Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 513 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

Cnr aie 22 head and shoulders of a man were projecting beyond an opening in the wall. ** Be still!” whispered Norma, grasping Albia’s arm. the lives of my guests, anyhow. I’m delighted The caution was not necessary, for Albia was | to see you safe—l am, by George, sir!” too much frightened to do anything else. They | ‘*Thanks. There wasa man shot, but it was Texas Tartar. * Dil bet you a V, Mr, Dumley, that I am ot!’ “ Bless you, my dear sir, I wouldn’t traffic in were stannidg in shadow, and remained unseen. | not I.” There was the briefest possible delay, and ‘*Mr. Tartar, it was Providence that saved then the man wriggled quickly out of the open- | you.” ing and scrambled to his feet Before he bad ‘* A good opinion for me to hold, but I’m fully gained this position another head bad ap- | afraid the other man would not coincide with peared, and the body of aman followed. Nor | us,” was he the last—a third came after him; and ‘*T never thought of that, by George! But the trio stood erect together. come to the bar, gents. What’ll you take?” Here was proof of Tabor’s assertion that he ‘‘ A cigar.” had cornered three men in the shanty, and it ** Nothing wet?” was plain that they were on the point of escap- ‘* Not for me.” ing, but neither girl made a movement toward ‘* [Jl skip mine, too,” Yank added. ‘I don’t giving the alarm. | SO very heavy on fluid irritation. Some species Why did they refrain? on’t is most egregious good in emargencies, but Let the near future tell, ou don’é want ter crowd the emargencies, No time was lost by the men. Assoon as tbe | Whisky is mortal bad fur the newrolgy, an’, last bad gained his feet, they began to retreat | besides, everybody o’ the Yellowbird pedigreen together. is, was, an’ will be, down on havin’ chemical Norma touched Albia’s arm, and spoke in a | ’speriments made in their stummicks, I knowed hard voice. @man once who used ter dabble in chemicals, ‘* Follow me!” she briefly directed. an’ one day he blowed himself up. I dunno as ** Do you think—” he did it with whisky, but it ain’t a safe dru ‘‘T think nothing now. Come!” ter wrastle with. Thank ye, landlord, but I'l Albia’s unfinished question had been tremu- | do without the decoction, an’ you may credit lous, but Norma’s reply was in her former bard | me twenty cents on my bill, or give it ter Moses voice. in extra feed.” The course of the men was directly toward Texas Tartar had lighted his cigar, and the the center of the village, but they had not gone | two men went up-stairs, leaving the landlord as far when there was a separation. One of the | much perplexed as ever to understand how The three left the others, and taking a course at | Man with Nine Lives happened to bea live man, right-angles with the former one, hurried off | instead of one of *‘ the silent ma jority.” with long steps. The remaining two kept their ‘* Now then,” said Texas Tartar, with energy, former course, and after them went the girls as | when they were alone in their room, “ produce before. your mysterious letter.” It was not far to the Westerley house. The ‘I’m egregious glad you’re back ter help me men passed the door and turned the corner, but | tussle with it—I am, by hurley!” Yank de- Norma, still retaining her hold upon Albia’s | clared, arm, hurriedly entered. ‘*T may get thrown, but I am anxious to have ‘**Close the door!” directed Miss Westerley, | a trial. Our game is drawing near a crisis, and almost imperiously, ‘‘ and then come to the west | every point tells now.” room,” ‘** 1t needs ter, I consait,” She ran quickly up the stairs as she spoke. Yank had carefully guarded the letter which Her companion was slow to follow—indeed, | the wind had brought to him on the Jake-shore. thero was a relactance about her :novements | He now brought it out, and the detective read it which indicated a desire to avoid further con- | through slowly and carefully. This done, he nection with a work which, pany, was agitat- | made comment briefly: ing her greatly. Sbe obeyed, however, and ‘*To Eve Hendricks from her faithless lover, went to the west room—which was a spare | sure,” chamber. ‘* Should say so.” She found Norma kneeling by the open win- ‘“*This man was connected with the smug- dow. glers, but only secretly. In the eyes of the The latter motioned her to approach. world he was a very respectable man. All this, She complied, and, looking out, saw the two | as you before said, is revealed in the letter.” men standing close by the house, ‘** To be sure.” ‘*T wonder if Tabor is still watching?’ ‘Eve discovered his connection with them The words were uttered by one of the men, | and told him so. He was alarmed; the whole and were accompanied with a laugb. tone of this letter shows it. What we want to ‘He gave us a close call,” answered the | know now is, did his desertion drive Eve to second. suicide, or did his fears that she would betray *¢ If there hadn’t been so much rubbish in the | him lead him to remove her?” shop, he would have found us, sure.” Texas Tartar looked meaningly at the moun- ‘Ts there fear that he recognized us?” taineer, and the latter nodded several times in **T think not.” succession. ** Our ea od friend is safe by this time.” ‘This is what we must learn,” the detective ‘* Yes, if he has made good use of his legs.” added, ‘‘ Our next point is in regard to Norma ‘Tam not wholly satisfied with this affair, | Westerley, or ‘the young mistress of Westerley David. If Tabor did know us, he might get us | house,’ as she is called here. The writer thinks into a fix. Wouldn’t it be well for us to destroy | ‘it will not be possible to deceive her much what lace we have here?” longer.’ Also, he says, ‘she must not suspect ‘Yes, We'll do it at once. And, by the way, | us.’ Again, Eve bad declared that ‘ the young it is not the safest thing in the world for us to | mistress,’ and so forth, bad more influence than stand bere. We had better go in,” Suggestive, isn’t it?” ** You're right.” They turned, went to the side-door and en- tered the house. Norma arose and faced Albia, Both had recognized the men, The recognition had been partial at the shanty; it had been made complete at the house. . Tbe men had been David and Edgar Wester- she over the writer. sf Hovegionsly. so,” ‘We must admit that the majority of per- sons, reading this, would say positively that Robert Kendall was the writer.” ‘*‘ Pack, Texas.” ‘**We will not rush to a decision, but one thing we must admit—Eve’s lover was eitker an inmate of the Westerley house, or Norma's close friend. Were it otherwise, Eve would have asserted that Norma had so much influence over the writer of this, nor would he have de- clared that it would not be possible to deceive Norma much longer. All this narrows the field. The faithless lover was Kendall or one of Shall we sus- ley. Vaint as was the light in the room, it showed each girl a pale face opposite her own, and Norma’s voice was husky as she spoke. ‘IT am going to retire at once, Albia; I can- not talk to-night. Let what we have seen remain a secret forever!” the Westerley family. Question: pect Robert, David or Edgar?” **- You say,” returned Yank, stroking his beard with great satisfaction at his ally’s power of presenting evidence. ‘‘T will present a point, friend Nevermiss. Eve said that her lover was connected with the smugglers, Well, at the smugglers’ store-house we found a blanket marked Westerley, and when you used a little strategy you found out, positively, that there were blankets in Wester- ley’s house just like it. Now, which would be most likely to furnish a blanket from that house to the smugglers—Robert, David or Edgar?” “‘Land o’ Goshen! I do b’lieve you’re a wizard, Texas. An’ this seems ter throw the guilt onter David or Edgar.” ‘** Be not hasty, mountaineer. Let me see the blanket which Miss Westerley gave you.” Yank brought out the article named, and Texas Tartar subjected it to a careful examin- ation. Like the, veteran, he pronounced it the exact mate of the blanket they had found in the free-traders’ store-house, ee CHAPTER XXX, THE LAKE-SHORE LETTER. Tue following morning the landlord of the hotel was putting his place in order when two men entered. _“*Good-morning, Mr. Yellewbird,” he said, litely, as he recognized the foremost. ‘ You faye n out for your morning walk, I see, an!— Great Scott!” The speaker broke off and stared blankly at the second man. There stood Texas Tartar, as well and strong as ever. ‘‘Top of the morning to you, Dumley,” the detective coolly saluted. ** Holy smoke! I thought you was dead.” -**T have been,” ‘* You have, eh?” ** Just so; but that is a mere trifle to me. Bear in mind that [ am The Man with Nine Lives. The fact that I lose one now and then is a mere trifle; I have several more in stock, like cat.” -“ But I thought yeu was shot and drownded,” e rr — ———————————— ——————— eee ———$—$——————$$ $$$ SL “Next,” be continued, ‘‘we want to learn who wrote this note. Beyond doubt, the writ- ing is somewhat dispuised—the peculiar, erratic formaticn of the letters proves that—but it’s a mighty good man, Yank, who can wholly hide his identity thus, if any one is on the track.” ‘*Ei Ll’s ter write,” quoth Yank, shaking his index finger at bis friend, *‘ you couldn’t tell it from the tracks o’ a hen with the Lrown-keel croup.” ‘*To learn who wrote this,” resumed Texas Tartar, ‘* we roust get specimens of the writing of all parties we think can have possibly been concerned in the matter. This we will do by strategy, giving them no cause for suspicion. Understand?” ‘*T do, an’ I must say you plan it mortal wal. Now, ef we kin only do es wal, we shall—” A rap sounded at the chamber door, Texas Tartar arose and opened it—the landlord was outside. ‘* Ed Westerley is hyar, and he'd like to see you,” announced Mr. Dumley. ** Send him right up.” The landlord turned away, and Texas Tartar went back to Yank. ‘‘Before Mr. Edgar Vesterley leaves us I will have a specimen of his writing,” was the confident assertion. ‘‘Goin, Texas; go right in on yer musikle. I like your way, by burley! You remind me 0’ another detective partner 1 had once, who was called Central Pacific Paul. He had the same krack fur gittin’ at things, an’ he bout always won, Had a most tremenjus time with him, workin’ ag’in’ the train-wreckers.” Quick, Tight steps were heard, and Edgar made bis appearance. ‘* Welcome back, sir!” he exclaimed, extend- ing bis hand with an air of cordiality, ‘ You bave been marked down all through the village as a dead man.” ‘*T presume it was not generally known that I was The Man with Nine Lives,” gravely re- plied the detective. ‘‘ Hardly!” answered Westerley, smiling. ‘I did not know that, but I’m glad to see you safe. And now, to come right to the point, the whole village is agog to know how you escaped. 1] am just as bad, and bere I am to hint—broadly, as you see—that the story would interest me.” ‘* Tt’s the simplest thing in the world.” ‘‘Then ] judge that you were net shot.” ‘Not to my knowledge. Friend Yank was unnecessarily alarmed about me, you see. I sighted several men ina boat and tried to fol- low them, thinking they might be smugglers, but 1 couldn’t run on sbore, over rocks and through bushes, as fast as they could go in their boat.’ ‘*T thought you went in the boat, also?” ‘¢ Yank labored under the same belief.” The mountaineer concealed a smile by stroking his sparse beard with zeal, ‘“exas Tartar had gone in the boat, and Yank knew it, but the fact was not to be told abroad. ‘‘What news did you get of the smugglers?” continued Edgar, with interest. The detective made a gesture of disgust. ‘*T hate to confe:s it, but I finally lost sig bt of them. I was more plucky than wise, and got into a country where no stranger could find his way without a compass. I lost my hbearmgs, wandered around curiously, thought it v as all up with me, but finally struck the right track and got back home. Those fellows may have been smugglers, but I can’t prove but that they were the men who played the mischief with Rip Van Winkle.” There was an evasion in all that he said, but it was so skillfully disguised that Edgar suspect- ed nothing. An expression of disappointment, real or feigned, was upon young Westerley’s face. ‘*T had hoped you might have some clew,” be avswered, “I decile believe that if we eculd find tke free traders, Robert Kendall would be cleared of one charge.” ‘““Tt would please me greatly to see him cleared.” Westerley grasped the speaker’s hand warm- ly ‘‘Thank you, sir; thank you. Iam positive that he is equally innocent of connection with thesmugglers and the assault on Grizzly George; and now, being sure of your sympathy, I would like te have a confidential talk with you.” CHAPTER XXXII. DID EVE COMMIT SUICIDE? THIS suggestion was very pleasant to Texas Tartar. . ‘““Go right on, Mr. Westerley,” he replied. ‘* T shall be glad to hear you.” “Tt is my opinion,” declared Edgar, ‘‘ that this matter is all the deep plot of a man who wishes to rival Kendall as a suitor for my sister’s hand.” ‘‘ That looks likely, but who js the man?” ‘“‘T haven't the least idea, but I will come to that anon, First, as to my reasons for believing it. It seems that when Grizzly George returned from Eve’s funeral he found in his bouse an anonymous letter which accused Kendall. This was the first blow. Blow number two was when. my sister was drugged to interrupt the wedding. \ ; 4