Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 306 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

The Roughs of Richmond. He accompanied her to the door. ‘* Sleek,” he called, to the clerk, when she had one. “é Sir?” “Find Wing-Wing and tell him I want him.” ‘* Yes, sir.” The clerk took his hat from its peg and started from the office hastily. Jo Call retired again to the inner office, leay- ing the door partly ajar in order that he might bave an eye on the entrance. He seated himself at a desk and began a study of a small column of figures which had been obtained from the bank president—the numbers of the missing bonds, While thus engaged, he was attracted by a sound at one side of the room! Tick! tick! tick! : Against the wall was a very ordinary looking ox, But when Call had hurried to this box and opened it, in answer to what was a telegraphic signal, a splendid instrument was revealed upon its interior—a complete telegraphing apparatus, The instrument was then silent. Call grasped the ticker and sounded an an- swer. Immediately the instrument began again: Tick! tick-atick-a-tick! tick! a-tick!-a-tick-a- tick, then increasing in rapidity until the tick- ing seemed to be one continuous tick-a-tick-a- tick -a-tick-a-tick. As he bent his ear to read the message by sound, his face suddenly beamed and his atten- tion was wonderfully absorbing. When the sound had ceased, he slammed shut the box and turned round with the half-sup- pressed exclamation: ‘*Good! Hurrah for Tuff!” The message over this private wire had come from one of the public offices on Main street. Its words were: * Alive and all right. Madea big spot. Ican put my hand on the leader of The Roughs of Richmond. Got him dead to rights. “ Trt Torr.” ‘* Alive and at work! That’s Tim all over!” he exclaimed again, rubbing his hands delight- edly. ‘And I know Tim doesn’t waste words over anything that bas nothing init. If be says he has made a spot, be has done it— Hello, Wing-Wing!” Into the office came dancing a Chinaman, Behind bim the clerk who had been sent after m,. It had not required much time to find the Celestial; bis shop was ina little alleyway not far from Capitol Square. ‘“’Melican d@lective want Chinamanee come hop skippee, bullaa, you blet!” ‘I’ve alittle piece of work for you, Wing- Wing—some more shadowing for you to do, since you made such a good thing of that last job I intrusted to you— ‘* Wing-Wing top heap allee tlime, bully boy ghostee, fillyem upagain,” and he danced about in evident delight at the prospect that the detective, whom he had served in some pre- vious affair, intended to employ him again. ‘Come here, Wing-Wing.” And closeted in the rear room, Jo Call put the Chinaman on the trail of the post-office clerk, Albert Royal. After a few minutes’ conversation, in which the cunning Celestial seemed to epee grasp the detail of his task, Wing-Wing danced out of the office, hiyface beaming with a broad grin. “‘ Now for Tuff,” Call uttered, to himself, and passing through the front office. “If anybod comes, Sleek, I am afraid 1 shall not be ba until morning.” “ All right, sir.” Call knew exactly from what office the tele- graphic message had come to him over the pri- vate wire. To this office he hastened. Though expecting surely to find his partner there, be was disappointed; there was no sign of Tuff. But a dark-faced individual was standing at the desk, having a message sent off, and the clerk was just then inquiring: g ‘‘If there should be an answer to this, sir, what is the name and address?” “The name is Alvaro Mandez. Of the ad- dress, no matter, I shall honor myself to call again.” And instantly the detective discovered in the face of the man the leader of the gpectral and mystic Order of the Golden Beetla, whom he had seen during that adventure in the well- known abode of Arban, the astrologer, CHAPTER XIL 4 SHADOW ON THE SIGNOR MURGUIO. Jo CALL gave no sign that he had particular- | ly noticed the dark-featured personage at the receiver's desk, But when this individual started to leave the office, Call made a motion to the clerk that said: ‘*Silence! Do not betray me.” _ And instantly there was a most remarkable ansformation in hisappearance, | ~ wa a ee A In a thoroughly changed guise, he at once followed the man who had given his name as Mandez. The Italian, for evidently such he was, cast a glance behind him after taking a few steps along the pavement. Perbaps he anticipated that he would be fol- owed. But the leisurely strolling gentleman he saw there, puffing lazily on a cigarette as he walked caused him no special interest. Yet that party was Jo Call, Onward went the Italian. At Fourteenth street he turned up the steeply inclined pavement; soon Call observed his quar- ry enter the Exchange Hotel. Then, when Alvaro Mandez disappeared up- stairs, he advanced to the office counter and asked: + Has that gentleman been stopping here ong? ** Which gentleman?” ‘*Tbe one who just now went up-stairs with his key—Mr. Alvaro Mandez.” ‘‘T. guess you must be mistaken, sir. The last gentleman who received his key here, with- in the minute, is Signor Murguio,” ‘‘ Ah, and what is the signor’s business?” You will pardon me, sir, but—” ‘*See this,” and Call slyly exhibited his badge. ‘* You observe, I have some right to ask.” “Ob, yes. Well, I really could not tell you what his business is, perhaps a gentleman of wealth and nomore. He is always plentifully supplied with money.” ‘Been stopping here long?’ Call repeated his former question. ** About a month.” This information tallied with the knowledge which the detective possessed, that the man called Arban, the astrologer, bad first assamed some prominence in Richmond about a month past. ‘‘ Pays his bills romptly, I presume?” **Oh, yes, and in gold,’ ‘*Indeed. Have him lately?” The clerk evidently did not like such close questioning; but there was something about the manner of the man whom he now knew to be a detective which seemed to impress him that all might not be straight with the Signor Murguio. ** Yes, sir, he paid his bills not an hour ago.” z Will you oblige me by showing me some of you received any gold from The clerk’s curiosity now assumed a tangible interseness, It instantly flashed upon him that the dis- tinguished guest of wealth was probably no more than a counterfeiter. ‘* Certainly, sir—certainly,” with alacrity, and turning to the great safe behind him. He brought forward several gold-pieces, lay- ing them in the detective’s palm. call examined them closely and returned em. ** Anything the matter with them?” asked the clerk, alert for some remarkable development. “‘Oh, no, not a thing in the world. They are all genuine beauties, why can’t you tella genuine piece when you see it?” “Of course Ican. I knew there wasn’t any- thing the matter with the gold,” and jingling pe pieces together, he returned them to the safe, When beturned again toward the counter, me detective was moving rapidly from the of- Ce, Retracing bis course to the telegraph office, he accosted the clerk who had heen mystified by seeing this person assume, in a twinkling, a dis- guise that would render recognition in the shape in which he had first entered the office an “You will do me the favor to show me the telegram sent off a few minutes ago by the man calling himself Alvaro Mandez.” “Can't do it, sir.” “Oh, yes, you can,” “ Positively against the rules—” “But what about this? And do you want me to proceed with my object in such a way that it may cost you your position!” and as he spoke with authority, he once more exhibited the tal- ismanic ea Reluctantly, and as if only half assured that he was warranted in the action, the clerk held forward the slip of the telegram recently depos- ited by Alvaro Mandez, being careful, however, to retain a hold upon one end of it, “That will do. Thank you.” Call had read the following—an ap ntly very simple message to a supposable friend in the city of Baltimore: “Tt is so very hot and so soon in Richmond, that ye eal Awa of a quicks Sr mp for the north, ou expect us at the rendezvous gho make the room for six. ALVARO nea The address of the peery & whom the mes- sage was sent, was Carl Crup, N street, Federal Hill, in the city of monuments. As he was about to leave the telegraph office, one of the instruments began a i ticking, and at the ver by the veice of the clerk, « - a phy te A % ; es et Ds at ot oF * V “ reat noise of doorstep he was halted ae ee ——— al ‘‘ Hold on, sir; I think there isa message for you here.” ‘*Por me?” ‘* Wait.” And after the instrument had ceased its noisa, he asked: “Is your name Joseph Call?” ‘* Correct, my friend,” ‘‘-You are a detective?” ‘Did I not show to you my badge?’ , “Then there is some one at your office—the office of Call & Tuff, on Capitol Square—who wants to see you.” ‘* Thanks.” Away went Call in answer to the unexpected summons, When he reached the office, he was slightly and agreeably surprised to find there his part- ner, Tuff, A hearty band-shake ensued between the two, as if they had been separated for a generation rather than a few hours. ‘Bless your soul, Tuff! I gave you up when I saw the train gorigbt over you, How in the name of creation did you ever get out of that scrape?’ ‘‘A very simple thing for a man who can keep his wits about him under such trying cir- cumstances—for a man who cannot, | must say his chances for escape would be somewhat slim, I merely dropped through the trestle, arm’s length, and hung there until the train had passed, and then, my dear boy, then—” ‘Well, and what then?” ““T crawled it lively after The Roughs of Rich- mond, who, thinking I was killed toa certainty. were following the train down the grade. As i told you in the dispatch sent from the office on Main street, I spotted the leader of the gang ~~ laying a little Injun among the trees a as es. There was a lively time among them, 1 tell you, when they found that they were being so closely hunted, and their only consol@ tion appeared to be in the conviction that I had been chopped to pieces by the wheels of that cabuvose. On the bank of the James, between the railroad bridge and wagon bridge, the gang dispersed, and I was luckily able to follow the man I knew to be the leader. At the first op- portunity I sent.you the message, and that was when he entered the office on Main street, to send a message himself. The cffice was full at the moment, but I got ahead by using our private instrument, and because I could operate myself, You saved me the balance.” ‘The balance?” “Yes, I retired to the outside to wait for my game, when along you came, and I present | ly saw that you were following him up for some purpose. I left him to you andcame here, Where is the fellow hanging up?” “At the Exchange. And do you tell me that that man is a wo 4 the leader of the gang known as The Roughs of Richmond—the murderous gang with the ingenious electric pistol?” ‘‘T do, and I captured one of their infernal contrivances. Here it is,” and Tuff showed the pistol he had wrenched from the creep of Lan- caster just in time to save his own life ‘‘The man was not attired much like a rough or ruffian,” said Call, queryingly. , ‘“No, before he came under your notice, he had been to his home and at himself in ous black.” ‘Where is his home?” ‘ ‘* Arban, the astrologer.” “ Ah !? ‘*l think we shall find something shortly for which Arban, t!» astrologer, may be pulled,” said Tuff, significuntly. For while it was well known that the man Arban, was an astrologer, bis business bad been such, to the knowledge of the police, that he could be hauled upon any charge of wil- : fully swindling through the credulity of the blic. aX that he had ever been known to deal in was a legitimate sale of horoscopes cast upon the birth of individuals, which any well-read student of the stars could furnish at this day if supplied with proper books and instruments. . he two detectives entered upon a detailed exchange of confidences: it was theirrule that what one knew the other should know, to avoid any action on the be of either that might clash with the operations of the other, > ‘‘ What about this Alvaro Mandez—or Signor Murguio, as he is known at the Exchange?” queried Call, when each had exhausted his bud- et. ene In what way do you mean?” ‘He is contempla € leaving the city,” and the senior detective related what he had sur- mised from the telegram which be bad compelled the clerk in the telegraph office to show him, _ The wording of the telegram, to a casual reader, se Sa not have purported much; but to these two sleuths it meant, that Alvaro Mandeg —or na ged Murguio—felt himself getting into too hot water in Richmond, and pro flight with bis gang to join another and proba bly equal Vv murderous gang in Bal ** Well, he knowing it,” said Tuff, with an emphatic « _ - Ebooks. — on lomm np tame m ee gv om, can’t leave the city Me th gg, eg ee wea — . - — een “gay! . 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