Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 413 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

the horses were pulled up in front of a rather large and dingy-Jooking frame house of old style, The man on the box did not have to announce his arrival at the certain number to bis passen- ger, for the door of the cab was jerked open al- inost before the horses had Agta pe “You'll find your pay on the seat,” said the Raven with a look at the driver, and then he sprung across the sidewalk and threw himself into the house, If be was the worse for wine a short time be- ‘fore, he was sober now. The trick which had been played on him had brought him back to his senses. He entered a hall and bounded up a stair two at a time. ste o the right of the landing above, a door stood slightly ajar; the sight of it parted the Raven’s Gone! I'll bet a horse she’s gone!” he ex- claimed, and the next moment he stood ina small room well furnished and of neat appear- ance, but he was its only occupant. ‘¢] took her from Bowery Burt, and he robbed Captain Coldgrip. Now, by heavens! Duke Dado, Ferg Fowler’s dwarf and accomplice, de- ils me! It is turn about, but I don’t like it. here’s too much at stake in this game to be euchered in this manner!” Raven Rob gave utterance to these sentences while he stood half-bewildered and mad in the middle of the room, . “The claret did it!” he went on. ‘If I ever drink anothor drop of it, may I never seo para- dise? Where is the imp and his prize? B ‘George! I’m not going to let him get off wit Floss. I can’t afford it if I have got twenty thousand of Ferg Fowler’s money!” After awhile ia locked the room and went down-stairs. ‘* Mavbe I can strike the trail somewhere in the vicinity,” he said to himself. ‘It would be worth a Wall street fortune to do it. If Duke Dado took Floss away, it was in broad daylight and somebo.!y must have seen him.” Just opposite the house which had been de- spoiled of its beautiful and mysterious prisoner, was a saloon, and the Raven made a bee-line for it from the frame, The young man behind the bar recognized him ‘as he entered. ‘‘Did you see anybody go in and out o’ my house over the way to-day?” he asked, ‘* T did, captain,” exclaimed a sharp-featured poy of ten who sat on a beer-keg in one corner of the saloon. ‘‘Don’t 1 know Jimmy Dunn when I see him, hey?” ‘* Jimmy Dunn?’ echoed the Raven. ‘‘ Jimmy’s the whip what drives number 615, He drives up, over thar, awhile ago, and lets a little man out. The little fellow goes into the house, and pretty soon out he comes with a young girl, and Jimmy drives ’em away.” Raven Rob listened to this brief narration with his heart in his throat. “A clew already and a good one, too!” he said. ‘‘ Jimmy Dunn drove for ’em, eh? Where will I be apt to find Jimmy?” ‘‘Number 615 is ginerally about Washington Square when not on the jog,” was the reply. ‘A thousand thanks, boy,” said Raven Rob, tossing the urchin a silver dollar and gulping down the drink he had poured out. ‘‘The imp thinks he has covered his tracks, but I'll show him a hand he doesn’t look for!” and out he went. Not very long afterward he turned into Wash- ington Square, and began to inspect the hacks waiting for custom in the shade of the trees. If he had looked behind him he would have seen a pair of eyes watching his movements with a great deal of interest; but just then the Raven thought of one thing only, and that was the discovery of hack 615. Wherever he went he was followed by the person who had spotted him the moment he struck the Square. ‘Hello! I’ve found it at last!” suddenly ejaculated the Raven, and the next moment he confronted a yo hackman, who stepped njm- ‘bly toward him as he came up. ‘*‘ Jimmy Dunn, eh?” asked the sport. “ Jimmy Dunn, at your service, sir.” ‘‘'You’re the man I[ want.” “All right!” and the hackman opened the door of his vehicle. ‘‘ Where is it, sir?” Raven Rob moved forward, but all at once he pas and looked into the young Celt’s face. ‘*Tma friend of the parties you took from Hudson street awhile ago,” he said. ‘‘ It is very important that I should see the young lady at ‘once, I want you to take me direct to the house where you left her.” Jimmy Dunn threw a quick look over his right shoulder, and seemed to catch sight of the per- ‘son who had dogged the Raven’s footste ‘* Get right in, sir,” he said to Raven Rob. ** By Jove! this is Satan’s own luck!” mental- ly ejaculated the happy sport, ‘ There will be an eclipse before night; if 1 don’t make Duke Dado wish he had never seen America, I'll go bail! All right, Jimmy. Snug I am! Now, start your hosses.” ae that moment a man stepped up to the **T want to go to Broadway,” he said in a loud tone. ‘I’m going that way. Get right in,” said the Jehu from his box, The Raven started. ‘*By Jove! I don’t want company!” he growled. ‘‘There’s no telling what kind of a passenger the Irish hackman wants to force upon me, I won't—” This sentence was cut skort by the sudden opening of the door, and a second later a man dropped upon the seat in front of the sport. ‘** Captain Coldgrip!” cried Raven Rob, start- ing like one shot, and quick as a flash the new passen er darted forward and laid an ice-cold finger on his band. ‘*T am Claude Coldgrip,” he went on with his piercing eyes fastened on the thunderstruck sport, ‘ lift your voice to the driver. 1 will give all the orders necessary. That was-a cool game you played at Ferg Fowler’s, Raven, but you spoiled it all by getting drunk at the cafe.” Raven Rob could hardly suppress an ex- clamation of astonishment; his dilated eyes showed his s hless wonder. ‘*T thought I would run across you looking for Jimmy Dunn,” the detective went on. ‘** You fell into the trap I set for you on Hud- son street. I told Duke Dado that you would come hustling back from the Grand Central Depot when you came to your senses. I knew you would make an inquiry at the saloon oppo- site your Hudson street retreat, and so I told the boy on the watch there that you'd find Jimmy Dunn in Washington Square. It worked well, the game did, don’t you think so, Raven Rob?” The entrapped sport bit his lip and gave Cap- tain Coldgrip a look of burning fierceness, He was siJent for a moment. ‘* This is your play, sure enough, captain,” he said, ‘* You want to see mine!” ‘Tf itis no better than your present one, it won’t be worth fooling with. You went for the inillionaire in good style, Raven Rob.” A twinkle appeared in the depths of the Raven’s ey*s, > a Tea hat ¢o you know about that job?’ he said. ‘* All that owler could tell me,” was the re- y. “Do you think he told you all ?” “Per not,” said the city sleuth with a smile. ‘* There may have been threats of which he did not speak. You played the game deep enough to get twenty thousand from him, though. Why didn’t you raise the pile?” ‘Oho! I thought it quite enough for the first pull,” sa‘d the Raven. ‘‘ Now, since you have me, as you think, Captain Coldgrip, may I ask what is to be your next play?” ‘With you?” ‘* With me, of course.” “T am going to take you away from the quarry for the present.” ‘To a station?” ‘Why not?” Raven Rob drew back and looked madly at the cool man on the seat before him. ‘* What is the charge to be?” he asked between his teeth, ** Blackmail and robbery!” “Not that! you are no fool, captain!” ex- claimed the Raven. ‘‘ You don’t want me to expose the infamous pas} life of the man who has employed you to fight his enemies. No; you can have no desire to have Fer English life thrown. open to the world. I went to his house. I told him that if he didn’t give me twenty thousand, [ would tell some secrets which he would like to buy for millions if he could, You don’t want me to beggar your client, Claude Coldgrip!” “You can tell all you know whenever you please,” the detective said. ‘‘I wouldn’t give you a dollar to keep your lips shut. The truth - Raven Rob, that you don’t know much. ou may have got onto an old trail which oncé puzzled the Scotland Yard detectives, and, then, you have guessed a good deal. You have been laying a game of your own against the ragon League; you know that Foxy started to decoy me among Papa Pangborn’s man-traps. Do you think I'll let you go because of your threats against Ferg Fowler and his ons? I am winding up one of the greatest trails of my life. Ihave a right to boast at this stage of it, because a crying wrong is to be righted. @ are going. to the Mulberry Street Station. If you don’t like to have the charge of black- mail set against your name, I’ll substitute an old one of burglary.” ‘What do you mean?” ‘IT mean the Sorelary of the Old Trust Bank, which you and Fo dso well several years pl ago. hat shall the charge be, Raven Rob, burglary or blackmail?” ‘It shall. be neither!” hissed the cornered sport, and the next instant he threw himself across the little space between his seat and Cap- tain Coldgrip. | The detective was not wholly unprepared for a sudden coup, but the limited interior of the jolting vehicle was soon discovered to be not a : very good place to struggle in. - a / Le . . 9 ts 7 , - a4 . - A ee ee os oe. TIS OS ae Sin A NAM ER > Sh ee en eee a ae actin ith ‘ =. Dae . ou don’t want to move a hand, or, Fowler's , 23 The hand of the Raven darted straight at Cap- tain Claude’s throat, but the wrist was speedily encircled by the famous icy fingers, and before the blackmailer could follow up his attack, he was back on his cushions again, and the New York spotter had the upper hand! “To 205 Mulberry, Jimmy!” exclaimed the detective to the anxious driver who began to ply the wbip anew. “It’s all right in here! The _ tiger showed his claws—that is all.” Away went the back faster than ever, and a _ few minutes afterward Captain Coldgrip carried | the body of an unconscious man into the Four- teenth Precinct police station! CHAPTER XXVIII. THE COBRA IN THE HOUSE. LET us go back to Ferg Fowler. It will be remembered that we left him in a swoon at the feet of the woman who had invad- , ed his library and proclaimed herself the lost and | es Frances Percy. e demand for ten millions on his treasury was too much for the millionaire, and the enor- mity of it had thrown him senseless before the cool woman, who was none other than Helen | Hotspur, as the reader bas doubtless surmised. A cynical smile passed over Helen's face when she looked down and saw her work. ‘“*T guess I struck the gold shark a little too _hard,” she exclaimed, and then witha glance to- ward the door she leaned over the prostrate body and began to examine the papers on the table. ‘*There’s a mine of available weapons here, I | see,” she went on after a brief inspection. ‘‘ He hadn’t come to some of the best ones when I came upon the scene, I can intrench myself here and he dare not drive me out. I have play- ed too long for these stakes to be e now. The Dragon League or its queen, at least, has come to stay until it has won the prize of the | game—ten cool millions in solid cash! Drive me | out? I'd like to see him!” | Seeing that Ferg Fowler exhibited no si a speedy return to consciousness, Helen le room and the bouse. A closed carriage stood in the gutter before the mansion, and the door opened as she came up. co Well, what did the play amount to?” asked ! ee ee s of the the voice of a man on the inside. ‘“The demand rather unnerved him,” said Helen with a quick twinkle in her Cleopatrian eyes. ‘I am going to remain here till I win.” ‘“ What! ain’t you going back with me?” | “No, Youcan go back alone, Ahab. I am ' here to stay, I tell a When hecomes to him- _ self, he must find neces Percy an inmate of his house, 1 won’t yield an inch without the ten millions!” {> The handsome man in the carriage shrugged his shoulders and seemed to recoil, ‘By Jove! you're a gamester!” he said ad- miringly. ‘Why enter a game if you don’t intend to play it out?” said the woman quickly, “Go 10ome or where you will. I go back to Fez _ Fowler’s mansion to pose as Frances Percy. was inclined to laugh my pretensions down; he —~¢ ° even threatened to callin the police; but don’t | | get frightened, Ahab. He will neverdo that— = never! Good-night! I will win with the hand sb a I’ve got.” aa Three minutes later Helen Hotspur recrossed | the threshold of Ferg Fowler’s library tofinda =~ ‘+ | ghastly looking man sitting in the arm-chair §& | ‘ rom which he had fallen a few minutes before. The carriage outside had been driven away and was out of sight. Fey ‘** Ab! you are yourself again,” said Helenad- ~~ | Vancing toward the millionaire whose eyes be- ; _ came riveted upon her. : | ‘* And you are still here?’ hereplied. “‘Ihad © ho that I was shut of you.” ie | smile started on the woman’s lips, but she Jeg quickly suppressed it. , ‘**¥You will pardon me,” she said, “but I can not leave here till certain business has been ‘ transacted.” ALY ~ cL i “What is that?” ay eee “Tt want my own. I am Frances Percy. I have shown you the tattooonmyarm. Youdo not want to contradict my claim, or it might make serious trouble.” He looked at her a long time before he spoke. aM monte you take less and go away?” he said ts a ‘ a iy Less than the sum I have stated?” oy ~ X68, . “T can’t afford to.” ear. “You will rob Nydia, the young lady whois my ward.” ey Ss ‘“‘T can’t help that. Ten millionsdo not con- stitute your wealth, Ferguson Fowler. You are worth—that is, you hold more than that. Do you want this matter to get into the © courts?” “dy “No,” said Fowler with a perceptible shud~- ‘der. ‘My God! no!” see | | “¥ thought not.” replied Helen with a smile, _ P ‘*T understand that you have employed acer- | tain detective of late. Was it to find me?” heat The gold king shook his head. AT om ‘You said a while ago that Iwas somebody’s > accomplice—that my appearancg here wasa part of a game against your money. Why a Le ELL TT st testes sts —_ ' = - “ A 900 « Pa ; 1 : . . Aa : “ex "Ts GOMME qs) a