Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

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Both would have liked to devote more time then to the place, but after an overhauling of the house in that * pela where the shop was locat- ed, they departed. ‘And there was another telegram,” said Daniels, as the two sleuths pursued there way along Thames street.”’ **From where—whom?” * Chief of Police of Chicago.” “‘Good, What had he to say?” ** Rathwaite is all right.” ** A clean indorsement?” 4 Yes.” ** See here ”— suddenly. ‘‘ Don’t let Dimble know what you have accomplished toward the recovery of his property.” “Oh, no.” And Daniels asked, as they hailed a cab and entered it: ‘“* Where are you going?” **To the central station.” ** To see the young sharper?” “*'Yes. And you?” Daniels consulted his watch, after twelve o’clock. I shall take a turn up by the Mansion House,” ‘* But this Jew?” “* He can’t leave town.” ** What have you done?” “*T bave every depot watched.” ** And he is described so that there will be no It was then | missing him?” és ” came Yes. At a corner up-town they separated—West to interview the young sharper he had caught at his game of the raised check, and Daniels to go to the Mansion House. Notwithstanding the midnight hour, Daniels found a message awaiting him at the office of the hotel. ‘‘Mr. Rathwaite left word, sir, that if you here, he wished to see you, no matter time it was. Will you step up to his ? ‘* Yes,” replied the detective, and getting the number, he ascended the stairs. The young man bad not retired; he was wait- _ ing, apparently with the belief that the detec- rapping. “I am very - tive would come. ‘* Ah!” he exclaimed, as Daniels entered, after glad to see you, Mr, Danie I have something singular to com- municate.,’ * Go ahead,” rejoined the sleuth, appropriat- ing a chair. ‘TI have heard from Oriele St. Dyer.” * You have? In what shape?” *‘A note; . Read ‘that,” and as he spoke, he extended a small billet for the other’s perusal. t= Opening the missive, Daniels was a little sur- pyibed 1 following: at reading the - Rosert:—I know that you are in the cit for a fulfillmen: of the contract between us by whic Tam to become your wife. But at present it cannot be consummated, I long ago told you that there was a great secret in my life, and that.I was ever on the lookout for something that would lead to_a sol- vence of it. Since my arrival in Baltimore, I have ed a clew to what I wish, and am now following it. I have not—never will—waver in my love for ' you, and if you are patient, A (tear ‘Zi lieve me faithfully yours, ~ all will be as you wish. resent [am a Nemesis! When my task is finish- ll return to you, Until then, au reroir, and RIELE,”’ oo do you think of it?’ the young man ~ Daniels remembered the words of the girl on t the Gay street bridge when in convexsation with the Italian. He knew that she had a secret in her past life of some kind which sue was anxious to solve as she would a riddle, and a note that bad been cast over the transom of her room bad brought her alone to meet the man who seemed to have <magriactony € of names: Electro Pete, Pietro Idelio, Calis Alfiero. “T know enough, young man,” he said, “ to be able to say that the lady has a secret.” ‘*{ know that too. But I never could suade her to tell me of what it consisted, you any idea whatitis?’ . ‘ oO ' Changing the subject abruptly, Daniels asked: «Did you Sfarwe this?” oe r- ve Electro Pete, the Man of - —_— - ~~ _ Producing at the same time the tiara he had ire. - -_—- ——— ‘* A mere guess, since you are not in the habit taken from the brow of the girl he had believed | of giving people checks to be raised.” to be murdered when he saw her in that upper room of the Jew’s residence. At onee Rathwaite exclaimed: ‘*T have seen it a score of times,” ** Where?” Worn by my betrothed, Miss St. Dyer.” “You are quite sure?” ‘* Indeed, I am ready to swear it.” ‘* Why are you so confident that you could ‘*T will show you.” He took the golden band from the detective’s hand and inverted it, exposing the inner side, ‘** Look,” he said, pointing. Following the direction of the finger, Daniels | saw on the band near that portion where the | single and brilliant diamond was set, an en- graving in small letters that read: ‘* Mizpah.” Glancing up inquiringly, Rathwaite answered his look by saying: “That tiara was a present from me to her. I had the word engraved there when I pur- chased it. There is a little romance conneeted with the diamond, too. Let me relate it brief- ly. I was once avery poor young fellow. I was at one time a clerk ina botel in Chicago. A prominent actress was a guest of the hotel, and she had taken a fancy to me—whether for my good looks ”—jocularly—‘‘ or for the atten- tion I paid to her, I cannot assert. She went so far as to express an actual affection for me. [ was at the time dreaming of possessing the beautiful girl whom you have seen—Miss St. Dyer; and when I found that the actress was really in love with me, I told ber plainly that my heart was elsewhere, and told her to whom it was given: the orphan heiress, Miss St. Dyer, who was also at the hotel. This actress was at least a very sensible woman, and she wished me all possible happiness in a way that was sin- cere, as you may judge. She was taken with a fever, and sending for me, she placed that diamond in ay hand, saying that she wished it to be a bridal present from me to the girl I loved. Shortly afterward she died. I did not wait to make a bridal present of it, but had it set in that gold band and gave it to Miss St. Dyer. It was soon after that, I came into a snug inheritance, embarked in the grain busi- ness, and, asking Miss St. Dyer to be my wife, she accepted, She left Chicago some time ago, with the understanding that we would meet in rae city of Baltimore at this date and be wed- ed, ‘‘Do you know who were Miss St. Dyer’s parents?’ Daniels queried, as the young man paused, “T do not. But I have an idea that the must have been Italians or of Italian descent,’ ‘Did you ever hear of the name of Catazky?” “No, Why do you ask?” “Oh, merely for a point in a trail I am fol- lowing, and which at present has no interest for you. What will you do about this note which you have received from Miss St. Dyer?” ‘‘ Continue to have faith in the woman I love before all others. Iam sure she is true to me and will give me ber hand and heart together as soon as she can finish the secret business which seems to be engrossing ber.” ‘‘A very sensible conclusion. And now I will bid you good-night,” said Daniels, arising and taking his departure. As he passed from the young man’s room he failed to perceive a tall and sinuous form that had glided swiftly away from the door and around the angle of the corridor, The form of the Italian professor of music, Calis Alfiero. He watched the Gepas ane detective with glit- tering eyes, and from his lips came an almost inaudible mutter, like this: ‘*So-o! the young lady has struck something which she thinks will solve a riddle of her life, eh? And she is following it. Good! I too have struck something which I am following. And I will have my revenge, mark that! The vendet- ta shall be fulfilled—but not until I have the chance to say in the ear of the beautiful demon: Behold! I have followed a long trail, but I have reached the end at last, and the end is your death. Your death—you who call yourself Oriele St. Dyer!” At the Agency Daniels found his senior, ‘Come back here,” said West, indicating the rear room. “I bave something strange to tell ou. - And Daniels knew by his tone that his visit to the central station had yielded an important item in regard to the rather complicated case they both were working. CHAPTER XVIII. A STRANGE VISIT FROM ORIELE ST. DYER. ‘‘T wave seen the fellow who looks so much like Rathwaite,” were the first words of the senior. And as Daniels, waited to hear what it was the other had to communicate, he added: ‘The young man tells a strange story.” ** About bis bunko business?” ‘How did you know that there was any bunko about it?” “Well, I did allow myself to be taken in, for an object. But it is not altogether of that be had to relate. He has given me a half-clew to a most villainous plot, having in view the de- struction of a young and beautiful girl.” ‘*Ah! Oriele St. Dyer, perhaps.” ** Precisely.” ‘“What was his little story?’ Daniels in- quired. ‘* It seems that his name is Andrew Arnold. He is not in the slightest related to our young man at the hotel. Andy Arnold is one of those whom misfortune would have sent to the poor- house if he had not been possessed of a stub- born vim. He resolved that the world should give him a livelihood. In Chicago he met with ‘ one of a gang that had its head-quarters in this | city; this one was then there disposing of some | jewelry plunder. The two became intimates, Arnold was the possessor of various talents, which the Baltimore rogue was not slow to dis- cover: he offered Arnold capital to steer that little game we saw bim at on the curbstone of Thames street. ‘‘ But this Baltimorean had another object in view when he made up to the rare man. He informed him that if he wished, he could make a fortune by siding in a little plot to destroy a female who might attain colossal wealth if she but had the nerve to cross the ocean to claim it ~-and she alone stood between bim (the man who gave this information) and that wealth. Arnold cared little for the world or anybody in it, and expressed a readiness to enter the plot, whatever it was. Then it was unfolded to him in part: he greatly resembled a young man to whom the young lady was betrothed. The voung lady was about starting for the city of altimore. He must go there and personate the lover if he could successfully, and lead the young lady by some means into the den of the Jew on Thames street. This was to be all of bis task; he need not trouble himself as to what became of her afterward, and in a short time he would receive several thousand dollars. “ During the trip to Baltimore—which was in the very next train after that which was con- veying the girl—the plan was discussed at length, and the party exhibited a letter in the hand of the young Chicago lover, asking if he thought he could imitate the chirography.. Arnold was talented for just such trickery, and announced that he could easily prepare a note im the handwriting so like the letter shown that he would defy any one to detect the fraud. “‘It appears that by some means the party who was leading Arnold on in the plot knew that Oriele St. Dyer bad something in her past life which she had for years been trying to solve herself; it was a mystery to her. She was only a few days in Baltimore when she re- ceived a note saying that if she would come alone, and without the knowledge of anyhody, to the house of a fortune-teller, No. —, North Calvert street, she would there find out all she \ pg to know in regard to the secret of her ife. ‘* Now, considering that Oriele St. Dyer is no ordinary girl, it is not likely that she would have paid any attention to the communication; but it was, as she thought, in the handwriting of the man who was her betrothed, and moreover, it had his well-known signature attached. Believin that ber lover bad, perhaps by some acciden stumbled upon what she wished to discover, she obeyed the request, and met at the house one whom sbe was singularly deceived into believ- ing was indeed Robert Rathwaite—” ‘Ah! aspirated Daniels, ‘* A fortune-teller was ready for the occasion; but of course she went widely astray in the rig- marole she told the yourg girl. Arnold, how- ever, had a story of encouragement prepared, end it was agreed that she should abide there, as a boarder, until he could follow anotber clew which he believed related to a secret in her life. And I say again, considering that she is no or- dinary girl, it is a wonder to me that she did not penetrate the deception that was being yracticed. No matter. She received a note rom her suppose lover on the following day, saying that if she would meet him at Patterson Park, be might be able to tell her something ad- ditional of interest to ber. She fulfilled the ap- intment, and thus you see, I was deceived nto believing that I had seen her in company with Rathwaite. On this occasion, he tried to renege her to go with bim to the dwelling on ames street, This she agreed to do, but not at onee. To-day she would have gone—for it is now toward morning,” said West, looking at his wateh. ‘‘And I happen to know that she visited this fellow at the central station after his arrest,” said Daniels, who narrated his brief interview with Rathwaite before starting out on his scent after the wharf rats. ‘Well, hare the story ends, for he is jailed, and Oriele St, Dyer is pot now at the house on North Calvert street, for I have been there to inquire.” | "the night clerk of the Agency at this juncture knocked upon- the door of the rear office, and Eomichboo PL whan pyesrny