Beadle's Dime Library No. 42 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

a lg a The California Detective. 25 —_— —--—_—_—_ “TY place myself entirely in your hands,” the savant said. ‘Good; that is all I ask. In two hours [ll hide you away snugly. We have a powerful and an able foe to deal with; we can’t afford to throw away a chance.” A few more words and the interview ended. CHAPTER XIX. ON THE SCENT. Axsoot four hours after the interview between the detec- tive and the old savant, a hackman, sitting on the box of his coach in Union Square, was accosted by a keen-eyed stran- ger. ‘Did you drive a party from the Academy of Music to a house down in Water street?” the stranger asked, who was no other than the California detective, Bright. ‘¢ Well ”"—and the coachman shut one eye and surveyed the stranger carefully—‘‘I don’t exactly remember whether I did or not.” ‘Would a five-dollar bill help your memory any?” asked the detective, quietly, drawing a ‘‘ greenback” from his pocket and displaying it in his open palm. The coachman grinned. “Now yow’re talkin’, Cap.,” he said, emphatically. ‘ Wot do you want to know?” ‘‘- You drove the party to the place in Water street; then they all got out and entered the house. After a little while the woman came out, said something to you, got into the carriage, and you drove off.” ‘“Cor-rect; you’ve zot it down fine, now,” said the driver, dn admiration. ‘‘ Now, I want to know what the woman said to you and where you drove her to.” ‘‘ What’s the lay, anyway?” ‘Five dollars for you if you give me the information; that’s your ‘lay’; what mine is, is my own business and no- body else’s.” ‘‘ Well, you’re jes’ as sharp as a meat-ax; don’t play many points on you, you kin jes’ bet! I’m your man fur to rake in that V,” the driver said. ‘The woman told me that I needn’t wait fur the rest of the party, but thatI could drive her to the corner of Twenty-third street and Broadway, which I did, an’ she got out an’ ‘lit’ out down Twenty- third street toward Fifth avenue, Got the worth of your five dollars, boss?” ‘‘lIardly, but a bargain’s a bargain; here’s the money,” and the detective handed the bill to the driver and sauntered off carelessly up the street. ‘‘ Je’s a cool hand, whoever he is,” the hackman said, as he pocketed the bill. ‘Not much information gained there,” the detective said to himself, as he walked slowly onward, ‘* The woman evi- dently designed to throw any one off her track. I am at fault. Luck must aid me here, for calculation can’t, that’s wertain.” ‘Say, mister,” piped a childish voice, in a shrill treble, close by the detective’s side. Bright looked around and saw a little, ragged, red-headed ‘urchin, The folded papers under his arm told what his ve cation was. ‘* Well, what is it, sonny?” asked Bright. ‘I heerd wot you said to that feller wot drives the hack,” and the boy grinned intelligently. “Oh, you did?” \ “You bet; I kin show you where the girl went to, if you'll come down with the stamps,” the boy said, and he winked one eye in a very sigvificaut manner, - a ‘Luck turns up a trump-card, by Jove!” the detective cried to himself, in glee. ‘‘ All right, my little man; I guese you and | can make a trade.” ** You bet we kin!” cried the youth, confidently. ‘‘How did you happen to know any thing about this affair?” Bright asked. “Well, I hangs out round John Allen's, in Water street, } does; them’s my stumpin’-grounds at night. I was a-snoozin down in a coal-box when the carriage driv’ up, an’ coaches ain’t common down in Water street, boss; so I jist watched how the old thing worked. I see’d ’em go into the crib, then I see’d the gal come out and heerd her speak to the cove wot driv’ the hack. An’ when I heerd her speak I knew who she was.” **'You did?” cried the detective, in glee; he was paying very strict attention to the newsboy’s story. ‘* Yes; I see’d her act at the the-a-ter. I used fur to ge inter the gallery; it was jes’ bully, now, I tell yer.” ‘* She is an actress, then?” ““That’s so—I see’d her; don’t fool this child much now, you bet!” cried the boy, with a sagacious wink. ‘You kept your eyes upon her, then?” ‘* Well, I jes’ did, now. I thought somethin’ was up, so when the masheen driv’ off, I jumped up ahind. The gal went down Twenty-third street, an’ I follered her till she went home.” ‘‘'You know where she lives?” “ Oh, no, of course not; it’s the man around the corner.” “That’s just what I want to know.” Bright understood the boy. ‘‘T say, sport, it takes stamps to buy whisky,” the soy said, with an air of wisdom. ** How much?” ‘* How’s a dollar for high?” inquired the youth. “I ‘chip’ in.” “‘T ‘call’ you, sport,” and the boy extended his hand; it was evident from his speech that he was no stranysex to the beauties of the mystic game known as poker. The detective placed a dollar in the hand of tav boy, and he quickly conveyed it to his pocket. ‘‘Do you want fur to know her name?” he asked. $* Fea.;. ‘ Miss Coralie York.” “And where does she live?” ‘‘T kin show you, but I can’t tell you.” “(Go ahead, then.” ‘‘Tt’s up town,” and the boy led the way up the street “Say, wasn’t it lucky, boss, that I see’d you last night down in the saloon?” ‘‘Did you see me there?” the detective asked, in wonder. ‘Course I did; that’s the reason why I hung round when you was a-talkin’ to the hackman, I thought maybe that you might want fur to know somethin’ ’bout it.” Up the street till they reached Twenty-second; then they turned into that street, and went on till the boy at last halted before a modest two-story brick house. ‘This is the crib,” he said, confidently, ‘You are sure that you haven’t made any mistake?” “‘Nary mistake,” replied the boy, promptly, ‘ Say, sport, if you want any job like this done, jes’ you come to me, Billy Bat’s my name; any of the rounders down in Watet strect knows me. I’m the boy with the auburn hair, I am!” And then the boy danced off down the street. ‘Shall [ make a bold dash for it?” mused the detective. “‘T am almost certain that she took the will from the old max when she bent over him before she called Van Rensselaer inte the room, The blow may as well be struck now as at uny other time. The sudden stroke may take her by surprise (ll go it, just for luck ” , Gomilcbooks