Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 413 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘ Beautiful creature they say,” was the re- sponse, | “‘ Yes, and what is more, she’s got a firm grip on Fowler’s millions.” A light but maudlin laugh came over the Ra- ven’s lips. ‘* Who says so?” he asked. **T do, dia will be worth a mint of money when Ferg Fowler passes in his chips.” ‘That is "—and ven Rob leaned suddenly across the table with his eyes glittering—‘‘ that is, Duke Dado, if some cf us let it be so.” « “— 4 . ary, : " ‘ : Captain 3 Coldegrip A ’ - cenit #. t's Lf ~ : 9 —_ ee my mam . —" * ° ° * - rice * , : SS throw the blame of Foxy’s murder on him, and so he had exposed the real criminal and then dis- appeared to keep from facing him in court. ‘‘ With Bowery Burt behind the bars I can now turn my attention to Elegant Ahab and his Cleopatra!” said Captain Coldgrip as he left the police station. ‘* Flossis gone, butshe is not lost. { am certain that Bowery Burt took her from my rooms and that somebody afterward robbed him. Now who takes interest enough in the girl to rob the Bowery spider of her? There isone man who does not want Floss to appear in the game, but ‘“Who can prevent?’ asked the dwarf, pro- | does he know that she actually exists? 1 doubt fessing astonishment. ‘*T can; so can ‘*You don’t know what I can do, who I can | I must turn, when I look for her. produce if I want to.” ‘‘Oh, I think I understand you,” said Dado. ‘‘ There used to be a belief that a certain per- son—a young girl—stood in Nydia’s way.” ‘‘She does! by heaven, she does!” ejaculated the Raven. ‘‘Then I’m glad of it. Ionce told Ferg Fow- ler that I would see his air-castles tumble.” it. There is another who more than suspicions ou!” cried the Raven. | the girl’s identity, and he is the person to whom I took her from his clutches once and the Raven is not. the man to give up the fight without a second tussle for the stakes.” Captain Coldgrip went back to his rooms on the Bowery. At the door he found a District Telegraph | boy waiting for him with a message. The city ferret tore it open, and read three ‘*\Vhat! don’cher like him?” exclaimed the . words and a name: Raven, ‘* Not quite well enough to keep his air-castles I never took much stock in this story about a better heir than Nydia.” ‘*Whatif you could see her?” ‘‘T don’t know,” said the dwarf, shaking his head. ‘*See here! I’ve got a notion to make you open your eyes,” the Raven went on. ‘‘ ’m no fool if I don’t hit a big lead very often. I found one within the last twenty-four hours. Why, bless your life, Duke Dado, I can knock Ferg Fowler’s air palaces into smithereens.” ‘*T’'d like to get ina lick myself,” said Dado. ‘‘ But honestly, Mr. Randolph, I would like to be convinced about this heir business. Is it anything about a girl said to have a tattooed dragon on her arm?’ ‘By glory! that’s just what’s she’s got!” cried te Raven. The dwarf beat down his eagerness, but it al- most betrayed him in his eyes. ‘‘Look here,” he said, grasping the Raven’s arm, ‘if you will show me this girl I'll show you a gate to millions. I know a thing or two, and we can divide a fortune big enough to par- alyze Wall street.” Raven Rob pushed his chair back and jumped up with an oath. ‘*T'll do it!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ ve been think- ing that this game is too big for me to play successfully, Come with me, Dado,” The glittering-eyed dwarf was only too eager to follow the man who rushed from the cafe stall. . . . éé | in good repair,” was the adroit response. But | | ; ; ; | | : ' It happened that as they reached the side- | walk acabcame up. Tie Raven hailed it, ‘* Number — Hudson street!” said the Raven to the driver, and the next moment he plunged headlong into the cab, where he fell a heap in one corner, ‘*T didn’t claret Raven Rob for nothing,” laughed Duke Dado, watching the man already app2ren‘ly asleep. ‘* Fortune has put me on the track of Floss. I'd bet a thousand on it!” Meanwhile the cab had turned west and was rattling over the stones, All at once a voice within shouted to the man on the box: ‘‘ My friend in here says it isn,t necessary te go to Hudson street,” said Duke Dado, opening the door. ‘‘ He is going to Boston. Drive him to the Grand Central Depot. Ill alight bere.” The dwarf stepped out, and the cab turned and rattled north. ‘A sadder and a wiser man, Raven Rob!” laughed Dado, watching it. CHAPTER XXIV. OLD BULLION GROWS SUSPICIOUS. Caprain CoLpGRip walked from the police station where he had left Bowery Burt with a satisfactory smile at his lips. He had left orders that the kidded sport's right bower should not be allowed to communi- cate with any one on the outside. A messenger was dispatched to Papa Pang- born’s, for the purpose of bringing the old Jew himself to the station to identify the Bowery sport, and to fasten upon him the charge of murder. All this was accomplished with secrecy, for the Gotham detective feared that Elegant Ahab and pe Helen would take flight if they should hear of Bowery Burt’s arrest. The police messenger found a surprise in store for him when he reached Papa Pangborn’s. After effecting an entrance into the house, he found it entirely deserted, but before him was abuudant evidence of the old fellow’s flight. The man-trap for once in a long while had no tenant, and Papa Pangborn had left behind no clew to his eho whereabouts, Without his testimony it would be im ible to convict Bowery Burt of murder, but Captain Coldgrip could swear that he had attempted to take human life. Papa Pangborn had played a shrewd game and then dese the field. He feared that, if arrested, Bowery Burt would | pe ‘* Come to me, FerGuson Fow.er.” ‘* Something has happened in gold-dom,” said the detective, when the boy went off. ‘* The brevity of this message indicates that all is not serene behind the millionaire’s door. lll go up and see what has happened.” Not long afterward the detective was ushered into a house he had visited before. Nydia, beautiful but pale and excited, en- countered him in the hallway. ‘* He sent for you some time ago,” she said. ‘You will find him in the library. Merciful Heavens! I fear that the spell of the poisoned pastille is coming back.” ‘* Not that, [ hop,” replied the detective, has- tening forward; and a moment iater, he walked into the library. ‘“*Ah! you, at last!” exclaimed a voice, and then a command rung out: ‘* Shut the door!” Captain Coldgrip saw Ferg Fowler standing in the middle of the room. He did not look like himself, and if he had not been found in the heart of his own house, Cap- tain Claude would not have recognized him at first glance, The city ferret shut the door firmly and came toward the millionaire. ‘* Where have you been keeping yourself?” asked Fowler. ‘I’ve turned New York upside down looking for you. You are in my employ, I want you to understand.” ‘Yes, Il am in your service for the present, but I am liable to quit it soon,” said the detec- tive, with a smile. “How? what's that?’ cried Fowler, almost starting from the chair into which he had drop- | hunter. J d. ‘‘ You don’t leave it till you've run down | the Dragon League!” ‘* That is the agreement, and I will keep to it!” was the answer. ‘‘ What bas happened? I’ve been sent for, I see.” ‘* ve been robbed—robbed by a cool devil of whose existence I knew nothing till he came here! Do you know anything about a man call- ed the Raven?” Captaim Coldgrip’s start was very slight. **This man is a blackmaier of the deepest dye,” continued the millionaire, ‘* Did he bleed you?” Ferg Fowler set his teeth hard. ‘““He did, and to the extent of twent7z thou- sand dollars. He got into the house on a plea of important business, and then he played the infamous cards he held.” ‘Why didn’t you summon Jason and have him put out?” ‘*T was in his power almost from the moment he entered the room. I want you to find this man—to find him before night! He blackmail- ed me with a lie and a threat, Great God! I was nervous and not myself, I did not come to until he had departed.’ Captain Coldgrip waited patiently for Ferg Fowler to get through. He saw that the man was nA excited and the words of Nydia spoken in the hall came to his mind, He more than half believed that the spell of the poisoned pastille had come back. ‘‘Can’t you steady your nerves with some- thing, Mr, Fowler?” asked Captain Claude. _ ““T can try,” said the man, opening a drawer in his mahogany writing-desk, and taking out a vial of almost colorless drops. ‘‘ This sedative holds sway for a while. It seems to be losing its power, Time was when it could rest me for a day, but now not for so long.” Neither of the men spoke again until Fowler = administered some of the medicine to him- self. ‘‘ Now we will go on,” the banker said, in a quieter tone. ‘‘ This man I want caged. He carried off twenty thousand dollars of my money. He has no connection with the Dragon League that plots against me. He is playing a deep and desperate me of his own.” ‘** What does he claim to know?” asked Captain Claude, ‘* More than he does know, of course, the vil- lain!” exclaimed Fowler. “ He professes to have — in New York. | Tl give you another job.” 21 in his keeping the Percy child who died in the arms of her nurse years ago in Manchester. That we know isn’t true. He also said, the: _ blackmailing fraud, that—” Fowler suddenly checked himself. ‘“*Itis unnecessary to tell what he said,” he suddenly resumed, ‘‘He gave me to under- stand that, unless I gave him the money, I might _ be subjected to personal violence. I didn’t care so much for his other threats, for the Raven is _an impostor, but I can’t afford to be murdered _in my own house with the League plotting to | make Nydiaa beggar. This is why I gave up _ the sum he demanded. As soon as I recovered, What progress have you made» against the League?” ‘*One of its members is bebind the bars,” I sent for you. | The millionaire uttered an exclamation of joy. | ‘*The arch Satan who came here— Mortimer Nogg?” | ‘* No, but a man oapalty as dangerous.” ; “This is excelent! We will | gang in a little while, eh, captain?” | ‘“*I hope so.” ‘*Tt must be so! there must be no failure, I | think, with this League out of the way, I will go on the street again and make up what I’ve ‘lost. I’m going to fix Nydia for life. By the _eternal heavens! a lie, however well played, shall not stripme of my wealth. The captain | of the Dragon League threatened to produce a ' Frances Percy, and so did this Raven who rob- _bed me, Don’t you see the falsity of the threats,. captain? There can’t be two Frances Percys, even if the girl were not dead! Both schemes: are villainous in the extreme, and blacker than _Tartarus! They have stolen some papers from _me, and an object called the diamond dragon; they have robbed me in broad daylight of twenty thousand dollars, but it will amount to nothing in the end. I will come out on top. I don’t care who they y;roduce; I will win the game in the end!” The keen eyes of the detective suddenly be~ came fastened on the millionaire. ‘* Do you mean to say that you will resist if | the real Frances Percy is produced?” he asked. ‘“Yes!* cried Fowler. “I am going to be: | master of the situation! Hunt the League : down, run the Raven to earth, and then msybe- 7) a ve the whole —ED Ferg Fowler's eyes bad a new glitter now, as: if the effect of the liquid were wearing off. ‘* What about your missing man, Duke Dado?” asked Coldgrip quickly. ‘“*My French dwarf? Ah! I had cismissed’ him from my mind since I was convinced that. he is dead.” ‘** Dead?” echoed the detective. “* Didn’t you see the item?” exclaimed Fowler, . 3 and the next moment he took trom the desk a. es newspaper clipping which he handed the man-- ; Captain Coldgrip read: | “FLOATER FOUND. , * ‘* At one o'clock this morning patrol boat number 10 found a floater at the foot of Broad street. The body was that of a small person, evicently a dwarf, and had been inthe water scme days. There was a a tattoo of some kind on the left arm, but thecon- — dition of the corpse prevented the patrol from mak- ing itout. The floater was not taken to the morgue: but was buried at once.”’ ‘ “That, sir, is the last of Duke Dado!” said | Fowler, when the detective had finished the item, and there was a latent gleem of satisfac tion in the speaker’s eye. ‘‘Somebcdy who knew the dwarf sent a marked copy of the paper to the house. He had a tattcoed cross and three stars on his left arm. I’ve seen them Ss often.” an ‘“If you think Duke Dado dead, all right,”’ thought Captain Coldgrip. ‘‘The atom is too shrewd to let himself be picked up by the river- ~ patrol in a state of decomposition. There is a aa surprise in store for you, Ferg Fowler. Iwon’t ~~ disturb your thoughts about the dwa: f’s death.” z And then he saia aloud: . “That would seem to settle it.” ** Tt does! it does!” exclaimed Fowler. ‘* You- 7% see, Duke Dado didn’t have to run away. He had a home here, but he took itinto his head to. o, and in the end the river police found him. — uke Dado had a checkered history.” “Cs ‘* So I suspect,” said the detective. ‘““He was | with you in England?” or ake ‘‘ No, sir!—France is where I picked him up,” said the millionaire quickly, end with a flush, ‘*'Was he never in England?” ‘* Not to my knowledge.” ae Ferguson Fowler said this with hiseyes fixed on the New York sleuth. Sa ‘““Why do you ask if Duke Dadowas everin England?” he went on. <p ‘You said he had a checkered history.” : ae ‘So he bad, but it was in France.” . a: ‘**Mainly there.” Ne **Tn Paris?” “Tt is singular that he never crossed the. © a believe be had an aversion to English ‘© Was it because the Scotland Yard detectives ss wanted him?” - 4 Ferg Fowler started visibly, and then he i on a look of indignation, 9 een ae hy . ‘ 4 s;Eeom . y _ *, , IOO — € <eom