Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 574 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

— Save 4 ; 16 ie fe up dutof the companionway, to look inquiringly at Burley, who at once went below with him. { This was the first opportunity Spender had big had to speak with Eleanor, and he was not slow i to improve it. iy ‘* Tt is true,” he said, briefly. ‘‘ I have nosed by around every where, and talked with such of the ey. old hands that remain—rather more than two- thirds. The yacht is thoroughly provisioned | 7 and watered for a long voyage.” in ‘‘ What are our chances?” ‘*Excellent, barring a surprise. Not one of al the old hands are in the conspiracy, and will 8 rally about us if called upon at the proper mo- : ment.” ‘* Ts there a chest of arms?” ‘¢ Yes; that is it just before the mast, But I "| have secured and secreted six loaded revolvers Het from your father’s old cabin (you remember his Re fondness for cracking away at the sharks and bib porpoises) which | do not think will be missed. ee I shall find an opportunity to arm as many of eh the most likely-seeming of the oid hands with -. them, and have them in readiness to surround Oe and stand guard over the arms-chest at the i ¢ given signal.” | ie ‘* That willdo, I will attend to my part. Be careful,” He had time to slip over to where Miss Bigbee ' was sitting, and begin an animated conversa- tion with her, as the steward (a Cuban newly engaged) came on deck to announce that dinner was ready. ‘ Burley quickly followed, begging to be Elean- or’s escort, which was smilingly assented to. Then they all went down to a most excellent repast in the saloon, which was also partaken f of by the commander and sailing-aiaster, two 4 well-spoken Creoles who were introduced as Mr. ke Gando and Mr. Bertazzo by name. - But Eleanor’s plan of ‘attending to her part’ ——s in the forthcoming drama was somewhat modi- fied by a freak of chance, that was not exactly conducive to her comfort. I Soon after dinner, when the fateful Sachem’s im Head was still five miles away, sbe was sitting with her party, including Burley bimself, partly on the port taffrail, busily thinking, in the pauses of the lively conversation that was going on, what excuse she should make for going be- low into her own cabin, or the one she had al- ig ways occupied when on sails with her father, ae when there was a sudden lurch of the vessel that a staggered them all. As for Nelly herself, she toppled back, gave a sharp cry, and was on the instant floundering a in the sea. ; ‘* Woman overboard!” instantly roared Bur- ** Fetch the x - - ail ‘onal * ley, with rare presence of mind. : of yacht about!” oes And then, tearing of his jacket, he was over- board after her like a shot, st wf CHAPTER XXV, Be BAFFLED. i. Now this was all very gallant, and all that, -- but Eleanor, who was a capital swimmer, and, 2 after the first shock of her ducking had passed, — had struck out after the yacht with long, easy a strokes, was not particularly pleased with the . assistance so promptly afforded;: However, churlishness under the circum- stances would not do, and as Burley swam to . A _ her, she permitted him to support her, as a mat- ter of form, until the boat, which had been _ promptly lowered, picked them both up, ae As it was, a double dousing was the only inconvenience suffered, and the weather was warm; while, barring a little shriek from Flo- ‘rine, and a tremeudous screech from Aunt Je- __ rusha, even the excitement over the incident on the yacht was subdued aud temporary. ~~~ ** Mon ~ Dieu, how unfortunate!” exclaimed Florine, as her mistress was lifted on board, de- ---—seidedily damp but smiling; ‘‘ and that perfectly- fitting sailor suit, too. Ob, ma’m’'selle!” _ * Pyrants, misnamed our lords—parodies upon _. Nature’s handiwork!” vociferated Miss Bigbee, ‘pounding the rail with her parachute-like para- sol, and addressing either the unoffending ele- ments or the crew of the Fearnaught collective- ly, it was hard to tell which; ‘*‘ you call your- selves men (our masters—lords of creation— ha, ba!) aud permit such an outrage on our sex to happen?” _ ** Nonsense, aunt!’ cried Eleanor, half-pro- _ voked, ‘if you were a man yourself, you would probably make less noise, Florine, help me to my cabin; and I shall perhaps have to lie down an hour or two,” nd, as she disappeared down the companion with her maid, she ex- changed a glance with Hugh Spender, besides catching a glimpse of a rocky but rounded _ headland, now but two miles away on the port _ bow, which she felt sure must be Sachem’s ee cans f his d red Burley’ In spite of bis dripping predicament, Burley’s e ‘a eyes had listened at her parting words, an in- , cident woich was not lost upon the lawyer. Not could better suit the plotting rascal Ae ae to have her below, and perhaps asleep, at the critical moment. . ' Z ‘ _. Miss Bighee also followed Eleanor helow, but Old Falcon’s Double. Twenty minutes later, when the yacht was fully abeam of the headland, with no signs of rounding to for the return trip, Hugh Spender called out to Burley, whose blue flannel suit had by this time dried on his back: ‘*T say, Burley, isn’t yonder Sachem’s Head?” ' Burley was standing with his back to the companion, looking forward, and being ex- pectantly observed by the commander, the sail- ing-master and a number of the foreigners among the crew. ‘* Yes, it is,” he replied, cynically. ‘* Why don’t you round to, then,” indifferent- ly, “‘ according to arrangements?” ‘* Friends to the front!” suddenly shouted the Creole. ‘* Seize the arms-chest, and stand to!” ‘*Not quite, Mr. Burley!” At the same in- stant observed a cold, metallic voice directly be- hind him. He had already reached for his revolver, and partly turned with a start to find himself con- fronted by the Falcon Detective’s Double, and to have the muzzle of a similar weapon clapped to his ear, ‘** Falconbridge!” he gasped; ‘‘ you here?” ‘* Yes, and as a stowaway no longer. Take in the situation now, and see what you think of it, Mr, Would -be-Kidnapper-and-Nineteenth-Cen- tury-Buccaneer.” The baffled scoundrel did so in a dazed, reel- ing way. his is what he saw: Six of the old hands, resolutely surrounding the arms-chest, and as many leveled revolvers keeping at bay the dozen or more West Indian hands who, at Burley’s word of command, bad made a simultaneous rush. Hugh Spender, with his revolver at the ear of the commander, Mr. Gando, standing no Jess baffled and dazed than Burley himself, Bertazzo, the sailing-master, though, who was standing somewhat aft, still retained bis pres- ence of mind, a look of quiet desperateness in his swarthy face. *¢ Creoles to the front!” he eried, whipping out his revolver. ‘‘ Caramba! would you thus allow a mere handful of Americanos—” ‘‘ Now you subside, mister!” sneeringly inter- rupted a shrill voice behind him, while a blow from Miss Bigbee’s mammoth parasol knocked the weapon out of his hand and caused his arm to drop to his side as if a telegraph pole had fallen afoul of it. ‘*‘ What, monster! you'd be a lord of creation all the time, would you? Not if Jerusha Bigbee knows it—Ha, ha!” And the blows began to rain on ‘bis head and shoulders with a fury that made him glad enough to scuttle away under the reach of the companionway coping in sheer self-defense. ‘‘'You perhaps are alive to the fact, Senor Juan Borleo,” coldly continued the detective’s Double, ‘‘ that your cowardly plot is done up. Give up your revolver this instant, or I shall be under the unpleasant necessity of blowing out your brains—and the deck freshly holly- stoned at that.” Burley sullenly obeyed; his two chief con | federates were likewise disarmed, anc then Spender made a brief speech of explanation to the Americans of the crew, who lost no time in driving their Creole messmates down into the forecastle, and putting them under guard there. The plot had been nipped in the bud, alinost before it could show a pink suggestion of bloom from underneath its concealing sheatb. A soft little laugh caused the defeated head scoundrel to turn again, and he saw Florine, with a mocking smile on her pretty m8 ** Mon Dieu! my dear Monsieur Juan,” she exclaimed, with mock deprecation, ‘*I really had to give you away, What! to carry poor mademoiselle off to the Canary Islands, just after jumping into the water after her, and she asleep in her cabin, to boot? Altogether out of the question! My friend, I have a conscience.” He gave her a terrible look, but made no reply. zt ie ut the sublime ye es of the man, not to on it his presence of mind, was quickly to the ore. \ ‘* What the deuce does it all mean?” he exclaim- ed, a moment later. ‘‘ Plot? there was no plot. I was merely about to give a little exhibition, showing bow the yacht might be defended on short notice—against mutineers, or perhaps Chinese pirates.’ ‘It is true!” eagerly seconded Gando. Bertazzo stuck his head out from under the coping, probably with intention of adding his supporting testimony to the same effect, when a fresh whack from the parasol, together with an emphatic, ‘‘ No you don’t, you crushed monster!’ from Aunt Jerusha, who maintained her guard, caused him to duck it back again. : ‘* Tell all that rot to the marines—if there are any,” Spender took it upon himself to retort. ** Major Falconbridge, had we not better accom- pany Miss Sherwood to the shore, and return to the city by rail?” ** And leave her father’s yacht in the hands of these swarthy regues?’ was the Double’s re- sponse, “* Not if I knowit. I shall take com- mand for the time being.” This was accordingly done, there still remain- Five minutes later she had made the turn, and was sheeting homeward before the wind, which had = opportunely and was blowing almost a gale, The return trip was accomplished without in- cident, and the Fearnaught placed in temporary charge of an honest American who bad been her master’s mate, though uo arrests were made, CHAPTER XXVI. BURLEY’S LAST CARD. In the afternoon of the following day, which was a Friday, Hugb Spender had just an- nounced a piece of bighly-agreeable news to Eleanor, in the smaller drawing-room of her ele- gant home, with which we are already familiar, when there was a violent ringing of tbe door- bell, The next moment Colonel Sherwood surprised them by entering, in a state of considerable ex- citement, closely followed by Burley, who was composed and sinister. ‘‘My dear girl,” the colonel began, “a dis- pateb from our friend, Mr, Burley, here, has brought me home quite unexpectedly. You see, that secret of my past which he posses—" Here for the first time he perceived Spender’s pres- ence, and hesitated. = Speak right out, father,” said Eleanor, en- couragingly. ‘‘ Mr, Spender—Cousin Hugh, you know—is in my most intimate confidence,” But Colonel Sher wood’s confusion rather in- creased than diminished, while Burley smiled sardonically. ‘‘ Suppose you let me help out, father,” con- tinued the young lady. ‘¢ Well, well, my dear; that is—” She silenced him with an easy gesture. ‘* This is how the case stands,” she continued. ‘¢ You still imagine yourself in this gentleman’s power, and he bas sent for you, with the avow- ed threat of publishing what he deems would be your business disgrace, unless you can persuade me to engage myself to become his wife?” The colonel coughed and colored, while Burley laughed again. ‘* My dear Eleanor,” the latter began, with an easy air of holding a winning hand, * you are siagularly correct in your divination, and—” ‘*If you address her with that familiarit again,” savagely interrupted the lawyer,‘ I will throw you out of the window!” Burley bit bis lip and scowled, while Eleanor maintained her calmness, which was almost a smiling serevity. ‘“Don’t interfere unnecessarily, Hugh,” she cautioned, ‘‘ The gentleman is onl A little for- getful perhaps, just as he occasionally jumps to conclusions over-hastily—as in this illusion of bis for instance, of sssing some secret of my father’s past life that places him at his mercy!” *‘Tilusion!” sneered Burley. ‘‘ There is no illusion about it. He is in my power!” ‘* By what evidence? And do you really im- agine that your word would be of avail against my father’s in Wall street?” ‘Of course, I don’t, Miss Sherwood; I am not quite such a fool. I have better evidence than’ hearsay.” ‘“* What sort of evidence have you against my father’s reputation, sir?” ‘* The best of evidence—documentary ; a letter of his own, confessing a crime of a quarter of a century ago.” ‘“T do not believe you; and I challenge you to produce it!” Mat Sau The Creole exultingly produced his oilskin- covered pocketbook. ft Poy But, ou hastily examining’ its contents, a look of blank amazement, then of something like horror, came into his face. He again looked over the papers, one by one, even examining the interior of eack, but with no better result. ‘*Gone!” be cried, hoarsely. robbed !” “Hardly that,” replied Eleanor, calmly. ‘When a serpent is deprived of its poison-bag, one is scarcely accused of robbing it. Father,” producing a letter from her bosom, “here is the document in question. It is your property,” Colonel Sherwood stared bewilderedly, and then light. | "After glancing at the writing, he tore it into a thousand pieces, scattered them on the floor, and all but danced on them with the enthusiasm of a boy, while glancing exultingly at Burley. Baffled, defeated at every point, the latter had staggered back with the face of a fiend. ‘Stay, sir!” commanded Miss Sherwood, as he would have turned to go. “A fuller ex- planation is yet your due, and you shall have He faced her mechanically, and with forced composure. ‘* You did me the honor of pretending to love me, I believe?’ . ‘“‘T pretended nothing!” he cried wildly, “I did and do love you—to distraetion—-to madness! Were you a beggar on the street, instead of the ‘“‘T have been riillionaire that you are—save only that you | were none other than yourse/f—( would have still loved you to the same madness—as [ am pounced upon the letter with a cry of de- f loving you at this moment, though withruinin my life, despair in my heart!” | Sete Omicbooks.com | ae ‘ presently returned to the deck, looking grave jae: and subdued, if not a little uneasy. Ye, . y he . Tf 3 _ ai? &. a 7 ev w? pony e Oh ae he “a , +o tt Bees ree UF ( «! ’ ¥ . \ > rh) . 4 Ao! ae — ° é t -* , a4 be aE . L3H ue “fog? Lee tie WC kee Ste} yt oS a ve ing enough of a crew to work the yacht ata _ pinch, | | ; ve ‘ % te F- of F | "wet « P's is > } ’ ‘ ceeN ie yy Cine Pe ASS ef ; : 4 : 2 er 7 '