Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 501 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

28 Se ah ei Syst Ae Springsteel Steve. Es frenzy was in her flushed face, and all gave way | ae with money and intelilgence at their or went down before her, ‘*Bring an ox-chain—hold that gal back!” shouted Farmer Webb, excitedly. ‘‘ I’ve for- given her—don’t let her throw herself away on that red-headed sucker!” As well plead to restrain a whirlwind with a straw, a white squall with a kerchief. O’Meara had shrunk ‘back, with a muttered | UK, ** Well?” ‘It is with this criminal organization that he thinks O’Meara has probably associated himself. If its leaders should think him worth the trouble and expense, both money and influence would be secretly exerted in his bebalf,”’ ‘* But, what would these avail, considering oath, among his guards, but the next moment | O’Meara’s horrible past record, as recently evi- he was squirming and floundering in her mam- | denced by his kidnapping our child and his felo- moth embrace. He was no more than a doomed lap-dog in a tempestuous sea of fuss and feathers. The excitement of the spectators was both sympathetic and uproarious. ‘*Give him a sbow for his life!” yelled one, ** Let him breathe!” vociferated another. ‘* Where’s the weddin’ papers?’ bawled a third, Then there was a howl of laughter, and poor Libby, who had ever been more or less of a butt on the country-side by reason of her extreme size and ponderosity, was handled withcut gloves, as the saying goes. ‘* I’m his bride—his countess!” she screamed, Be Dm his’n and he’s mine! Ouly death shall part us!’ The release of the hapless adventurer, how- ever, was at last effected, and he was led away, ht audibly, and looking half-squeezed to eath. Farmer Webb had sternly followed in the broad wake of his only and erring offspring through the crowd. ‘* Here, young woman, I want you!” he ex- claimed, authoritatively. ‘‘So does your ma, All's forgiven, and you’re wanted to bum.” Eibby hed collapsed, a pitating mointain of silks and ribbons, into three or four chairs, ‘* Never, p&, never!” she cried, determinedly. “*He’s my count, and I’m his countess, Tl never desert him, now that misfortun’ has rolled over his lofty head—never!” “* Lofty fiddlesticks! Can’t ye see what every one else sees, thet he’s a shyster an’ a sneak, you fool—besides stealin’ my money? Come along to hum, [ say!” It was only after considerable more coaxing however, that the scandalized farmer succeeded in leading her away. Neither Edna nor her husband had been able to smile at the scene, which was especially pain- ful to the former. *T do hope they won’t let the poor, foolish woman come to town again!” she exclaimed, when they were driving away. ‘She has ruined her whole life. But I mippere tbat hor- rible man’s fate will be devided before long.” ‘*T hope so,” was her husband’s response. But, to her surprise, he spoke in a more de- spondent way than his assured manner in the court-room had led her to expect. ** Why, love, don’t you know it?” she said, _ looking with ill-concealed alarm into his troubled face, ‘' You cannot still have any anxieties as to your own position?” “My dear Edna,” he replied, with much earnestness, ‘‘ it is well not to be too sure of the future. And Mr. W——, to whom I have un- bosomed myself unreservedly, though he has no particle of doubt of extricating me in the end, is not so sanguine of immediate triumph.” * You told him everything?” ““Unreservedly, not only as to my entire past, but also as to recent happenings in connection with my controversy wit O'Meara.” ** Was thatin accordance with the policy of silence you had determined on, at my father’s advice?” : **It wasn’t in opposition to it, so far as the public are concerned. A man in law-trouble should keep back nothing from his lawyer, and Mr, W isno less eminent for his conscien- tiousness than for his ability.” ** But what can Mr. W—— fear for you?” **Only possible trouble and embarrassment, thatis all. He thinks that O’Meara, with his counsel’s help, may cause me trouble at the pre- liminary trial, and perhaps, for the time being at least, change the whole current of public opinion against me.” _ “But how?” * Well, he argues, from the kidnapping case and the mysterious assaults thathave been made on your y eopamne ather, that O’Meara must still have powerful and devoted confederates, who will be likely to come to his support. Then _ O’Meara’s story will uaturally have the first _ bearing, you know, as bis accusation must take precedence over mine, which may be thus made to gopear as a mere bluff,” ‘*T cannot think so, That O'Meara has re- cently had confederates stands to reason, but they cannot be other than coarse adventurers and ruffians, like himself.” a Mr . W—— fears not,” ‘* What other sort of confederates could they be, and what does Mr, W— think:” = ~ : . * You know the mysterious series of garrot- _ ings, masked robberies and similar crimes that hhave epreed up northward along the Hudson 7, < sf ew York during the past year or so?” Ty Certainly.” \ 4 e i nious elopement escapade?” ‘‘ Nothing, I hope. But those things will be an after-consideration. Everything will hinge at the outset on the Bleak Hollow Mystery.” Edna drew a long breath. **f can but think that all these gloomy fore- shadowingsare purely imaginary,” she said, de- cidedly. ‘* Let us hope they may prove so.” “But they must! Of course, Mr. W—— knows of my father’s intention of producing the sailor Simmons?” + Yes.” ** How does he regard that?” ‘* Hopefully. But, there is one witness whose production he is confident would at once dispose of O’Meara and disembarrass me.” ** Ah! and that witness?” |. The murdered man’s double—the mysterious twin. ‘** Ah! he too believes in the double?” ‘** Yes; and he is deeply interested.” ** Interested?” “Yes. It appears that Mr, W——’s father, who was a lawyer before him, once told his son when a mere boy that there was some sort of mystery conceruing a twin at Wilard Manse,” **Come, Edgar; this is something like authen- ticating the double,” o Yew ; though they were only old country-side rumors,” ‘** But to what effect?” ; ‘Well, it seems that when my grandfather was a mere child, there was some talk about a crazy or idiotic twin brother art kept in rigid seclusion at the manse, My grandfather migbt have inherited the care of him, you know, which would explain the use of that cell-like strong room adjoining his sleeping apartment.” ** Ah, yes; and on which poor Miss Raw could have shed so much enlightenment. By the way, may not her murder be eventually brought home to O’Meara?”’ ‘** Langley thinks so, and is still on the look- out for circumstantia) evidence against him, though I scarcely think with any success as yet.” ‘Ob, but that will come out, too! I feel cer- tain of it. My darling, you must try to share my hopefulness.” ‘* Well, I will try.” And he silently pressed her hand. “It is simply against common-sense,” Edna went on, energetically, ‘‘to suppose that you can still be in danger from the accusations of such a man as O'Meara, who is already, or so it seems to me, fairly overwhelmed by the crimes that are being heaped to his charge,” On the following day was poor Mary's fune- ral, and on the day after that Edgar appeared for examination, with no little fresh anxiety on the part of Edna, for not another word had as yet been received from her father. CHAPTER XLII. A SEARCH, On reaching the hospital in which Sailor Tom Simmons was supposed to be lying at death’s door, Springsteel Steve was not immensely sur- ee at being informed that the alleged mori- und was no longer there. ‘He managed to get out of his ward and take himself off surreptitiously several days ago,” said the superintendent, ‘‘ and we’re glad of it.” ‘* Not a very desirable patient, perhaps?” “Desirable? Why, eveao tor a sailor, he was the champion dead beat! He’d steal kerosene for drink, if he couldn’t get anything better, and he outwearied the whole ward with his lying yarns and his blasphemy.” ‘Very sick?” ‘Yes, all broke up. However, he’s tough— all these <ailors are—and he managed to give us the slip and craw! off.” ‘Where would I be likely to hunt him up now, do St think?” **Oh, doubtless in any of the rum-holes along South street, or thereabouts—in almost any slum furnishing cheap whisky and playing-cards, for the rascal had a few dollars in his clothes, and was as hot for gambling as for rum.” **Rathber a poor lookout for ee wit- ness-making material!” thought the old detec- tive to himself, as he set out upon his search for the erratic mariner. With an ordinary man, it would have been very like the proverbial search for a needle in a bottle of hay. Bat our detective was a man of many wiles and vast experience, and he finally, about night- fall, run his man to earth in a low Water street drinking-den, where he was boozing over a ‘ Well, Mr, W——- is of the opinion that they | glass that was kept replenished by a careworn, the work of a powerful organization of | paint-streaked slattern, in supposed Turkish : : et rr. . ris ‘ ese a Pp n.. “a, ¢ ns . “ a ‘ wi a eat ‘ r uj e costume, and playing cards with several saiJors and bummers. The old detective seated himself unobtrusive- ly, ordered and paid for something which he was wisely careful not to drink, and fell to studying his man at leisure. An ordinary seafarer, prematurely aged with dissipation and disease, and with certain lines of cunning mixed up with the desperate reckless- ness of his pallid, dare-devil face. Such was the son of Neptune under special consideration. His companions were of his own class, and no less debased, with the exception of one man, who sat rather contemptuously eying the game, but with his chief interest evidently centered in Tom Simmons. The detective honored this fellow with a more than cursory examination. He was rough-clad, beetle-browed and evil- faced, but with a more intelligent air of calcu- lating cunning and viciousness than was in ex- act keeping with bis squalid surroundings. ‘* Oho, my beauty! where bave I seen you be- fore?” thought Springsteel, ‘* Now, on the sup- position of O’Meara having joined that crimi- nal organization that continues to so puzzle the lice, how well you might be his advance-agent in looking after our sailor-witness there, to keep him from testifying on the wrong side! But we shall see.” Simmons finally pushed back the cards, de- claring that be was broke, if not cheated, and would play no more. ** Another grog, you jade!” he exclaimed, turning bis glass disgustedly upside-down to illustrate its emptiness. . **The last one isn’t paid the woman, A true sailor oath interrupted by a violent cough, was on the sailor’s lips, when the better- appearing scoundrel—bis temporary evil-genius, as he might be called—sboved a dollar over the table to him, with a short laugh. **Take a cartwheel, Tom,” said be, ‘‘ And don’t stop playing either, if you don’t feel like it ” The spendthrift grasped the coin, but at this juncture the old detective stepped over and smilingly tapped him on the shoulder. | ‘*T want to talk to you, Mr. Tom Timmins- Simmons,” said be,. persuasively. ‘And I rather think I can make it your interest to talk to me. The sailor had looked with a scowl and a start at the doubtless long unfamiliar Timmuins- Simmons combination, but before be could reply the sinister on-looker angrily interposed. ‘What old freshy is this, Tom?’ the latter demanded, peering with insolent suspicion into the detective’s face. ‘* How the devil should I know?’ replied the sailor, impatiently. ‘Shiver my timbers if I know him from a deck-swab!” “Then,” still more menacingly, ‘“* what the thunder does he mean by presuming to meddle with you now? By Heaven! if I thought—” He came toa startled pause, his jaw dropping, and his evil face assuming a scared, uneasy ex- pression, as if caught from something new and illuminative that had suddenly crept into the veteran detective’s ag aap gaze. ** Holy smoke! if it ain’t old Springsteel him- self!” was the gasping filling out of the uncom- pleted threat. ‘*So, Black Jerry, we meet once more, and you are not quite banged yet!” said the old detective, in his composed but fear-inspiring tone. **Yes; but so help me, Springsteel, I can’t be wanted for anything now! Besides, it was generally thought you were clean off the force, for yet, Tom,” said ** Clear the room!” with a contemptuous gest- ure that included the three other card-players like so many marionettes, ‘* And it’s for me to ris whether you’re wanted or not, you scoun- drel! A hurried gesture on the fellow’s part was sufficient to clear the inner den in which they were sitting, net only of the loafers, but also of the nondescript wcman-attendant, though the detective first ordered a full bottle of spirits for the special edification of the ruined sailor, and then they were alone, : ‘‘Now, Mr. Black Jerry, explain yourself!” said Springsteel, in his sharp, brusque way. ‘‘T’'m on the honest lay, 1 swear I am, Spring- steel!” was the uneasy response. ‘‘J baven’t anything to explain,” “You are a liar!” The detective’s sharp little eves had become like red-hot gimlets. * Trifle with me at your peril!” ‘““ Well,”'with a muttered oath, ‘‘ what is there I can tell you?” ‘* Everything that I demand, and the penalty shall rest with yourself—with your frankuess, You understand!” ; Black Jerry thrust his hands in his pockets, while his chin sunk on bis breast with a re- signed air. ‘*Cut away, then!” he growled. The sailor had, in the mean time, lcoked on with an expression of mingled cunning, be- wilderment and desperateness in bis worn, reckless face; and he now poured off and swai iu, Se ss "EO ls x ; " 5