Beadle's Dime Library No. 509 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

Old Falcon, the Thunderbolt Detective. — ee Joseph, with hypocritical concern, “* I wouldn’t have supposed you so mushy, Jake.” ‘‘ Ah, indeed! Put yourself in me i 2 then, and imagine the same question be put to ou.” ‘* How is that?” ‘* Well, suppose yourself in my shoes, as about to tackle the girl’s heart, and if should turn out responsive to the divine thrill, you know, but without a dollar in the world, or even any educational superiority, as a backing—just her own dear, beautiful, poverty-stricken, work-a- day self, according to your own words. What would you do?” ‘*T’m blessed if I know!” replied Joseph, with his customary oath, and no little confusion. ‘“‘The young woman is a beauty, and no mis- take.” ‘* Ah! then I don’t seem to monopolize the mushiness of character, it would seem,” Joseph burst into his false, insincere laugh, ‘*Well, I shall see you fairly launched, old fellow, any way,” he chuckled. ‘I shall insist on that,” ‘‘Have your own way, then; though it may cost you more of a pang than you bargain for.” "TU Disk 1h" The dusk of the summer evening had deepen- ed when Yonkers was reached, so that when the cousins alighted from the train, the sleepy countryman (whom the reader will already have recognized as Old Faleon in a fresh dis- guise,) who was close behind, was enabled to ' dog their footsteps with a considerable degree of security. The young men only paused a few moments for a reviver at an adjacent bar-room (indeed, they seemed unable to do much of anything without a frequent recourse to liquor or to- bacco,) and then proceeded directly south along the road that ran past the cottage where Retta Merrivale lodged and boarded, and thence down in the metropolitan Annexed District, past the haunted, or treasure-concealing house, as it might be called, two miles further on. ‘* How different our outlook now,” commented Jacob, thoughtfully, ‘‘ to what it was prior to our accidentally setting eyes on the girl’s face, so early this morning!” ‘‘ Curse that week’s buggy-riding up and down these infernal hills from town to town!” growled Joseph. ‘It makes me sore again to think of it. We owe our detective a good one for that discomfort.” ‘‘ And yet we are doubtless the gainers by it, as he predicted we would be. And aren’t we evening up on him pretty well as it is, by leav- ing him in the lurch as to our discovery?” He, he, he! I should say so, I say, Jake— another happy thought!” ‘** Go ahead.”’ ‘‘ Why not cut Old Falcon dead from this time on, and refuse to shell out another dollar at his demand, even on traveling expense ac- count?” ‘* Not to be thought of.” +6 Why 2” ‘““You forget that the hidden treasure is but an unsubstantiated dream, as yet.” ‘“No, I don’t. But, with the heiress once fairly in our power, what is to prevent our materializing that, without his co-operation, as easily as we shall doubtless get along without him concerning the gal herself?” ‘*Tt won’t do, I tell you. We'd no more un- earth the stolen hoard, without his professional aid, than we’d materialize the alleged buried doubloons of Captain Kidd. ides—” ** Besides what?” for Jacob had come to a very abrupt pause. ‘“Tt won’t do to antagonize such a man as Falconbridge openly. That is what I meant to add. He isa bad man to trifle with, and has, moreover, both a fighting and killing record be- hind him.” ‘*And what’s to prevent our being bad men, too, on occasion—if we’re not so already?” **Pish! What were such soft-handed, half- tough sports as you and me toa man like Old Falecon—the prize desperate man, no less than the coolest card, of the private detective force of the Atlantic States.” ‘‘ Speak for yourself, if you please!” contempt- uously growled the younger cousin, who was in reality possessed of the most courage, in the brutish, black-blooded sense, of the two. “If I thought it likely the detective would ever be at serious cross-purposes with me, I’d knock him on the head in a blind alley, or stab him in the back, at the first opportunity, with no more compunction than if he were a Hottentot.” “i Oho! as you would do any other man, my- self included, under like cireumstances, eh?” And Jacob threw a glance, that contained as much suspicion as jest, at his companion through the thickening dusk, Joseph laughed forcedly, and threw away his cigar, for they were now approaching the prox- imity of the garden-gate. ‘The deuce, Jake!” he grumbled; ‘don’t chaff on such a serious subject.” ‘‘Maybe grain with the chaff, my boy! The -jury let you off on it, but many others doubted our self-defense plea after you had pounded ulette Ralph to death when you were scarce- ly of age. And as for Hughes’s gamekeeper, who disappeared so suddenly on that fishing excursion with 7s only two summers back—” ‘* Have done, I tell you!” warned the other, in a hoarse, changed voice. He had come to a sudden pause under a street- lamp, and was gripping his companion fiercely by the shoulder, Their shadower, the disguised detective, took the occasion to slip over to the opposite side- walk, which was the more secluded of the two, ‘* Truly a precious pair of knaves!” he mut- tered to himself. ‘* How long, I wonder, before one is assassinated by the other, after this by- meneal conspiracy of theirs shall have been fairly under way? But I must provide against this. A pity to have the gallows cheated in either case!” As the evening was hushed, and the road com- paratively deserted, he could still overhear the young men’s conversation. ‘*The deuce! how touchy you are, Joe,” ex- claimed Jacob, breaking from his companion’s grasp, and speaking in a soothing voice, ns the pair cnce more resumed their walk, ‘‘ Can't a fellow jest with you, without your flying into such a rage?” ‘‘Tll jesting on some subjects!” muttered the other, though in a modified tone. ‘‘ However, let it go— Softly! isn’t that the young lady at the yard-gate now?” ** Yes, or very like. And the fellow with her has the divinity cut. Easy now. He is about separating from her.” The two figures at the gate were just dis- tinguishable from one another, but llttle more than that. The cousins had come to a pause, a little with- drawn to one side, whence they could still keep the observed pair in view; while the detective was occupying a yet better point of observation on the opposite side of the roadway. A moment later the shadowy young man at the gate was seen to possess himself of the shadowy young woman’s hand, and raise it—re- spectfully and yet adoringly, it might be pre- sumed—to his lips. Then, though the band was quickly and even abruptly withdrawn, the young woman’s raised voice, a very musical one, was heard in an ap- parently joyous reply to something said by ber companion in a lower tone. After that two light laughs were blended, and with a blithe wave of the hand, the separation was effected ; the young woman remaining at the gate to look after the retreating figure of her late companion, who, going a toward the watchers, fre- quently turned his head to look back. It was indeed Mayfield, He looked hard at the two men in passing, though without recall- ing their dimly-seen faces, and then moved un- suspiciously on, too happy in bis second inter- view with the object of his abrupt attachment to think or care for anything else just then, “Tf yonder young lady is indeed our lost heiress, which I now see no reason to doubt,” thought Old Falcon, who had lost nothing of the ntomime or the recognition, ‘‘ by what strange atality can Harvey Mayfield, the felon’s legatee, so to speak, have made her acquaintance— doubtless without suspecting her identity? I somehow suspect a secret visit on his me may have had something todo with it. These odd fatalities often go double. But thesecond game is once more afoot,” And, flitting noiselessly over the roadway, he was once more dogging the heels of the cousins, who were now sauntering on toward the cot- tage-gate; even managing to conceal himself within earshct as the elder of the pair ventured to accost its occupant. “Tf it should prove that I am laboriug under a misapprehension, miss,” said Jacob Mervyn, witk real courtliness of bearing, ‘‘I hope you will pardon the liberty I venture upon in ad- dressing you.” Retta, with the utmost composure, motioned him to proceed; but at his next half-dozen words she decisively Interrupted him by saying: ‘Tt is evident that you are mistaken, sir, I am quite sure tbat I do not know you, and that you cannot know me.” CHAPTER XIX. RETTA IN THE TOILS, ““THat is unfortunate, miss— very!” con- tinued the young man, in a deeply disappointed tone, ‘* However, may I ask you if you remem- ber us—my friend here and myself—passing you at this gate, and looking at you curiously, at an early bcur of this morning? We were driving at the time.” ** [ do remember you now!” and her voice had a yet more decided ring in it; ‘‘but not your looking at me. It was astare, and a very im- pertinent one at that,” Jacob was profuse in_ his lanations and apologies, in which Joseph eagerly joined, They were both very gentlemanly. In a short time Retta, thoroughly convinced that she bad been mistaken for some one else whom the young men were painfully anxious to find—a fictitious half-sister, Miss Smith, who had mysteriously disappeared from her Connecticut home, through an unfortunate love affair, or family misunderstanding, it was not certainly known which—was made such polite amends —————————————————————————— ee ——— - os that, being naturally kind-hearted, was willing enough to be lenient in the matter, Still more, as her musical aspirations were in- advertently made apparent, she was not long in growing positively interested, Did she have a piano? No; access to an in- strument being only. occasionally allowed her through the kindness of a well-to-do lady of the neighborhood, Joseph could especially appreciate the depri- vation. He was a professional instructor of the piano, no less than of singing, while Jacob, the latter lost no time in delicately conveying this im- ression was one of his favorite pupils, besides eing a young man of esthetic tendencies and independent fortune, What a pity there was not a piano-forte con- venient! The engaging strangers might then interchange musical civilities with Miss Merri- vale, besides, perLaps, giving her some valuable pointers with regard to ber projects, There was one, however, and a good instrument too, they remembered, in the parlor of a pretty riverside hotel not far away. Sad that the trio were not better acquainted! when a temporary adjournment thither vs not Spay be in order but thoroughly enjoyable—quite a little musical treat, in fact, Retta was a young woman whose distrust could speedily be displaced where her refined in- stincts were aroused, and the young gentlemen were educated, respectful, even shrinkingly delicate in their conversation and demeanor, Besides, she knew of the hotel alluded to as being an.eminently proper, and even somewhat exclusive public house, In less than balf an hour the trio were better acquainted—considerably so, it would seem, It even ended in ber accepting the young en’s invitation to accompany them to the sic-room of the inn, on their cheerfully ae- corded condition that her landlady, Mrs, Kelly, should be one of the party. ‘*Our missing beiress is found,” said the se- cretly observant detective to himself, ‘‘ But I must see the end of this,” Retta had run back to the cottage, She quick- ly returned, accompauied by Mrs, Kelly—a dumpy little shrewd-faced Irishwoman of mid- dle age, who had little to say, but made up for her reticence by a most industrious use of ber eyesand her judgment, and the party went off together in high good spirits, the detective tag- ging secretly on behind, The hotel was but a short distance away, and, fortunately for them, the young men bad made a somewhat favorable impression with the pro- prietor on a previous occasion, It was yet more fortunate for them that, in the musical way, they had made no pretensions beyond their GADasits Joseph was in reality a fine performer on_ the piano, while Jacob was the possessor of a trained tenor voice that had long been the envy and ad- miration of his associates, though chiefly exer- cised in circles the reverse of desirable, The scene in the inn parlor was accordingly what had been promised—a musical treat, Joseph played magnificently, and Jacob war- bled like a bulbul in the enchanted gardens of Gulistan. Then Retta both played and sung, receiving such discreet commendations, combined with an intelligent and valuable criticism, such as her betrayal of the lack of recent practice would have naturally called forth from disinterested but kindly superiority, as appealed to both her musical appreciation and her eahiar one Then she ani Jacob sung together, their voices bazmanizing seliciaasys : 1 The evening ended enjoyably by the young men saying mothe = at the cottage gate, wi a timidly expressed hope of being permitted to call again, a request that was evaded rather than acceded to or denied. But hardly had the agreeable visitors taken themselves off before Mayfield reappeared, with a face whose frowns were not Jost upon the watchful detective, the latter having decided it unnecessary to follow up the Mervyn young men any further for that night. Mayfield had missed his train, and, strolling back to the cottage, had secretly witnessed the musical adjournment, and even been, together with the detective, a private attendant thereon. He at once strode up to Retta, still lingering at the gate, and demanded an explanation in such ill-considered and jealous terms as aroused her momentary indignation, A violent quarrel, chiefly on. the young man’s art, ensued, which terminated by Retta follow- ing her landlady into the house, with pained and offended air, and Mayfield striding angrily away, not in the direction of the station, but down the river-road, ‘¢ If he should only be making for his treasure- hole now!” exclaimed Old. Falcon, to himself. ‘* Men so often rush to their money when angered in their love.” ‘ And with that he was upon the young fellow’s ier as silently as his own shadow in the moon- ight. ment this time, though not at fault in ‘ 13 But the detective was doomed to oy pean sur-+ Ebooks ,.coO Gom