Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 574 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘ Cousin Nelly,” said be, ‘I can’t think of your taking up your side of this double quest alone, without a feeling of disquietude.” ‘“‘ What! in my Falcon Detective character?” ‘* Yes; even then.” “Why?” ‘‘ There is more danger of Burley interfering with you than with me. Your information reached him first hand, and he is no less likely iz to miss that letter than to surmise where he lost a it, and consequently the likelihood of its having ? fallen into your hands,” * And, through mine, into those of the great detective, eh?” “ Exactly.” ‘* Dismiss your anxiety, my dear cousin, The strength, as you must have perceived by this time, if you were not alive toit before. More- over, he is never unarmed. Aw revoir, cousin mine, till this evening—come to dinner if you can’*—and may our good fortune continue!” CHAPTER XVIII. ‘“THE GIANT’S ROBE.” Ss ELEANOR had by this time become so familiar _. with her masculine personation as to carry it with perfect abandon, and with no other fear,of _ the counterfeit being detected savein the con- tingency of her distinguished prototype’s actual return from lis foreign mission, of which there seemed to be little probability, judging from _ what she and her faithful coadjutor had been able to gather as to the existing state of the - case. It must be allowed, that circumstances thus far had singularly favored the success of her _-—s-: personation. Both the real Falcon Detective, and his little familiar, Tommy Dodd, had now been absent somewhere in the Levant for more than six months, the object of their errend being the running down of a defaulter in the interests ofa wealthy far-western corporation. Moreover, - notwithstanding that the supposed mysterious return of Falconbridge to New York was by this time known to nota few of his acquaint- ' ances, and daily of a necessity becoming more ' ~° goas the audacious young woman had contin- ued her counterfeit presentment with increased ___ boldness and assiduity in the undaunted and un- _ tiring prosecutior of her search for the missing _ witnesses, there seemed no danger as yet of this + coming prematurely to the knowledge of the corporation referred to before she should cease to have furtiher use of the character. Only let them hold off that long, she thought, and the _ detective’s Double should disappear as mysteri- ously and incontinently as he had appeared; though, in the event of the true Falconbridge’s ‘subsequent return, it was her intention to make - afrank confession of the deception practiced— and all but forced upon her, as she thought—tc- ‘gether with whatever indemnity he might see fit _ todemand, if any. -* As a matter of ordinary prudence, she had preserved as much secrecy in_her exploiting of _ the part as was practicable, But when associa- tion with her original’s acquaintances or ad- -mirers had been unavoidable, she had not shunned them, but merely sought refuge in the taciturnity for which he was c cteristic, and thus far with complete success, ___ Indeed, her success in this perilou3 particular had not been dissimilar to that of the giant’s __ robe as disported by the dissembler in the fable. _ But none the less did she never lose conscious- ae _ Tess of the inevitable catastrophe therein, where _ the majestic robe was at last blown away by _ the tempest of fate, to the exposure and ruin of the enterprising masquerader, with the concom- _ itant anxieties as applicable to herself. , __ Nevertheless, her assumption of the great de- __tective’s mantle had been attended with a sense _ of protection, rather than of disquietude, and _ it was now in the very best of spirits that she med her disguise with her accustomed care- ness and dispatch, and set out upon her fresh- ened quest, after leaving word with Florine and Miss igbee (who, it will be remembered, was alsoin her secret) that she might be absent all be day, if not longer. “Truly my niece is a most extraordinary “9 “ rf young woman,” commented Aunt Jerusba, when the detective’s Double had ar cay away. ~ “T could scarcely have supported this difficult character more successfully myself.” _ “Perhaps not, ma’m,” replied Florine, with _ forced gravity, ___ “Not that I would attempt such a personation under any circumstances,” severely, ‘‘ To im- personate a man—a representative of the ruth- _ Jess tyrants of our sex? Pah! And this, too, mind you, Duprez, notwithstanding that _ fess to an admiration of Joan of Arc. How- » over, consistency’s a jewel,” enthusiastically, and I continue to flaunt it defiantly in my - woman’s crown! No, no, my dear; we'll live or _ die by our sex, unmasked, untrammeled, undis- _ guised. In the language of the immortal Shakes- _ peare (why may he not_have been a woman in con- ar 3s Ve ae _ disguise, by the way? Little is known of him pe analy, “Blow, winds, come wrack! at tes Re die with—with dress-waists on our . re Yes, ma’m,” with continued demureness; a eee : ‘ "7 - £ re ; , ; - , - ‘ . he ne 4 . , - ’ , 4 siwv t 7 / a ; . + . Fens oo? pe "ha Fi - 7 eT. ~_ | j — ga Old Falcon’s Double. | ‘*but hardly that, or even with our corsets, if we happen to be in bed at the time.” ‘* Florine,” scornfully, ‘‘you have neither spirit nor poetry in your giddy and skin-deep composition,” ‘Yes, ma’m; I suppose so. But Ido like the messieurs. It must he because I can’t help it.” This was in Eleanor’s dressing-room, and a little later on, after a ring at the street-door, the footman came up to announce that, early as was the hour, Mr. Burley was below, and very desirous of seeing Miss Sherwood on an import- ant matter. ‘‘ Mademoiselle is out for the day,” replied Florine. ‘I will see Monsieur Burley.” She accordingly sought him in the smaller name of Falconbridge is alone a tower of | drawing room, where he was impatiently wait- ing, with the same piece of information. urley seemed unusually disturbed, but he knew better than to doubt tbe maid’s words, Eleanor being rigid in enforcing truthfulness with regard to her being at home, or not at home, as be knew by experience. ‘‘ Where is she gone?” he demanded savagely. ‘‘ Monsieur would do well to keep his temper, and find out for himself,” was the spirited reply. ‘‘ What is the matter with you, Florine?” with an effort to command his temper. ‘* Do you forget the understandings, the all but com- pacted plans, that have passed between us?” ‘* Monsieur,” with a peculiar smile, ‘‘ I am sometimes hard of hearing; to say nothing of my being sadly in want of another new dress, and no money to buy it with.” Burley bit his lip. The mercenariness of the girl was no secret to him, notwithstanding that he still believed that he was deceiving her under- standing and inflaming her imagination with his side-plot for the security of her secret ser- vices. But the sum of money that he had set aside from his little patrimony as being all that he could safely afford in the prosecution of these joint villainies in order to keep Howland in prison, at least until he should have succeeded in marrying Eleanor himself, was all but gone, though be dared not let Florine suspect it. ‘* You have hada good deal of money from me already, my dear,” he replied, with a forced smile. ‘* What will monsieur have when he marries mademoiselle?’ ‘‘ Ah! but the dresses I see you wear of late are very pretty and stylish, Florine.” ‘*T am fastidious, monsieur. Besides, one can- not live on air.” ‘* You shall have the wherewithal for a nice new gown when I see you again, Florine; at least, I think so.” \ | ‘‘T will thank you when I get it, Monsieur Juan.” ‘Time enough.” And then with an uneasy scowl as his agitation returned: ‘‘I dropped a letter somewhere last evening, Florine, and most likely in this very room, while making my adieux to Miss Sherwood.” ““T know nothing of it, monsieur.” He eyed her piercingly. ‘You are quite sure?’ “T really know nothing of it, monsieur.” Which was the truth. ‘‘ When was the detective here?” with abrupt- ness, after a moment’s reflection, “ This morning. He left shortly before your val, ‘‘ Ha! with mademoiselle?” ‘* No; alone.” ‘*But had he first communicated with your mistress?” “ Very likely; though I cannot be certain as to that, * Au revoir, Florine; don’t forget what is in store for our future.” And be was off like a shot, without the least attempt at the trifling that was his want. He had fortunately arranged the office busi- ness so that he could indulge in a brief vaca- tion, business being extremely dull. He made a bee-line for Third avenue, caught a down-bound Elevated train, and reached the Grand Central Station with the least possible delay, and rushed into the Harlem Railroad waiting-rogom just as the last ‘‘ All aboard for the Chatham Express!” echoed through the apartment, He gave a sickening look first at the indicator, then at the clock, which tallied with it almost to the minute, and then rushed across the floor. But he was too late, tbe uniformed gate- keeper motioning him blandly back, and the heavy door communicating with the trains clos- ing with a remorseless click almost in his face. Just ere it did so, he caught a glimpse of one of the last ticket-holders who had just succeeded in catching train-time by the forelock, or rather by the tail. It was the detective. *“T mugt get that train,” he exclaimed to the attendant. ‘*There’s money for you,” in a lower voice, ‘‘ if you let me pass.” ** Display your ticket, sir. ‘*T haven’t had time to buy one, but—” Another official was approaching, and the tekeeper shook his head escape S It wouldn’t do to make arow,. Burley darted to the ticket-hole, but several purchasers were = oP ~~) +. es TS nl iia PO 0 4 —_——- error: ee crmmnnnnnnccnnnnnn enna eer err —e—c—__c—d <u" — " - before him. At last he got his ticket for Bed- ford Station, buf simultaneously heard the whis- tle of the out-going train with which he had failed to connect, When is the next train for Bedford Station?’ he demanded of the agent, with such composure as he could command, ‘¢ Nine-thirty.” It was now but eight-thirty, an early break- fast, which Eleanor always insisted on when her father chanced to be from home, baving enabled her to make an exceptionally timely start, Burley sunk upon one of the benches, secretly eating up his heart with hatred, disappointment and not a little downright terror. CHAPTER XTX, ENCOURAGEMENT. In the mean time our adventurous detective’s Double hopefully steamed and rambled north- ward with no consciousness of the sleuthing she had escaped, though not without tacitly accept- ing the possibility, if not the probability, of such a thing. She had also visited Pound Ridge when on the coaching expedition heretofore alluded to, though she could scarcely claim a familiarity with the locality. It isan insignificant hamlet in the township of the same name, in the northeastern corner of Westchester county, within two miles of the Connecticut line, about nine due east of the Harlem Railroad at Bedford Station, or, say, ten from Mount Kisco, the next station to the’ south thereof. She had taken a ticket for the last-named place, by reason of knowing it as a comparative- ly large village, where she would be more likely to obtain livery stable accommodations than at Bedford Station. Arriving at Mount Kisco in a little more than an hour, she procured a serviceable conveyance with but little delay, and after a two-hours’ drive over a poor road, for the most part very hiJly and stony, at last reached her destina- tion. a She had engaged the conveyance for the entire ay. After many fruitless inquiries, it was not till after obtaining lunch, of which she was greatly in need, at the village tavern, that on observant- ly strolling into the bar-room, she overheard a rough but honest-looking man, who had stepped in there from a wagon-load of newly-sawed lum- ber at the door, inveighing against the difficulty he bad in securing experienced labor at a saw- mill of which it seemed he was the proprietor. In the course of his remarks, she caught an al- lusion to “*that stupid ass, Kelly, who knew no more about the work for which he had engaged than an eating-house waiter, and seemed to care still less.” 4 The detective’s Double pricked up bis ears (if we may be allowed to change the gender thus abruptly and arbitrarily, as occasionally here- tofore, for convenience sake), and was at once keenly attentive. The landlord of the inn, to whom the com- plaints were addressed, burst into a short laugh. ‘““ What! that dude, Pete Kelly?’ he said, ‘Why, that’s just what he professed to have been when lying around my place here, before I bounced him, as his money run out, without much prospect, as it seemed to me, of bis gettin any more of his boasted remittances, as he call them—a waiter at a bang-up Broadway wine room and restaurant in York! ‘‘ Well, he ought to have stuck to his trade then,” grumbled the mill-owner, ‘for lll war- rant he knows more about steering a dish under a hungry man’s nose—his own especially—than about guiding a maple log into a whip-saw. However, I’ve already given him warning. But good-by, Tom, or I'll never get down to Kisco with that load.” No sooner had the man gone than “ Falcon- bridge,” who had spent money liberally at the bar, before eating and paying what be was sure was double the ordinary price for bis dinner, seized upon a convenient excuse to inquire of the landlard the whereabouts of the saw-mill, ‘‘ It is only a mile and a half to the northeast of bere, at the foot of the Lower Pond of Trinity Lake, which is one of the sources of Mianus River,” was the affable reply. ‘‘ Purdy’s Mill; that’s the name, Be you thinking of locating, stranger?” “ Hardly. Only fagged out with city work, and on the lookout for the picturesque.” ‘ Well, youll find enough of it at Purdy’s Mill, by Jingo! Nothing but rocks, crags and precipices, teeming with scorps, and shutting in one of the wildest, prettiest sheets of water in the world. At least, we think so in these parts, without having seen much of any other, you know. But that Park phaeton you were driven here in won’t be able to get within more than a quarter of a mile of the mill, I reckon, without a bigger risk of the wheels than I’d be willing to take if I owned it.” © “Thanks! I fancy that will be near enough for prospecting. By the way, my friend, what are scorps?” ‘* Why, scorpions.” “ Scorpions—in this climate?” ‘“To be sure; p’izen snakes, you know. But, Gomiel 00 ; s 4 | { se le | P ; si * * « yf alt in ‘ 7 > YE ey A ee ggg TE RN RR Se re 6 ea Ot ey. Te. Cia Sree > er ~< — oe SE eee ee —— -w