Beadle's Dime Library No. 465: The Actor Detective — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

for Keene to see what had become of him until he turned the corner. Fortune was still favoring the Actor Detec- tive. The game was still in sight, proceeding leis- urely down the street, switching off the tops of the weeds which grew by the wayside, with his light cane as he passed along. The lane, for it wasn’t anything more, being quite narrow in comparison with the main highway, was tolerably straight, although it curved around a little to the ieft, and so Keene was able to keep his game in sight, and still re- main a good distance in the rear. The Actor Det a gesture of impatience. ‘‘ Don’t try to come any of that nonsense on me. It won’t work, I’m no man’s fool, I can tell you; but you ought to know that by this time, that is if you know anything.” ‘Why, what do I know about you?’ the actor demanded, pretending to be greatly sur- prised. “You are playing this thing for all it is worth!” Roe cried in scornful contempt. ‘*] see that you are as good an actor off the stage as you are on, but im thiscase you are wasting your talent, for I don’t appreciate it in i” _ the least. ‘‘ Where the deuce is the fellow going?’ quoth | the tracker in amazement as he noted that there were only a few houses on the lane, all of them near the main road, and all passed by Roe with- | 2 | not aman Jack of them all ever succeeded in | making it work yet.” out so much as a second glance. ‘* What game is the fellow up to?” Keene was perplexed but still kept on in the | chase, His biood was up, and he determined to see the thing through since he had progressed so far in it. Roe kept on until he reached the railroad track, and then he abandoned the lane and walked along the iron way. ‘*Hang the fellow!” cried the Actor Detec- tive, as he noted this new maneuver. ‘‘ Has he set out on a pedestrian tour with the intention of reaching Albany before he stops? ‘‘T'll stick to him though, no matter how far he goes!” came with firm determination from the lips of the sleuth-hound. ‘*T’ll back my muscles and wind against his any day in the week, and I can keep the track as long as he can.” Ever and anon, as Keene trudged up the rail- | i ' road track, the suspicion would occur to bim | that it was was being ‘‘ shadowed,” and was leading him off on a wild-goose chase on purpose. ssible the rascal had detected he | | | “Tl stick to him though, all the same!” | Keene exclaimed. ‘*'You mustn’t think that you are smart enough to humbug me, for you are not. ‘‘Men with more brains than you have in your noddle have tried that game on me, and ‘*Upon my word, sir, you are talking in rid- dles,” Keene remarked, still affecting astonish- ment. ‘‘I bave never attempted to humbug you to my knowledge.” ‘** You baven’t followed me then clear from Broadway?” ‘* Followed you! What an idea!” “Tt is true, though, all the same!” ‘Why should I follow you? The idea is ab- surd!” ‘** Yes, | agree with you there!” Roe hastened to exclaim. *“*The thing is absurd, and that is the reason why I want to know what you mean by it. ‘*It is not a pleasant thing for a man to have his footsteps dogged by any sneaking thief of a spy, and when I discovered that you were on my track, I made up my mind I would lead you to some quiet spot, where I would have an oppor- tunity of making you explain your conduct. I am not used to any such treatment, and I am not going to stand it either,-I can tell you that, —— actor chap.” ot only the words of Roe, but his manner also was insulting, and there was a glint of fire On went Roe until he came to the junction of | in the clear eyes of the actor as he made reply: the railroad track whic: rans by the side of the Harlem River with ther. line by the banks of | careful what you say. the Hudson. Spuyten Duyvel station was passed, and on went the two toward Yonkers. There’s a curve in the ironway between the two stations, and when Roe passed around the curve his pursuer lost sight ot him. Keene did not hasten his pace, for it wasa wild and desolate spot, quite a deep cut, and the Actor Detective did not think there was any danger of his prey escaping him by leaving the But when he turned the curve a decided sur- prise greeted him. CHAPTER XIX. WARM WORDS. THE pursued man had turned around and was retracing his steps. And he had made such good use of the few minutes that had intervened between his disap- pearance around the curve and Keene’s arrival at the same place, that he was only about a hun- dred yards from the latter when he made his ap nce around the bend. he Actor Detective was fairly caught, and.he didn’t see that there was the slightest chance for him to get out of the hobble. The only thing he could do was to go straight on, trusting that some lucky chance would keep Roe from recognizing bim. ‘*] must put on a stiff upper lip and face the music,” Keene muttered to himself when he saw he was fairly in for it. So onward he went, appearing as careless and auconcerned as possible. But as he approached Roe he noticed that the other was slackening his pace—he had his eyes on his game, although he did not appear to be looking at him—and he immediate y came to the conclusion that the other intended to speak when he came up. The conclusion was correct, for when the two men got within fifty feet of each other Roe snd- denly halted, and with a most decided sneer on his face, said: * My friend, I hope you have enjoyed your Keene's eyes were opened in an instant now and he comprehended that his suspicions had not been without foundation. To use the slang of the detective world, Roe had “tumbled” to the fact that he was being “‘piped,” and had endeavored to give his pur- suer a Roland for an Oliver, It was the game of the Actor Detective though, to appear as if he did not comprehend the meaning of the other. ‘* Did you speak to me, sir?’ he said, halting. | into the State Le ..2.2.0Sa iii ee | | : ' ; | ‘** See here, fellow, you had better be a little I am not used to bein abused, and I do not feel inclined to put up with it. ‘* How are you going to help yourself?’ the other asked with a sneer. “Why, I will simply wring your nose, if you dare to use such language,to me.” The hot blood flus the face of Roe imme- diately, and he clinched his hands nervously to- gether, Phe oa you will wring my nose, will you?” he c ‘**T will most decidedly if you dare to address me in any offensive terms again.” ** Do you know what I would do to you if you attempted to touch my nose?’ Roe de ed, his eyes blazing with passion, ‘‘No, I rea y do not, but I don’t think you would do much, for I shouldn’é allow you to have the chance,” the Actor Detective replied, coolly. ** I'd drill a bole right through you.” “Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy land,” Keene retorted. ‘* You'll find that I can act as weil as talk, but we’re getting away from the subject. You have dogged my footsteps all the way from Union Square out here, and I want to know what you mean by it. You think you are ex- tremély cunning, but in such a matter as this ou are no match for me. ‘‘T knew you were trying to play the spy upon me in five minutes after you commenced our dirty work, ‘* That is the reason why 1 passed up and down roadway. I wanted to assure myself that there wasn’t any mistake about the matter, and you fell into the trap immediately. “You have got a deal to learn, my bold actor, before you will be entitled to take a stand in the detective ranks.” ‘* It is evident by your reference to my profes- sion that you know me,” Keene remarked. ‘Yes, and you know me well enough too, al- though you are making an ass of yourself by pretending ignorance, ‘* Your nose will be in danger if you don’t curb that unruly tongue!” the actor warned, “Don’t trouble yourself about my tongue; you will have all you can do to take care of your own ogi members without troubling your- self about mine.” **T am not in the least afraid of that,” Keene replied. ** You are skillful in evading questions, and I see you are determined not to satisfy me in re- gard to this Spy business, ‘* Not satisfied with attempting to swear me Prison, for you, of all the wit- The two were now only some twenty feet nesses, was the one whose testimony bore hard- from each other. **Oh, yes; you’re the man I addressed. You , my do not see any one else around, do you?” est _—— me, now you have taken to dogging ootsteps. Pray, fellow, do you think you can serve Keene looked up and down the railroad track | this Miss Estelle by so doing? Is that your lit- in the most innocent and natural manner in the | world, just as if he believed that the other liter- ally meant what he said. No, I do not,” he replied. “Oh, come, stow that!” the other cried, with ed bs ' tle game? ‘The girl herself never put you up to it, ll swear, for she isa lady and would not descend to any such mean, low, vulgar action.” “You speak in hi h terms of the woman o ctive. — LE 13 whose life you attempted,” Keene remarked, thinking it was useless to keep up the deception of a ring not to know the fellow. ‘You can’t make her believe that yarn, now,” Roe responded. ‘* ve taken pains to see the lady and explain matters to her, and I feel sure she never set you to spying upon my footsteps unless, indeed, she is the most deceitful of women.” ‘* Miss Estelle never asked me to play the spy upon you,” the actor remarked gravely. It was repugnant to his nature to converse about the girl with this fellow whom he believed to be an utter scoundrel. ‘*T’m glad you do her justice,” Roe said, in a lofty sort of way. ‘‘ And, by-the-by, 1 have beard rumors that you have been paying con- siderable attention to Miss Estelle lately, and I want to warn you that you are only wasting time. . ‘* The lady is not for you.” ‘* Suppose we change the subject of conversa- tion. I would rather not discuss Miss Estelle’s affairs with you.” ‘* Ah, but that is exactly what you will have to do!” Roe exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with rage. ‘*] want you to understand that I intend to get that girl myself. Weare rivals, and unless you instantly resign all pretensions to that lady, your blood will be on your own head.” ‘‘ Eh? do you dare to threaten?” Hardly had the words been spoken when Roe reached for a weapon, and Keene, understand- ing what the fellow was up to, was equally as. prompt, Revolvers in hand, the two confronted each other. CHAPTER XX, THE DUEL. THE weapons were whipped out in a trice, Both were equally quick, so that neither could boast of an advantage over the other. ‘* Oho, you are armed!” Roe exclaimed, “‘ Yes, as you see, and my weapon is a self- cocker, too, so that I have the advantage.” ‘‘Not at all! Don’t flatter yourself in that way!” sneered the other. ‘* My weapon is a self-cocker, also, so we are evenly Br oe | as far as pistols are concerned but when we come to skill in handling them, I doubt if you are my equal.” ‘‘ The-only way to decide that question, that I know of, is to open battle.” ‘““That is exactly what I propose to do,” the other rejoined, as cool as a cucumber, although his face was now very white, and his eyes were flashing with angry fires. “Oh, vou do? ‘‘ Yes, [have watched the course you have been pursuing with Miss Estelle for some time. You have played the lover with her on the stage so often that no doubt you think it would be a fine thing to do the same in private life, but she is not for you. I claim the lady, and I am ready to shed the heart’s blood of any man — who dares to come between us.” ‘‘Theu you are really in earnest, and this — pistol business is not intended for mere bra- vado?” Keene asked, hardly able to bring him- self to believe that the fellow really meant what he said. ‘“‘What do you take me for?” the other de- manded. ‘Do you think I lured you to this lonely spot simply to talk to made up my mind the moment were on my k, that the world wasn’t enough to hold of us, and that is the reason why I encouraged you to follow me here.” ‘The deuxe you say!” the Actor Detective exclaimed, considerably astonished, not only at the intelligence, but at the coolness with which the avowal was made. ‘“Oh, yes, now that you are in the trap, it is just as well you should understand how clev- erly you have been fooled.” d, as he gave utterance to the sentence, the expression of mali t triumph which lit up his face made him look like a demon rather than one of mortal frame. : ‘““T will frankly own to you that it was my intention to kill you outright, without giving you a chance for your life,” the young man con- tinued. ‘‘ Thanks to my self-cocker, I expected to get away with you before you would have a — chance to use a Weapon.” ‘‘But you have slipped up on that little me,” Keene sug ‘ ‘‘Oh, I shall kill you all the same,” the other rejoined in a tone of utter confidence, : Well, you may, and then again you may not,” Keene nded. . ‘‘T am a dead shot, and never miss my mark,” Roe boasted. ‘‘Pm a tolerably good marksman myself.” “Oh. you don’t stand any chance for your life at all,” the young man exclaimed, impa- tiently. vr ‘*T will believe that after I see it proved, \ and not before!” the Actor Detective replied, an- noyed at the arrogance of his antagonist. ‘You will see it proved soon enough,” Roe — remarked, with another satanic smile. “But I want you to comprehend how care=» +a “comicboo . 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