Beadle's Dime Library No. 415 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

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Does Paul ettleton think the chief has stolen his treasure? If he kas, Paul will never see it again.” “Why not?” ** A fancy of mine.” “But why did you arrive at the conclusion ‘hat Paul suspects Red Jaguar?” ‘Why are you at Coast Castle? You can have but one motive for wishing to find the ~ehief.” ‘* What should the chief want of the missing aarticle?”’ ‘* How the dickens do Iknow? You haven’t even told me what is lost. Come, Sir Detec- “tive, don’b look at me with such a suspicious “eye. What have I done to your royal doubts?” ‘‘ Nothing, Mr. Hot Heart. On the contrary, ‘IT want your aid. I want you to help me find Red Jaguar. I admit that the man is suspect- -ed, though the grounds for suspicion are very slight. Like you, [ am not sure just what I am hunting sh aes Paul suspects the Indian, and I m. ‘*T doubt if you do.” Why so?” ‘‘ Beeause, if Paul's idea is correct, Red Jaguar is before now gone from this neighbor- hood, and your employer will never see his lost otreasure again. You can depend upon that.” CHAPTER XXIV. ; THE MYSTERY OF ROSA. “T pon’? understand,” said the detective ‘slowly. ‘‘ What does Rod Jaguar want of the «missing article?” ‘* You’ve already asked the question once, and I told you I knew nothing about it.” “Excuse me, Mr, Hot Heart, but I bolieve “you fagood deal. You think that you taew what is missing, and that is why you in- ‘timate that if Red Jaguar has got it, he has "probably cleared out of the country in hot haste, share your suspicion with me, I shall be deeply indebted to you.” Hot Heart laughed lightly. **T advise you to go to your employer for in- ‘formation. He is the proper man, and, Great ‘Scott! sir, you must be engaged in wretched business if the man you work for is ashamed to tell you what you aro to hunt for.” For the first time since he came into the case, detective Neat’s faco assumed an angry expres- sion. ‘‘Mr. Hot Heart,” he said curtly, “it is now in your power to make me a friend or your venemy. Which shall it be?” “Upon my word!” the Fire-Eater retorted, “‘you are using remarkable langua I don’t eare a picayune which you are, but I swear I -can’t see why you light on one in this way. I -am not in the confidence of either Nettleton or ‘Rea Jaguar, and do not even know that rob- ‘bery has been done. Simply because you sus- t that 2 suspect something about the matter, ‘isn’t it going in just a trifle stremg to threaten ame with your enmity?” ‘*Nonsense! Don’t make a mountain of a - gmole-hill, You are a man, Hot Heart, whem I would like associated with me in this work—” Thank you, but I want no part of Paul Net- rtleton in mine. I'd not raise a hand to recover Anis lost treasure.” ‘*- You don’t seem to like him,” **T don’t.” ‘“ And you decline to help me find Red Jag- ” iT) Yes, sir.” ‘That is enough.” Mr. Neat turned on his heel and walked ‘away towari Nettleton’s. Hot Heart looked -after him with a smile. “You may as well go your way, sir, if Red Jaguar and Loyola have the Jost treasure. I ‘told Paul he would find a heap of fun in the In- -dian woman, His suspicions have evidently ‘turned to her, yet—it’s odd she did not at once flee from Coast Castle, if she has taken it.” The dete ctive returned to Paul and asked for -a man to guide him to Red Jaguar. Whocould ‘be obtained? The first person in Paul’s mind was Garth Griffith, the Bush-Wolf, but the latter was quite as hard to find as Red Jaguar. Such being the case, he could think of no better way ‘than for them to enlist Tim Welch, and strike -out at random, hoping to find either the chief or the Bush-Wolf. ps This they did, but with wretched success, Neat was always zealous about his work, and this zeal impelled them to pursue their search as’! inclined to talk habout minor matters. far as the top of Porcupine Ridge—Paul remem- bered that Red Jaguar had been there when Le | so opportunely saved Barbara—and as none of the three was acquainted with the mountain, they were belated and overtaken by night, be- came confused, spent several hours wandering about, and did not reach Coast Castle until ten o'clock. By that time they were extremely weary, and, finding no one except Pro essor Hazlitt up to hear their report of failure, all were soon | abed. Te eee LL BLLLLLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL Mr. Neat, at least, slept soundly. He could find no great fault with his welcome in the morning; Commodore Nettleton and the young Jadies were too well-bred to deliberately insult any one they allowed in their house; end the ex-mariner actually ventured cn a few grim jokes about the ‘* Pernicians and Carti- lagians,” r. Neat noticed that several calls were made for Rosa, the housemaid, who was also table girl; but she did not appear, and no one had seen her that morning. Mrs. Drake was obliged to wait on the table. When the meal was ended, and the girl still missing, inquiries for her became more em- phatic. On thepart of Barbara and Leonathey were anxious, too, The girl had evidently oc- cupied her chamber a portion of the night, but now she was gone, and nobody could explain where or why. When it became fully settled that she was one, Mr, Neat grew ese yp interested. He :ad cften noticed that when he began work on a case somebody was liable to disappear mys- teriously; and in nine cases out of ten, the sequel proved that that*person had possessed im- portant knowledge of the case. He proceeded to question those who had seen Rosa the previous evening, and gained kis first information from Miss Nettleton. She now remembered, though she had given the matter but little attention then, that the girl had been strangely awkward when doing some work for her during the evening. She had com- mented on the subject and received some casual roply which sho did not remember. rs. Drake, on being interviewed, told a more “men story. ‘Rosa was nervous,” she said, ‘‘ and I had to reprove her for the way she did her work. ** Don’t scold, Mrs. Drake,’ says she, ‘for I’m not feeling well to-night.’ **¢ What's the trouble?’ says I. ** «My nerves seem a‘” unstrung,’ says she. ** * No wonder,’ says I, ‘ when things have be- come so unsettled at Ccast Castle that there is a robbery, and we have to have a detective living right with us.’ ‘* Upon this Rosa turned short around, and I saw ag her eyes looked kind of wild and un- settled, ** * Will he stay long, Mrs. Drake? says she, *** Until he catches the thief, I suppose,’ says I. fan What will be done with him, when he is caught? she asked, sort of eager like, *** Woll,’ says I, ‘I am not versed in Jaw mat- ters, but I should say it would be imprisonment for life, Sometimes robbers only get forty or or fifty years, but a robbery at Coast Castle is quite an extr’o’nary affair. It would probably be life, without any ticket-to-leave.’ Did I state the law right, Mr. Neat?’ ‘* Admirably, Mrs, Drake. Well, what did Rosa say to that?” ‘* Now you recall it, I think she turned pale, and I do know them—those eyes of hers were big as saucers. ‘* But whatif it was a woman, Mrs. Drake? says she. ‘It may have been a woman, or a boy mayn’t it, ma’am? ‘T knew then that she was thinking of Loy- ola, for she and I had privately talked about the Indian; and I replied that if ’twas a wo- man she might get a life-sentence, or possibly let off with a flogging.’ ** And what next, Mrs, Drake?” “That’s all that was said. Rosa aa upa dish and went to the dining-room with it, and we said no more on the subject.” ‘* This was just before supper?” “Yes, sir.’ “Did you talk with Rosa at all afterwards?” ** Only casually, about our work, sir.” ** Did she become calm, or not?” **She was nervous all the evening, but, law! sir, so was J. This affair of the robbery has upset us all.” The housekeeper had no more to say, and Neat interviewed Loyola, Here he met with no success, whatever. She said she had noticed nothing peculiar; had paid_no attention to what the other women said; and could throw no ligbt on Rosa’s case, Next, the detective saw Joseph Jirson. The corpulent gardener bad seen Rosa dur- ing the evening. He wes not at first inclined to speak out, which looked suspicious until Neat had develo the fact that he tried to improve Tim Welch’s absence and press his love-suit, only to be foiled. Hot Heart, the Detective Spy. | ‘‘T could not get Rosa’s mind upon the sub- ject,” he admitted. ‘She was nervous, ed | asked me habout Bill Peters, who was drownd- ed bin Nigger’s Harm, Land asked me hif heffort’s ‘ad been made to find the body. I told ’er that the commodore ‘ed ’ad men drag- ging the inlet for two days, but that nobody ’ad been found.” ‘* What next, Mr. Jigson?” ‘““Why, sir, she wanted to know if ha body was likely to be found there bhif there was one, or bif the tide would take it hout to sea.” ‘Well?’ ‘7 told ’er hit was the hopinion that ha body would not go hout to sea, and that it was very ‘ard finding what Nigger Harm took, ay ‘* How did she receive this infcrmation?” **She said hit was sad that Mr. Peters ‘ad been drownded, but perhaps ’e was better hoff in Nigger Harm than hanywhere hele, sir.” ‘You say she was nervous at this time?” ‘* Well, anes sys at least, Mr. Neat.” This was all Joseph could tell, but, taken in connection with Mrs. Drake’s story, it sug- gested a very startling theory. Rosa had been nervous; perhaps frightened; enc had question- ed the housekeeper as to what would done with the robber when found, especially with re- ference to a female robber. Shortly after this she had asked, those suggestive questions of Joseph J ~ gre It looked like a case of guilt and suicide. » Almost any one would say, at first thought that Rosa had been the thief, and that, alarme at the ccnsequences, she kad now gone and drowned herself in the waters of N gger Arm. Mr. Neat saw which way the evidence point- and felt sure that he had strucka lead. It only increased the mystery, however. He did not regard Rosa as a dishonest girl, and even if she bad been, why had sbe stolen the yellow parchment? Miss Nettleton’s jewels were where she could at any time bave taken them, yet they were not molested. Then why had she taken the parchment? There were but two ways of answering the anger either Paul bad spoken falsely as te e nature of the lost article, or else, if Rosa was really the thief, there was more to the mat- ter than the detective yet knew. Rosa bad been well liked as a servant: her ee ae bad been well filled and, in return, had n made pleasant for her. Even Paul spoke well of her. She had no revenge to gratify, and as the parchment was valueless to her, s would never have taken it from any personal motive. ‘‘ If she was the thief, she acted as agent for somebody «Ilse, and there is a drama back of it,” thought Mr. yo ‘Now, who could have been her ally? Common sense and m ri- ence teach me that Rosa may have had a Jover. She had two known lovers—Welch and Jigson —but I'll wager something she didn't care a picayune for either. They are coarse and awk- ward; she is, or was,a very trim little soul, servant or not. Query: Hadshe another lover who tempted her to steal the parchment? and, if so, who is he?” While thus soliloquizing the detective had half-unconsciously been walking along the south road, led, perhaps, by instinct to go toward where he supposed Rosa had gone—to Nigger Arm—but be was suddenly brought to a stand- still by sight of Convent Rest. Nor was this all. azer Hot Heart was visible at the win- dow, calmly smoking. Mr. Neat at once became on the alert. Here was a man who lived on the very road —— probably took if she went to drown her- self, Might he not have seen her pass? by this mental question, the detective promptly entered the building, ascended the winding stairs and stood in the Fire-Eater’s pe- culiar abode. Hot Heart did not rise, but moved one hand toward an extra chair. ‘You can sit down if you want to,” he lan- guidly observed, still smoking, ‘*T certainly do, Mr. Hot Heart. I have come to see you on business. Can you tell me where Rosa Strong is?” ' i? He watched the effect of his words keenly, but not a muscle of Frazer’s face lost its easy indif- ference, ‘“VWho tho dickens is Rosa Strong?” he in- dolently asked. CHAPTER XXV. ADDITIONAL TROUBLE FOR PAUL. ‘*RosE STRONG,” the detective replied, ‘ is one of the force of servants at Coast Catle: At least she was, until she mystcriously disappear- ed last night.” Frazer removed his pipe and laughed. “What!” he said, ‘‘ another mystery at Net- tleton’s? Upon my word, they are getting sen- sational. So Rosa has skipped. Who does Paul think stole her ?” ‘* J think her lover ought to answer that.” It was only a random shot, put in a general way, but Neat watched to see the result. The Fire-Eater remained as indifferent as ever. Ebooks nt my €om ' re ee $$ $———————— SSS ee fi 4 df