Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 485 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 ‘* That is well—very well!” ‘““T am glad to have you Say that, Good- night, then! You must go now,’ e looked at her with mingled surprise and admiration. She had suddenly grown perfectly composed. ‘When shall I hear from you?” And, re- ceiving back the key, she made a movement to lead the way out. ‘‘Sometime to-morrow—either by Mingo or ance Starlight,” he replied, but without mov- ng. ‘* Why don’t you come?” ‘*Can’t you guess?” She looked him in the face, and was silent, The confession of agonized solicitude, the love, the fear of leaving her alone in the slum- bering house, that was written there, was un- mistakable. It was as much a declaration as the one that he could have per forth in passionate utter- ance, but would not. Was she pleased, or angry, or startled? Slowly the tell-tale color mounted over the pure beauty of her countenance, blotting away its accustomed sweet pallor, as the blush of morn might overspread a lily-surface of some mountain lake. Then she put out her hand impulsively, and be pressed it to his lips. ‘* Now will you go?” she repeated, softly. ‘Ay, Inez, through fire and flood, to the end of the earth, at your bidding now!” oe he followed obediently, without another word, After she had let him out, and the door was fastened between them, she paused trembling at the foot of the little stair. She trembled, the blushes came and went at liberty now—a red republican riot in the lily kingdom of her face—her bosom rising and fali- ing in sweet turbulence, the hand that he had. kissed so passionately extended before her glow- im, eyes. ; hen she kissed it herself in the same spot, kissed it repeatedly, after which she fluttered up the stairs, and was gone, © As for Rowlock nsco, with a heart beating no less exultantly, though after man’s wont with a fiercer throb, he first circled about the house with stealthy and observant steps, He at last encountered Gilbert, the stalwart gardener, who had taken John’s place on patrol duty an h ur before. ‘* All serene?’ queried the detective, whose Sette s and comings had become more or less amiliar to the domestics. ** Yes, sir; all well,” replied the man. ‘* And the coachman reported the same to me.” ‘* Well, keep an extra lookout to-night, Gilbert; and don’t forget the whistles I taught you in case of an emergency. I shall besome- wheres about.” ‘* I sha’n’t forget, sir.” Ensco continued his way toward the river, pap ccouer avoiding the open lawn and keeping _ to one side, which led over some soft ground amid a shrubbery. There was no path, but occasional glimpses of turfy spaces more distinctly marked by the star- light, or less heavily shadowed by the shrubs and ornamental trees, than elsewhere. At one of these he came to a sudden pause. [t was a patch of spongy turf, and it bore the fresh imprint of a human foot—a foot that had been incased in a small, aristocratically-shaped man’s shoe or boot. ' Now, years before, when the Martez twins had been rather conspicuous young men-about- town, they had been somewhat noted, like most Spanish-American youth, for the elegance and diminutiveness of their feet, as the detective had learned, together with other minor details. This fact instantly recurred to him as he studied the impression before him. But no other footprint had been left, the soil only being impressionable in that one place; and, save that it. was freshly made, and indicated that the owner had been going toward the house—stealthily as a matter of course, or this unfrequented approach would not have been selected—aothing was to be made out of the discovery. However, was not this a zood deal? Reluctantly leaving tne footprint, he reached the boat-lauding at last, where Mingo and the boy were found sufficiently on the alert. Ouestioned, they were certain that nothing worth reporting had broken the monotony of their watch. - The adjoining street-end had long been wholly deserted; by water or land, not a single inci- dent had attracted their attention. Ensco leisurely began to pace the adjacent corner of the lawn, intending to watch, out the night, if needs were. Presently be heard the whistling signal he had communicated to the domestic patrols. . CHAPTER XIII. RESCUED AGAIN, He listened again to make sure. Jt was repeated, this time unmistakably— taree successive notes, long at either end, a short one in the middle. ——— nnn * get Rowlock, the Harbor Detective. It was from the further side of the grounds, | eyes blazed like a basilisk’s through her black close to the water front. vail, ’ With a parting sign to the watchers in the ‘* Drive on, cochero !” she screamed in Spanish boat, he darted in that direction. to the coachman; * gallop! run! burn the road But Gilbert was not on the spot, with your speed! Jago! Pedro! do you slum- Puzzled and angry, Ensco was about to seek | ber?” him nearer the house, for an explanation, when At the same instant she struck full at the de- the signal sounded again, tective’s breast, but ineffectually through her This time it was from the extreme rear of the | desire to avoid hurting the girl, while the horses grounds, | made a great bound fcrward, He hurried thither, but only to find that he But there they remained, pawing at the air, had been again deceived. as if anchored to a hillside. No one was awaiting him there, As he ground his teeth, and stood half-be- | knocking down the two men, Lad grasped the wildered, a low laugh sounded tauntingly at his . hind wheels and, with his feet thoroughly braced very shoulder. was holding the vehicle immovable. e wheeled in a flash, but the utterer, if hu- “Stick to it, Marse Rowlock!” he shouted man utterer it had been, had effected a disap- | from behind, ‘‘ Tze get de bullgine dead to pearance yet more swiftly. rights.” He darted into a laurel clump, where the owlock was sticking to it, laugh seemed to have retreated in its expiring | But just at that moment be tore himself and breath, but there was no one in hiding there, | his burden out from between the wheels, Satisfied now that he had been systematically | None too soon; for simultaneously Mingo duped, he ran toward the spot where he had ex- | was staggered from his foothold by an immense changed words with the gardener-patrol. fragment of rock, thrown from behind, striking His misgivings were justified. him between the shoulders, the wheels were torn Gilbert lay face-downward in the grass, in- | from his grasp, and the carriage shot on up the sensible from a severe contusion on the back | Street-rise. of the head. | Asit did so, the unvailed face of its baffled oc- With some water from an old well, not far | cupant appeared at the coach window, away, the detective speedily revived him suffi- It was the same face—white, beautiful, pow- ciently to sit up. erful, serpent-eyed—that had momentarily re- Kven then the injured man was too dazed to vealed itself in the light-house flash from the comprehend inquiries until some brandy was _, deck of the phantom-like steam-launch, though trickled down his throat. | now positively diabolical in the intensity of its ‘*{ must have been knocked down from be- ; malevolence and defeated purpecse. ~ hind, sir, soon after you parted from me,” was | ‘* Ensco, beware!” was hissed out at parting. the substance of the explanation at last ex- | ‘‘ The picture on your arm—it is but a mid-fight tracted from him. ‘Suddenly it seemed as if , contest,in which the White Sibyl of Morona a house had fallen on the back of my skull, I | wins at last!” felt the little whistle you had once given me be- Face and voice were no sooner materialized ing pulled out of my waistcoat pocket, and then | than they were gone. I didn’t know nothing.” But the noise of the disturbance had not failed ‘‘ Ha! the grounds must be sown with eaves- | to attract outside attention. droppers and spies, Here take another pull | Several policemen were seen running down from this flask, and try to get on your pins, I from the top of the rise, near the Kast River | shall make the circuit.” Park corner. With that, Ensco dashed away. ‘* Head off that coach!” roared Rowlock, in a But an observant circuit of the mansion re- | stentorian voice. ‘* A crime has been attempt- ed, and the culprit is within.” He had just time to note that the officers were succeeding in heading off and detaining the equipage when Mingo staggered unsteadily up to him. ‘‘ What yer gwine ter do now, Marse Row- lock?’ he faltered out, bewilderedly, — ‘‘ What’s the matter with you?” ‘°Spect I war stabbed in the back wiff a bow- sprit, Marse Rowlock. Lor’! you don’t reckon I’d hev dropped dem wheels without bein’ killed, does yer?” . ‘*'You’re a trump, Mingo! But what has be- come of those two ruffians?” ‘‘Dunno. ‘Spect dey must hev wriggled off to dere snake-holes,” ‘No matter now. Come with me to the coach. We've got the queen-snake scotched at last. And still carrying the insensible Inez in his arms, the detective led the way up the street. The officers had just finished detaining the coach and quigging the horses, while the coach- man, an honest enough looking fellow, apparent- ly nae frightened and mystified, was already in custody. Ensco briefly explained the case. vealed no sign of anything wrong. Satisfied, however, that there was danger for Inez afoot, he returned to the landing. Here a signal brought Mingo to his side, while another caused little Starlight to lay off with te boat at a considerable distance from the oat. Accompanied by the negro, Ensco had just turned, with the intention of beating up through the grounds on the Highty-sixth street side, when something hurtled out of an adjoining clump, and he felt the back of his neck fanned, as by a dashing bolt. “What was that?’ he exclaimed. This!” replied Mingo, with an angry nt. And he jerked a still quivering bowie-knife out of an adjacent fence, into which it was deep- ly imbedded, Ensco mechanically put his hand to the top of his spine, while the African, witha guttural sort of roar, leaped ino tie clump from which the weapon hud been hurled. | bos detective followed, but no discovery was made, At that instant there was something like a stifled cry from somewhere far back. ‘*Quick!” ejaculated Ensco. ‘‘ No humbug this time.” a sterling reputation behind him. They were up and away like a pair of blood- ‘‘Is the young lady injured?” asked one of hounds let fly. them, respectfully. ‘No; only in a faint,” and Ensco glanced down into the sweet upturned face. ‘She is coming to herself already. But be quick; her would-be abductor is inside, ‘* Whois it in here?” demanded another officer, and he strided to the coach-door, “The wickedest, the most dangerous woman Two men, with a white-robed burden between, having just crossed the space between the side of the house and the embankment overlooking the street, were in the act of descending the lat- ter to a large close coach in waiting below. A neighboring street-lamp lent its effulgency to the uncertain starshine. The white-robed burden was made out to be a graceful female figure, apparently unresisting and motionless. But at Ensco’s challenging shout, a white hand, with a jeweled flash from the fingers, was waved in mute entreaty. There was but one other such a hand in the world, so white, so small, so perfectly-shaped— its fellow-member belonging to Inez Delorme, ‘*Coming! coming!” shouted the detective: and his feet were winged to the rescue, as was no less the sable giant’s at his heels. Were they too late? Yes; for they were but at the top of the em- bankment as the captive was thrust into the coach, with a low moan, and a eo of strong arms—but woman’s arms, for all that—seized and sunk back with her into the darkness of the interior. No; for the next instant, and just as the horses were being lashed forward, the Harbor Detective, covered with dust from his hand- ‘Saw iti” echoed the coach-opener, who was spring down to the curb, was wrenching open | mopping his brow with a trembling hand. ‘‘ Id the door with a grasp that frenzy rendered irre- | just time to notice it coiled upon the cushion when it jumped full at my throat.” ‘*Whatcan it mean?’ asked the third, in an appalled tone. , nsco, who was now in haste to carry Inez to A drawn poniard was in the latter’s hand,her the house, offered a burried explanation, , aa comicboo <5 ye , 77a: i . ; Sew, Ma Jj ‘ é ii = y ~~ . * - - - * . a f" ~ it /- % — ,*° * a ae . ‘ * ~~, aa !3Y ~- >} & . rca erionngers ‘God be praised! her career is checked at last.” CHAPTER XIV. COME AND GONE. Here the officer opened the coach-door and unceremoniously thrust his head within. ‘* No, she isn’t! in refutation of the solemn averments of the detective. ‘‘The coach is empty. Holy smoke! not by a jugfull, either.” And he darted back to avoid the spring of a large yellow serpent, that darted a him and was gone into a neighboring lot with the rapidity of a cast lance. — ‘‘“Wecan’t swear that Smith’s got’em this time, sure!” said another policeman. ‘‘I saw the varmint myself, and will make my affidavit 7+ ? sistible. ‘** No, not too late, for he had even grasped the form of the young girl, and was tearing it out of the woman’s arms, It might as well have been so, for Mingo, after | All the officers had recognized him, for he had ing the whole world!” exclaimed the detective, . No, it ain’t!” be called out, oe ¢ —_— Ses. ae Se