Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 532 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 tain Pygmy is a man of mystery and a cun- | He ; The secret I deliver to Captain Javert my sworn niug fox who is playing a game of his own. Jack Javert, the Independent Detective. ed Juliette. ‘*‘ Yes, Nora, if you would know! is working me for his purposes as best he can. | sleuth makes the rich poor and the poor rich, I { have had my eyes opened within the last few ! don’t care if she has placed him on the trail of hours. If you work for the money there is in | the general’sslayer. | I have thrown the slayer into his hands, and this case, go to Nora and bind yourself to her. Iam sure [ will find Juliette dead when I get back, Her death absolves you of the oath you took to serve her, Yes, 1am almost certain that Zubiano the Sorceress brought her home. She went to consult that woman when she went away. Beyond this I know nothing, Captain Javert. Lucy drew toward the door followed by the detective’s look till she put her hand on the knob. “One word, girl,” said he raising a finger above the table at which he sat. ‘‘lam going away. That is, Captain Jack Javert, the In- dependent Sleuth, disappears from view to-day. In the first place remember that you have not seen him for several days. If Juliette has re- covered and overwhelms you with questions, recollect that you know nothing.” The girl looked at the detective with a ques- tion at her lips, but her surprise kept it back. ** Will you do this, Lucy?’ continued Javert,. Twi Though you will not help me, I will be true to your secret, Captain Javert.” She waited for him to speak again, but as he did not she opened the door and passed out, going down the steps with a brain full of per- plexing thoughts, ** What has changed Javert?’ she asked her- self. ‘* I wonder what sort of web he has been in that he so suddenly quits the trail, and now he disappears altogether! Does he also desert Nora and her money? Ah! they say one can buy these detectives off! Has somebody bought Javert?” Lucy was not herself till she got back to Juliette’s house again. She unlocked the front door and stole in on tiptoe. There was a weird silence in the dark corri- dor, and an unseen hand appeared to hold her back from the room where she had left her mis- tress and Captain Pygmy beside her, But the girl, with more courage than usually comes to one of her years in time of need, open- ed the parlor door and went forward. ** Lucy, child, is it you?” The young girl came to a halt at the voice. It had an unnatural sound, yet it seemed to belong to Juliette. Lucy could not tell why. She crossed the rich carpet to the couch where she had left Juliette, but there was no one there. ‘*T am in here, child,” said the same voice at her left, and Lucy turned toward the curtain which separated her from the private chamber, She put up her hand and drew it aside, A light dazzled her eyes, and stopped her on the threshold, ‘“*Come forward,’ said the voice once more. ‘t You were not here when I came home, but never mind,” Lucy saw the white face of Juliette above the arms of a covered chair, at a desk near the cur- tained bed, She went forward and halted beside her mis- tress, whose eyes became fixed upon her. ‘The time has come,” continued Juliette, ‘I have come back from the dead to deliver a blow, and then to go out like a candle that is suddenly snuffed. I have been robbed again— erhaps by the woman who is in league with ata. I have sealed a packet for the man I have chosen to deal the avenging blow. You will deliver it. Wherever Captain Javert is you must find him. You must place in his hand the weapon he is to wield. He is in my em- poy, till I dismiss him, and I have not let him off. Juliette spoke the ‘last words through her white teeth, and to the flashings of her jet-black eyes, At the same time she put a hand into the desk, and took up a small packet sealed with crimson wax, ‘ Nga he eyes became riveted upon it from the rs * ’ ‘* Hold out your hand, girl.” Lucy obeyed. “This goes to the sleuth,” resumed Juliette lacing the object in the girl’s palm, ‘‘ Remem- r! it must find him despite all intervening ob- stacles, It must not go tohim by any other hand than yours. My curse rest on your head if you fail.” ‘But I may not be able to find Javert,” said Lucy recalling the interviewin the detective’s office, ** Don’t say that!” cried Juliette. ‘‘ There must be no failure. The clew is in that packet—the secret is sealed with the red wax. It will give Captain Javert all the links of the chain and render it complete. You must succeed! Don’t intimate that Javert cannot befound. The pack- et in your hand must reach him if he be at the ends of the earth. I tell you it avenges and destroys. It cuts the web of the Golden Spiders and stripsthe young queen of money who has just followed the nabob prince to the tomb,” ‘“* Nora?” ejaculated Lucy. “* Ab} what made you think of hea?’ exclaim- have done more than that. placed victory in his power. Why do you look at me that way, girl? I know I’m not tbe woman I was before I went to the den of the spider- witch of New York, I have ceased te be Juliette. Iam Queen Leo once more. Let me alone, and take the secret to Javert the shadow.” Lucy was pushed back beyond the curtain by a hand that seemed to burn where it touched. ** Go now!” cried Juliette. ‘‘ Don’t say that ou can’t find Javert. You can and you must! ou carry your own destiny in your haad; you are my messenger of vengeance and justice. If you fail lll come back and make it hot for you!” The aspect of the woman was enough to drive the frightened and bewilde: ed girl away. She hid the packetiwith the crimson seal in her bosom, and as the curtain fell back hiding Juliette from view, her feet carried her away. ‘*T know what he said, but he may be there,” thought Lucy, reaching the sidewalk in a mo- ment. ‘‘I want to get rid of this unpleasant duty as quickly as possible. I don’t want a charge like this very long.” She went back over the way to Javert’s office as speedily as possible. Excitement and fear seemed to lend speed to her progress, With nimble feet she bounded up-stairs, and paused out of breath at the little office door, Not two hours had elapsed since she left Javert there, and yet there was a placard above the knob, and she read thereon this inscription: “FOR RENT, INQUIRE AT END OF HALL,” CHAPTER XVI, THE TRAIL OF THE SPIDER, I¥ the reader could have walked along a cer- tain street in Gotham celebrated for being the abode and place of business of a class of persons who get money from the credulous by pretend- ing to disclose the future—if the reader could have done this, we say, several days after the events of the chapters just finished, he might have seen a hard-faced, though well-dressed woman surrounded by people of all sorts. Behind this womans a brick house, not so much unlike its neighbors as to be singled out for anything unusual. Theshutters were closed, and there was an air of vacancy about the premises which the surrounding dwellings did not ESS, ‘Yes, here is where Zubiano the Seeress did live,” said the woman to her hearers, She par- ticularly addressed a smallish man with a red beard and a very prominent watch-chain. ‘*She isn’t here now, though, and I think I’ve told that often enough. She paid her rent like a lady—paid more than she agreed to, and in that respect [ll recommend her anywhere, No, I don’t know where she went.” ‘** Could she tell fortunes, or was she just play- in’ with the art?’ asked the little man. ‘*T think she understood her business from the fixings she had,” was the reply. ‘lm not pre- pared to say why she didn’t remain longer. She rented the house by the month and had a right to vacate before the time was up if she wanted The listeners departed one by one, until the woman on the step and the red-whiskered man were the only ones left. “Did you want to consult Zubianof’ asked the owner of the house addressing the man. ‘*T would liked to have seen her.” ‘* In a business sense, I presume?” smiled the woman. ‘© You'll find Signor Chozzi the Seventh Son down the street, and Madame Stella next door.” ‘**Do you think either of these would do when I wanted Zubiano, your renter?” ‘** Perhaps not; but you’ye heard me say that she is gone.” ** When did she go?” ** Yesterday at ten o’clock.” ‘* In broad daylight, then?’ ‘Yes; she did nothing to make her go at night, I guess,” ‘Ob, no, of course not,” returned the man, ‘She didn’t give Phe the slightest clew to her fature intentions, | presume, Mrs,—” “Mrs, Harebell—Julia Harebell. No, she told me nothing, and when my renters act fair I ask uo questions, Isn’t that right, sir?” ‘* Perfectly right,” admitted the man. “I may find the seeress elsewhere, Am sorry you can’t direct me, Mrs. Harebell. Don’t let me detain you, for you are a woman of business, I see.” And the speaker touched his hat in a cavalier manner not ted of him, and walked away with a smile forming on his lips to the twinkle in his eye. A few minutes afterward he entered a room where be disturbed a man lying on a sofa, and when this persou sprung up with an exclamation of pleasure the whiskers were dashed to the floor and the little man became quite another reson. act Well, captain, it’s a clean move off and no clew left!” he exclaimed, “You don’t tell me, Xerxes,” was the response, ‘‘ Couldn’t you pick up a single link?” ‘* Not one!” growled Xerxes whom we have met before, ‘** Zubiano left between watches leaving nota shadow behind. She kept her own counsel and layed herown game. Mrs. Harebell, ber late andlady, knows po more than we do, and you know what our information is,” The man who bad settled back upon the sofa and who was Captain Cinnabar, the Californian, looked curiously at his spy for a second and then crossed his legs while be laughed. ‘**She suspects,” said he. ‘* Zubiano believes that we are after her. Heaven knows how she found it out, but I am confident that she took flight at our shadows,” ** Not at mine, captain,” retorted Xerxes with some show of spirit. ‘‘ Certainly not at mine,” said Cinnabar. ‘I have let you and Monte do the hunting. As for Captain Pygmy, who got out of our web by prying up the floor, I don’t think he frightened her away. The dwarf hasn’t been seen since [ left bim in the room.” ‘* Neither has the detective, eh?” Xerxes showed his teeth at the end of the sen- tence. ** You are right, Xerxes. anything more opportune.” ** What do they say, now?” ‘* Just what they’ve been saying all along; an accidental fire, nobody to blame, and no charges.” The faces of the two men as seen in the light that came through the slats of the shutters were a study, they were so alike in triumph and cun- ning. Ali at once the little man espied the spurned mask on the floor. ** Shall [ put this on and try again, captain?” he asked, touching the odd looking contrivance with his foot, ‘*T would like to find her,” Cinnabar replied. ‘*She is the woman who dealt the mysterious blow which enaed Raymout’s career, I am al- most satisfied of this. Nora is still determined to hunt her down. Of course her detective is not on the trail, but, as Monte discovered last night, she has probably put another one on the trail, You know what passed between us at our last interview. She knows that I was Colonel Nero’s captain in the daysof the Spicer League. She says boldly that she will beggar herself re- storing Raymont’s millions to the right parties, if she can find them. The girl is determined, She may go to the far West with some shrewd sleuth and take up the clew from the beginning. Our web is damaged in several places, but it still strong. ‘*Look here, Xerxes,” continued Cinnabar, without giving his companion a moment in which to get ina word. ‘General Raymont, or Colonel Nero, was worth two millions and a half at the time of his death, A good deal of that sum, according to Nora’s belief, arrived at by a perusal of certain papers found in the house, belongs to the heirs of the woman who once owned the Don Pedro Mine,” ‘But there were no heirs, captain,” cried Xerxes, ‘“You couldn’t convince Nora to that effect,” smiled the Californian. ‘** But I ought to know.” “ Yes.” ‘* It was I who followed her to the end of the me.” ‘*T know that,” : ‘The tigress left no whelps, Captain Cinna~ ar. ‘True; but prove it to Nora’s satisfaction, if you can.” / The spy of the golden web shrugged his shoulders, **T sha’n’t try it,” cried he, care of Zubiano just now.” ‘* And you have lost her already.” ‘Don’t laugh at me,” said Xerxes; ‘‘I lost the other one in the mountains more than once, but I found her at last, But the sleuth, Monte, says hesaw— What of him, captain?” ‘Monte is on the watch, and we must wait till he reports.” “Tf Nora has got a new detective the web must catch him, too,” exclaimed the spy. ‘‘I looked in at Javert’s office this morning. It is still for rent, which is proof enough that the thrall held that fly. Juliette’s house is shut up, and the girl she took from the street to raise is gone—back to the streets, I reckon.” ‘‘ Whom do you think Juliette was, Xerxes?” asked Captain Cinnabar. ‘* Now, that’s a poser,” was the response, ** Captain Pygmy was interested in her.” ‘‘ And in the child, too, for he held secret in- terviews with her in the Park. I never could wholly make Juliette out. I know General Raymont went to see her often.” : ‘“ Xerxes, did it ever occur to you that Juliette was the woman who, years ago, as Queen Leo, rode into Camp Satan and claimed Colonel Nero as her husband?” Instantly the gray eyes of the little man seemed to change color, and his look became an astonished stare, I never knew of ‘*T am taking — —) "== aE m (E(@) eboo KS.C £8 . tal .