Beadle's Dime Library No. 509 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

28 Old Falcon, the Thunderbolt Detective. ** The scene in the north cellar that presented itself was a memorably tragic one, ‘*By the light of acouple of lanterns hang- ing from the walls, and at the edge of the half- scooped-out excavation directly over the cistern cover, two rough, villainous-looking ruffians were bloodily contending for the mastery. “It was an unequal contest, however, for only one of them was armed, he being provided with along knife, which he had already used with terridle e€ect upon his burlier and more muscular antagonist, who was bleeding from several stabs, though still endeavoring to choke the other and tear the cruel blade from his grasp. ** Peacemaking is an unmanly weakness of mine, Cousin Retta. I was just on the point of springing in between the combatants, and sepa- rating them, no matter at what risk to myself, when the sudden and partly unexpected termi- nation of the tragedy rendered interposition out of the question, ‘The unarmed ruffian suddenly tumbled back into the trench, stone dead at last from a cowp dle grace in the region of the heart. ‘* Almost at the same instant the victor, un- til then uninjured it would seem, caught his foot upon a fragment of earth, and, stumbling violently forward on his face at the edge of the shallow pit, lay there quite mot:onless, after a gasping sigh and aconvulsive tremor or two, Upon examination, he also proved to be dead,” ‘** Dead, too?” ‘** Yes; he had fallen upon the point of his own knife, after using itso murderously upon his companion in crime, and it had entered his heart.” ** Horrible!” was all Retta could say. ‘You may well say that, cousin mine, But wasn’t I rightin preparing you forthe tragic scene that must be awaiting us in the cellar?” **'Yes, yes; that is— But you—you left the bodies lying just there?” “Certainly. There was no other course left me, you see, as I had to hurry back to keep my appointment with you. However, I must say I would hardly have known what todoin the matter, even with more time at my disposal,” ‘What shall you do?’ “Tam stillat a loss toknow. What might occur to you?” ‘Nothing, nothing!” with a _ shudder. ** Heavens! it is too horrible.” **Well, it will be easy enough to drag the bodies to one side, the hole down to the cistern- plate being already more than half re-dug for us. Then, after securing the treasure, why shouldn’t the same excavation answer for a double grave in which to bury away the dead scoundrels, there to slumber and rot forever- ‘*This plan, by the way, strikes me as an e«- cellent one; what do you think of it?” “Oh, anything, anything will do, I suppose! Let us not think of it now: let us wait till the terrible reality confronts us.” ** As you will, cousin,” ‘Was this—this unexpected tragedy the good turn you mentioned as to your disguise having already served you?” “i Yes. ” ** But I do not see how the shabbiness of your present dress could have had anything to do with it, one way or the otber.” “Ah, well, neither do I just now exactly,” and he scratched his head with his whip-hand, after touching up the horse. ‘* But the villains might bave caught a glimpse of me, you know, before engaging in their grapple, which might te nave been postponed, or resulted different- y. See ** Not very clearly, since they could not have known you for what you are any more in one dress than in another. But it is of no conse- quence,” ‘* No, of course not. I see now that it could have made no difference either way. Fuuny it hadn’t occurred to me before, But here we are. Suppose you descend here, cousin, and wait in the road for me, while I hitch up in among the woods there, secure from chance observation, I will rejoin you in a moment.” She silently obeyed, and, having already divined that his previous visit to the vicinity of the treasure had doubtless been solely promp- ted By a dishonest motive, came to the conclu- sion that there was something bebind the dread- ful story, probably still less to his credit, that he had refrained from telling her. He quickly returned to her, carrying two en- ormous portmanteaus, one in each band. ‘*T think these will answer our purpose,” he explained, with bis grinning smile. ‘*‘ When filled with the money, they will slide convenient- jy into the body of the dog-cart, and then— ick! click]—we are up and away, with no- body the wiser.” **Let us not forget one important feature of our interprise,” said Retta, as they proceeded side by side along the orchard wall to the cot- tage gate. ‘ What is that, cousin?” _ ] refer to our three prisoners in the cistern Mayfield, Old Falcon and the unknown lad. - “Qh, to be sure!” ** You know 132 as good as promised me that we should find them alive, but little the worse for their long entombment?” ‘Ob, come, Cousin Retta; not quite a prom- ise, “You insisted that there would be ample air and ventilation to support life—that all cisterns were necessarily constructed in that way—you know you did.” “T think I said they owght to be constructed in that way.” sé Oh hd “This one, you know, might have been con- structed on false, or perhaps on altogether dif- ferent, mechanical] principles.” ** Are you preparing for the possibility of our finding Mayfield and bis companions dead in the cistern?” ‘* Oh, bless you! not exactly that. But then there is no blinking the bare possibility of such a thing; and it 7s a good thing to be prepared for the unexpected at all times, cousin.” She pretended to catch her breath, but main- tained such a general composure as could not fail to augment his self-satisfaction greatly. ‘*Tam glad to see you exhibit such fortitude, cousin,” said he, seriously. *‘ Now if, by any possibility, these three scoundrels should be found dead in that cistern vault, do not let us forget that they met their death while in the commission of a dastardly felony—in the mean, criminal attempt to rob yow of the fortune whose original spoliation was the cause of your poor father’s ruin and untimely death.” ‘*T shall do ba best to bear up.” ‘*That is right, that is the proper, the true Roman spirit!” he went on, ‘Oh, how I hate dishonesty! If I had my way, I think I would have robbery punishable as a capital crime, no less than murder in the first degree!” She made no answer to this burst of virtuous indignation, for they hud now entered the house- grounds, and, as they drew along the path near the kitchen-door, she caught the encouraging gleam of a pair of eyes in among some sbrub- bery to the left, which she knew could belong to no one but Old Falcon himself. Entering the kitchen, where the lantern was still burning, apparently just as he had left it, Joseph, whose hands were full, requested Retta to take the light and follow him, and then he proceeded without a quiver down the cellar- stairs, ‘** Prepare yourself now!” he cautioned, with a steady voice, as he led the way directly to- ward the light flowing out of the north, or front, cellar. ‘It is a pretty ghastly sight,” Retta had already caught a glimpse of May- field and Therese crouching away to one side in the remotest corner of the middle compart- ment; but, even with this encouragement, she with the utmost difficulty supported the sicken- ing scene disclosed as she followed Joseph—part- ly into the theater of the recent tragedy. Everything was just as he had left it, even to the smallest details of the sickening and appall- en spectacle. here lay the one convict in the bottom of the trench, ghastly, gashed and bleody; while the motionless figure of the other was still lying, face down, at its trampled edge, with the 1 eek- ing knife having the appearance of being yet clutched in one hand. Retta leaned against the door frame, pallid and breathing hard. ; ‘* Now just bear up a minute, and after that ou mayn’t mind it a bit,” advised Joseph, in a usiness-like, all but cheerful tone. ‘* We'll soon make an end of the matter, and then all will be serene,” He had set down the portmanteaus, and was coolly weging the corpses to one side with a methodical, matter-of-fact air that could not but add to her horror of him, no less than of the dumb tragedy itself. ‘*There you are! See!” and stripping off his miserable coat, as a preliminary to grasping and going to work with the spade into the blood- stained trench, he carefully spread it over the dead men’s faces, so as to screen them from her view. ‘*Howis that? Don’t be afraid to come right in here now, while I am at work.” Here he spat on his hands, and set to digging indus- triously. ‘‘ Besides telling no tales, there’s worse company than dead men in this world, Cousin Retta. They’re orderly and composed, if not exactly prepossessing, and they have a way of strictly minding tbeir own business, which ought positively to endear them to a fellow.— Ha! at last.” The words had been spoken in jerks, while the spadefuls were being made to fly out of the hole, and now he tilted up the iron lid, and, after lowering a lantern and the two portmanteaus into the cistern, peered down after them. ** Why, the place is empty, save for the cash!” he almost shouted, looking up with an air of blank disappointment and suspicion, ‘‘ There’s not a man-jack of ’em down there, living or dead!”’. ** Are you sure? Look again!” As he did so, Retta sprung forward, burled him headlong into the pit, with a wild, exulting cry, and pushing back the lid over the hole, fairly danced upon it. SS sess CHAPTER XLI, THE END OF HIS ROPE NOT YET, ** VILLAIN! scoundrel! devil in human shape!” screamed the young girl, as she effected this turning of the tables upon ber late companion. ‘*'You were so disappointed at not finding your three victims dead down there, now take a sam- ple of their despairing sensations to your own black heart!” Here Mayfield, Therese, and the detective came rushing in upon the scene, and, as she clambered out of the excavation, while the first- named excitedly began to throw a few spade- fuls of earth back on top of the lid, as though to make sure of the diabolical captive, she threw herself into La Travadeuse’s arms, and burst into a flood of half-hysterical tears. ‘*Ob, what I have suffered in that fiend’s company!” she sobbed. ‘‘It was like being ina tiger’s cage, or being compelled to consort with a serpent,” ‘*'You may well say that, pauvre petite, and yet you cannot know the worst of him,” mur- mured Therese, moved by the young girl’s ago- nized reaction more than she would bave liked to confess, ‘* These wretched corpses here—they are his work! Mon Diew! theman would make a furor in Paris—his diabolism is unique,” ‘What! you mean to tell me that he mur- dered those wretched convicts?” ‘* With his own hand, though singly and apart, my dear. Cher Harvee was an eye-wit- ness, Old Falcon had laid his hand on Mayfield’s arm, and now raised his hand autboritatively. ‘* Listen!” said he, incilning his ear toward the cistern-lid, They all did so, listening intently, but not a sound came from below—not even a rap for merey underneath the iron plate, such as might have been expected. Therese was the first one quick-witted enough bs suggest a meaning for the unlooked-for si- ence, ** Sang du Seigneur! the tunnel—the secret passage!” she screamed, ‘‘ It served our turn, why not his?” Without a word Mayfield drew his revolver, and darted away like a shot, ‘* Good! commented the detective, recovering uickly from his momentary chagrin. ‘* Not Ave minutes have been wasted, and the under- ground passage is fortunately both tortuous and difficult, even if our captive should bave become aware of its existence at the outset.” ** And, as he must have failen on his bead when I pushed him so vigorously,” said Retta, ‘*he is more likely to be lying stunned below there than anything else,” ** Still, villains like Professor Josephs are like cats—they always fall on their feet,” suggested Therese. ‘‘ Hadn’t we better follow cher Harvee to the orchard mouth of the tunnel?” But so rapid and energetic had been the youn man’s action upon the alarming hint that ha been given that, even as she finished speaking, they heard the noise of his re-entrance into the kitchen. Mayfield put in a reappearance out of breath, but with a satisfied look on his face that was sufficiently reasscring. ‘¢ The outlet of the passage is hopelessly block- ed against any egress,” he aiiee! to say, be- tween his pantings. ‘‘I used the crowbar in tumbling down a mass of earth and stones into the entrance, through which even a rat could not burrow his way in six hours,” ‘There were nosigns then,” demanded the de- tective, ‘‘of the man making or having made use of the tunnel?” ‘* None whatever.” ‘* Good!” and the detective sprung down into the hole, and seized the cistern-lid. ‘But let us make sure of our game by taking a peep into his cage,” He lifted the plate to one side, disclosing that the lantern was still burning brightly below. Then he threw himself on his knees, and cau- tiously peered down into the cistern, Instantly, however, he looked up in blank and startled amazement, ‘*Gone! Vanished!—man, treasure, every- thing!” The words burst from his lips in a sort of con- centrated fury. The next instant he had drawn his revolver, dropped into the cistern, and they could hear him plunging into the entrance of the secret passage, lantern 1n hand. ‘ Mayfield and the young woman could only exchange glances expressive of the bitter dis- appointment just communicated to them. ‘¢ Wait!” exclaimed the former, in a scarcely audible voice. “It is next to impossible that the scoundrel could have — through the balf-choked passage, burdened with those im- mense portmanteaus, before I blocked up the Srekie exit. The detective must find him crouching somewhere in the passage!” Next to impossible, perhaps, but none the less true! A moment later Old Falcon reappeared, clam- bering into view, breathless, stern, covered with the earth-stains of the tunnel. ‘* He’s off with the cash, every dollar of it— nothing left but the empty boxes!” he cried, in ¢om Eboo