Beadle's Dime Library No. 509 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

~~ provement. 14 Old Falcon, the Thunderbolt Detective. It had been the intention, or rather the in- stinct, of the young man to seek relief from his stormy feelings by a stroll in the direction of the haunted cottage, perhaps with the idea of entering or at least obtaining a soothing glimpse of it. But at less than half th distance his heated emotions cooled, and, after a moment’s hesitation, he began to retrace his steps. ‘* What a crazy fool I am!” he muttered, stamping his foot. ‘*‘ What right had I to ad- dress Retta in the tone I did, without even wait- ing for an explanation? But what could it mean—ber sudden taking up with those two chaps? It is maddening! But she cannot go back on her promise to offer her lessons at Mrs, Godlove’s dav after to-morrow, when she may think somewhat better of me.” He had the bad habit of soliloquizing aloud, and presently went on again: ** And to think! here was I just about revisit- ing the fateful house in which I so tragically first met her last night under those horrible cir- cumstances! when if she should so much as sus- pect the source of the money I forced her to accept of me, as a loan, it would be all up with me.” He groaned, or sighed, the shadowing detective couldn’t exactly make out which, though losing not a syllable of the muttered words, ‘‘ Yes; she is honesty’s soul. She would renounce me and my love as so much contamin- ation, I fear, did she but dream— ‘Sdeath! the escaped convict was my evil genius on that never-to-be-forgotten morning. I almost wish that he had kept his accursed secret to himself!” The cat footed detective only relinquished his shadowy attendance upon the young man— which the heavily shaded streets had in a great measure facilitated—when the station esplanade | was reached. He then paused in front of a saloon, while Mayfield hurried on for the up-train, which w st entering the station; and was turning ovér in his mind the surreptitious fragments of infor- mation that had been vouchsafed him, when an incident occurred to divert, or rather recall, his thoughts in another direction. The door of the saloon was suddenly opened, affording egress to the Mervyn worthies, who had been drinking witbin pending the arrival of a down-train, and who were evidently much dissatisfied with each other. “You had no business to make yourself so able with the lady!” said Jacob, furiously. “Tt wasn’t fair. I’m to do the captivating, not ou. That was the compact.” “Still, she is my cousin as much as Jake. Make allowances for family ties. will tell,” “It sha’n’t in this case!” “Sha’n’t 1t?’ muttered Josepb, sotto voce, but sti]l audible to the disgui detective. ‘It may tell in a way you little suspect, old man, before you shall be given an uninterrupted road to Henrietta Mervyn’s heart and hand.” Then they crossed the esplanade, “It’s odd that neither one of you knaves takes any account of a certain Mr, Mayfield in this complication,” was the mental comment of Old Falcon, as he followed, “ * But there’s blood i’ the face of the moon,’ as Shakespeare says,” CHAPTER XX. THE GODLOVE BUOARDING-HOUSE. HARVEY MAYFIELD awoke in his bed so miser- ably ere y over his misunderstanding with Retta Merrivale that*be could hardly wait to complete his toilette before beginning a contrite and abjectly apologetic letter to her, with the resolve to post it before breakfast, He was thus engaged when the irrepressible Therese’s tap at his door made him painfull ours, lood aware that his chilling and repellent course with regard to her on the previous morning had had about as much effect as water on a duck’s back. “Is it that I hear you stirring, cher ami ?” called out her pretty voice. “You do not,” was the cold response. ‘I am writing.” “ Oher ami !” in a wheedling tone, “Am engaged.” Then he smiled, with an air of relief, as there ‘was the sound of her door being slammed to, in a@ manner quite the reverse of wheedling. She was, however, in readiness to pounce upon him as he was about descending the stair, letter in pocket, hat on head. _ “* Cher amoureux.” “Tm nothing of the sort!” he retorted with a scowl. “But one moment, one little moment, cher— lier !"—[Wild boar.] “That is better. Well, chere Madame Ber- trande?” “How? Mais nimporte! What is this [ hear of your belle musicienne, who is to visit the gre Godlove and row to hear, madame,” _“ Beau brigand! But [, too,am willing to take Jessons, and pay for them, into the 2 S ce a **T_ am ignorant of what you might be pleased | looked ae MBE ate, is certainly su tible of im- | you think it worth your while.” the Jady when she arrives, if variations when “Do you venture on such a piece of advice,” archly, ‘knowing my proneness to jealousy?” ‘‘T venture on yet another, if you won’t be offended,” ** Ah, cheri ! and what is that?” ** Avoid such a pronounced deshabille, at least on stair-landings and in passageways. Bonjour, madame!” And he passed on, regardless of the dangerous glitter in the black eyes, which he should ere this bave learned to dread. La Travadevse quietly waited till she heard the street-door close behind him, and his crunch- ing step on the graveled walk without. hen she darted into his room, closing the door after her. A set resolve was in her comely face. Her movements were feline in their noiselessness, simian in their activity. A moment later she had skillfully picked the lock of the writing-table drawer in which May- field had thrust away the memorized transcrip- tion of Burkitt’s scrawled directions, together with the semi-telltale blotter, as it might be called, But a partial disappointment was awaiting er. Mayfield had long since destroyed the tran- scription, as being of no further use to bim, and sr the cabalistic blotting-pad remained. owever, with knitted brows she pored over this, as the next best thing to the origina] that had left its tantalizing undecipherable impress thereon. There it was, as the rough, ante-mortem stamp of thé doom-marked convict’s band had left it: we EW s Ss ce ee Corte (en pack: A... ror Pre ted,tum... d..n ib ae 8 ...86, .....€d .. ov.r. .ne as be... b...t.d, im mm). ‘dd... Of:).04 -2@ A. 5 § Oe 04 Pre we ree ee Re a Biss -oxre.0 CRUOT.~ “Eiies OO. pues B. Wiitiae By ce Gs EDS @ia oa Ow OU, Be son a Ets eabte De o Seah ay os Vics G p..ve,t.. £0. ce Vek. oe el! mwa... In th, th. t.. cash b.,.8,¢..mm.dt. th. ..ds. “Jim Bi. ~ ktr” But the deciphering of this was a hopeless task that bad already baffled Old Falcon bim- self, who, after pecs des tbe ink-marks in his memory, bad reproduced them in black and white at his earliest leisure, but only to subse- quently give over the attempt to make anything intelligible out of them in sheer despair. Therese would have given way to anger—a too common resort of hers in a baffling dilemma —if that would have done any good; but, after giving up the effort with a brief inspection, ried hog y knitted her brows afresh, and re- ec Suddenly an idea occurred to her. She seized pen and eer scribbled a few lines, left them lying with the blotter on a line above the rifled and still open private drawer, and smilingly tripped back to her own room for an earlier toilette than her wont, She even beamed with exceptional amiability on Mayfield at the breakfast-table, he having first posted his letter to Retta before sitting lege thereto without returning to his apart- ment, The majority of Mrs. Godlove’s other lad ** guests” had by this time made up their minds to tolerate the rather outre veroine of the rope, the sawdust and the cannon-flight; some of them had even done her the honor to view her public performances, to their combined borror of her scantiness of costume and envy of her matchless roportions thereby revealed; and there was at ast a general willingness to being amused by her Bohemian independence of the convention- alities, and especially at her matter-of-course monopoly of the Adonis of the establishment, so gee to his disinclination, and not infre- quently his undisguised disgust, In other words, La Travadeuse was held ina species of guod-natured sufferance, which, how- ever, might at any moment be overstepped by some unforgivable bizarrerie or fantasticalness on her part. ** How eye of you charming dears are to take with Monsieur Mayfield’s musical pro- tegee?” she presently called out on this matutinal occasion, ‘* Don’t all answer at once, please. Chere Godlove, your blushes are not needed to mark as a fellow conspirator of mon cher amant, Harvee. Trala-ia! Trala-la! I feel like a music-box already. But what is Mademoiselle Uinstructrice like? That is what I want to know,” ‘I fancy you will have to apply to Mr. May- field for the information, Madame Bertrande,” replied a pretty married woman, smiling, ‘‘ The rest of us can only share your ignorance.” Mayfield paid not the slightest attention. ‘Is she young or old, cheri?” demanded a Therese, maliciously pretending an impatience other ladies to-mor- | she did not feel. ‘*Are you addressing me, ma’m?’ And he up coldly. Why to be sure, cheri.” ‘* Cheri isn't my name.” And there was general amusement for the others, for this comical baiting of the young man, so to speak, had become one of the table ‘La Travadeuse also chanced to be present. . ‘ ‘‘ Ah, indeed!” persisted Bertrande, without being abashed. ‘ Well, at all events, mon ange chaste, your song-bird had better not be named for good-looks surpassing mine, or there will be trouble in this boarding-schvol in hurricane or- der!” ‘¢‘ Maman!” said Mignon, speaking up, ‘¢ Yes, my serapb.” “Is it that there are to be music lessons, maman!” ‘* Tt is in the air, petite.” ee shall I take lessons of the madame, too?” ‘‘That will depend,” with profound serious- ness, ‘‘on the mysterious poursuivant, my love —her avant courrier, her maitre des mysteres,” Mayfield immovably swallowed his coffee, in- different to the additional amusement at his ex- pense, and quitted the table with his accustomed deliberateness, Going to his room, the disorder of his writing- table at once attracted his attention. This was the piece of writing Therese had left for him: “My BELOVED TO ALL ETERNITY:— ‘**Behold! I have deciphered the mystic scroll. I have read between the lines, deciphering every word so imperfectly and cabalisticaly presented by the blotting paper. ShallI have recourse to legal measures for my share of the buried treasure, as representing my lamented deceased parent's sole estate? I trust not, cher amart. Therefore prepare for my eomree pe your next visit to the hid- ing-place, which shall be this afternoon of this very day; or would you prefer my visiting it alone, and helping myself, by right of inheritance? Per- haps Monsieur Le D: teclive would accompany me for the asking. Eternellement Votre Bien-Amie, ** THERKSE.”’ The young man’s lip curled. Indeed, the attempted threat was so transparently impotent that he felt half-inclined to laugh. ‘“* Ah, mon ami! are you hopelessly offended at my temerity in thus forcing the secret from you? Strike me, beat me; then! Your poor Therese shall not complain.” She had noiselesssly slipped into the room be- hind him, and was already at his elbow, the laughing nypocrisy of her beautiful eyes peer- i at her own writing over his shoulder. or answer, he burst into a contemptuous laugh, tore both note and blotter into frag- ments, and tossed them away, as he turned to 0. ‘*T shall have a new lock put on my door,” said he, ‘‘and then leave the key with my land- lady. After the manner of a hote). There is no other way.” ** Wait, monsieur, wait! You may not im- agine how much of that blotter I managed to make out.” A repetition of his contemptuous laugh was the only response he vouchsafed as he strode away. CHAPTER XXII. THE MUSIC-TEACHER’S ARRIVAL. THERESE BERTRANDE was not the woman to quietly submit to slighting treatment. If she had been tuus far somewhat more fas- cinated by Mayfield’s manly beauty than sbe had experienced with his rather nnmerous line of predecessors in her regard, her mercenariness was still paramount to every other feeling in her odd and wholly unprincipled composition, though rn was not altogether without a generous side to it. She was at first so incensed at the failure of her shallow ‘bluff,’ as you might call it, for winning his financial confidence, no less than at his contemptuous disregard of the attempt, that she was strongly tempted to hurry after him, at the risk of creating a public street-scene, But shrewder self-counseling prevailed with her, as was mostly the case. She dressed herself magnificently, according to her wont, and sailed off grandly for the nearest office in which a New York City Di rectory was likely to be obtainable, her beauty of face and superb figure causing, as they were apt to do, the Tarrytown sensation of the hour. There were few richer and more beautiful young women, married and single, in the land, than made their home among the palatial river- fronting mansions thereal outs at that season of the year; but there was doubtless hardly one that would not, at the simple bar of relative physical attractiveness and distinction, as con- stituted by the masculine judgment at large, have been compelled to take a secondary place as compared with the gracefully statuesque Therese Bertrande, otherwise The Whirlwind, jille du cirque, nee Peggy Burkitt, the daughter of the London slums, Sbe could have ridden behind the costliest horse-flesh in the neighborhood any day in the week, had she chosen; many were the flowers and yet costlier offerings left for her acceptance, with cards of well-known scapegrace names of the jeunesse doree attacbed, sometimes hourly, at the Maison Godlove, to the scandal of some and envy of more of her fellow-guests; and as for perfumed notes, mostly in disguised hand- writings and fictitiously signed, beseeching for the honor of a passing smile ora slight inter- view. they were simply legion, Obtaining the required Directory at tbe tele- ‘com GComicbooks a7? ‘ 4 - i Ve », m4 * HEAP try Soe } > -*