Beadle's Dime Library No. 509 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

SO ER ee oc Old Falcon, the Thunderbolt Detective. 31 wraps as they had been able to throw around their persons, came crowding, hesitating and be- wildered, partly into the room. ‘“ A bandage, a mere rag to stanch the bleeding, and— and— Fortunately Harvey Mayfield had gone to his rest more than balf-dressed—had, in fact, fallen to sleep from the perusal of a book, as the vol- ume itself on the floor, together with a half- burnt-out night-lamp on a table at the head of the bed sufficiently attested. In an instant he had sprung from the couch and caught the tottering and fainting Therese in his arms, ‘* Noble woman!” he exclaimed, ‘‘ you shall | ' the newspaper reporters were given access to not, you must not die! I owe you my life, Therese! Speak! what is there that I can give in return for your devotion?” She had somewhat ralliod, and was stanch- ing the gush of blood from the wound witha handkercaief that had just been handed her by Retta, who was also assisting in sapper cing her. ‘‘ You ask me what you can give me, chert,” murmured Therese, looking fondly up into his face, with a white smile. ‘‘ Alas! only that which I would have of you is no longer yours to give—your heart. It belongs to her who should also have your hand. Here—here, chers amis, mes enfants!” she struggled erect once more and placed the young man’s and the young woman’s hands in each other. ‘* Look up-stairs, { have also saved your fortune to you, belle petite, All there, all’! the stuffed portmanteaus —the cash—the rich treasure! ou will enjoy it, mes enfants, enjoy it, and be happy in your loves, though—though sometimes you will find _ jeisure from your happiness to murmur pauvre Therese! pauvre Therese!” Then she fainted in earnest. The detective, being something of a surgeon, among his many other accomplishments, made a2 rapid examination of Therese’s wound, as she sunk into Retta’s arms. ‘*Itis, truly, a mere flesh wound, though a somewhat deep one,” he said, peremptorily. ‘*Carry her to her room, you ladies, and do what you can toward stanching the blood-flow, while a practitioner is being sent for. Begone now, all of you! The morning breaks, the romance of the tableau is at an end, and the hard, matter-of-fact hand of the law is in pos- SessSlon, This served to clear the room of the spectators, and Therese was carried away. ‘* Just as soon as you can dress yourself, young man,” continued the detective, addressing May- field, who was already completing his toilette, ‘‘run off and notify the authorities. Mean- time, I'll Jook after our prisoner here, and now that he is secure, I doubt not but the cash-trea- sure up-stairs can take care of itself, for a short time at least, No; on second thoughts, you had better bring the portmanteaus down here, Bet- ter to bave them, no less than this precious scoundrel, under my eye while you are absent,” ** But, what does it all mean?” cried Mayfield, ‘‘ IT confess to being still half-bewildered. How did this murderous wretch chance into my room here? Through thatsame window by which you entered?” ‘‘ Fiddle-strings! Don’t you tumble to the fellow’s racket even yet?” ‘Why, he was the mysterious invalid widow from abroad—last night’s new arrival, you Know. A deuced clever dodge to escape sus- picion, too, if J hadn’t chanced to see through it trom the start!” ‘‘ What! you suspected the subterfuge, even from the first?” ** Certainly.” ‘*Why didn’t you break up the rascal’s plot on the spot?” ‘* Because I wanted to give Therese a chance at your yratitude.” ‘Oa, [ begin tounderstand!” _ ‘“'Young man, heroes in petticoats are not common nowadays. Therese Bertrande may be something of a whirlwind among the con- ventionalities of social life, but no better, nobler heart ever beat underneath a bodice,” ‘**T absolutely agree with you, sir,” replied the young man with grave simplicity. ‘‘ But, tell me: how could this consummate villain have a a such a plot, and we so hard upon his ee ‘* Because he is consummate, I fancy. The lo in of a feminine costume and two or three Saratoga trunks on the part of some of his In- wood associates—unprincipled profligates and gamblers, doubtless, like himself—at the oppor- tune moment would have effected the trick. Hallo !” Here Joseph, who had been lying on the floor, apparently in a stunned and dazed condition, rose into a sitting posture, and, stretching out his manacled wrists, looked up at the two men with an evil smile. _“*T would have had you both dead to rights, if the luck had only run better,” he said, with cool self-possession, ‘‘ But don't be too sure of the game yet. ° The rope isn’t woven that will hang me,’ ** Don’t be too sure of that, you unconscion- able hound!” exclaimed the detective, fairly Spurning bim with his foot. ‘* Hurry up, May- field! Bring down the cash, and then fetch the . Officers without delay. I sha’n’t rest till 1 have this murderous prodigy in White Plains jail under my personal supervision.” This was accordingly done, In less than an hour’s time Joseph Mervyn was behind the bars; and within three hours after that the recovered treasure, together with | funds restored to it by the action of Harvey Mayfield, was safely banked to Henriette Mervyn’s credit in the sterling metropolitan in- stitutions. Then Henrietta was introduced by the detec- tive to a capable lawyer as ker legal representa- tive in straightening out the complicated affair; the treesure sensation in toto, with full details from begining to end; and the public were bid- den to the exciting feast. CHAPTER XLVI. CONCLUSION. ‘*Mr. Mayrre.p, I would respectfully re- ' quest a few words with you,” The words were Mrs, Godlove’s, and they were spoken shortly after breakfast following upon the arrest of Joseph Mervyn, to Harvey ayfield as he was chatting animatedly with a date the lady boarders, including not only iss Mervyn but also Therese Bertrande, whom prompt surgical attendance, combined with her peerless constitutional vigor, had enabled to al- ready make light of her wound. ‘Certainly, ma’m.” And the young man moved politely toward the reception-room door which the good lady was suggestively holding half-open, ‘* Mais, arretez, je vous prie, belle madame !” interrupted Therese, also stepping forward, and dragging Henriette along with her, ‘Surely we should take part in the consultation propos- ed, since I am quite sure it concerns the three of us no less than one.” Mrs. Godlove frowned, but the four were by this time in the parlor, and Therese made haste to close the door. ‘* What need of so much ceremony, dear Mad- ame Godlove, ‘‘she went on, airily, ‘‘ when it is so easy to divine what you would say to cher Harvee—what really concerns us all.” ‘‘ Are you sure, then, that you know what I[ was going to say?” demanded the landlady, who was unwontedly collected and stern, ‘Perfectly, chere madame.” ‘* What was it on my mind to say?” ** The last night's, or ratner this early morn- ing’s, sensation, following so soon upon the con- vict’s sanguinary death under Mr. Mayfield’s chamber window, is, so tospeak, the last feather on the camel’s back of long-suffering | gatentrl and conventionality, as represented by the Maison Godlove at large.” ‘* You have divined aright, with your usual perspicacity, Madame Bertrande,” acknowledg- ed Mrs. Godlove, firmly. ‘‘ That is about the substance of what I would have said, though perhaps in other words. And yet,” with a somewhat obsequious glance at Miss Mervyn, ‘Cand yet—" **Oh, don’t soften the blow, chere madame ! Goodness knows, no well-regulated boarding- house couJd have staggered under what yours has sustained, and then come out smiling. After to-day, you will be no longer troubled with my condescension, for one, and I shall only ask you to keep La Sauterelle over night.” ‘* Thanks!” said Mrs. Godlove, stiffly ; ‘t but you should have permitted me to finish my say. I was going to add that a young lady of Miss Mervyn’s wealth and position,” with another obsequious smile for Henriette, ‘could always be at liberty to command my house, my ser- vices and my accomodations at her pleasure.” La Travadeuse burst into her really ringing and delicious laugh. ~ ‘* Do let me answer for you, belle petite !” she entreated, with a sign to Retta, who had been on the point of replying. ‘* And do not blush because of my surprising cher Mayfield and you in your garden tete-a-tete of a short time ago, and in which I doubt not everything was made serene and lovely between your two foolish hearts, Dear Madame Godlove, Miss Mervyn, or I mistake not, will scarcely make any serious change in her living affairs until after her nup- tials with our dear friend in common, Mr. Har- vey Mayfield, formerly of grave leanings toward divinity and sacred learning.” Henriette, who was blushing like a peony, tried to put her hand over the speaker’s laugh- ing mouth, but Mayfield drew her back, and then, with the young girl upon his arm, made a smiling bow to the other ladies. : Mrs. Godlove had doubtless before this re- signed herself to the inevitable, though she was now very pale, if composed. However, she was sensible enough to make the best of it. , ‘Tt seems just as it should be,” she said, fore- ingasmile, ‘I hope none of yeu feel unneces- sarily burried from what I have said. but will continue,” with a bow to Mayfield and Therese, ‘‘to regard my house your home, as heretofore— at your convenience.” ‘“* Mon Dieu! how sweetly we arrange our- selves!” cried Therese, producing alittle package eee nn _—_—_— ee * » - : : mA : 4% ‘ os - * te sas mf , a= hy J ue ss eae Ca A P «* 625 Sa eer na en en eee ee i pci = ela eh ieee ener eee of tickets. ‘‘ Look you, friends: I arranged matters with my manager yesterday, and have promised him a superb performance of my cannon feat at the circus to-night, to make up for my recent disappointments of the public. And I want you all to be present. Accept of these complimentaries, and then swear that you willcome, It may be my farewell of you all. What do you say? Henriette and Mayfield smilingly accepted the tickets offered them, and promised to attend, but Mrs, Godlove drew back. However, La Travadeuse had not yet got through with astonishing the latter. Sbe threw her arm round her neck, kissed her heartily, patted her cheek, and then pressed the complimentary into her band. ‘‘ Do promise, belle madame /” she whispered. ‘‘Major Falconbridge, the great detective, is also to be present, at my invitation, and I know he is just dying to have you go under his escort.” ‘ With that she darted out of the room, in an- swer to a call from Mignon, and was hardly seen again throughout the day. At the great circus show of the ensuing night, it was the general impression that the popular and versatile Travadeuse was fairly surpassing herself, Never before had she appeared to such strik- ing and picturesque advantage. She skipped along the chalked tight-rope, her magnificently proportioned figure agleam with the gold and silver tinsel of her art, with the easy grace of a robin skipping along a fence-rail. She flashed through the aerial flights of the flying trapeze like the voluptuous and winged creature of a dream, The multitude of spectators fairly roared theis' enthusiasm, At last, however, the suspenseful hush fell upon them, as was invariably the case when she stepped forward to be fired out of the mammoth cannon, or howitzer, in that dangerous and sweeping flight far into the skyey regions of the lofty show-building—there to catch upon a dangling cross-bar, nearly a hundred feet above the people's heads, and gracefully kiss her hand in acknowledgment of the surging plaudits rising to her from far below—which bad earned for her the sometime sobriquet of The Human Cannon Ball. She slipped three fourths of her glittering length into the gun, kissed her hand over the metallic muzzle-rim as a sign that she was in readiness, bang! went the charge of powder be- hind the spring mechanism beneath her feet and then there was, not the customary roar of applause, but a stormy and horrified groan, Through some oversight (or, as some after- ward declared, through a suicidal foresight of of her own,) the powder-charge behind the spring bad been more than doubled! Instead of soaring on high, as was ordinarily the case, in obedience to the mechanism, she fairly shot into the peak of the house, and an instant later lay on the sawdust of the arena, hopelessly crushed and mangled beyond re- covery. Among those who gathered about her death- bed, in the green room, a few minutes later, in obedience to a peremptory summons into the private boxes not far away, were two gentlemen and two ladies, Needless to say that they were Mayfield and Old Falcon, respectively escorting Henrietta Mervyn and Mrs. Godlove. Therese was fast eying. but a smile illumin- ated her pallid face as her fading eyes rested upon the younger couple. She made a feeble movement, and they bended over her, restraining their agitation as best they might. ‘“ Ohers amis, you willbe happy together,” she whispered, just audibly, and no more, ‘Ah! my little girl, my Grasshopper, my Mignon?” *¢ She shall henceforth be our charge,” May- field made haste to say. ‘‘ Make yourself easy as to Mignon, Therese, dear Therese!” ‘*'Yes,” sobbed Retta. ‘The little girl shall be as my own—my younger sister—from this time on!’ , A look of content came into the poor, dying ace. ** Kiss me,cheri/” came from the quivering lips. Mayfield bent yet lower, and their lips met. ‘‘Ah, cheri, is it not as 1 promised?” she mur- mured yet again. ‘*Perhaps I was never worthy the love of a good man, cher ami; but, if Lcould not have you to myself, IL could yet leave you toone far better, far purer than I, and then—die!” He bent yet lower, and there was a loud sob from Retta. but there was only clay to mourn over now—Therese Bertrande, otherwise The Whirlwind, nee Peggy Burkitt, the diamond waif of the London slums, had stepped off into the arena of the Infinite. Harvey Mayfield and Henriette Mervyn were married one month later on, and thus the ro- mance of the Fateful Legacy hada practical — though felicitous outcome at last. Joseph Mervyn found a means to commit sui- cide in his prison-cell shortly before the day set for his trial, THE END. ' GComiecbooks com