Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 413 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

a # a > er : . * s. a 1S r ~- MAUre & ‘ i rs ’ message for ** We are alone here, Floss. 44 that message, didn’t he?” i rs of - ~ —_—— Le ----- -—- ~O-~- -_ A loud oath leaped from the Shadow’s throat. ‘The old sheeny is lying to save his own neck!” he cried,and then he sprung at the officer hurled him like a child against the wall, and disappeared like an arrow! CHAPTER XIII. FOXY'’S OLD PARD SURPRISED. THE reader has not forgotten the cool charac- ter whose visit to Queen Helen was somewhat cyclonic in its nature. We go back to him—to Raven Rob, whom we saw last walking disappointed from the haunts of the Dragon League. The man went straight to his old quarters, anxious to greet Foxy and to hear the story of his failure to decoy Captain Coldgrip into Papa Pangborn’s place. But, as we know, Foxy was not there to greet him, and, with a curse for his pard’s “ tardi- ness,” the Raven went into another part of the + pt eS! 4 7 ip » hie ~ and then he stepped closer and suddenly seized f a: 4 ‘. * é : a - J « ia \). oS a4 ae y ~ <?. « ? ~< e 4 , a | | n ae Ot Ho,” 4 r y= . = # « ~ 4 2's — } 4 ‘ as a = 7 # “aA ‘4 as tained - * + m » 4 _* * M a oe He genera ' «Tt amounts to something to me, Floss, and toyou. What if I could lift you out of poverty a won said “the reality if you will help me.” * - eT o. & ¥ 4 *! wr ube ” ms Rane of course not, Raven Rob! alike. ES Pie all my life. rs ¥ vcried, clutching her arm a he want to get beyond the influence I have been a and iy er a wt . ning the door quickly he stepped into a oh room and found himself face to face with < beautiful young girl about seventeen, and well ad. *“You have come at last!” were the words with which Raven Rob was greeted. *T get in a little late sometimes, but I never fail,” he said, eying the girl sharply. “T am to go forth now, ain’t I?” ‘“‘Not just yet. You are the bird in the cage,” and the rascal laughed derisively. af peal cried the girl. ‘‘ Why amI de- ? “Policy, my child, policy,” said the Raven, the girl’s wrist. ** He calls you Floss,” he continued, looking down into her eyes. ‘Is that your name?” ‘*Tt must be,” was the answer. “I never knew any other.” ** When did you first know Bowery Burt?” ~* All my life.” ‘Tn this city?” an 6 es ” . Floss, eh? Floss!” ejaculated the villain. aiay Only Floss on your word, girl?” ‘Nothing more than that.” He did not drop her hand, but continued to eye her Jor pi § “You will play fairer with me now than yo:. did when Foxy captured you with the decoy Captain Coldgrip,” he went on. owery Burt wrote Floss glued her elegant lips together, gave the Raven a defiant look, but did not speak. ‘Silence will do you no good,” Raven Rob rf | said, “ If you don’t want to talk about the decoy i: _-- message we'll tack a little. ever talk about the game the man-ferret wants Did Bowery Burt ly” pu to i ' / im *. What game is that?” ep, escheme against Ferg Fowler, the mil- lionaire, to be a was the reply. y keeps his secrets,” Floss an- ~ “But this one he talked about, eh?” * What if he did?” put you on a mountain of gold?” The girl laughed. Raven, ‘I kin make it a mcs ou want me to desert Bowery Burt?” « -- Ffes has clothed and fed me all my life.” -** But what is he? A man who never earned ie a an honest penny at any time; a city thug; a man a) to. hands red— ; er you any better?” suddenly interrupted Bs play higher games!” said the Raven, draw- ig his fi it e up with a show of pride. ‘‘ Foxy ~ an’ I deal cleaner cards than Bowery Burt does. Ve don’t have to be the shadow of a man like ri egant Ahab; we never play the role of hired said Floss, her eyes suddenly catching ed from the man before her. But itis —h nobody will hire you. Oh, you are all I have been forced to see men of your | Bowery Burtand you are two irds of one feather; Foxy is the third. [know ou like a familiar book. Yes, you play high ‘ames, as you call them, but the stakes are all .as she recoil the same—gold!” _ The Raven darted toward Floss with a wild, “You kin “bet your holy existence it is!” he in before she could ou don’t want to help beyond his reach. “ my game at all, but you are perfectly willing to play Bowery Burt’s out.” Ttisnot true! I have longed for liberty. I * ae forced to keep infor years. Youdare not show me the way, me to Bowery J Fey fe “not believe.” a | ”* - ~ ‘ Y &. (oe ‘& or ven Rob. Threats have bound Burt. The man is not my father; he has told me this much.” ‘“* Nothing else, girl?” : ‘* Be told me a good deal of stuff which I did ! ' ae | ad set eee SSS. - a EL TT LL LL to = Se eee = — —E ‘* About what?” ‘* About getting out of Chatham street into a home on the avenue.” ‘** You didn’t take it in, hey?” ** No; who should I?” ‘*That is so,” said the Raven, guardedly. ‘*So you won’t help me with my game?” ‘*T don’t want to. I want to get out of this house, though.” ‘Whar would ye go?’ The girl hesitated. ‘* Back to Bowery Burt’s to give me away, eh?” said Raven Rob with a leer. ‘*T don’t want to go back to him,” said Floss, ‘*No! you want to run things on your own hook. Now, listen to me for a moment ” Raven Rob drew back and glanced at the window behind Floss before he continued. “A good many years ago a man killed him- self at his country seat near London, England,” he resumed, ‘‘ that is, the coroner seid it was suicide. He had one child at the time; he was a widower and quite wealthy. The last friend he made was an American—a man tolerably well- fixed, a keen fellow, withal, with an eye single to the almighty dollar. The two became great friends; the American went down to the Englishman’s country-seat and the pair had high times there. ‘* This sort o’ thing went on for weeks. Some times the Britisher got the worse for wine, and the American would go back to London. till he straightened up. The suicide happened one night, and was not discovered till late the next day. It made talk, but it soon died away, al- though the Englishman was a man of wealth an’ considerable prominence. The American was horrified to learn of the suicide of his friend. He posted down to the country-seat without delay, and helped toransack the mansion for the Englishman’s will. It wasn’t found till long afterward, and then by a dwarf who professed to have dreamed out the hiding-place! ‘* Well, that will made the American richer than he was before. It also gave him the guardianship of the Englishman’s little child, who had disappeared mysteriously with her nurse, Now, Floss, as they call you, did you rver hear anybody talk about these things?” The girl saw intense eagerness and excitement in the Raven’s eyes. He leaned forward despite his efforts to stand erect. ‘* Bowery Burt told me that story once,” said loss. “Ah!” exclaimed Raven Rob, ‘So the Shadow knew, did he?” “Yes; he left out one thing that you men- tioned.” ‘* What was that?” ‘* He did not say that the will was found by a dwarf.” ‘* Well, it was, and by a dwarf who has since been called Duke Dado by a certain person. Did Bowery Burt ever intimate that the rich Englishman did not take his own life?” ‘** Not to me,” said Floss promptly. ‘*Well Le did not. Major Roger Percy was murdered !” The announcement came so suddenly and with such emphasis, that the girl uttered a slight cry and started back. But the next moment a smile appeared at her ips. ‘* What is ali this to me?” she asked herself. ** Why does this man, called the Raven, tell me this story of acrime committed across the sea?” ‘Yes, that man was murdered!” repeated Raven Rob. ** Who did it?” Floss asked the question almost unconsciously. It bubbled to her lips without the slightest effort on her part. ‘* Ab! we'll get at that by and by, my girl!” laughed the Raven, ‘‘That is a part of the game being played just now. There are trvo men living who can answer positively the ques- tion: ‘Who killed Roger Percy? ” ‘* Are you one of them?” ‘* T am not, but before long I will lay my hand on one of the two.” ‘‘ And hand the murderer over to justice?” asked Floss, : ‘* That depends,” said Raven Rob with a singu- lar smile, ‘*‘ What dol care, here in the United States, whether anybody hangs for that English crime or not? I’m on the make—I am, my Chatham street seraph. I want my share of the stakes being fought for by the Dragon League just now. I want to put my hands on a certain swag which I know was taken from a certain house in this city last November. I made a play for ’em to-night, but lost the game. I can’t make myself solid without’em. You were doin me a turn when you were going to to Captain Coldgrip, the man-fox of Mulberry street into aera Pangborn’s. I wish I had let you go on, but Foxy took the hand you held and made a poor play.” ** What did he do?” cried Floss. ‘‘ Did he try to get the detective into the old Jew’s,” ** He did.” ‘** And failed?” . . . ‘** Yes, curse Foxy’s boasted cuteness!” grated the Raven. . ' = . os Captain Coldgrip in New York. ~ |< = ee. SE nT. Si -e.. om. em ee a a a ae a ee n, > ae » . > - Floss seemed to look thankful over Foxy’s: failure. ‘* If he had succeeded, the greatest obstacle in our path would have been brushed aside,” Raven Rob went on. ‘* You have seen this city Vidocq, haven’t you, Floss.” ‘ Yes ”? ‘‘ Did he ever speak to you?” ‘* No, but once I caught him following me.” ‘‘When you were playing decoy for Bowery Burt?” The girl dropped her eyes. ‘‘— wonder if he has any suspicions?” the Raven asked himself mentally. ‘ I haven’t got much from the girl, but ’'m not disheartened, By Jericho! she never falls back into Bowery Burt’s claws! Icall her one of the best cards in my hands. or not. I’m able to manage the game without his assistance. He failed at Papa Pangborn’s and I at Queen Helen’s. I think I bad an an- tagonist as cool as his. Ho! there ar’ some- body at my front door. The girl didn’t hear him, but I’m used to this house.” He left Floss sudden enough to arouse her sus+ icions; and the door was closed and locked: xehind him before she could stir. ‘Tt can be nobody but Foxy, sneaking back from his lost game,” ejaculated Raven Rob moving toward the frontdoor. ‘‘ The next time he tries to play woman on a ferret like Captain Coldgrip, he will have the benefit of his last ex- yerience. Ho! here weare, Foxy!” as be un- olted the door. ‘* Walk in, fool, and give me—” Raven Rob stopped abruptly and then recoiled half-way across the room with a hand clutched: about the butt of a half-drawn revolver. “Throw up your hands, Raven,” said the stern voice of the handsome man who sprung into the room, ‘‘ Don’t be a fool when 1 kave the drop on you! Hands up,I say! If you don’t obey, I'll drop you in your boots!” “ Caught!” growled the Raven. ‘* Caught by the man I don’t want to see byer—Captain Coldgrip.” a ae CHAPTER XIV. TRACKED. RAVEN Ros saw there was but one reasorn- able thing for him to do, and that was to throw up his hands. He Jet the half-drawn revolver slip back into his pocket, and sullenly obeyed the man before bim. ‘* What does this mean?” he blurted madly, as: the detective stepped forward. ‘* You fellows: ar’ always hunting down honest people.” Captain Coldgrip laughed in the Raven’s face.. - Yes, it’s always the bonest who are visited by men of my class,” he said, ‘‘ Did you expect: to open the door to Foxy, my friend?’ ‘* What if I did?” growled Raven Rob. ‘ Cer-- tain it is, So been Coldgrip, that I did not look for you. What if I were to tell you that I don’t know anybody called Foxy?” ‘*Tt wouldn’t go down very far,” was the quick reply. ‘‘ You will never open your door to him unless you want the funeral conducted from your house.” Raven Rob started forward with a low cry,. and with the mien of a suddenly aroused lion, He was about to speak in a load tone, when: he thought of the girl separated from bim by the thickness of a door. ‘““ What is that, Claude Coldgrip?”’ he said, lowering his voice. ‘‘Is Foxy dead?” ‘* Dead,” said the detective. ‘“‘He was seen with you lust,” continued the Raven. ‘* He was seen later,” said the man-fox with a smile. ‘Who killed Foxy?” ‘‘Ho! you think he was liable to die by vio- lence. eh, Raven Rob?” exclaimed ae ‘* Why don’t you tell me?” demande oss’s persecutor, ‘Did you turn on Foxy when he was playin’ decoy an’ snuff his candle?” ‘‘No, I merely tossed him into Papa Pang- born’s establishment. He may ke there yet.” “Dead, you say?” ** Yes,” ‘By Jehu! I'd like to see the person who did this!” flashed the Raven. ‘‘ Yes, I knew Foxy. Circumstances made us friends. Has anybody been arrested for killing him?” ‘Not yet.” ‘© What does the old Jew dog say?” ‘‘ He professes not to have had anything to do with the crime.” ‘¢ The old liar!” cried Raven Rob. ‘Give me a chance and I'll choke a full confession from him. Papa Pangborn couldn’t hoodwink me— the miserable old hawk! Are you going to let me get at him, Captain Coldgrip?” ‘‘'That depends,” was the reply. ‘‘{f am here for a purpose that may surprise you, but I tell you beforehand, that I will take no denial. I want to see the girl known to some people as _. Oss, Raven Rob went back from the detective, and looked at him in his old, defiant manner. ‘* Floss?” he said, speaking through his teeth. “Who is Floss?” ‘*Come! no by-plays, Raven Rob,” was the . retort. ‘‘Floss is the girl held in bonds by Bowery Burt.” EOmichbooks I don’t care whether Foxy turns up: a Stn ‘ com) kis | hah why ‘ ? : Lage 7