Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 551 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

"= » = es ~ 7 om < ‘Nate HBS a 7 ¢ ———— - ee ee AS ~< — Re + . “ S ate ie ee - . e s 9 = <—rr oe Tae — i. ; ; *~t - . a ra ~ , 2 °°. >, © — <s . es > ae he ? - ~ er - os ad i =< — ome Tee é ~<t&-sz- oes Th ee, Ow > a oe = pe ee + Ge ““. “ . sf m4 * en _—_— i- > ~ = ret" * 4 . ’?.... —_ * - », - < ror ee fo« cre ¥ a “> nd - » . — 7 A ~~ — . _ . ~~ 3 3 See ee Ye. io + . > = sd do anything to give him pain. - for reckless steps. be a - Something to fall back upon, tucky, caused by your cruelty, but don’t—don’t break any here in Idaho!” ** Madam, I swear—” ** Don’t!» Men are so rash with their vows; so inconstant in their loves. I would believe no ‘man under oath except you, but I know you so well that there is a tender spct in my heart for “you” ~ “Mrs, Brackett, I bless you! Most adorable of women, you put new life in a miserable man—” The remainder of the sentence was unheard by Alice and Bradley. The female Ceesar saw that her candidate for political honors was in a dan- gerous mood. The wine was in and the wit out, and his gallantry was too offensive, She arose and moved several steps away, but, when they came within sight of others, paused by a huge tropical shrub where, as she perceived, she could assume a striking attitude. Alice breathed a tremulous sigh. She did not know that the Kentuckian was intoxicated, or that Mrs, Brackett was playing with him. In her ignorance of flirtations, the scene had been real—alarmingly shockingly real. “We are again alone,” observed Nathan, greatly Ho a 4 ‘* We can again converse.” ‘* Mr. Lawrence, I am sick at heart; I think I had better return to the ball-room.” ‘* What you have heard has been unpleasant,” ** Tt has, indeed.” ** Miss Brackett, I shudder to think of you in tthe house with that woman!” ** T see her but rarely.” ** You should see her less. Alice, give me the right to protect you! Go away with me, and jet us be married, and then you will owe obe- dience to no one; be subject to no one’s whims; and have no unpleasant persons about you,” ** You forget my father.” ‘What of him?” ‘* He is the noblest of men.” eo ** Then why is he so bitter against me?” ** He does not know you as I do,” ‘* Nor will he get acquainted,” “Trust to time, Mr. Lawrence,” **Do you not know that we can win the cuse at one stroke, if we move boldly?” **Mr, Lawrence, you pain me, No one ever had a more loving father than I, and I cannot Perhaps if [ had my sight I might see many things in a light dif- ferent from that in which I now regard them. Be that as it may, I am not one fitted for bold— You will excuse me, but I must positively decline to leave my father’s ~ house!” The firm will of the Bracketts made itself felt in her manner and voice, but there was more, Not yet did she doubt that her companion was Garry Kean, and it was no idle remark when she said that she was pained. That she should ‘be asked to elope without a previous formal declaration of love, was really remarkable, and she was disappointed in her lover, Garry Kean fell in her estimation—and that innocent gen- tleman had not addressed her that evening. Nathan was not disguising his voice so well as at first, and her suspicions might have been aroused had it not been for her perturbed state of mind, Mrs. Brackett’s conversation had utterly upset rs Bradley saw his schemes in danger, but he had If he could not in- duce Alice to elope with him, be would abduct her. He had plans all laid to that effect, and to connect Kean with the affair, he had dropped in the recess an article stolen from the ex-actor, while Marie was to swear she had seen them to- eat, gether. The plotter could not make haste, and there "were many obstacles to success, He wondered +t Johnson’s success in so long keeping Electa re Ay - moment, onel were still in aight. a a away, and feared that she would apnvear at an Then, too, Mrs. Brackett and the col- To add to Nathan’s perplexity, the judge’s ‘muscular form loomed up in the distance, but aes Q _ yal paused beside his wife and the onel, He did not appear to be at all jealous, but he Jooked anxious and troubled. ** Where is Alice?” he asked, : ‘* Safe,” replied Mrs, Brackett, indifferently. ___ * Have you seen her? a8 2 a ; Tie « 4 ¢ N Pan il eis ll Sel ay 2 , as She ; _ make sure of an audience, actually seized Brack- et and I w ** Only a moment ago.” —** Who was with her?’ ** Klecta.” | The female Cesar was not speaking falsely -withoutan object. She was indifferent as to Alice and wished to give Colonel Norman a chance to urge eee, for the Lron Judge’s aid, as he had ssed a desire to do. RN i Miss Alice was looking charming,” the colo- mel declared. ** Did you see her also?” the judge asked. ‘Ob! yes.” ‘* Which way did she go?” ‘*She’s sitting on some of these benches, I “Sten on.” “J will go and see,” interrupted Mrs, Brackett. » ae * Judge, peed entertain the colonel for a mo- ll find our Alice,” flitted away, while the Kentuckian, to . : > Garry Kean. — 7 ax a) ss ett by a button and proceeded to pour eloquence and whisky-fumes into the victim’s face. He gained the desired hearing, but Brackett’s ex- pression was grim, and he did not long intend to be held at bay like a traveler in a road-agent’s grasp. Mrs. Brackett’s only object was to get away, but she was not destined to escape new experi- ences, She had gone but a few yards when she encountered a slender little man in a very trim gondolier’s garb—Elmer Nicholson, as she well knew. He spoke quickly. ‘* Madam, can | have a word with you?’ ‘Say on,” was her ungracious reply. ‘*Do you know the city election is near at hand?” Mrs. Brackett looked at him suspiciously, ‘‘ ve heard so,” she responded, ‘**T have come to beseech your aid.” ‘*Mine? For whom? What can | do?’ ‘* Much—everything. Youare a clever woman —a deuced clever woman—and such a person cau do much, I want you to help my father be- come mayor again!” Mrs. Brackett was genuinely surprised. For a sinall affair, the Jack’s Delight political pot was boiling tremendously, It looked as though all the city had gone mad over a paltry office. Sbe was still suspicious: she began to fear that her own schemes had become known, ‘* Did your father send you?” she asked. ‘* No, madam,” ‘* What do you care about the matter?” ‘* Ts ib nothing to be the son of the mayor?” Elmer struck a would-be heroic attitude as he asked the question, and tried to convey some visible sense of the dignity he felt, ‘* But I am no politician.” ‘*' You helped my father a year ago.” oT,” ‘* Help him now, and I shajl regard it as a personal favor, to ME, I, madam, am now of man’s estate, and life opens before me. The world is my oyster; I must open it, Perhaps ou think lam young, but so were Napoleon, Weabinaton and Andrew Jackson, in their youth,” ‘* Go win your honors, young man—eclipse, if you can, the gentlemen just named; but don’t seek to climb to giddy higbts from your father’s official chair.” ‘* Madam! this is levity!’ cried Elmer, much offended. ‘* It is business, I no longer dabble in poli- tics, An unjust law, or rather, the lack of a just law, forbids me to vote. Why should I aid selfish politicians who will not allow me the privilege of casting a ballot?” ‘‘ Mrs, Brackett, give your aid this time, and I will throw all My influence toward giving you the right to vote. Even though all the rest of your sex be denied, you shall vote—I promise it! CHAPTER XXTYV. GARRY KEAN WANTS TO KNOW. Once more young Nicholson struck a heroic attitude, and Mrs, Brackett’s mask enabled her to smile as broadly as she saw fit without dis- covery. The idea of the feeble little man taking the cause of woman’s suff:age upon his narrow shoulders was absurd. ‘‘T never make bargains,” the lady replied, coldly. : re Surely, there is nothing dishonorable about bi ‘* Nothing whatever.” ‘* The Nicholsons and the Bracketts,” pursued Elmer, confidently, * ought to be allies. Fact is, I love Miss Brackett!’ ‘* Indeed!” ‘** Yes; and by uniting our families, we could make an irnesistible party, just as the Goths and Huns werein olden times, Let this alliance be made now. You help father to succeed him- self as mayor, I will marry Alice, and we will all pull togetber.” a ee Miss Brackett promised to marry you?” * N—no, ‘* Then my advice is, don’t ask her, You are young yet, and a few years at school will bene- fit you. Don’t seek to grapple with the great problems of life. Let more muscular men run political affairs. While [ dislike to disappoint you by refusing my aid in your ambition, [ must do so—emphatically )” The lady spoke with emphasis equal to his choice of words. She was for the time the bit- ter enemy of Mayor Nicholson, and while his puny son did not appear to be a rock in the way of her own plans, it was just as well to deal severely with him at the start and crush his ambition. Elmer flushed deeply. Weak he might be in many ways, but he was not dull enough of per- ception to fail to detect the contempt in the speaker’s voice, , ‘** You don’t want to be too proud!” he cried. ‘*T know sometbing that would bring you down in the dust!” ** You talk wildly.” “‘T can act as well as talk. Some of the | Brackett secrets are known to me, and unless I have respect ee er shown me, out go those secrets roadcast : FS ‘ ; Coed been acting the listener? ‘*T never had a secret,” she answered, ‘* Tt don’t concern you.” ** Oh, indeed!” ‘* Tt is that immaculate husband of yours!” Mrs. Brackett’s eyes glittered, Was there any- thing in the alleged secret? If so, could she worm it out of the youth? ‘* Judge Brackett never had a secret, sir.” ** And never committed a crime, eh?’ ** Never!” . ‘‘Ha, ba! Weshall see. You may not be in his confidence—it is not likely youare—but I am in the secret, Ha! [ll show you, madam! How many wives has Abram Brackett had, how many were legal, and who is the legal one?” The little man spoke with all the vindictive- ness of a low nature, but the result was quite surprising. Agatha was ready to abuse her husband, herself, but this attack made her fu- rious, ‘‘ You little wretch!” she exclaimed, ‘* how dare you make such an infamous charge?” ‘*‘ Don’t call names!” retorted Elmer, drawing his slender figure up as much as possible, * Don’t you know that Abram Brackett is the most honorable of men?” ‘That isn’t saying much, Perhaps you don’t know men, but J do. Honorable men! Bah! such a thing never was and never will be. Brackett has been a deuce of a chap, like all the rest of us young folks, Ask him how many more Mrs. Bracketts there are. Perhaps he can tell— I can’t!” “Boy,” said Brackett’s wife, with biting scorn, ‘if the man whom you traduce were here he would crush you!” Elmer cast a wary glance around. ‘*That don’t alter facts,” ** You have spoken none,” ‘* Madam, you can doubt my veracity if you wish, but I hold the bonor of your family in my hands, The honor and happiness of the judge of yourself, and of Alice are in my keeping, I have only to spread the secret to blast the Brackett reputation, and I'll do it if I’m not given notice. The price of my silence is, first, Alice’s hand in marriage; secondly, your aid and Brackett’s to re-elect my father as mayor!’ ‘‘- Your statement is flimsy.” ‘‘ Ask Judge Brackett if he remembers Saint Ledair. He took to matrimony as naturally as I do, and plunged into the sea while he was still aboy. At that time he had a father—another judge, by the way, and I guess he was one of iron—and he put bis foot right down on Abram’s entanglement, Faith! I suspect it would puzzle your husband to know just who was his legal wife, judge though he is.” Mrs. Brackett had recovered her calmness, and she was in a dangerous mood, Her con- tempt for Elmer was so great that she under- rated his power of mischief, and imagined that it would ba comparatively easy to crush him at the proper time; but he spoke so confidently that she began to believe in his alleged secret, If she could only learn just what it was, what a glorious hold she would have upon the Iron Judge? In the first flush of this thought she forgot that the secret might bring disgrace to her, and aspired to learn it that she might hold it over Abram’s head asarpd of terror, and compel him to aid her in the campaign for Colonel Yoke Norman’s glory. ** How wildly you talk!” she murmured, ‘* T speak the truth.” ‘“How came you to know any Brackett secret?” ‘That part is immaterial.” ‘‘ What procf have I?” ‘¢ My word!” Mrs. Brackett smiled seornfully, ‘*T must bave some tangible proof,” ‘¢ What do you want?” * Particulars,” ** Of the secret?” Vos? ‘ ‘‘ Ha! ha! [am nct to be caught that way; I am too olda bird, It is enough that J know the secret,” ‘*Do you ask me to believe blindly?” ‘*T am not, fool enough to give away my secret prematurely, but one thing I will say to you. Ask Brackett one question, and put it m these words: ‘What has become of your wife of Saint Ledair? Watch the effect, and, my word for it} you will see him grow as pale as a girl,” ‘¢ You don’t know the man.” ‘* You don’t know the secret!” ‘‘ Can’t I induce you to tell it?” ‘Madam, if you wantagrip on the judge, you can get in this way: Go into the political . campaign in earnest, aid “ father faithfuily, and when he is re-elected, I will tell you the secret so you can use it over Brackett’s head. On the other band, you can learn it by refusing to listen to me, for I'll tell every n ia the city, and disgrace you all, Now, then, will you be my ally?” atte How Mrs. Brackett hated the waspish little man then: ‘**T am out of politics,” sho answered, ‘You must go in again,” The word ‘* must” cut her deeply, but she saw the necessity of caution. She had begun to ’ | : oe a eo. hee fT ge eh Oe PES tS RN ORE Te te eS ee ACL a gee “ . * . \ <i. oe Mrs. Brackett began to be troubled. Had ho Comicbooks ; . g ie ot ¥ - J ~~ | ) a = ~— - = +