Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 580 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

_______'_ ~— Shadowing a Shadow. ‘ The banker’s face brightened, and so did that of the doctor. ** And of course you will keep your word and let this unpleasant matter end right where itis?” the latter reminded. ‘“*T am a man of my word, sir,” the detective assured, ‘* and I will make no complaint against either of you for this night’s work, You ‘assure a it was all a series of accidents anyhow, and— *‘Of course it was!” exclaimed the doctor. ‘*[ amas much your friend as ever, sir, and I = a. that it happened; but I assure you a a ‘*Do not mention it,” interrupted the detec- tive. ‘‘ We will let it rest. You will hear noth- ing further of it from me, and you need have no alarm. You cannot help owning that the case would havea serious aspect for both of you, were [ to bring it up against you, but I will not doso. And nowl will go. We have nothing further to say, 1 guess. Doctor Gonsalvo, please get up and conduct me out. I will take the pre- caution to keep my weapon in hand, so that no ‘“What terms are you willing to make with us?’ the doctor asked ‘‘Your present position, sir,” Kinworth an- swered, ‘‘ is one in which you will be compelled to accept any terms that I offer. It is the same witb you, Mr. Blackwall.” ‘Well, what terms do you offer, then?” the banker asked. By this time both the banker and the doctor bad got their wits together, and were prepared to fight. ‘* The terms I offer are these,” Kinworth pre- | sented. ‘‘ Give me the truth of the mystery of Henry Abington, answer what questions I ask, and I will make no charge of this attempt at murder against you.” ‘¢ And if we refuse?” the doctor asked. ‘Tn that case I will arrest you and push the charge to the worst.” | ‘This is a disagreeable matter,” observed the | banker, ‘‘and the more so that itis all a sad mistake. There bas been no attempt at mur- der—” ‘‘That will do, sir,” the detective interrupted, ‘““There has been an attempt at murder. Do | further accidents will happen.” not deny it; itis of no use, Do you accept my Kinworth bad assured himself that he had not terms?” : been robbed of anytbing, had put on his hat, ‘‘In order to have the affair settled,” the | and was ready. The doctor obeyed his order, banker answered, ‘‘I will tell you everything.” | opened the door and conducted him to the street, ‘‘ Very well, sir, go ahead.” and there the detective bade him a polite good- It can be seen that Kinworth was playing | night. with them, as it may be said. He did not want He was well out of the trap, but as he walked to arrest them, for the time was not ripe. He | away from the house he exclaimed to himself: knew the whole secret now as well as Blackwall ‘“*Great heavens! can this suspicion be true? did, but it was not bis purpose to let them see | Is it possible that—” his hand. He paused as though he did not dare breathe ‘* One thing I want to impress upon your mind | the thought. at the start,’ the banker began, ‘‘and that is that you made a mighty big mistake when you called me Henry Abington. I am not that per- son. But I can tell you who was. Sigbert Par- milye aud Henry Abington were one and the CHAPTER XXX, RUNAWAY AND RESCUE, same,” Mody Wuen Dr. Gonsalvo returned to the room ‘‘T have since learned that fact,” said Kin- | where Mr. Blackwall was, the two men looked worth. at each other for fully a minute before either ‘You have! From whom did you gain the information?” spoke, The banker was the first to break the silence, ‘From your head clerk, Griffit.” ‘* What do you think?” he asked. ‘‘Ha! he told you, did he? Well, it is the ‘** 1 think that you are a most infernal drivel- truth. Henry Abington and Sigbert Parmilye | ing old idiot!” was the hot shot he got in an- were one and the same. Now, of course, one | swer. being dead both are dead.” ‘Thank you for the compliment,” he rejoined. ‘Of course. But this is not telling me the | ‘‘I was not so idiotic, though, that I could not story.” frame a story to throw him off the track, as you ‘‘ True, Well, Henry Abington, whose right | will have to admit.” name was Blackwall, was my brother. He was ‘** Pardon my words, Mr, Blackwall,” the doc- four years older than I. We were born in| tor apologized, ‘‘I was thinking of the man’s California. He came East when a young man, | being allowed to get away atall. I am still of and was for some years in the employ of | the opinion that we ought to bave killed him as Reuben Whitford the banker, Having been | we first intended doing. No knowing what will obliged to leave home on account of crime, he | come of this now.” used the assumed name of Henry Abington. ‘““Haven’t we got his word that it shall end He married the banker’s daughter. His wife | right where it is?” became insane when they had been married a ‘** Bah! what does that amount to? You do few years, and he took ber to California and | not base anything upon that, do you? Would mut her in an asylum. He left the children | he not promise anything to get out of here?” ere in New York. The officers of California | ‘‘ He did not seem to be in any great danger, ot on his track, and he was obliged to make | sir, toward the last. It seems to me that he bad is escape. He went across the Pacific, and so | the advantage of the case.” on around the world, When he came to New ‘** Well, even so, his word must not be taken. ‘York one of his children, the boy, was lost. | That will be worse than foolishness on our He has never been beard of since, The daughter | part.” ou have seen in the person of Essylt Parmilye. ; ‘* But, what of the story I told him, Will not About that time I came to New York, having | that be likely toturn his attention away from previously been in New Orleans, where I mar- | us?” ried; and falling in witb my brother, we went “It was a good bit of acting on your part, into business under the firm name of Blackwall, | that I must admit, and it was a good story, off- Now that is the whole story | hand; but we do not know how much stock he takes in it. The moreI see of that fellow the less I understand him. I don’t know whether to consider bim an ass altogether, or to suspect him of extraordinary shrewdness, It is possible pinay he is deeper than we have given him credit or. ‘*He certainly has us in a bad box if he does not mean to keep bis word,” ‘““Tbat is what I say, and we must take steps to foil him, We must put no trust whatever in | bis promise, ‘** But how are we to “c Alibi.” Fe Ha! a good idea! But, how will we work ‘* By losing no time about it. Here is my ser- vant, who will swear to anything. He will say that I was out all the evening, and that no one called here. ThenIcan get a dozen friends to say that I was at such-and-such a place. Of course you gan do the same,” | Right! I will go at once and see Griffit, and he will say that I was with him. Why, dast the fellow’s impudence, we have the mas- ter-hand, after all!” ‘Of course we have, if we are smart enovgh to use it. But there must be no more foolishness —or rather squeamishness—in the matter, If he comes in our way again, he must die!” ““Have you already forgotten what I told you? If you harm him I will harm you. I mean WhatI say. Let anything happen to him, and I will hold you responsible. If you value my friendship, pay heed to this warning.” “Mr. Blackwall, this is something that I can- not understand,” ‘* It is not necessary that you should.” ** But the idea of your saying that you would Parmilye & Co. in a nutshell.” The detective had listened attentively, ‘‘- You aver that that is the whole truth of the matter, do you?” he said, ‘*T do, sir.” “Then why did you not tell me at first?” ‘‘Ror the simple reason that I hoped to put you off. Knowing that you were from Cali- fornia, I knew that you must be after m brother. He was dead, of course; but his daughter lives, and I would shield her from the knowledge of the past.” ‘‘T see: and in order to do so, you thought it necessary to kill me, It was so important that you would not even let my life stand in your way, eh?” “Havel not told you that there has been no attempt to kill you? If you will not take our word for it, we cannot help that.” “Do not take me for a fool, Mr. Blackwall; the doctor bere has as good as admitted the trutb of everything.” ‘“ Well, even supposing that there had been such an attempt,” the banker compromised, ‘‘ean you see no grounds for it? Look at my brother’s daughter, as pure and innocent as an angel. Would I not take steps to keep the truth from her? And would I not do all in my power to protect the family name? That secret of the st is dead, and it sball remain dead. No one nows it all but me, and I will never reveal it.” **T am satisfied,” declared the detective in a changed tone. ‘Now it is all clear, Since Sigbert Parmilye is dead, there is no use of my looking further. Now I can understand why you were so opposed to letting me get at the truth. We must prepare to balk him.” do ite” | lay down your life to protect his, that is away beyond me,” ‘** So let it remain,” **Can’t you explain it to me?” ‘** Don’t trouble your head over it. But it is simple enough. ou cught to see into it after what I bave already told you. Sooner than be a murderer, I would bea suicide. Do you un- derstand it now?” ‘““T know what you say, but such fine senti- ments are too high forme. My vote would be in the other direction.” Their further conversation need not be re- corded, as nothing new or especially interesting was brougbt out. They soon left the house, and after proceeding a little way together, parted company. The banker went to the home of his head clerk, as he had declared his intention of doing, and the doctor went to the Danaé’s Donjon. In the mean time Kinworth had gone on toward the hotel where he was staying. The young detective was in a deep cared f Something had come up in bis mind that clearly was troubling him not a little. ‘‘The more I think over this,” he reflected, ‘the more it impresses me. What other way can I find of accounting for Blackwall’s words? Nene, that is true. Either the suspicion is groundless, or it is full of import, Ought I to question Mrs. Milburn on this point? No, that would be useless, for her memory is not suffi- ciently recovered. I must put forth every effort to find that Vorinda Snipes. I hope that she is still alive.” What had he in mind? ‘And what about that insurance business?” he muttered, half-aloud. ‘‘ That is the rankest kind of an imposition, and 2m to be nipped in the bud. But it must wait. must take care of my own case first, and then I will put them onto the scent, But, if that other prove true— My God! but this is horrible, Better that the arties concerned were dead, almost. It cannot tis true; and yet— Yes, it seems positive that itis, WhatamItodo? Itis clear that I must goon and unravel the mystery, and if the worst comes the guilty must suffer.’ What was he talking about, that be spoke thus? , ‘*T believe that Blackwall has this night saved my life,’ he went on. ‘‘ How can I think other- wise? That devil doctor bad me in his power, and that he meant to kill me was positive enough. I am sure that Blackwall put him up to it, but I believe that he afterward interposed and saved me, What was his reason? His reflections were suddenly interrupted. A carriage came tearing down the street at a terrific gait, the horses running wild, and as it neared bim the team turned in upon the sije- walk and dashed their beads against a massive building, one of them dropping instantly to the ground with a broken neck. > The carriage toppled partly over, and would have fallen upon its side but for the support of a friendly lamp-post. The driver lay insensible some distance away, and as the detective ran forward he hearda woman scream, One of the horses wes but little hurt, and was rearing and kicking furiously. Kinworth cavght it by the head, spoke to it in a commanding tone, and itsoon became quiet and stood trembling. Otbers were upon the scene as soon as he, and the animal was soon un- bitched, Two or three men took hold of the carriage and rigbted it, and a person within opened the door. It was a person whom the detective recog- nized instantly. It was none other than the rascal—Dugald Cambetb, The eyes of the two men instantly met, and Cambeth’s face turned deathly pale. He drew back and made a motion as though to sbut the door. Kinworth noted it all. “Ha!” be thought, “the is u that he does not want me to about.” There were two other persons in the carriage, one being a female, Kinworth took bold of the door and pulled it all the way open, saying: “You have bad a very narrow escape, who- ever you are; let us assist you out.” He did not let on that he had recognized Cambeth. ‘“We have a sick lady with us,” that rascal announced, ‘‘and she bas fainted away. Is there a drug-store near at hand?” ““'Yes, sir, there is one right handy,” the de- tective answered: “shall I assist you Interested, and suspecting that all was not right, Kinworth took a closer look into the vehicle. Doing so, he ized the other man, who was Waldemar Blackwall. He also noted that a light shaw] had been thrown oyer the head of their companion. ‘* What are you thinking | ed. ‘If the lady has fainted, why do you smother her with that shawl? You had be take it off.” to something now anything ‘‘We do not need any assistance,” Cambeth <5 oy about?” he demand- comicboo A