Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

‘with mingled defiance and indi Electro Pete, the Man of Fire. 5 A moment’s silence followed. There were some passers-by. And the listening detective listened more attentively. CHAPTER V. MARK DANIELS @RAPPLES A MAN OF FIRE, THE girl presently spoke, Her voice contained an unmistakable sur- prise, mixed with the accent of one who desired to conceal it. ‘¢ You call me Anice Idello.” “Why should I not?” ‘* And the note which was tossed over my transom to-day, and which is the cause of my being here to-night, also addressed me as Anice Idello.” ‘‘Oh, it is avery beautiful name.” ‘Well, my name is not Anice Idello.” He laughed gratingly. sé ’ ‘* What is it you have to say now? What is this exposure you mention as being in store for me, if 1 refuse to be blackmailed by you?” He took a quick step to her side and grasped her by the wrist in a painful way, Into her ears hissed a terrible voice; close to her face gleamed a pair of eyes as fiery as the scorpion’s. ‘‘ You are playing a game of chance that is to cost you your life, Anice. Now that I have altered my voice to its natural tone, you will recognize in me the man of all men on earth who knows no relenting. Ha! I am Pietro Idello!” If the man had any reason to suppose that, for some secret cause, the pronouncing of the name would terrify the girl, he was mistaken, Erect she stood, and flashed back his glance ation, ‘‘T°do not know why I should fear an one by the name of Pietro Idello!” she said, calmly. He gnashed his teeth. “"Sdeath! do you forget that it is an easy task to killa Catazky? Beware!’ ‘* You are a riddle to me, sir. Come, if you have nothing important to say—after throwing over my transom a note that promised a revela- tion urgent in the interest of my very life—yon as aa to unhand me and allow me to de- par _‘*Beware!” he hissed again. ‘ You cannot hide your identity from me—and from the law if | choose to give you up, Give me what I ask, and I will put you on your guard in a way that will save you—” ‘*T bave no cause to fear the law. . True, I have a secret in the past of my life; when the mysterious missive was hurled over the tran- som, I thought to risk seeing the author of it, in the hope that I would learn something which I have vainly sought for many years. I see you must have mistaken me for some one else, and that you know nothing of the seeret | am anx- ious to unravel. Unhand me, sir!” the last sharply. Her calmness and denial that he could pos- sibly have any hold upon her seemed to enrage him beyond all control. ** Anice Idello, I shall kill you!” ‘“‘Unhand me, I say, or I will call for help.” “* Before you can do that—” Instead of completing the sentence, he griped her in his arms and bore ber bodily to the rail over the black water of Jones's Falls. At.that instant, onto the bridge, from the Front street side, came bounding a messenger of the American District Tel ph Company, the electric star on the front of his cap blazing and seeming to radiate across the shiny surface of the k straight upon the strange scene that was being enacted. There could be no misinterpreting the inten- tion of the man Pietro Idello. He was about to hurl Oriele down into the watery filth of the falls, to drown or suffocate in the mud there; and if was at oneof those moments before described, when the bridge, especially the western footpath, was deserted, he appearance of the telegraph-boy seemed to accelorate the villain’s movements. Notwithstanding her struggles, the girl was presently poised in mid-air over the rail—an- other instant and she would be dropped to her The boy saw and comprehended. A cry went up from the lips of the Jad, and he bounded forward as if to intercept the das- tardly deed. But another was quicker than he. Ere the shriek that was rising to her lips could sound, Oriele saw a figure leap from the shadows of the iron network near and toward the ruffian who held her. And even in that transient moment of ex- treme peril, a si thought passed athwart her brain, while she gra at the rail to save herself, ‘‘Heaven be praised! I shall be rescued without attracting attention to myself, which would be the case if I called for help upon the passers-by!” The detective, who had been areep ig: nears and nearer, at this critical junctur ded ‘ a a ----" rc. YvOwhOO™ SCC FO Ss > ra rr iS eeeEEe#yNRN""_L."|. ||’ ti forward to prevent the commission of the in- tended crime. The Italian saw him, and in the instinctive motion of resenting an assault, he released the girl, letting her fall bruisingly again-t the rail, while he turned to meet the rescuer with an oath. He did not recognize Danieis as the man who had been with the hotel-proprietor in the cor- ridor. Without a word, Daniels grappled with the Italian. He had heard enough to convince him that a murder was intended; and he thought it advis- able to get this so-called professor of music be- hind the bars while certain matters were being investigated. Then something transpired which was fairly startling. Even as he grasped Pietro Idello, that person- age seemed to suddenly resolve himself into a Mass of glowing flame from head to foot, Like a furnace he seemed, as seen through mon- strous windows of mica, though there was no perceptible heat, And simultaneously the detective received a shock as from an electric battery which hurled him back and prostrate on the bridge. The flare—for it wasa flare of light that in- stantly vanished—attracted people who were not.on the bridge; several paused to see, if they could, what the singular thing meant. The telegraph boy balted in amazement. Oriele St. Dyer, standing and gazing, riveted, upon the stricken form of the detective, paid no heed to the swift form making for the Frederick street side of the bridge, where it disappeared around the corner. She advanced to the body on the planks, ** Are you burt, sir?” It seemed that no serious harm had befallen Mark Daniels; but he was for a time complete- ly bewildered, and when he could regain his feet, he said: * You have had a narrow escape, miss.” She did not see in the man before her the same who bad visited her room that day with the hotel proprietor. ‘‘T owe you many thanks, sir. Had it not been for you, | am sure 1 would have been mur- dered.” ‘*Do you know who it was, miss, who meant to throw you over into the falls?” Her immediate reply rather puzzled the de- tective. “*T have not the slightest idea.” His question had n the natural one of a person rescuing a young lady from the malice ofa-villain, Her response led him because it indicated a possibility that the conversation he had overheard might have been true in the portion which was her avowal that the man was mistaken in her identity—she was not Anice Idello, Daniels realized that there was some deep game in progress now, beyond all dispute. The Italian had visited the Agency and set the suspicion of a murder on the girl. He had there threatened her with the law; he had de- clared that it was an easy matter to kill a Catazky. Was this remark a taunt, or did it contain some other significance? This person who called berself Oriele St. Dyer had a secret in ber past life; so intense must it | d be, that she had come unattended from her hotel to meet an unknown who hinted at some- thing in connection with that or another secret, And something had now transpired which showed the detective that the recent assertion of the girl—that there had been a man in her room who resolved himself into a column of flame—was not so improbable as at first thought. He had experienced the phenomenon himself. ‘‘Shall I call a hack?” inquired the telegraph y- “Let me see you home, miss,” requested Daniels, ‘** Indeed, I will take it as a favor.” Away went the lad, his gleaming star of electric fire flashing through the night, ; In a few moments the detective was seated in the conveyance with the strange and beautiful girl, being driven toward the Mansion House. At the entrance he left her. Entering the lobby before the counter, he was a little surprised to notice there his senior. He easily recognized that nage, for the d of each were known to the other. The tw ae to the porti e twos ou co. ** W bat’s weenaeda? oe ae ry sp apae you are trying to spot the Italian.” ‘‘ Well, he’s not in the house.” ‘* On, yes he is.” “ But I know better, for I have just seen him on the Gay street bridge,” and he proceeded to. give the other a full account of what hed tran- spired, including the circumstance of a man having changed himself, apparently, into a column of fire. “There is a big mystery here.” ** What I think.” ‘‘ But I have an extra reason for saying so.” ** What is it?” “‘The man, Pietro Idello, was in this office about ten minutes ago. He went up-stairs— having come in the first place from up-stairs— | and I followed to my room, which adjoins, aud watched him don a smoking-jacket and seat himself fora smoke. I am sure that he has not been outside of the hotel for or within an hour at least.” ‘But he was on the Gay street bridge, and attempted to kill the girl, as I tel! you.” ** And I tell you it is impossible that it could have been bim.” The two detectives gazed at one anotherin a way that was somewhat blank. CHAPTER VI. ANOTHER REMARKABLE THEFT. MARK DANIELS and bis senior were at this annem attracted by a commotion within the otel. Glancing through the glass of the large fold- ing doors, they saw that the excitement was at the front of the counter. .A map stood there, with bulging eyes, his hair almost standing straight, and the whole ex- pression of his face one of frantic dismay. It was the drummer, Dimble. ‘‘Come inside,” said Daniels, ‘That is the party who has lost the diamonds. Something fresh has occurred to startle him. Perbaps he has met with an additional loss,” They entered and approached the counter. Daniels was now in his own proper person. Dimble was gesticulating wildly and uttering a string of exclamations that were almost cries, in which were the words: ‘The diamonds! Ob—oh—the diamonds!” The detective was right in his conjecture; something had happeved indeed. And now all the cautionary signs and whis- pers of the hotel proprietor could not quiet the drummer, who half-screamed, as he recognized the detective: ** Ah!—ah!— Oh, thediamonds! My dear sir, I am ruined now beyond all help! [ shall go mad! I will be put in prison!” fs pinel is the new matter?’ Daniels inguired, placidly. Here the proprietor, having come from behind the desk, grasped Dimble by the arm and fairly forced him away toward the clerks’ room at the rear of the office. The two detectives followed. When the door was closed, Dimble sunk into a chair as if exhausted, and groaned: “Ah, they are gone—they are gone! And I 9m be put in prison, for 1 can never replace em. ‘* What has happened, Mr. Dimble?” “T am utterly ruined, I tell you! I will be put in prison,” and he groaned, dismally. “Ob, you must not be so altogether dis- heartened about the diamonds you lost the other night. I have taken some steps.. Let me tell you what bas been done so far. Every pesmbenee shop in the city is posted and on the ookout for the gems; the authorities of several other cities have been furnished with an accu- rate description of the missing stones, There are some other little professional technicalities working, which it is not necessary for me to inform you of. But do not despond at this early phase,” said Daniels, who thought that bis remarks might relieve the man’s mind to some e 4 ut Dimble started forward to the edge of his chair, and his eyes were protruding as he cried: ‘*'You are talking of the gems that were lost the other night?” ‘* Certainly.” ‘*‘And I am talking of a whole bagful of gems and other jewelry, which I have lost since sundown of this day!” All gazed at him in astonishment. ; , ‘** Articles to the value of thousands and thou- sands of dollars are gone! Do you comprehend? My valise, with everything it contained, has been stolen from my room while I was ina doze on the bed, and with my door securely locked— mind that!” Then more in detail, he told bow he had lain down on the bed for a short nap before supper. He had overslept himself: it was dark ere ho awoke, Lighting the gas, his first glance was to see if his valise with its precious contents was safe in its corner near the bead of the bed, His dismay is easily conceived when he dis- covered that it had mysteriously disa red, It seemd impossible that any one co havo entered the apartment. Tbe mystery of the hotel robberies was ght ing phenameese®. ut the persuasions of the two detectives combined at last brought Dimble down to a condition of comparative quiet, and Daniels accompanied him to his room, where another and closer examination of the a ment was made—with a result as before; that there did not seem to be any mode of ingress whatever, if the door should actually be locked. ; Daniels examined the lock; it was all right, When the key was turned, the door held firm, While thus engaged, he obtained from Dimble a description of the valise itself and a greater portion of its contents. ‘*T do not think the thief will ventureJaway from town just yet wit much booty,” ho. h GOMLERDOOKS i