Beadle's Dime Library No. 801 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

——— ee ae tS 28 and Judge Cassidy cried out in a tone of horror, | as a tall, bearded form appeared in the room: ee I er ---— —— eee eee oe <a eaaaataNat ALALLALALLLALAL LL ALLELE — ——- o-—~ ——_ —_— The Pointing Finger. Mr. Ferret, and ‘*Thisis a remarkable eri 2 ae could not ieve | from other lips than yours, **Good God, sir! you have killed my guest, | it,” said the judge. Mr. Grayson Glyndon!” CHAPTER LIITL. DETECTIVE FERRET HAS SOMETHING TO SAY, THE man to whom Judge Cassidy addressed the startling words, that he had killed his guest, was none other than Ferret, the detective chief. He had suddenly appeared in the room, com- ing from behind the heavy curtain, which con- cealed a window opening out upon the piazza, for the room of the judge was upon the first floor. In response to Judge Cassidy’s words, the de- tective chief said, in a low tone: ‘* Tt is most unfortunate, sir, that your guest, coming to your aid, should have been shot; but wiil you let your servants bear his body to his room and then come with me to your library?” The judge did as the chief directed, but he seemed deeply moved by what had occurred. The body of Grayson Glyndon, for the bullet had passed through his brain and he was dead, was taken to the room which he had left but a | few minutes before and the servants huddled together in alarm to talk over the strange af-_| fair and to regret that the burglars had escaped and the handsome, generous gentleman had been | killed, the library. The judge seemed almost stunned and silently obeyed, His thoughts were with the beautiful wife of | the dead man, she whom his daughter was then | visiting. | ‘* When I sent my note in to you at the table, | Judge Cassidy, it was a part of my plot, as I | told you when you came out, **T learned, as I said, that your house was to be entered by burglars, and you gave me per- | mission to conceal myself entirely and watch | for them with my men. | ‘*T asked you not to divulge, even to your | guest, that I was there, or that you had a shad- ow of suspicion of what was going on, and your ‘servants did not suspect, ‘* Buf [ concealed myself upon the piazza by your window, and, with a diamond and rubber pull, f cut a pane of glass out, raised the sash and had a view of your room, ‘*Then I took my post outside to wait, placing two of my men at positions where I knew they would not see any burgiars and telling them to fire when they heard a shot. **You sat up somewhat late, but I have patience, and so waited and was rewarded, ‘** You retired, seeming to think that I had given a faise alarm; but I watched and waited. ‘*The door opened and the man I looked for entered. ‘* Hehada knife in his hand and glided to- ward your bed... ‘*{ meant to spring through the window and capture him; but you moved and he was too quick for me, as he sprung forward to kill you. **t fired quickly and killed him.” ‘* You killed Mr. Glyndon?” ** That is theman I sought to kill, for Grayson Glyndon intended to take your life.” **Great God! are you mad, sir?” ‘* No; and I will prove my words, Judge Cas- | sidy, though, for the sake of his wife, this secret | must remain between us. : | “ The truth is just this: | ‘‘Grayson Glyndon was a black - hearted | scamp, and he married Miss Ruth Lonsdale un- der fulse pretenses, to get her money. **Nota soul suspected him, and he has ever been a kind husband to her. | ‘* But I haye here, sir, the proof that Grayson | Glyndon was the chief of a band of rogues, murderers and river pirates knownasthe Water Wolves,” The judge could not speak for amazement. ‘*He had studied law in another State, but was debarred from practice for some crime he committed, so he came to New York, under an assumed name, hung out his sign and began to | live two lives. | ‘‘He herded secretly with burglars and cut- | throats, until he found that he could foim a league that would bring gold to his coffers, “He used asa foil and tool, an old woman who keeps a low tavern, but whom he happened to save from being robbed one night, and hence | made her his slave. **She got the men together, and he in mask, | held councils with them each week, in an under- ground dungeon, binding them together by the most fearful oaths and terrible penalties. | ‘* He was never known by his men, and they | called him the Unknown Chief. | ‘*He had a secret way tom house fronting on | a rear strect, andthere made his home, or rather | spent; much of his leisure time there, plotting | and planning burglaries, when his wife believed | him to de av bis office. | “He thus bad a large income from their | thefts, and, to do him credit, he managed the. band with consummate skill, and this woman | ‘was the only one who knew him as he was,” i » @) ‘= mapa ty ir ee naar SCRE. Pa ee and [ hold it against your son alon | sidy than rich without him, ‘*T have not told you all, sir. ‘*In the home of Mr. Glyndon lived a person | br was supposed by the neighbors to be his wife. ‘She was not, for she was his sister. ‘* She was not naturally bad, but she had had bad bringing up, for their mother had been a perfect fend in her struggling to get the gold that be:onged to other people. ‘* Wholly under the influence of her brother, th. s young and beautiful girl, obeyed him in his commands. ‘‘ Their mother when dying left her to her brother’s guardianship, ‘*She therefore knew just what he was, as leader of an outlaw band, though I will give her the credit of not herself entering into hiscrimes, ‘* As Glyndon failed to get the fortune he ex- pected by his wife, he determined upon another plan. ‘* That was to make his sister marry one who had a large fortune, ‘*He accordingly secured a house, furnished it, got servants, filled the stable with horses and carriages, and hired an old fraud of a woman to act as his sister’s aunt, ‘* He then gave her the name of Queena Este- | Van, and reported that she was a wealthy Mexi- ** Judge Cassidy, be seated, please, for I have | something of importance to communicate to | you,” said Chief Ferret, when they had entered | can heiress.” ‘*My poor boy?” groaned the judge. ‘* Yes, he was the victitu, Judge Cassidy, and fortune favored the woman, for he saved her life, ‘‘Tt was known just how you made your will, and it was planned by Glyndon, whose real name is King Grayson, that yourson should marry his sister, Q@ueen Grayson, and that you should die suddenly,” ‘*‘ Ha!” and the judge sprung to his feet. ‘* Be calm, sir, please, for my story nears its end. ‘*The sister did not, I am sure, know of the murderous intentions of her brother toward you; but he intended to assassinate you, and your will left your son all, and it was easy envugh to get rid of him when his wife, Queen, would have your vast property.” ‘* But, sir, they were not married.” ‘* They were secretly married, sir, for the but- ler in that house, Jasper Carr by name, is one of my best detectives.” ‘* Mr, Ferret, you astound me,” “It is true, sir, and to carry out his devilish plan Glyndon got bis wife to write your daugb- ter to visit her; then he drove up to Cedar Hall, intending to stop upon bis return, and two of | his men were ordered to lie in wait in the con- servatory that they might be tracked and give the appearance of outside burglars having done the deed. ‘*Those men fled at my shot, which killed Glyndon, my men fired as | ordered,and so mat- ters turn out well to hide the double life of that bad man.” ‘© To hide it?” ‘* Yes, sir, for his wife is a noble woman, and it would kill her to know just what her husband was. ‘* So it will be best to say that Glyndon heard burglars in the house, came down to arouse you, and was shot by one of them. ‘*T can say I heard of the intended burglary through my detectives, came to ask you if f could lie in hiding, and in some way missed them. ‘This draws the vail over the life of that wretch and protects his lovely wife. ' * Will you so let me make my report, Judge Cassicly ¢ ‘*7 will, sir, for God knows I wish to protect that noble woman, the wife of a man so unfor- tunate,” ‘* And, Judge Cassidy, I must now deal youa blow, though I feel you will take it as best. ‘* Your son has also been living a double life, for he has been deceiving you. ‘* Here are his expenditures of late, including thirty thousand aoitara which Queen Grayson put in his hands at the command of ker brother, to further entrap him. ‘* And here, sir, is a note at sixty days, in favor of the Secor Bank, which your son got the money on by forging your indorsement thereto.” The judge groaned in agony of mind, and the relentless detective continued: ‘*] took this note up, paying my Own money, with a few other things that place him wholly in my power.” ‘*Oh! you will not use them?” ‘* No, sir, except for his good.” ** His good?” ‘* Yes; for I know that he desperately loves the woman be has married, and she dearly loves him and yesterday told her brother he should not plot against him any more and that she would rather be poor as the wife of Kent Cas- ** Now, I shall go to them when I[ get back fo the city, tell ber that I know all anid just wias ber brother was, though I shall keev 1s a secret from your son, Pae ioy Sind g - 7) : sie a eo ‘* T will tell her of ber brother’s death and say to her if she is willing to go to the West and live with her husband all will be well, and I can promise them an income that will support them handsomely. ‘*[ will say to your son unless he consents to leave New York at once with his wife, giving out that he has gone to Mexico with her, | will have him arrested and sent to prison, and’she shall understand that she shall suffer for her connection with the crimes committed by her brother. ‘** Secured by a good income, and with the ax of justice suspended over them, they will giad- ly go, while he, suspecting uo wrong of her, other than that she deceived him about her for- tune, 1 am sure they will be content.” ‘*I hope so indeed, and your way out of this fearful affair is the rigbt one, and you can com- mand me forthe sum you deem necessary, and I would indeed prefer that they go far away, to Mexico, and that I do not see my son again.” a eee ‘*Tt shall be as you wish, sir, for I hold the power to have it so,’ was the response of the detective, and, when the dawn came he accom- panied the judge to the city—the sorrowing father going to acquaint Ruth Glyndon with the sad end of ber husband, and to keep back from her the horrible secret of his | double life, and Chief Ferret going to make a | | | call, first upon Queen Grayson, and next upon Kent Cassidy, aud use bis powers of persuasion nu: on What he decided was best for their future course through life. CHAPTER LIV. THE DETECTIVE’S SECRET, As Detective Ferret had supposed, he had no difficulty in having his own way, both with (Jueea and Kent Cassidy. (ucen bad never held for her cruel brother as much love as she had fear, so that his death, though a shock to her, was nota source of in- consolable grief. Her love for Kent Cassidy had made her a changed woman, and so that she did not lose him, she cared not what happened. She was content to go to Mexico, where sha had lived for some years with her mother and brother, or to the ends of the earth, and to live in poverty if Kent went with her. And Kent Cassidy, believing that prison stared him in the face, knowing that bis father was aware of his crime and his other means of raising money, and wholly infatuated with (Jueen, although the detective chief told him her money had been squandered by her agent, be was more than willing to fly to Mexico, espe- cially as he was told that he should have a good income paid him semi-yearly, so long as he de- served it by leading an upright life. So Aunt Phcebe was bundled off with a fat purse, the household effects were sold out, the marriage of Kent Cassidy and Queens Estevan was published in the papers, and the two, with ample means to buy a Lttle home and make themselves comfortable, set cut for Mexico, the rumor simply going around that the young man had married contrary to his father’s wishes and had gone with his wife to her native land, . The fearful affair at Stone Vale was the talk of the town for days, when it became known that Grayson Glyndon had been killed by bur- glars, who bad shot him while he was a guest frr the night of Judge Cassidy. He was buried with great honorsand in Green- wood Cemetery, at the suggestion of Judge Cassidy, who told Ruth thet it would be better than to take his body to the Lonsdale burving- ground, for the noble old lawyer did not wish the bones of the guilty man to rest with those of the Lonsdales, Some days after the funeral Judge Cassidy re- ceived a visit from Ferret, the detective chief, and he was accompanied by Mr. Ingersoll Lock- wood, Jule was with Ruth Glyndon in the city, and so the judge was alone. “T have come, Judge Cassidy, to tell you a secret,” said the detective, ‘‘Tn the first place let me inform you that I am now disguised, and it is so cleverly done that no one has discovered my secret. ‘See, I learned the art from a Mexican hair- dresser of »utting a false beard on so that it seems natural. ‘*See, with my long hair, and my beard curl- ing up as it does on my cheeks, my real mus- tache made gray, no one would suspect that I wore a wig and false whiskers—see |” He took from his pocket a small bottle, moist- ened the whiskers as he spoke om cheek and neck, and drew them off, ‘** Sefior Del Monte !” cried the amazed. judge. ** Yes. sir, Marco Del Monte and Frank Ferret ee and the same, and I may say this is not all. ** Not all?” ‘* No, sir; and T will explain, for I have told Mr, Lockwood all, though my secret must go no further. ‘* Years ago I was known as Lionel Lons- dale.” The judge started, and with a smile the speak- er continued ; , |