Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

a ee ee - Tut = i. a =—3S33.3: = eee ES - ~~ a += - 22 Electro Pete, the Man of Fire. ragged. It seemed to have been a rule with him, withal his share from the robberies of his comrades in crime, to maintain an appearance of veriest poverty, though at that very moment he carried in his pocket hundreds of dollars left from his share of the money which the Jew had put up for division among the rats as an ad- vance on the diamonds stolen from the drum- mer. Supposing that the detective had been a tramp in reality, the voluble Billy might have easily passed himself off for a brother of that mysterious army. ‘** Bound to fresh fields and pastures new, m welcome pard,” replied Daniels, in a well- assumed consonance with the character he was assuming. ‘*Now look a-there! Why, //’ve just started for to get Aout o’ this werry in’ospitable town myself; hand, if you says so, we'll go together.” **Of course—(bic!) We'll go together. Take a drink, my brother, and then we'll exchange the mystic sign of our noble_ brotherhood. You’re one, I see, by the ragged tail of that patched coat you wear,” He produced a bottle labeled whisky. Billy clasped his hands and made a grimace that was truly lugubrious, ‘‘Behold!” he exclaimed. ‘‘’Ere I’ve been a- starvin’ for two ’ole days, when there comes along a angel w’ot carries the spirits to givea man the wings o’ ’appiness. Just see “ow my ’ands is a-tremblin’.” He extended his hands, to show that they trembled like the members of one who has been on a terrible spree and who stood now in need of something to strengthen him before he could walk a step further. a was an unfortunate action for Billy York- shire. Exactly how it happened, he never afterward could explain—but suddenly there was a snap, and almost before he could straighten the gaze which’ he was assuming upward with rollin eyes, he realized that a pair of handcuffs ha been clapped and fastened on his wrists. Simultaneously a hand griped his collar and a knee struck into the small of his back. He was jerked rougbly over flat on the ground with such force that it nearly knocked the ’ breath out of bim., 2 Then the foot of the detective was planted on his breast, and leveling a revolver toward a little clump of undergrowth at one side, Daniels cried: ‘**Come out, myn can see your head plain this trigger of my sel you are a dead man!” Daniels bad really not seen the Italian, but his keen eyes had noticed a slight commotion in the bushes at the moment when he so adroitly overturned the Englishman. And by one of those chances which some- times favor the sleuth-hounds of the law, his weapon was then actually leveled at the head of the concealed Italian. This Guiseppe saw, though the other knew it not. He believed himself in imminent danger of be- ing shot instantly,as it was now apparent to him that the shrewd detective bad played a game worth two of his own. , seen his white teeth in rage, he stepped orth. ‘* What you will-a have eh?” “ Unconditional surrender,” replied Daniels, or you are a goner. I ‘b I have but to pull -cocking revolver, and ‘** So shall it be. I will surrender to you—” teeth. ‘‘Take your hands out of your pockets. You tried that trick on me once before. Just cast your eye down the length of this little tube—” nodding sideways at the revolver—‘‘and you will see that no matter how quick you may fire at me, I will still have time to return the shot, and it will reach your brain, I promise you.” The next action of the Italian nearly cost him his life. He drew a revolver from the overcoat pocket and dashed it down on the ground with an oath. Daniels’s finger pressed the tri ger of his wea- pon for the fatal shot at sight of the weapon in the other’s hand, but fortunately not bard enough to send the bullet on its course of death. ‘*Take-a me!” cried the Italian, with gritting “You will have your trouble for your pains. Mind-a you, I shall never live to be hung —else I would not yield to you now,” ‘*That’s all right. Now then, right about march. Head toward the barbor, my obliging friend. And you,” giving Billy Yorkshire a kick, ‘‘ get up bere and walk as stiff as a poker right behind your arch rat, do ‘you bear?” i} Nag Billy, with bended limbs. *“ Why, Aof course!” he said, in a long-drawn way. * Hanything to oblige you, me noble cop 0’ the law. ’Al’m with you to the end o’ the world, me werry admired friend,” A singular procession it was that presently approached the steam launch which Daniels had in waiting at the bend by the little creek. For the sleuth had ‘*‘ tumbled ” to the game of the Italian the instant he saw him making to- ward the rted portion of country below Canton. A sbrill whistle blew from the roof of the ‘ launch, as it headed up-stream toward Light street. Upon the launch, Daniels placed the handcuffs on his prisoner, with the remark—as he un- eee those he had placed there so shortly be- ore: ‘ Rather a lucky thing, my friend Guiseppe, that [ always carry a plentiful supply of these little ornaments. I think we have you pretty fine on this trip, haven’t we?’ The Italian showed that he was the polished villain, even in the disguising garb he wore that looked so awkward. He rubbed his braceleted hands together and smiled coniplacently as he replied: ‘* You are the detective who is so very smart— Iam the man you think is the Electro Pete, eh?” ‘‘Oh, no, I don’t take you for anything other than what you are. Simply Guiseppe Duoro, the man who murdered Electro Pete! It is for that murder, as well as the burglary of the dia- sam that you will have to answer, my gay “gs My ‘““Why, there, just listen to the compliments he’s a-payin’ of you, by callin’ you ha bird,” inserted Billy Yorkshire, who seemed not in the least disturbed by the effect of the cold brace- lets on his own wrists. ‘‘ Look-a you, detective.” “Well?” ‘What terms you will make with me for the diamonds, the jewelry which has been lost?” “‘ Not any, I must say.” - There is that to the value of many thousand dollars.” we suppose so. Do you know where they are?’ ‘“‘Yes, I and only one other can tell where to find them. You will make some terms with me, or not the first bauble shall ever be return- ed. Come, you have some interest in the return of these things; it will not be the first time a detective has bad to make terms with the bur- glar, eh, to get back the stolen property.” ‘‘But you’ve got things a little wrong,” said Daniels. “Why you say that?” ‘‘ The diamonds have been already recovered, and all the jewelry, with perhaps the exception of about a thousand dollars’ worth, is in our hands—” “That is a lie!” “Oh, no, it isn’t, as you will find.” The cool assertion of the detective impressed the villain with his earnestness. And notwithstanding he could hardly believe that the Jew had given up or had wrested from him the recent treasure, he became moody dur- ing the rest of the trip of the little steam-launch back to the city. With his two Bb own under a sharp eye, Daniels proceeded to the Agency, CHAPTER XXIX. RESTORATION OF THE DIAMONDS. At the Agency of West & Co,, Daniels found his senior with the girl, Anice. The disguise was immediatel the Ituliaa, and the moment his eyes rested on Anice, he gnashed: ‘“ Aha! you too are here, Well, I think I shall not be the only one who goes to the prison. You are to answer for the murder of your father, Pedro Catazky—” “Oh, no, she isn’t,” said West, who seemed to take the capture of the villain as a matter of course and evinced no surprise when Daniels marched him in, ‘‘ You forget the confession of the man you recently murdered, Electro Pete, It is you who shall answer for complicity in that murder, my fine fellow, by furnishing the electric apparatus which killed Pedro Catazky, Ah! here comes some one—” The clerk opened the door of the rear office and ushered in the same figure in black we have seen visit the Agency before: Oriele St. Dyer. West had sent for her to tell her that they were now so close on the heels of the villains in the drama, that she need have no further fear of them, and had better return to her lover, Robert Rathwaite, whose anxiety about her we really plunging him into a sickly melan- choly. The moment she saw Guiseppe standing there she halted and exclaimed, pointing at him: “There is the man who entered my room and changed himself into a column of fire.” “You are sure of this?” *T could swear it.” “Well, there is no doubt that you are right. But let me show you, miss, how easily a person can be mistaken when they are ready to swear to a thing.” He gave her a brief history of the little plot into which she had been inveigled to her danger, the principal feature of which was the remarkable resemblance of the two Italians, Pietro Idello and Guiseppe Duoro, Then he said, turning to Anice, who had re- mained in the background: ‘Come forward, miss, if you please.” She obeyed. stripped from rr EOS ee St Her gaze thus directed upon the other, Oriele stood for a moment with flashing eyes, asif she would have poured forth a torrent of reproaches upon the one to whom she owed all her trouble of the past few years, But her more gentle nature rose uppermost, and she simpiy said: ‘‘How could you do what you have done? How could you take advantage of my desire to benefit a fellow creature, to bring upon me the awful peril in which I have lived since that fateful night when we metin the street in Chicago,” Anice ran forward and grusped her counter- part by both hands. Into her beautiful eyes there rose a flood of tears, and’ her musical voice was broken by al- ternate sobbing as she cried: ‘‘Forgive me!—oh, forgive. I was a wild, desperate and hunted thing; I had nowhere to turn to throw off those who were in pursuit of me to encompass my ruin, my death! By night and by day, I was confronted by the horror of the trailer who had sworn to have{my life, and the trailer who would have dragged me back to grasp the wealth of my murdered father or have given me over to the law that was search- ing for me. I knew not what I was doing— only that it was a step tosave my life. Ididnot mean that you should suffer as you have—as . I have been told you did through the years af- terward. I found a home with a Jew who agreed to act the part of my father in return for a magnificent diamond ring which tempted him. And alas, I but went from one danger to another: for this Jew was connected wiih a vile gang, and you may judge of my horror when I was confronted, bere in Baltimore, with! my husband, Pietro !Idello, who was also a member of the gang. He saw and knew me at once, though I will say for the Jew that he denied my identity as other than his daughter for a long while. It was useless; and when he learned from Pietro that an immense fortune could be possessed by putting me forward and casting the suspicion of my father’s murder on Guiseppe—upon whom a slight suspicion already rested—be turned against me and sought to aid Pietro in forcing me back to Italy. Ab! you can never understand what I have passed through. 1 was a prisoner in the house of the Jew; his eyes were ever on my movements, though he still deceived others with the story that I was his daughter. 1 have had no chance to seek you who were my bene- factress on that night long ago; indeed, I thought not of your being endangered, now that Pietro had found me gs You will for- give me? Say that you will forgive me!” and she clung to Oriele tightly as the tears streamed down her lovely face. ‘‘T forgive, and I will forget,” replied Oriele, tenderly. At this point, Daniels asked: ‘How did you come into possession of that tiara with a setting of a single diamond?” ‘‘Tt was brought to the Jew by a man named Arnold. I was in the shop at the time, and Jacobs placed it on my head to see the effect. A mere trifle, compared to its actual worth, was it that he gave the young man.” ‘‘Are you still at the boarding-house the ad- dress of which you gave me when last here?” “Then I would suggest that you take this much abused young ady there with you until we are entirely through with this business. I am going to see Mr. Rathwaite. What sball I say to him?” ‘‘Tell him where I am, and say that_I am waiting to see him.” “T will do so.” A close cab, in which Oriele had come to the Agency, was at the door. Into this the two girls stepped, and were driven away. West proceeded to the station with the two prisoners, aided by an assistant. Mark Daniels sought the hotel, and ascended to the room of the drummer, Dimble. This personage he found in a rather prostrated condition. ‘ Instantly upon seeing that it was the detec- tive who entered, he cried, anxiously: “ Any news? Any news of the diamonds?” ‘‘ Be cool, sir—” “‘ Te)l me,” Dimble broke in, raising to his el- bow in the bed to which he had retired in bis weakness of worriment. ‘* Well, yes, a little.” ‘* What is it?’ ‘* Now don’t ‘go off.’ Good news has been known to kill, you know.” The drummer leaped from the couch and ran forward, There was something in the detective’s glance and tone that roused a great hope in his heart. ‘You bave found them!” he ejaculated, grasp- ing the other by the arm. ‘* Yes, we have found your lost treasure. But have you done meantime what I advised?’ ‘* Yes, yes!” Dimble ran to the bureau, Back he came with a letter. ri | pelegrepnes them as you requested. Here are the descriptions. More, they want to know what the deuce it_means—my writing to them | IOO GONG “Si CO