Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 419 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

18 silent man, always seeming oppressed by weigh- ty cares, only came to see me at rare intervals, He was engaged in foreign commerce, I was told, and so was obliged to be abroad the great- er partof the time. He was always kind and secmed greatly to enjoy his visits to me, ** There was some mystery about him, for the lady, who was a childless widow, and who had taken care of me ever since I was an infant, knew no more about him than I did, and after each visit that my father made she would ques- tion me in regard to him, saying how strange it was that he did not seem to have any relatives or friends, and when he went away never left | any address by means of which a communica- , tion could reach him, ** The bills were always settled promptly, and I provided with everything such as befitted the / daughter of a gentleman of fortune. my educa- — in particular being most carefully looked after. ain ** Just two months ago my father came to pay his usual visit, and I noticed that a great change bad taken place; he was but the shadow of his ' ~~ former self, and when in my girlish anxiety I questioned him, he said he bad been ill for quite atime; so much so that he had been obliged to ive up his business, and the doctors said unless = e relinquished all care the worst might be ex- } ‘ted. Within a week he was prostrate on a pe sick bed, and soon the physicians announced that b's case was hopeless, and warned him to Sie a for death atany moment. Then, real- ing that the end was near, he told me he had written to friends in America, who would pro- vide for me when he was taken away, which event soon took place. Ah! madam, it was a terrible affliction, for I had learned to love my father, and the blow fell upon me with horrible force.” Lesbia paused, emotion choking her utter- ance, ** Ah, yes; I can understand exactly how you felt, for I too have known what it is to have those near and dear to me torn away by the un- relenting hand of cruel fate.” . And bending over the invalid, Miss Brandon oF pressed a soft kiss upon her, forehead. 44 Thus encouraged, Lesbia conquered her emo- ' tion and proceeded with her story. y ‘** A short time after my father’s death, a let- ‘ter arrived from New York, directed to me, and _ gigned by a Mr. Edmund Miller, attorney-at- law. It contained an order for a ticket to America, and directed me how to proceed. It | stated that I would be met by a gentleman | when the steamer landed, who would look out | for me until I could get something to do, as in ’ the future I would have to depend upon my : - own exertions, as the person whom the writer represented—and who was evidently the one of x whom my father spoke—was not so situated as pir to be able to be of much assistance to me at [a ‘nt. It was a cold, business letter, and it “ani airly chilled me when I read it; The lady, who - . had been as a second mother to me, was indig- | —- gant at its tone and advised me not to go, but, e since I was dependent upon myself for support, yy to re nain in England with her, as she felt sure +E would get along better than by going abroad among strangers.’ bes ‘*You thought that you were in duty bound Ae >So obey your father’s wish though, and so you came.’ “Yes, madam,” and then Lesbia detailed the re series of strange adventures which had befallen | her since she arrived in New York Bay, and | with wuich the reader is already familiar. | Miss Brandon was amazed. Bec, * Well, upon my word! I never heardofany- thing more astonishing in all my life!” she ex- | glaimed. ‘Why, it. is perfectly outrageous, and to think, you poor girl, that it was your | -—s- fate to encounter such perils, It really seems as if fortune had a spite against you.” . A | ** And yet, madam, 1 have never done any- sy ot thing in ull my life to deservo it.” _. “No doubt about that,” the other exclaimed. 7 flatter m that | am an excellenc judo of buman nature, and if you haven't a good and __ invocent face, then I never saw one. but now, my dear,—if you will excuse the question, con- we sidering the interest that I take in you—when / - you get well what do you propose todo? Will _- You go to the ollice of the steamship company ae and endeavor to find out the whereabouts of this -- geutleman—this Mr, Miller?” oo.) 4 | ‘*T suppose so, madam—lI suppose that is the | - only course open to me.” ae **Oa,no, you are wrong there; if you do not choose, you need not trouble the gentieman at all; you do not need any assistance from him. - [tis a very strange affair, and | must say there is something about it that I do not like. Why ‘Es the real party keep himself so carefully -—s goncealed? It looks to me asthough your father _- Jabored wnder a misapprehension, when he in- trusted you to the care of this person. He evi- ll ? ; a? #. a, ' : a ve dently —- that more would be ayn ~~ you than si paying your passage an en leav- “Sal ing Jong oof out for yourself, Lesbia, my - yy dear, | am a very plain-spoken woman; early in life I met with a great disappointment, and it Pet i ss soured my temper; it made me hate all man- kind, You are the first person to b Samp ie ‘ warmed. I did not believe it possible that there was a creature in the world for whom I would ever care two straws, but somehow your face softened my stubborn heart. I liked you at first, and now, since you have been here, that liling has grown into love, If Heaven had been kind to me, and man trus, it is possible that I would now have hada daughter like you to cheer me in the old age which is gradually creeping upon me. Lesbia, my darling, will you not stay here and be hke adaughter to me? I am a rich woman, amply able to take care of you, amply able to give you the luxuries which such a girl as you ought to have, your due by birth, I am sure. ‘There is a vncant place in my heart—it has been there for many a long year, and I never dreamed that there was any one in this world that could fill it—but now that the sunshine of your presence falls across my life, the void has disappeared, and I feel as I have not felt for years,” There were tears in the eyes of both of them at this point, for Lesbia, too, had been strangely attracted toward her hostess, ‘*T will senda trusty messenger to find out all about this Mr. Miller, and when it is done, it will bean easy matter toascertain who itis that is so anxious to conceal his identity. Then, child, if they can put forward a better claim to your love than I, you shall be free to go.” Lesbia’s heart was so full that it was a diffi- cult matter for her to express her thanks, and Miss Brandon quickly checked her when she made the attempt. It was an odd occurrence, and, as the hostess said, the hand of Heaven seemed to be in it, CHAPTER XXIX. AN ODD ADVENTURE, Tus last daring crime on the part of the se- cret assassin filled the heart of the superinten- cent with unbounded rage. ‘*The infernal scoundrel!” he cried, ‘‘ He dares to defy our power! Phenix, this villain must be taken, no matter how much it costs or how great the toil, for if I can’t capture him, tne quicker | resign my office the better it will be for the city. Phenix agreed with the chief that at all haz- ards the assassin must be hunted down. Another point, too, the superintendent and the detective agreed upon and that was the an- nals of crime recorded no bolder or more re- markable rascal, His bravado was wonderful. Instead of dis- posing secretly of the bodies of his victims as is the usual custom of all murderers, he seemed to take a fiendish delight in leaving them in the most public places that could be selected, and how such a thing could be done without discov- ery by the police was a circumstance that puz- zied the old and experienced heads of our two worthies, : Tho bodies must be transported to the locality where they were found by means of some ve- hicle, but how they were-removed from the car- riage to the ground without exciting notice was & mystery. Diligent inquiry revealed the fact that a close carriage of some description—the officer who had encountered it on the corner was not exact- ly sure of the class—had come through the street ebout ten minutes before the time that the two had discovered the body. There wasn’t anything remarkable about the vehicle—nothing to attract the attention of the policeman, and so he had not favored it witha second glance. His impression was that the carriage was a common hack with dark horses, but as he was careful to state, he wasn’t at all sure about this, and the carriage micbt have been a coupe, drawn by a single horse; of two things he felt positive though, the carriage was a close one and the animals—or animal—that drew it were dark in color. This was a clew, although a faint one, and the chief proceeded to follow it up vigorously. He dispatched his keenest men to examine all the hacks in the city, and, by judicious ** pu mping,” ascertain if any of the drivers knew aught of a coach which had passed through Mulberry street on a certain night at a certain hour, Meanwhile, Phenix proceeded according to his own ideas, having arranged with the superin- tendent a mode of communication, so that each could reach the other at almost any time, The detective was now satisfied that he had made a mistake in endeavoring to entrdp the assassin in his own proper person, but since his resent disguise had deceived such an old famil- oe acquaintance as the superintendent, he felt certain that no one else would be able to pene- trate it. His plan was a simple one; for the third time he was goiug to try the scheme which had al- ready been twice successful. + Irving, in the disguise of a wealthy stranger had attracted the attention of the assassin, an had fallen by bis hand, He, Phenix, had also succeeded, although in his case, the woman, whom he supposed in the Irving matter to be only a decoy, had apparently me the principal. He had escaped Irving’s fate by a The Bat of the Battery. | lucky chance, end now, armed with the know'- edge which he had so unexpectedly gained, if he could succeed in inducing the assassin to mark him out for a victim, he felt satisfied he could make a capture, This time Phenix did not select the Fifth Av- enue Hotel as a headquarters, After the nar- row escape that the vampire-like slayer had had in connection with that hotel, he did not think it likely it would be as good ground for his op- erations as some other of the fashionable up- town hotels. So he resolved to favor the Bre- voort house with his patronage. A week went by; Phenix spent his money free- ly, cutting quite a dash, and supporting the character of a wealthy Creole sugar-planter from Southwestern Louisiana to the life, but never a bite did he have. He was in constant commurication with the chief and so was kept posted in regard to the search for the mysterious carriage. The superintendent succeeded no better than the detective, and was obliged to come to the conclusion that the carriage was a private one; so, with all the force that he could muster, he was endeavoring to makeas close an examina- tion of the private carriages in the city as he had made of the public ones, a task not easily accomplished. Phenix, on his part, since he had failed to at- tract his prey in the places which he had fre- quented, commenced to widen the scene of his operations, ** Possibly I have not paid attention enough to the nether side of New York life.” he mused. ‘** A Soutbern planter with plenty of money, vis- iting the city for the purpose of enjoying him- self, would be certain to see all the sights, par- ermnty the ones that are only to be found after dark, The secret slayer seeks men with money in their po. ergo, then, I must take peins to let all the world know that I am roiling in wealth.” To those who dwell within the gates of Goth- am, and are possessed of the necessary funds, it is not a difficult matter to find guides to the lairs wherein the “‘ tiger ” lurks, ready to prey upon all who are rash enough to dare his Jews and teeth, Phenix easily procured admission to all the high toned gambling establishments, and in or- der to keep up his ass»med eharacter, he played with the rec‘ less air of a man to whom money was no object, For a week he kept this up, being nichtly to be found at some one of the gilded eaming heils of the metropolis, and rarely returned to his ho- tel until three cr four o’clock in the morning. Numerous attempts were made by the well- dressed sharks, ever on the watch in such cities as New York for unsophisticated strangers, to obtrude themselves on the wealthy Creole, but Phenix, with his wonderful knowledge of the night-birds of the city, quickly perceived that they were mere vulgay rascals, and not the big geme he sought. Phenix, being a man of ice, never allowed the excitement of play to influence him in the least, and as is a general rule in this life, fortune smiled upon his game; the blind goddess being noted for favoring the indifferent souls who rather scorn than seek her smiles, Luck favored him so much that the gaming- house keepers began to hate the very sight of his tall and handsome figure. One particular night, the eighth one that Phe- nix had devoted to this quest, an odd incident ocenrred, The detective about midnight bad strolled into what was popularly called the ** boss” gaming- bouse of the city, a palatial brownstone man- sion on Twenty-third street, where the largest ‘‘came” in the metropolis was played, and which admitted only within its walls the high- toned sports of the city. Representative men, bankers, lawyers, poli- ticians, and the young bloods, who possess more money than brains, lounged in the sumptuously- furnished parlors, discussing the topics of the day, or partook of the elaborate lunch which was served regularly at twelve o’clock, flanked with the finest wines and liquors, all free as air to the patrons of the house, The Bon Ton Club the place was called, and those who were not in the secret supposed it to be a club-house, pure and simple, while in re- ality it was nothing but a regular came ne. This night Phenix was outof sorts. He be to feel annoyed that he had not succeeded in getting upon the trail of bis prey, and the ques- tion arose in his mind if he had not better adopt some other plan than the one that he was pur- suing. He was engaged in mentally debating this sub- i when he sat down to play, and so for some ittle time he made his bets hap-hazard, paying little attention as to bow the game was going. There was aslender, dark-faced young man on his rigbt hand as he sat down, and Phenix noticed that be looked like a foreigner and was evidently deeply interested in the game, betting heavily, ne 4 as the detective perceived in a short time, with decidedly bad luck. The cards ran out, the board was cleared of the chips; a fresh pack, after being duly shuffled, was Dlaced in the dealing-box, and again the com JOO ¢c an . Ss. COl ee