revolver, Mark Daniels was suddenly thrilled to his heart’s core by @ Most piercing shriek that seemed to come from a distance and in the di- rection of the room at the back of the counter, where be had so nearly lost his life at the hands of the Jew and Electro Pete, The sound reminded him at once of the peril of the girl who so strangely resembled Oriele St. Dyer—if it was not indeed she—because of the terrible threat he bad heard Electro Pete utter. . For the moment forgetting Jacobs in his manly desire to succor a female in extreme peril, he sprung toward the rear of the counter and Masmad around it, into the side room, veh Oe ee _—- = ——$— = — = So oe Here a light was burning. The apartment was empty. But he remembered the room on the second floor, whence bad come the voices of a former | scene that was so full of peril to the girl. Up the stairs he bounded. At the head of the flight be found the door of the apartment open and a light burning within. But on the threshold he paused. A horrifying sight greeted him. In the center of the floor lay the body of the girl, on her side, in a contorted position, with the beautiful face strained up on a twisted neck. from the wound the blood was oozing and stain- ing the carpet under the head of wildly opulent alr, ‘‘The wretches have murdered her after all!” burst from him in a horrified way. Amid the hair was the plain gold band, with its single setting of a magnificent diamond. He nerved himself to advance and remove this, with the sudden thought that it might prove of future service to him on the strange trail he was following. And as he stooped, he could not avoid anoth- er and closer glance at the lovely, disfigured features, which told him that she must surely be dead. What his next move might have been, it is impossible to say, but another startling item happened just then to shape his course of action. t the instant be placed the gold tiara in his pocket, he heard below the report of a pistol. This was followed by the louder and sharper report of a revolver. 13 from the room, for the Italian had not passed hy detective who stood directly in front of the oor. Daniels advanced to the trap, wary for a shot from some ambush where the Italian | might be lurking. ** West?’ he called. ‘“* Daniels, God bless you, old partner! Can it possibly be that you have ‘lighted on my un- fortunate trail?” _““T guess it’s me. But we'll bave the ques- tions afterward. How am 1 going to get you | out?” On her pure brow was an ugly wound, and | By a trial, they discovered that Daniels | could not reach down far enough to grasp his partner’s hand without losing his own balance, though West stood on the table on tip-toe. Then the ready expedient of the detective showed itself. ** Make room there,” he called. ‘* What are you up to?” ‘‘No matter; make room. And be prepared to act quickly, or that fellow may get both of us down in the hole.” Bu: Ah!” as the other’s intention dawned upon im. The next moment Daniels had dropped from the er of the trap down upon the table, As if it had been a practiced trick, West im- mediately clambered onto the shoulders of the other, and standing there, he could reach the | planking. On this bis bands closed in a gripe of iron. ** Ready?” asked Daniels, guardedly, **Ready—go it!” was the response. Then up the dangling form of West clambered A man of considerable celerity of thought | Daniels, and presently stood safe on the floor of and movement was Mark Daniels. portend something in connection with his sus- picion that his partner, West, was in danger in that house. In a trice he had slipped off his wet gaiters, and gs them in one hand, in the other he | s grasped his own trusty revolver and hastened swift and noiselessly down the stairs, Just as he reached the bottom of the flight, there was another report, and following the re- | port a defiant voice that cried: “You coward! Iam armed, too, as you will find. Come in sight again, and I think you will get your full of bullets.” ‘* Curse you, you prowling detective! I shall not wait to see you starve to death down there, I shall kill you before If leave this city, and I am going to-night.” ‘* Will you? Come, then, try iton. Show so much as a lock of your hair above that trap, and I can cut it off, and maybe send the t ullet a little lower into your scoundrelly brain.” ‘* Listen,” snarled Electro Pete. “TI am go- ing to put out the light. Then I shall fire my weapon down upon you from different sides, and you cannot see whence ccme the shots quickly enough to return the fire, Some of my shots will surely take effect, Oh, I shall kill you!” lt wasa singuiar sight that greeted Daniels as he came noiselessly behind the counter and a the door of the room in the rear of the shop. On a bracket at one side was a light. Over a great hole in the center of the floor stood the Italian, with a smoking weapon in his hand—thvugh the villain was back far enough to be out of range of the weapon of the man who was evidently down in the hole. And the veins of our detective tingled as he recognized the voice of his partner coming from the black depths. The Italian’s back was toward him. As Electro Pete uttered the last words, he stepped toward the lamp on tbe bracket as if to carry out his plan of throwing the room into complete darkness. ‘* Let up, old man!” sounded a voice in the rear of the Italian. He wheeled to find himself covered by the revolver of the man whom he remembered as the one who had penetrated to the haunt of the rats at Locust Point. And West, down in the hole, recognized that voice, for instantly a glad shout burst from i bim, ‘Down with the rogue, Mark! Wing him if you can, and make him a prisoner! Let him have it!” Even while these words were arising from the trap, Electro Pete gave another exhibition of his wonderful personality. His arm performed a circular, wheel-like mo- non a quick that the human eye could not fol- ow it, The revolver he held shot forward as if hurled from a catapult, and striking the weapon of the detective knocked it out of his hand, firmly though be was grasping it. Accom nying this, the Italian leaped to the wall, and by a lightning movement shattered the lamp. West, down in his predicament, was not idle as he heard the sound that told of excite- ment above. He had a fuse lighted, and the glimmer from it showed the location of the trap—showed tvo that Electro Pete bad disappeared, There must have been some secret egress ’ Instantly | the thought entered his brain that it might | the room. To reach and draw up his partner was now an | eas matter. eth e two detectives stood for a moment look- ing at one another. ‘* Much obliged,” said West. “Ob, that’s all right. I happened to hear | something about a man in a hole at the house of the Jew, and that was exactly what brought me here—suspicion that it might be yourself.” ‘* What have you been doing?” inquired West, turning to business at once. ‘‘l have spotted the gang known as the Wharf Rats of Locust Point. I have recovered the diamonds—” ** The diamonds!” “Correct. They are in my pocket at this mo- ment. And I think I would have got the whole of the plunder if it had not been for something murderous that has transpired within this house since I entered it.” “‘Murderous! What like?’ ** Come, and I will show you.” He led the way to the room u The two were acting as if the slightest fear of an attack from Electro Pete or any of bis villainous band; but their eyes nevertheless were about them constantly, and badly indeed would bave fared any one or more had they dared to attack the two redoubtable ae who were now working hand in and. A brace to be feared were they. Straight to the room on the second floor Daniels led his companion. The light still burned there. But at the threshold a surprise was presented. irs. had not the * The girl bad disa ‘* What was it you had to show me?” interro- West, as be noted the blank Jook in the other’s face, ‘“‘A murdered girl.” * Who?’ | “She who is so mysteriously like Oriele St. Dyer. She was here a few minutes ago, and dead, I could almost swear, I took from her head.” | He showed the gold band with the setting of the diamond, ; CHAPTER XVII. WORD FROM A MISSING GIRL, | THE girl, Rachel, had most mysteriously vanished, Daniels explained the circumstance of his more mark and the scene with the Jew pre- ng i. | He also informed West of what he had stum- bled upon at the pier of Locust Point. They turned at once to an exploration of the premises. Pi. The search was thorough, and it revealed that the Jew, as well as the girl, had deserted the _ dwelling. “We'll have that Jew, though,” said West. ‘‘ Where have you been for so long a time?’ inquired Daniels, as they searched about among the effects of Jacobs with the skill and per- tinacity of very burglars, **Down that hole you found me in,” and came meyopedes give —_ account of what had red since he left hi er to pursue tha * Waitke ” affair. 27% ” ‘* There were two telegrams at the Agency for “One from the —th National Bank. A raised young man was caught there with a check, and the President him his room Geom Eboo! “Ss ja * com - i ys