Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

- a ———— eee - ——S oO = ee + . 20 cluded that the surviving. Italian was creeping toward him. Still retaining his grasp on the girl’s wrist, he shifted his position on tip-toe to another por- tion of the room, The minutes passed—torturous minutes they were to one who momentarily expected to find himself in the clincbing gripe of a desperado who had no compunctions about the sacrifice of | a human life. But only silence. Until at last he determined to force an issue. Holding his revolver ready for a shot, he struck one of the patent fuses he carried in his pocket. The tiny flame reveaied that the room was empty. ulseppe was not there. Nor was the apartment exactly empty, for there on the floor lay the dead body of Pietro. “Oh, I am free! I am free!” murmured Anice, emotionally. “Yes, my girl, you are free. That knife struck straight to his heart. er, devils in the darkness are these Italians, ou will never- more be troubled by Pietro Idello. Come, let us be out of this; And one thing remember: I am your friend—not your enemy, as you at first supposed.” Lighting another fuse, West conducted the girl from the room and down the stairs that led to the shop. Half-way down the light of day entered from a small round window tbat opened on the yard, so that there was no further need of the fuse, Passing the door below, both saw a short and slim figure that went hopping away toward the rear gate as another figure approached from the direction of the junk-shop. The first was the *‘ Mercury ” of the gang of wharf rats; the second was the man whom West had lefton watch at the window of the adjoining warehouse. “LT heard the shot,” he said, as he came up, “and was hurrying to see what it meant.” ‘It’s all right now; though I have had a retty close shave, Take this girl to the Agency. iss, this is one of my assistants. Go with him. I will see you again soon and hear more of this complicated story which is woven in your life.” And again tohis man: ‘‘ Have you seen any- thing of Daniels hereabout!” ‘ec No.” West knew that his partner was keeping close to the trail of the duplicate Italian and expected to come across him in the vicinity. In this he was not to be disappointed. As the trio went out by the front entrance to the junk-shop, the senior espied a man attired ina waterman’s garb, lounging against one of the wooden awning posts that abound alon Thames street, smoking an old and blackene pipe. But the character did not deceive West. “Go on with the young lady, and make her comfortable until I see you again. Where is West?” *““Went home for a nap. He’s been up all night.” ‘* Anybody else around?” _ ‘*There wasn’t—but here comes one of our brigade,” and he pointed to a young man with acountryman’s overcoat dangling around his dirty heels, who just then came in sight around e corner. This individual passed them with only a sly ‘wink from the corner of one eye, and West knew that the relief of the cordon he was keep- ing around the old house had arrived. Anice accompanied the ‘‘shadow” toward Broadway. West advanced to the waterman. ‘‘There was a little knot of sailor-like strag- giers near at the moment, so he said: ‘*Pm looking for Caroline street, my friend, can pou show me which way it is?” “ec ckon-so, if you kin set’em up,” replied the waterman, significantly. *“*Come on, then.” The two entered a saloon. At the rear of the dirty countered place, there was a table or two, and seating themselve at one of these, they called for beer. Over the beer, when brought, they lingered familiarly. _ And West acquainted Daniels—for he it was —with the adventure he had recently passed through. ‘* What about the body of the dead Italian?” queried Daniels. ‘‘ Bring an undertaker and a coroner to the house after dark.” ‘*Do you want me to keep on the track of the other—this oe aa **Guess you've lost him, haven’t you?” “*By no means. Iam looking at him now.” West followed the direction of his partner’s s and saw standing at the bar a tall, ap- pervatly robust man with an immense overcoat ‘on, in the act of drinking some bitters. This party’s face was almost wholly concealed by a beard; he seemed to get the drink down a the hair with some awkwardness. vs ; se: mean that man drinking there?” 0 ‘You think it is the Italian?” Electro Pete, the Man **T do not think anything about it.” ** How do you know?” *‘Look at his eyes. Besides, you said you were sure you winged him more or less seriously when you fired in the dark room,” sé Yes.” ‘Observe that he has only one arm in the sleeves of his overcoat. [imagine you struck him in the arm. And that, witb those eyes which I have seen before and have good cause to remember, make me say: there is our Gui- seppe Duoro.” ‘‘T leave him to you. I will look after this girl who has turned out to be the real Anice Idello, I wish to communicate too with Miss St. Dyer and have another interview with the Jew and the young man at the central station. The house is pretty well surrounded; I have hopes of bagging some of these wharf rats shortly, and with a few of them behind the wall on Madison street, we will, I think, have broken up the gang. Anything in the papers this morning about the Norwegian barque?”’ ‘Plenty. The vessel was sacked completely, according to the plot of the rats which I over- heard: and worse, the captain received a wound in a struggle with the harbor pirates which may prove his death.” **T would give much to find out whether it was Pietro Idello or his counterpart, this Gui- seppe, who was engaged in that affair, if the captain dies. I want to send the surviving vil- Jain up for all be is worth—” ‘Your man is going. I shall follow him,” here interrupted Daniels, lowly. The party at the bar, which the keener eyes of Daniels bad identified as the Italian notwith- standing his disguise, was then moving toward the door. Hardly had the door closed after him, when the sleuth was behind and near, though leaving the saloon in a way not to arrest the attention of the barkeeper, lest that personage should be in league with Guiseppe and in some way give him warning, we CHAPTER XXVI. A DETECTIVES NERVY DEED. DANTELS followed his quarry. The disguised Guiseppe proceeded across Broadway to the east side, thence down to the last corner before the ferry. Turning to the left, he entered the alley of a rickety frame building, to all appearances un- conscious of the fact that he was being shad- owed. Daniels was just in time, turning the corner, to see him enter the alley. “ Another den of the rats,” muttered the de- tective, slacking his gait. ‘* I must get into it. How?” The keen eyes were busy glancing about for a suggestion of a means of ingress without be- traving his prying intentions, And it was not long before an item struck bim that might have escaped the attention of eyes less keen than his own. The house ya ore to be directly before one of those slips that make in at intervalsalong the Baltimore basin. In the renowned deep water of the harbor, a large vessel was in the slip, the bowsprit of which fairly projected to within a few feet of the roof of the two-story dwelling where the Italian bad entered. A few moments later Daniels was on board the vessel and in conversation with the cap- tain. Later still, a sailor might have been noticed making his way forward over the bow-sprit, in obedieuce to a rough command from the wea- ther-beaten captain, who was also hallooing or- ders to several others of his crew who were en- gaged in scraping the masts. Daniels was right in supposing the house to be another haunt of the wharf rats. The Italian entered the place boldly, and found in a lower room several vile-visaged creatures, who were making merry over tin cups filled with liquor. ‘Hush this noise!” he commanded, closing and locking the door after bim. ‘Electro Pete!” they exclaimed, in one breath. ‘ Here’s luck, Cap, for the thousands we got out of your diamond affair—” “Yes, you fools! And while you are drink- ing here, there is a net closing around you all that will get you into the penitentiary before cet eeent hours are gone; you understand-a me, eh: “Ob, my heyes !” ejaculated an English-feat ured villain, pausing with the cup half-way to his lips, and rolling his orbs in a manner of avity that was ludicrous, ‘‘’Ere we are a- oin’ of nothink but ’avin' a little sup in private, an’ the ca-haptain wants for to break /us all u-p. I say, now—we ain’t a-makin’ of no trouble for the rats by hour little private doin’s in ’ere, har’ we, now “Fools, Isay! I have been followed here by a detective—” ‘* A detective!” burst from all, as they started to their feet, ‘*And he suspects who I am, there is no doubt.” '‘* My heyes! well, w’ot did you come in ’ere — of Fire. for? We'll hall be nabbed by the detectives. Why didn’t you lead him hoff—” ‘* Because I want him to come in here,” said this master-mind of the rats, in a tone that gave them another start. The Englishman stooped and gazed at him in amazement, ‘‘In ’ere! In’ere!” he repeated, in a long- drawn and high-pitched tone, Evidently he was disposed to consider their leader gone out of his wits utterly, A murmur went round. The rats were in- clined to think with the Englishman: that their leader was giving them completely away to the detective by coming into the haunt, supposing that a detective was really near. ‘Listen to me,” said the Italian, sharply. ‘*T want the man to enter—but he must not go out Pome, you comprehend-a me, eh?” sc 4 1]” ‘*hI see! Al see, my lads; the captain fs right in this ere little lay. °E wants the cop to come in--an’ so’e shall—so ’e shall, my lads; an’’e mustn’t go Aout again. hl see!” At that moment a squeak, like the squeak of a rat was heard in the direction of the loose and rotten stairs that led to the upper portion of the building. m “Danger! He is coming!” bissed the Italian. *‘Scatter. One remain at the door.” In the lapse of not more than five seconds every one of the rats bad vanished from the room with the stealth of the rodent whose name they bore. Guiseppe went - to the stairs to see whence came the danger which the signal apprised of. acon sentinel of the rats was at the head of the gbt. ‘* Where?’ he asked, briefly. A motion was the answer, a finger toward the roof. Then. ho pointed toward the front window, where there was a ragged paper curtain. Through the rents of the curtain Guiseppe looked and saw a sailor making bis way slow! toward the end of the bowsprit of the veesel, and soon be would be close enough to the house to take a leap of a few feet and land safely on the roof, Cautious and natural as had been the move- ments of Daniels, the wary rat had suspected him by having seen him cast occasional sharp glances toward the house, and by the fact of noticing—himself an old water-hand—that this climbing sailor was really doing nothing on his elevated perch, nothing except to advance steadily and slowly in the direction of the roof, with now and then a pause as if to fumble with some of the splicings on the sprit. One glance was sufficient for Guiseppe. As keen as detectives’ eyes were his own. He instantly recognized in the sailor the one who had followed him from the saloon on Tbames street—and he was aware of this occur- rence even before be bad traversed the short distance between the saloon and Broadway. ‘‘ Let him come,” he said, in an undertone, to the rat at his side. ‘*Go to the cellar where the others are. I will meet this fellow. If you hear a pistol-shot come at once, and if he is the survivor of the shot, strike every knife of the gang into his accursed body.” When alone, the Italian, grim and filled with a murderous thought, drew back to the gloomy entry, stepping behind the jamb. There was no scuttle to the old house: he knew that if the detective entered, it must be through the window at the front—a feat that might be easily accomplished at that busy bour of the day, when people were too much occu- sone with the affairs of routine transactions to e gazing up at roofs. A cool as well as practiced villain was Gui- seppe Duoro. miling placidly he waited. And not for long. Presently there was a noise at the window, the catch of which Guiseppe had even unfast- ened to facilitate the entrance of the man he had resolved to murder. pee sash was raised and the curtain pushed aside. The detective, in bis sailor garb, leaped light- ly inside, and having let down the sash without any noise, paused to listen. e house was as still as death, Notbing was there to betray that under that very roof was a greater portiou of the night bird band of Baltimore Basin. Daniels advanced, As be took the few stealthy steps, he was con- fronted by the tall form of the disguised Italian, who came around the door jamb with a swing of his great overcoat. ‘* Ab,” he said, saluting blandly, “ whois this I have caught in the act of robbing my house?” **Do you live here?” asked Daniels, seein that he had a man of nerve to deal with, an not in the least thrown off his guard by the en- counter. ' “Tt is my residence. Aha! I have caught you in the act of trying to steal something Spree me, You sailors are of a very bad class, ear. The Italian advanced to within a few feet of the detective. He halted, and from his black Eomiuc The man leveled IJOOKS i) (E() ee eee