Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 532 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

| | | f —_ f Jack Javert, the Indevendent Detective. he 9 millionaire’s parlor waiting for the step and | what I know now can I rightfully claim the voice of Nora the heiress, i It was not long before he found the young girl standing before him. ‘ ‘¢You know what has happened,” said she, fixing her eyes on Captain Cinnabar as she came forward. ‘I have been wondering ever since why you did not come.” ‘““T have not been in the city,” answered the man with unblushing coolness, ‘‘ It was about the first news that met me on my return and here [ am.” She had taken a chair almost in front of him, and was looking at him while he spoke. ‘‘Tf I can help you, speak, Nora,” he went on, ‘¢ This is a case for the shrewd hunter if I have not been misinformed.” *¢ One is on the track now,” ‘* A detective?” ‘‘Oneof the best,” said the girl with confi- dence, ‘“‘T am glad of that. You did well not to waste time. What does your sleuth-hound sa »” Nora hesitated and lost color as she avoided Captain Cinnabar’s look. **{ must confess that thus far he has left me in the dark,” she replied at length and in tones of considerable disappointment. ‘‘ What! bas he made ro report of progress?” cried the captain assuming a look of surprise. ‘*T have not seen him since he left the house to take the trail.” **T don’t understand such work.” ‘* Nor I, but then I do noti}know much about the ways of those men who follow crime to its lair. He did not say when he would come, but if he has made any important discoveries, [ would like to be informed. But never mind. nothing daunt me. If one sleuth fails auother takes his place, The blood of my father calls for vengeance and woman though I am nothing shall stay my hand. I may have to take the trail myself—-women have been driven to stranger tasks than this, Captain Cinnabar—but the uilty shall have no rest. You knew my father deve before he came to New York?” ‘*T have known him for many years,” ‘¢T thought so.” Nora crossed the room followed by Cinnabar’s eyes, and opened a small upright desk in one corner. When she came back she held in her hand a rough daguerreotype which she thrust without ceremony into the Californian’s hands, ‘Is that my father?” she asked, Captain Cinnabar looked at the picture which was that of a handsome man in full beard, wide sombrero-like hat, sash, tight pantaloons and high embroidered boots, ue likeness bore ro resemblance to General Ray mont at the time of bis death: it resembled the portrait of some cowboy king or prince of the Wild West. Holding the tintype in his hand the Cali- fornian looked up at Nora as if he doubted the earne.tness of her questson; but one glance dis- pelled all doubts, ‘You knew my father, General Raymont, years ozo,” continued the girl. ‘‘ Did he ever look like that?” ° ‘* Do you think he did, Nora?” ‘Yes,’ came the prompt and emphatic re- sponse. ‘I know more about him than I did a week ago. I know that there was once a Camp Satan and a Paradise Ranch. [know that one Colonel Nero ruled the first named place and its adjacent territory with all the authority of a Russian ezar, that he was at the head of a Jeague of men who struck whenever he said ‘strike!’ and who levied tribute on people of all conditions. Isn’t this true?’ ‘* Your story sounds like romance,” said Cap- tain Cinnabar, ‘fa! you do not meet me fairly,” cried Nora. ‘¢ You are holding in your hands at this moment the portrait of Colonel Nero, the crowned brigand of Southern California. Do you in- tend to deny it, captain? In the little room di- rectly overhead is a desk into which I never looked till last night. 1do not know what was destroyed before the woman with the serpent- beaded ring did her mysterious work, I only know what the desk yielded me. In the first place, it gave up that portrait. Secondly, it surrendered a lot of papers which leave no doubt that when you first knew General Raymont_he was a man with a double name. He was Col- one] Nero, and Captain Cinnabar was bis chief lieutenant!” Most men would have started with a protest against this cool charge, spoken in language which could not be misconstrued, but the Cali- fornian did not betray the least remonstrance, On the contrary, be met it with a subtle smile, which wreathed his lips in a halo of wicked- ness, that matched the gleam in the depths of his eyes, ‘‘ Well, what does this discovery amount to?” he asked. world, and let all New York form a different and not very complimentary opinion of General Ravymont?” The girl bent forward, and studied his face for a moment. -*Ought I to keep silent? cried she. ‘ With I shall let | done allin my pover to put him there. Me EE RR eae ti Alea wealth which has fallen into my hands? It may be plunder. You ought to know, Captain Cin- | nabar, if the papers up-stairs, which bear your name in several places, tell me balf the truth. | But why haven’t you answered squarely! Do you disown your master, now that he is dead?” ' The cunning smile vanished, and the dark, | brown face grew darker and more serious than ever, ‘*] disown no one! I deny nothing!” he sud- denly exclaimed, to see Nora start back at sound of bis voice, ‘** You see before you the captain of the Spider League of California, I served the man who went to his grave as General Raymont, when, in fact, he was Colonel Nero, the prince of Camp Satan, and a man of many crimes. I don’t see why you should be seized with a spasm of contrition because of your discovery of the true facts of your ancestry. There are thou- sands in Gotham who would give their very souls to stand where you stand to-night. Ruff Raymont’s name and money would be good enough for them, Why, you seemed to love the man!” ‘*T did, but because I read the startling papers in his desk, [ am not going to recall the sleuth I have set upon the trail.” ‘* Neither would J,” ‘*T know that there were in those days trails for gain whose secrets have never been fully disclosed,” Nora went on, ‘‘ Task you about none of them, Captain Cinnabar. I shall not seek to know whom ‘ Pantherina’ was, nor who was followed by a devil incarnate called Xerxes, Some of my father’s papers I threw aside with but a glance at their contents. I saw enongh, however. I want the end of the mystery which confronts me now, The woman who kills with a drug of some kind is the object before me, My detective is on the trail, or at least I nee had found the documents sooner I might have **Are you going to give it to the | i _ sent him away more fully armed,” ‘* Why not call him back and give him all the secrets you have unearthed?” ‘No, not now. Let him bunt with what he has,” answered Nora. ‘* He may find nothing.” ‘*Then for a better sleuth!” ‘* Nora, you are bound to uncover the past in a life that made you happy.” ‘‘T shall not stop!” cried the girl. ‘' Some- body has suffered at the hands of Colonel Nero and the Spider League; some may be suffering yet. Those papers tell me that there has been a general eluding of the nooses of justice.” Captain Cinnabar left bis chair, and his fine form straightened before Nora while he looked her squarely in the eye. “Was that a threat?’ he said, speaking through teeth well clinched. ‘* You have not forgotten that J belonged to the Spider League.” **[ forget nothing, Captain Cinnabar. I saw more names than yours and his on the docu- ments. God kaows what whispering fate pre- vailed cn him to keep those papers till the day of his death. Lintend to hold back my band for nothing. It may be too late to right all the wrongs done under the banner of California’s bandit king, but while I follow the mystery of his death, I shall also endeavor to give to the wronged their rights, and to Justice and Ven- geance all their own!” Nora’s voice died away in a silence that had no echo, Captain Cinnabar lifted his hand which was clinched, A flash was leaping into being under his heavy black lashes, and a curse struggled to- ward his lips, but he suppressed both. ‘You'll have your hands full—let me tell you!” he merely said, ‘* You and your detective, whoever he is, will find a tangled skein ona mountain of Mabomet in your way. I’m sorry you don’t value the name the dead gave you,” ** How do I know [ am entitled even to that?” exclaimed Nora. There was no direct reply to this, and three minutes afterward, when Captain Cinnabar found himself on the pavement with the wind from the bay blowing across his face, he hissed: ‘* Now, crush the flies in the web, or the mad heiress of Colonel Nero will cut the web itself to pieces!” CHAPTER XII, CONVINCING MAGIC, ABOUT the time of these occurrences a hand- some woman with a stately presence arrived at the closed door of Detective Javert’s office. It was Juliette, The woman who had been robbed could stand the suspense no longer, and she had come to see why the sleuth whom she had sworn into her service had delivered no report. Juliette found no one in the office, and when | she had exhausted her patience in waiting she turned away with bitter disappointment written on her face, ‘* Does tbe trail keep him from me, or has he already played me false?” she asked herself, ‘‘ If the latter be the case, Captain Javert may learn | that [ do not allow myself to be hoodwinked . before this, and here I have received nothing of the kind!” Juliette went down to the busy street and was soon lost ia the sea of humanity that ebbed and flowed under the lamps. Her thoughts were still on Jivert and they were not pleasant ones, A cab took ber home, and once in her parlor she rung for Lucy who soon made her appear- ance, The little girl saw the cast of Juliette’s coun- tenance, and from the moment of her entrance As sloe-black eyes of the woman were fixed upon er. ‘*Girl, do you ever consult the sorceress?” asked Juliette, Lucy shook her head, ‘* Do you believe in such people?” *“T do not know,” answered the girl. ‘* Per- haps it is because I don’t know much about them,” ‘That is true; you are very young. Well, I have lost the man I put on the trail of my valu- ables, Javert the sleuth has played false to me. I might have known that be was like others of his class who cannot be trusted.” ‘** Did you see him?” "No, I found his*office shut up—locked,” was the reply. ‘‘ I have known some of the black art people to do wonderful things in magic and second sight. I am going to consult some of them. Bring me the paper.” The girl vanished but soon reappeared with an evening paper which Juliette opened with eager fingers, ‘** Here they are!” she exclaimed, her eye rest- ing at the top of a certain column, ‘* What bombastic names some of these people have,” ‘*{ have never looked,” said Lucy, **You? no, of course not,” smiled Juliette, ‘*Let me see. Here is a name I have never noticed before. Is this another new star in witchcraft, ‘* Zubiano, Queen of Sorcery and a kl of the Stars!” How does that sound, irl? ‘*There is much in the title whether there be anything in the weaver’s professions or not.” *T am going to try Zubiano,” concluded Juliette. others,” She looked at the announcement again as if to fix the address in her mind and then went up- stairs. Twenty minutes later she left the house and was soon being whirled away in a closed ‘*Pve had something to do with the cab, Juliette knew that the most of the s» called sorceresses are accessible at any time, and she was not afraid of not getting a hearing despite the time. If she could play lamb and tiger both as one of our characters has already said, she was evi- et making up for the latter role for there was fire in her eyes while she occupied a seat in the eab. } After many turnings the horses came to a halt at last, and Juliette pressed ber face against the glass door, and iooked out, The nearest lamp showed her a plain old- fashioned brick house with heavy shutters and wide steps. There was nothing on the outside to show that it was the abode of a woman who boasted of being a daughter of the stars, and if Juliette had not seen the number over the door she might have thought she had been driven to the wrong house. Juliette mounted the steps after dismissing the cab with instructions and rung the bell, A minute elapsed, then the door was opened and Juliette saw a face which seemed to float in “a air for she could not see the semblance of a ody. She walked in, perhaps because the door was held open to her, and when it shut she found herself in a hall midway in which the word ‘** Zubiano ” aprenrs to float in the air, ‘* Do you wish to consult the Fates?” asked a. “ Oice at Juliette’s side and she noticed a girl so smal] that she appeared asa little child with an old face on her shoulders, ‘‘T want to see Zubiano,” replied Juliette, and she then felt several long fingers touch her hand, and she was led down the ball and under the floating name to a door beyond, This door opened magically and at the same © time the fingers and their owner vanished, and Juliette Jansen discovered that she had entered an apartment fitted up for the abode of sorcery of some kind. The ceiling was painted in exact representa- tion of the heavens, A crimson curtain worked ‘with zodiacal signs wus stretched across the room in the middle and the furniture odd and somber suggested the black arts to a mind on a~ strain as Juliette’s was, She stood in contemplation of her surround- ings till she became conscious of the nearness of a presence of some kind, There came a soft footfall on the carpet, the lights in the room flared up, and as Juliette turned she saw that sbe was no longer alone. Before her stood a magnificent figure, richly clad in long robes. It was as tall as her own, | The face was covered by a black mask of close- - with impunity. I expected a report of progress ' fitting silk, The arms were bared to the (e(6) JOO AMUSE <SGO