Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 396 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

{ oe te /~ bd 7 4 ee att ee i } ‘ ie 5 + at, tS e ; ba As od Aa r 2 ~~ rs ees pats "f° 5 , ey). ts ” 4* nage On a st hae t LB > A as ea The Piper D dia ruvs . ‘¥ . " ’ at etective. — pin in my reports. I had just a faint hope that the general might have turned up; since he has not, I must try and trail him down. Besides, I want to give them a chance. That | made their way down the steps to the side- for my man by the time the law-mills around ‘Then we'll go back and raid it.” They wheeled, and at that very moment the door opened and two men came out and woman or some of the gang may come back | walk, and they heard one of them say to the —that seems to be a likely reason for their | other: trying to get him out of the crowd—and if ‘‘Arrah now, cully, can’t yez shut yer we catch any one here to-night, we will hear | eyes a minnit while I skip out o’ this? Yez what he or she can tell us, or know the rea son why. Come along.” They started out together. So far the major had been learning all he | got my orders. Maybe when you get through | can’t m’ane me any harrum; but all ther same yez may git me into h’apes av throuble.” ‘* Walk along,’ responded the other. ‘‘ I’ve could, while keeping carefully silent about | you won’t be so full of breaking into people's what he had seen and heard in the interven- ing time since he had Jeft the captain, though he began to believe he had been deceived again. Yet there was one suggestion he felt com- pelled to make, though only at the last mo- ment, ‘*'There’s a point I want to give you about General Rawle, whoever he may be.” ! Hardy turned his head quickly. ‘You seem to think it possible that he may have met with some foul play to-night, and talk of trailing him down. Perhaps | can help you a little.” ‘Then, why in Heaven’s name didn’t you do it before? Speak out!’ ‘‘T can tell you that I don’t. want to give any points away on my friend, if you are disposed to look at him as acriminal; but this can 40 him no harm. I saw him leave the hotel to-night, and without knowing why, and part of the time without intending it, | followed him.” ‘“And did you follow him far enough to see where he went to?” ‘‘He vanished; but I caught you on the track of the person with whom I saw him, and he might possibly know something of his after movements.” ‘*Out with it. Who was it?” ‘‘T can’t give you his name, but I can lo- cate him for you. Isaw him get into a car- riage, and I noticed that the carriage was followed by aboy. I lost sight of it after that—” ‘Of course you did. Confound the luck. Here is the clew we want, and it only has one end!” The captain was not only vexed, he was angry, and showed it so plainly that the major felt constrained to tell the whole story, how he met the vehicle again, and where it finally stopped, and how a perfect stranger was disgorged. “Wait! You're sure of all that? No dream about it—all bona fide, and nothing suggested by what you’ve heard since?” ** My dearsir, you don’t think—”’ “Hold yout heroics. This time you have struck a lead. If street and number are right, and your description of the man is cor- rect, you tiailed Judge Wetherington home; and that’s one of the names Van Tyler men- tioned. Good boy! Here’s another glimmer of light, and I’m going to see what it means,’ ‘‘Do you really think it is important ?—if so, and L will not be in your way, I should like very much to be with you. [ama wit- ness in the case, you see. If he claims to have dropped the general at any point where I had mv eye on the carriage, I will know there is something crooked about it, and I am pretty sure that the general was not in when it stopped.” * You shall go, and we'll strike while the iron is hot. It is from just such chances as this that the big strikes come. Ill havea couple of men in supporting distance, too.” There was no waste of time now. The captain was in haste since he had an object- ive point, and when he had made a visit to ! | | ’ — houses.” ‘“‘ Heavens!” whispered Hardy to his com- panion. ‘‘ That’s Paddy the Piper, or ma liar.”’ CHAPTER XXYI. MR. BRADLEY FROM CHICAGO SHOWS HOW THINGS OUGHT TO BE DONE. JUDGE WETHERINGTON’S supporters took to their work so naturally that it was plain to be seen that they had their instructions. Paddy the Piper, if this was the genuine article, had no chance to demur whatever might be the intentions of the judge. The revolvers looked him squarely in the face with a deadly aim, while their holder was just too far away to be reached by a sudden move, and just too near to admit of any dodging. ‘All right, thin,” said the covered man, quite coolly. ‘It’s no use, ther game ye’r’ playing, but have it yer own way. Ye’'ll see me later I s’pose, in anither shape, an’ that'll do jest ez well. But don’t yez thry any av yer snide games. ‘Ther men as could thrack yer here ain’t goin’ ter let yez git away wid me.” ‘*T do not profess to understand you. All I mean is to have my man see that you leave this nes op ig es and then to caution the police that if you are seen lurking around again to run you in at once. The fact that a politician can’t afford to act too precipi- tately is all that prevents my giving you in charge now. As it is, neither of us need say anything about this interview, and so there will be no harm done.” ‘‘Sure, and you're a sly wan, but av yez won't thrust me here mebbe yez will some- where’s else... Ta, ta.” And so the man went jauntily off. Evi- dently he had not great fear of his captor; and really he was not far wrong in thinking that the intention was to slip him out of the house with as little trouble as_ possible. What was to follow afterward was the ques- tion he wanted to have solved when he in- cautiously raised his voice so loud that it was overheard by Captain Hardy. As he spoke, he gave a quick glance behind him, as though the idea had occurred to him that he might possibly have made a mistake. Fortunately his range of vision was some- what limited, and did not reach to the inner side of the pave, where the listeners were prudently hugging the wall, and as he heard nothing suspicious, he turned again, and darted at his enforced companion with a skilled swiftness that meant business and promised immediate results Hardy felt tbe intention even before the execution began, and was ready.to act. Flourishing a club, he sprung out from his semi concealment, and rushed toward the two. who were woven together in what seem- ed to be a desperate hand-to-hand struggle. From the taste he had had of the desperado’s quality, the captain was inclined to think the iper would leave an ugly mark on any one man who tried to stand up against him. Hardy was quick, but so were the com- batants. He heard rather than saw one of the station-house and heard some unimport-| them go down with a crash, and then to his ant intelligence, he took Blaine with him and started post-haste up-town, ‘‘Tt’s an unpleasant piece of business, this,” said Hardy, as they got out a square below the house of Judge Wetheringten. ‘*Tf it’s all a mistake, and the judge under- stands what I’m feeling after, he may make me any quantity of trouble in the future, He has a heap of influence with the boys, and it’s pretty near treason to suspect him of anything crooked; but I’m going to see the ae if it takes my head off. Is this the ace - He pointed at the house they were passing, and the major nodded. He had no difficulty in recognizing the place. d intense surprise, he recognized that the un- der man was Paddy the Piper, and that the other had flung him heavily, and then twist- ed his wrists behind his back, and was snap- ping upon them a pair of handcuffs. ‘‘What does this mean?” asked Hardy, more astonished than delighted at finding a stranger, though apparently a policeman, poaching in his preserves. ,_,,/t means,” said the stranger, rising cool- ly,” that I’m Jake Bradley, from Chicago, and hard to beat. , 1 tell you, when we once start in to trail a man, he may as well throw up his game and save his money for the lawyers. I’ve Sok fee anyway, but it’s been a six-months’ ¢ ; Who are you?” ! Fs | ot a | had been identified with sporting matters, — ‘**‘ Hardy, of the regularforce. But I don’t understand * oe game.” | **T’ve told you; and I'll have a requisition _here open up for the morning grind. [| tele- | graphed them a week ago that I was on the ' trail—to get the papers ready.” | ‘*But that don’t explain what this man is charged with, or what right you have to ar- rest him.” ‘‘Don’t fret yourself about him; he’s a bad man, and murder’s the charge, and you can tack on to that about every other crime you can mention. You'll finé him all wrong and me all right. I don’t mind sharing out part of the proceeds either, if you do the square thing. I want you to run him in for me to- night. This ain’t the whole of the job by a long sight. I’ve only been here for a couple _ of days, but I’ve dropped to the biggest thing |on hand; and, as | say, if you're willing to © do the square thing on the divvy, I'll take | you in on the ground floor.” 4) ‘You'll find me square enough when I — once know for certain that you are all right. But you had better look a little at that man. — You gave him a terribly bard fall, though — how it was done I can’t sec yet. And if his skull is not fractured, you will be lucky enough.” ae ae “'That’s O. K. He don’t move because he __ can't, but in a couple minutes he'll be the —— liveliest flea you ever tried to put your finger on, if he can only get the darbies off. I feel | him begin to squirm now.” ae The major was listening to this conveisa- tion in a bewildered sort of way, and it was’ only now that it struck him that his com- ~ panion was trying to belittle the capture — made by the other, either in the hopes of get- ting some points, or in some way taking the credit of the arrest to himself. r. ‘“ Well, you may be right enough, for I — recognize the man as an old offender, that _ has been wanted for some time. Ill see that the keys are turned on him, but | want to have a little talk with you. You came out’ — of a house I was just going to visit, and I want to known something more of what took you there, and what you know about the ~ owner.” og ‘‘Hush!” said the man calling himself Bradley. ‘‘That’s the point I want to give | you. It can’t be worked without me, and it’s _ L00 big for me to tackle alone inastrange city. If you’ve got a man near here that — hs can trust with this covey call him up. — NN a =, * Y. 4 . hen I talk I don’t want him listening.” This was said with an air that had its — meaning, and Hardy did not hesitate. Paddy the Piper was a prize worth looking — after, no matter to whom he belonged, a : even at the risk of losing trail of others or ‘. whom he had been more directly looking. — Hardy had a couple of men within cail and at alight rapping they made their appearance _ and cheerfully dragged away the yet ms = €: scious man. ‘* Now come across the street with me, and — walk along slowly down, while I give you br the points. That fellow is a big gun, and IT was bound to have him, but there’s a bigger _ behind him. + ars “ You sure?” Rae. Yes sir-ree, hoss-fly; and I'll tell you ho the thing’s got to be worked. I got in with | a rough that they call Big Mike, and he rung — me in on the fellow that hangs out there. ; * 4 <4 - * was to carry out a sham game that may be © was to fool some one and maybe was for the — sake of looks. You know where Ferd’s — is?” “ta The apparently irrelevant question was a _ surprise. ‘‘Ferd’s” was a restaurant on — which the police had more than once cast an ~ eye, though they had never been able to lay _ finger on the crooked spot they suspec ed was there. oan Ferd himself was a natty young fellow ot twenty-nine or thirty, who knew how to keep — a restaurant, though he had only been in t business fora year @ two. Before that he | and if he had not broken down just when ~ form was most needed he would have been the champion sculler of the year. He made enough acquaintances during that triumphal part of his career to} help him out wonder- — fully afterward. That, of course, explained — the presence of so many spéfting men at his place. If some of them had a record on — the cross, Ferd could not help that, and i ‘ ‘|EOmMmtc <s)