Beadle's Dime Library No. 628 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

22 PRU ae - - * ? . . | ae: ” - a pre é: > ? 4 i _ the walk partially screened from view by the re i ‘~~ Joe Phenix’s Combine. ger none of them recognized, or apparently suspected that there was anything out of the way in regard to him, At a quarter to ten a poorly-dressed woman, ‘wearing an old, calico wrapper and with a shawl wrapped around her head, after the fashion of the tenement-house dweller came into the saloon, put a tin pail on the end of the _ counter and evidently asked for beer, as the bartender proceeded to fill it from the beer-taps at the other end of the counter. Then she tendered a bill in payment, and at the same moment were three other customers ranged up at the middle of the counter, so the ‘bartender had his hands full, He served the customers before he brought tthe woman her change, and then she departed. As the reader who has followed the fortunes of Joe Phenix, as depicted in the various tales in which he has played so prominent a part, will remember, the detective was one of those men ' who possessed the wonderful faculty of seeing everything while apparently not paying any at- tention to what was going on around him, So, on the present occasion, while not bein particular to watch the woman, for there wasn anything about her to attract notice, yet the fact that she kept the shawl so tightly over her face that it was not possible to make out what she was like, made the detective. take a good look at her, for, as a rule, the women who “‘ rush the growler”—to use the cant New York ex- pression for going for beer—do not care who see their faces, a crowded bar-room possessing no ‘terrors for their souls, This peculiarity, slight as it was, attracted ‘the detective’s attention, and so he took a second pave at the woman as she departed with her er, aud his experienced eyes detected that she moved with an ease and grace which suggested youth and good breeding, And then just as the woman passed through the door Joe Phenix noticed that the letter was » gone. It was in its place when the woman entered; the disguised detective was certain in regard to ‘this fact, and now it had disappeared, From where the woman stood it would be an ‘easy matter for her to read the inscription upon the letter and possess herself of the mis- Immediately Joe Phenix jumped to the con. clusion that she was the messenger sent by the Dandy Charmer to get the letter The purchase of the beer was but a pretext. Ifthe letter had not been in sight she would ‘have asked for it, but when she discovered that ‘it was within her reach sbe concluded it would be best for her to take the letter quietly with- eout saying anything to anybody about it, There was a possibility of course that the woman had not been sent for the letter but had “stolen it, this idea came to the mind of Joe Phenix but he did not consider that it was _ - probable. The letter was of no value to anyone but the man for whomit was intended, and the temptation would be extremely small for any one to steal it. The detective thought the odds greatly in favor of the first supposition, so, rising to his teet, he sauntered out.of the saloon. He intended to play the spy upon the woman. ‘When he got out of the saloon the first glance “he gave around revealed to his eyes the form of “the shawled woman proceeding toward the wery ‘“*Now then the odds area hundred to one that this party will be on the alert to see whether she is shadowed or not, and if she catches sight of one coming on in her rear she will be certain to jump to the conclusion that Ltamaspy, sol must be careful to work itso that she will not see me!” the detective muttcr- ed as he hesitated for a moment in front of the saloon, Then he crossed rapidly tc the other side of the street. The movement was performed just in time, for bardly bad he gained the sidewalk, when mm woman cast a rapid glance over her shoul- The detective noted the movement and chuck. ted to himself “Aha, madam [ do not doubt in the least _ é¢bateyou are just about as smart as they make em acd though you have played the game in an exceedingly skillful manner so far, yet you ar not guit expert enough to take every trick. he mused as he followed her leisure] along, Keeping a good watch upon the romana movements although he was on the inner side of people passing up and down between him and a the curbstone. The woman was apparently satisfied that she wae not shadowed. tor she did not look behind _ again until she came to the corner of the street, _- and there she cast another rapid glance behind. Again Joe Phenix chuckled. that a shadow is’ on your trac you to detect ‘Cunning aa you are, [ ony Me pees 9 t e e «declared, She was apparently satisfied that there wasn’t _ @ny danger, for she turned the corner and went o~, v4 it was necessary for him to assume a : _* , > hy - a4 eM els | ‘* Now then comes the tug-of war!” the detec- tive exclaimed. communing with himself. ‘I must shadow her up that street, and yet keep her from seeing that | am on her track, and the only feasibie way to work the trick is to come the same game which has done so well in this case . will get on the opposite side of the way and as the streetis 2 dark one I do not doubt I will be able to avoid her notice. But bas the Dandy Charmer a lair then in this immediate neighborhood? [t would surely seem as if such | must be the case.” By this time the detective had reached the street up which the woman turned. Judge of bis disappointment and disgust when he saw her disappear in a buggy which stood by the curbstone about fifty feet from the cor ner And no sooner was she in than away went the carriage at a rapid pace. evidently the horse was 6 trotter of uncommon speed. Never in all bis experience, since he had turned bloodhound, and gone to hunting his fellow mortals, had the detective been more completely | baffled He stood like a status wpon the corner and watched the carriage until it disappeared in the distance, Then he shook his head slowly for a moment, and went down toward the Bowery, Under the circumstances further pursuit was useless Not unless the detective had been provided with a horse equally a8 good could he have hoped to keep in sight of the fugitive, and then if he had been so furnished an open pursuit would not have been productive of any good results, for at present it was his game to work in the dark, and not to allow the parties to know that he was on their track. ‘*¢ Pride goeth before a fall,’” Joe Phenix muttered. ‘*That is a good old saying, full of merit—good, sound, solid sense, every word of ** Here [I was pluming myself upon the skill with which I was shadowing the woman, chuck- ling like a greenhorn upon my success, ard then, lo and behold! in the twinkling of an eye the woman comes a trick upon me which I did not anticipate in the least, and which throws me as completely off the track as though I had never been on the scent at all.” And despite the annoyance which the detec- tive felt, he could not refrain from laughing in a grim way when he reflected how neatly the trick had been performed. He had all the artist’s respect for a skillful op- eration, even though the trick was worked at bis expense, ; hes Ss. cetftcticnl ‘And [ was just innin myself with the belief that this Dand Chrarmer had a retreat in this neighborhood,” the detective continued. ** Ah! what a mistake it was! I shall have to look a good deal further afield, I fancy, before I run that gentleman to cover, bnt 1 will do it me in the long run, clever as he undoubt- edly is ‘*¥ won the first trick when Y induced him to attack me; the second, too, fell to me when | captured his tool and wrung the truth out of him, and though I have suffered a check to-night, it is not bad one, ‘ ‘“* The crook will be likely to open communica- tions with Gypsy Jack, and that will give me another chance at him, which I will not fail to improve!” CHAPTER XXVL A GRATEFUL WOMAN, ; As Joo Phenix was satisfied that there wasn’t any further information to be gained that night, he proceeded to his home. He did not enter his house by the front door, for if the rascals whom he was trying to trap had any suspicion that his illness was a sham, and a watch had been placed upon the house, the sight of such an ill-looking customer as he was in his disguise, would be sure to excite re. mark. Then, too, as in the practice of his profession sorts of strange disguises, it would never do to allow his neighbors to see him leave the house so transmogrified. By a simple and ingenious scheme the detec tive was able to avoid all remark. His dwelling was only two doors from the corner, On the side street was a tenement house, the side wall of whith came up against the rear of the detective’s house . By hiring the first flat of the tenement, Joe Phenix had been able to construct a secret door through the wall, thus gaining, access to his own house without being obliged to enter his street at all. The tenement-house being a low-grade one, was occupied by all sorts of strange people, and so the detective, when he came and went in his disguises, did not attract attention nor cause re- marks, As Joe Phenix came along by his house, he was on the watch to detect’ if there were any ies in the neighborhood, but not a soul was in ht, either suspicious-looking or otherwise, _ He passed around the corner, entered the ten- x > a “a Dey iD ~~ * * emcnt-house, and then passed through the secret door into his own dwelling, After removing his disguise, he went down to the sitting-room, where be found Tony Western busy with a book, In answer to the detective’s inquiry, the as- sistant reported that a number of people had called to ask how he was getting on, and the most of them expressed a desire to see him— these pene chiefly people who thought they amounted to something, but Western had put them off with the excuse that the doctor had declared that his patient must not be disturbed Just as the assistant finished the recital the bell rung and Western hastened to see who it was, In a few moments he returned and reported that it wasa Miss Lawrence, who said she was an acquaintance of Mr, Phenix and having just heard that he had been hurt called to inquire how he was, The name of the lady Se an idea to the detective and it was one which he determined to improve immediately. ‘‘She is a very nice girl, and [ think that as she has taken the trouble to come at this hour on purpose to inquire how I am, 1 will have to see her,” the detective remarked. ‘** Til just put the bandages around my head and lay off in the eadvechair,” he continued, ‘* Now you can show her ir,” Joe Phenix said when all his preparations were complete. In a few moments Mignon Lawrence was ushered into the room by Tony Western and then he discreetly retired. Joe Phenix was a secretive man by nature and since he had gone into the man-hunting line he bad become :nore and more so, and not even to his trusted assistant had be revealed the fact that the burlesque actress was one of his secret agents. ‘* You must really excuse me for ore - at such an untimely hour, Mr. Phenix!” the lady exclaimed after the door closed behind Tony Western, ‘‘ But I never knewa thing about your being burt until ten o’clock, then I hap- pened to pick up @ newspaper and read the ac- count, so I told Miss Engleburt that although thé hour was late I was going to call and see how you was, ** | explained to her that you did me a great service once, and though it is the fashion to say that women are not grateful, yet as far as my experience goes they have just as much ti- tude as men, and, speaking for myself, 1 will say that Iam sure I am a very grateful crea- ture indeed, and I certain that no matter how long I may live [ shall never forget your kindness.” f ‘‘} am very muchobliged to you for taking this trouble, I assure you,” the detective re- plied. “Take a rocking-chair and make yourself comfortable,” he added, ’ She complied with the uest and then she surveyed him ip an inquisitive way_with her clear gray eyes, so bright and piercing. ‘* Well, although you have your head all band up like an Hgyptian mummy, yet, 1 must say that you dou’t look as if you were go- ing to die right away, as the newspaper reports said,” she remarked in her brisk, abrupt way. ‘Tn fact I got so worked up about the matter that I told Miss Engleburt that I could not rest until J had seen oe I did not want you to die until ! had the chance to say good-by to you.” ‘* Really, I think you overestimate the slight service that I was able to do you,” the detective remarked, | “Do you callita slight service?’ the young actress exclaimed. ‘¢ Well, 1 do not think that it would be strict- rh correct to characterize it by any stronger rm. ‘“* That depends of course upon how one looks at tne matter,” the lady remarked, thoughtful- ly ‘J don’t suppose that you consider that you did do a great deal, but from my standpoint the service seems tob a great one — ‘You must take into consideration how I was situated,” she continued, “© 1 was plunged into the depths of utter d ir because a miser- able wretch whom I had been fool enough to marry, chose to take it into his worthless head to desert me. Cage ‘Instead of sayirg to myself, Good riddance to bad rubbish!’ and being giad that I was free from ascamp to whom I never ought to have bound myself, £ went in to play the tragic ueen.. sc { was deserted, and worse still, to add insult neh der as it were, my wretch of a husband publicly proclaimed that he was going to get a divorce from me in order to marry a wo- rar <—e I had always believed to be a sincere end. * Now what had I, as a sensible woman. to have done under the circumstances? L ancient Dogberry let him go and thanked heaven that [ was well rid of a knave!” hink that would have been the proper course under the circumstances ‘ ‘*No doubt about it! But I was idiot enough to think that I ought to kill myself because a man was fickle, and a woman was false, so I was on my way to an opium den with the in 7 A - ’ We * = 4 \ = — 4 ‘al Eomichoc ON Sk ta! a. Aan Ce Be SOW ——— <i ‘