Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 485 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

e.* » ee = ‘ a 5 t od — _ le * . as Y : ed 2 the waters, and a yet wilder for a graceful _ bling voice, ‘‘I fancy he has the better bargain female figure to choose that lonely, crime-infest- | of the two, where danger is reckoned.” ed sea-wall for its promenade, ‘** Yes, senor,” softly assented the steersman, Yet, such was the case. ‘‘ for but one treasure at a time can be under The young lady—ber youth and breeding were | the escort of Rowlock, the Harbor Detective—a apparent by her dress and carriage, though her | thousand maledictions on bim and his!” face was vailed—had but newly alighted from Here there was a chorus of laughs and oaths the Elevated Railroad terminus. growled, like an echo of the curse, from the des- She was now pacing the esplanade fronting | peradoes in the body of the boat. the sea-wall, heedless of the questioning looks of : This was silenced by a fierce exclamation, ac- a few suspicious lurkers in the vicinity, and | companied by a commanding gesture, from the with her eyes anxiously fastened upon the ap- | slender young man. ne. ae the Seamew, it will answer. proaching boat. The latter was presently seen to be occupied | by two men—a medium-sizea, deep-chested and ‘athletic young man, with an authoritative air, and a gigantic negro of herculean propor- tions. They had lowered their sail and taken in their oars, the flood tide enabling them to pull in close in under the parapet, without the intervention of a float or bridge. The young lady presently stooped under the wall-chain in her eagerness, and stood on the extreme outer edge. The strong gale fluttered her dark garments to one side, while compressing it on the other, to the revelation of her tall, graceful and gradually vanishiog amid the weltering After that, silent and lightless, the sinister craft swept on, careening almost flat upon her side as she rounded Governor’s ar canrgd and urr and tumult of the central bay. . In the mean time, the occupants of the Seud, as the detective’s hoat was named, bac proceeded more leisurely on their way, without suspecting the treachery preparing for them. After standing well out from shore, the sail bad been loosened to the gale, and the little craft was fairly dancing over the waves. ‘‘T rather think the coast is clear now,” said Ensco, cheerily. ‘‘If youdo not become sea- sick, Miss Delorme, all should, go well till you yet are safe with your grandfather on the gallant girlish figure, and streamed out her long, fleecy | Seamew.” vail like a gauzy pennant. ‘¢T am too much of a sailor to fear the mal de Presently, as the boat was brought to, she | mer, Mr. Iinsco,” was the collected reply from made a swift signal with her ungloved hand. It was immediately responded to in kind by the young man in the boat. Then the young lady called out in a rich, elear voice, that was none the less wary and cautious: . ‘* What are you, sir?” - ** The Scud,” was answered; and then, ‘' What are you for?’ ‘* The Seamew.” ** Correct. Anything else?’ ‘‘' Yes. Captain Grant Marston.” * And you?” ‘TT am Inez Delorme, the pilot’s grand- daughter.” ** Right again.” ‘And you?” ‘‘Rowlock Ensco, the Harbor Detective, Miss. Delorme’s service.” Iuez Delorme made a satisfied gesture, and ninbly seated herself on the edge of the wall, her feet coming within a few inches of the mimic breakers that dashed below, A crafty action of the oars on the part of the giant uegro fetched the boat’s stern, in which Rowlock Ensco was standing erect, hovering uneasily directly beneath her position. The young man stood like a rock, and opened wide his arms. ‘*The rocks are dangerous hereabouts, and there is no time for ceremony,” said he. ‘* Miss Delorme, you must jump for it.” Instantly, and without hesitation, she cleverly threw herself out from the wall. She was as cleverly caught, steadied, and seated, while Ensco placed himself at the rudder near her. ‘*Give way, Mingo!” he ordered. And, still under the negro’s powerful strokes they headei out over the somber, storm-lashed ay. | At times there was nothing but the fitful moonshine, Yip then in but a rocking ship- light, toshow them their way, and yet the de- tective kept a stern and anxious outlook on every side, as if in precaution against some much dreaded observation or pursuit. Was it an elopement, or a midnight flight from secret enemies, that so much mystery was preserved? Certainly not the former, and not altogether the latter; and yet the stealthy departure had ‘been attended by an incident which would have increased the anxiety of both the young lady and her escort, had they but known of it. While the mysterious watchwords were being exchanged, a well-known river-thief—one of those lurkers in the night who had been fur- tively watching Imez Delorme’s movements on the esplanade—had crept unperceived to within earshot, The instant after she had sprung into the hoat he had sped crouchingly away toward the boat-landing in the shadow of the United States Barge Office. A lantern was waved thrice, and then, almost before the detective’s boat was _ fairly beaded out, a small but stanch sail-boat, crowded with desperate men, had shaken out her leg-of-mutton sail from under the stone pier, and flitted like a storm-bird straight out into the turbulent and uncertain waste, "Give ’em ample sea-room, Jago,” cautioned, with a slightly foreign accent, a slender young |. man, who seemed to be in command of the mys- terious craft, to the man at the rudder lines. ‘‘Tf we intercept them anywhere this side of Caramba, what a night!” ve Bueno, senor!” was the equally guarded answer. ‘ Will that give Senor Juan time for the part he is to play? . ‘‘ Por Dios, I should say so! The treasure is his lookout, as the young lady is mine, and we have exchanged oaths as to our mutual fidelity. Though, carajo!” in a lower and half-grum- ; aw | behind the fluttering vail. at | . r | ~~ % i : y - paar <> Fie >. 1. ** But,” a little anx- iously, ‘* isn't this a rather small boat for—for such stormy work?” He laughed reassuringly as the Scud feathered the foam-crest of an.unusually big wave, only to spring, apparently, upon another, with scarcely a subsidence into the intervening trough. ‘No fear of that,” said he. ‘‘ The Scud is of a life-boat pattern, and fairly unsinkable, I think.” Then there was a pause, in which they had a chance to study each other at leisure, though the young lady had availed herself of that the very first. She sécretly confessed that the young man’s appearance was not a little in his favor. ut was he altogether a young man? His fairness of feature, with his curling brown mustache and thick-crisping light hair, was certainly indicative of the care-free frankness of early manhood, But, there were stern lines about the cool, steadfast gray eyes that might speak of long experience and adventurous ante- cedents. | | As it was, she could only set his years at al- most anywhere between twenty-five and forty. For the rest, he was about five feet nine, with almost any muscular and gymnastic possibilities underneath the careless boatman’s costume of navy blue that he wore so becomingly. ‘*There was yet another caution that my grandfather gave me,” said Inez, at last. ‘‘T can guess what it was,” replied Ensco, with hisengaging laugh. ‘‘ How suspicious is the old sea-dog!” ‘*Can you blame him for that?” ‘*Not 1.” His brow contracted, and he again threw a searching glance around over the tumbling waters. ‘* With the powerful machi- nations of such accomplished scoundrels as those dare-devil grand-nephews of his, Juan and Vasco Martez, to be guarded against—but really I beg your pardon, miss! They must be your own cousins,” An impatient gesture of the ungloved treasure of a hand. ‘You said you could guess my grandfather’s parting caution.” ‘“SolLlcan. It was this: After you were fair- ly afloat with me, as now, you were to make as- suran e doubly sure by demanding a final proof that I am /.” ‘That was it.” With a sbade of suppressed curiosity. The moon passed under a cloud. Its mht isch we effulgence showed the detective to have strippe his right arm to the shoulder, while steadying the rebellious tiller with the left. It was a magnificent arm thus bared to view —shapely as a duchess’s, with a skin seemingly smooth and hard as marble, masking thews and sinews of corded steel, and none the less snowy of surface, save for a remarkable representa- tion, spreading from wrist to shoulder in deep, varied and indelible tattoo. It was that of an athlete and a serpent, wreathed in deadly conflict for the mastery, while from a thunder-cloud was descending a crimson arrow, blazoned with the scriptural in- junction, ‘* Vengeance is Mine!” Inez bowed her head in acquiescence. She had merely time to note that the pictured wrestler, albeit in classic semi-nudity, was a passable portrait of the young man before her, while the serpent countenance was strikingly suggestive of an infuriated woman’s head and face, beautiful, yet fiendishly gies 7388 when the uprolled sleeve was replaced, and the strange exhibition was at an end, : : “bag detective had grown grave and thought- ul, | ‘You are now to satisfy me in your turn,” said he, in a low voice, ‘That lam I?” — is A . at 3 y a 4 . .. . ¢ * - - é anil Rowlock, the Harbor Detective. &é Yes. ”? ‘What did my grandfather tell you should be the test on my part?” ‘‘T can only answer when I shall have seen your face.” She hesitated an instant, and then threw back her vail. Rowlock Ensco uttered a low cry, and then clasped his hands, The cry was expressive of amazed admiration, the action of combined wonder, incredulousness and even resentment, while his handsome face was the mirror of these conflicting emotions, The admiration was natural enough—as nat- ural as that evoked by the inimitable sun-burst in the skylark’s worshiping hymn. Such a face is seldom vouchsafed to the privi- leged gaze as was then and there revealed for the first time to the enraptured detective. An angelic face, purely American in its ex- uisite fairness (a healthful, lamp-like pallor, is the better distinction), statuesque chiseling and ronounced individuality : Spanish in the soul- ul duskiness of the large, well-like eyes, with the perfect brows and long-bent lashes of jetty silkiness, and in the rich wavy masses of std black hair, to say nothing of the perfect figure’s ary and majestic pose. he gazer’s resentment, or mortification, if such it could be called, was more inexplicable, That the owner of so much loveliness thought so was Speedily apparent, ‘*[T see that you, sir, are also satisfied,” said she, after quickly replacing her vail, while the moonligbt that had transiently assisted the re- velation was a thing of the past. ‘* Perfectly,’ was the low-voiced and- con- strained answer. ‘* And vet—there was something wanting?” ‘* Not that—sometbing unexpected.” ‘I do not understand.” ‘*T was prepared to find in the pilot’s grand- daughter a beauty little short of superhuman. In that way, the revelation was a fulfillment of the test that Captain Marston advised me ‘ Ah!” a little disdainfully. ; ‘‘VYos, ‘The enemy,’ said the old sea-wolf, ‘cannot, with all their cunning, impose any feminine counterfeit upon you, if you but once look in Inez Delorme’s face. Its beauty is un- exampled, its loveliness richer than mortal man’s intensest dream.’ ” ‘¢Well?” This with a touch of amusement. ‘‘ Well, the conditions of the test are fulfilled. There can be one Inez Delorme, and you are she. ‘+ Still, you were disappointed,” « No—startled,” ‘‘That was it. Why?” ‘Does not your own face suggest another to your mind?” | “Not that I can recall. A likeness, do you mean?” ‘‘- Yes; or rather a suggestion,” ‘‘ Say, a likeness, then.” ‘¢ So be it. A likeness almost equall beauti- ful, and yet older and terrible—terrible, malev- olent and deadly.” His words were earnest and mournful. The young girl made an agitated movement. ‘*Be more explicit. My features suggest @ resemblance to what others?” His bent nearer to hers in the darkness. ‘** Did you mark the woman-face of the ser- pent on my arm?” Her agitation was now unmistakable. ‘‘Good heavens, yes!” she faltered. ‘‘ And— Ah, the likeness was there! I see it DOW. What entangling mystery is this?” | $$ shee hetions ee to insnare such Aedes as ours. But complete yo ken sentence. ne d—what?” p your broke * Alas! sir, I am terrified, I know not.” » ‘Yes, yess the serpent-face likewise suggested others, hose?” Inez shuddered. ‘* My cousins and foes, Juan and Vasco voice, father calls them.” ., Ab! and of none other face—a woman’s?” O oN ‘* Not of one who might be their mother?” “The Senora Zarapatta Martez, surnamed the ~ White Sibyl of Morona, is personally unknown tome. That terrible»woman can never have cast her baleful eyes upon me, Wait} And yet —and yet—” : | Her hand was pressing her forehead, and she was now trembling violently, ‘*Go on, go on, t beseech!” cried the detective, eagerly. ‘*Isee that some early and dreadful recollection rises from oblivious depths to the surface of memory, Speak a am terrified! All is so ‘* Alas, I cannot! ber iy sO sage é moon was just reappearing, and at that instant Mingo, the gigantic negro: roared from iar, me a i é 7 anger ahea tand fast! By Cracky! it’s jess as you feared, Marse Sawin. Here they are, almos’ on board of us!” The renewed moonlight showed the ruffian- crammed pursuing craft repping on a 1 huge wave, bow-on, hardly a cable’s len; 7) ey Pe? dies Ss RS eS, ¢ Ree - ~~ 2s a, * 1g te «© Mar- tez,”” she replied, in a low, wcarcely audible — ‘ The infernal twins, as my poor grand- .