Beadle's Dime Library No. 391 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

————— ‘‘ And that is the way you are going to raise the money, eh?” | ‘‘That is my programme. I told the Jew, as | perhaps you overheard, that I was going to ar- range the matter with my man in Texas, but then that requires the use of the wire, and tele- graphing is deuced uncertain too, you know, and— And mebbe your agent couldn’t raise the stamps,” observed Four Kings with another ‘in. ‘* Precisely! I see, Four Kings, that you have a fine head for these financial matters. ‘* Now then, how much easier it will be for me t to walk into a certain bank I know of and help | myself to the twenty or thirty thousand dollars | Be of which I stand in need!” patty ‘*Oh, yes, there ain’t any doubt about that; Mt but I say, governor, twenty or thirty thousand dollars is an awful pile of money, and it isn’t every bank that can be collared to that tune.” ‘* Wisely observed!” Andrews exclaimed in his light and airy way. ‘¢There are plenty of banks in all these big cities which could be knocked down for more _ ‘money than that—ay, for double the amount, but it is no easy job to do the trick. ‘Tn fact, under the usual condition of things, it is almost an impossibility.” uit ‘“ Yas, the trick can’t be done without run- On ning so much risk, that only a man anxious to go ¥* up the river toSing Sing would be apt to try it,” Oo Hour Kings observed. ahr ead is level about that, and as I am ** Your i not anxious to pay a visit to Sing Sing, I don’t acy propose to go for any city bank. Gs OY went some nice little country institution, i? ied ou know, in some quiet, sleepy village where / ___ the inhabitants all go to bed about nine o’clock.” hae, ‘* Yes, I know, I know,” and Four Kings rub- bed his palms gleefully together. ~ “T have done some good strokes of business in just such places. ‘‘Beautiful little villages where they don’t have no inquisitive police or thick-headed watch- men to bother strangers with impudent questions as to what their business may be. | Neo 4 ‘‘ But, captain, as I said afore, the trouble will be to strike any country bank where you can get ~~ away with any large amount of money.” ~ \ ““? . > «fhe bank is selected and the cash is there now, I reckon,” Andrews replied, complacently, . Four Kings stared. ‘Tt is a fact, you needn’t stare, although I am ready to admit that it isn’t often that such a job can be struck.” re: _ * But are you sure about it?” ‘*‘ As sure as a man can be, when it is not pos- - gible for him to see the money put there with his - own eyes. . *Tt isone of those odd things which sometimes —————————— 4% wv o- a Fee ST ~ we. wie « rr _“ * a : i—_ a =.> — « Ab ad | } A happens in this life, and it is just by accident that I happened to strike it. | ‘*One of the Wall street kings is an odd, liar old fellow whose boast it is that the b his wealth is in ready money, not locked up in q : 42 + Se. k of ; ° real estate or in a dozen other kinds of invest- _ ments where he cannot get at it when required. < * 4 } ’ — ! Ivy _-_——s *«*#Hiis home is in one of the little towns on the Harlem railroad, only a few miles from the city, and in the little country bank there he has an “account.” ty | wet Le » ie me * © “T see, I see.” _ Tn fact, to come right down to the truth, he _ 4s the bank. “As a rule, of course, he don’t keep much «money up there, but once in a while he has a small fortune in its old-fashioned safe. , He has a peculiar hobby—being a strange old customer anyway; in appearance a regular ie countryman, and no stranger unacquainted with him would ever believe from his personal ap- é ce, that he was one of the great financial poe ee ed Tam ta ga ee EE 2, th oA man whose nod is sometimes potential ae enough to shake Wall street to its very center. a) _ * This hobby to id went have peer: consists of paying for anything he may buy in the imme- ye" diate auehborhood of his home in cash instead of drawing a check for it.” Oh, I’ve heard of such a notion as that be- . fore,” Four Kings remarked. One idea, I suppose, is to kinder dazzle the wig of his neighbors with the sight of the cash. x ton wouldn’t think that a man who had pare of money would care for todo a thing of that kind, but I have run across just such odd old ne rsin my time.” That is about the idea, I guess. Well, he is going to buy a big farm up there _ to-morrow, belonging to a New Yorker who has been cleaned out in Wall street. ~~ «+The place is an expensive one—stands the - New Varker in eighty or ninety thousand dol- lars, I believe.” “Gosh!” cried Four Kings in amazement, “that’s big money for a farm. Yes, this is one of the fancy ones where the milk costs more than the champagne, The old man has got it at a bargain; no one knows ex- . how much, for the affair has been kept but as far ascan be learned somewhere around thi thousand dollars, either a little more or a little less. : com ‘* Now, then, as the money is to be paid to- Pa morrow morning, the chances, as I estimate Se . See a nl - ae af . - ee eee , s - +) Cae, ae Kate Scott, the Decoy Detective. _ . - Pe Oat -_—- os a —————— a i er eT ee 7 ; bor) Rha oe. = y Z ; r ie 7 iia OF , . “ fi ca i ve them, are about a hundred to one that the cash will be put in the little country bank to-night for safe-keeping, and if it is, my venerable | friend will not pay it out to-morrow, for I have arranged the trick so that we can collar the plunder to night.” Four Kings was silent for a moment, reflecting upon the matter, He was admitted to be one of the most ex- perienced cracksmen in the country, and of | course well calculated to judge of the feasibility | of any such game as this. | ‘** Well,” he said, at last, ‘‘ it will work if this | country bank is like what country banks gener- ally are—no better guarded, or better prepared to resist an attack—” ‘** Tt isn’t,” Andrews added. ** Well, then, it won’t be like cracking a crib; it will be more like jest picking the money up in the street.” ‘* That is about the idea of it. ‘““And now to arrange the programme, I have made upa party to go to New York to- night, to take in the last ball of the season. ‘It is to be a swell affair; will commence about ten and last until morning. ‘‘The Grimsgriskins are going, also the Jew broker. ‘*T have engaged rooms at the Fifth Avenue, for our accommodation.” “The Fifth Avenue!” exclaimed Four Kings, after a whistle of astonishment. ‘*Oh, yes, I always do things in style, par- ticularly when I am playing my cards for a stake worth a million or two, ‘*T shall start the party from the hotel about half-past nine, and just as we are getting into the carriage, a telegram will be handed me, ‘* After glancing at it, I shall beg the party to excuse me, and depute Goodchild to do the honors in my absence, as a little matter of busi- ness has come up to which I must attend in person.” ‘* 1 see, I see, a beautiful device.” ‘*T return to the hotel, pass through the office, and slip out through the side entrance, where a cab will be in waiting to take me to the Grand Central Depot, just in time to catch the ten o’clock train on the Harlem road. ‘* This ‘doubling’ in the hotel is to prevent any spy from tracking me. ‘** Not that I think there is the least danger of any such thing happening, but then there is a chance, and against such chances I always take precautions,” ‘* Why, you don’t think that any one is keep- ing a watch on you?” ‘Oh, no; but still some smart Alex of a de- tective might take it into his head to keep an eye on me, thinking he might be able to get ey points by means of which money could be made. ** At the depot I will meet you; no signs of re- cognition between us,of course,and when our sta- tion is reached—itis a slow train and takes over an hour to do the thirty odd miles—we will not get off with the rest, if there be any passengers, as generally there is, but lounge on the nag Sooke until the train gets under headway, then dro quietly off and go up the track to a little wood, where we can find shelter till about twelve and then we can crack the crib. ‘* After the job is done, I know a trick by means of which we can be back in the city by four or half-past at the latest. I can put in an appearance at the ball in time for the wind-up, and it will be a mighty cute detective who will be able to smell out how the job has been work- The adventurer walked around the corner to the main entrance to the hotel, entered it, pass- ed through the office and then with a quick, backward glance for the purpose of observing whether there were any suspicious personages lounging around who might have an idea of keeping an eye upon his movements, went out of the side entrance where a cab was in waiting, jumped into it and was driven to the Twenty- third street station of the Third Avenue Eleva- ted Road. Although, as far as he could see, there wasn’t the slightest danger of his being followed, for as no one in the hotel appeared to take the slightest notice of him, yet he did not neglect a single pre- caution to roma the vigilance of a spy. Ascending the steps which led to the depot of the Elevated road, he hesitated a few moments until he heard a train approaching, then he hur- , ried on and gained the platform just in time to | get aboard the car. If there had been a watcher in his rear, play- ing the spy upon him, he would have been ‘* left” in the most complete manner. Andrews too had taken advantage of his halt upon the stairway, being secure from observa- tion, to effect a decided change in his personal ek ig: le removed the soft, felt hat, semi-student style, which he wore and thrust it into the pock- et of his loose dark overcoat, which completely concealed the full-dress suit which he had on un- derneath. From an inner pocket he drew a short-haired, full, dark beard which he adjusted to his face, and a cloth cap of the pattern so favorably re- garded by seafaring men and others exposed to the weather. After the beard and cap were in place he but- toned his overcoat to the chin, Thus transmogrified, it is doubtful if Bernard Andrews’s most intimate acquaintance would have recognized him in the foreign-looking, sailor-like man who boarded the Elevated train. As it happened in the depot were a couple of the detectives who have a station in Wall street fort he express purpose of protecting the moneyed men of that locality from the ‘* sharks” who would like to prey upon them. These gentlemen were on the watch for a cer- tain highly trusted gentleman who had sudden- ly been discovered have made some serious mistakes in his cash account, and who, it was supposed, would come to the conclusion that the air of Canada would agree with his health bet- ter than the climate of the United States, These gentlemen had their office in close prox- imity to Bernard Andrews’s place of business, and were well acquainted with his personal ap- pearance, t . But so perfect was his disguise that he passed the inspection of their vigilant eyes without either of the two having the slightest suspicion that they had ever seen him before. After he boarded the train Andrews went for- ward to the smoker, for he knew that Four Kings would be more apt to ride in that coach than in any other. she had expected, Four Kings was in the car, gotten up in a countrified rig, so that he a like an honest, hard-handed son of the soil. Another precaution both of these experienced rascals had taken. Neither one had bought a ticket for the sta- tion at which they intended to stop, so that after the ‘‘ crib was cracked” the conductor of the train might be able to remember that two strangers got off his tram at that station a few hours before the time of the robbery. No communication took place between the two, and when the station at which they intend- ed to get off was reached, neither one moved —— ‘The scheme is a magnificent one and bound to win,” Four Kings exclaimed, enthusiastically. ‘*Take out a full set of tools, the best ones we have, and get yourself up as a countryman,” ‘‘ All right,” and Four Kings rose to his feet. | until the train commenced to get under way, ‘*T will be on hand, and we’ll do the job up | and then one lounged carelessly out of one door prime.” and his confederate out of the other, just as And then the cracksman took his departure, ending the interview. CHAPTER XXXVII. CRACKING THE CRIB. on plan arranged by Andrews worked to a charm. The speculator escorted his guests to the Fifth Avenue Hotel and then, after due preparation, they all descended to the street to the carriages which were in waiting, but as Andrews had his foot upon the step, about to enter the hack, the messenger boy who was attached to his Wall street office came Cperape yng with a telegram. Begging permission of his guests to open it for fear that it might be something impo t, An- drews drew out the dispatch, and after he had perused it hastily, cried in a tone of vexation: ** How deuced unlucky! Here isa matter which requires my instant attention, * But it will not detain me long, although 1 must attend to it immediately. ‘* Mr. Goodchild, you must do the honors in my absence; sorry te leave you, but as you are in such good hands I am sure you will hardly miss me,” be said to the Grimgriskins, They all expressed their concern at the unfor- tunate occurrence, hoped he wouldn’t be detain- ed long, and then Andrews burried away, while the party drove off. though they had got up for the purpose of stretching their legs; they then Sing Woe off the car on the opposite side from which the station was situated. There was really no need for all this precau- tion, for there was not a soul at the station or near it. No passengers had got off the train and there was no one abroad. The clump of woods to which Andrews had referred when arranging the details of the ex- ition was near at hand, and there the two k refuge. “Well, I reckon we are doing this job up brown,” Four Kings remarked, as Andrews cameuptohim, _ ‘* Oh, yes; it is going to be one of the softest: things we ever struck, ‘* ‘You see, there is very little danger of any cracksmen, who amount to anything, troubling a bank of this kind, for it is only on some rare occasion like this one that the safe ever holds money enough to makeit worth the whileof any lass man to crack it. ‘*The old fellow whose sugar we are after counts on that fact, and so is willing to risk his funds for a single night there.” ‘*Thinking no one will know it, eh?” ‘* That is his idea.” ‘‘He will change his mind, mebbe, after we Cr ag ae comicbooks*« ~~ CLL CC CC CC CL LLL LLL ALLL LL LLL LC en —s = ¥ “eu * €or all ~~ - +.