Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 413 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

' what we want and 26 saw you at the window this morning, I knew that Ferguson Fowler had a guest whom he had not invited.” If I had waited for his invita- ‘* That 1s true. tion I would not be here. He doesn’t like to see 74 I Frances Percy!” “Frances Percy?” echoed the detective. thought this was the winning card the moment I saw you at the window.” ‘*Then you don’t believe?” cried Helen. ‘‘ You don’t credit my statement.” ‘** No, Miss Hotspur.” The beautiful siren recoiled at the name, and the detective saw that the arrow had gone home, ‘* Come!” he continued, stepping toward her, ** You are the person I have just called you. I know you well; you don’t want me to show you up in the courts, nor even before the present master of this house. You always did play bold mes. I could name two others as bold as this ut they were not for ten millions, and one of them was a flat failure. You are Elegant Ahab’s partner this time. Where did you pick up with that thief and gambler of two continents? You always lay your plans well. I know that you would not come to this house, much less intrench peas here unless you had some alleged proof hat you are Frances Percy, the child of the man who died in England some yearsago. Say, my | woman—have you a dragon on your left arm? ‘*T’ve got the Percy mark,” said Helen. ‘* You did not think I would come here without it?” **Oh, you're equal to any emergency,” smiled the city sleuth. ‘Ferg Fowler hasn’t owned you, though,” ** Not yet, but he will! He dare not carry out one of the threats he made last night! I dare any man to _— me from this house before I am ready to depart.” **Not even when he knows that you are a mere adventuress?” ** Noteven then!” With his eyes fixed on the woman Captain Coldgrip took another step forward and threw up his hand. ‘*Don’t touch me!” grated the gold serpent recoiling a step, and there flashed before the man-hunter the blade of a dagger clutched in her right hand. ‘I am here till gold drives me out. You know me; I see that. I confess to you that I am Helen Hotspur, but to Ferg Fowler I am Frances Percy, the heir of the man whose death brought him millions, Let him comply with ae demands; let him pay me will walk from his house, and let him alone. The real Frances Percy is dead, but be doubts it now.” ‘The real Frances Percy lives,” exclaimed the detective. ** What's that?” **The English major’s heir is not dead.” ‘Ha! so you heave a game for money, have you?” laughed Helen. ‘* Why not play in with me, a tg Coldgrip?” ‘*And lose? No! Woman,I give you three ~ minutes in which to quit this house.” Helen Hotspur lowered the dagger and looked into the detective’s eyes. ** Tf I refuse—what?” she asked. “TH send you to the police with your history laugh, bold and defiant, was the answer. aie Ill dagger the man who touches me!” she CHAPTER XXX. A TERRIBLE BLOW. THERE was the look of a tigress in the eyes of the woman who made this threat. ‘* Very well,” said the city sleuth taking out his watch. ‘‘ Three minutes is the time—not a second more!” Helen made no movement. *‘ Aren't you going?” asked Captain Claude looking up into her face, é No 7 “Your game can’t win; you ought to be able _ to see 1t now.” ‘* Because you have a person who is ready to lay the role of Frances Percy?’ cried the Garen of the Dragon League. ** Because I know where the true heir is!” “You can’t make Ferg Fowler ktelieve that.” **T can and [ will,” was the answer. ‘‘ Come! let me show you the door.” He took a step toward the adventuress, who drew back and raised her dagger. ‘** Beware!” she said. ‘* Don’t touch me, Cap- tain Coldgrip. I will sting.” The detective laughed in her face, and came on determined. He saw h-r eye, and the gleaming knife held above her héad. All at once his hand darted at her wrist, and the next moment the blade came down. Fortunately for the detective, his bloodless hand arrested the arm midway, and the woman was thrown almost off her feet. **No more of this, Helen!” he said sternly. ‘I want to tell you that the pay of the Dragon camepe isatanend. The diamond dragon and the tattoo on your arm will amount to nothing. T will not turn you over to the police if you will . Uunt up Elegant Ahab and play your fu- fare hands el. ewhere.” A te She looked at him with the fury of a baffled | prisoner, but his hand held her fast. ‘*'You need not see Ferg Fowler before you go,” he went on. ‘‘ The banker is still in his room, and does not wish to encounter you. Go out peaceably, or, by the souls of the dead, wo- man, I'll force you before the courts on a charge that will make your blood run cold.” Their eyes met as Captain Coldgrip uttered the last words, and a pallor overspread Helen Hotspur’s face. He drew her across the parlor floor into the hallway, and thence to the door. ‘This is to be your last attempt. Remem- ber!” he said. She said nothing. The next moment the detective opened the door and pushed her gently out, then, with a look that spoke impressively, he shut the portal. For a moment Helen stood on the step with clinched hands and eyes that seemed on fire. **My last play? Not by a thousand miles Captain Coldgrip!” she suddenly hissed. ‘I did not enter the game to be snuffed out by a man like you! {. you think I am out of it, learn to your sorrow that you have judged me wrong- ly. Where is Bowery Burt?- Elegant Ahab won’t help me in the next move, though he is willing to share the spoil. I want a good eye and a quick hand, and Bowery Burt possesses both. The serpent may be trampled on, Captain Claude, but the death-sting is still alive!” She gave the house a mad last look and turn- ed away. **So you have a Frances Percy, captain?” she laughed to herself. ‘‘ Will you strike Ferg Fowler for five millions or ten? I played for tha latter amount, and, if you had not appeared, I would have won too!” Half an hour later this determined adventur- ess appeared to a man who had just been sur- rounding his handsome figure with smoke rings, and who was still taking his ease, ** Well, it was a failure, eh?” he said smiling as he looked up into her still blazing eyes. ‘* For the time,” snapped the woman. ‘ The man we must dispose of came on the scene.” ** Captain ee a ‘*The New York Vidocq!” ‘* What!” said Elegant Ahab amazed as he removed his cigar. ‘‘ Are you going to try it again?” ‘* Yes! With this slouth out of our way, the gaine can be won.” ** What is the plan?’ ‘* Ah! leavethattome,” saidHelen. ‘*‘ Where is Burt?” ‘| don’6 know. He escaped from the station- house just before daylight—” ‘* The station? How did he get there?” ** Captain Claude caught him.” 4 Alsaye Captain Claude!” said Helen, through her teeth. ‘It will continue to be thus till we settle with him. Tom Keenear, the rivate shadow, is in Ferg Fowler’s employ. e is to find a certain girl now under Captain Coldgrip’s protection somewhere. I overheard a certain conversation in Ferg Fowler’s library last night. After that the detective went away to carry out the gold-bug’s wishes. Do you a who that girl is said to be, Ahab?” oO.” ** Frances Percy.” Elegant Ahab gave a low incredulous laugh. ** Fowler more than half believes that she is the genuine,” Helen went on. “If Captain Coldgrip produces her, with certain proof which he may have picked uP we will have to throw up our hand. Tom Keenear came to my room last night for the purpose of throwing me into the street; but when he looked over the pistol which he found thrust into his face, he went back. I’m not afraid of that man laying a hand on me; the other sleuth-hound is the dan- gerous foe.” ‘If we could find Captain Coldgrip’s protege, we might yet play a winning hand, as you say, Helen,” Elegant Ahab said. ‘* She must be found!” exclaimed the woman. “But first we must reach Bowery Burt.” ** The police are looking for him,” **That’s nothing strange. It would he strange if he had the liberty of the city. He bas a dozen haunts entirely unknown to the law dogs. We have a list of them, you know.” “Yes,” said Elegant Ahab, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. ‘‘ Here they are.” lelen took the paper and beran to study it. ** I will see what tiis yields,” she said. ‘*'You?” ** Why not? Do you think I am afraid to hunt Bowery Burt among his baunts?” ‘Will you go as a woman?” ‘**Of course not! IT will show you a mask that will deceive the most critical eye.” The next moment Elegant Ahab was again enjoying his cigar alone, and beyond a certain door occasional sounds to’d bim that another room in the house was occupied. After awhile the door opened, and a person who appeared to be a well-dressed young man with a neat black mustache, came forward. Elegant Ahab looked surprised at the trans- formation, for he knew that the person who stood before him was Helen Hotspur. **You’d eucher old Nick!” exclaimed the Captain Colderip in New Y —_—_—_—— a a a a a eS a — re ee ork, ) Yr. & <7 ry al : e handsome sport, as a twinkle appeared in tho depths of Helen’s eyes. ‘* Which I think must be another name for Captain Coldgrip,” was the response. ‘' Now I am off to find Bowery Burt. I will not come back until we have set a death-trap for the man we must catch,” Elegant Abab shook his head slowly. ** You don’t want to make any misdeal this time,” he said. “Leave that to me. When there are ten mil- lions at stake, we must make no bad plays.” ‘*It is ten millions or Sing Sing,” laughed bab. ‘‘ Tl keep that in mind, and the outcome will be ten millicns.” Helen Hotspur went first to the place from which Captain Coldgrip took Bowery Burt to the station, an event which we have witnessed. She found no trace of the Bowery spider there. Her next trip was to another part of the city, but it had the same result. If she had looked beyond the door of Papa Pangborn’; house she might have found the ob- ject of her search, for, like a hon waiting for night, Bowery Burt, hunted ty the police, was still in hiding. Haunt aiter haunt Helen visited, but without reward, Her disguise seemed perfect, and although she came in contact with sharp-eyed men, nobody appeared to suspect her. obody ? If the Dragon League Queen had employed her eyes in a certain direction, she Be have seen that somebody was watching her. <A little man with sparkling black orbs and a somewhat misshapen but wiry figure. ** Don’t I know who she’s hunting?” this ;er- son said to himself. ‘*She’s as anxious to find Bowery Burt as the police are. The captain said she was at Ferg Fowler’s house this morn- ing, but here she is, en masque, going from place to place, looking for her pard and tool, the spider of the Bowery.” Of course this watcher and spy was Duke Dado, the dwarf. He had accidentally encountered Helen on the street, and his eyes, sharper than thcse of the rest had penetrated her shrewd disguise. - For Dado to see Helen Hotspur in such plumes was to become her shadow, and he was playing a game with the cunning that characterized ers. If the Dragon League Queen had suspected that her footsteps were being dogged by the dwarf, she would have turned on him in the drop of an eyelash, Her great desire was to find Bowery Burt, on whom she relied for the desperate play against the Gotham sleuth. From street to street Duke Dado followed the beautiful pal of the clegant sport. At last the hunt seemed to come toan end. Helen accosted a hackman and ordered him to drive ber back to Canal street, ‘** That settles it,” ejaculated the atom. ‘‘ Helen gives up the hunt for the present and goes back to Ahub. Bowery Burt may come out like the owl to-night, but even then he will have to keep. his eyes about him. Good-by, Helen. I don’t thank you for the run you’ve given me.” Duke Dado did not lose sight of the hack until it turned a corner, and then he walked away. Ten minutes later he went up a stair to the 7 re story of a brick building and openeda oor, ) The little room before him was empty. ‘*Ho! Mowbray isn’t here to hear my report,” laughed the dwarf to himself; but just then he caught sight of a bit of paper lying on a table. ‘** Aha! this places him!” he continued. ‘ He’s just where I expected to find him—with Floss.” And Dado left the room and went down to the second floor. A short distance from the landing was a door which stood an inch ajar, and the dwarf reached it in a couple of strides. He pushed it open and found himself ina room partly darkened by the curtains being pulled down. It was Floss’s room, but the dwarf was not greeted by any one, ‘*Something is wrong here!” exclaimed the Ccwarfspringing to one of the windows, and let- ting a flood of light into the plac.. The next moment he started back with a hor- rified cry. On the floor almost at his feet lay the body of Drake Mowbray, his friend, with splotches of bloed in his face. Tloss was gone! For a moment Duke Dado stood erect, a very ste tue of horror, ‘* Is this the work of the Bowery thug?” he ex- claimed. ‘‘Has he eluded the police to come here and kidnap Floss? I'll make Mowbray an- swer, if he isn’t dead!” The next moment he was stooping over the youth on the floor with fingers at his wrist. A moment later the dwarf uttered an exclamation of joy. a The boy’s got life in him yet!” he said, and then he set to work to restore tg This was a task of no little difficulty for the. Gomichbooks