Beadle's Dime Library No. 465: The Actor Detective — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

- ee ee ee | - The Actor Detective. re thinking that Shakespeare wrote Dr. Bird’s old tragedy of ‘The Gladiator,’ or that he was the autbor of John Howard ‘Payne's ‘ Brutus,’ or the still older work of the ancient dramatists, ‘ Venice Preserved,’ is simply ridiculous.” ‘‘- Yes, yes, I believe you did catch me pretty neatly,” replied the young man with perfect composure, “Catch you! Well, I should say so!” ** And that shows what an assa man makes of himself when he attempts to talk about some- thing that he don’t know anything about,” moralized Roe. ‘‘Tf I had been wise enough to have parried your infernal dramatic questions about these miserable old plays. and not have pretended to a knowledge that I did not sess, I would not have got myself into a hole, I had succeeded in pulling the wool over your eves, and if I had not made this unlucky stumble I would not have been detected.” “Oh, yes, you would!” the old lawyer de- clared. ‘‘ You played a bold game, and the chances, other things being even, are always in favor of the bold player who is game enough to tempt fortune. “But I am no chicken, oung man; a mighty tough old rooster festa and in time I surely would have tumbled to your little game,” the colonel declared. ‘“The point in your favor was that I had no reason to suspect that you were aught but what ou pretended to be; but ever since I came face to face with you, I have been wondering at the | | ‘‘ My mother lived with her half-brother, who was much older than she, a Frenchman with an unsavory reputation, and when she died and your partner came, a! uncle scented money, and so when Genera] Yellowbird agreed to do what he could to get my father toreceive me as his son and heir, the Frenchman, never doubt- ing for a moment that the attempt would be suc- cessful, and believing that if he kept me out of my father’s hands a large ransom migbt be ex- acted from my sire, took ship for Europe. ‘‘As you are aware, the general failed to move my father from the position which he had assumed, and so the scheme came to naught. ‘*As I was a bright young rascal, my uncle kept me, thinking he might make me useful in his knavish career, instead of kicking me out to shift for myself, and so I was graduated with all the honors, as accomplished a Chevalier d’ In- dustrie as can be found in all Europe. ‘*We livedon the fat of the land, my uncle and I, for we knew how to play into each other’s bands, and we easily found pigeons to pluck, ‘* But just about a year ago a misadventure befell us. We had fallen in with and plundered a party of Englishmen, but at the last moment just as we had succeeded in cleaning them out, they discovered that they had been cheated, and like true British bull , they fell upon us tooth and nail. ‘*T was alarmed, and did not hesitate to use my weapon, but by an unfortunate mischance my first shot slew my uncle, but being armed witha revolver, I succeeded in laying out three of the marvelous changes which have taken place iv | Johnny Bulls. t is, acting on the supposition hat you were the person you pretended to be, ‘But now that 1 have grown familiar with your features, I can see wherein you differ from my Edmund Keene. ‘You are an older man than he; there are hard and dark lines about your mouth and eyes which betray that you have not had an easy time in your passage through the world, ‘You are an adventurer, I take it, a bold and daring one, too, who is not apt to hesitate at any risk.” ‘Ig there anything else that you can read in my face, you man of gigantic intellect?” the other asked, agree ‘‘ Yes, there is; there is a peculiar look to your eyes, which 1 noticed when I first saw you,” the lawyer answered unbesitatingly. ‘‘T did not pay any particular attention to it at the time, thinking that it might be caused by the exposure of your eyes tu the glare of the footlights; but now that you have thrown off the mask, and are teers in your true colors; now that you aren staying a part, but allow. ing the features of your face to assume their natural ag a I can ww a the ye a our eyes have the peculia common to w heeste: Uf dilating and diminishing without rea- son.” ‘* And what, pray, most learned judge, do you believe to be the reason for their acting in that strange manner?’ Roe asked, betraying a ner- yousness which he had not before manifested, and forcing a light laugh, which sounded, how- ever, particularly discordant and disagreeable. ‘Tt means that your wits are not quite right, and you are likely, if you escape the gallows, or a violent death, to wind up your days in the mad-house,” ‘‘ It’s a lie!” almost shouted the young man, ar. features, t reely. a? hind the best proof of that is the fact that I have succeeded in bam ling you so cleverly. ‘‘Tf I was crazy, or inclined to be, I would not have been able to do that.” ‘‘ Young man, the cunning of the lunatic is roverbial,” the colonel replied. “And if you now what is good for yourself, you will pay heed to my warning and take care of your wits, or the first thing you know you will find them out of your grasp. eh oe to wou own!” retorted the other. ‘I will live to dance over your grave!” — ‘‘That is more than any one will do over yours, for criminals and lunatics of your stam are buried with such scant ceremony that it pretty hard work for any one to find their ves to dance on them.” , ‘But I haven’t answered your question yet,” exclaimed Roe, abruptly changing the subject, for he ey perceived he could not hope to get the of the old lawyer at this game of repartee. tS No; but I Lope you will, for I am really ous, “A few words will satisfy you, I guess!” re- torted the other, with a demo smile, ‘*Tn the first bi while I am not your pro- tege, E€mund Keene, the actor, I am the son of Gerald Fitzgerald and Lucretia Esperance, his first wife, and a the — Seong a to use your own words—a eng chance for this five millions of dollars. ‘** You were right when you said that there were hiatuses in your story, and when you un- dertook to fill up the gaps, your guesses were - not always cor “‘T was a boy of eight years at the tims of my mother’s death at Indianola, and consequently uite oe enough to remember all that took place distin y. s* oll -* 4 5 ia > wy Si, .* i : = = . ate “ ——_ ’ | | ' | Pe ‘** Then the gendarmes put an end to the fight. ‘*T was tried, pronounced by a a to be insane, and so saved from death, although con- demned to pass the rest of my days in a lunatic asylum. ‘From thence I escaped and fled to this covn- try. I thought it high time, as the Old World ~ become too hot to hold me, to try the ew. ‘* Then, too, I wanted to see how matters were going in Texas, I roy or that it might be possible that there might be pickings down there for me in time. ‘*T instituted cautious inquiries, found that my father had just died and left all his property to my half-sister, who had disappeared no one knew where. “*T was well acquainted with the looks of my father’s second wife, for with the curiosity natu- ral to womankind, my mother had procured a icture of the woman who supplanted her. ** Judge of my astonishment when I met the living counterpart of the picture in New York. ** T followed the girl to her home, ‘ shadowed’ her until 1 learned all that she knew of herself, and became satisfied that she was the missing heir, although she knew it not, “* Now my game is simple enough. That girl is all that stands between me and this five- million fortune. **T will remove her, and then, thanks to the exertions of yourself and partner, I stand a good fighting chance for this colossal fortune. ** Now, then, you know what I am, and what do you think of me?” and the young man lay back in his chair and surveyed the other with a scornful smile. ‘** Well, I don’t think you are wise to expose your plans as you have, because I shall be obliged to do my best to upset them.” . *% a : a pp I am neat I am more nave than fool, as you will speedily discover,” the other retorted. : 5. ** This is a lonely spot—no one is near, you and I are here alone. All the valuable papers relat- ing to this affair—the will itself, probably, are in this house somewhere, You are an old man, no match for me, young, resolute, and desperate. ‘* What is to prevent me from killing you, and at one blow destroy the will and secure the pa- rs that prove my identity? ‘Then, as the girl-heir at the North does not know of the treasure that awaits her here, and takes no procautions to protect herself from vio- lence, can I not remove her and so secure all for myself?” ‘* By the everlasting hills! young man, you are a p’ison sarpint, and no mistake!” the old lawyer exclaim ‘The only thing that will stop you, that I know on, is the fact that down hyer in Texas we old fellows are mighty suspicious by nature; we don’t often let the man get the drop on us if we know it, and as I happen to havea self-cocking derringer that carries an ounce ball in this right-hand ket, on the slightest of violence, I will be compelled two let daylight right through you,” With a cry of rage the alventurer plucked forth his revolver, but the old lawyer was too quick for him and discharged the weapon in his ort in the Southwestern style, without tak- g the trouble to draw it. The bullet struck the adventurer in the breast, cutting his very heart in twain, and with a single gasp he fell forward on his face, dead. “* The field is burning, Mercy sits on high, And either he or I must lower lie!’ me exclaimed the colonel, as he rose and surveyed the fallen man. ————— —— —————— sR — = ee Re a ee SS Oe en oo CHAPTER XXXVI. / - JUDGE ANDY SEEKS ASSISTANCE, ’ Tue judge was a decidedly di man when he quitted the apartment of the young tress ac : All along, despite the fact that he had not re- ceived the least encouragement from the lady, he had not been willing to believe she would be fool- ish enough to listen to his suit. His familiar, Corny McCracken, was wait- ing for him at a saloon on the corner of the next street. And the moment he came striding into the bar-room, an angry frown upon bis brow, his face dark with passion, the keen-eyed Irishman understood that the judge’s suit not pros- pered. Judge Andy was frightfully exasperated, and the oaciaiaa e sunk into the chair, McCracken gave a nod to the waiter, and two glasses of whisky were wen upon the table. Fitzgerald dispatched his at a swallow, while the Irishman took more time, ‘* Upon me wourd, Andy, me bucko, ye mustn’t t’row yer whisky down yer t’roat in dat way. It will do ye no good, ye know,” ‘‘Corny, I’m all on fire!” the judge exclaim- ed, in a very melodramatic way, leaning over the table toward the Irishman. ‘(Tn that case I had better turn on the alarm for the fire-engines to put yees out,” rejoined the other, who never allowed a chance for a joke to escape him. ‘Curse your nonsense!” growled the judge. ‘‘This isn’t any time for jesting. suppose you can guess from my actions the way the thing has gone.” ‘*She wouldn’t have it?” ac Yes.” ‘To become Mrs. Judge Andy Fitzgerald was- n’t any temptation?” ** Not the slightest.” ‘* Well, you see, that is all on account of being on the stage, do ye mind. ‘‘She’s got a good start as a actress, ye know the people do be often saying she is clever, and I sup the girl thinks that the time is not far distant when she will be after making a fortune by her talent. ; ‘* With such an outlook as that, judge, a gurl can afford to take matters aisy. ‘It isn’t like as if she wasn’t pend cory, omy a sewing or a shop gurl, with nothing but two hands to depind upon.” ‘‘Upon my honor, Corny, my words didn’t seem to make the least impression upon her!” the judge declared. ‘*She was as cold as an iceberg from the be- ginning of the interview to the end. **Oh, I tell you, Corny, she played her game like an old stager. ‘*She was deeply sensible of the honor, and hoped I would not be offended if she was obliged to decline the offer.” ‘*Ohbo! the gurl is no fool! any man can see that with balf an eye,” the Irishman ‘* Mebbe she put in that she was wedded to her art and all that sort of thing.” ‘‘No, she didn’t trouble herself to give any reason, excepting that she only r me as a friend and was certain that she could never learn to look upon me in any otber light.” ‘** Oho, will ye listen to that now!” fiercely. ‘** Upon me word it is bad.” before in my life, although since I have made this one was just about what I wanted.” ‘** Oho, she’s a foine gurl; there’s no two ways about that.” ‘« And I think it would have been all right too —I think I could have made an impression up the girl if it had not been for this infernal actor, this Edmund Keene, but it was apparent to me from the moment I saw them on the stage to- gether that there was a love affair between hem.” , ‘ Yis, but the young actor has disappeared in : mysterious manner, and no one knows where e is, judge. When I called upon the girl this afternoon, a gentleman was just leaving her and thongh thing about his figure and the way he himself which impressed me with the idea that I had seen him before. ‘‘]T mentioned the matter to the girl and seemed as if she didn’t care to talk about it. ‘* Now I have been thinking over the occur- rence and the idea has flashed into my mind that it was the actor, Keene, in disguise. ‘‘ Be the powers! that would be odd, but what is the reason why he would be afther any such game!” ‘Oh, I don’t know that, the riddle is too deep a one for me to guess. “You know it is only a vague idea of mine and it may be far from the truth.” “The whim of a jealous mind, me lord!” ex- claimed McCracken in a theatrical chap en. “Yes, that is about it, and I tell you what is, Corny, | would spend a deal of money and ECOMiIE <} IOO “Curse the luck!” exclaimed the judge, ‘* And I never set my heart upon any woman — money I have had love affairs with a dozen, but — ‘‘Tam not sosure aboat that,” observed the | his face was —- tome, yet there was some- > . wa _ a ~ _ ———— i 4 - = te * -~ all 4 ——— . . “ —, > eo * res ba — **, % {J . > a Pitted . . Ee O_o ea eee ». # . - My Sf - J ey *falp = ~~ ; ~ f eee 8 \ “i. f =—— or. . rr ye oe’ a 7 a? a Se an . ¢ — <5 Le” S » \55 | y tt it ees ee ee oe