Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 413 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

“> 0 a cw ‘T]] show you what it is to insult Hannah a . * ; Hoyle, a respectable widow in her own house!” : The Amazon went on, her rage seeming to in- ea crease. ‘‘I sent for you on business and be- cause I don’t transact it in ear-shot of the rab- ble, you connect me with somebody snpposed to be without character. I could relieve you of those eyes with which you track criminals down! I ought to thrash the floor of my shop with you!” She took a menacing step forward and looked a like a veritable tigress. here. Her bulky a loomed between the detective ae and the door, and her twitching fingers showed how eager they were to assist in carrying out the last threat. ‘*T must get rid of this vixen. She has cx- posed the plot Floss so cleverly suggested. I can’t remain here when I am wanted clsewhere on the Dragon League’s trail!” said the cap- tain. These sentences framed themselves rapidly in the detective’s mind, but the next instant some- ‘thing occurred that dissipated every one. All at once there leaped from tie curtains a man who had the ferociousness of the blood- hound. He fell upon Captain Coldgrip like a thunder- bolt, and although the detective was his physi- cal superior, he was in his power. ‘*“You won’t come to me,so by Jupiter! I - .e¢ome to you!” hissed the assailant, whose face ORs was covered by a thick dark beard. ‘‘ There’s ae more man-traps in New York than the ones Papa Pangborn operates! Here, Hannah! take a hand in this game!” The Amazon sprung forward and caught the detective who had recovered and was giving the ‘man battle, Her strength was prodigious, and ‘between the two Captain Coldgrip was hustled into the darkened room whither subtle words had failed to take him. In the demi-darkness, he felt two tremendous hands find his throat. ** We've got him now, Hannah! board with him, million!” The captain heard these words from the man’s throat, as the hands of the Widow Hoyle seem- ed to meet behind his windpipe. He felt himself dragged across the room, and his last thoughts were that he would retain his “presence of mind. © This is the deepest game I ever saw played!” . «he said to himself. ‘ Bowery Burt, hunted by ' —sthe ~police, can find time to play a red hand of To the cup- Ah! this play wins a cool = / ———- -Fhis own. But Floss is safe—thank heaven!” ote The next moment he heard a door pulled open. . MAT ‘In with him!” said the man. nat | Captain Coldgrip was pushed forward by the | ~~ Amazon of the trap, and the next second he found himself falling through Egyptian dark- ' ness — down — down —down!— undoubtedly to sh death! | Fatal investigation! *‘T wonder who put him onto my connec- | _-—- tion with the decoy business!” said Dowery Burt > ~———sCbetiween breaths, as he faced Mrs, Hoyle who | ——hhad fallen upon a chair almost exhausted. i” ~—s * Merey! — Heaven knows! — l’m™*nearly — te " the woman. oe ‘* By Jericho! I know!” cried the Bowery thug. ae ~ 36 PT) bet my head thet I can put my bend on the | ~——. person who gave him the pointer. And [ll pro- eed to do it, too. There’s a million in it. The | __ girl will never give another scheme away!” ~~ And Bowery Burt started toward the street. \ ae “Hold! the police want you,” cried Mrs, ) += -Hovie. “Don’t go out now!” -——,s The answer was an oath, and Bowery Burt fs -Was gone. mee © CHAPTER XVIII. - eg ed POUNCED UPON. —s«sAr was not long after these thrilling ovents, when Helen Hotspur received a piece of news be _ that brightened her eyes. ae. ST This gratifying intelligence was imparted by - Bowery Burt, who assured her that Captain a2 Coldgrt . the detective, had fallen into a trap _ from which escape was impossible. ‘The beautiful adventuress could not keep back an exclamation of joy. » £4 To-night { astonish Ferg Fowler!” she said. ‘, ——s- & To-night he sees Frances Percy, the lost heir- 7 —__ ess, and we make the big strike for the millions.” - - Bowery Burt looked at her, but said nothing. ‘You have no clew yet to the man who car- ried off the papers and the dragon, I presume?” ~ eontinucd Queen Helen. : ‘*Noclew yet,” said the Bowery sport with finished coolness, ‘1 am convinced that Raven Rob came back,” Queen Helen went on. ‘He must have had a { suspicion about the hidden door. He will try to play a game of some kind with the proceeds of ~~ “‘his'second hunt. Who knows but that he may ~~ eonfront the millionaire banker to-day?” — “T hardly think he will.” , pee: ug - “The man isa desperado,” said Helen quickly. Ea. 24 A 3 a7 is * tt ., tae se * = he, ee? e¢ a ? é = —— * i . Hit F%. . ore * ag ms, ¥ i Py ‘ eh ee _ --, os * ta A ss ‘TFT find his trail, his coolness won’t save him,” grated Bowery Burt. ‘ Where is Elegant wary ** Hunting for the thief.” A smile appeared at the corners of Bowery ee on oF P i @ a . a * Aan a sid 6 *,, : ww, fs ; * a or 4 ’ ; ere! * Fea «on BPS a “ es sa ee ¥ + Stee. We rane or r 4 P Captain Coldgrip in New York. ————:)_SO— nn nn ge i Burt’s lips. He saw that he had completely hoodwinked the woman before him, that she did not dream that he, and not the Raven, had rob- bed the secret compartment in the wall. ‘* We'll see about the game you are going to play to-night,” he said, under his breath, as he watched her, ‘*?’m not going to put up with anything that looks like interference with the little scheme I have on hand. Captain Cold- grip is outof the way, and the Raven is not likely to interfere. The police are looking for me for strangling Foxy at Papa Pangborn’s, but what of that? It isn’t’ the first time I’ve had the coppers at my heels. If I strike the lead—the proper lead—to-day, Ilelen, you won’t have to make your play to-night.” Bowery burt was on the street soon after the interview, He was thoroughly disguised, and did not look like his former self. For a man wanted for murder he took things extremely easy; he even larghed when he thought how he had escaped from the officer who had come to his house on Chatham street. Bowery Burt had not been back to the place since his escape. He knew that the premises were apt to be under police surveillance, and he was the last man to poke his head into a trap set for him. More than once he felt a desire to go back to Papa Pangborn’s, for his fingers itched to clutch the throat of the Jew who had reported his crime. He wondered if Papa still inhabited the place, or whether he had been locked up to await his (Bowery Bur?’s) arrest. ‘*There’s one place I can go to—one play I can make with comparative safety,” he said, some timeafter leaving Helen Hotspur. ‘‘Ican show Foss that I still run things to suit myself, even if the cops are after me. I was unfortun- ate to lose the dwarf who gave me the slip at Simon Peters’s, but before "long [Pll choke the weasel till he dies,” He knew where to find Floss, for, as we have seen, he had previously tracked her to Captain Coldgrip’s quarters on the Bowery, and thither he bent his steps. Bowery Burt had an eye out for the police, but he reached his destination ap- parently unobserved, and without hesi‘ation he pushed forward to the door of the detective’s room, ‘*She’ll be looking for the ferret,” chuckled the Bowery sport, as he rapped at the door, ‘fand so, of course, Ill be immediately ad- mitted,” Just as he had expected, the door was opened in response to his knock, and he confronted Floss, who started back and looked into his face with an expression of astonishment on hers. There was nothing familiar left about the Bowery sport. His disguise had completely transformed him; his eyebrows had been altered to suit the complexion of the full beard he wore, and the sbape of his figure had been changed in some manner. ‘‘ Aha! this is the place,” ejaculated the vil- lain as he walked into the room. . ‘Mr. Coldgrip is not at home just now,” said Floss. ‘*So much the better! Please shut the coor, girl. I want a few words with you.” Floss’s answer suddenly became a half-fright- ened stare, and before she could frame another sentence Bowery Burt shut the door, locked it, and coolly transferred the key to his own pocket! This was an act of assurance that seemed to ta're the girl’s breath as well as-her co.or. "*>r eyes instantly flashed resentment. ** \V bat does this mean?’ she exclaimed. ‘* A good deal, my girl!” laughed the schemer, leaning forward with the old leer back in his eyes. ‘* Don’t you know me yet, Floss?—where are your eyes?” A sudden change came over him at these words, and Floss seemed to recognize him in the fraction of a second. ‘You are Bowery Burt!” she said. ‘‘ Ah! why didn’t I know you before?” The fellow laughed again. ‘Tam here on business, Floss, and you know it by this time,” he went on. ** The game’s tak- en a new shoot within the last forty-eight hours, You never came back to me after I sent you out with that decoy fer Captain Coldgrip, the Gotham fox. They ran you in somewhere, did they? You fell into the hands of Foxy and the Raven, eh?” Floss said ‘‘ Yes” slmost unconsciously. “The decoy cidn’t werk well,” continued Bowery Burt. ‘‘Icxy tried to carry out the game which you were to play; but somebody warned the rat. Floss, do you know that the sick man who lodged above us wasn’t so sick, after all?” There was no reply. ‘Drake Mowbray, the young wretch, was a spy!” the villain went on, quickly, showing his teeth maliciously. ‘* He bad a hole bored in the floor, and there he undoubtedly watched us and listened. You went up to see him pretty often, and you must have become well acquaint- ed. Who is he? I want to know.” ‘“He is Drake Mowbray. I can tell you noth- ing more,” said Floss, ‘You mean you won’t, eh?” said Bowery rrr SE SE (Oe Burt. “Look here, girl! You need not think you are out of my hands because you are dom- iciled in Captain Coldgrip’s quarters. I haven't clothed and fed you for years to see you walk away from meand stay. Where did the mar- fox find you?” Floss made an involuntary motion of re- treat, but the hand of Bowery Burt da rting out like a serpent, closed on her arm. ‘* You don’t get away from me till I say so! By glory, you’re worth too much to me to give you up because you don’t want to go back to old Chatham street. Iam master now, even in tho lion’s cen! Did the captain find you at the Raven?” ‘““He took me away from Raven Rob, and offered me a home here for the present.” ‘*Hedid, eh? Why didn’t you come back to the old place?” Beilciancd Bowery Burt. ‘I judge it didn’t take much coaxing to get you here!” ‘Lhe girl flushed deeply and her eyes got a new look of resentment. “*T thought I would be safer here than at tle house of a man wanted by the police,” she said looking into the villain’s eyes. ‘Wanted by the police?” said Bowery Burt, between his teeth. ‘‘ Who said so?” ‘**Captain Coldgrip.” ‘*‘Tt’s a lie—an infamous lie!” was the re- 8 oF, and the speaker’s countenance betrayed the falsehood he uttered, ‘‘ When I am hunted going to walk the streets of New York during the day—nct even in a dis- guise entirely impenetrable. Wanted by the cae Ng I? You don’t believe the story, eh? oss? ‘*'You’ve been wanted before,” the girl said, boldly. ** So I have, and I may be wanted again!” was the reply. ‘‘ But I’m hers to see you—to take you to another place.” Floss uttered a light cry of aversion and drew back the length of his arm. ** Not so fast!” cried Bowery Burt, laughing in her face. ‘* You’ve been with the ferret long enough. I’ve got a new home for you, It’s better than the Chatham street place, but it is not the one you shail have before long. You don’t want to make any outcry, girl. I ama tiger when I’m r’iled, and nobody I:nows this bet- ter than you.” . “Why not go back to the old hcuse?” ventured loss, ‘*With Drake Mowbray, the spy, to watch us?—not much!” was the response, ‘‘ Did ycu let that young man geta hold on your heart, Th ¥ I's gaze tly d e girl’s instantly dro ; “*Tf he did, by heavens! ant see to it!” c-- claimed Bowery Burt, and Floss felt his fingers tighten at her arm. ‘I will pick a lover for you when the proper time comes. And it won't be an infernal spy, either! Girl, you don’t know what you’ve run away from. Since you’ve left me I’ve made a regular ten-strike; Ive got certain things in my hands that’ll make the ouv*- come sure. You want togowithme. The paid ferret who fetched you here will never carry out one of his schemes. He can’t run anybody Ccown. Captain Coldgrip isn’t worth a dead dog at th's moment! You want to go with me, I say. Even if the police want me, they will never find mc. I’ve got a thousand hiding-places at my ccm- anne in Gotham. Elegant Ahab and Queen Helen may fail with the Dragon League game; but I can't fail with mine; it’s impossible!” The gir] thought she saw a look of triumyh in Bowery Burt’s eyes. ‘* We'll go now,” he went cn. ‘it isn’t neces- sary to leave a note for the captain. If he should come tack—which is very doubtful—ho will be shrewd enough to guess wkat has hap- pened. Yes, Floss, we are gcing down on the street, It is broad daylight and the Bowery is thronged. You don’t want to give any alarm; you want to keep at my side, mum as an oyster. The first motion of betrayal will end this game quicker than you think. I ran risk in ceming here, and I take more in going away. A whilo ago you were head over ears into.what we call the Dragon League scheme; you heve longed to see the diamond dragon. Iecan show it to you inside of an hour, but if you attempt to give me the slip, or intimate to the cops that Iam _ Bew- ery Burt, you shall never see it—never, Tut on your hat, and come with me,” The girl went to the bed and picked up the hood she had worn to the de‘ective’s recm. “My God! have I fallen back into the hands of this villain for good?” she mentally eja: ulat- ed, ‘‘How did he ferret me cut here? And what has become of Captain Coldgrij? 1 see that I am worth something to Bowery Burt— Dreke Mowbray was not mistaken when he toid me that Burt’s story of my parentage could not be true. I dare not refuse to obey bim now. know what will happen if I openly betray him on the street, so I will not attempt it. In some manuer I am connected with the mystery of the diamond dragon, and Bowery Burt knows it.” All this time the man was watching Floss with the eyes of a hawk. She seemed to be fighting for time in the pre- cise manner in which she ne her hood, She was hoping that a little delay might bring comicbooks.com by the police, I’m not (E +i