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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a38b4e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68116 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68116) diff --git a/old/68116-0.txt b/old/68116-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aef1866..0000000 --- a/old/68116-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5204 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nick Carter Stories No. 150, The House -of Fear; or, Nick Carter's Counterstroke., by Nick Carter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Nick Carter Stories No. 150, The House of Fear; or, Nick Carter's - Counterstroke. - -Author: Nick Carter - -Editor: Chickering Carter - -Release Date: May 18, 2022 [eBook #68116] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern - Illinois University Digital Library) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO. 150, -THE HOUSE OF FEAR; OR, NICK CARTER'S COUNTERSTROKE. *** - - - - - - NICK CARTER STORIES - - _Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post - Office, by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Ave., New York. Copyright, - 1915, by_ STREET & SMITH. _O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, Proprietors._ - - Terms to NICK CARTER STORIES Mail Subscribers. - - (_Postage Free._) - - Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each. - - 3 months 65c. - 4 months 85c. - 6 months $1.25 - One year 2.50 - 2 copies one year 4.00 - 1 copy two years 4.00 - - =How to Send Money=--By post-office or express money order, - registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own - risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary - letter. - - =Receipts=--Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper - change of number on your label. If not correct you have not been - properly credited, and should let us know at once. - - =No. 150.= NEW YORK, July 24, 1915. =Price Five Cents.= - - - - - THE HOUSE OF FEAR; - - Or, NICK CARTER’S COUNTERSTROKE. - - Edited by CHICKERING CARTER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE DEAD ALIVE. - - -"I say, shir! Can you let me have a match?" - -"I think so." - -The last speaker was Nick Carter, the famous detective. - -The first was an erect, well-built, fashionably clad man, apparently in -the forties and somewhat the worse for liquor. His crush hat had a -rakish cant. His Inverness hung awry over his shoulders. His cravat had -a disorderly twist, and his brown, Vandyke beard had lost its carefully -combed appearance. - -Nick Carter sized him up as a society man who had been on the bat, and -who was returning home on foot to walk off the effects of it. His -appearance and the hour seemed to warrant this conclusion, for it was -two o’clock in the morning. - -Nick was rather roughly clad. His strong, clean-cut face was so -artistically treated with grease paint as to effectively disguise him -and give him a decidedly sinister aspect. He had spent most of the night -in searching for a crook, on whom he very much wanted to lay his hands, -but his efforts had been futile, and he was returning to his residence -in Madison Avenue. - -He had turned a corner of Fifth Avenue only a few moments before, when -he saw the stranger approaching, walking a bit unsteadily, and then the -only person to be seen in the fashionable street. - -Nick saw him fishing out a cigar and vainly searching in his pockets for -a match, and he was not surprised when the man stopped him with the -above request, straightening up with a manifest effort and trying to -speak distinctly. - -"Much obliged, sir," said he, when Nick reached into his pocket after -his match box. "Will you smoke, I’ve got anozzer." - -"No, none for me, thank you," said Nick. "I----” - -"Don’t thank me. Do what I tell you, instead, and do it quick. Hands -up!" - -The stranger had undergone a lightninglike change. He no longer appeared -intoxicated. His every nerve and muscle seemed to have become as tense -as a bowstring. His eyes were clear, aglow like balls of fire, and his -voice had turned as hard as nails. - -His right hand, with which he had pretended to reach into his pocket for -another cigar, whipped out an automatic revolver, into the deadly muzzle -of which the detective suddenly found himself gazing. - -Nick Carter had been up against like situations before, and it did not -disturb him. - -"What are you really going to do with that toy?" he asked coolly, -sharply scrutinizing the holdup man to fix his face in his mind. - -"Hands up, or you’ll never repeat that question," said the other, -hissing the threatening words between his teeth. "Up with them, or -you’ll be a dead one." - -His eyes had a gleam and glitter that no sane man would have ignored. -They spelled murder in capital letters, and Nick obeyed and raised his -hands as high as his shoulders. - -"Now, back down those steps," commanded his assailant. "Keep going till -I tell you to stop. Back under the steps. Hands up, mind you, or you’ll -be found dead there in the morning." - -The steps referred to were those of a handsome brownstone residence -occupied by a wealthy Wall Street banker and broker, Mr. Gideon Buckley. -They led up from the sidewalk to the vestibule of the front door, while -under them was a door leading into the basement hall of the house. This -was accessible by descending two low steps and turning into the area -under the main rise of steps, the entrance to which area was protected -with an iron-grille door, then wide open. - -Nick obeyed his assailant--he had no sane alternative. - -He backed down the two low steps and into the gloomy area under the main -flight, and the holdup man quickly closed the grille door and the spring -lock clicked audibly, confining the detective under the rise of front -steps. - -The holdup man laughed--but not for an instant did his deadly weapon -deviate from a direct line from the detective’s breast. He still kept -him constantly covered through the grille door, through which he gazed -at him with gleaming eyes, as one might have viewed a lion in a steel -cage. - -The miscreant’s laugh was utterly void of anything like mirth. It was as -cold, exultant, and merciless as ever had fallen on the detective’s -ears. In a way, moreover, it struck him as being familiar, but he did -not recall when and where he had heard it. He was not, however, left -long in doubt of the outlaw’s identity. - -For the rascal’s vicious laugh ended with a sharp, hissing whisper. - -"You keep your voice down, now, or there’ll be something drop," he -threatened. "Speak above a whisper and I’ll plug you on the instant." - -"I’ll take your word for it," Nick said quietly. "But you are not going -to get fat from this job. If you lift all I have in my jeans, you’ll not -carry away much." - -"Oh, I’m not after your coin," the holdup man retorted, with bitter -asperity. "I’ve not run you in here to lift anything. I’ve got you where -I want you, at last, and you’re going to hear my little verse. I’ll -finish you later." - -"Why finish me?" Nick coolly inquired. "What have I done that you want -to finish me?" - -"You’ve done me, blast you," was the reply, with suppressed ferocity. -"You twice have crossed my path and turned me down. You have sent me -from bad to worse and made me what I am. I know you, Carter, hang you, -in spite of your disguise. I have been watching for you, lying in wait -for you, and I’ve got you where I want you." - -"Which seems to please you mightily," Nick said dryly, trying vainly to -recall the rascal’s identity. "When did I----” - -"Oh, I’ll tell you when," interrupted the other, with unabated -bitterness. "You’ll know when, Carter, when you see my face. I’ll reveal -it to you. I want you to see it, that I may laugh at you, mock you, and -tell you face to face how deeply I hate you. Sooner or later, too, I’ll -hand you yours and send you to the devil. - -"But not to-night--no, not to-night!" he went on, when Nick viewed him -in silence. "I want you to anticipate it, to live in fear of it, to be -racked mind and nerves until my bullet finds you. I’ll send it into you -sooner or later, Carter, as sure as my name is--Gaston Goulard." - -He removed his Vandyke beard while speaking, thrusting it into his -pocket, and Nick Carter was given an almost incredible surprise. - -"Gaston Goulard!" he exclaimed involuntarily. "The dead alive!" - -Nick recognized him now. There was no mistaking his hard-featured, white -face, its sinister scowl, its expressive cruelty. To have seen a ghost, -however, would not have been more amazing. - -For Nick last had seen this man less than a month before, when cornered -with the notorious Badger gang of crooks in an old lime loft leased by -one of their number, to which the detective’s assistants had traced -Nick and the criminals--Nick last had seen him plunge bodily through one -of the windows and disappear into the swirling waters of the East River. - -Though a sharp watch had been kept by Patsy Garvan, moreover, who also -had seen the rascal sink from view, Goulard did not reappear on the -surface, and there had seemed to be no reasonable doubt that the knave -had drowned. - -Naturally, therefore, Nick was more than surprised upon seeing his -sinister, malevolent face again; nor was it strange that, supposing him -dead, he had not penetrated his exceedingly clever disguise, or -recognized his evil voice. - -It fell again upon the detective’s ears, echoing his last impulsive -remark. - -"The dead alive--yes!" Goulard hissed triumphantly. "I fooled you, -balked you, eluded you, Carter, and I finally will send you to the -devil, where you supposed you had sent me. But the devil serves his own -at times, and that was one of them. He gave me a new lease of life--that -I might finally take yours. But not to-night, Carter, not to-night!" - -"That’s very considerate, Goulard, I’m sure," Nick coldly retorted. -"Watch out that I don’t put the boot on the other leg and place you -where you belong." - -"Bah!" Goulard ejaculated, under his breath. "You have no chance of -that, not even a look in. You know not where to find me, yet for the -past month I have been under your very eyes. I can put my finger on you, -too, any hour of the day, Carter--and I shall always have a bullet in -reserve for you." - -Nick Carter ignored the miscreant’s repeated threats, though he knew him -to be capable of executing even the worst of them. Watching vainly, too, -for a chance to turn the tables on the scamp, for Goulard was not to be -caught napping, Nick coldly inquired: - -"How did you accomplish it, Goulard? How did you escape from the East -River?" - -"I told you the devil serves his own at times," Goulard proceeded to -explain, though Nick had hardly expected him to do so. "I rose to the -surface, but not in view of your lynx eyes, Carter, nor those of your -assistants." - -"I already know that," said Nick. - -"The swirl of the stream sucked me down--down--down!" Goulard went on -fiercely. "I thought I would never rise. I thought of you, too, and even -with death staring me in the face I regretted only that I had not -lingered to kill you. I was carried down near the river wall. I was -beaten on rocks and battered against bowlders. It was awful! I thought I -would never rise--but I did! I came to the surface under a boatman’s -float thirty yards from the lime shed." - -"Ah, I see," said Nick, unruffled by the other’s bitterness. "That’s how -the devil served you, is it? You remained under the float till dark, I -take it." - -"Until after dark," corrected Goulard. "I clung to its timbers, cursing -you all the while, and I then contrived to climb the river wall and -steal away unseen. But you see me now, Carter, and soon shall feel the -sting of my revenge. I wanted you to know it--that I am alive and out -for vengeance. That alone impelled me to hold you up to-night." - -"Cease your threats," Nick commanded. "They have no weight with me. -Having held me up and locked me in this place, Goulard, what do you -intend doing?" - -"I will leave you here," Goulard replied, with an uglier scowl on his -white face. "I’ll not take the risk of a shot at this time. It’s too -long a chance. I will leave you here with my threats ringing in your -ears. You shall have time to think of them, to anticipate the end, to -dread the day when I will make good. You shall live in a house of fear -from this hour, Carter, in constant fear." - -"The future will determine that, Goulard, and whether you were really -lucky in not meeting your fate in the East River," Nick coolly answered. -"If you have no more to say and do, you cannot depart too quickly. Get -out, you rat, the sooner the better." - -Goulard laughed again and pushed his revolver farther through the grille -door. - -"I’d love to, Carter!" he cried, under his breath. "I’d love to press -the trigger and perforate your cursed skin with a bullet. But the risk -is too great. I might be heard, intercepted in my flight, and perhaps -railroaded to the chair. There will be a safer time and place. I will -wait for it, watch for it, and there then will be no hesitation. I will -kill you, Carter, for what you have done to me. As sure as God hears -me--I will kill you." - -"God may intervene and----” - -"Remember!" - -The fierce, malevolent face, pressed for a last moment to the grille -door, vanished instantly, and the vengeful knave was gone. - -Nick Carter heard his swiftly receding steps on the pavements. It was -the only sound that broke the night silence in that locality. It died -away so quickly, too, that it had seemed hardly perceptible. - -Nick seized the grille door and tried to open it--tried vainly. - -It withstood his utmost efforts. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -PARTNERS IN CRIME. - - -Nick Carter was not disturbed in the least degree by the threats of -Gaston Goulard. He had been threatened too frequently by crooks to pay -any attention to their sinister predictions. - -They had no weight with the detective, therefore, those of this whilom -merchant who had wrecked the big department store in which he had been a -partner, and who then had gone deeper into the criminal mire, mingling -with crooks and gangsters, resulting in a murder for which he now was -wanted by the police, whom he had eluded less than a month before in the -manner described. - -Aside from his surprise at beholding Goulard alive, the entire incident -would have had no great weight with Nick Carter, in fact, except for one -reason--the extraordinary episodes that immediately followed. - -These alone, with their far-reaching results and because they exhibited -from the first the remarkable discernment and versatility of the -celebrated detective, made this night a noteworthy one in the record of -his professional work. - -Finding that immediate escape from under the stone steps was impossible, -and that he could not at once pursue Goulard, Nick proceeded more -deliberately to seek means to liberate himself. He knew that he could -not have been overheard by any person in the house, having spoken only -in whispers, while hardly a sound had been made that would have been -audible ten feet away. - -"The rascal must have been watching me, as he said, and contrived to -intercept me in front of this house, probably having learned that this -grille door was open, also that it could be quickly and securely locked. -Securely locked, by Jove, is right!" - -Nick had taken out his electric searchlight and was inspecting the -grille door. He found that it had a strong Yale lock, to pick which was -out of the question. It looked, in fact, as if it would be utterly -impossible to open the door without a key. - -"By gracious, I don’t half like this," thought Nick, pausing to consider -the situation. "There is no getting out unaided by the way I entered. I -can bang on this other door, of course, and raise some one in the house, -who could come down and liberate me. That would necessitate a truthful -explanation, however, and the story might leak out. - -"It would be embarrassing, at least, to read in all of the newspapers -that the famous New York detective was caught and cornered in such a -hole as this by a midnight marauder. The sensational journals would -feature it with red letters, for fair, and make the most of it. I don’t -think I could stand for that. - -"Instead of raising any one, therefore, I’ll try to quietly open this -other door, which evidently leads into a basement hall. If I can enter -unheard, I then can steal up to the main hall and out through the front -door. None will then be the wiser, as far as I am concerned, and Goulard -will not be fool enough to expose me. He will foresee, of course, that I -shall keep my mouth closed. Let the crafty rascal alone to feel sure of -that." - -Having decided that to be the easiest way out of his dilemma, Nick -turned his attention to the door leading to the basement hall. He found -it had only an ordinary lock, and that the key had been removed. - -"Well, well, this will be soft walking," he said to himself. "I can open -it with a picklock in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. In a minute more, -that done, I can slip out of the house unheard." - -Fishing out a ring of keys on which he had the practical little -implement mentioned, Nick quietly inserted it into the lock, and a -moment later he noiselessly shot the bolt and opened the door. - -Then began the series of sensational episodes that made his work of that -night so noteworthy. - -Nick stepped into the basement hall, then quietly closed the door, -locking it with a key found hanging on a nail near the casing, and which -he discovered by means of his searchlight. - -He then paused and listened vainly for any sound from the floors above. -Obviously, no one in the house had yet been disturbed. - -"The way is open, all right, so here goes," he said to himself, after a -moment. - -A flash from his searchlight revealed the stairway leading to the main -hall. - -Nick tiptoed toward it and began the ascent. - -The top of the stairway ended near the middle of the main hall, and -under the rise of stairs leading up to the next floor. - -Nick arrived at the top stair, holding his breath, treading as if on -eggs, and feeling his way by means of the wall on one side and the -baluster rail on the other. - -Despite his exceeding care, however, the top stair creaked slightly -under his weight. - -The noise, though hardly perceptible under ordinary conditions, fell -audibly on the surrounding stillness. - -It was instantly followed by another, hardly more perceptible, but -sufficient to make the detective doubly alert. - -The sound came from a room across the hall, the door of which was open. - -Nick waited, lest the stair might creak again if he stirred. Bending -nearer the baluster rail, nevertheless, he could see through the open -door of the opposite room. - -It was the library of the handsomely furnished house. - -With the exception of one part of the room, all was invisible, shrouded -in inky darkness. - -The exception was a circle of light shed upon an open desk--faintly -revealing a figure crouching in front of it. - -It appeared to be that of a man engaged in robbing the desk, or quietly -forcing the interior drawers in search of something. - -Nick waited and watched. - -"By Jove, here’s a curious coincidence," he said to himself. "Have I -stolen in here just in time to catch a crook? Apparently, however, I’m -in his class. He may, on the other hand, be some one who lives in the -house and who has some motive for stealthily searching that desk. No, by -gracious, that’s not probable. He certainly is a crook." - -The figure crouching at the desk had turned slightly and gazed toward -the hall, as if under the impulse of sudden uneasiness, or that subtle -sense which at times impresses one of the presence of another. - -Nick then saw that the lower part of the man’s face was covered with a -black cloth--convincing him that he was a thief from outside, rather -than a resident of the house. - -He turned, after listening for a moment, and resumed his knavish work. - -Nick Carter’s first impulse was to arrest the thief then and there--but -he did not do so. - -Another and better move, in view of the greater possibilities it -presented, quickly occurred to him. - -"By Jove, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime," he said to -himself. "It’s odds that the rascal is not alone, that he has one -confederate, at least, who may be watching outside, probably in the rear -of the house. I can fool this scamp and gather in both of them, I think, -or even round up a bigger gang with which they may be identified. That -surely would discount taking in only this fellow. I’m blessed if I don’t -try it." - -Nick had recalled his sinister make-up, also that he had several changes -of disguise in his pocket. He deftly adjusted one over his already -hangdog type of countenance, then glided quickly under the rise of -stairs mentioned, crouching low against the baseboard in one corner. - -The top of the basement stairs creaked again when he left them, -precisely as he had anticipated. - -The effect, moreover, was exactly what he was expecting. - -The figure at the library desk started up as if electrified by the faint -sound. - -The circle of light from the flash lamp vanished instantly, leaving the -room and hall in impenetrable gloom. - -"He heard it," thought Nick, holding his breath. "He’s waiting and -listening. He fears that some one is here, but he is not sure." - -The waiting detective was right. He presently could hear the stealthy, -catlike tread of the crook approaching the near door. It ceased after a -moment, and Nick knew that the rascal then had reached the threshold and -again was listening intently. - -Nearly a minute passed, one minute of absolute silence and inky -darkness. - -Then a swift beam of light shot through the hall--but not under the -stairs. - -It was gone as quickly as it came, only to be repeated a moment later, -leaping swiftly the entire length of the broad hall. - -The crook saw no one, and he then stepped noiselessly toward the main -stairway, where he paused once more to listen. - -It was the move the detective had expected, and for which he was -waiting. Rising noiselessly, Nick quickly glided nearer, then suddenly -clasped the motionless black figure in his arms. - -A thrill of amazement went through him from head to foot. - -The form he had clasped, confining both arms and preventing the use of a -weapon--was that of a woman. - -Amazement, however, did not cause Nick Carter to lose his head. He held -fast to the supple, writhing figure of the unknown female, who wriggled -vainly to free herself and reach for her revolver, while the detective -quickly whispered, in tones well calculated to dispel her fears: - -"Whist! Keep quiet! I wa’n’t wise to your being a skirt. What’s your -game here?" - -Nick’s quietude also was assuring. The woman ceased struggling, but -turned sufficiently to gaze at his face, as well as it could be seen in -the faint light that came through the pebbled-glass panes of the front -door. - -Nick now could see the sharp glint of her eyes and the outline of her -brow and cheeks above the bandage of black cloth that covered her mouth -and chin. - -"What’s your own game?" she questioned quickly, under her breath. "What -sent you here?" - -"I’m on the lift and----” - -"You’re not a dick?" - -"Dick be hanged! I saw the iron door under the front steps was open, so -I picked the lock of the other to see what I could nail," Nick -explained. "I piped you in yonder at the desk when I crept up the -stairs. But I did not dream you was a skirt." - -"Let me go, will you?" - -"Sure--if you’ll keep your yap closed." - -"Trust me for that." - -"I’m not here to be nailed by a bull," Nick added. - -"You can gamble that I’m not," muttered the woman. "Say, step in there -with me. We ought to know each other better." - -"That hits me all right--but walk on your toes." - -Nick had released her, when requested, but the woman clung to him for a -second, as if fain to express her relief with a momentary display of -affection. Together they stole into the library, and she noiselessly -closed the door. - -"You’re not a dick, then," she remarked, in whispers. "Say, that’s some -load off my mind. I thought sure I was a goner." - -"Dick nothing!" Nick muttered derisively. "Have a peek. Do I look like a -dick?" - -He fished out his searchlight while speaking, throwing the beam upon -himself. He then removed the disguise he had put on a few moments -before, and displayed the sinister, make-up face beneath it. - -It was a ruse that would have deceived the most suspicious of mortals. -None would have supposed for a moment that he was there in double -disguise--this man who now was pretending to be no less a crook than the -woman herself. - -She laughed softly and clasped his arm with both hands. - -"Say, you’re all right, pal," she whispered. "Flash it on me. I’ll go as -far as you have gone, since you sure seem on the level. Have a look at -my mug." - -She drew down the black cloth from her face, on which Nick flashed the -beam of light, giving him still another surprise. - -"Great guns!" he mentally exclaimed. "Sadie Badger, the queen of the old -Badger gang." - -Nick knew both her and the gang, all of whom had figured in the recent -murder case against Gaston Goulard, and all of whom had been sentenced -to prison, with the exception of Goulard himself, who was supposed to -have been drowned, and this one woman against whom sufficient evidence -to connect her with the murder, or show complicity after the crime, -could not be found. She had been liberated, therefore, after the trial -and conviction of the rest of the notorious gang, and she had not since -been seen in her customary haunts. - -Nick Carter’s surprise was the greater for that reason, when he now -beheld her in the very act of robbing the house outside of which he had -so unexpectedly encountered Goulard. That they were not confederates in -this robbery was obvious to him, however, for he at once reasoned that -Goulard would not have put the woman in danger of arrest, if he had -known that she was in the house. - -Nick now saw, too, that Sadie Badger was clad in a tight-fitting black -jersey, under a loose dark coat, and that she wore knickerbocker -trousers, black stockings, and rubber-soled shoes, all combining to give -her the appearance of a youth under twenty, who might have walked the -streets at almost any hour of the day or night without a challenge from -the police. - -Nick was quick to appreciate all that this signified, and to take -advantage of the situation he had in part framed up, though his sinister -face reflected none of his true sentiments and designs. - -"You’re all right, kid, if looks count for anything," he said quietly. -"We meet by chance, a dead queer chance, but there might be something in -it for both. What’s your name?" - -"What’s yours?" questioned Sadie circumspectly. - -"Bosey Magee," Nick promptly informed her. - -"Bosey?" - -"That’s short for Ambrose," whispered Nick. "That’s my moniker. I hang -out in Boston most of the time, but I blew in here last night and went -broke in the stuss joints." - -"I get you, pal." - -"I held up a bloke an hour back and lifted a small wad. It was not -enough, when I saw that the front-basement door of this crib was easy to -get at. You can find out all about me from Jack Gleason, who runs the -Orient House in Richmond Street, where I hail from," Nick added. "He’ll -tell you Bosey Magee wouldn’t crab a game or squeal on a pal. That’s me, -kid." - -"And it listens good to me, all right," said Sadie, in approving -whispers. "I’ll meet you on even ground. My name is Sadie Badger, and -I’m out for the coin as you see me, or in any old way I can get it." - -"That’s the right sort, Sadie, and you’re in my class. But you’re not -cracking this crib alone, are you?" questioned Nick. - -"That’s what, Bosey." - -"Where are your pals?" - -"I’m leary of pals just now," said Sadie. "I was in with a good bunch -and in right, but an infernal dick got them a month back and sent them -up the river." - -"Tough luck," said Nick. - -"I ducked the same dose by the skin of my teeth," added Sadie. "I have -got no pals I would bank on now, unless----” - -"Unless what?" - -"I say, Bosey!" The woman’s low whispers took on a more sibilant -eagerness. "Since you’re here after plunder, and fate has chucked us -together, let’s run in double harness on this job. What d’ye say? Are -you game? Will you be my partner in crime?" - -Nick Carter did not hesitate for the hundredth part of a second. He saw -more to be gained than by arresting Sadie Badger then and there. He -grasped her extended hand, replying quickly: - -"Will a duck swim? I’d be a fool, Sadie, if I wouldn’t take a chance -with you. Partners in crime--that’s what?" - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE HOUSE OF FEAR. - - -"But what’s your game? What’s the big idea, Nick? What more do you -expect to gain than you would have derived from arresting Sadie Badger -and sending her up for a prison sentence?" - -Nick Carter was at breakfast with his two chief assistants, Chick Carter -and Patsy Garvan, on the morning following his encounter with Gaston -Goulard and the whilom queen of the notorious Badger gang. He had -related his experiences of the previous night, and informed them of his -extraordinary compact with Sadie Badger. - -"Much!" he tersely replied. "My bargain with her, Chick, was entirely -warrantable. In dealing with crooks, one must fight them with their own -weapons, craft, deception, and treachery, when necessary." - -"I admit that, Nick, of course." - -"What good to have arrested her alone, if more can be accomplished?" -Nick added. "It would have amounted to comparatively little. I would -merely have put one dangerous female crook out of the running. I felt my -way carefully, mind you, and I very soon found that she could not steal -much from the Buckley residence." - -"That of Gideon Buckley, the banker, you say?" - -"Yes. She had entered through a rear basement window. She is expert in -that game. She had learned from one of his clerks, whom she has artfully -insnared with her wiles, that the banker took home a quantity of bonds -and securities yesterday afternoon, and that he has no safe in his -residence. She reasoned that he would put them in his library desk for -the night, and she went there to get them." - -"But failed to find them?" - -"Failed completely," said Nick. "Buckley may have taken them to his -bedroom, or concealed them in some other part of the house. We could not -find them, at all events, and we got away with only a quantity of solid -silver from the dining-room table and sideboard. I would have protected -his bonds and securities, all right, providing that we had stolen them, -but I had other fish to fry in connection with doing so." - -Patsy Garvan fell to laughing, and not for the first time during Nick’s -recital. - -"Gee! this certainly beats me, chief," he declared. "You in criminal -partnership with Sadie Badger! That sure is going some. What came off -after you left the house?" - -"We got out by the way she had entered," Nick replied. "I then went with -her to the door of a house in Lexington Avenue, where, she told me, she -had occupied the ground-floor flat for nearly a month." - -"Alone?" - -"She said so, Patsy, and I take it for what I think it was worth," said -Nick. "I declined an invitation to enter, but I promised to call within -a day or two and plan another job with her. I will have learned more -about her and her recent doings by that time." - -"But what’s your game, Nick?" Chick repeated. "What do you expect to -gain by it?" - -"For one thing, Chick, I expect to get Gaston Goulard--before he can -contrive to get me," Nick replied, more seriously. "That rat meant what -he said last night. I could read it in his evil eyes and detect it in -his voice. He would have shot me in cold blood through that grille door, -if fear of detection and capture had not restrained him." - -"He certainly is capable of it, Nick, as far as that goes," Chick -readily allowed. "We want him badly enough for the murder of Batty Lang, -but I don’t see just how your bargain with Sadie Badger will enable you -to get him." - -"It will help," Nick said confidently. "Crooks flock together as -naturally as blackbirds. Both Goulard and Sadie Badger, despite that she -said last night that she now has no pal on whom she would bank, are in -touch with the worst elements of the New York underworld. Through her -and the subterfuge I have adopted, I intend to locate some of them, at -least, and discover the whereabouts of Gaston Goulard." - -"Ah, I see." - -"It is not easy for either of us to worm our way into the confidence of -a crook, particularly if he is an old-timer," Nick added. "We and our -tricks are too well known. They fight shy of us. This was too good an -opportunity to lose, therefore, and I resolved to take advantage of it." - -"That’s the stuff, chief," said Patsy. "It’s bound to cut ice of some -thickness." - -"I think so, Patsy, and that it will enable me to finally run down -Goulard," said Nick, rising to go to his business office. "I will call -on Sadie Badger either to-night or to-morrow, disguised as I was last -night, and find out just how the land lies. I can take her in at will, -you know, as far as that goes." - -"Like breaking sticks," said Patsy. "You’re in right, chief, to pull off -a big stunt of some kind. My money goes on that." - -Nick Carter dropped the matter temporarily. Only emergency cases ever -interfered with the regular routine of his business, and it was not in -his nature to figure blindly on what could be accomplished through the -relations he had established with Sadie Badger. - -Later in the morning, nevertheless, Nick sent Patsy Garvan to learn what -he could on the quiet concerning the woman during her residence in the -flat she then occupied. - -Nick lunched with a friend in the Waldorf that day. He departed alone -about half past one, and had just turned the corner of Fifth Avenue when -an approaching limousine swerved to the curbing and its occupant called -him by name. - -"Get in Nick, please, and go with me," he added, opening the door when -the detective approached. "Don’t say you’re too busy. You’re the one man -I most wanted to see." - -Nick stepped into the costly car before the last was said. - -"Home, Greeley. Let her go lively." - -These directions were to his chauffeur, and the speaker was Frank -Mantell, son of the senior partner of the late firm of Mantell & -Goulard, whose big department store had been wrecked months before by -the robberies of Goulard himself. - -Nick at once recalled his encounter with him the previous night, and he -instinctively felt that the matter on Mantell’s mind, for he obviously -was carrying a heavy burden, might indirectly relate to it. It was for -that reason that he immediately complied with the young man’s request. - -"What’s the trouble, Frank?" he inquired, as the limousine sped up the -avenue. "You look a bit white and drawn." - -"Drawn through a knothole, Nick, is about how I feel," Mantell replied, -placing his hand on that of the detective. - -"Are you ill?" - -"No. Only worried." - -"About what?" - -"My wife." - -"Your wife?" Nick echoed inquiringly. "You don’t mean----” - -"No, no; there’s nothing wrong on her part, Nick," put in Mantell -quickly. "She is all that a man could wish. But we’re living in a house -of fear, Nick, a house of fear. The dread that hangs over us is -something appalling. I have had in mind to appeal to you for more than a -week, but I know you to be so busy that----” - -"One moment," Nick interposed, noting the exceeding nervousness with -which his companion was speaking. "What is the cause of your terrible -fear? What is it that you dread? Is your wife threatened in any way, -or----” - -"That’s it!" Mantell cut in quickly. "That hits the nail on the head. -She is threatened in a way that is breaking her down mentally and -bodily; both of us, in fact. Our lives are becoming a ceaseless shudder, -a nightmare from which----” - -"Stop right there, Frank," Nick commanded, with some austerity. "I’ll -listen to no more talk of that kind. Come to the point at once and -state the bare facts, or I’ll order your chauffeur to drop me on the -next corner." - -"You’re right, Nick," Mantell quickly admitted. "I think I have -hypnotized myself with horrible dread. I cannot govern my own mind, -or----” - -"There you go again," Nick interrupted. "Now, Mantell, unless----” - -"Wait! I’ll tell you." - -"Do so, then." - -"It began three weeks ago, Nick, with a placard pinned on the side door -of our residence," Mantell said, more calmly. "It was a rudely scrawled -threat on a scrap of brown paper. It bore no signature and contained -only these words: Your money or your wife!" - -"Wife, eh?" queried Nick. "Are you sure you did not misread it? Was not -the word life, instead of wife?" - -"No, indeed, as since has appeared," Mantell said quickly. "Naturally, -of course, that first threatening placard did not alarm us. I thought it -might be a joke, a very bad one, of course, or the work of some foolish -or malicious persons bent only upon annoying us. Two days later, -however, a second was tacked on the trunk of a tree directly opposite -the windows of my wife’s sleeping room." - -"A similar treat?" - -"Yes. It read: ‘You’ve got my money. I’m going to get your wife.’" - -"H’m, I see!" Nick remarked. "Was it on paper like the other?" - -"Yes. It was a piece of ordinary manila paper, such as one might obtain -in a grocery store." - -"Inscribed with a lead pencil?" - -"Yes. The letters were rudely printed, however, not written." - -"That was done to avoid exposing his handwriting." - -"I inferred so," said Mantell. "That second placard made us somewhat -apprehensive. I feared that my wife was to be persecuted by some unknown -scoundrel whose enmity one of us has incurred, or who is himself a -lunatic. I know of no one whose money I have got, however, or who is -justified in any antipathy for me, or my wife. Helen began to grow -nervous and----” - -"One moment," Nick interrupted. "I can appreciate your apprehensions and -the nervousness and fear of your wife. What steps did you take in the -matter?" - -"None at that time, Nick, except to caution Helen to be on her guard, -and not to venture out alone after dark," Mantell replied. "I hoped the -matter would end there, with no repetition of the outrage." - -"Well, what followed?" - -"Nothing more for about three days," Mantell continued. "Helen ventured, -just after dusk that evening, to go to our rear gate with a friend who -was leaving for home, that being the nearest way. They parted at the -gate, and Helen started to return to the house. As she was passing the -garage, a man darted from behind it and pursued her. She uttered a -scream and ran at the top of her speed toward the house." - -"Did he overtake her?" - -"No. Luckily, Nick, I entered the driveway gate with my touring car at -that moment, and in the glare of the lamps I saw the couple. The man -immediately turned and fled. He disappeared in the darkness of the back -street, but I heard him shout that he would get her later, in spite of -me. Helen had fainted dead away on the side veranda, and I ran to her -assistance, of course, making no attempt to pursue the miscreant." - -"He appears to really mean business," Nick observed. "Did your wife -recognize him?" - -"No. She had only a glimpse at his face. She is sure that he wore a -beard, however, and was a dark man, of medium build. She was too -frightened to note anything more." - -"The beard may have been a disguise." - -"Quite likely." - -"What steps did you then take to protect her?" - -"I employed two private watchmen to stealthily keep an eye on my estate, -hoping to discover and arrest the miscreant. On the very next day, Nick, -a threatening letter came in the mail, addressed to my wife. It was on -cheap, plain paper, and printed with a lead pencil, as were the placards -mentioned." - -"Obviously, then, from the same person," said Nick. "What did the letter -contain?" - -"I have it in my pocket." - -"Ah. Let me see it." - -Mantell hastened to comply, and Nick read the following, rudely printed -on a single sheet of paper: - - "Those two watchmen will not protect you. I’m going to get you, in - spite of them, in spite of your husband, in spite of all the forces - with which you can oppose me. I want you--and I’m going to get - you." - -Nick Carter’s brows knit a little closer while he read this cowardly, -threatening communication. Instead of returning it to his companion, he -replaced the sheet in the typewritten envelope and slipped it into his -pocket. - -"I’ll keep it for the present, Mantell," he said simply. "Tell me, now, -what more has occurred and what you have done about it." - -"A few evenings later, Nick, or about a week ago, when Helen was partly -disrobed for bed, she thought she heard a stealthy step outside of one -of her windows. She stole into the next room and looked out." - -"And discovered?" - -"A man crouching on the veranda floor. He saw the lace draperies move -when Helen parted them, and then heard the scream she tried in vain to -suppress. He turned like a flash and leaped to the ground, then vanished -in the gloom under the near trees. We found my wife in a faint on the -floor. She was not mistaken, Nick, for the tracks of the miscreant were -on the roof and in the driveway." - -"Were the two watchmen then in your employ?" - -"Yes." - -"They did not see the intruder?" - -"No. The cowardly cur is as elusive as a shadow. Helen is becoming a -nervous wreck, while I----” - -"I will talk with her." Nick interposed. "I also will look into the -matter. I suppose, Mantell, that you have no suspicion as to the -identity of the rascal." - -"Not the slightest, Nick." - -"Your wife is a very beautiful woman," added the detective. "There was -one man who aspired to her love, as I remember, and who had a very deep -hatred for you and your father after the wrecking of your big department -store and----” - -"You mean Gaston Goulard, of course," Mantell cut in. - -"Yes." - -"But he is dead. If he were alive--well, he is the miscreant whom I at -once would suspect. But the East River does not give up its dead. We -know that Goulard was drowned." - -Nick did not say what he knew about him, nor of what his suspicions -consisted. He saw that they already were entering the spacious grounds -in which Mantell’s residence was situated, overlooking the Riverside -Drive and the broad, glistening waters of the Hudson. - -"I suppose your father is downtown at this hour," he remarked, as the -car sped up the driveway. - -"Yes. I dropped him at the surrogate court half an hour ago. Some of our -business affairs are still unsettled. My wife and mother are here, -however, though the latter is an invalid and confined to her room. To -the side door, Greeley." - -The chauffeur bowed, and the limousine presently came to a stop under -the massive porte-cochère protecting a side entrance to the imposing -residence. - -Perkins, the butler, appeared almost immediately at the door. - -"Come in, Nick," Mantell said cordially, while they mounted the broad, -marble steps. "We may find Helen in the library, or----” - -"Beg pardon, sir," said Perkins respectfully. "Mrs. Mantell has gone -out." - -Mantell turned quickly. - -"Gone out!" he echoed. "Gone out with whom?" - -"With your father, sir." - -"With my father--nonsense!" - -"But, sir, I am very sure of it." - -"Impossible! When did she leave? How long ago?" - -Perkins glanced at a tall old clock in the hall. - -"Precisely half an hour, sir," said he. "I noticed the time." - -Mantell turned as pale as if suddenly death-stricken. - -"Half an hour!" he gasped, with affrighted gaze meeting that of the -detective. "That is impossible, utterly impossible. Half an hour ago, -Nick, I was with my father in the surrogate court." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE CONNECTING LINK. - - -Nick Carter already had come to two conclusions: - -One, that the miscreant by whom Helen Mantell had been repeatedly -threatened was none other than Gaston Goulard. - -Another, that Gaston Goulard now had got in his iniquitous work. - -Nick saw, too, that Frank Mantell was in a fair way to collapse under -the alarming discovery, and he at once took steps to encourage him. - -"You keep your head, Frank, and don’t let blind fear unman you," he -commanded a bit sharply. "There is nothing in getting rattled. I know a -good deal more about this matter than you suppose, and there is much -less to fear concerning the personal safety of your wife than you -imagine. Pull yourself together, therefore, and meet the situation man -fashion. Let me take the ribbons, while you do as I have directed. I’ll -speedily sift this to the bottom." - -All this, together with the detective’s strong personal influence, was -not without effect. Mantell braced himself to meet the worst, saying -quickly: - -"You are right, Carter, perfectly right. I must keep a grip on myself, -or I shall go completely off my perch. What do you mean by saying that -you know more about this matter than I suppose?" - -"I will presently tell you," said Nick. "Let’s get down to bare facts, -for a starter, and I then will decide what must be done." - -"But what do you make of it? How could my father----” - -"Obviously, Frank, your father could not be in two places at once," Nick -interrupted. "If you were with him in the surrogate court precisely half -an hour ago, it could not have been he who called here for your wife." - -"That goes without saying, Nick. But----” - -"Wait! Let me learn the exact circumstances," Nick again interposed. -"Come into the library. This way, Perkins." - -He led the way while speaking, forcing Mantell to a chair and adding -encouragingly: - -"You keep quiet, now, while I question the butler. I’ll very soon pick -up the trail and get after the rascal." - -"Go ahead, Nick," bowed Mantell, pressing his hand. "Thank God that I -brought you out here." - -"Now, Perkins, tell me what occurred," said Nick, turning to the tall, -very much astonished butler. "You were very sure, you said, that the man -who came here is the elder Mr. Mantell." - -"Why, yes, I have no doubt of it, none whatever, sir," replied Perkins. -"How could I be mistaken? I have served Mr. Mantell for five years, sir, -and----” - -"And know him perfectly well by sight," Nick cut in dryly. "That shows -the exceeding skill and cleverness of the man who deceived you. He came -in a conveyance of some kind, I infer." - -"Yes, sir. He came in a taxicab." - -"Tell me just what he said and did." - -"He said very little, sir," Perkins proceeded to explain. "I saw the -taxicab coming up the driveway, sir, and that Mr. Mantell was seated in -it. He had directed the chauffeur to the side door, sir, and I hastened -to open it, thinking Mr. Mantell would come into the house." - -"He did not do so?" questioned Nick. - -"No, sir. He spoke from the taxicab, sir, and told me to send Celeste, -who is Mrs. Mantell’s maid, to ask her mistress to put on her street -garments to go with him to the court, where her signature was wanted on -some papers relating to the business on which Mr. Mantell had left home -this morning. I heard them discussing it while at breakfast, sir." - -"What more did he say, Perkins?" - -"He told me to have Celeste ask Mrs. Mantell to hasten, as young Mr. -Mantell was to join them in court, and that they must not keep the judge -waiting. That was all, sir." - -"You gave Celeste those instructions." - -"I did, sir, and Celeste took them to her mistress." - -"What followed?" - -"Mrs. Mantell hurried downstairs in about five minutes, sir," said -Perkins. "She was putting on her veil, and I opened the door for her to -pass out." - -"Did you open the taxicab door for her?" - -"No, sir. The chauffeur had opened it and returned to his seat." - -"On which side of the interior seat was Mr. Mantell sitting, or the man -you supposed was he?" Nick inquired. - -"Near the open door, sir," said Perkins. "I heard him tell Mrs. Mantell -that he would close it, and she passed him and took the other end of the -seat. Mr. Mantell then closed the door, sir, and the chauffeur drove -away." - -"Rapidly, I infer." - -"Yes, sir." - -"You saw nothing more that occurred in the taxicab?" - -"I did not, sir." - -"Did Mrs. Mantell hesitate, or appear to shrink from entering it?" - -"She did not, sir. She hurried to get in," said Perkins. "I noticed that -in particular, sir." - -"And that shows plainly enough, Mantell, that your wife was completely -deceived, that she had no doubt that the man in the taxicab was your -father, nor looked at him sharply enough before entering to detect the -exceedingly clever impersonation that already had deceived the butler," -said Nick. "What soon afterward occurred in the taxicab can only be -conjectured. Send Celeste here, Perkins. I will hear what she can tell -us." - -The butler hastened to obey, and a slender, dark-eyed girl presently -entered the library, whom Nick immediately began to question. - -Celeste could tell him, however, only that she had given the butler’s -message to her mistress, that Mrs. Mantell had remarked that she must -hasten, since her father-in-law had not entered the house, and that she -immediately put on her hat and jacket, then hurried down to join him. - -Nick saw plainly that the girl was telling the truth. He dismissed her -after a few inquiries and directed her to close the door. - -Frank Mantell had not interrupted him from the beginning. With jaws hard -set, with every vestige of color gone from his cheeks, he had mutely -listened to the hurried questions of the detective, all the while vainly -searching Nick’s face for an expression from which he might derive a ray -of hope. - -The black cloud of fear that had been hanging above this house had -launched its thunderbolt, and the dreaded missile had found its mark. - -"Well?" - -Mantell’s terse inquiry, hoarse with anxiety and suspense, brought Nick -Carter out of his momentary abstraction. He looked up quickly and said: - -"There’s nothing to this, Mantell, in so far as the crime, the motive, -and the identity of the criminal are concerned." - -"You don’t mean," Mantell cried, "that you know who has committed this -outrage?" - -"I certainly do." - -"Tell me." - -"Gaston Goulard." - -Mantell stared, dumfounded for a moment. - -"What do you say, Carter?" he demanded. "Are you mad? Goulard is -dead----” - -"No, he isn’t," Nick interrupted. "He is very much alive. I saw him last -night under circumstances that were entirely convincing." - -"You saw Gaston Goulard?" Mantell appeared unable to believe his own -ears. "You saw him alive and----” - -"And very much in evidence," Nick cut in dryly. "Listen. I’ll tell you -about it." - -"Good heavens! it seems utterly incredible," Mantell said more calmly, -after Nick had described the encounter of the previous night, but not -what had followed it. "That scoundrel escaped drowning, then, and now is -out to persecute me again and----” - -"That is not his chief motive," said Nick. "Take it from me, Mantell, he -is out after money, I know he was on the rocks financially a month ago, -when he pulled off the job that cost Connie Taggart his life, and so -nearly sent him to the bottom of the East River." - -"You suspect, then----” - -"That he still is down and out, and that he has taken this method to -force you into paying a big ransom for your wife’s safe return. Note -that I say safe return," Nick added. "Under no other condition could he -reasonably hope to coerce you. That is why I assert, Mantell, that your -wife is in no immediate personal peril." - -"Do you really think so?" - -"I feel absolutely sure of it," said Nick. "Many facts confirm my -opinion of this case. Goulard is a cur who finds delight in threatening -those upon whom he has designs. That appeared in the previous case, in -the nerve and audacity with which he held me up, and in what has -occurred here during the past month. Aside from getting back at me, -however, whom he really would like to kill, Goulard is out only for -money. You can bank safely on that, Mantell, and that your wife will not -be harmed as long as the rascal sees any prospect of bleeding you out of -a large sum." - -"I hope you are right," Mantell declared, with a look of relief. "I will -pay----” - -"Nothing!" Nick cut in quickly. "You will leave this matter entirely to -me. I’m going to get that rascal and rescue your wife, Mantell, within -forty-eight hours." - -"Do you really mean it?" Mantell’s face lighted wondrously. - -"Wait and see." - -"But----” - -"There is no alternative," Nick forcibly insisted. "You must keep -perfectly quiet and leave me to do the work." - -"I could not do better, Carter, of course." - -"Goulard is the only man who thus could have impersonated your father," -Nick added. "He is about the same build and is thoroughly familiar with -his voice, bearing, and habits." - -"That’s true. They were in business together for years." - -"Your father, moreover, with his gray hair, his beard, and his -gold-bowed spectacles, presents a type easily impersonated. Goulard knew -this, and has contrived to pick up other points bearing upon the -business engagements of you and your father this morning, enabling him -to turn this scurvy trick. That’s all there is to it--except to track -the rascal and round him up with his confederates." - -"Does that look easy to you?" Mantell inquired, with the ghost of a -smile on his pale face. - -"That’s neither here nor there," Nick replied. "I never view a task from -that standpoint. I go at it for all I am worth, and the greater the -difficulties, the more credit in overcoming them." - -"That’s true, too," Mantell quickly admitted. - -"But I shall not accomplish it by sitting here and discussing the -matter," Nick added, with some dryness. "I must get a move on and begin -to get in my work." - -"What are your plans?" questioned Mantell anxiously. - -"Don’t ask me. I haven’t laid any." - -"But let me help you, Nick. Is there nothing I can do?" - -"Yes, one thing," said the detective, rising abruptly. "Take me downtown -in your limousine and drop me about a block from my residence." - -"Why not at your door?" - -"Because my house may be under espionage," said Nick, a bit grimly. -"There is no telling what steps Goulard may take to prevent the -miscarriage of his designs. He is a crafty, as well as a daring dog. Do -merely what I have requested, Mantell. Leave me to do the rest." - -It was after two o’clock when Nick entered his residence, at once -proceeding to his library, where he found Chick awaiting him, and whom -he quickly informed of all that had transpired. - -"But hasn’t Patsy returned?" he then inquired. - -"Not yet," said Chick. - -"And you haven’t heard of him?" - -"Not a word." - -"By Jove, that’s strange, deucedly strange," Nick said, more seriously. -"It ought not to have taken him till now, nor anything like it, to pick -up the information I wanted. Something unexpected must have happened." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -PATSY GARVAN’S PROBLEM. - - -There were very good reasons why Patsy Garvan had not returned to report -the result of his inquiries concerning Sadie Badger and her doings in -the flat she had been occupying since the round-up of the Badger gang -and the supposed drowning of Gaston Goulard. - -Arriving in the locality soon after one o’clock, Patsy readily located -the house at the door of which Nick had left his partner in crime close -upon four o’clock that morning, and he at once began a brief inspection -of it from the opposite side of the street. - -It was the third house in a long brick block in a fairly desirable -locality. All three of its flats evidently were occupied. The roller -shades at the two windows of that on the ground floor were closely -drawn, however, and there was no sign of life from within. - -"She probably is making up lost sleep, if there," thought Patsy, after -sauntering by the house and noticing its negative aspect. "There don’t -seem to be much doing for me, unless I can get next to some one who has -become acquainted with her, or had enough interest in her to watch her. -It won’t do to risk asking questions of the other tenants, as they might -put her wise. Sadie Badger wouldn’t be slow to suspect that she might -have slipped a cog. Let her alone for that. Gee! I’ll take a chance with -this fellow." - -Patsy had arrived at the open door of a provision store on a corner not -more than fifty yards from the opposite house. There was a display of -vegetables in boxes outside. Seated on a barrel just within the door was -a young man in a butcher’s frock, whose round, ruddy face favorably -impressed the detective. He was alone in the store, evidently a clerk, -and he then was absorbed in a noon edition of a sensational newspaper. - -As he stepped into the store, Patsy saw the headlines of the article the -clerk was reading, and he paused near him and said agreeably: - -"Reading about the robbery?" - -It was that in which Nick Carter had taken part the previous night, and -Patsy already had seen the article. - -"Yes, I was," replied the clerk, looking up. "Have you read about it?" - -"Sure." - -"Kind of a curious job, wasn’t it? The crook didn’t get away with much." - -"There may have been a reason." - -"Most likely." - -"I happen to know there was," added Patsy, smiling. - -"You do?" questioned the clerk, with a look of surprise. "How does that -happen?" - -"You’ll not give me away?" - -"Not on your life, as sure as my name is Frank Steel." - -"You look frank, all right, and your last name certainly rings true," -laughed Patsy, displaying the badge under the lap of his vest. "That’s -how I know. I’m in the business." - -"A detective?" Steel asked, with increasing interest. - -"That’s what," nodded Patsy. "I’m in the employ of the king-pin of all -detectives." - -"Not Nick Carter?" - -"That calls the turn, Frank." - -"Gracious!" Steel exclaimed, extending his hand. "I’m glad to know you. -I wish I had your job." - -"Ah, it’s not a soft one," said Patsy significantly. - -"I guess that’s right," laughed the other. "I have always wanted to meet -Nick Carter. I never happened to see him." - -"I’ll take you round to the office some day and introduce you," said -Patsy, bent upon winning his hearer’s confidence. - -"On the level?" - -"Surest thing you know." - -"By gracious, I’d like that." - -"And I infer that you would be glad to do Nick Carter a service, if -possible, wouldn’t you?" - -"You bet I would," Steel declared, with immediate enthusiasm. "I’d be -more than glad. You show me the way. I’ll do the rest, Mr.----” - -"My name is Garvan." - -"I have heard of you, too. You must be Patsy Garvan." - -"Right you are," laughed Patsy. - -"Shake again. I am mighty glad to know you." - -Patsy laughed agreeably, and he now felt sure he could safely trust the -other. He glanced toward the rear of the store to be sure they were -alone. - -An open door near the office led into a side street. Near the door stood -a motor cycle, with a pair of leather gloves and gaiters lying on the -seat, while a leather jacket hung on a peg in the near wall. - -"Do you own that machine?" inquired Patsy. - -"Yes, sure," Steel nodded. "I use it sometimes to deliver hurry-up -orders. It comes in handy." - -"No doubt," Patsy allowed. "In regard to doing Nick Carter a service, -Frank, there is something you can do for me." - -"Good enough! You have only to name it, Mr. Garvan." - -"This is strictly confidential, mind you." - -"That goes without saying." - -"And you must not afterward betray any interest in the house and person -I shall mention." - -"Trust me, Garvan. I’ll be as dumb as an oyster." - -"That’s dumb enough," said Patsy approvingly. "Do you know who occupies -the first flat in that third house opposite, the one with the curtains -drawn down?" - -"Yes," Steel quickly nodded. "She trades here in a small way. Her name -is Bolton." - -"Bolton, eh? That comes pretty near being Badger," thought Patsy; then, -aloud: "Do you know anything about her?" - -"Only that she appears a bit fly and flashy. I don’t think much is known -about her round here. She has been living there only a month." - -"Have you seen her coming and going?" - -"Yes, often." - -"Alone, or with others?" questioned Patsy. - -"Nearly always alone," Steel informed him. "But I have seen two persons -going there to see her. I’m not dead sure that one of them does not live -there, or remain there overnight. He may be a relative." - -"Describe him." - -"He’s a young, smooth-faced chap about eighteen years old. He always -wears knickerbockers and a golf cap. I don’t see him very often, but I -know he is there occasionally." - -"I understand," nodded Patsy. - -So he did, indeed. He had not the slightest doubt that the person -described was Sadie Badger herself, masquerading in the same attire in -which Nick had encountered her, and presumably with knavery of some kind -in view. That she was thus living a double life, committing her crimes -in the disguise of an innocent-looking young man, Patsy was equally -confident. - -"I don’t know the young fellow’s name," Steel added, after a moment. -"I’ve not seen him for several days." - -"Who is the other person you have seen going there?" - -"An elderly man, Mr. Garvan." - -"Describe him." - -"Well, I should say he’s about forty, or a little older, perhaps," said -the clerk. "He’s a man of medium build, quite dark complexion, and he -wears a brown, pointed beard. He nearly always shows up about dusk, and -I’ve seen him leaving late in the evening. That’s all I know about him." - -Patsy’s face had taken on a more serious expression. - -"Gee whiz! that description tallies perfectly with the make-up of Gaston -Goulard, worn when he held up the chief last night," he was saying to -himself. "Can it be that he has become friendly with Sadie Badger since -that job a month ago? In that case, by Jove, they may have been in -league in that robbery last night, for all the chief did not think so. -It’s mighty strange, if not, that Goulard showed up at just that time -and forced the chief under the steps of the very crib this woman was -cracking." - -The coincidence was so remarkable, in fact, if such it really was, that -Patsy began to fear that Nick’s subterfuge might in some way miscarry. -He turned to the clerk and asked more earnestly: - -"Have you recently seen this man going there?" - -"Well, no, not very recently," Steel replied. - -"Can you recall the last time?" - -"About a week ago, I think." - -"Does he always call alone?" - -"I never have seen him with any one." - -"Have you ever seen other persons going there?" questioned Patsy. - -"No, never," Steel said earnestly. "She don’t appear to have any female -visitors. Nor any other men, in fact, than the two I have mentioned. If -she does, they must call after dark, or when I am out, or--oh, by -gracious, that’s odd. A taxicab is stopping there. That old chap may be -calling to see her." - -The taxicab had passed the store while Steel was speaking, and it then -had swerved quickly to the curbing in front of Sadie Badger’s flat. - -Patsy also had noticed it, and had caught sight of its two passengers. - -One was a woman. She was reclining on the cushions in the corner nearest -the store. Only her shoulder and part of her head were visible to Patsy -through the taxicab window, but he could see that she was closely -veiled, while her attitude and the position of her head in the angle -formed by the cushioned corner denoted that she was dozing, if not sound -asleep. - -What most astonished Patsy Garvan was the woman’s companion, however, -whom he saw quite distinctly when the taxicab passed the store. - -"Great guns!" he mentally exclaimed, though his face did not betray his -amazement. "That’s Goulard’s former partner, Mr. Henry Mantell, as sure -as I’ve got eyes in my head. What’s the meaning of this? What business -can he have with such a woman as Sadie Badger? He certainly is stopping -there to see her." - -Patsy had no doubt of his identity, did not for a moment distrust his -slightly bowed figure, his gray hair and beard, his gold-bowed -spectacles and distinguished, aristocratic aspect and attire, observed -when the man alighted from the taxicab and hurried into the house, upon -finding the door of the lower hall was unlocked. - -"Gee whiz! this beats me to a standstill," thought Patsy, with -increasing perplexity. "I’ll be hanged if I can fathom it." - -"What are you thinking about?" Steel asked curiously. "Is there -something wrong?" - -"I’m not sure," replied Patsy. "You keep out of sight, please, and let -me do the watching. I’ll make it right with you later." - -"It’s all right, now, Garvan," said the clerk, moving quickly to the -rear of the store. - -Patsy continued to gaze stealthily from the store window. - -Several minutes passed and brought no change in the situation. - -The curtains at the windows of the ground-floor flat had not been -raised. Nothing denoted that the visitor had been admitted. - -The veiled woman in the corner of the taxicab had not stirred. - -The chauffeur remained as motionless on his seat as a figure of bronze. - -Patsy, more deeply puzzled, fell to watching the woman, or the small -part of her figure which he could see through the taxicab window. She -continued motionless, as absolutely motionless as if the hand of death -had been laid upon her. The veil that covered her mouth and nostrils, -even, did not indicate by the slightest movement that she was breathing. - -"Great guns!" thought Patsy, quite nonplused. "She must be in a trance, -or sleeping like a log. I’ll be hanged if I don’t have a closer look at -her." - -Turning to Steel, in the rear of the store, he cried quietly: - -"I’ll be back here in a couple of minutes." - -Steel merely nodded in reply. - -Patsy left the store and sauntered across the avenue, then walked more -briskly toward the waiting taxicab, apparently having no interest in it, -and whistling a popular song while he passed. - -He took a furtive look at the chauffeur, nevertheless, who was a -muscular, red-featured man of about thirty, and who appeared too stiff -and staid to bestow even a glance at him. - -Through the closed door of the taxicab, Patsy then shot a sharper look -at the motionless woman. It did not prove more profitable than his more -distant scrutiny. He could not see the face beneath the veil. He saw -only that she was well dressed and appeared to be young, but he could -not detect the slightest movement of her lax, apparently slumbering -figure. - -"By Jove, I’m going deeper into this," he muttered, walking on more -rapidly. "There must be something doing that the chief doesn’t even -dream of, or Goulard’s former partner would not be spending all this -time with Sadie Badger. It’s a hundred to one that he’s not here to see -any one else. I’ll sink a pipe till I strike clear water, by gracious, -if I sink it through to China." - -Crossing the avenue at some distance back of the taxicab, Patsy did not -venture returning to the provision store in view of the chauffeur, but -turned a near corner and then ran at top speed around the block, -bringing him into the side street mentioned and to the door near the -rear of the store. - -He had been absent so short a time that the clerk stared with surprise -when he entered. - -"How in thunder did you reach this door so quickly, Garvan?" he asked. -"I saw you across the avenue and heading uptown only a couple of minutes -ago." - -"I chased myself around the block," replied Patsy, smiling a bit grimly. - -"Do you suspect something wrong?" - -"So strongly, Steel, that I want you to do me another favor. Yes, by -Jove, I’m dead sure of it, now." - -Patsy had stepped toward the front of the store and glanced again at the -suspected flat. He could see two persons looking out through the parted -lace draperies. - -One was Sadie Badger, clad in a loose dressing gown, with her hair in -disorder, as if she had hurriedly arisen from bed. - -The other was the man who had entered less than ten minutes before. He -was pointing toward the motionless woman in the taxicab, and Sadie -Badger was laughing and nodding significantly. - -All this convinced Patsy that there was something wrong, indeed; but -what it was, being ignorant of what Frank Mantell was informing Nick at -the very moment, he could not then conjecture. - -"What favor, Garvan?" asked the clerk, when Patsy quickly returned to -the rear of the store. - -"Lend me your motor cycle." - -"For what?" - -"To follow that taxi," said Patsy. "I’m dead sure there is something -doing. I cannot imagine what, but I’m determined to find out. You saw -the old gentleman who entered that house. I know him quite well. He’s a -very wealthy man, and it looks to me like a cinch that he’s in wrong in -some way." - -"That settles it," Steel quickly declared. "Go ahead, Garvan, and take -the wheel. You’re welcome to it." - -"May I borrow this leather jacket and the gaiters, also?" - -"Certainly. I have a leather cap in the office. Do you want that?" - -"Sure thing," nodded Patsy. "I’ll get after these people in disguise. -Your garments will help to perfect it, and I’ll leave mine here till I -return with the wheel." - -"Good enough. I’ll look after them." - -It took Patsy only a few moments to make the change of garments, and he -then found that he had no time to spare. He heard the bang of the -taxicab door, and saw that the supposed old gentleman had returned to -his seat. - -The veiled woman had not stirred. - -The taxicab sped up the avenue. - -Patsy Garvan, in leather cap, jacket, and gaiters, and with his features -quickly and deftly disguised, pushed the motor cycle out through the -side door. - -"So long, Steel!" he said warmly. "I’ll make this right with you later. -You can gamble on that." - -"You’re welcome, Garvan, and good luck to you," was the hearty reply. - -In another moment Patsy was rounding the corner and starting in hot -pursuit of the distant taxicab. As he passed the house he shot one swift -glance at the window of Sadie Badger’s flat. - -The roller shade had been drawn down. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -TWO MEN WITH A WAGON. - - -Patsy Garvan was puzzled--more puzzled than at any time since he first -saw the taxicab and its occupants, whom he had pursued undetected to a -somewhat unsettled section of the Bronx. - -Rounding a bend in a woodland road that was out of sight from any -habitation, Patsy suddenly discovered that the taxicab, which had been -briefly lost to view in the belt of woods, had stopped near one side of -the road, some fifty yards in advance of him. There appeared to be no -trouble with the motor, however, for the chauffeur had not alighted, nor -either of the other occupants of the car. - -"Gee! it certainly beats me," Patsy muttered, having hastily dismounted -and found shelter back of some shrubbery on one side of the road. "What -sent them out here, and why have they stopped? There seems to be nothing -wrong with the car. I’ll be hanged if I can make head or tail to it." - -Patsy waited and watched for nearly ten minutes. He could see only the -back of the taxicab, of course, and could form no idea of what its -occupants were doing. Curiosity and increasing suspicion, however, -impelled him to make another move. - -"I’m going to find out, by thunder, if it takes a leg," he said to -himself. "I’ll hide the motor cycle and make a detour through the woods -till I can get a look at them. They must be up to some kind of a game, -or they would not remain there. I’ll have one look, at least, and ease -my mind." - -Patsy made his preparations with some little difficulty. The ground at -the side of the road was wet and soggy, and only with repeated efforts -could he force the heavy motor cycle over the damp earth and through the -shrubbery, finally concealing it in a thicket some ten feet from the -road. - -Quickly picking his way through the belt of woods, Patsy then sought a -point from which he could see the side windows of the motionless -taxicab. He scarce had gained this vantage point, however, when another -vehicle met his gaze. - -It was approaching through a narrower road making off to the east, -within a dozen yards of which the taxicab was waiting. - -It was a covered wagon of medium size and much the worse for time and -hard usage. Its leather top was faded and patched in places. It was -drawn by an old gray horse, urged on by one of two roughly clad men on -the seat, both of most sinister and suspicious aspect. - -Patsy did not imagine at first that any relations existed between two -such hangdog-looking fellows and the supposed refined and wealthy old -gentleman in the taxicab. He felt a thrill of surprise, therefore, when -the latter sprang down to the road and waved his hand to them, at the -same time shouting to the driver: - -"Turn in this direction, Mullen, and pull up alongside. Leave me room to -pass you and drive on." - -Patsy heard him distinctly, though some distance away. He stopped short, -crouching back of some bushes, and continued to watch the scene. - -"By Jove, it’s a rendezvous," he said to himself. "That’s why the -taxicab has been waiting here. But what business has old Mr. Mantell -with these fellows? Is he playing some underhanded game, as well as -Goulard?" - -Patsy had not long to wait to learn of what their immediate designs -consisted. - -Mullen, so called, turned the wagon from the driveway and came to a stop -at one side of the motionless taxicab, directly between it and the -watching detective. - -Then followed a brief conference in the woodland road, unheard by Patsy, -who did not think it wise to venture nearer. - -Mullen’s hangdog companion then ran up the road as far as the bend, -where he turned and waved his hand, plainly signifying that no observer -was in sight. - -Patsy then saw the other three men hasten to the door of the taxicab. He -could see only their legs for a few moments, by gazing under the -intervening wagon, but presently they appeared at the rear end of it, -bearing between them--the lax form of the veiled woman. - -"Thundering guns!" thought Patsy, when their designs became obvious. -"They have come out here to get rid of that woman, or to transfer her to -some place. She’s not dead, or her form would be rigid by this time. She -must be drugged. But who is she, and what motive can old Mantell have -for such conduct? Gee! it’s up to me to find out where they take her and -what they intend doing." - -Mullen had hurriedly raised the back flap of the leather top, and the -woman was quickly placed on the floor of the wagon. The flap then was -dropped and buckled, and Mullen hastened to mount to his seat, where his -returning companion quickly joined him. - -The taxicab sped away in the meantime, containing only the chauffeur and -the solitary passenger, and within half a minute it had vanished around -a corner of the woodland road. - -"Let him go. I can nail him, by Jove, at any time," thought Patsy, now -grim and frowning. "It’s up to me to look after the woman." - -Mullen then was turning the wagon, and in another moment, he drove away -through the diverging road with his ill-favored companion--and his -senseless burden. - -Patsy Garvan did not return to get the motor cycle. He knew it would be -of no advantage in trailing a slow-moving wagon over a rough road. He -stole down to the edge of the woods, gave Mullen a lead of something -like fifty yards, and then he proceeded to follow him. - -"The rear flap being down, the rascals cannot discover me unless they -lean out and look back," he said to himself. "I’ll fool them in that -case, even, by hugging the side of the road. If they see me, or give me -the slip, by Jove, they shall have a medal." - -There was one contingency, however, on which Patsy did not figure, and -which was too remote to have appealed to the most farsighted of -detectives. - -The taxicab was returning, was speeding toward the city. It passed the -crossroad several minutes after the wagon and its stealthy pursuer had -departed. It sped on around the bend in the road--and the chauffeur then -brought it to a quick stop. - -The man within had undergone a decided change. His gray hair, his -pointed beard, his gold-bowed spectacles, all had disappeared. Instead -of the refined, venerable countenance that had deceived Patsy Garvan, -even, there now appeared the malignant, hard-featured white face of -Gaston Goulard. - -"What is it, Fallon?" he cried, starting up from his seat. "Why have you -stopped here?" - -The chauffeur pointed to one side of the road. - -"That caught my eye," he replied, with an expressive cant of his head. -"It doesn’t look good to me." - -"What do you mean?" - -"That deep rut." - -"What do you make of it?" - -Goulard leaped down to the road, Fallon following. - -"A motor cycle has been here," said the chauffeur. "It was here only a -few minutes ago, too, or this soggy earth would not have retained the -tracks so plainly. Here are the fellow’s footprints, too, left when he -dragged the wheel out of the road." - -Goulard’s hard face took on a terrible frown. He uttered an oath, -crouching to examine the imprints; then added harshly: - -"Can we have been seen? Can we have been seen, Fallon?" - -"Followed, perhaps," suggested Fallon tersely. - -"Followed--impossible!" Goulard snarled between his teeth. "Who could -have followed us? Who could have had any reason for doing so?" - -"Nick Carter himself, possibly, or----” - -"Carter be hanged," snapped Goulard, interrupting. "Carter cannot -possibly have learned of this job. Only Mullen and the gang knew I had -it framed up. Carter cannot have got wise since we turned the -trick--that’s out of the question." - -"Unless Sadie Badger----” - -"Sadie knew nothing about it until I went to warn her against the -infernal dick," Goulard again cut in fiercely. "Blast him, is he out -again to queer my game? Whether he is, or not, I’ll have him in my -clutches as soon as he attempts it. I’ve got that fixed with Sadie, and -well fixed, too. He’ll get his, all right, if he tries to pull off the -stunt I think he has in view. I’m wise to it. I’m on to Carter, now, and -his infernal tricks. He----” - -"You’d better look into this, Goulard, instead of frothing over what the -dick can accomplish," interrupted Fallon, with a shrug of his broad -shoulders. "We can find out, perhaps, who has been here. There are no -tracks showing that the motor cycle was pulled back into the road." - -Fallon parted the shrubbery and strode in through the underbrush and -bushes, while speaking, Goulard following close behind him. - -"Ah! I thought so!" Fallon suddenly exclaimed. "Here’s the machine. The -fellow hid it in this thicket." - -"He may be watching us, then, at this moment," growled Goulard, gazing -sharply around. - -"I guess not." - -"You mean?" - -"He had other reasons for hiding it so carefully," Fallon forcibly -argued. "He could have watched all that took place after Mullen and Simp -Sampson showed up, Goulard, without lugging that heavy wheel so far into -the woods." - -"You think he saw all that came off?" - -"I’m dead sure of it." - -"And now----” - -"There’s nothing to it," Fallon cut in again. "He has gone in pursuit of -Mullen’s wagon. He didn’t know how far he might have to go, nor how long -it would take him. That’s why he hid that wheel so far from the road." - -Goulard was not slow to appreciate this reasoning, nor in deciding what -course he would shape. There was murder in his eyes when, dragging -Fallon back to the road, he commanded hurriedly: - -"Return to town alone, Bill, and follow the directions I have given you. -Make sure there is no slip-up. If I’m in wrong again; if these infernal -Carters are wise to my game and are out to thwart me, I’ll wipe one and -all of them off the map! Leave me here, Bill, and return alone. I’ll -soon find out, by thunder, who is after Mullen and the wagon." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A TIMELY ARRIVAL. - - -Patsy Garvan arrived within an hour at his destination, or, rather, that -of Mullen and his evil-eyed companion. Through a break in the belt of -woods Patsy could see the end of the narrow road, through which he had -trailed the two crooks and the covered wagon. - -Scattered dwellings, also, could be seen in the distance, all of a cheap -and inferior type. Farther away were the poles and wires of a suburban -trolley line, all denoting that he was approaching the outskirt of one -of the many inferior settlements to be found in that part of the Bronx. - -To the right of the narrow road, however, brought into view just before -reaching the break of the woodland, was a faded, isolated old house of -considerable size, the grounds, stable, and outbuildings of which -denoted that it had been a desirable place in the remote past, though -then in a miserably run-down and wretched condition. - -From below a low, moss-covered wall flanking one side of the place, -Patsy saw the wagon enter an ill-kept driveway, the broken gate of which -was hanging awry on its rusted hinges. - -From a back door of the house came a tall, gaunt man of nearly sixty, -clad in overalls and a red cardigan jacket, whose looks and bearing -denoted that he was the owner, or tenant of the place. He paused at the -edge of the driveway, with lowering gaze fixed upon the men in the -approaching wagon, and Patsy heard him growl tersely, in harsh, nasal -tones: - -"Got her?" - -"Bet you!" Mullen responded. "Got her dead to rights, Jim, and none the -wiser." - -"Don’t bank too heavily on that," thought Patsy, with grim satisfaction, -though he never was more puzzled in his life. "I’m wise to some extent, -at least. You rats are up to some devilish game, though I cannot fathom -how old Mantell figures in it." - -"You saw his nibs, then," remarked the man in a cardigan. - -"Sure. He rode out with Fallon in his taxi, as he promised," said -Mullen. "He’s gone back to town, Corson, to look after a job he has -framed up with Sadie." - -"What kind of a job, Jake?" - -"To get the big dick." - -"The big dick?" echoed Corson, staring. "You don’t mean Nick Carter?" - -"That’s what. He’s the biggest dick in the running." - -"But how in thunder----” - -"I’ll tell you later, Jim," Mullen interrupted, still on his seat in the -wagon. "We first must dispose of the skirt. She’s dead to the world just -now, but there’s no telling for how long. His nibs said she might come -to time inside of an hour." - -"Drive into the stable, then," Corson replied, with a growl. "We’ll put -her in the safe deposit. The devil himself could not find her." - -Mullen drove on and into the stable, Corson following, and Patsy lost -sight of the man and wagon, a side view of the stable being all that he -then could obtain. - -"His nibs--that must mean Mantell," he said to himself. "But who is the -woman and what’s the old man’s game? Why would he drug any woman and -give her in charge of these rascals? Gone back to town to frame up a job -with Sadie Badger against the chief. Gee! this certainly is the -strangest mix-up that I ever tackled. I must find a way to inform Nick -and put him on his guard. Before doing so, however, I’ll try to get next -to the whole business. There’s nothing to putting him wise to only half -of it." - -Sharply viewing the windows of the old house, Patsy could discover no -sign of any other occupant. He saw, too, that he could reach the rear of -the stable by crawling back of the wall under which he had found -shelter. - -He at once proceeded to do so, bent upon clearing up the mystery, if -possible, and a few moments later he crept over the low wall and stole -to a point between the stable and an old shed near by. - -He then paused again and listened. He could hear only the thud of the -horse’s hoofs on the stable floor. He quickly discovered, however, that -the sound came through a square window, then nearly closed with a -sliding wooden shutter, and outside of which was a great pile of soiled -straw and bedding from a stall. - -"Gee! that’s good enough for me," thought Patsy, quickly sizing up the -possibilities. "I’ll take one chance at that window. That shutter is not -quite closed." - -Stealing nearer, with eyes and ears alert, he crawled up the pile of -refuse and peered in through the narrow slit between the shutter and its -casing. - -The interior of the old stable met his gaze. One of the men, Simp -Sampson, so called, had unhitched the horse and was making him fast in a -near stall. - -In another, out of which he had kicked a quantity of straw and bedding, -Mullen was raising a large trapdoor, drawing it up by means of a ring in -the floor. - -Patsy could see through the opening a flight of wooden steps leading -down into a dark hole under the floor, the depth and extent of which he -could only conjecture. - -"Gee! that’s a secret hiding place, all right," he said to himself. "The -bedding in the stall would ordinarily conceal the trapdoor. Besides, who -would be looking for one in a horse’s stall? I’m evidently up against a -gang that makes a business of crooked work. If I can corner them----” - -Patsy’s train of thought ended when Mullen, having tipped the trapdoor -back against one side of the stall, turned and said to Corson, who had -been grimly watching him: - -"Lend a hand, Jim, and we’ll lug her down there. It will be safer than -keeping her in the house until we learn how the cat’s going to jump. Is -the old woman in the house?" - -"Not now," said Corson, with his habitual growl. "She’s gone to market. -It takes some grub, Mullen, to feed you fellows." - -"We’ll have coin enough for grub, Jim, if his nibs gets all he’s banking -on from this job," Mullen pointedly answered. - -"I hope he’ll get it, then. We need it." - -"And we were dead lucky in getting a whack at a piece of it," Mullen -added. "That came of my friendship with Fallon, who knows all about his -nibs and has been standing in with him on this job. The taxi came in -handy, you know. The trick could not have been turned without it." - -"Not very well, Jake." - -"Fallon reckoned that I knew of a safe place for the skirt, and having -got safely away with her, we’re dead lucky to be in the game. Here, you, -Sampson, lay hold and lift her out." - -Mullen had been unbuckling the back flap of the wagon top while -speaking, and Sampson had secured the horse and emerged from the near -stall. - -Together the three men raised the form of the senseless woman from the -wagon and placed her on the stable floor. Her hat dropped off while they -were doing so and the veil fell from her white, expressionless face. - -Patsy Garvan caught his breath with sudden amazement. - -"Holy smoke! That’s young Mantell’s wife, Helen Mantell," was his first -thought, while the three men stood gazing down at her. "Gee! there’s -more to this than I guessed. Can it be that the old man has soured on -her and wants her out of the way? I cannot believe that. There is more -to this job than I have suspected." - -Patsy’s conflicting thoughts were diverted again by Mullen, who suddenly -said bluntly: - -"Get a move on. It won’t do to let her lie here. Some one might show up. -Lay hold, both of you; it will take all three of us to lug her down to -the steps." - -"She’ll stay there, all right, once we’ve put her there and fastened the -trapdoor," growled Corson. "There’s no other way out." - -"In that case, by Jove, you rascals shall stay there with her," thought -Patsy, with sudden, grim determination. "I’ll keep you there, by -thunder, if I can catch you in your own trap. It won’t take me long to -find help and arrest all three of you." - -Patsy’s sudden resolve then appeared entirely feasible, barring one -fact. He did not know by what means the trap could be so secured as to -prevent the three men from raising it from below, providing he went in -search of assistants. He was not long, however, in solving the problem. - -"I have it," he muttered, with a constant eye on the three crooks. "I’ll -shift the horse into that stall and make him fast. He’ll hold them down, -all right. They cannot raise the trapdoor with him on it. I’ll get -assistance and arrest all three, and then telephone to the chief." - -The three knaves, bearing their senseless burden, then were on their way -through the trapdoor. Step by step they descended, laboring somewhat in -the gloom and on the narrow stairs. Presently the last of the three -heads, that of gaunt Jim Corson, disappeared below the stall floor. - -Patsy then moved quickly, but as quietly as a shadow. He pushed aside -the sliding shutter, then crawled through the open window and dropped -noiselessly on the stable floor. - -Not for an instant did he shrink from his hazardous undertaking, or -hesitate because of the perils involved. He felt sure he could -accomplish it. - -Shifting a revolver to a side pocket of his leather jacket, he crept -back of the covered wagon and approached the stall in which the open -trapdoor yawned like the mouth of a black, bottomless pit. He could hear -the voices and movements of the three crooks, but not a ray of light was -discernible below. - -"Now, you rascals, stay there till I come to arrest you," thought Patsy. -"It won’t be long." - -He stretched out his hand to grasp the edge of the trapdoor and throw it -down--but did not do so. - -A fourth man had stepped stealthily into the stable. He appeared like an -evil shadow in the waning light of the November afternoon. The stillness -was broken by a voice as cold and hard as steel, but as threatening as -the hiss of a viper: - -"Stop! If you drop that door--you’ll drop with it." - -Patsy, crouching on the floor near the entrance to the stall, turned -around as if electrified. - -He found himself covered with an automatic revolver, scarce six feet -away, and beheld, with a gasp of momentary dismay, the scowling, white -face of Gaston Goulard. - -"Gee whiz! the trick’s off!" leaped like a flash through his mind. - -"You’ll be a dead one if you drop that door," Goulard added sternly. - -"I’ll not drop it. I wasn’t going to drop it," said Patsy, quickly -resorting to a subterfuge. - -"You wasn’t, eh?" - -"Divil a drop! I was only looking to see what’s down there. I----” - -"You keep your hands in front of you," Goulard snapped sharply, when -Patsy’s right hand stole nearer his pocket. "If any gun is to be used, -it will be this one. Come up, you fellows, and be quick about it. Get a -grip on this rat and strap his arms behind him. Move lively." - -The heads of Corson and Jake Mullen had appeared above the stall floor, -both having heard the above conversation, but both were so startled by -the scene that they had come no farther. They now hastened to obey, -however, followed by Sampson, all three of whom seized Patsy quickly and -secured his arms behind him. - -Before this was accomplished, noting Goulard’s garments and traces of -grease paint on his frowning face, Patsy hit upon the truth in so far as -the rascal’s impersonation of the elder Mantell was concerned, as well -as the nature of the crime in which these several scoundrels now were -engaged. - -"The old man was Goulard himself. He has abducted Frank Mantell’s wife," -he quickly reasoned. "He must be wise to the trick the chief has played -on Sadie Badger, also, or at least suspect it, or he would not have -delayed to visit her before bringing Helen Mantell out here. By Jove, I -had a hunch the chief might be in wrong. Things look a bit rocky, for -fair." - -Patsy’s face betrayed none of these thoughts, however, but wore an -expression as if he wondered why he had incurred such animosity and -rough handling. He gazed at Goulard, after being jerked to his feet by -the others, who were hastening to bind him, and demanded, with -well-feigned perplexity: - -"What’s it all about, anyway? What are you putting over on me?" - -"The boot’s on the other leg," snapped Goulard. "We’re preventing your -putting something across us." - -"I know nothing about you. I----” - -"You lie. You followed me from town with a motor cycle. I found it in -the woods, where you hid it." - -"You did, eh?" - -"Furthermore, I think I know you," added Goulard, stepping nearer to -Patsy and snatching the disguise from his face. "Ah, I thought so. -You’re cute and clever, Garvan, but you’re not in my class, as you now -will find at some cost. Get his revolver, Corson. You’ll find it in his -side pocket. I saw him stealthily reaching for it." - -"It’s dead lucky for you, Goulard, that I did not get my hand on it," -retorted Patsy, now seeing the utter folly of further subterfuge. "I’d -have ended your vicious career the first crack from the box." - -"You would, eh?" sneered Goulard maliciously. - -"That’s what I would," snapped Patsy. - -"You’ll never have that satisfaction, Garvan." - -"Wait and see," growled Patsy, while Corson disarmed him and -appropriated his weapons. "It’s a long, long way to Tipperary." - -"What in thunder’s the meaning of all this?" Mullen now demanded, grim -with astonishment. "Where did the infernal runt come from?" - -"I’ll tell you presently," said Goulard, who was apparently very well -satisfied with having arrived in time to secure the detective. "Have you -taken the woman down below?" - -"Yes, of course," Mullen nodded. "That’s the safest place." - -"Any old place is safe enough, now that we’ve got this rat," said -Goulard confidently. "I’ll have his chief before midnight, too, unless -my wires get crossed. Bring the woman up again and take her into the -house. I want to revive her and force her to write a letter to her -husband. Bring in this rat, too. I want to tell him where he stands. -He’ll find mighty soon that I’ve got things dead to rights." - -Patsy said nothing. He began to fear, in fact, that the rascal really -had. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -NICK CARTER’S INSIGHT. - - -It was late in the afternoon. The dusk had begun to gather, and lamps -were gleaming in some of the store windows. - -Daylight still found its way into the business office of Nick Carter’s -residence, however, when he hung up his telephone receiver and placed -the instrument on his desk. His only companion was his chief assistant, -and the faces of both were unusually grave. - -"Who was it?" Chick inquired, when Nick turned in his swivel chair. - -"A man who said his name is Frank Steel," Nick replied. "He is employed -in a Lexington Avenue provision store. He wanted to know whether Patsy -had returned with his motor cycle." - -"By gracious, that beats hearing nothing from Patsy," Chick cried, with -countenance lighting. "It gives us a hint, at least, at what has -occurred to him. What more did he say? Could he give you any definite -information?" - -"Some very suggestive information," Nick replied. "I begin to scent the -rat in the meal. I can tell you in a nutshell." - -Nick then proceeded to do so. Steel had, in fact, become quite anxious -concerning Patsy’s prolonged absence, and he had told Nick all that had -transpired in the provision store that day, also informing him of -Patsy’s interest in the occupant of the opposite flat, and all about the -man who had called there. - -"By Jove, there is only one way of sizing that up," said Chick, after -listening intently. "We know that old Mr. Mantell did not go there. The -man who called, then, must have been Goulard." - -"Undoubtedly." - -"And Patsy must have recognized him." - -"No, not so," Nick quickly objected. "That’s the trouble. That’s why he -is in wrong, unless I am much mistaken." - -"You mean----” - -"If he had recognized Goulard, he would have arrested him on the spot," -Nick interposed. "The circumstances admit of only one interpretation." - -"Namely?" - -"Patsy supposed him to be the elder Mantell, and the fact that he was -calling on Sadie Badger, or some other serious suspicion concerning him, -led Patsy to pursue the taxicab. There’s no other way of sizing it up." - -"He may have recognized Helen Mantell," Chick suggested. - -"That is not probable," Nick again objected. "Goulard would not have -been running around with her in a taxicab, unless she was completely -drugged and carefully veiled." - -"Not likely, Nick, I’ll admit," Chick nodded. - -"I’m sure of it." - -"But what sent Goulard to see Sadie Badger?" Chick questioned. "Why did -he take such a risk?" - -"I think I know," Nick said gravely. - -"What do you make of it?" - -"His visit alone shows that they must be on a friendly footing." - -"Surely." - -"I think, Chick, that he saw that newspaper story of the robbery Sadie -committed last night," Nick continued. "He may not have known that she -had the job in view, but he probably knew under the steps of whose house -he cornered and confined me. After reading the story of the robbery, he -may have had some reason to suspect Sadie of having been the thief. He -may know that she has been friendly with Buckley’s clerk, who gave her -the tip that caused her to do the job." - -"By Jove, there may be something in that," Chick quickly allowed. - -"Knowing, then, under what circumstances I was there, Goulard may have -reasoned that I perhaps got wise to something. After reading the -newspaper story, then, he evidently hastened to put Sadie Badger on her -guard." - -"Very likely. I see the point." - -"If I am right, and his visit under such circumstances strongly -indicates that I am, Sadie would have told him of her encounter with me -and all that followed," Nick added, a bit grimly. - -"By Jove, that’s too true for a joke," Chick quickly declared. "In that -case, Nick, your subterfuge is all off, and the woman may have bolted." - -"You are right on one point, Chick." - -"Regarding the subterfuge?" - -"Yes." - -"But not the other?" - -"I think not," Nick said thoughtfully. "Both Goulard and Sadie Badger -have extraordinary nerve. They don’t scare easily. Both, moreover, would -give a trifle, or even take a desperate chance, to wipe me off the map." - -"No doubt of it." - -"Here’s a very significant point, then," Nick added. "Both will -naturally reason that I know nothing about their relations, and that I -expect to get by with my subterfuge and accomplish something -extraordinary." - -"Certainly. That is the only logical way they can be regarded." - -"That being the case, then, they may decide to let me attempt it--with a -view to trapping me and wiping me out." - -"By gracious, that’s even more probable," cried Chick. "You are right, -Nick. I was wrong on one point. I would be willing to wager, now, that -Sadie Badger has not bolted. I would almost bet, in fact, that she and -Goulard have something framed up for you." - -"I really think so myself, Chick." - -"But there is one other contingency." - -"Namely?" - -"Patsy’s long absence and the fact that we have not heard from him," -said Chick. "He must be in wrong, or he would have found some way to -communicate such important information as Steel has stated. If he has -fallen into Goulard’s hands, Goulard may have warned the woman to get -out of her flat." - -"I don’t think so," said Nick. "Goulard would reason that Patsy, -whatever he may have learned, has had no opportunity to inform us since -obtaining his evidence." - -"Right again," Chick quickly nodded. "But what scheme will they shape up -by which to get you? If we knew----” - -"There is only one way of learning," Nick cut in. - -"By going up against it?" - -"Exactly." - -"You intend doing so?" - -"I certainly do." - -"When?" - -"At once. Before they can find time to learn more than they already -know," Nick declared. "I’ll pay Sadie Badger my promised visit within -half an hour." - -"But where do I fit in?" Chick inquired. "How can I aid you to the best -advantage?" - -Nick gazed thoughtfully at the floor for several moments. Then, abruptly -looking up, he said quickly: - -"Listen. I’ll tell you how." - -Precisely half an hour later, as Nick had predicted, a roughly clad man, -a perfect likeness of Sadie Badger’s partner in crime the previous -night, entered the vestibule of the Lexington Avenue flat and pressed -the electric bell. - -At just about the same time, unobserved by any of the few pedestrians -then in that locality, a second man stole into an alley leading to the -rear of the brick block, and sought the gloomy yard back of the third -house. - -This second man was Chick Carter. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE COUNTERSTROKE. - - -The bright light within illumined the drawn curtains of the Lexington -Avenue flat, casting on them a filigree shadow of the filmy lace -draperies, convincing Nick Carter before he had entered that Sadie -Badger had not bolted. - -Nick’s ring was quickly answered, moreover, by the woman herself. He saw -the evil light that flashed up for an instant in her intense black eyes -when she saw and recognized him, which further assured him that he not -only had sized up the circumstances correctly, but also that her designs -were precisely what he suspected. - -Sadie Badger greeted him with a smile, however, placing her forefinger -on her lips and glancing significantly up the stairs. - -"Not too loud, Bosey, till we’re inside and the door closed," she said -quietly, drawing back for him to enter. "I’m a bit leary of those ginks -on the next floor. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. If they get -wise to too much, it might hurt me." - -Nick nodded approvingly, with a grim smile on his made-up, hangdog face, -and he took the chair to which she pointed. He noticed that her hat, -veil, and a long black cloak were lying on a sofa, as if she had just -come in, or intended going out. - -"That’s good judgment, kid," he replied, in the same husky voice he had -assumed the previous night. "There’s nothing lost by keeping others in -the dark." - -"Right you are, Bosey." "Was you looking for me to-night?" - -"Sure thing," nodded Sadie, sitting opposite. "You said you’d come, -didn’t you? I always take the word of a pal. Have you seen the -newspapers?" - -"All of them, kid. I nailed them as soon as the story was out. But the -dicks ain’t wise to anything. You’ve still got the stuff safe in the -house?" - -"No, not here, now," said Sadie. "That was too long a chance. I’ve put -it in care of some friends, but I can get it any hour we want it." - -"I dunno about that," Nick demurred, with manifest suspicion. - -"You can bank on me and what I tell you, Bosey, and that goes," Sadie -hastened to assure him. "I wouldn’t double cross a pal. You can meet my -friends and see the plunder for yourself, if you like." - -"How’s that?" questioned Nick, though he saw plainly to what she -immediately was leading. - -"I’ve got to go out there," Sadie glibly explained. "I’d have been gone -before now, Bosey, if I hadn’t been looking for you. I had a hunch you -would show up quite early, so I decided to wait for you." - -"What’s the game?" Nick questioned, still pretending to be a bit -doubtful. - -It convinced Sadie Badger that he did not suspect her deeper game, and -that he would walk blindly into the trap she and Goulard had laid for -him. - -"There’s another job on, Bosey," she replied, with voice lowered. - -"What kind of a job, kid?" - -"Same kind. A crib up in Riverside Drive. It has been sized up by -another pal of mine, and a good haul can be made, but it will take three -or four of us to pull it off. I’ve told him about you, Bosey, and -insisted that you be let in on it. I’ve not forgotten last night, you -see," Sadie added expressively. - -"You’re all right, kid," Nick grimly nodded. "But when is the trick to -be turned?" - -"To-morrow night. I’ve got to go out and talk it over with the other -this evening. You’re to go with me, if the scheme hits you all right." - -"Sure it hits me all right," Nick quickly declared. "But where do we go -to see them?" - -"A good piece out of town." - -"By train?" - -"No. Taxi." - -"Ain’t that taking a chance?" growled Nick, still seeming doubtful. "I -don’t bank strong on chauffeurs." - -"The one I employ is all right," said Sadie, with sinister earnestness. -"He is one of the gang. We can trust him the limit." - -"Well, that’s more like it," said Nick. "What’s his name?" - -"Fallon." - -"How can you get at him?" - -"By telephone," said Sadie, with a glance at an instrument on a stand in -one corner. "He’s expecting to hear from me. I’ve been waiting only for -you to show up, Bosey, and say you would go." - -Nick was very willing to go and he saw no reason to defer doing so, the -woman’s assurance convincing him that she felt that she held the ribbons -and that he suspected no ulterior designs. Nick had not a doubt, -moreover, as to whom he was to meet. - -"Sure, kid, I’ll go," he said, after a moment. "Why wouldn’t I go?" - -"No reason, Bosey." - -"Get next to the phone, then, and fetch on your man. We can’t start too -soon to suit me." - -"That’s the stuff!" cried Sadie; with another momentary gleam of -satisfaction in her eyes. "I’ll have him here with his buzz car in five -minutes." - -She arose with the last and hastened to the telephone. - -Nick fished out a black cigar and lit it, smoking indifferently until -the woman resumed her seat. He then continued the conversation much -along the foregoing lines, until the noise of the approaching taxicab -was heard by both, when Sadie started up and exclaimed: - -"He’s here, Bosey. That’s Fallon." - -"So I heard." - -"I’ll get into my cloak and lid." - -"Stop a bit, kid," said Nick, checking her and lurching forward in his -chair. "Lemme have a look at him before we start." - -"What’s that for?" questioned Sadie quickly. - -"Only because I like to see who I’m in with," Nick explained -indifferently. "Call him in and give him your directions. That’ll be -enough." - -Sadie Badger saw nothing for him to gain, if she complied with his wish, -feeling that she had all the best of him. She shrugged her broad, -shapely shoulders and laughed, then stepped to the front door and called -Fallon into the house. - -"He is here, Bosey," she remarked, when the burly chauffeur followed her -into the room. "Shake hands with Bosey Magee, Bill, who is going out -with me. You’ll find him all right." - -Fallon grinned and complied. - -"The more the better, old top," he remarked carelessly. - -"Glad to know you," Nick growled cordially. - -"Take us out to Corson’s place, Bill, and get there lively," said Sadie, -in compliance with Nick’s suggestion. - -"I can make it in twenty minutes," Fallon nodded. - -"Good enough. I’ll get into my rags and veil and be with you in a couple -of minutes." - -"I’ll wait for you outside." - -"Go ahead, then. We’ll not be long." - -Fallon swung round and swaggered out of the house, returning to his seat -in the taxicab. - -Sadie Badger arose and took her cloak from the sofa. - -When she turned to put it on--she found Nick Carter confronting her, -with a revolver thrust under her very nose. - -"If you speak, Sadie, this will speak louder," he said sternly, gripping -her by the shoulder. "Not a sound, mind you, or you’ll get all that’s -coming to you." - -The woman turned as white as the knot of lace at her throat. - -"Heavens!" she muttered, with lips twitching. "You mean----” - -"Silence!" Nick sternly hissed. "I’m wise to the whole business. Our -partnership in crime is ended, also your little game. If you utter a -sound to warn Fallon, I’ll send you to prison for twenty years." - -"Curse you, Carter, I----” - -"Hush! Ah, Chick, you’re here!" - -Chick Carter had darted quietly in from a rear room. - -Sadie Badger had dropped on the sofa, as pale as if death-stricken. - -"I picked the lock of the back door," Chick whispered. "Is the way -open?" - -"Wide open," said Nick, whipping out a pair of handcuffs. "Get into her -garments. We must be out in another minute. I’ll fix the woman." - -Sadie Badger, with the detective’s threat ringing in her ears, which she -knew only too well he would execute, collapsed completely and offered no -resistance. - -Nick handcuffed her with her arms behind her, then tied a bandage -securely over her mouth. He then marched her into a closet in the -adjoining room and locked the door. - -When he returned, after less than a minute, he found Chick clad in the -woman’s hat and veil, with his figure almost completely enveloped in her -long, black cloak. - -"Capital!" said Nick, surveying him. "You’ll get by hands down." - -"I think so." - -"Ready?" - -"As a rivet." - -Nick switched out the electric light. - -Fallon saw the glow vanish from the curtained windows. Less than two -minutes had passed since he returned to his seat. - -He merely glanced at the two figures that came from the house, quickly -crossing the sidewalk in the darkness and entering the open taxicab. The -door was closed with a bang, and another moment saw them speeding -away--whither Sadie Badger had directed. - -Five minutes later a policeman, acting under instructions Nick had given -him earlier, entered the flat and removed the detective’s partner in -crime to the precinct station. - -It was half past six when Fallon slowed down in the darkness bf the -narrow road into which he had turned, immediately drawing up at one side -of it. He stopped the motor, then sprang down and opened the cab door. - -"We’ll have to walk to the house, Sadie," he growled, addressing the -veiled figure in the opposite corner. "I’ll not risk running the taxi -over this bum road in the dark. It’s only fifty yards to the house. We -can walk it." - -"Sure!" said Nick. "Come on, kid." - -Fallon drew back to let them out, turning to gaze up the narrow, -deserted road. - -Nick stepped in front of him, drawing his revolver. - -"Put your hands behind you, Fallon," he said sternly. "You are under -arrest. Take it easy and save yourself worse trouble." - -Fallon staggered and glanced back over his shoulder in search of Sadie -Badger. The hat, veil, and cloak had been discarded by the figure behind -him, and he found himself gazing at the face of Chick Carter. - -"Good heavens!" he gasped involuntarily. "What am I up against?" - -"You know, Fallon, without my telling you," said Nick. "The game is up, -and we’re out to get the entire gang. We’re going to do it, too." - -"I guess that’s no fairy tale." Fallon knuckled with a sickly smile. -"You’re the worst ever, Carter, the very worst. Well, I’m not in so bad, -at that. Go as far as you like." - -"Put bracelets on him, Chick, and we’ll secure him with another pair to -one of the taxicab wheels," Nick directed. "That will hold him till we -return." - -"Let me sit inside," said Fallon. "I’ll not bolt." - -"I shall feel a little more easy if I don’t take the chance," Nick dryly -answered. "You’ll not suffer greatly, and it won’t be for long." - -Fallon offered no further protest, and was left secured as described. - -"Now, Chick, having landed a couple of the hirelings, we’ll get after -the master," said Nick, as they turned away. "Unless I am much mistaken, -we to-night shall see the last of Gaston Goulard, in so far as his -criminal career is concerned. He is booked to pay the penalty." - -"That’s likely to be his life for having killed Batty Lang." - -"It’s more than probable. Come on." - -"You expect to find Helen Mantell here, I infer." - -"I haven’t a doubt of it," said Nick. "Be quiet, now, and have your guns -ready. I’ll lead the way." - -They had moved on and were picking their way up the narrow road. Through -the intervening trees, the outlines of the old Corson house could be -dimly seen. A solitary light appeared at one of the side windows. - -Nick led the way in that direction, moving noiselessly over the damp -sod. It proved to be the window of a dining room, as he could see -between the curtain and the casing, though the roller shade was drawn -completely down. - -No other precautions had been taken by Gaston Goulard, however, so sure -was he that the expected taxicab would bring only Fallon, Sadie Badger, -and Nick, with the latter up against odds that he could not possibly -oppose. - -Though none of them were entirely visible, Nick could see that there -were several persons in the room. While he gazed, trying to identify one -or more of them, he heard the voice of the crook he was chiefly seeking. - -"I’ll not stand for any further objections, Mrs. Mantell," Goulard was -harshly saying. "You write what I dictate to your husband, stating the -terms I direct, or I’ll----” - -"Don’t you do anything of the kind, Mrs. Mantell," interrupted a voice -that Nick instantly knew to be Patsy’s. "Let this rascal collect the -ransom he demands as best he can. He’ll not harm you as long as he sees -any show of getting it. Don’t write a line, or----” - -"You keep quiet, or I’ll silence you in a way you’ll not fancy," Goulard -fiercely cut in. "I’ll put you away, Garvan, as well as Nick Carter, if -I do nothing else. You listen to me, woman, and----” - -Nick did not wait to hear more. He touched Chick’s elbow and continued -on toward the rear of the house, where the door of the kitchen met his -gaze. - -"We have them where we want them, Chick, if we can enter quietly," he -whispered. - -"Dead to rights," Chick nodded. - -"There is no lock on the door. It may be hooked or bolted on the inside. -No, by Jove, it is not. They were cocksure of their game, all right." - -Nick had tried the door and found that he could open it. He did so, -glancing at Chick, and both stepped into the kitchen. - -The only light came through a doorway in the near hall, that of the -dining room. - -The voice of Goulard again could be heard, addressing the abducted woman -and rising loud and harsh with his threats and commands. It served to -completely drown the stealthy steps in the hall. - -Suddenly it stopped short, as if the miscreant’s tongue had been -palsied, and then came a shriek of dismay that was bloodcurdling in its -intensity. - -Goulard saw Nick and Chick in the open door, with hard-set faces and -drawn revolvers. - -A shout came from Patsy, bound hand and foot to a chair. - -A scream of relief broke from Helen Mantell, seated white and helpless -in one corner. - -Mullen, Sampson, and Jim Corson, with jaws suddenly dropping, stared as -if they beheld two ghosts. - -"Sit still, all of you," Nick calmly commanded. "I will shoot the first -man who shows fight or makes a move in that direction." - -Only one man did so--Goulard. - -A vision of the electric chair must have leaped up in his mind. For his -face turned as gray as ashes, and he appeared to choose the quicker -fate. He whipped out a revolver, clapped the muzzle against his ribs, -and fired. - -The thundering report fairly shook the house. - -Goulard pitched face forward on the floor, shot through the heart. - -It was the last step of a downward career, the last act of a man gone -hopelessly to the bad. - -The arrest of the others was easily accomplished, with nothing more -sensational than imprecations and curses. Nine o’clock that evening saw -all that remained of the gang securely lodged in the Tombs. - -The same hour saw Helen Mantell restored to her husband’s arms, and the -cloud of fear that had hung over the Mantell mansion was dispelled -forever. - -Though uninjured by the experience she had suffered, Helen could only -state that, after riding away with the man she had supposed to be her -father-in-law, he had almost immediately seized her and plunged a needle -into her neck, evidently impregnated with some powerful and quick-acting -drug. She knew no more until she revived in the old Corson place, scarce -a half hour before Nick Carter’s arrival. - -The gratitude of the Mantells, as well as their reward to the detectives -for their splendid work, were all that the Carters could ask, and Patsy -made sure that Frank Steel got his for the services rendered. - -The crooks suffered the extreme penalty for their crime, including -Nick’s partner in knavery--but the detective made sure that the Buckley -plunder was restored to its owner. - -It was found in the secret cellar under the Corson stable--with the -hidden fruits of several previous robberies. - -"Taken as a whole," Nick Carter remarked that evening; "it was the -round-up and wind-up of a very bad gang." - - -THE END. - -"The Mystery of the Crossed Needles; or, Nick Carter and the Yellow -Tong," will be the title of the long, complete story which you will find -in the next issue, No. 151, of the NICK CARTER STORIES, out July 31st. -In this interesting narrative the famous detective matches wits with a -clever Chinese crook, and throughout the story there is a constant -mental battle between the man of the Orient and the man of the -Occident. Then, too, you will also find the usual installment of the -serial now running, together with several interesting articles. - - - - -Sheridan of the U. S. Mail. - -By RALPH BOSTON. - -(This interesting story was commenced in No. 148 of NICK CARTER STORIES. -Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer or the -publishers.) - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ONE LITTLE SLIP. - - -Judge Lawrence opened the case for the defense by assuring the jury that -it would take but a few minutes to present all his evidence. The first -witness counsel for the defense placed on the stand was the prisoner -himself. In as few words as possible, Owen told how he had incurred the -enmity of Samuel Coggswell by exposing the latter’s plot to tamper with -Judge Lawrence’s mail. He explained that for the same reason he had also -aroused the animosity of Carrier Smithers, of Branch X Y. - -"Our next witness will be Carrier John Smithers," announced Judge -Lawrence, when Owen had finished. - -Smithers, sullen and hostile, glared at his questioner as the latter -asked quietly: "You and Carrier Sheridan occupy adjoining rooms in a -boarding house, do you not, Mr. Smithers?" - -"We do." - -"And you were off duty and in your room at the boarding house the day -the inspectors visited the house and searched Sheridan’s trunk?" - -"Yes, I was; but if you’re trying to infer--\-\-\" began the witness -angrily. - -"Never mind what I’m trying to infer, Mr. Smithers," interrupted the -lawyer gently. "Step down, please, unless the district attorney wishes -to cross-examine; I’m through with you." - -He turned to the jury with, a pleasant smile. "But one more witness; -then our case is finished. I shall now call Mr. Alfred Adams." - -As Mr. Adams, a gray-haired, bespectacled man, took the stand, Jake -Hines stared at him in astonishment. Who could this fellow be? Jake had -never seen him before, and the name suggested nothing to him. He -wondered what the calling of this witness could mean. - -"Mr. Adams," began counsel for the defense, very softly, "will you -please tell the jury what your occupation is?" - -"I am a postal clerk employed at the registry window of Branch Post -Office D E." - -"At Branch D E. That’s the branch from which the package was mailed," -explained the lawyer. "And how long have you been employed there, Mr. -Adams?" - -"For seventeen years," replied the gray-haired witness proudly. - -"Seventeen years! That’s a long time, Mr. Adams. Have you made many -mistakes in your work during that period?" - -"Not a single mistake, sir," replied the postal clerk, still more -proudly, and added, with a smile: "The boys at the branch call me -‘Accurate’ Adams." - -"An enviable nickname," said Judge Lawrence. "Now, tell me, sir, is it -your custom to weigh all letters and packages that are handed in at your -window for registry?" - -"Yes, sir; we are required to do that." - -"It is a precaution no registry clerk overlooks?" - -"Yes, sir. You see, the rules require us to see that letters and -packages are sufficiently stamped before we make out a receipt for them. -If the letter or package is overweight, we call the sender’s attention -to the fact, and he must supply the deficient postage before we will -accept it." - -"I see. Then it would not be possible for a man to hand you a sealed -package weighing over seven ounces, and bearing only three two-cent -stamps and a ten-cent stamp for registration--you wouldn’t give him his -registry receipt under such circumstances?" - -"Certainly not, sir," replied the postal clerk. "The package, being -sealed, would have to go as first-class mail; and if it weighed a -fraction more than seven ounces it would require sixteen cents postage -in addition to the registry fee." - -"Thank you, Mr. Adams," said counsel for the defense, opening a wooden -box and producing a small pair of official post-office scales. "Now, -will you please take these scales and this watch and tell the jury how -much the watch weighs?" - -"Exactly five ounces, sir," replied the witness, after he had carried -out these instructions. - -"And now please weigh this leather watchcase, and the box it was sent -in. What is their combined weight?" - -"Two and a half ounces, sir." - -"Thank you. So the watch, the leather case, and the box together would -weigh seven and a half ounces, and if sent by first-class mail would -require sixteen cents postage, and an additional ten cents for registry, -would they not?" - -"They certainly would." - -"And the empty leather case and the box alone would require just six -cents in postage?" - -"Of course." - -"Very good," said the lawyer, with a chuckle. "Now, take a look at this -wrapper--the wrapper which was around the package from which my client -is alleged to have stolen the watch--and tell the jury how many stamps -you find there, Mr. Adams." - -"Three two-cent stamps and a ten-cent stamp," announced the witness. - -"Consequently the package, when it was handed in at your window for -registry could not have contained the watch, could it, Mr. Adams?" -demanded Judge Lawrence, looking triumphantly toward the jury. - -"It positively could not, sir," replied the postal clerk. "Otherwise -when I weighed it I should have noticed the discrepancy in postage." - -"Well, for the love of Mike!" muttered Jake Hines, his face turning the -color of chalk. "Gee! What a fierce break!" - -Fifteen minutes later a taxicab drew up in front of the headquarters of -the Samuel J. Coggswell Association, and a young man jumped out, dashed -frantically into the clubhouse, and up the stairs. - -"Well, Jake?" demanded Boss Coggswell, as the young man burst into the -room. - -"The whole thing’s busted, boss!" gasped Hines, the sweat streaming down -his face. "Sheridan’s acquitted! We made a bad break not puttin’ enough -stamps on the package, and they’ve got Bill Warren and the pawnbroker’s -clerk on the rack now, tryin’ to make ’em squeal." - -"Holy smoke!" gasped Coggswell, jumping up from his chair. "That sounds -bad, Jake--very bad. Do you suppose those fellows will squeal?" - -Hines nodded gloomily. "I’m afraid so, governor. That pawnbroker’s clerk -is a white-livered rat; it won’t take long to break down his nerve; and -Bill Warren ain’t much to be depended on when his own hide’s in danger. -I’m afraid we’re in bad this time, boss--up against it for fair." - -For five minutes Samuel J. Coggswell agitatedly paced the floor. -Suddenly he halted and turned to Hines, a queer look on his face. - -"Jake," he said, "you’re looking bad--very bad, indeed, my boy. You need -a change of climate--a little trip for your health. Do you understand?" - -"You mean you want me to beat it, governor?" - -"Yes, at once! Better start right now to pack your suit case. If you -need any money I’ll sign a check for any amount you want. The bank isn’t -closed yet." - -Hines nodded gloomily. "Yes, I guess you’re right. I’d better go. If -those fellers squeal--and I’m pretty sure they will--New York’s no place -for me just now. But how about yourself, boss? What are you goin’ to -do?" - -"Oh, I’ll stay, Jake--stay and face the music," replied Coggswell, a -smile of resignation on his face. "As long as you’re safe, I don’t care -much what happens to me." - -Hines would have been more touched by this unselfishness on the part of -his chief if he had not observed that the latter’s ears were wagging -furiously while he spoke. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -AN INFLUENTIAL FRIEND. - - -As Jake Hines tremulously informed Boss Coggswell, the jury had brought -in a verdict of "Not guilty" in the case of Owen Sheridan. That one -little slip on the part of the conspirators--their failure to put on the -package sufficient stamps to cover the weight of the watch it was -supposed to contain--enabled Judge Lawrence to convince the jurors that -his client was the victim of a "frame-up." - -In his summing up he showed how the wholesale liquor dealer, William -Warren, could easily have deceived the two reputable business men who -testified that they had seen the watch placed in the package. He pointed -out that both of these witnesses had admitted that during the walk to -the post office the package had been in Warren’s pocket. How simple for -him to have had a duplicate package in the same pocket, and hand it in -at the registry window instead of the box which contained the watch. - -The jury deliberated less than ten minutes before they acquitted the -accused carrier. Later that day the pawnbroker’s clerk, after a long and -grueling examination, broke down, and confessed that he had committed -perjury when he had sworn that Owen had pledged the watch. - -Carrier Sheridan had not been in the pawnshop at all that day, he -admitted. The watch had been pawned by Bill Warren himself, who had -offered him a hundred dollars to swear that Owen had conducted the -transaction. As he knew the letter carrier by sight, it had been an easy -matter for the pawnbroker’s clerk to pick him out unhesitatingly from a -group of twenty other carriers, and thus satisfy the post-office -inspectors that he was telling the truth. - -This was not the only confession extracted that day. Warren, the -wholesale liquor dealer, realizing that he was "in bad," decided to make -things easier for himself by "blowing the whole game." He swore that he -had done this thing at the request of Jake Hines. There were certain -reasons why he could not afford to lose Hines’ good will, and when the -politician had come to him and asked him to do this favor, he had not -dared to refuse. - -Carrier Smithers, possessing more nerve than these other conspirators, -could not be made to admit that he had placed the pawn ticket in -Sheridan’s trunk. He preserved his taciturn, defiant air throughout the -examination, and came from the ordeal smilingly triumphant. - -Judge Lawrence and Owen Sheridan were very well satisfied, however, with -the result of their efforts. The latter grasped his client’s hand -fervently, and said: - -"Let me congratulate you, Sheridan. Your own cleverness has saved you -from jail and enabled us to turn the tables on our enemies. We wouldn’t -have stood a ghost of a show if it hadn’t been for that happy thought of -yours about the stamps on the package. - -"And now," he added, a gleam in his keen eyes, "we are going after those -rascals hot and heavy." - -A responsive gleam in Owen’s eyes showed how greatly this idea appealed -to him. "Yes," he said confidently, "I guess we’ve got Boss Coggswell -where we want him now. This means the finish of that grafter." - -"I’m not quite so sure of that," replied the judge, with a whimsical -smile. "Don’t forget that friend Samuel is a pretty slippery customer. I -shouldn’t be at all surprised if he managed to wriggle out of this. I -think we’ll be able to put Jake Hines behind bars without any trouble, -but I’m afraid we’re not going to have such an easy task convicting his -master--not yet, at least." - -And the lawyer proved to be a true prophet as far as Samuel J. Coggswell -was concerned. When, later that day, reporters from all the daily papers -thronged the clubhouse to interview the boss, they found that gentleman -smiling and apparently very much at his ease. - -"Mr. Coggswell," a newspaper man said bluntly, "we understand that you -are going to be indicted for conspiracy. You are accused of being -responsible for a frame-up to send a young letter carrier named Sheridan -to prison." - -The district leader shook his head deprecatingly. "Nothing to it, -boys--nothing to it. The rumor is absolutely without foundation, I -assure you. Why should a grand jury seek to indict me? It is -preposterous to suppose that I had anything to do with the infamous -attempt to railroad young Sheridan. On the contrary, I am very friendly -toward the man, and I’m glad that he got off--very glad, indeed." - -"But, Mr. Coggswell," the newspaper man insisted, "they have proof that -Jake Hines, your confidential man, was the moving spirit in that -conspiracy." - -"Ah!" exclaimed the politician, with a sad smile. "Poor Jake! Poor Jake! -By the way, has anybody seen him lately?" - -"No," answered the reporter. "I hear that detectives with a warrant for -his arrest have been searching all over town for him in vain. It is -understood that he has fled. That is why, Mr. Coggswell, it looks as -if----” - -"So they can’t find Jake, eh?" the boss interrupted, his ears wiggling a -fast accompaniment to his words. "It is understood that he has run away? -Well, if such is, indeed, the case, it looks as if the rascal really -must be guilty. Flight can generally be regarded as a confession of -guilt, can’t it, boys?" - -"Well," said one of the newspaper men boldly, "if Hines is guilty, Mr. -Coggswell, how about yourself? Everybody knows that he is your -confidential man, and----” - -"He was my confidential man, you mean, sir," corrected Coggswell, with -dignity. "I’ll admit that Jake has been very close to me. I’ll admit -that I thought the world of him. But, of course, if he was in any way -connected with that dastardly plot to send an innocent man to prison--if -it can be proved that he had anything to do with it, Jake Hines and I -must part company forever. I wouldn’t have such a scoundrel around me. -Even if he were my own brother, I would cast him out. It is really a sad -case--a very sad case. It only goes to show, boys, to what depths an -impetuous young man will sometimes descend when he is in love." - -The newspaper men looked at him in amazement. "In love?" one repeated -inquiringly. - -"Yes. Let me give you fellows a little tip. There is a young lady--Miss -Dallas Worthington--a very charming young lady, I have been told. She is -employed as a typist in the office of a real-estate man named Walter K. -Sammis. If you go and see her, she will probably tell you that Jake -Hines has been making love to her. I understand, in fact, that he is -madly infatuated with her. Now, Miss Worthington happens to be engaged -to Carrier Sheridan. Perhaps you can see now the motive which inspired -poor Jake to----” - -The reporters waited to hear no more. They departed hurriedly for the -real-estate office, eager to interview Dallas and get her to confirm -this tip. - -Thus it happened that the newspapers next morning, in their accounts of -Owen Sheridan’s trial and its sensational developments, exonerated Boss -Coggswell, and unanimously declared that while at first it had been -assumed that the conspiracy to railroad the letter carrier to jail was -of a political nature, it had been discovered that rivalry in love was -at the bottom of it all--that Jake Hines had been inspired solely by -personal motives, and had acted without the knowledge of his master. - -"I feared as much," said Judge Lawrence to Owen, pointing with a wry -smile to the pile of newspapers on his desk. "Coggswell has managed to -get from under by making Jake Hines the goat. The grand jury will take -the same view of the matter as the newspapers. We shan’t be able to -convict that rascal this time." - -"But we’ll get him on that other charge, anyway--the charge of tampering -with your mail, judge," declared Owen confidently. "He can’t very well -wriggle out of that." - -The lawyer shook his head dubiously. "I’m not so sure. Carrier Greene -and Tom Hovey have skipped their bail. Of course, Coggswell will keep -them liberally supplied with funds, so there isn’t much chance of their -being caught. And unless they can be brought back and forced to squeal, -it will be impossible to implicate the boss." - -"But how about my testimony?" protested Owen. "You are forgetting that -I am in a position to prove that Coggswell was behind that plot to -tamper with your mail, judge." - -Judge Lawrence laughed grimly. "No, I am not forgetting. Your testimony, -by itself, wouldn’t be worth anything at all, Owen. Sam Coggswell -evidently thought that it would. He must have been afraid of you, or he -wouldn’t have gone to such trouble and risk to have you discredited, -unless, of course, he did it merely out of revenge; but if he had -consulted a lawyer he would have learned that we couldn’t implicate him -on your testimony alone." - -Seeing the look of disappointment of Sheridan’s face, the lawyer laid -his hand upon the young man’s shoulder, and said: - -"Never mind, my boy; we’ll get that rascal yet. You can depend upon it -that he is mixed up in several corrupt post-office deals, any one of -which, if exposed, will land him in jail. And when you’re a post-office -inspector, Owen, you’ll have a chance to look thoroughly into some of -those deals." - -"When I’m a post-office inspector!" repeated Owen, with a laugh. "I’m -afraid there won’t be any chance of that happening while Boss Coggswell -remains in power. He’ll make it his business to see that I----” - -"My friend," interrupted Judge Lawrence dryly, "Sam Coggswell isn’t the -only one who has a pull with the post-office department. As it happens, -I have a friend at Washington whose word carries quite some weight in -postal affairs. Believing that a man of your cleverness would be a -valuable acquisition to the secret-service branch of the department, and -feeling absolutely confident that you would come out of your trouble all -right, I wrote to this friend of mine the other day in your behalf. This -morning I received his answer. When you have read it I think you will -agree that in spite of Sam Coggswell’s opposition you are going to get -the job you want." - -He took a letter from his desk, and handed it to Owen. With great -astonishment the young man read: - - "MY DEAR JUDGE: I have your note. Come and take lunch with me next - Thursday, and we will talk the matter over. If your young protégé - is as bright and honest as you say, I should like to see him made a - post-office inspector." - -This letter was written on White House stationery, and bore the -signature of the President of the United States. - -Three months later Letter Carrier Sheridan became Post-office Inspector -Sheridan. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE FIRST CASE. - - -Sheridan was assigned to the New York division of the postal secret -service, and, oddly enough, the first case that he was sent to -investigate was at the branch at which he had served as carrier. - -"Sheridan," said the chief inspector, "run up to Station X Y right away. -There’s some trouble up there. Go and straighten it out." - -Wondering what his trouble could be, and which one of his former -comrades was concerned in it, Owen jumped aboard a subway express, and -half an hour later stepped into the private office of Superintendent -Henderson, of Branch X Y. - -Henderson’s greeting was flatteringly deferential. No matter how honest -a postmaster may be, he likes to have the good will of the special -investigators. Owen in his new role was, therefore, considered a person -of some importance by his former boss. - -"How do you do, Mr. Sheridan?" said he. "May I offer you my heartiest -congratulations upon your promotion?" He extended his hand somewhat -hesitatingly, remembering the bad turn he had once done Owen by -peremptorily transferring him from his route. - -But Owen did not bear any grudge. Henderson, except for that one act of -injustice, had always been fairly decent to him. And, besides, the -inspector was too happy over the realization of his ambition to bear ill -will toward anybody. He cordially grasped the hand which the -superintendent held halfway toward him. "Thank you," he said, in -acknowledgment of the congratulations. "I shall never forget the many -little kindnesses you showed me when I was connected with this branch." - -Henderson looked at him keenly, wondering whether there was anything -ironical about this remark; he was relieved to see that there was -nothing at all suspicious about the inspector’s frank smile. - -"I understand that there’s some trouble up here," said Owen, getting -down to business. "The chief sent me up here to investigate." - -The superintendent nodded. "Yes, it’s a very mysterious case, Mr. -Sheridan. I can give you the details in a few words. A man named Walter -K. Sammis---- I beg your pardon?" - -Owen had been unable to refrain from an ejaculation of astonishment at -the mention of the name of Dallas Worthington’s employer. Could it be -possible that he had anything to do with this case? - -"I didn’t mean to interrupt you," he said. "Please go on. You mean -Sammis, the real-estate man, I presume?" - -"Yes. He came around to this office at five o’clock yesterday evening, -accompanied by another man--the Reverend Atkinson Moore. They came to -see me with reference to a letter which they had dropped in the street -letter box outside Sammis’ office--a letter in a pink envelope. Mr. -Sammis explained to me that the letter contained a hundred-dollar bill -which the clergyman was sending to a poor family in Pennsylvania." - -"He was sending a hundred dollars in currency in an unregistered -letter?" exclaimed Owen, with some astonishment. - -"Yes," answered the superintendent, with a smile; "the reverend -gentleman has great faith evidently in the infallibility of Uncle Sam’s -post office; but his friend, Mr. Sammis, is not so trustful. After -dropping the letter in the box, Mr. Moore went into the real-estate -office to visit Sammis, who is a member of his church, and happened to -mention sending the money; whereupon the real-estate man told him what a -rash thing he had done to send money in that unsafe manner, and insisted -that he should try to get the letter back. They came around here to stop -the letter and have it registered before it went out. Of course, I -consented to this. I told them that the man who attended to that box had -not come in with the last collection, and asked them to wait until he -arrived." - -The superintendent smiled grimly. "And now, here comes the mystery, Mr. -Sheridan. When the carrier came in and we went to look for that letter, -it wasn’t to be found. There was no pink envelope in his bag." - -"By Jove!" exclaimed Owen, who had not been in the secret service long -enough to conceal his emotions. - -"We searched through the contents of the bag four times," Henderson went -on. "We examined the bottom of the bag carefully, thinking it might -possibly have stuck there; we went to the street letter box to see -whether the pink envelope might not have been left behind. Not a trace -of it could we find anywhere." - -"And Mr. Moore is quite certain that he dropped it in the box?" asked -Owen. - -"Absolutely positive." - -"And quite sure that it was a pink envelope?" - -"Yes, he is certain of that." - -"Who’s the carrier who made the collections, Mr. Henderson?" - -"James Andrews." - -"‘Pop’ Andrews!" exclaimed Owen. "Then that disposes of the theory that -the letter was stolen on the way from the street box to the post office. -I’m sure that Pop is too honest to have stolen it himself, and too -careful to let anybody else take it from his bag. What has Pop to say -about the matter, Mr. Henderson?" - -"He hasn’t given us any explanation. He’s all broken up about the -matter. The poor fellow realizes that he’s placed in a nasty position. -Nevertheless, it seems to me that he’s holding something back. I mean to -say that there’s something about his manner that sort of gives me the -idea that he knows a little more than he cares to tell about that -letter." - -"May I see him?" asked Inspector Sheridan. - -"Yes; I’ll send for him." - -Carrier Andrews entered the superintendent’s private office looking very -worried and upset. He uttered an exclamation of astonishment when he -discovered that Sheridan was the inspector assigned to the case. - -"Now, Pop," said Owen gently to the veteran postman, "what can you tell -me about this pink letter? Any help that you can give me I’ll greatly -appreciate." - -The old man looked at the young inspector pityingly. "Owen--er--I beg -your pardon, I mean Mr. Sheridan--I’m mighty sorry that they sent you up -to handle this case, because I’ve decided, after thinking it over, that -I’d better tell the whole truth, and I’m afraid it’s going to hit you -pretty hard." - -"Hit _me_ hard!" exclaimed Owen, in astonishment. - -"Yes, sir. I’ve kept quiet until now--first, because in order to tell -the truth I’ll have to confess to having violated the rules, which I -hate to do, having been so long in the service; secondly, because I -don’t like the idea of causing trouble to the young lady." - -"The young lady!" Owen couldn’t help breaking in. - -"Yes. As I say, I’ve decided that I’d better tell the truth," said Pop -Andrews. "I do know something about that letter. There was a pink -envelope in the box when I went to collect the mail. I gave it to the -young lady who was standing at the box waiting for me. At first I didn’t -want to give it to her, knowing it was against the rules, but she begged -so hard, and finally, when she began to cry, telling me that it meant -all the world to her to get that letter back, I decided that I’d take a -chance, and I handed her the pink envelope." - -"She told you that it was hers, of course, Pop?" said Owen. - -"Yes; she said that she’d dropped it in the box only five minutes -before, and that it was a letter that would cause a lot of trouble if it -was sent, so she wanted it back. I believed her, and I let her have it, -not dreaming that it wasn’t hers--that she was working a game on me." - -"And I suppose you have no idea who this young woman was, have you, -Pop?" - -Once more the gray-haired carrier looked pityingly at the young -inspector. "Yes, Mr. Sheridan, I have. I hate to tell you, knowing what -she is to you, but it was the young lady who works in Mr. Sammis’ -office, Miss Dallas Worthington." - -Walking so quickly that his pace was almost a run, Owen Sheridan hurried -around to Walter K. Sammis’ real-estate office. It was past ten o’clock, -and Dallas was usually at her typewriter by nine; but there was no sign -of her now. Her employer stood in the outer office, and looked at Owen -questioningly. - -"Hasn’t Miss Worthington got down yet, Mr. Sammis?" the young man asked. - -"No, she hasn’t, and I can’t understand what’s keeping her." - -Without stopping to say another word, Owen hurried around to Dallas’ -boarding house. It was ridiculous, of course, to suspect that she could -have stolen that letter; but the mystery must be cleared up immediately. - -"Where’s Miss Worthington?" he inquired of the landlady, who came to the -door in response to his ring. - -"I couldn’t tell you, Mr. Sheridan," the woman answered; "she left here -last night." - -"Left last night!" repeated Owen blankly. - -"Yes; she came in here just before supper time, rushed up to her room, -packed her suit case, and hurried out of the house as if a thousand -demons were after her." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE PINK ENVELOPE. - - -For a moment Post-office Inspector Owen Sheridan stood staring stupidly -at Dallas Worthington’s landlady, appalled by the significance of what -the woman had just told him. - -"Gone!" he exclaimed dazedly, at last, "and with her suit case. But -didn’t she say where she was going, Mrs. O’Brien? Didn’t she tell you -when she’d be back?" - -"No, sir; not a word. She rushed out of the house like a creature -possessed. In all the while I’ve known her I’ve never seen her in such a -state. She’s usually such a calm, dignified young woman, as well you -know, Mr. Sheridan. If it wasn’t that she left her trunk behind her, and -that she don’t impress me as bein’ at all that kind of person, I’d be -inclined to think that she’d skipped to beat her board bill; she owes me -three weeks’ board. I’ve been gettin’ nothing but excuses and promises -from her lately." - -This was another staggerer for Owen. Dallas in need of money! He knew -that the girl’s position as stenographer in Mr. Sammis’ real-estate -office did not command a very big salary; but she had never once hinted -to Owen that she was not earning enough to pay her expenses. - -"Poor little girl," he mused tenderly. "She’s evidently been having a -hard struggle to get along, and I never guessed it. But, thank goodness, -she won’t have to struggle any longer. There’s nothing to prevent us -from getting married now, and she can throw up that job as soon as she’s -ready." - -He was smiling to himself at the pleasant picture his mind drew of a -cozy little flat, with Dallas, trim and dainty, pouring coffee at a -breakfast table laid for two, when the strident voice of the -boarding-house woman brought him sharply to his senses: - -"Why a young woman that’s earning twelve dollars a week--which I -understand is her salary, Mr. Sheridan--shouldn’t be able to keep out of -debt when her board bill’s only eight, is something that I fail to -understand. It isn’t as if she was a fancy dresser. She’s always neat, -of course, but she never wears expensive clothes, and I can’t see why -she should have to get three weeks behind in her board, when----” - -Owen hastily took out his wallet, and withdrew twenty-four dollars. - -"When Miss Worthington comes back, you can tell her that her board bill -has been paid, without telling her who paid it, Mrs. O’Brien," he said, -handing her the money. "And please don’t mention anything to anybody -about her having been in arrears." - -"I won’t, sir," the landlady assured him. "It ain’t no disgrace, of -course, to be hard up; but, at the same time, I know it ain’t a subject -that people like to have talked about. I’ll be very careful not to -mention it, Mr. Sheridan." - -"I sincerely hope that she’ll keep that promise," said Owen to himself, -as he left the house. "Until this pink-envelope mystery is cleared up, -it would be very awkward to have it become known that Dallas was so -financially embarrassed that she couldn’t pay her board bill." - -Then he smiled grimly, as it occurred to him that the only person from -whom, in Dallas’ behalf, such knowledge should have been kept was -himself. Of what use to request the landlady not to mention the matter -to anybody, when he, the inspector in charge of the case, was already in -possession of the incriminating information? He was the man who must -find out what had become of the missing pink envelope. He was the man -who must name the guilty person, and eventually make an arrest in the -case. And, now that he knew that Dallas Worthington had suddenly -vanished, a few minutes after she got possession of the only pink -envelope which the letter box contained, what was he going to do about -it? - -He asked himself this question uneasily as he walked away from the -boarding place. He told himself indignantly that it was preposterous to -suppose for a minute that Dallas could be guilty of stealing the missing -letter; that she could deliberately have deceived Carrier Andrews in -order to get possession of the hundred-dollar bill which the pink -envelope contained. - -He was angry with himself for even considering the possibility of -Dallas’ guilt. "A nice way to treat the girl I love--the girl I am going -to make my wife!" he muttered. "It would serve me right if she threw me -over entirely when she learns that I dared to doubt her. How foolish to -suppose that her disappearance can have anything to do with the loss of -that letter!" - -Yet he knew very well that it was not foolish, from the standpoint of an -impartial post-office inspector. He knew very well that, considering all -the facts in the case, if it had been any other girl than Dallas -Worthington, he would have decided with positiveness that the person to -be charged with the crime was the young woman who had accosted Pop -Andrews at the street letter box, and pleaded with the old mail -collector until he handed her the letter. - -He realized that he must do one of two things: He must scoff at Pop -Andrews’ story, accuse him of having invented that yarn about handing -the pink envelope to Dallas, charge the veteran carrier with being the -thief, and place him under arrest; or else, accepting the carrier’s -story as the truth, he must report to his chief that the missing letter -had been stolen by a young woman named Dallas Worthington, who had not -yet been placed under arrest because she had fled to escape the -consequences of her act. - -"It’s a ticklish proposition," reflected Owen. "I can’t very well accuse -Dallas, yet I know very well that Pop Andrews is honest, and it would -break the old fellow’s heart to accuse him of being a thief." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -UNWELCOME DUTIES. - - -As Sheridan entered the post office, and stepped moodily into the -private rooms of the superintendent, Henderson looked at him with an -expectant smile. "Well, Mr. Inspector, have you solved the mystery yet?" - -"Not quite, Henderson. Is Pop Andrews in? I’d like to have another talk -with him." - -"Yes; he’s upstairs in the swing room, I believe. I’ll send for him." - -"Now, Pop," said Owen, as the grizzled carrier came into the office, -"are you absolutely sure that it was Miss Worthington to whom you handed -that pink envelope last night?" - -"Yes, sir; I am quite sure." - -"You don’t think there’s any possibility that you could have been -mistaken--that it might have been some other young woman who resembled -Miss Worthington?" asked Owen. - -"No; I’m positive, Mr. Sheridan. I know her well. You know I had that -delivery route for six weeks last summer, while Smithers was sick, and I -saw her, of course, every day when I called at the real-estate office -with the mail, so I couldn’t be mistaken." - -Owen nodded gloomily. "That’s right, Pop; I recall, now, that you had -that route while Smithers was laid up. As you say, you ought to know -her. Now, I want you to tell me, Pop, exactly what passed between you -when she asked for that letter. Give me every word of the conversation -as near as you can remember it." - -"Very good, sir," said the old man. "Well, to begin at the very -beginning, the young lady was pacing up and down in front of the letter -box in a very nervous manner, as I came along. When I went to open the -box, she touched my arm, and said: ‘I just dropped a letter in here, -which I’d like to get back. I’ve changed my mind about sending it.’ -‘Excuse me, miss,’ I said, ‘but before you go any further let me tell -you that us carriers are not allowed to hand back anything that has been -mailed. Its strictly against the rules,’ I says. ‘The only way you can -get your letter is by going around to the post office and seeing the -superintendent. He can let you have it if he wants to; the rules give -him that right; but I can’t.’" - -"And what did she say to that?" inquired Owen eagerly. - -"She said that she didn’t care to go around to see the superintendent; -that she didn’t think he’d do her the favor, and she began to plead and -beg, saying that if I knew how very much it meant to her to get that -letter back, she was sure that I wouldn’t refuse her." - -"Didn’t she tell you what was in the letter?" asked Owen. "Surely she -must have mentioned something as to the nature of its contents, Pop?" - -"No, sir; she didn’t. She merely said it was a very important letter, -and that it would do a terrible lot of harm if it went through the mail. -And she said, also, that she could pick the letter out without giving me -any trouble, because it was in a pink envelope, and square-shaped." - -"Square-shaped!" repeated Owen, turning eagerly to Superintendent -Henderson, who sat listening to this conversation. "Then that goes to -prove that----” - -"I believe I forgot to mention, Mr. Inspector, that according to Mr. -Sammis and his clergyman friend, the letter which they dropped into the -box, and which is now missing, was also in a square envelope," -interrupted the superintendent. - -The look of joyous relief which had come to Owen’s face immediately -disappeared. "Well, go on, Pop," he said, in a discouraged tone. - -"Well, sir, the young lady pleaded so hard that finally, like a weak old -fool, I consented to do her the favor. It wasn’t until she began to cry -that I gave in; I can’t bear to see a woman in tears, and I didn’t dream -for a minute, of course, that there was goin’ to be all this trouble -about that letter afterward; so I told her I’d take a chance and let her -have it." - -"And when you handed her the pink envelope, you noticed, of course, the -address which was on it," said Owen, clutching at straws. "Are you quite -sure, Pop, that it was addressed to a person in Pennsylvania--the same -person to whom the clergyman’s missing letter was addressed?" - -He asked the question fearfully, realizing that Dallas’ fate depended -upon what answer the old carrier made. If Pop Andrews answered in the -affirmative, then there could be no doubt, of course, that the letter -which Dallas had asked for and received was the letter which contained -the clergyman’s hundred-dollar bill. - -But the veteran shook his head. "No, I couldn’t swear to that, Owen; I -couldn’t tell you whether it was addressed to the same party or not, -because I didn’t see the address side at all." - -"You didn’t see it?" exclaimed Owen incredulously. "You mean to say that -you handed her the letter without even looking at it, Pop?" - -An exclamation of astonishment came from Superintendent Henderson. He, -too, looked at the old man incredulously. - -Pop Andrews’ air was sheepish. "I must admit that I’m all kinds of a -careless fool," he said; "but, you see, didn’t give me a chance to look -at the address. As soon as I opened the box and took out its contents -she reached for the pink envelope, which was lying on top of the heap, -and she said: ‘Here it is; thank you very much.’ And she grabbed it -before I had a chance to object. I was about to tell her that she -couldn’t have the letter until she had convinced me that it was the -right one, but before I could say a word she was hurrying up the street -with the pink envelope in her hand bag." - -"And you didn’t follow her and insist upon her giving it up or letting -you examine it?" exclaimed Owen. - -"No, sir; I didn’t bother. You see, I supposed everything was all right. -I thought the young lady acted like that merely because she was excited -and nervous. You know how jerky a woman’ll act when she’s got something -on her mind. I put it down to that, and went ahead with my collections, -not thinking any more about the matter until I got back here, and was -asked to produce the pink envelope containing a hundred-dollar bill, -which the parson had dropped into that same letter box." - -As the old man finished, he turned anxiously to Owen. "I hope you -believe what I’ve told you? You’re not going to place me under arrest, -are you, Mr. Sheridan?" - -Owen hesitated, but only for a moment. His glance traveled from the -veteran’s grizzled hair to the gold stars on his coat sleeves--emblems -of forty years’ faithful service in the department. Then a look of -determination came to the young inspector’s face. - -"No, Pop. I’m not going to arrest you," he said. "Hard as it is to -believe, I feel that you’ve told me the truth, and I can’t be so unjust -as to make you the scapegoat." - -Superintendent Henderson looked at Owen in astonishment. "Excuse me for -butting in, Mr. Sheridan," he said, "but being that you’re new at this -work I take the liberty of reminding you that it’s usual in cases of -this sort to arrest the carrier. I don’t want to make things unpleasant -for Pop, of course, but, at the same time, it seems to me that you can’t -very well let him go free. You see, Mr. Sheridan, he admits that he -handed the missing letter to the young woman, and, therefore, innocent -though his intentions may have been, in the eyes of the law he’s a party -to the crime." - -"I guess that’s right," assented Owen, his face flushing at thus having -displayed his greenness. He turned apologetically to Carrier Andrews. -"What the superintendent says is undoubtedly so, Pop. I’m sorry to say -that I’ll have to place you under arrest, after all." - - -TO BE CONTINUED. - - - - -ONE WAY TO DIE RICH. - - -A few years ago, a British ship having on board a large consignment of -Spanish specie for a house in Rio Janeiro, was wrecked on the Brazilian -coast. The captain ordered some of the casks containing the gold to be -brought on deck, but it was soon found necessary to take to the boats -without any of the treasure. - -As the last boat was about to leave, one of the officers went back to -make a last tour of the ship. Sitting beside one of the casks with a -hatchet in his hand, he found one of the sailors. - -"Hurry up!" cried the officer. "We came within an ace of going off -without you." - -"I’m not going," replied the sailor, giving the cask a hearty whack with -the hatchet, bursting it open, and laughing with delight as the coin -poured out around him; "I’ve always wanted to die rich. I’ve been poor -all my life, and this is my first and last chance. Go ahead! I’ll stay -here with my fortune." - -Argue as he might, the officer could not persuade the fellow to leave -the gold, with which he played as a child with marbles, and he finally -had to leave him to his fate. - - - - -THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS. - - -Robber Spares Nervy Man. - -Isaac Pressman, tailor at 5505 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, was -awakened at four a. m. by the gleam of a flash light on his face. - -When he sat up in bed he found the flash light had been switched so as -to shine on his trousers hung over the back of a chair. In the shaft of -light he saw a hand searching the pockets. - -Pressman leaped from bed and grappled with the burglar. In the struggle -the burglar seized Pressman’s revolver from the bureau and ordered hands -up. - -"You’ve got nerve," the intruder said, "so I won’t shoot you. But you -should have got the gun before you jumped me." - -Then he disappeared with the gun and a pocketbook containing fourteen -dollars. - - -Hen Cares for Little Pigs. - -Because a hen, the property of Earl Peck, of Sandersbury, Pa., is not -allowed to set on eggs, she has undertaken to mother two little pigs the -farmer brought home a few days ago. It’s a cute sight to see the hen -strutting around with her adopted ones. - - -The "Sneeze Wood" Tree. - -In South Africa there is the "sneeze-wood" tree, which is so called -because one cannot cut it with a saw without sneezing, as the fine dust -has exactly the effect of snuff. No insect or worm will touch it; it is -very bitter to the taste, and, when placed in water, it sinks. - - -Interesting New Inventions. - -A typewriter that can be operated by the feet has been invented by a -German. It is for the benefit of those who have lost one or both arms in -the war. - -For testing X-ray apparatus, skeleton hands, made of paper and being -about as opaque as real hands, have been invented. - -Because some London streets are too narrow for motor omnibuses to be -turned around, vehicles are being tried with controlling apparatus at -each end. - -A recently invented pneumatic boxing glove is intended to protect both -user and opponent from harm. - - -His Case Puzzles Doctors. - -W. H. Hilton, living near Crane, Mo., lost his voice two years ago from -the effects of a severe case of whooping cough. The singular feature of -Mr. Hilton’s affliction is that he can speak audibly to dumb animals on -his farm in as clear a voice as he ever could, but can only whisper when -he attempts to speak to persons. Mr. Hilton’s health is excellent, and -his strange affliction has puzzled physicians from many parts of the -State. He is sixty-five years old. - - -Electrically Groomed Horses. - -Vacuum cleaners, which have the usefulness of curry-combs, with the -additional advantage of suction to draw into a receptacle the dust, -scale, and dandruff removed from the animal’s coat, have been adopted -for grooming the horses of New York City’s park department. The cleaner -is driven by an electric motor, and is so light as to be easily carried -from place to place. For greater convenience, however, they are mounted -on hand trucks. - -It has been found that besides doing the work in a much more thorough -and sanitary manner than is possible with the ordinary currycomb, the -cleaners are far more rapid. The men, using the vacuum cleaner, can care -for several times the number of horses they formerly could curry in the -old way. - - -Michigan Farmer is Rival of Burbank. - -Hen Stratton, the Luther Burbank of Benzie County, Mich., is conducting -a series of interesting experiments with his chewing-gum tree. - -Last fall lightning struck three trees in Hen’s woods, and when he -looked over the damage he had an idea. One of his young maples was split -in two, the big spruce next to it was splintered, and the slippery elm, -a few feet away, was hewed from top to bottom. Hen pulled the three -trees together, bound them tight for twenty feet, and let them grow that -way. - -He thinks the sap of the sugar maple will flow through the spruce gum -and turn out the finest kind of maple-flavored gum. He added the -slippery elm to make it softer chewing. - - -"Safety-first" Candle. - -Candles can easily be fitted with attachments to put out the light at a -set time. Mark a candle of the size used and time how long a certain -length of it will burn. Then suspend a small metal dome or cap, to which -a string is attached directly over the flame, and run the opposite end -of the string over nails or through screw eyes, so that it can be tied -around the candle such a distance from the flame end that the part -between the flame and the string will be consumed in the time desired -for the light to burn. When this point is reached, the string slips off -the candle and the cap drops on the flame. - - -Mule Stops Runaway Auto. - -It took a Missouri mule to stop a runaway automobile belonging to -Professor W. G. Wesley, of Collinsville, Tenn., which started up -mysteriously and ran two blocks to where a mule was hitched to a hind -wheel of a country wagon. Seeing the car making for it, the mule turned -and kicked the car squarely in the hood, which resulted in damaging the -engine so badly that it stopped. - -The mule belonged to Jim Sparks, and came from Kansas City. - - -"The Campbells Are Coming." - -For the first time in history, Scottish bagpipe factories are working -night and day, according to word from Glasgow. - -It is not only the Scottish regiments that march to the battlefields -behind the pipes. English, Irish, and even the Indian regiments have -caught the "pipe craze," until now it is estimated that ten thousand -pipes are playing "Johnny Cope" every morning in Britain, at sea, or in -France, and the demand for the instrument exceeds the supply. The -instruments cost from thirty-five dollars to forty-five dollars. - - -Woman Dwarf 106 Years Old. - -The one-hundred-and-sixth birthday anniversary of Mrs. Jeannette -Schwartz, a dwarf three feet high, weighing only twenty pounds, was -recently celebrated in the Brooklyn Hebrew Home for the Aged. - -Mrs. Schwartz received her guests in bed, where she has been since -coming to the home a year ago. Her advanced age and diminutive size have -made her the wonder of the home. - -She replied with intelligence in German to the many questions put to -her, but her memory could not recall anything that happened beyond ten -years ago. - - -Bees Sting Horse to Death. - -While grazing in a pasture, a valuable horse belonging to J. W. Sweeney, -of Lancaster, Ky., was attacked by a swarm of bees and so badly stung -that he died. - - -Chase Kills Dog and Rabbit. - -Two greyhounds chased a jack rabbit until it toppled over dead, but the -dogs were so exhausted they did not pick it up. A few moments later the -dogs also died from overexertion. Ivan Marshall, of Lebanon, Kan., owner -of the dogs, buried the three bodies in the same grave. - - -Fifty Years a Postman. - -Louis Manz, of Milwaukee, Wis., who quit the post-office department a -few days ago, was the oldest mail carrier in point of service in the -United States, having served fifty years. Mr. Manz, who is eighty years -old, may become the center of a movement for pensions for superannuated -mail carriers. - -Upon the occasion of his retirement, a banquet was given in his honor by -his friends. It was attended by many of those to whom he had carried -mail. - - -Tooter Would Lead Five Bands. - -To be the leader of five brass bands is the strenuous and unusual task -of Charles Brown, a Junction City, Kan., bandmaster. Evidently he -believes with the poet, that music has its power to soothe the savage -breast. - - -Pink Kitten is a Beauty. - -A kitten owned by Miss Mary Swartz, of Point Pleasant, Pa., is one of -the oddest freaks of nature ever seen in that section. The kitten is a -bright pink in color, and it is a beauty. - - -Moon is Powerless to Influence Crops. - -"Scientists are now convinced that the moon has no more influence on -crops than it has upon the temperature, or the amount of rain, or the -winds, or any other weather element," say experts of the Federal -Department of Agriculture. - -"The growth of plants depends upon the amount of food in the soil and -the air that is available for them, and upon temperature, light, and -moisture. The moon obviously does not affect the character of the soil -in any way; neither does it affect the composition of the atmosphere. -The only remaining way in which it could influence plant growth, -therefore, is by its light. - -"Recent experiments, however, show that full daylight is about six -hundred thousand times brighter than full moonlight; yet, when a plant -gets one-one-hundredth part of normal daylight, it thrives little better -than in absolute darkness. If one-one-hundredth part of normal daylight -is thus too little to stimulate a plant, it seems quite certain that a -six-hundred-thousandth part cannot have any effect at all. It is, -therefore, a mere waste of time to think about the moon in connection -with the planting of crops. - -"The moon has nothing more to do with this than it has to do with the -building of fences, the time for killing hogs or any other of the -innumerable things over which it was supposed to exert a strong -influence." - - -Cat Mothers Young Rabbit. - -A young rabbit found by Arthur Keen, who lives east of Gentry, Mo., a -few days ago, was taken home and placed in a nest of young kittens of -nearly the same size and age as the rabbit. The mother cat quietly -adopted the little stranger, seeming to think as much of it as she did -of her own offspring. The little rabbit seems perfectly satisfied with -its new mother, and is as lively and playful as the kittens. - - -Magnet Picks Up Nails. - -This device has been invented to take the place of the hardware man’s -scoop. It is only necessary to thrust the hand magnet into a mass of -nails and touch a button, which turns on the electric current. The nails -cling to the magnet and may be lifted to the scales or wherever desired. -After a little practice in manipulating the magnet, the operator can -gauge closely as to the number of pounds of nails he desires to lift. As -can be seen, this is easier than trying to pick up a handful or scoopful -of eightpenny nails. - - -Work for Thirty-five Thousand in Kansas. - -A call for thirty-five thousand harvest hands has been sent out by the -Kansas free-employment bureau. Last year forty-two thousand harvesters -found work in Kansas. The acreage is slightly less than a year ago, but -the prospects for an enormous crop are unusually good. - - -Find New Name for "Nuts." - -"The strenuous life of business men," says an eminent physician, "is -causing New Yorkitis. For one insane man in our asylums there are ten -outside. New Yorkitis," he says, "is a mild form of insanity. It is -caused by irregular working hours, nonhygienic surroundings, and too -much rush. Unregulated work isn’t the only thing that’s the matter with -New Yorkers," says the doctor. - -"They eat too much. As for exercise, they take practically none. Up to -forty, we have decreased the death rate. But what is happening after -forty? The death rate is increasing by leaps and bounds. Organic -diseases, those affecting the kidneys and the heart, the blood vessels -and the nerves, are enormously on the increase." - - -New Typewriter Appliance. - -The day of the unhandy hand method of pulling or pushing back the -typewriter carriage and spacing the paper on the roll at the end of each -line is to be ended for some people, for A. W. Wing, a court reporter, -of Chicago, Ill., has just secured a patent for a machine which -accomplishes both movements with a slight movement of the foot. - -Wing believes his apparatus will add almost as much again efficiency to -a typewriter as at present, as the machine will save both time and -strength. He has several models working. - - -Resolved to Die in Deserted City. - -Living only in the memory of a distant past, isolated from the rest of -the world, yet living in a city of a thousand homes, sitting idly hour -by hour at the front of a small saloon where twenty years ago prosperity -and excitement were on every hand, Sam Bolger, former Topeka bartender, -later an adventurer, gambler, and Colorado saloon owner, is residing in -the deserted mining town of Gillette, Col. - -The life of Sam Bolger reads like a romance, tinged with all the -vicissitudes of life, livened by the carefree days when gold was more -plentiful in Cripple Creek than to-day, shadowed by more sorrows than -falls to the lot of the average man. - -Several Topeka pioneers may remember him in the days of yore when he -served drinks over the bar of a saloon on lower Kansas Avenue, before -the amendment was put into effect which placed Kansas in the fore rank -of dry States. - -A newspaper man and party visited Gillette. They found the town -deserted, except by one man, Sam Bolger. He occupied a dilapidated -saloon, but had no customers. - -An inquisitive nomad put the following question to the old relic: - -"Where are the rest of the voters?" - -The faded old man did not answer at first, but then he replied: "They -are everywhere but here." - -He then relapsed into silence, but another Kansan--or, rather, he was a -Kansas Cityan--spied a table and a few suspicious-looking bottles within -the place. He called the ancient gentleman and together they entered the -poorly kept saloon. (Film here deleted by censor.) When the old man came -out, some ten minutes later, he was in a more talkative mood. - -"I hear that you fellows are from Kansas," he said, "but you don’t know -Kansas as I knew it. The men who were young then are now in their -dotage. When I lived in Topeka, it was a wide-open town, and it was my -business to furnish beer and whiskies to its progressive citizens." - -The man--he said his name was Sam Bolger--again fell into a moody -silence. Then he resumed his talk. - -"I was a fool for ever leaving Topeka. It was in 1880, not long after -the prohibition amendment went into effect. I had lost my job. I had no -money. So I just naturally drifted West, and for the next ten years I -roamed around California, New Mexico, Arizona, and old Mexico. But it -was in eighteen-ninety that I came to Cripple Creek. The first real -strike had been made. With thousands of others I fell a victim to my -ambition to be rich. Out of all those who went to Cripple Creek in those -years, only a few remain to-day who have wealth. - -"I just naturally had no luck. I sweated my life away in the mines. I -gambled and drank away my wages in Cripple Creek. There never was a city -yet that could equal it. Money flowed like water. I believe it was the -wickedest spot on the map. - -"I was in the great Cripple Creek fire of eighteen-ninety-six. By that -time I was part owner of a small saloon. The fire destroyed my place, -and I was broke again. - -"Then I heard rumors of Gillette. The town became a city in a night. The -rush of men here at that time was heavy. Being one of the first on the -ground, I started a saloon in a shack and a boarding house in a tent. -Then I leased the upstairs of a building and owned the first dance hall -here. For several months Gillette was fast becoming the center of the -Cripple Creek region. Then the gold gave out. It was shallow. People -left here in a single night. Many did not take even the precaution of -shutting their doors. Gillette started like a whirlwind, and in a like -manner it became deserted. - -"Only a few of us remained, firm in the belief that the country was -plentiful in gold. My saloon business was ruined, yet I kept it up, and -still have it to-day. Gradually my friends left Gillette, but I -remained, and have lived in solitary grandeur since nineteen hundred and -eight, when the last of my family moved away. - -"Why don’t I leave, you ask? Why should I? I have nothing especially to -live for. I have formed an attachment to Gillette. I will die here. I am -emperor of the place. My word is law, having no one to dispute it." - -The visitors soon after this resumed their journey to Cripple Creek, -seven miles away. An air of depression filled each and every one of -them. They began to realize what Carthage looked like after the carnage -of the Romans. As they turned off the main "drag" into a side street and -thence to the main road, the newspaper man looked back. Sam Bolger, a -pathetic figure to say the least, was still sitting where he had been -left. - - -The Strange Rites of the "Voodoo Queen." - -While voodooism--into the realm of which hideous and grotesque cult one -cannot go far without encountering the snake dancer, medicine faker, -charm vender, witchcraft queen, and the like--is becoming a matter of -"ancient history" in the South, still, one is bound to stumble onto -signs of it occasionally, and if one only follows the right trail, he -may come upon a scene that will readily convince him that the old-time -practices of some superstitious blacks are not dead or soundly -slumbering. - -The annual outbreaks--and then some--of aged Marie Lavoe, known in -Louisiana as the "Voodoo Queen," who was born in the Kongo and was -brought to that State in the slavery days, only go to prove that her -followers--and these are not all confined to the blacks--are just as -eager to take part in her mysterious séances and wilder orgies as they -were when she, as a young girl and stately specimen of the African -queen, first introduced her startling exhibitions of conjuring and -sorcery. - -Even now, with the annual return of St. John’s Day, this voodoo queen is -said to fall from her throne of Christian grace and to plunge again into -all the strange practices that in past years won for her a following -that has never been outnumbered by any of her rivals, male or female, -throughout the South, the only section of the country where such -practices are known, although in the large cities of the North charm -sellers and voodoo doctors can always be found, if the right negro can -be secured to act as guide through the "black belt." - -If one would witness some wild dances and still wilder orgies, then one -should hie away to Lake St. John, on St. John’s Day, and quietly trail -the small bands of happy, smiling black folks to the charming oval -clearing where the "festivities" are to take place. Here the spectator -will see a terpsichorean divertisement that might well be called "the -dance of wild abandon," inasmuch as the dancers appear to have abandoned -about all of their covering that the law will allow. - -One has but to watch the contortions to discern the origin of many of -the movements of fashionable dances as adopted by the society circles of -"white folks" to-day. As to the music, one hears the same syncopated -measures that lure our white brothers and sisters into the gilded tango -palaces of the metropolis. - -The scene is startling, if not inspiring. On a mat of "latanier"--scrub -palm--sits the voodoo queen. In front of her is a charcoal brazier, a -bowl containing milk, a small cage in which are white mice, and in a -round basket rests the coiled, live snake that next to the sorceress is -the most important property item of the weird scenes that are about to -be enacted. While the aged queen is supposed to be a sorceress, judging -from her equipment, she is a "caplata" to her worshipers and supporters. - -Soon is heard the syncopated strum of the banjos, then the low minor -chant of those seated about the charmed circle. One by one the male -dancers divest themselves of their superfluous clothing, females the -while making the same preparations. The queen liberates the half-starved -snake and holds a tiny, frightened mouse before its glistening eyes. The -snake darts forth its head and swallows the mouse with a single gulp. -This is repeated until the snake has been fed three mice. As the snake -bolts each morsel of living food, the queen throws some red-flash powder -on the brazier, and for a moment the whole circle is lost in a sweetly -perfumed cloud of vapor, which gradually rises and floats away. - -When the dancing begins, the faces of the participants all wear a -serious look, very much like that seen on faces of a bunch of college -athletes about to engage in a hundred or four-hundred-yard sprint. The -wild frenzy of the thing is to come later. It will be noticed that the -dancers’ near-nude bodies are decorated with neck circlets of animal -teeth--a custom probably adopted from the North American Indians--gayly -colored chicken feathers, rabbits’ feet, curious medallions gathered -from all parts of the world, but of small intrinsic value, perhaps, -although some of the huge ear and nose rings worn by both sexes -undoubtedly have been handed down the family line by native Africans. - -Gradually the dancers work themselves into the real spirit of the -grotesque celebration. They circle about their queen in pairs and -singly, and their body contortions soon begin to equal those of the -Indians of the Far West when engaged in a similar pastime. The music -becomes wilder, the shouts of the nonparticipants become louder, and the -dancers begin to puff and blow and grunt strange sounds and -exclamations, much like so many blacks playing at craps. Their queen, -the while, is not idle. She continues to cast the varicolored flash -powders into the fire, and many times the dancers are lost in the misty -clouds that the brazier throws off. The dance continues until the -participants are completely exhausted and fall with fixed eyes and -frothing mouths to the ground, where they gradually recover and then -make way for a new "set." - -Following the custom established when the thrifty Marie first -established her reptilian fandango, each dancer must pay to her three -pieces of silver of different denominations. In the early days of her -reign this meant a three-cent piece, a dime, and a quarter, but if her -patron hasn’t a three-cent piece, which is now generally the case, he -must pay a dime, a quarter, and a half--eighty-five cents in the total. -In return for this presentation, the patron may receive a prettily -mounted rabbit’s foot, guaranteed to have been killed in a graveyard at -midnight, a conjure bag warranted to keep off bad spirits, or his pick -from a variety of other "charms" that the chooser firmly believes will -carry him safely through to the time when St. John’s Day shall have -again rolled around. - - -Peace at Last in "Bloody Breathitt." - -"Dock" Smith, one of the alleged assassins of Ed Callahan, recently -pleaded guilty before the court in Winchester, Ky., and was sentenced to -a life term in the penitentiary, and it is believed that the passing of -sentence on Smith will be the finis to the long-continued feudal warfare -which caused the press of the nation to confer the title of "Bloody -Breathitt" on the county which produced Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan. - -With the deaths of Hargis and Callahan, and the conviction of several of -those alleged to have been responsible for the plot which ended -Callahan’s life, the old feudal spirit was practically wiped out in -Jackson and Breathitt Counties, and that section is to-day regarded as -having the brightest prospects of any section of the State. - -Wealthy Eastern syndicates have invaded Breathitt and adjoining counties -and invested heavily in the coal and timber lands of the section, while -at the time James B. Marcum was assassinated and for several years -subsequent to that tragedy, financial concerns of New York, -Philadelphia, and other Eastern cities declined to invest any capital in -this troubled district. - -Twelve years ago, in Breathitt County, was fired a shot that meant -little at the time to those responsible for it, but which in reality -meant more for the future of eastern Kentucky than any event of the past -half century, for it sounded the death knell of the famous and deadly -Hargis-Cockrill feud. It was the shot that killed James B. Marcum as he -stood in the front door of the bullet-riddled courthouse at Jackson, and -while Marcum was only one of the many who opposed the leaders of the old -Hargis-Callahan factions and had gone the same route, by the assassin’s -bullet, his death aroused the people of the State to action, and from -that moment the law camped on the trail of those believed to be guilty -of procuring Marcum’s death. - -Marcum walked into the trap laid for him while those later charged with -having laid it were interested spectators, they occupying easy-chairs in -the doorway of the Hargis store just across the street. Among those who -witnessed the assassination were Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan, county -judge and high sheriff, respectively, of Breathitt County; while the -other actors in the drama were Curtis Jett, nephew of Hargis, and Tom -White, henchman of the Hargis-Callahan clan. These two, according to a -subsequent confession by Jett, carried out a plot arranged by Hargis and -Callahan to kill Marcum, and as the latter started to enter the door of -the courthouse, a shot rang out and he fell mortally wounded. - -The assassination of Marcum, following so closely upon the deaths of -others in a similar manner, including Jim Cockrill, eldest of the -Cockrill brothers, and Doctor B. D. Cox, legal guardian of the infant -Cockrill heirs, created a clamor for justice in Breathitt County, -heretofore unknown in this section. So strong was the pressure brought -to bear that before nightfall the governor of the State had ordered a -company of militia to Jackson, and martial law was declared the -following morning. - -This resulted in the calling of a special grand jury, and two weeks -later indictments were returned against Jett and White, charging them -with the murder of Marcum. They were later convicted and sentenced to a -life term in the penitentiary, and both are now paying the penalty -behind the prison walls at Frankfort. The case was tried in Cynthiana, -having been sent to Harrison County on a change of venue from Breathitt -County. Subsequently both men were tried and found guilty of the -assassination of Jim Cockrill and given the same sentence as in the -Marcum murder. - -Through the confession later obtained by the Commonwealth from Mose -Feltner and others of the alleged Hargis-Callahan faction, indictments -were returned against Jim and Alex Hargis, Ed Callahan, and B. Fult -French, charging them with conspiracy to bring about the death of -Marcum, Cockrill, and Doctor Cox. - -For seven years the four alleged conspirators faced legal death in -criminal proceedings as a result of the indictments against them, and -while they were subsequently acquitted by juries in Lexington, -Beattyville, and Sandy Hook, to which places the cases were sent on a -change of venue from Breathitt County, Alex Hargis is the only one of -the quartet now living. - -Jim Hargis was slain by his own son, Beach Hargis, in the Hargis store -in Jackson, and Callahan was slain in his store at Crockettsville, -twenty miles from Jackson, three years ago. - -B. Fult French was the last one of the alleged conspirators to die, and -while he was always considered by many as the real leader of the plots -which resulted in many of the anti-Hargis faction passing to the great -beyond, he died a peaceful death, last winter, at his home in -Winchester. It was to this place that French removed from Hazard after -the extermination of the French-Eversole feud in Perry County. - -The first of the many legal battles resulting from the death of James B. -Marcum was waged here in Winchester the year following his death, his -widow, Arbellah Marcum, choosing this city in which to file her claims -for one hundred thousand dollars damages because French, one of the -alleged conspirators, was a resident of this city. It was an easy matter -to get services on the other three alleged conspirators in Clark county, -as they had to pass through Winchester three or four times a week going -to and from Lexington and Jackson. - -The trial lasted five weeks and was, perhaps, the most sensational civil -proceeding ever fought in Kentucky. Mrs. Marcum was awarded a judgment -against Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan for eight thousand dollars damages, -but the judgment was the smallest part of the expense to the defendants, -as it cost them thousands of dollars to bring hundreds of witnesses from -various parts of the mountains and keep them in Winchester for weeks. - -Even with the conclusion of the Marcum suit the legal troubles of the -Hargises, Callahan, and French had just begun, and for a period of seven -years they were before the courts, either to defend themselves or some -of their alleged henchmen, and while neither of the four alleged leaders -were ever convicted, their large fortunes and once powerful influence -had waned when their legal battles were over. - -At the time Jim Hargis was first accused of procuring assassins to kill -Marcum, he was the Tenth District Committeeman of the State General -Committee of his party, and continued to hold that office until public -sentiment forced him out, but when he was killed by his own son, he had -lost the political prestige of the leaders who for years stood by him, -and he died virtually an obscure resident of Jackson, rarely heard of -outside the confines of Breathitt County. - -Following the death of Hargis, it was generally believed the old feud -had died with its leader, but to those who were opposed to the Hargis -faction, Callahan loomed up as the leader of the faction, and every few -weeks the old feudal spirit would begin to boil, and this continued -until Callahan became the victim of an assassin. - - -Parting Shot Opens Gusher. - -An oil well which it is believed will be in the five-thousand-barrel -class and will cause the opening of an extension of the famous Cushing -field, near Muskogee, Okla., was started to flowing by a twenty-seven -quart shot of nitroglycerin made as a parting slap by the owners, who -thought the well was worthless. - -This well was sunk in the sand in the edge of the Oilton oil pool. It -showed no signs of being productive, and there were no productive wells -around it. The owners were about to abandon it, but decided to try one -more shot of nitroglycerin. Then the oil spouted all over the lease. - - -Aged Ship, _Success_, is Safe in Oakland. - -On April 14, 1912, an old, storm-beaten, odd-looking, three-masted -sailing ship--the oldest vessel afloat--set out from Lancaster, England, -and dropping away from Glasson dock, veteran of all piers, seized the -wind in her teeth and sped away on a voyage across the western ocean. At -different times in her career the old barkentine _Success_, for such is -her name, had been a full-rigged merchantman, a convict transport ship, -and a despised prison hulk, but just what she is to-day can be -ascertained by all who care to go down to the harbor at Oakland, Cal., -and devote an hour or so to an inspection of the age-old craft which has -just arrived here. - -High of stern--almost a galleon in lines--bluffy, "apple-bowed," with an -out-of-date figurehead sprawling beneath a skyward bowsprit, she sailed, -alone of her kind, an anachronism, a curiosity, a craft as out of place -among modern hulls, her foremast hands declared, "as an alligator -ashore." - -And that was why she sailed uninsured, for Lloyd’s--that gamest of all -maritime-insurance companies, in whose rooms a gamble will be taken even -upon a ship whose skipper "cracks on sail into the Day of Judgment"--had -refused her as a risk. - -She had been denied British clearance, too, and her only papers were a -board-of-health certificate, countersigned by the American consul in her -port of departure. - -Before her company was filled, a score of captains had thrown up their -sea-calloused hands in holy horror when offered the master’s billet -aboard her, and two crews had deserted before her forefoot could bruise -the ocean swells. And even now the old craft is short-manned. - -The date first set for the sailing of the _Success_ from the port on the -River Lune saw the _Titanic_ clear Southampton upon her memorable and -tragic maiden voyage. The old barkentine, however, was delayed by an -inability to fill her crew. - -"If I hadn’t known the sort of stuff that the old girl was built of, I’d -have been as skeptical of her chances as the rest," Captain D. H. Smith, -her owner, admits. "As vessels go nowadays, she isn’t any giant. She is -only one hundred and thirty-five feet over all, with a beam of -twenty-nine feet, and registered at five hundred and eighty-nine tons. -And then consider her age and history. - -"She was built of teak throughout--what they used to call ‘black -ship’--and that’s why I have such faith in her, even though she was -battered up some in her early youth by the Indian Ocean pirates, and -after she fell from caste was moored for so many years as a prison hulk. - -"But she made the thousands of miles between Australia and England under -her own sail, and then I determined to bring her to the United States." - -The _Success_, all sail set to catch the last of the easterly winds she -had counted on to carry her across the north Atlantic in forty-six days, -left Lancaster with fair weather. She was provisioned for fifty days and -carried eighteen thousand gallons of water. - -Cordage humming, she stood bravely on the out course, and when she was -ten hours beyond sight of land, her wireless operator, Gallagher, sat at -a little petrol outfit which had been installed aboard her, sending the -last good-bys of the little ship’s company of nineteen over the evening -sea. - -Crook Haven, the great Irish station, was taking his messages, the -_Success_, with her call of "I. D. B.," having been given right of way -over all other craft. Time and time again other ships tried to cut in, -but Crook Haven "turned them out" until Gallagher finished. - -Then Gallagher, with his earpieces still on, heard the message which he -had shut out come spluttering out of the night. It had been relayed from -the _Carpathia_. She was picking up the _Titanic_ survivors. - -Upon the old barkentine the news of the disaster fell like a -thunderclap, and the fear of death took each of them by the throat. - -"What chance have we," they asked, "with nothing but a century-old -bottom between us and losin’ the numbers of our mess?" - -And it was not cowardice, either. There was not a man for’ard on the -_Success_ but who would cheerfully take every chance that comes in a -sailor’s twenty-four-hour day. - -There came a time when the _Success_ was sixty days from port and -apparently far out of her course. Consequently every time their puny -wireless would sputter into the night in a vain attempt to give their -location to the ships which were looking for her, the crew, spirit -broken and diseased, would jump to the conclusion that their captain was -sending the "S. O. S." call for aid, and a strong hand was needed to -drive them to the back-breaking task when both watches were required on -deck constantly to tack her, and to wear her when the proximity of a -great iceberg would not permit them to tack. - -When they were twelve days out, four hundred miles due east of Boston, -trouble broke out among the crew. Five of the Liverpool bullies grew -unruly and demanded that the _Success_ be headed for Halifax, which lay -a bit over four hundred miles west and about one hundred and fifty -miles north of their then position. That same night, while asleep in -their bunks, they were made prisoners and were kept locked up until -Boston was reached. - -The famous old hulk finally dropped anchor off of East Boston flats, -thus closing one of the most remarkable voyages in recent years. The -five malcontents, and one other who had made trouble for the captain, -were sent back to their native countries for punishment. From Boston she -went to New York, Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia prior to her -sailing for San Francisco. - -She will remain in Oakland for a brief period only while she is being -fitted out for her voyage to British Columbia, whence she will sail -direct to Melbourne, her home port. She will never return from the -latter port, as she will then have completed a tour of the world. - - -Oklahoma Will Honor First White Settlers. - -Citizens of Salina, Okla., are making an effort to raise funds with -which to erect a monument in Salina marking the site of the first white -settlement in what is now Oklahoma. - -An organization known as the Choteau Monument Association has been -formed in Salina, and its object is to assemble funds or to coöperate -with others in raising funds with which to erect the monument. - -The Daughters of the American Revolution and the Oklahoma Historical -Association may be appealed to for financial aid, and the suggestion has -been made that St. Louis, Mo., where the Choteau family has lived since -the founding of that city, be asked to aid in marking the spot. - -Professor Joseph B. Thoburn, of the University of Oklahoma, State -ethnologist, gives the following account of the establishment of the -trading post at Salina: - -"It is not generally known in Oklahoma that Salina is the site of the -first white settlement in Oklahoma--at least of the first of which -anything is known. It was nearly one hundred and twenty years ago, or, -to be exact, in 1796, that a trading post was established here by the -Choteaus of St. Louis. The Choteau brothers were mere lads when they -were brought to St. Louis at the time of the first settlement in 1764. -They had grown up in the Indian trade, and for many years they had a -practical monopoly of that of the Osage tribe, the members of which were -several times as numerous as they are now. - -"In 1795 Manuel Lisa, a creole Spaniard, secured from the Spanish -governor general of the province of Louisiana, at New Orleans, an -exclusive concession or monopoly of trading with the Indians of the -valley of the Missouri and those of all of its tributaries. - -"As the Osage Indians spent most of their time in the valley of the -Osage River, and as the Osage never was a tributary of the Missouri, it -followed that the Choteaus would lose the lucrative business which they -had built up among the Osages. Moreover, there was nothing to prevent -the Choteaus from trading with the Osages at any place outside of the -watershed of the Missouri. - -"Accordingly, the members of the enterprising firm busied themselves in -inducing a large number of Osages to move over and settle in the valleys -of the Neosho--or Grand--and Verdigris Rivers, in southern Kansas and -northern Oklahoma. The establishment of the trading post in the valley -of the Grand River, in Mayes County, on the present site of the town of -Salina, followed shortly afterward." - - - - -The Nick Carter Stories - -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS - - -When it comes to detective stories worth while, the =Nick Carter Stories= -contain the only ones that should be considered. They are not overdrawn -tales of bloodshed. They rather show the working of one of the finest -minds ever conceived by a writer. The name of Nick Carter is familiar -all over the world, for the stories of his adventures may be read in -twenty languages. No other stories have withstood the severe test of -time so well as those contained in the =Nick Carter Stories=. It proves -conclusively that they are the best. We give herewith a list of some of -the back numbers in print. You can have your news dealer order them, or -they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt -of the price in money or postage stamps. - -714--The Taxicab Riddle. -717--The Maser Rogue’s Alibi. -719--The Dead Letter. -720--The Allerton Millions. -728--The Mummy’s Head. -729--The Statue Clue. -730--The Torn Card. -731--Under Desperation’s Spur. -732--The Connecting Link. -733--The Abduction Syndicate. -736--The Toils of a Siren. -738--A Plot Within a Plot. -739--The Dead Accomplice. -741--The Green Scarab. -746--The Secret Entrance. -747--The Cavern Mystery. -748--The Disappearing Fortune. -749--A Voice from the Past. -752--The Spider’s Web. -753--The Man With a Crutch. -754--The Rajah’s Regalia. -755--Saved from Death. -756--The Man Inside. -757--Out for Vengeance. -758--The Poisons of Exili. -759--The Antique Vial. -760--The House of Slumber. -761--A Double Identity. -762--“The Mocker’s" Stratagem. -763--The Man that Came Back. -764--The Tracks in the Snow. -765--The Babbington Case. -766--The Masters of Millions. -767--The Blue Stain. -768--The Lost Clew. -770--The Turn of a Card. -771--A Message in the Dust. -772--A Royal Flush. -774--The Great Buddha Beryl. -775--The Vanishing Heiress. -776--The Unfinished Letter. -777--A Difficult Trail. -782--A Woman’s Stratagem. -783--The Cliff Castle Affair. -784--A Prisoner of the Tomb. -785--A Resourceful Foe. -789--The Great Hotel Tragedies. -795--Zanoni, the Transfigured. -796--The Lure of Gold. -797--The Man With a Chest. -798--A Shadowed Life. -799--The Secret Agent. -800--A Plot for a Crown. -801--The Red Button. -802--Up Against It. -803--The Gold Certificate. -804--Jack Wise’s Hurry Call. -805--Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase. -807--Nick Carter’s Advertisement. -808--The Kregoff Necklace. -811--Nick Carter and the Nihilists. -812--Nick Carter and the Convict Gang. -813--Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor. -814--The Triangled Coin. -815--Ninety-nine--and One. -816--Coin Number 77. - - -NEW SERIES - -NICK CARTER STORIES - -1--The Man from Nowhere. -2--The Face at the Window. -3--A Fight for a Million. -4--Nick Carter’s Land Office. -5--Nick Carter and the Professor. -6--Nick Carter as a Mill Hand. -7--A Single Clew. -8--The Emerald Snake. -9--The Currie Outfit. -10--Nick Carter and the Kidnapped Heiress. -11--Nick Carter Strikes Oil. -12--Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure. -13--A Mystery of the Highway. -14--The Silent Passenger. -15--Jack Dreen’s Secret. -16--Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case. -17--Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves. -18--Nick Carter’s Auto Chase. -19--The Corrigan Inheritance. -20--The Keen Eye of Denton. -21--The Spider’s Parlor. -22--Nick Carter’s Quick Guess. -23--Nick Carter and the Murderess. -24--Nick Carter and the Pay Car. -25--The Stolen Antique. -26--The Crook League. -27--An English Cracksman. -28--Nick Carter’s Still Hunt. -29--Nick Carter’s Electric Shock. -30--Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess. -31--The Purple Spot. -32--The Stolen Groom. -33--The Inverted Cross. -34--Nick Carter and Keno McCall. -35--Nick Carter’s Death Trap. -36--Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle. -37--The Man Outside. -38--The Death Chamber. -39--The Wind and the Wire. -40--Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase. -41--Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend. -42--The Queen of the Seven. -43--Crossed Wires. -44--A Crimson Clew. -45--The Third Man. -46--The Sign of the Dagger. -47--The Devil Worshipers. -48--The Cross of Daggers. -49--At Risk of Life. -50--The Deeper Game. -51--The Code Message. -52--The Last of the Seven. -53--Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful. -54--The Secret Order of Associated Crooks. -55--The Golden Hair Clew. -56--Back From the Dead. -57--Through Dark Ways. -58--When Aces Were Trumps. -59--The Gambler’s Last Hand. -60--The Murder at Linden Fells. -61--A Game for Millions. -62--Under Cover. -63--The Last Call. -64--Mercedes Danton’s Double. -65--The Millionaire’s Nemesis. -66--A Princess of the Underworld. -67--The Crook’s Blind. -68--The Fatal Hour. -69--Blood Money. -70--A Queen of Her Kind. -71--Isabel Benton’s Trump Card. -72--A Princess of Hades. -73--A Prince of Plotters. -74--The Crook’s Double. -75--For Life and Honor. -76--A Compact With Dazaar. -77--In the Shadow of Dazaar. -78--The Crime of a Money King. -79--Birds of Prey. -80--The Unknown Dead. -81--The Severed Hand. -82--The Terrible Game of Millions. -83--A Dead Man’s Power. -84--The Secrets of an Old House. -85--The Wolf Within. -86--The Yellow Coupon. -87--In the Toils. -88--The Stolen Radium. -89--A Crime in Paradise. -90--Behind Prison Bars. -91--The Blind Man’s Daughter. -92--On the Brink of Ruin. -93--Letter of Fire. -94--The $100,000 Kiss. -95--Outlaws of the Militia. -96--The Opium-Runners. -97--In Record Time. -98--The Wag-Nuk Clew. -99--The Middle Link. -100--The Crystal Maze. -101--A New Serpent in Eden. -102--The Auburn Sensation. -103--A Dying Chance. -104--The Gargoni Girdle. -105--Twice in Jeopardy. -106--The Ghost Launch. -107--Up in the Air. -108--The Girl Prisoner. -109--The Red Plague. -110--The Arson Trust. -111--The King of the Firebugs. -112--“Lifter’s" of the Lofts. -113--French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves. -114--The Death Plot. -115--The Evil Formula. -116--The Blue Button. -117--The Deadly Parallel. -118--The Vivisectionists. -119--The Stolen Brain. -120--An Uncanny Revenge. -121--The Call of Death. -122--The Suicide. -123--Half a Million Ransom. -124--The Girl Kidnapper. -125--The Pirate Yacht. -126--The Crime of the White Hand. -127--Found in the Jungle. -128--Six Men in a Loop. -129--The Jewels of Wat Chang. -130--The Crime in the Tower. -131--The Fatal Message. -132--Broken Bars. -133--Won by Magic. -134--The Secret of Shangore. -135--Straight to the Goal. -136--The Man They Hold Back. -137--The Seal of Gijon. -138--The Traitors of the Tropics. -139--The Pressing Peril. -140--The Melting-Pot. -141--The Duplicate Night. -142--The Edge of a Crime. -143--The Sultan’s Pearls. -144--The Clew of the White Collar. - - -Dated June 19th, 1915. - -145--An Unsolved Mystery. - - -Dated June 26th, 1915. - -146--Paying the Price. - - -Dated July 3d, 1915. - -147--On Death’s Trail. - - -Dated July 10th, 1915. - -148--The Mark of Cain. - - -=PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY.= If you want any back numbers of our weeklies -and cannot procure them from your news dealer, they can be obtained -direct from this office. Postage stamps taken the same as money. - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK CITY - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO. 150, -THE HOUSE OF FEAR; OR, NICK CARTER'S COUNTERSTROKE. *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Nick Carter Stories No. 150, The House of Fear; or, Nick Carter's Counterstroke.</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Nick Carter</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Chickering Carter</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 18, 2022 [eBook #68116]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO. 150, THE HOUSE OF FEAR; OR, NICK CARTER'S COUNTERSTROKE. ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="c"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="500" alt="[The -images of the book's cover is unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="cbig250"> -<img src="images/nickcarter.png" -width="500" -alt="NICK CARTER STORIES" /></p> - -<p class="c"><i>Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post -Office, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>, <i>79-89 Seventh Ave., New York</i>.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Copyright, 1915, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>. <i>O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, -Proprietors.</i></p> - -<p class="c">Terms to NICK CARTER STORIES Mail Subscribers.</p> - -<p class="c">(<i>Postage Free.</i>)</p> - -<p class="c">Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.</p> - -<table cellpadding="0" summary="deprecated"> -<tr><td align="left">3 months</td><td align="left">65c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">4 months</td><td align="left">85c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">6 months</td><td align="left">$1.25</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One year</td><td align="left">2.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2 copies one year</td><td align="left">4.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1 copy two years</td><td align="left">4.00</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><b>How to Send Money</b>—By post-office or express money order, registered -letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent by -currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary letter.</p> - -<p class="c"><b>Receipts</b>—Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of -number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly -credited, and should let us know at once.</p> - -<p class="c"> -No. 150. <span style="margin-left: 4em; -margin-right:4em;">July 24, 1915.</span> Price Five Cents.<br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="blk"> -<h1>THE HOUSE OF FEAR;<br /> -<small>Or, NICK CARTER’S COUNTERSTROKE.</small></h1> - -<p class="c">Edited by CHICKERING CARTER.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>THE DEAD ALIVE.</small></h2> - -<p>"I say, shir! Can you let me have a match?"</p> - -<p>"I think so."</p> - -<p>The last speaker was Nick Carter, the famous detective.</p> - -<p>The first was an erect, well-built, fashionably clad man, apparently in -the forties and somewhat the worse for liquor. His crush hat had a -rakish cant. His Inverness hung awry over his shoulders. His cravat had -a disorderly twist, and his brown, Vandyke beard had lost its carefully -combed appearance.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter sized him up as a society man who had been on the bat, and -who was returning home on foot to walk off the effects of it. His -appearance and the hour seemed to warrant this conclusion, for it was -two o’clock in the morning.</p> - -<p>Nick was rather roughly clad. His strong, clean-cut face was so -artistically treated with grease paint as to effectively disguise him -and give him a decidedly sinister aspect. He had spent most of the night -in searching for a crook, on whom he very much wanted to lay his hands, -but his efforts had been futile, and he was returning to his residence -in Madison Avenue.</p> - -<p>He had turned a corner of Fifth Avenue only a few moments before, when -he saw the stranger approaching, walking a bit unsteadily, and then the -only person to be seen in the fashionable street.</p> - -<p>Nick saw him fishing out a cigar and vainly searching in his pockets for -a match, and he was not surprised when the man stopped him with the -above request, straightening up with a manifest effort and trying to -speak distinctly.</p> - -<p>"Much obliged, sir," said he, when Nick reached into his pocket after -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>his match box. "Will you smoke, I’ve got anozzer."</p> - -<p>"No, none for me, thank you," said Nick. "I——”</p> - -<p>"Don’t thank me. Do what I tell you, instead, and do it quick. Hands -up!"</p> - -<p>The stranger had undergone a lightninglike change. He no longer appeared -intoxicated. His every nerve and muscle seemed to have become as tense -as a bowstring. His eyes were clear, aglow like balls of fire, and his -voice had turned as hard as nails.</p> - -<p>His right hand, with which he had pretended to reach into his pocket for -another cigar, whipped out an automatic revolver, into the deadly muzzle -of which the detective suddenly found himself gazing.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter had been up against like situations before, and it did not -disturb him.</p> - -<p>"What are you really going to do with that toy?" he asked coolly, -sharply scrutinizing the holdup man to fix his face in his mind.</p> - -<p>"Hands up, or you’ll never repeat that question," said the other, -hissing the threatening words between his teeth. "Up with them, or -you’ll be a dead one."</p> - -<p>His eyes had a gleam and glitter that no sane man would have ignored. -They spelled murder in capital letters, and Nick obeyed and raised his -hands as high as his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Now, back down those steps," commanded his assailant. "Keep going till -I tell you to stop. Back under the steps. Hands up, mind you, or you’ll -be found dead there in the morning."</p> - -<p>The steps referred to were those of a handsome brownstone residence -occupied by a wealthy Wall Street banker and broker, Mr. Gideon Buckley. -They led up from the sidewalk to the vestibule of the front door, while -under them was a door leading into the basement hall of the house. This -was accessible by descending two low steps and turning into the area -under the main rise of steps, the entrance to which area was protected -with an iron-grille door, then wide open.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nick obeyed his assailant—he had no sane alternative.</p> - -<p>He backed down the two low steps and into the gloomy area under the main -flight, and the holdup man quickly closed the grille door and the spring -lock clicked audibly, confining the detective under the rise of front -steps.</p> - -<p>The holdup man laughed—but not for an instant did his deadly weapon -deviate from a direct line from the detective’s breast. He still kept -him constantly covered through the grille door, through which he gazed -at him with gleaming eyes, as one might have viewed a lion in a steel -cage.</p> - -<p>The miscreant’s laugh was utterly void of anything like mirth. It was as -cold, exultant, and merciless as ever had fallen on the detective’s -ears. In a way, moreover, it struck him as being familiar, but he did -not recall when and where he had heard it. He was not, however, left -long in doubt of the outlaw’s identity.</p> - -<p>For the rascal’s vicious laugh ended with a sharp, hissing whisper.</p> - -<p>"You keep your voice down, now, or there’ll be something drop," he -threatened. "Speak above a whisper and I’ll plug you on the instant."</p> - -<p>"I’ll take your word for it," Nick said quietly. "But you are not going -to get fat from this job. If you lift all I have in my jeans, you’ll not -carry away much."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I’m not after your coin," the holdup man retorted, with bitter -asperity. "I’ve not run you in here to lift anything. I’ve got you where -I want you, at last, and you’re going to hear my little verse. I’ll -finish you later."</p> - -<p>"Why finish me?" Nick coolly inquired. "What have I done that you want -to finish me?"</p> - -<p>"You’ve done me, blast you," was the reply, with suppressed ferocity. -"You twice have crossed my path and turned me down. You have sent me -from bad to worse and made me what I am. I know you, Carter, hang you, -in spite of your disguise. I have been watching for you, lying in wait -for you, and I’ve got you where I want you."</p> - -<p>"Which seems to please you mightily," Nick said dryly, trying vainly to -recall the rascal’s identity. "When did I——”</p> - -<p>"Oh, I’ll tell you when," interrupted the other, with unabated -bitterness. "You’ll know when, Carter, when you see my face. I’ll reveal -it to you. I want you to see it, that I may laugh at you, mock you, and -tell you face to face how deeply I hate you. Sooner or later, too, I’ll -hand you yours and send you to the devil.</p> - -<p>"But not to-night—no, not to-night!" he went on, when Nick viewed him -in silence. "I want you to anticipate it, to live in fear of it, to be -racked mind and nerves until my bullet finds you. I’ll send it into you -sooner or later, Carter, as sure as my name is—Gaston Goulard."</p> - -<p>He removed his Vandyke beard while speaking, thrusting it into his -pocket, and Nick Carter was given an almost incredible surprise.</p> - -<p>"Gaston Goulard!" he exclaimed involuntarily. "The dead alive!"</p> - -<p>Nick recognized him now. There was no mistaking his hard-featured, white -face, its sinister scowl, its expressive cruelty. To have seen a ghost, -however, would not have been more amazing.</p> - -<p>For Nick last had seen this man less than a month before, when cornered -with the notorious Badger gang of crooks in an old lime loft leased by -one of their num<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>ber, to which the detective’s assistants had traced -Nick and the criminals—Nick last had seen him plunge bodily through one -of the windows and disappear into the swirling waters of the East River.</p> - -<p>Though a sharp watch had been kept by Patsy Garvan, moreover, who also -had seen the rascal sink from view, Goulard did not reappear on the -surface, and there had seemed to be no reasonable doubt that the knave -had drowned.</p> - -<p>Naturally, therefore, Nick was more than surprised upon seeing his -sinister, malevolent face again; nor was it strange that, supposing him -dead, he had not penetrated his exceedingly clever disguise, or -recognized his evil voice.</p> - -<p>It fell again upon the detective’s ears, echoing his last impulsive -remark.</p> - -<p>"The dead alive—yes!" Goulard hissed triumphantly. "I fooled you, -balked you, eluded you, Carter, and I finally will send you to the -devil, where you supposed you had sent me. But the devil serves his own -at times, and that was one of them. He gave me a new lease of life—that -I might finally take yours. But not to-night, Carter, not to-night!"</p> - -<p>"That’s very considerate, Goulard, I’m sure," Nick coldly retorted. -"Watch out that I don’t put the boot on the other leg and place you -where you belong."</p> - -<p>"Bah!" Goulard ejaculated, under his breath. "You have no chance of -that, not even a look in. You know not where to find me, yet for the -past month I have been under your very eyes. I can put my finger on you, -too, any hour of the day, Carter—and I shall always have a bullet in -reserve for you."</p> - -<p>Nick Carter ignored the miscreant’s repeated threats, though he knew him -to be capable of executing even the worst of them. Watching vainly, too, -for a chance to turn the tables on the scamp, for Goulard was not to be -caught napping, Nick coldly inquired:</p> - -<p>"How did you accomplish it, Goulard? How did you escape from the East -River?"</p> - -<p>"I told you the devil serves his own at times," Goulard proceeded to -explain, though Nick had hardly expected him to do so. "I rose to the -surface, but not in view of your lynx eyes, Carter, nor those of your -assistants."</p> - -<p>"I already know that," said Nick.</p> - -<p>"The swirl of the stream sucked me down—down—down!" Goulard went on -fiercely. "I thought I would never rise. I thought of you, too, and even -with death staring me in the face I regretted only that I had not -lingered to kill you. I was carried down near the river wall. I was -beaten on rocks and battered against bowlders. It was awful! I thought I -would never rise—but I did! I came to the surface under a boatman’s -float thirty yards from the lime shed."</p> - -<p>"Ah, I see," said Nick, unruffled by the other’s bitterness. "That’s how -the devil served you, is it? You remained under the float till dark, I -take it."</p> - -<p>"Until after dark," corrected Goulard. "I clung to its timbers, cursing -you all the while, and I then contrived to climb the river wall and -steal away unseen. But you see me now, Carter, and soon shall feel the -sting of my revenge. I wanted you to know it—that I am alive and out -for vengeance. That alone impelled me to hold you up to-night."</p> - -<p>"Cease your threats," Nick commanded. "They have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> no weight with me. -Having held me up and locked me in this place, Goulard, what do you -intend doing?"</p> - -<p>"I will leave you here," Goulard replied, with an uglier scowl on his -white face. "I’ll not take the risk of a shot at this time. It’s too -long a chance. I will leave you here with my threats ringing in your -ears. You shall have time to think of them, to anticipate the end, to -dread the day when I will make good. You shall live in a house of fear -from this hour, Carter, in constant fear."</p> - -<p>"The future will determine that, Goulard, and whether you were really -lucky in not meeting your fate in the East River," Nick coolly answered. -"If you have no more to say and do, you cannot depart too quickly. Get -out, you rat, the sooner the better."</p> - -<p>Goulard laughed again and pushed his revolver farther through the grille -door.</p> - -<p>"I’d love to, Carter!" he cried, under his breath. "I’d love to press -the trigger and perforate your cursed skin with a bullet. But the risk -is too great. I might be heard, intercepted in my flight, and perhaps -railroaded to the chair. There will be a safer time and place. I will -wait for it, watch for it, and there then will be no hesitation. I will -kill you, Carter, for what you have done to me. As sure as God hears -me—I will kill you."</p> - -<p>"God may intervene and——”</p> - -<p>"Remember!"</p> - -<p>The fierce, malevolent face, pressed for a last moment to the grille -door, vanished instantly, and the vengeful knave was gone.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter heard his swiftly receding steps on the pavements. It was -the only sound that broke the night silence in that locality. It died -away so quickly, too, that it had seemed hardly perceptible.</p> - -<p>Nick seized the grille door and tried to open it—tried vainly.</p> - -<p>It withstood his utmost efforts.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>PARTNERS IN CRIME.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter was not disturbed in the least degree by the threats of -Gaston Goulard. He had been threatened too frequently by crooks to pay -any attention to their sinister predictions.</p> - -<p>They had no weight with the detective, therefore, those of this whilom -merchant who had wrecked the big department store in which he had been a -partner, and who then had gone deeper into the criminal mire, mingling -with crooks and gangsters, resulting in a murder for which he now was -wanted by the police, whom he had eluded less than a month before in the -manner described.</p> - -<p>Aside from his surprise at beholding Goulard alive, the entire incident -would have had no great weight with Nick Carter, in fact, except for one -reason—the extraordinary episodes that immediately followed.</p> - -<p>These alone, with their far-reaching results and because they exhibited -from the first the remarkable discernment and versatility of the -celebrated detective, made this night a noteworthy one in the record of -his professional work.</p> - -<p>Finding that immediate escape from under the stone steps was impossible, -and that he could not at once pursue Goulard, Nick proceeded more -deliberately to seek means to liberate himself. He knew that he could -not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> have been overheard by any person in the house, having spoken only -in whispers, while hardly a sound had been made that would have been -audible ten feet away.</p> - -<p>"The rascal must have been watching me, as he said, and contrived to -intercept me in front of this house, probably having learned that this -grille door was open, also that it could be quickly and securely locked. -Securely locked, by Jove, is right!"</p> - -<p>Nick had taken out his electric searchlight and was inspecting the -grille door. He found that it had a strong Yale lock, to pick which was -out of the question. It looked, in fact, as if it would be utterly -impossible to open the door without a key.</p> - -<p>"By gracious, I don’t half like this," thought Nick, pausing to consider -the situation. "There is no getting out unaided by the way I entered. I -can bang on this other door, of course, and raise some one in the house, -who could come down and liberate me. That would necessitate a truthful -explanation, however, and the story might leak out.</p> - -<p>"It would be embarrassing, at least, to read in all of the newspapers -that the famous New York detective was caught and cornered in such a -hole as this by a midnight marauder. The sensational journals would -feature it with red letters, for fair, and make the most of it. I don’t -think I could stand for that.</p> - -<p>"Instead of raising any one, therefore, I’ll try to quietly open this -other door, which evidently leads into a basement hall. If I can enter -unheard, I then can steal up to the main hall and out through the front -door. None will then be the wiser, as far as I am concerned, and Goulard -will not be fool enough to expose me. He will foresee, of course, that I -shall keep my mouth closed. Let the crafty rascal alone to feel sure of -that."</p> - -<p>Having decided that to be the easiest way out of his dilemma, Nick -turned his attention to the door leading to the basement hall. He found -it had only an ordinary lock, and that the key had been removed.</p> - -<p>"Well, well, this will be soft walking," he said to himself. "I can open -it with a picklock in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. In a minute more, -that done, I can slip out of the house unheard."</p> - -<p>Fishing out a ring of keys on which he had the practical little -implement mentioned, Nick quietly inserted it into the lock, and a -moment later he noiselessly shot the bolt and opened the door.</p> - -<p>Then began the series of sensational episodes that made his work of that -night so noteworthy.</p> - -<p>Nick stepped into the basement hall, then quietly closed the door, -locking it with a key found hanging on a nail near the casing, and which -he discovered by means of his searchlight.</p> - -<p>He then paused and listened vainly for any sound from the floors above. -Obviously, no one in the house had yet been disturbed.</p> - -<p>"The way is open, all right, so here goes," he said to himself, after a -moment.</p> - -<p>A flash from his searchlight revealed the stairway leading to the main -hall.</p> - -<p>Nick tiptoed toward it and began the ascent.</p> - -<p>The top of the stairway ended near the middle of the main hall, and -under the rise of stairs leading up to the next floor.</p> - -<p>Nick arrived at the top stair, holding his breath, tread<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>ing as if on -eggs, and feeling his way by means of the wall on one side and the -baluster rail on the other.</p> - -<p>Despite his exceeding care, however, the top stair creaked slightly -under his weight.</p> - -<p>The noise, though hardly perceptible under ordinary conditions, fell -audibly on the surrounding stillness.</p> - -<p>It was instantly followed by another, hardly more perceptible, but -sufficient to make the detective doubly alert.</p> - -<p>The sound came from a room across the hall, the door of which was open.</p> - -<p>Nick waited, lest the stair might creak again if he stirred. Bending -nearer the baluster rail, nevertheless, he could see through the open -door of the opposite room.</p> - -<p>It was the library of the handsomely furnished house.</p> - -<p>With the exception of one part of the room, all was invisible, shrouded -in inky darkness.</p> - -<p>The exception was a circle of light shed upon an open desk—faintly -revealing a figure crouching in front of it.</p> - -<p>It appeared to be that of a man engaged in robbing the desk, or quietly -forcing the interior drawers in search of something.</p> - -<p>Nick waited and watched.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, here’s a curious coincidence," he said to himself. "Have I -stolen in here just in time to catch a crook? Apparently, however, I’m -in his class. He may, on the other hand, be some one who lives in the -house and who has some motive for stealthily searching that desk. No, by -gracious, that’s not probable. He certainly is a crook."</p> - -<p>The figure crouching at the desk had turned slightly and gazed toward -the hall, as if under the impulse of sudden uneasiness, or that subtle -sense which at times impresses one of the presence of another.</p> - -<p>Nick then saw that the lower part of the man’s face was covered with a -black cloth—convincing him that he was a thief from outside, rather -than a resident of the house.</p> - -<p>He turned, after listening for a moment, and resumed his knavish work.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter’s first impulse was to arrest the thief then and there—but -he did not do so.</p> - -<p>Another and better move, in view of the greater possibilities it -presented, quickly occurred to him.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime," he said to -himself. "It’s odds that the rascal is not alone, that he has one -confederate, at least, who may be watching outside, probably in the rear -of the house. I can fool this scamp and gather in both of them, I think, -or even round up a bigger gang with which they may be identified. That -surely would discount taking in only this fellow. I’m blessed if I don’t -try it."</p> - -<p>Nick had recalled his sinister make-up, also that he had several changes -of disguise in his pocket. He deftly adjusted one over his already -hangdog type of countenance, then glided quickly under the rise of -stairs mentioned, crouching low against the baseboard in one corner.</p> - -<p>The top of the basement stairs creaked again when he left them, -precisely as he had anticipated.</p> - -<p>The effect, moreover, was exactly what he was expecting.</p> - -<p>The figure at the library desk started up as if electrified by the faint -sound.</p> - -<p>The circle of light from the flash lamp vanished in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>stantly, leaving the -room and hall in impenetrable gloom.</p> - -<p>"He heard it," thought Nick, holding his breath. "He’s waiting and -listening. He fears that some one is here, but he is not sure."</p> - -<p>The waiting detective was right. He presently could hear the stealthy, -catlike tread of the crook approaching the near door. It ceased after a -moment, and Nick knew that the rascal then had reached the threshold and -again was listening intently.</p> - -<p>Nearly a minute passed, one minute of absolute silence and inky -darkness.</p> - -<p>Then a swift beam of light shot through the hall—but not under the -stairs.</p> - -<p>It was gone as quickly as it came, only to be repeated a moment later, -leaping swiftly the entire length of the broad hall.</p> - -<p>The crook saw no one, and he then stepped noiselessly toward the main -stairway, where he paused once more to listen.</p> - -<p>It was the move the detective had expected, and for which he was -waiting. Rising noiselessly, Nick quickly glided nearer, then suddenly -clasped the motionless black figure in his arms.</p> - -<p>A thrill of amazement went through him from head to foot.</p> - -<p>The form he had clasped, confining both arms and preventing the use of a -weapon—was that of a woman.</p> - -<p>Amazement, however, did not cause Nick Carter to lose his head. He held -fast to the supple, writhing figure of the unknown female, who wriggled -vainly to free herself and reach for her revolver, while the detective -quickly whispered, in tones well calculated to dispel her fears:</p> - -<p>"Whist! Keep quiet! I wa’n’t wise to your being a skirt. What’s your -game here?"</p> - -<p>Nick’s quietude also was assuring. The woman ceased struggling, but -turned sufficiently to gaze at his face, as well as it could be seen in -the faint light that came through the pebbled-glass panes of the front -door.</p> - -<p>Nick now could see the sharp glint of her eyes and the outline of her -brow and cheeks above the bandage of black cloth that covered her mouth -and chin.</p> - -<p>"What’s your own game?" she questioned quickly, under her breath. "What -sent you here?"</p> - -<p>"I’m on the lift and——”</p> - -<p>"You’re not a dick?"</p> - -<p>"Dick be hanged! I saw the iron door under the front steps was open, so -I picked the lock of the other to see what I could nail," Nick -explained. "I piped you in yonder at the desk when I crept up the -stairs. But I did not dream you was a skirt."</p> - -<p>"Let me go, will you?"</p> - -<p>"Sure—if you’ll keep your yap closed."</p> - -<p>"Trust me for that."</p> - -<p>"I’m not here to be nailed by a bull," Nick added.</p> - -<p>"You can gamble that I’m not," muttered the woman. "Say, step in there -with me. We ought to know each other better."</p> - -<p>"That hits me all right—but walk on your toes."</p> - -<p>Nick had released her, when requested, but the woman clung to him for a -second, as if fain to express her relief with a momentary display of -affection. Together they stole into the library, and she noiselessly -closed the door.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You’re not a dick, then," she remarked, in whispers. "Say, that’s some -load off my mind. I thought sure I was a goner."</p> - -<p>"Dick nothing!" Nick muttered derisively. "Have a peek. Do I look like a -dick?"</p> - -<p>He fished out his searchlight while speaking, throwing the beam upon -himself. He then removed the disguise he had put on a few moments -before, and displayed the sinister, make-up face beneath it.</p> - -<p>It was a ruse that would have deceived the most suspicious of mortals. -None would have supposed for a moment that he was there in double -disguise—this man who now was pretending to be no less a crook than the -woman herself.</p> - -<p>She laughed softly and clasped his arm with both hands.</p> - -<p>"Say, you’re all right, pal," she whispered. "Flash it on me. I’ll go as -far as you have gone, since you sure seem on the level. Have a look at -my mug."</p> - -<p>She drew down the black cloth from her face, on which Nick flashed the -beam of light, giving him still another surprise.</p> - -<p>"Great guns!" he mentally exclaimed. "Sadie Badger, the queen of the old -Badger gang."</p> - -<p>Nick knew both her and the gang, all of whom had figured in the recent -murder case against Gaston Goulard, and all of whom had been sentenced -to prison, with the exception of Goulard himself, who was supposed to -have been drowned, and this one woman against whom sufficient evidence -to connect her with the murder, or show complicity after the crime, -could not be found. She had been liberated, therefore, after the trial -and conviction of the rest of the notorious gang, and she had not since -been seen in her customary haunts.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter’s surprise was the greater for that reason, when he now -beheld her in the very act of robbing the house outside of which he had -so unexpectedly encountered Goulard. That they were not confederates in -this robbery was obvious to him, however, for he at once reasoned that -Goulard would not have put the woman in danger of arrest, if he had -known that she was in the house.</p> - -<p>Nick now saw, too, that Sadie Badger was clad in a tight-fitting black -jersey, under a loose dark coat, and that she wore knickerbocker -trousers, black stockings, and rubber-soled shoes, all combining to give -her the appearance of a youth under twenty, who might have walked the -streets at almost any hour of the day or night without a challenge from -the police.</p> - -<p>Nick was quick to appreciate all that this signified, and to take -advantage of the situation he had in part framed up, though his sinister -face reflected none of his true sentiments and designs.</p> - -<p>"You’re all right, kid, if looks count for anything," he said quietly. -"We meet by chance, a dead queer chance, but there might be something in -it for both. What’s your name?"</p> - -<p>"What’s yours?" questioned Sadie circumspectly.</p> - -<p>"Bosey Magee," Nick promptly informed her.</p> - -<p>"Bosey?"</p> - -<p>"That’s short for Ambrose," whispered Nick. "That’s my moniker. I hang -out in Boston most of the time, but I blew in here last night and went -broke in the stuss joints."</p> - -<p>"I get you, pal."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I held up a bloke an hour back and lifted a small wad. It was not -enough, when I saw that the front-basement door of this crib was easy to -get at. You can find out all about me from Jack Gleason, who runs the -Orient House in Richmond Street, where I hail from," Nick added. "He’ll -tell you Bosey Magee wouldn’t crab a game or squeal on a pal. That’s me, -kid."</p> - -<p>"And it listens good to me, all right," said Sadie, in approving -whispers. "I’ll meet you on even ground. My name is Sadie Badger, and -I’m out for the coin as you see me, or in any old way I can get it."</p> - -<p>"That’s the right sort, Sadie, and you’re in my class. But you’re not -cracking this crib alone, are you?" questioned Nick.</p> - -<p>"That’s what, Bosey."</p> - -<p>"Where are your pals?"</p> - -<p>"I’m leary of pals just now," said Sadie. "I was in with a good bunch -and in right, but an infernal dick got them a month back and sent them -up the river."</p> - -<p>"Tough luck," said Nick.</p> - -<p>"I ducked the same dose by the skin of my teeth," added Sadie. "I have -got no pals I would bank on now, unless——”</p> - -<p>"Unless what?"</p> - -<p>"I say, Bosey!" The woman’s low whispers took on a more sibilant -eagerness. "Since you’re here after plunder, and fate has chucked us -together, let’s run in double harness on this job. What d’ye say? Are -you game? Will you be my partner in crime?"</p> - -<p>Nick Carter did not hesitate for the hundredth part of a second. He saw -more to be gained than by arresting Sadie Badger then and there. He -grasped her extended hand, replying quickly:</p> - -<p>"Will a duck swim? I’d be a fool, Sadie, if I wouldn’t take a chance -with you. Partners in crime—that’s what?"</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>THE HOUSE OF FEAR.</small></h2> - -<p>"But what’s your game? What’s the big idea, Nick? What more do you -expect to gain than you would have derived from arresting Sadie Badger -and sending her up for a prison sentence?"</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was at breakfast with his two chief assistants, Chick Carter -and Patsy Garvan, on the morning following his encounter with Gaston -Goulard and the whilom queen of the notorious Badger gang. He had -related his experiences of the previous night, and informed them of his -extraordinary compact with Sadie Badger.</p> - -<p>"Much!" he tersely replied. "My bargain with her, Chick, was entirely -warrantable. In dealing with crooks, one must fight them with their own -weapons, craft, deception, and treachery, when necessary."</p> - -<p>"I admit that, Nick, of course."</p> - -<p>"What good to have arrested her alone, if more can be accomplished?" -Nick added. "It would have amounted to comparatively little. I would -merely have put one dangerous female crook out of the running. I felt my -way carefully, mind you, and I very soon found that she could not steal -much from the Buckley residence."</p> - -<p>"That of Gideon Buckley, the banker, you say?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. She had entered through a rear basement window. She is expert in -that game. She had learned from one of his clerks, whom she has artfully -insnared with her wiles, that the banker took home a quantity of bonds<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -and securities yesterday afternoon, and that he has no safe in his -residence. She reasoned that he would put them in his library desk for -the night, and she went there to get them."</p> - -<p>"But failed to find them?"</p> - -<p>"Failed completely," said Nick. "Buckley may have taken them to his -bedroom, or concealed them in some other part of the house. We could not -find them, at all events, and we got away with only a quantity of solid -silver from the dining-room table and sideboard. I would have protected -his bonds and securities, all right, providing that we had stolen them, -but I had other fish to fry in connection with doing so."</p> - -<p>Patsy Garvan fell to laughing, and not for the first time during Nick’s -recital.</p> - -<p>"Gee! this certainly beats me, chief," he declared. "You in criminal -partnership with Sadie Badger! That sure is going some. What came off -after you left the house?"</p> - -<p>"We got out by the way she had entered," Nick replied. "I then went with -her to the door of a house in Lexington Avenue, where, she told me, she -had occupied the ground-floor flat for nearly a month."</p> - -<p>"Alone?"</p> - -<p>"She said so, Patsy, and I take it for what I think it was worth," said -Nick. "I declined an invitation to enter, but I promised to call within -a day or two and plan another job with her. I will have learned more -about her and her recent doings by that time."</p> - -<p>"But what’s your game, Nick?" Chick repeated. "What do you expect to -gain by it?"</p> - -<p>"For one thing, Chick, I expect to get Gaston Goulard—before he can -contrive to get me," Nick replied, more seriously. "That rat meant what -he said last night. I could read it in his evil eyes and detect it in -his voice. He would have shot me in cold blood through that grille door, -if fear of detection and capture had not restrained him."</p> - -<p>"He certainly is capable of it, Nick, as far as that goes," Chick -readily allowed. "We want him badly enough for the murder of Batty Lang, -but I don’t see just how your bargain with Sadie Badger will enable you -to get him."</p> - -<p>"It will help," Nick said confidently. "Crooks flock together as -naturally as blackbirds. Both Goulard and Sadie Badger, despite that she -said last night that she now has no pal on whom she would bank, are in -touch with the worst elements of the New York underworld. Through her -and the subterfuge I have adopted, I intend to locate some of them, at -least, and discover the whereabouts of Gaston Goulard."</p> - -<p>"Ah, I see."</p> - -<p>"It is not easy for either of us to worm our way into the confidence of -a crook, particularly if he is an old-timer," Nick added. "We and our -tricks are too well known. They fight shy of us. This was too good an -opportunity to lose, therefore, and I resolved to take advantage of it."</p> - -<p>"That’s the stuff, chief," said Patsy. "It’s bound to cut ice of some -thickness."</p> - -<p>"I think so, Patsy, and that it will enable me to finally run down -Goulard," said Nick, rising to go to his business office. "I will call -on Sadie Badger either to-night or to-morrow, disguised as I was last -night, and find out just how the land lies. I can take her in at will, -you know, as far as that goes."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Like breaking sticks," said Patsy. "You’re in right, chief, to pull off -a big stunt of some kind. My money goes on that."</p> - -<p>Nick Carter dropped the matter temporarily. Only emergency cases ever -interfered with the regular routine of his business, and it was not in -his nature to figure blindly on what could be accomplished through the -relations he had established with Sadie Badger.</p> - -<p>Later in the morning, nevertheless, Nick sent Patsy Garvan to learn what -he could on the quiet concerning the woman during her residence in the -flat she then occupied.</p> - -<p>Nick lunched with a friend in the Waldorf that day. He departed alone -about half past one, and had just turned the corner of Fifth Avenue when -an approaching limousine swerved to the curbing and its occupant called -him by name.</p> - -<p>"Get in Nick, please, and go with me," he added, opening the door when -the detective approached. "Don’t say you’re too busy. You’re the one man -I most wanted to see."</p> - -<p>Nick stepped into the costly car before the last was said.</p> - -<p>"Home, Greeley. Let her go lively."</p> - -<p>These directions were to his chauffeur, and the speaker was Frank -Mantell, son of the senior partner of the late firm of Mantell & -Goulard, whose big department store had been wrecked months before by -the robberies of Goulard himself.</p> - -<p>Nick at once recalled his encounter with him the previous night, and he -instinctively felt that the matter on Mantell’s mind, for he obviously -was carrying a heavy burden, might indirectly relate to it. It was for -that reason that he immediately complied with the young man’s request.</p> - -<p>"What’s the trouble, Frank?" he inquired, as the limousine sped up the -avenue. "You look a bit white and drawn."</p> - -<p>"Drawn through a knothole, Nick, is about how I feel," Mantell replied, -placing his hand on that of the detective.</p> - -<p>"Are you ill?"</p> - -<p>"No. Only worried."</p> - -<p>"About what?"</p> - -<p>"My wife."</p> - -<p>"Your wife?" Nick echoed inquiringly. "You don’t mean——”</p> - -<p>"No, no; there’s nothing wrong on her part, Nick," put in Mantell -quickly. "She is all that a man could wish. But we’re living in a house -of fear, Nick, a house of fear. The dread that hangs over us is -something appalling. I have had in mind to appeal to you for more than a -week, but I know you to be so busy that——”</p> - -<p>"One moment," Nick interposed, noting the exceeding nervousness with -which his companion was speaking. "What is the cause of your terrible -fear? What is it that you dread? Is your wife threatened in any way, -or——”</p> - -<p>"That’s it!" Mantell cut in quickly. "That hits the nail on the head. -She is threatened in a way that is breaking her down mentally and -bodily; both of us, in fact. Our lives are becoming a ceaseless shudder, -a nightmare from which——”</p> - -<p>"Stop right there, Frank," Nick commanded, with some austerity. "I’ll -listen to no more talk of that kind. Come<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> to the point at once and -state the bare facts, or I’ll order your chauffeur to drop me on the -next corner."</p> - -<p>"You’re right, Nick," Mantell quickly admitted. "I think I have -hypnotized myself with horrible dread. I cannot govern my own mind, -or——”</p> - -<p>"There you go again," Nick interrupted. "Now, Mantell, unless——”</p> - -<p>"Wait! I’ll tell you."</p> - -<p>"Do so, then."</p> - -<p>"It began three weeks ago, Nick, with a placard pinned on the side door -of our residence," Mantell said, more calmly. "It was a rudely scrawled -threat on a scrap of brown paper. It bore no signature and contained -only these words: Your money or your wife!"</p> - -<p>"Wife, eh?" queried Nick. "Are you sure you did not misread it? Was not -the word life, instead of wife?"</p> - -<p>"No, indeed, as since has appeared," Mantell said quickly. "Naturally, -of course, that first threatening placard did not alarm us. I thought it -might be a joke, a very bad one, of course, or the work of some foolish -or malicious persons bent only upon annoying us. Two days later, -however, a second was tacked on the trunk of a tree directly opposite -the windows of my wife’s sleeping room."</p> - -<p>"A similar treat?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It read: ‘You’ve got my money. I’m going to get your wife.’"</p> - -<p>"H’m, I see!" Nick remarked. "Was it on paper like the other?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It was a piece of ordinary manila paper, such as one might obtain -in a grocery store."</p> - -<p>"Inscribed with a lead pencil?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. The letters were rudely printed, however, not written."</p> - -<p>"That was done to avoid exposing his handwriting."</p> - -<p>"I inferred so," said Mantell. "That second placard made us somewhat -apprehensive. I feared that my wife was to be persecuted by some unknown -scoundrel whose enmity one of us has incurred, or who is himself a -lunatic. I know of no one whose money I have got, however, or who is -justified in any antipathy for me, or my wife. Helen began to grow -nervous and——”</p> - -<p>"One moment," Nick interrupted. "I can appreciate your apprehensions and -the nervousness and fear of your wife. What steps did you take in the -matter?"</p> - -<p>"None at that time, Nick, except to caution Helen to be on her guard, -and not to venture out alone after dark," Mantell replied. "I hoped the -matter would end there, with no repetition of the outrage."</p> - -<p>"Well, what followed?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing more for about three days," Mantell continued. "Helen ventured, -just after dusk that evening, to go to our rear gate with a friend who -was leaving for home, that being the nearest way. They parted at the -gate, and Helen started to return to the house. As she was passing the -garage, a man darted from behind it and pursued her. She uttered a -scream and ran at the top of her speed toward the house."</p> - -<p>"Did he overtake her?"</p> - -<p>"No. Luckily, Nick, I entered the driveway gate with my touring car at -that moment, and in the glare of the lamps I saw the couple. The man -immediately turned and fled. He disappeared in the darkness of the back -street, but I heard him shout that he would get her later, in spite of -me. Helen had fainted dead away<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> on the side veranda, and I ran to her -assistance, of course, making no attempt to pursue the miscreant."</p> - -<p>"He appears to really mean business," Nick observed. "Did your wife -recognize him?"</p> - -<p>"No. She had only a glimpse at his face. She is sure that he wore a -beard, however, and was a dark man, of medium build. She was too -frightened to note anything more."</p> - -<p>"The beard may have been a disguise."</p> - -<p>"Quite likely."</p> - -<p>"What steps did you then take to protect her?"</p> - -<p>"I employed two private watchmen to stealthily keep an eye on my estate, -hoping to discover and arrest the miscreant. On the very next day, Nick, -a threatening letter came in the mail, addressed to my wife. It was on -cheap, plain paper, and printed with a lead pencil, as were the placards -mentioned."</p> - -<p>"Obviously, then, from the same person," said Nick. "What did the letter -contain?"</p> - -<p>"I have it in my pocket."</p> - -<p>"Ah. Let me see it."</p> - -<p>Mantell hastened to comply, and Nick read the following, rudely printed -on a single sheet of paper:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>"Those two watchmen will not protect you. I’m going to get you, in -spite of them, in spite of your husband, in spite of all the forces -with which you can oppose me. I want you—and I’m going to get -you."</p></div> - -<p>Nick Carter’s brows knit a little closer while he read this cowardly, -threatening communication. Instead of returning it to his companion, he -replaced the sheet in the typewritten envelope and slipped it into his -pocket.</p> - -<p>"I’ll keep it for the present, Mantell," he said simply. "Tell me, now, -what more has occurred and what you have done about it."</p> - -<p>"A few evenings later, Nick, or about a week ago, when Helen was partly -disrobed for bed, she thought she heard a stealthy step outside of one -of her windows. She stole into the next room and looked out."</p> - -<p>"And discovered?"</p> - -<p>"A man crouching on the veranda floor. He saw the lace draperies move -when Helen parted them, and then heard the scream she tried in vain to -suppress. He turned like a flash and leaped to the ground, then vanished -in the gloom under the near trees. We found my wife in a faint on the -floor. She was not mistaken, Nick, for the tracks of the miscreant were -on the roof and in the driveway."</p> - -<p>"Were the two watchmen then in your employ?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"They did not see the intruder?"</p> - -<p>"No. The cowardly cur is as elusive as a shadow. Helen is becoming a -nervous wreck, while I——”</p> - -<p>"I will talk with her." Nick interposed. "I also will look into the -matter. I suppose, Mantell, that you have no suspicion as to the -identity of the rascal."</p> - -<p>"Not the slightest, Nick."</p> - -<p>"Your wife is a very beautiful woman," added the detective. "There was -one man who aspired to her love, as I remember, and who had a very deep -hatred for you and your father after the wrecking of your big department -store and——”</p> - -<p>"You mean Gaston Goulard, of course," Mantell cut in.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"But he is dead. If he were alive—well, he is the mis<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>creant whom I at -once would suspect. But the East River does not give up its dead. We -know that Goulard was drowned."</p> - -<p>Nick did not say what he knew about him, nor of what his suspicions -consisted. He saw that they already were entering the spacious grounds -in which Mantell’s residence was situated, overlooking the Riverside -Drive and the broad, glistening waters of the Hudson.</p> - -<p>"I suppose your father is downtown at this hour," he remarked, as the -car sped up the driveway.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I dropped him at the surrogate court half an hour ago. Some of our -business affairs are still unsettled. My wife and mother are here, -however, though the latter is an invalid and confined to her room. To -the side door, Greeley."</p> - -<p>The chauffeur bowed, and the limousine presently came to a stop under -the massive porte-cochère protecting a side entrance to the imposing -residence.</p> - -<p>Perkins, the butler, appeared almost immediately at the door.</p> - -<p>"Come in, Nick," Mantell said cordially, while they mounted the broad, -marble steps. "We may find Helen in the library, or——”</p> - -<p>"Beg pardon, sir," said Perkins respectfully. "Mrs. Mantell has gone -out."</p> - -<p>Mantell turned quickly.</p> - -<p>"Gone out!" he echoed. "Gone out with whom?"</p> - -<p>"With your father, sir."</p> - -<p>"With my father—nonsense!"</p> - -<p>"But, sir, I am very sure of it."</p> - -<p>"Impossible! When did she leave? How long ago?"</p> - -<p>Perkins glanced at a tall old clock in the hall.</p> - -<p>"Precisely half an hour, sir," said he. "I noticed the time."</p> - -<p>Mantell turned as pale as if suddenly death-stricken.</p> - -<p>"Half an hour!" he gasped, with affrighted gaze meeting that of the -detective. "That is impossible, utterly impossible. Half an hour ago, -Nick, I was with my father in the surrogate court."</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>THE CONNECTING LINK.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter already had come to two conclusions:</p> - -<p>One, that the miscreant by whom Helen Mantell had been repeatedly -threatened was none other than Gaston Goulard.</p> - -<p>Another, that Gaston Goulard now had got in his iniquitous work.</p> - -<p>Nick saw, too, that Frank Mantell was in a fair way to collapse under -the alarming discovery, and he at once took steps to encourage him.</p> - -<p>"You keep your head, Frank, and don’t let blind fear unman you," he -commanded a bit sharply. "There is nothing in getting rattled. I know a -good deal more about this matter than you suppose, and there is much -less to fear concerning the personal safety of your wife than you -imagine. Pull yourself together, therefore, and meet the situation man -fashion. Let me take the ribbons, while you do as I have directed. I’ll -speedily sift this to the bottom."</p> - -<p>All this, together with the detective’s strong personal influence, was -not without effect. Mantell braced himself to meet the worst, saying -quickly:</p> - -<p>"You are right, Carter, perfectly right. I must keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> a grip on myself, -or I shall go completely off my perch. What do you mean by saying that -you know more about this matter than I suppose?"</p> - -<p>"I will presently tell you," said Nick. "Let’s get down to bare facts, -for a starter, and I then will decide what must be done."</p> - -<p>"But what do you make of it? How could my father——”</p> - -<p>"Obviously, Frank, your father could not be in two places at once," Nick -interrupted. "If you were with him in the surrogate court precisely half -an hour ago, it could not have been he who called here for your wife."</p> - -<p>"That goes without saying, Nick. But——”</p> - -<p>"Wait! Let me learn the exact circumstances," Nick again interposed. -"Come into the library. This way, Perkins."</p> - -<p>He led the way while speaking, forcing Mantell to a chair and adding -encouragingly:</p> - -<p>"You keep quiet, now, while I question the butler. I’ll very soon pick -up the trail and get after the rascal."</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, Nick," bowed Mantell, pressing his hand. "Thank God that I -brought you out here."</p> - -<p>"Now, Perkins, tell me what occurred," said Nick, turning to the tall, -very much astonished butler. "You were very sure, you said, that the man -who came here is the elder Mr. Mantell."</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, I have no doubt of it, none whatever, sir," replied Perkins. -"How could I be mistaken? I have served Mr. Mantell for five years, sir, -and——”</p> - -<p>"And know him perfectly well by sight," Nick cut in dryly. "That shows -the exceeding skill and cleverness of the man who deceived you. He came -in a conveyance of some kind, I infer."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. He came in a taxicab."</p> - -<p>"Tell me just what he said and did."</p> - -<p>"He said very little, sir," Perkins proceeded to explain. "I saw the -taxicab coming up the driveway, sir, and that Mr. Mantell was seated in -it. He had directed the chauffeur to the side door, sir, and I hastened -to open it, thinking Mr. Mantell would come into the house."</p> - -<p>"He did not do so?" questioned Nick.</p> - -<p>"No, sir. He spoke from the taxicab, sir, and told me to send Celeste, -who is Mrs. Mantell’s maid, to ask her mistress to put on her street -garments to go with him to the court, where her signature was wanted on -some papers relating to the business on which Mr. Mantell had left home -this morning. I heard them discussing it while at breakfast, sir."</p> - -<p>"What more did he say, Perkins?"</p> - -<p>"He told me to have Celeste ask Mrs. Mantell to hasten, as young Mr. -Mantell was to join them in court, and that they must not keep the judge -waiting. That was all, sir."</p> - -<p>"You gave Celeste those instructions."</p> - -<p>"I did, sir, and Celeste took them to her mistress."</p> - -<p>"What followed?"</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Mantell hurried downstairs in about five minutes, sir," said -Perkins. "She was putting on her veil, and I opened the door for her to -pass out."</p> - -<p>"Did you open the taxicab door for her?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir. The chauffeur had opened it and returned to his seat."</p> - -<p>"On which side of the interior seat was Mr. Mantell sitting, or the man -you supposed was he?" Nick inquired.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Near the open door, sir," said Perkins. "I heard him tell Mrs. Mantell -that he would close it, and she passed him and took the other end of the -seat. Mr. Mantell then closed the door, sir, and the chauffeur drove -away."</p> - -<p>"Rapidly, I infer."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"You saw nothing more that occurred in the taxicab?"</p> - -<p>"I did not, sir."</p> - -<p>"Did Mrs. Mantell hesitate, or appear to shrink from entering it?"</p> - -<p>"She did not, sir. She hurried to get in," said Perkins. "I noticed that -in particular, sir."</p> - -<p>"And that shows plainly enough, Mantell, that your wife was completely -deceived, that she had no doubt that the man in the taxicab was your -father, nor looked at him sharply enough before entering to detect the -exceedingly clever impersonation that already had deceived the butler," -said Nick. "What soon afterward occurred in the taxicab can only be -conjectured. Send Celeste here, Perkins. I will hear what she can tell -us."</p> - -<p>The butler hastened to obey, and a slender, dark-eyed girl presently -entered the library, whom Nick immediately began to question.</p> - -<p>Celeste could tell him, however, only that she had given the butler’s -message to her mistress, that Mrs. Mantell had remarked that she must -hasten, since her father-in-law had not entered the house, and that she -immediately put on her hat and jacket, then hurried down to join him.</p> - -<p>Nick saw plainly that the girl was telling the truth. He dismissed her -after a few inquiries and directed her to close the door.</p> - -<p>Frank Mantell had not interrupted him from the beginning. With jaws hard -set, with every vestige of color gone from his cheeks, he had mutely -listened to the hurried questions of the detective, all the while vainly -searching Nick’s face for an expression from which he might derive a ray -of hope.</p> - -<p>The black cloud of fear that had been hanging above this house had -launched its thunderbolt, and the dreaded missile had found its mark.</p> - -<p>"Well?"</p> - -<p>Mantell’s terse inquiry, hoarse with anxiety and suspense, brought Nick -Carter out of his momentary abstraction. He looked up quickly and said:</p> - -<p>"There’s nothing to this, Mantell, in so far as the crime, the motive, -and the identity of the criminal are concerned."</p> - -<p>"You don’t mean," Mantell cried, "that you know who has committed this -outrage?"</p> - -<p>"I certainly do."</p> - -<p>"Tell me."</p> - -<p>"Gaston Goulard."</p> - -<p>Mantell stared, dumfounded for a moment.</p> - -<p>"What do you say, Carter?" he demanded. "Are you mad? Goulard is -dead——”</p> - -<p>"No, he isn’t," Nick interrupted. "He is very much alive. I saw him last -night under circumstances that were entirely convincing."</p> - -<p>"You saw Gaston Goulard?" Mantell appeared unable to believe his own -ears. "You saw him alive and——”</p> - -<p>"And very much in evidence," Nick cut in dryly. "Listen. I’ll tell you -about it."</p> - -<p>"Good heavens! it seems utterly incredible," Mantell<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> said more calmly, -after Nick had described the encounter of the previous night, but not -what had followed it. "That scoundrel escaped drowning, then, and now is -out to persecute me again and——”</p> - -<p>"That is not his chief motive," said Nick. "Take it from me, Mantell, he -is out after money, I know he was on the rocks financially a month ago, -when he pulled off the job that cost Connie Taggart his life, and so -nearly sent him to the bottom of the East River."</p> - -<p>"You suspect, then——”</p> - -<p>"That he still is down and out, and that he has taken this method to -force you into paying a big ransom for your wife’s safe return. Note -that I say safe return," Nick added. "Under no other condition could he -reasonably hope to coerce you. That is why I assert, Mantell, that your -wife is in no immediate personal peril."</p> - -<p>"Do you really think so?"</p> - -<p>"I feel absolutely sure of it," said Nick. "Many facts confirm my -opinion of this case. Goulard is a cur who finds delight in threatening -those upon whom he has designs. That appeared in the previous case, in -the nerve and audacity with which he held me up, and in what has -occurred here during the past month. Aside from getting back at me, -however, whom he really would like to kill, Goulard is out only for -money. You can bank safely on that, Mantell, and that your wife will not -be harmed as long as the rascal sees any prospect of bleeding you out of -a large sum."</p> - -<p>"I hope you are right," Mantell declared, with a look of relief. "I will -pay——”</p> - -<p>"Nothing!" Nick cut in quickly. "You will leave this matter entirely to -me. I’m going to get that rascal and rescue your wife, Mantell, within -forty-eight hours."</p> - -<p>"Do you really mean it?" Mantell’s face lighted wondrously.</p> - -<p>"Wait and see."</p> - -<p>"But——”</p> - -<p>"There is no alternative," Nick forcibly insisted. "You must keep -perfectly quiet and leave me to do the work."</p> - -<p>"I could not do better, Carter, of course."</p> - -<p>"Goulard is the only man who thus could have impersonated your father," -Nick added. "He is about the same build and is thoroughly familiar with -his voice, bearing, and habits."</p> - -<p>"That’s true. They were in business together for years."</p> - -<p>"Your father, moreover, with his gray hair, his beard, and his -gold-bowed spectacles, presents a type easily impersonated. Goulard knew -this, and has contrived to pick up other points bearing upon the -business engagements of you and your father this morning, enabling him -to turn this scurvy trick. That’s all there is to it—except to track -the rascal and round him up with his confederates."</p> - -<p>"Does that look easy to you?" Mantell inquired, with the ghost of a -smile on his pale face.</p> - -<p>"That’s neither here nor there," Nick replied. "I never view a task from -that standpoint. I go at it for all I am worth, and the greater the -difficulties, the more credit in overcoming them."</p> - -<p>"That’s true, too," Mantell quickly admitted.</p> - -<p>"But I shall not accomplish it by sitting here and discussing the -matter," Nick added, with some dryness. "I must get a move on and begin -to get in my work."</p> - -<p>"What are your plans?" questioned Mantell anxiously.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Don’t ask me. I haven’t laid any."</p> - -<p>"But let me help you, Nick. Is there nothing I can do?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, one thing," said the detective, rising abruptly. "Take me downtown -in your limousine and drop me about a block from my residence."</p> - -<p>"Why not at your door?"</p> - -<p>"Because my house may be under espionage," said Nick, a bit grimly. -"There is no telling what steps Goulard may take to prevent the -miscarriage of his designs. He is a crafty, as well as a daring dog. Do -merely what I have requested, Mantell. Leave me to do the rest."</p> - -<p>It was after two o’clock when Nick entered his residence, at once -proceeding to his library, where he found Chick awaiting him, and whom -he quickly informed of all that had transpired.</p> - -<p>"But hasn’t Patsy returned?" he then inquired.</p> - -<p>"Not yet," said Chick.</p> - -<p>"And you haven’t heard of him?"</p> - -<p>"Not a word."</p> - -<p>"By Jove, that’s strange, deucedly strange," Nick said, more seriously. -"It ought not to have taken him till now, nor anything like it, to pick -up the information I wanted. Something unexpected must have happened."</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>PATSY GARVAN’S PROBLEM.</small></h2> - -<p>There were very good reasons why Patsy Garvan had not returned to report -the result of his inquiries concerning Sadie Badger and her doings in -the flat she had been occupying since the round-up of the Badger gang -and the supposed drowning of Gaston Goulard.</p> - -<p>Arriving in the locality soon after one o’clock, Patsy readily located -the house at the door of which Nick had left his partner in crime close -upon four o’clock that morning, and he at once began a brief inspection -of it from the opposite side of the street.</p> - -<p>It was the third house in a long brick block in a fairly desirable -locality. All three of its flats evidently were occupied. The roller -shades at the two windows of that on the ground floor were closely -drawn, however, and there was no sign of life from within.</p> - -<p>"She probably is making up lost sleep, if there," thought Patsy, after -sauntering by the house and noticing its negative aspect. "There don’t -seem to be much doing for me, unless I can get next to some one who has -become acquainted with her, or had enough interest in her to watch her. -It won’t do to risk asking questions of the other tenants, as they might -put her wise. Sadie Badger wouldn’t be slow to suspect that she might -have slipped a cog. Let her alone for that. Gee! I’ll take a chance with -this fellow."</p> - -<p>Patsy had arrived at the open door of a provision store on a corner not -more than fifty yards from the opposite house. There was a display of -vegetables in boxes outside. Seated on a barrel just within the door was -a young man in a butcher’s frock, whose round, ruddy face favorably -impressed the detective. He was alone in the store, evidently a clerk, -and he then was absorbed in a noon edition of a sensational newspaper.</p> - -<p>As he stepped into the store, Patsy saw the headlines of the article the -clerk was reading, and he paused near him and said agreeably:</p> - -<p>"Reading about the robbery?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was that in which Nick Carter had taken part the previous night, and -Patsy already had seen the article.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was," replied the clerk, looking up. "Have you read about it?"</p> - -<p>"Sure."</p> - -<p>"Kind of a curious job, wasn’t it? The crook didn’t get away with much."</p> - -<p>"There may have been a reason."</p> - -<p>"Most likely."</p> - -<p>"I happen to know there was," added Patsy, smiling.</p> - -<p>"You do?" questioned the clerk, with a look of surprise. "How does that -happen?"</p> - -<p>"You’ll not give me away?"</p> - -<p>"Not on your life, as sure as my name is Frank Steel."</p> - -<p>"You look frank, all right, and your last name certainly rings true," -laughed Patsy, displaying the badge under the lap of his vest. "That’s -how I know. I’m in the business."</p> - -<p>"A detective?" Steel asked, with increasing interest.</p> - -<p>"That’s what," nodded Patsy. "I’m in the employ of the king-pin of all -detectives."</p> - -<p>"Not Nick Carter?"</p> - -<p>"That calls the turn, Frank."</p> - -<p>"Gracious!" Steel exclaimed, extending his hand. "I’m glad to know you. -I wish I had your job."</p> - -<p>"Ah, it’s not a soft one," said Patsy significantly.</p> - -<p>"I guess that’s right," laughed the other. "I have always wanted to meet -Nick Carter. I never happened to see him."</p> - -<p>"I’ll take you round to the office some day and introduce you," said -Patsy, bent upon winning his hearer’s confidence.</p> - -<p>"On the level?"</p> - -<p>"Surest thing you know."</p> - -<p>"By gracious, I’d like that."</p> - -<p>"And I infer that you would be glad to do Nick Carter a service, if -possible, wouldn’t you?"</p> - -<p>"You bet I would," Steel declared, with immediate enthusiasm. "I’d be -more than glad. You show me the way. I’ll do the rest, Mr.——”</p> - -<p>"My name is Garvan."</p> - -<p>"I have heard of you, too. You must be Patsy Garvan."</p> - -<p>"Right you are," laughed Patsy.</p> - -<p>"Shake again. I am mighty glad to know you."</p> - -<p>Patsy laughed agreeably, and he now felt sure he could safely trust the -other. He glanced toward the rear of the store to be sure they were -alone.</p> - -<p>An open door near the office led into a side street. Near the door stood -a motor cycle, with a pair of leather gloves and gaiters lying on the -seat, while a leather jacket hung on a peg in the near wall.</p> - -<p>"Do you own that machine?" inquired Patsy.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sure," Steel nodded. "I use it sometimes to deliver hurry-up -orders. It comes in handy."</p> - -<p>"No doubt," Patsy allowed. "In regard to doing Nick Carter a service, -Frank, there is something you can do for me."</p> - -<p>"Good enough! You have only to name it, Mr. Garvan."</p> - -<p>"This is strictly confidential, mind you."</p> - -<p>"That goes without saying."</p> - -<p>"And you must not afterward betray any interest in the house and person -I shall mention."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Trust me, Garvan. I’ll be as dumb as an oyster."</p> - -<p>"That’s dumb enough," said Patsy approvingly. "Do you know who occupies -the first flat in that third house opposite, the one with the curtains -drawn down?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Steel quickly nodded. "She trades here in a small way. Her name -is Bolton."</p> - -<p>"Bolton, eh? That comes pretty near being Badger," thought Patsy; then, -aloud: "Do you know anything about her?"</p> - -<p>"Only that she appears a bit fly and flashy. I don’t think much is known -about her round here. She has been living there only a month."</p> - -<p>"Have you seen her coming and going?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, often."</p> - -<p>"Alone, or with others?" questioned Patsy.</p> - -<p>"Nearly always alone," Steel informed him. "But I have seen two persons -going there to see her. I’m not dead sure that one of them does not live -there, or remain there overnight. He may be a relative."</p> - -<p>"Describe him."</p> - -<p>"He’s a young, smooth-faced chap about eighteen years old. He always -wears knickerbockers and a golf cap. I don’t see him very often, but I -know he is there occasionally."</p> - -<p>"I understand," nodded Patsy.</p> - -<p>So he did, indeed. He had not the slightest doubt that the person -described was Sadie Badger herself, masquerading in the same attire in -which Nick had encountered her, and presumably with knavery of some kind -in view. That she was thus living a double life, committing her crimes -in the disguise of an innocent-looking young man, Patsy was equally -confident.</p> - -<p>"I don’t know the young fellow’s name," Steel added, after a moment. -"I’ve not seen him for several days."</p> - -<p>"Who is the other person you have seen going there?"</p> - -<p>"An elderly man, Mr. Garvan."</p> - -<p>"Describe him."</p> - -<p>"Well, I should say he’s about forty, or a little older, perhaps," said -the clerk. "He’s a man of medium build, quite dark complexion, and he -wears a brown, pointed beard. He nearly always shows up about dusk, and -I’ve seen him leaving late in the evening. That’s all I know about him."</p> - -<p>Patsy’s face had taken on a more serious expression.</p> - -<p>"Gee whiz! that description tallies perfectly with the make-up of Gaston -Goulard, worn when he held up the chief last night," he was saying to -himself. "Can it be that he has become friendly with Sadie Badger since -that job a month ago? In that case, by Jove, they may have been in -league in that robbery last night, for all the chief did not think so. -It’s mighty strange, if not, that Goulard showed up at just that time -and forced the chief under the steps of the very crib this woman was -cracking."</p> - -<p>The coincidence was so remarkable, in fact, if such it really was, that -Patsy began to fear that Nick’s subterfuge might in some way miscarry. -He turned to the clerk and asked more earnestly:</p> - -<p>"Have you recently seen this man going there?"</p> - -<p>"Well, no, not very recently," Steel replied.</p> - -<p>"Can you recall the last time?"</p> - -<p>"About a week ago, I think."</p> - -<p>"Does he always call alone?"</p> - -<p>"I never have seen him with any one."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Have you ever seen other persons going there?" questioned Patsy.</p> - -<p>"No, never," Steel said earnestly. "She don’t appear to have any female -visitors. Nor any other men, in fact, than the two I have mentioned. If -she does, they must call after dark, or when I am out, or—oh, by -gracious, that’s odd. A taxicab is stopping there. That old chap may be -calling to see her."</p> - -<p>The taxicab had passed the store while Steel was speaking, and it then -had swerved quickly to the curbing in front of Sadie Badger’s flat.</p> - -<p>Patsy also had noticed it, and had caught sight of its two passengers.</p> - -<p>One was a woman. She was reclining on the cushions in the corner nearest -the store. Only her shoulder and part of her head were visible to Patsy -through the taxicab window, but he could see that she was closely -veiled, while her attitude and the position of her head in the angle -formed by the cushioned corner denoted that she was dozing, if not sound -asleep.</p> - -<p>What most astonished Patsy Garvan was the woman’s companion, however, -whom he saw quite distinctly when the taxicab passed the store.</p> - -<p>"Great guns!" he mentally exclaimed, though his face did not betray his -amazement. "That’s Goulard’s former partner, Mr. Henry Mantell, as sure -as I’ve got eyes in my head. What’s the meaning of this? What business -can he have with such a woman as Sadie Badger? He certainly is stopping -there to see her."</p> - -<p>Patsy had no doubt of his identity, did not for a moment distrust his -slightly bowed figure, his gray hair and beard, his gold-bowed -spectacles and distinguished, aristocratic aspect and attire, observed -when the man alighted from the taxicab and hurried into the house, upon -finding the door of the lower hall was unlocked.</p> - -<p>"Gee whiz! this beats me to a standstill," thought Patsy, with -increasing perplexity. "I’ll be hanged if I can fathom it."</p> - -<p>"What are you thinking about?" Steel asked curiously. "Is there -something wrong?"</p> - -<p>"I’m not sure," replied Patsy. "You keep out of sight, please, and let -me do the watching. I’ll make it right with you later."</p> - -<p>"It’s all right, now, Garvan," said the clerk, moving quickly to the -rear of the store.</p> - -<p>Patsy continued to gaze stealthily from the store window.</p> - -<p>Several minutes passed and brought no change in the situation.</p> - -<p>The curtains at the windows of the ground-floor flat had not been -raised. Nothing denoted that the visitor had been admitted.</p> - -<p>The veiled woman in the corner of the taxicab had not stirred.</p> - -<p>The chauffeur remained as motionless on his seat as a figure of bronze.</p> - -<p>Patsy, more deeply puzzled, fell to watching the woman, or the small -part of her figure which he could see through the taxicab window. She -continued motionless, as absolutely motionless as if the hand of death -had been laid upon her. The veil that covered her mouth and nostrils, -even, did not indicate by the slightest movement that she was breathing.</p> - -<p>"Great guns!" thought Patsy, quite nonplused. "She<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> must be in a trance, -or sleeping like a log. I’ll be hanged if I don’t have a closer look at -her."</p> - -<p>Turning to Steel, in the rear of the store, he cried quietly:</p> - -<p>"I’ll be back here in a couple of minutes."</p> - -<p>Steel merely nodded in reply.</p> - -<p>Patsy left the store and sauntered across the avenue, then walked more -briskly toward the waiting taxicab, apparently having no interest in it, -and whistling a popular song while he passed.</p> - -<p>He took a furtive look at the chauffeur, nevertheless, who was a -muscular, red-featured man of about thirty, and who appeared too stiff -and staid to bestow even a glance at him.</p> - -<p>Through the closed door of the taxicab, Patsy then shot a sharper look -at the motionless woman. It did not prove more profitable than his more -distant scrutiny. He could not see the face beneath the veil. He saw -only that she was well dressed and appeared to be young, but he could -not detect the slightest movement of her lax, apparently slumbering -figure.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, I’m going deeper into this," he muttered, walking on more -rapidly. "There must be something doing that the chief doesn’t even -dream of, or Goulard’s former partner would not be spending all this -time with Sadie Badger. It’s a hundred to one that he’s not here to see -any one else. I’ll sink a pipe till I strike clear water, by gracious, -if I sink it through to China."</p> - -<p>Crossing the avenue at some distance back of the taxicab, Patsy did not -venture returning to the provision store in view of the chauffeur, but -turned a near corner and then ran at top speed around the block, -bringing him into the side street mentioned and to the door near the -rear of the store.</p> - -<p>He had been absent so short a time that the clerk stared with surprise -when he entered.</p> - -<p>"How in thunder did you reach this door so quickly, Garvan?" he asked. -"I saw you across the avenue and heading uptown only a couple of minutes -ago."</p> - -<p>"I chased myself around the block," replied Patsy, smiling a bit grimly.</p> - -<p>"Do you suspect something wrong?"</p> - -<p>"So strongly, Steel, that I want you to do me another favor. Yes, by -Jove, I’m dead sure of it, now."</p> - -<p>Patsy had stepped toward the front of the store and glanced again at the -suspected flat. He could see two persons looking out through the parted -lace draperies.</p> - -<p>One was Sadie Badger, clad in a loose dressing gown, with her hair in -disorder, as if she had hurriedly arisen from bed.</p> - -<p>The other was the man who had entered less than ten minutes before. He -was pointing toward the motionless woman in the taxicab, and Sadie -Badger was laughing and nodding significantly.</p> - -<p>All this convinced Patsy that there was something wrong, indeed; but -what it was, being ignorant of what Frank Mantell was informing Nick at -the very moment, he could not then conjecture.</p> - -<p>"What favor, Garvan?" asked the clerk, when Patsy quickly returned to -the rear of the store.</p> - -<p>"Lend me your motor cycle."</p> - -<p>"For what?"</p> - -<p>"To follow that taxi," said Patsy. "I’m dead sure there is something -doing. I cannot imagine what, but I’m determined to find out. You saw -the old gentleman who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> entered that house. I know him quite well. He’s a -very wealthy man, and it looks to me like a cinch that he’s in wrong in -some way."</p> - -<p>"That settles it," Steel quickly declared. "Go ahead, Garvan, and take -the wheel. You’re welcome to it."</p> - -<p>"May I borrow this leather jacket and the gaiters, also?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. I have a leather cap in the office. Do you want that?"</p> - -<p>"Sure thing," nodded Patsy. "I’ll get after these people in disguise. -Your garments will help to perfect it, and I’ll leave mine here till I -return with the wheel."</p> - -<p>"Good enough. I’ll look after them."</p> - -<p>It took Patsy only a few moments to make the change of garments, and he -then found that he had no time to spare. He heard the bang of the -taxicab door, and saw that the supposed old gentleman had returned to -his seat.</p> - -<p>The veiled woman had not stirred.</p> - -<p>The taxicab sped up the avenue.</p> - -<p>Patsy Garvan, in leather cap, jacket, and gaiters, and with his features -quickly and deftly disguised, pushed the motor cycle out through the -side door.</p> - -<p>"So long, Steel!" he said warmly. "I’ll make this right with you later. -You can gamble on that."</p> - -<p>"You’re welcome, Garvan, and good luck to you," was the hearty reply.</p> - -<p>In another moment Patsy was rounding the corner and starting in hot -pursuit of the distant taxicab. As he passed the house he shot one swift -glance at the window of Sadie Badger’s flat.</p> - -<p>The roller shade had been drawn down.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>TWO MEN WITH A WAGON.</small></h2> - -<p>Patsy Garvan was puzzled—more puzzled than at any time since he first -saw the taxicab and its occupants, whom he had pursued undetected to a -somewhat unsettled section of the Bronx.</p> - -<p>Rounding a bend in a woodland road that was out of sight from any -habitation, Patsy suddenly discovered that the taxicab, which had been -briefly lost to view in the belt of woods, had stopped near one side of -the road, some fifty yards in advance of him. There appeared to be no -trouble with the motor, however, for the chauffeur had not alighted, nor -either of the other occupants of the car.</p> - -<p>"Gee! it certainly beats me," Patsy muttered, having hastily dismounted -and found shelter back of some shrubbery on one side of the road. "What -sent them out here, and why have they stopped? There seems to be nothing -wrong with the car. I’ll be hanged if I can make head or tail to it."</p> - -<p>Patsy waited and watched for nearly ten minutes. He could see only the -back of the taxicab, of course, and could form no idea of what its -occupants were doing. Curiosity and increasing suspicion, however, -impelled him to make another move.</p> - -<p>"I’m going to find out, by thunder, if it takes a leg," he said to -himself. "I’ll hide the motor cycle and make a detour through the woods -till I can get a look at them. They must be up to some kind of a game, -or they would not remain there. I’ll have one look, at least, and ease -my mind."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - -<p>Patsy made his preparations with some little difficulty. The ground at -the side of the road was wet and soggy, and only with repeated efforts -could he force the heavy motor cycle over the damp earth and through the -shrubbery, finally concealing it in a thicket some ten feet from the -road.</p> - -<p>Quickly picking his way through the belt of woods, Patsy then sought a -point from which he could see the side windows of the motionless -taxicab. He scarce had gained this vantage point, however, when another -vehicle met his gaze.</p> - -<p>It was approaching through a narrower road making off to the east, -within a dozen yards of which the taxicab was waiting.</p> - -<p>It was a covered wagon of medium size and much the worse for time and -hard usage. Its leather top was faded and patched in places. It was -drawn by an old gray horse, urged on by one of two roughly clad men on -the seat, both of most sinister and suspicious aspect.</p> - -<p>Patsy did not imagine at first that any relations existed between two -such hangdog-looking fellows and the supposed refined and wealthy old -gentleman in the taxicab. He felt a thrill of surprise, therefore, when -the latter sprang down to the road and waved his hand to them, at the -same time shouting to the driver:</p> - -<p>"Turn in this direction, Mullen, and pull up alongside. Leave me room to -pass you and drive on."</p> - -<p>Patsy heard him distinctly, though some distance away. He stopped short, -crouching back of some bushes, and continued to watch the scene.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, it’s a rendezvous," he said to himself. "That’s why the -taxicab has been waiting here. But what business has old Mr. Mantell -with these fellows? Is he playing some underhanded game, as well as -Goulard?"</p> - -<p>Patsy had not long to wait to learn of what their immediate designs -consisted.</p> - -<p>Mullen, so called, turned the wagon from the driveway and came to a stop -at one side of the motionless taxicab, directly between it and the -watching detective.</p> - -<p>Then followed a brief conference in the woodland road, unheard by Patsy, -who did not think it wise to venture nearer.</p> - -<p>Mullen’s hangdog companion then ran up the road as far as the bend, -where he turned and waved his hand, plainly signifying that no observer -was in sight.</p> - -<p>Patsy then saw the other three men hasten to the door of the taxicab. He -could see only their legs for a few moments, by gazing under the -intervening wagon, but presently they appeared at the rear end of it, -bearing between them—the lax form of the veiled woman.</p> - -<p>"Thundering guns!" thought Patsy, when their designs became obvious. -"They have come out here to get rid of that woman, or to transfer her to -some place. She’s not dead, or her form would be rigid by this time. She -must be drugged. But who is she, and what motive can old Mantell have -for such conduct? Gee! it’s up to me to find out where they take her and -what they intend doing."</p> - -<p>Mullen had hurriedly raised the back flap of the leather top, and the -woman was quickly placed on the floor of the wagon. The flap then was -dropped and buckled, and Mullen hastened to mount to his seat, where his -returning companion quickly joined him.</p> - -<p>The taxicab sped away in the meantime, containing only the chauffeur and -the solitary passenger, and within half<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> a minute it had vanished around -a corner of the woodland road.</p> - -<p>"Let him go. I can nail him, by Jove, at any time," thought Patsy, now -grim and frowning. "It’s up to me to look after the woman."</p> - -<p>Mullen then was turning the wagon, and in another moment, he drove away -through the diverging road with his ill-favored companion—and his -senseless burden.</p> - -<p>Patsy Garvan did not return to get the motor cycle. He knew it would be -of no advantage in trailing a slow-moving wagon over a rough road. He -stole down to the edge of the woods, gave Mullen a lead of something -like fifty yards, and then he proceeded to follow him.</p> - -<p>"The rear flap being down, the rascals cannot discover me unless they -lean out and look back," he said to himself. "I’ll fool them in that -case, even, by hugging the side of the road. If they see me, or give me -the slip, by Jove, they shall have a medal."</p> - -<p>There was one contingency, however, on which Patsy did not figure, and -which was too remote to have appealed to the most farsighted of -detectives.</p> - -<p>The taxicab was returning, was speeding toward the city. It passed the -crossroad several minutes after the wagon and its stealthy pursuer had -departed. It sped on around the bend in the road—and the chauffeur then -brought it to a quick stop.</p> - -<p>The man within had undergone a decided change. His gray hair, his -pointed beard, his gold-bowed spectacles, all had disappeared. Instead -of the refined, venerable countenance that had deceived Patsy Garvan, -even, there now appeared the malignant, hard-featured white face of -Gaston Goulard.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Fallon?" he cried, starting up from his seat. "Why have you -stopped here?"</p> - -<p>The chauffeur pointed to one side of the road.</p> - -<p>"That caught my eye," he replied, with an expressive cant of his head. -"It doesn’t look good to me."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"That deep rut."</p> - -<p>"What do you make of it?"</p> - -<p>Goulard leaped down to the road, Fallon following.</p> - -<p>"A motor cycle has been here," said the chauffeur. "It was here only a -few minutes ago, too, or this soggy earth would not have retained the -tracks so plainly. Here are the fellow’s footprints, too, left when he -dragged the wheel out of the road."</p> - -<p>Goulard’s hard face took on a terrible frown. He uttered an oath, -crouching to examine the imprints; then added harshly:</p> - -<p>"Can we have been seen? Can we have been seen, Fallon?"</p> - -<p>"Followed, perhaps," suggested Fallon tersely.</p> - -<p>"Followed—impossible!" Goulard snarled between his teeth. "Who could -have followed us? Who could have had any reason for doing so?"</p> - -<p>"Nick Carter himself, possibly, or——”</p> - -<p>"Carter be hanged," snapped Goulard, interrupting. "Carter cannot -possibly have learned of this job. Only Mullen and the gang knew I had -it framed up. Carter cannot have got wise since we turned the -trick—that’s out of the question."</p> - -<p>"Unless Sadie Badger——”</p> - -<p>"Sadie knew nothing about it until I went to warn her against the -infernal dick," Goulard again cut in fiercely.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> "Blast him, is he out -again to queer my game? Whether he is, or not, I’ll have him in my -clutches as soon as he attempts it. I’ve got that fixed with Sadie, and -well fixed, too. He’ll get his, all right, if he tries to pull off the -stunt I think he has in view. I’m wise to it. I’m on to Carter, now, and -his infernal tricks. He——”</p> - -<p>"You’d better look into this, Goulard, instead of frothing over what the -dick can accomplish," interrupted Fallon, with a shrug of his broad -shoulders. "We can find out, perhaps, who has been here. There are no -tracks showing that the motor cycle was pulled back into the road."</p> - -<p>Fallon parted the shrubbery and strode in through the underbrush and -bushes, while speaking, Goulard following close behind him.</p> - -<p>"Ah! I thought so!" Fallon suddenly exclaimed. "Here’s the machine. The -fellow hid it in this thicket."</p> - -<p>"He may be watching us, then, at this moment," growled Goulard, gazing -sharply around.</p> - -<p>"I guess not."</p> - -<p>"You mean?"</p> - -<p>"He had other reasons for hiding it so carefully," Fallon forcibly -argued. "He could have watched all that took place after Mullen and Simp -Sampson showed up, Goulard, without lugging that heavy wheel so far into -the woods."</p> - -<p>"You think he saw all that came off?"</p> - -<p>"I’m dead sure of it."</p> - -<p>"And now——”</p> - -<p>"There’s nothing to it," Fallon cut in again. "He has gone in pursuit of -Mullen’s wagon. He didn’t know how far he might have to go, nor how long -it would take him. That’s why he hid that wheel so far from the road."</p> - -<p>Goulard was not slow to appreciate this reasoning, nor in deciding what -course he would shape. There was murder in his eyes when, dragging -Fallon back to the road, he commanded hurriedly:</p> - -<p>"Return to town alone, Bill, and follow the directions I have given you. -Make sure there is no slip-up. If I’m in wrong again; if these infernal -Carters are wise to my game and are out to thwart me, I’ll wipe one and -all of them off the map! Leave me here, Bill, and return alone. I’ll -soon find out, by thunder, who is after Mullen and the wagon."</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>A TIMELY ARRIVAL.</small></h2> - -<p>Patsy Garvan arrived within an hour at his destination, or, rather, that -of Mullen and his evil-eyed companion. Through a break in the belt of -woods Patsy could see the end of the narrow road, through which he had -trailed the two crooks and the covered wagon.</p> - -<p>Scattered dwellings, also, could be seen in the distance, all of a cheap -and inferior type. Farther away were the poles and wires of a suburban -trolley line, all denoting that he was approaching the outskirt of one -of the many inferior settlements to be found in that part of the Bronx.</p> - -<p>To the right of the narrow road, however, brought into view just before -reaching the break of the woodland, was a faded, isolated old house of -considerable size, the grounds, stable, and outbuildings of which -denoted that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> it had been a desirable place in the remote past, though -then in a miserably run-down and wretched condition.</p> - -<p>From below a low, moss-covered wall flanking one side of the place, -Patsy saw the wagon enter an ill-kept driveway, the broken gate of which -was hanging awry on its rusted hinges.</p> - -<p>From a back door of the house came a tall, gaunt man of nearly sixty, -clad in overalls and a red cardigan jacket, whose looks and bearing -denoted that he was the owner, or tenant of the place. He paused at the -edge of the driveway, with lowering gaze fixed upon the men in the -approaching wagon, and Patsy heard him growl tersely, in harsh, nasal -tones:</p> - -<p>"Got her?"</p> - -<p>"Bet you!" Mullen responded. "Got her dead to rights, Jim, and none the -wiser."</p> - -<p>"Don’t bank too heavily on that," thought Patsy, with grim satisfaction, -though he never was more puzzled in his life. "I’m wise to some extent, -at least. You rats are up to some devilish game, though I cannot fathom -how old Mantell figures in it."</p> - -<p>"You saw his nibs, then," remarked the man in a cardigan.</p> - -<p>"Sure. He rode out with Fallon in his taxi, as he promised," said -Mullen. "He’s gone back to town, Corson, to look after a job he has -framed up with Sadie."</p> - -<p>"What kind of a job, Jake?"</p> - -<p>"To get the big dick."</p> - -<p>"The big dick?" echoed Corson, staring. "You don’t mean Nick Carter?"</p> - -<p>"That’s what. He’s the biggest dick in the running."</p> - -<p>"But how in thunder——”</p> - -<p>"I’ll tell you later, Jim," Mullen interrupted, still on his seat in the -wagon. "We first must dispose of the skirt. She’s dead to the world just -now, but there’s no telling for how long. His nibs said she might come -to time inside of an hour."</p> - -<p>"Drive into the stable, then," Corson replied, with a growl. "We’ll put -her in the safe deposit. The devil himself could not find her."</p> - -<p>Mullen drove on and into the stable, Corson following, and Patsy lost -sight of the man and wagon, a side view of the stable being all that he -then could obtain.</p> - -<p>"His nibs—that must mean Mantell," he said to himself. "But who is the -woman and what’s the old man’s game? Why would he drug any woman and -give her in charge of these rascals? Gone back to town to frame up a job -with Sadie Badger against the chief. Gee! this certainly is the -strangest mix-up that I ever tackled. I must find a way to inform Nick -and put him on his guard. Before doing so, however, I’ll try to get next -to the whole business. There’s nothing to putting him wise to only half -of it."</p> - -<p>Sharply viewing the windows of the old house, Patsy could discover no -sign of any other occupant. He saw, too, that he could reach the rear of -the stable by crawling back of the wall under which he had found -shelter.</p> - -<p>He at once proceeded to do so, bent upon clearing up the mystery, if -possible, and a few moments later he crept over the low wall and stole -to a point between the stable and an old shed near by.</p> - -<p>He then paused again and listened. He could hear only the thud of the -horse’s hoofs on the stable floor. He quickly discovered, however, that -the sound came through a square window, then nearly closed with a -sliding wooden<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> shutter, and outside of which was a great pile of soiled -straw and bedding from a stall.</p> - -<p>"Gee! that’s good enough for me," thought Patsy, quickly sizing up the -possibilities. "I’ll take one chance at that window. That shutter is not -quite closed."</p> - -<p>Stealing nearer, with eyes and ears alert, he crawled up the pile of -refuse and peered in through the narrow slit between the shutter and its -casing.</p> - -<p>The interior of the old stable met his gaze. One of the men, Simp -Sampson, so called, had unhitched the horse and was making him fast in a -near stall.</p> - -<p>In another, out of which he had kicked a quantity of straw and bedding, -Mullen was raising a large trapdoor, drawing it up by means of a ring in -the floor.</p> - -<p>Patsy could see through the opening a flight of wooden steps leading -down into a dark hole under the floor, the depth and extent of which he -could only conjecture.</p> - -<p>"Gee! that’s a secret hiding place, all right," he said to himself. "The -bedding in the stall would ordinarily conceal the trapdoor. Besides, who -would be looking for one in a horse’s stall? I’m evidently up against a -gang that makes a business of crooked work. If I can corner them——”</p> - -<p>Patsy’s train of thought ended when Mullen, having tipped the trapdoor -back against one side of the stall, turned and said to Corson, who had -been grimly watching him:</p> - -<p>"Lend a hand, Jim, and we’ll lug her down there. It will be safer than -keeping her in the house until we learn how the cat’s going to jump. Is -the old woman in the house?"</p> - -<p>"Not now," said Corson, with his habitual growl. "She’s gone to market. -It takes some grub, Mullen, to feed you fellows."</p> - -<p>"We’ll have coin enough for grub, Jim, if his nibs gets all he’s banking -on from this job," Mullen pointedly answered.</p> - -<p>"I hope he’ll get it, then. We need it."</p> - -<p>"And we were dead lucky in getting a whack at a piece of it," Mullen -added. "That came of my friendship with Fallon, who knows all about his -nibs and has been standing in with him on this job. The taxi came in -handy, you know. The trick could not have been turned without it."</p> - -<p>"Not very well, Jake."</p> - -<p>"Fallon reckoned that I knew of a safe place for the skirt, and having -got safely away with her, we’re dead lucky to be in the game. Here, you, -Sampson, lay hold and lift her out."</p> - -<p>Mullen had been unbuckling the back flap of the wagon top while -speaking, and Sampson had secured the horse and emerged from the near -stall.</p> - -<p>Together the three men raised the form of the senseless woman from the -wagon and placed her on the stable floor. Her hat dropped off while they -were doing so and the veil fell from her white, expressionless face.</p> - -<p>Patsy Garvan caught his breath with sudden amazement.</p> - -<p>"Holy smoke! That’s young Mantell’s wife, Helen Mantell," was his first -thought, while the three men stood gazing down at her. "Gee! there’s -more to this than I guessed. Can it be that the old man has soured on -her and wants her out of the way? I cannot believe that. There is more -to this job than I have suspected."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p> - -<p>Patsy’s conflicting thoughts were diverted again by Mullen, who suddenly -said bluntly:</p> - -<p>"Get a move on. It won’t do to let her lie here. Some one might show up. -Lay hold, both of you; it will take all three of us to lug her down to -the steps."</p> - -<p>"She’ll stay there, all right, once we’ve put her there and fastened the -trapdoor," growled Corson. "There’s no other way out."</p> - -<p>"In that case, by Jove, you rascals shall stay there with her," thought -Patsy, with sudden, grim determination. "I’ll keep you there, by -thunder, if I can catch you in your own trap. It won’t take me long to -find help and arrest all three of you."</p> - -<p>Patsy’s sudden resolve then appeared entirely feasible, barring one -fact. He did not know by what means the trap could be so secured as to -prevent the three men from raising it from below, providing he went in -search of assistants. He was not long, however, in solving the problem.</p> - -<p>"I have it," he muttered, with a constant eye on the three crooks. "I’ll -shift the horse into that stall and make him fast. He’ll hold them down, -all right. They cannot raise the trapdoor with him on it. I’ll get -assistance and arrest all three, and then telephone to the chief."</p> - -<p>The three knaves, bearing their senseless burden, then were on their way -through the trapdoor. Step by step they descended, laboring somewhat in -the gloom and on the narrow stairs. Presently the last of the three -heads, that of gaunt Jim Corson, disappeared below the stall floor.</p> - -<p>Patsy then moved quickly, but as quietly as a shadow. He pushed aside -the sliding shutter, then crawled through the open window and dropped -noiselessly on the stable floor.</p> - -<p>Not for an instant did he shrink from his hazardous undertaking, or -hesitate because of the perils involved. He felt sure he could -accomplish it.</p> - -<p>Shifting a revolver to a side pocket of his leather jacket, he crept -back of the covered wagon and approached the stall in which the open -trapdoor yawned like the mouth of a black, bottomless pit. He could hear -the voices and movements of the three crooks, but not a ray of light was -discernible below.</p> - -<p>"Now, you rascals, stay there till I come to arrest you," thought Patsy. -"It won’t be long."</p> - -<p>He stretched out his hand to grasp the edge of the trapdoor and throw it -down—but did not do so.</p> - -<p>A fourth man had stepped stealthily into the stable. He appeared like an -evil shadow in the waning light of the November afternoon. The stillness -was broken by a voice as cold and hard as steel, but as threatening as -the hiss of a viper:</p> - -<p>"Stop! If you drop that door—you’ll drop with it."</p> - -<p>Patsy, crouching on the floor near the entrance to the stall, turned -around as if electrified.</p> - -<p>He found himself covered with an automatic revolver, scarce six feet -away, and beheld, with a gasp of momentary dismay, the scowling, white -face of Gaston Goulard.</p> - -<p>"Gee whiz! the trick’s off!" leaped like a flash through his mind.</p> - -<p>"You’ll be a dead one if you drop that door," Goulard added sternly.</p> - -<p>"I’ll not drop it. I wasn’t going to drop it," said Patsy, quickly -resorting to a subterfuge.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You wasn’t, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Divil a drop! I was only looking to see what’s down there. I——”</p> - -<p>"You keep your hands in front of you," Goulard snapped sharply, when -Patsy’s right hand stole nearer his pocket. "If any gun is to be used, -it will be this one. Come up, you fellows, and be quick about it. Get a -grip on this rat and strap his arms behind him. Move lively."</p> - -<p>The heads of Corson and Jake Mullen had appeared above the stall floor, -both having heard the above conversation, but both were so startled by -the scene that they had come no farther. They now hastened to obey, -however, followed by Sampson, all three of whom seized Patsy quickly and -secured his arms behind him.</p> - -<p>Before this was accomplished, noting Goulard’s garments and traces of -grease paint on his frowning face, Patsy hit upon the truth in so far as -the rascal’s impersonation of the elder Mantell was concerned, as well -as the nature of the crime in which these several scoundrels now were -engaged.</p> - -<p>"The old man was Goulard himself. He has abducted Frank Mantell’s wife," -he quickly reasoned. "He must be wise to the trick the chief has played -on Sadie Badger, also, or at least suspect it, or he would not have -delayed to visit her before bringing Helen Mantell out here. By Jove, I -had a hunch the chief might be in wrong. Things look a bit rocky, for -fair."</p> - -<p>Patsy’s face betrayed none of these thoughts, however, but wore an -expression as if he wondered why he had incurred such animosity and -rough handling. He gazed at Goulard, after being jerked to his feet by -the others, who were hastening to bind him, and demanded, with -well-feigned perplexity:</p> - -<p>"What’s it all about, anyway? What are you putting over on me?"</p> - -<p>"The boot’s on the other leg," snapped Goulard. "We’re preventing your -putting something across us."</p> - -<p>"I know nothing about you. I——”</p> - -<p>"You lie. You followed me from town with a motor cycle. I found it in -the woods, where you hid it."</p> - -<p>"You did, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Furthermore, I think I know you," added Goulard, stepping nearer to -Patsy and snatching the disguise from his face. "Ah, I thought so. -You’re cute and clever, Garvan, but you’re not in my class, as you now -will find at some cost. Get his revolver, Corson. You’ll find it in his -side pocket. I saw him stealthily reaching for it."</p> - -<p>"It’s dead lucky for you, Goulard, that I did not get my hand on it," -retorted Patsy, now seeing the utter folly of further subterfuge. "I’d -have ended your vicious career the first crack from the box."</p> - -<p>"You would, eh?" sneered Goulard maliciously.</p> - -<p>"That’s what I would," snapped Patsy.</p> - -<p>"You’ll never have that satisfaction, Garvan."</p> - -<p>"Wait and see," growled Patsy, while Corson disarmed him and -appropriated his weapons. "It’s a long, long way to Tipperary."</p> - -<p>"What in thunder’s the meaning of all this?" Mullen now demanded, grim -with astonishment. "Where did the infernal runt come from?"</p> - -<p>"I’ll tell you presently," said Goulard, who was apparently very well -satisfied with having arrived in time to secure the detective. "Have you -taken the woman down below?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Yes, of course," Mullen nodded. "That’s the safest place."</p> - -<p>"Any old place is safe enough, now that we’ve got this rat," said -Goulard confidently. "I’ll have his chief before midnight, too, unless -my wires get crossed. Bring the woman up again and take her into the -house. I want to revive her and force her to write a letter to her -husband. Bring in this rat, too. I want to tell him where he stands. -He’ll find mighty soon that I’ve got things dead to rights."</p> - -<p>Patsy said nothing. He began to fear, in fact, that the rascal really -had.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>NICK CARTER’S INSIGHT.</small></h2> - -<p>It was late in the afternoon. The dusk had begun to gather, and lamps -were gleaming in some of the store windows.</p> - -<p>Daylight still found its way into the business office of Nick Carter’s -residence, however, when he hung up his telephone receiver and placed -the instrument on his desk. His only companion was his chief assistant, -and the faces of both were unusually grave.</p> - -<p>"Who was it?" Chick inquired, when Nick turned in his swivel chair.</p> - -<p>"A man who said his name is Frank Steel," Nick replied. "He is employed -in a Lexington Avenue provision store. He wanted to know whether Patsy -had returned with his motor cycle."</p> - -<p>"By gracious, that beats hearing nothing from Patsy," Chick cried, with -countenance lighting. "It gives us a hint, at least, at what has -occurred to him. What more did he say? Could he give you any definite -information?"</p> - -<p>"Some very suggestive information," Nick replied. "I begin to scent the -rat in the meal. I can tell you in a nutshell."</p> - -<p>Nick then proceeded to do so. Steel had, in fact, become quite anxious -concerning Patsy’s prolonged absence, and he had told Nick all that had -transpired in the provision store that day, also informing him of -Patsy’s interest in the occupant of the opposite flat, and all about the -man who had called there.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, there is only one way of sizing that up," said Chick, after -listening intently. "We know that old Mr. Mantell did not go there. The -man who called, then, must have been Goulard."</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly."</p> - -<p>"And Patsy must have recognized him."</p> - -<p>"No, not so," Nick quickly objected. "That’s the trouble. That’s why he -is in wrong, unless I am much mistaken."</p> - -<p>"You mean——”</p> - -<p>"If he had recognized Goulard, he would have arrested him on the spot," -Nick interposed. "The circumstances admit of only one interpretation."</p> - -<p>"Namely?"</p> - -<p>"Patsy supposed him to be the elder Mantell, and the fact that he was -calling on Sadie Badger, or some other serious suspicion concerning him, -led Patsy to pursue the taxicab. There’s no other way of sizing it up."</p> - -<p>"He may have recognized Helen Mantell," Chick suggested.</p> - -<p>"That is not probable," Nick again objected. "Goulard<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> would not have -been running around with her in a taxicab, unless she was completely -drugged and carefully veiled."</p> - -<p>"Not likely, Nick, I’ll admit," Chick nodded.</p> - -<p>"I’m sure of it."</p> - -<p>"But what sent Goulard to see Sadie Badger?" Chick questioned. "Why did -he take such a risk?"</p> - -<p>"I think I know," Nick said gravely.</p> - -<p>"What do you make of it?"</p> - -<p>"His visit alone shows that they must be on a friendly footing."</p> - -<p>"Surely."</p> - -<p>"I think, Chick, that he saw that newspaper story of the robbery Sadie -committed last night," Nick continued. "He may not have known that she -had the job in view, but he probably knew under the steps of whose house -he cornered and confined me. After reading the story of the robbery, he -may have had some reason to suspect Sadie of having been the thief. He -may know that she has been friendly with Buckley’s clerk, who gave her -the tip that caused her to do the job."</p> - -<p>"By Jove, there may be something in that," Chick quickly allowed.</p> - -<p>"Knowing, then, under what circumstances I was there, Goulard may have -reasoned that I perhaps got wise to something. After reading the -newspaper story, then, he evidently hastened to put Sadie Badger on her -guard."</p> - -<p>"Very likely. I see the point."</p> - -<p>"If I am right, and his visit under such circumstances strongly -indicates that I am, Sadie would have told him of her encounter with me -and all that followed," Nick added, a bit grimly.</p> - -<p>"By Jove, that’s too true for a joke," Chick quickly declared. "In that -case, Nick, your subterfuge is all off, and the woman may have bolted."</p> - -<p>"You are right on one point, Chick."</p> - -<p>"Regarding the subterfuge?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"But not the other?"</p> - -<p>"I think not," Nick said thoughtfully. "Both Goulard and Sadie Badger -have extraordinary nerve. They don’t scare easily. Both, moreover, would -give a trifle, or even take a desperate chance, to wipe me off the map."</p> - -<p>"No doubt of it."</p> - -<p>"Here’s a very significant point, then," Nick added. "Both will -naturally reason that I know nothing about their relations, and that I -expect to get by with my subterfuge and accomplish something -extraordinary."</p> - -<p>"Certainly. That is the only logical way they can be regarded."</p> - -<p>"That being the case, then, they may decide to let me attempt it—with a -view to trapping me and wiping me out."</p> - -<p>"By gracious, that’s even more probable," cried Chick. "You are right, -Nick. I was wrong on one point. I would be willing to wager, now, that -Sadie Badger has not bolted. I would almost bet, in fact, that she and -Goulard have something framed up for you."</p> - -<p>"I really think so myself, Chick."</p> - -<p>"But there is one other contingency."</p> - -<p>"Namely?"</p> - -<p>"Patsy’s long absence and the fact that we have not heard from him," -said Chick. "He must be in wrong, or he would have found some way to -communicate such important information as Steel has stated. If he has<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> -fallen into Goulard’s hands, Goulard may have warned the woman to get -out of her flat."</p> - -<p>"I don’t think so," said Nick. "Goulard would reason that Patsy, -whatever he may have learned, has had no opportunity to inform us since -obtaining his evidence."</p> - -<p>"Right again," Chick quickly nodded. "But what scheme will they shape up -by which to get you? If we knew——”</p> - -<p>"There is only one way of learning," Nick cut in.</p> - -<p>"By going up against it?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly."</p> - -<p>"You intend doing so?"</p> - -<p>"I certainly do."</p> - -<p>"When?"</p> - -<p>"At once. Before they can find time to learn more than they already -know," Nick declared. "I’ll pay Sadie Badger my promised visit within -half an hour."</p> - -<p>"But where do I fit in?" Chick inquired. "How can I aid you to the best -advantage?"</p> - -<p>Nick gazed thoughtfully at the floor for several moments. Then, abruptly -looking up, he said quickly:</p> - -<p>"Listen. I’ll tell you how."</p> - -<p>Precisely half an hour later, as Nick had predicted, a roughly clad man, -a perfect likeness of Sadie Badger’s partner in crime the previous -night, entered the vestibule of the Lexington Avenue flat and pressed -the electric bell.</p> - -<p>At just about the same time, unobserved by any of the few pedestrians -then in that locality, a second man stole into an alley leading to the -rear of the brick block, and sought the gloomy yard back of the third -house.</p> - -<p>This second man was Chick Carter.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>THE COUNTERSTROKE.</small></h2> - -<p>The bright light within illumined the drawn curtains of the Lexington -Avenue flat, casting on them a filigree shadow of the filmy lace -draperies, convincing Nick Carter before he had entered that Sadie -Badger had not bolted.</p> - -<p>Nick’s ring was quickly answered, moreover, by the woman herself. He saw -the evil light that flashed up for an instant in her intense black eyes -when she saw and recognized him, which further assured him that he not -only had sized up the circumstances correctly, but also that her designs -were precisely what he suspected.</p> - -<p>Sadie Badger greeted him with a smile, however, placing her forefinger -on her lips and glancing significantly up the stairs.</p> - -<p>"Not too loud, Bosey, till we’re inside and the door closed," she said -quietly, drawing back for him to enter. "I’m a bit leary of those ginks -on the next floor. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. If they get -wise to too much, it might hurt me."</p> - -<p>Nick nodded approvingly, with a grim smile on his made-up, hangdog face, -and he took the chair to which she pointed. He noticed that her hat, -veil, and a long black cloak were lying on a sofa, as if she had just -come in, or intended going out.</p> - -<p>"That’s good judgment, kid," he replied, in the same husky voice he had -assumed the previous night. "There’s nothing lost by keeping others in -the dark."</p> - -<p>"Right you are, Bosey."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> "Was you looking for me to-night?"</p> - -<p>"Sure thing," nodded Sadie, sitting opposite. "You said you’d come, -didn’t you? I always take the word of a pal. Have you seen the -newspapers?"</p> - -<p>"All of them, kid. I nailed them as soon as the story was out. But the -dicks ain’t wise to anything. You’ve still got the stuff safe in the -house?"</p> - -<p>"No, not here, now," said Sadie. "That was too long a chance. I’ve put -it in care of some friends, but I can get it any hour we want it."</p> - -<p>"I dunno about that," Nick demurred, with manifest suspicion.</p> - -<p>"You can bank on me and what I tell you, Bosey, and that goes," Sadie -hastened to assure him. "I wouldn’t double cross a pal. You can meet my -friends and see the plunder for yourself, if you like."</p> - -<p>"How’s that?" questioned Nick, though he saw plainly to what she -immediately was leading.</p> - -<p>"I’ve got to go out there," Sadie glibly explained. "I’d have been gone -before now, Bosey, if I hadn’t been looking for you. I had a hunch you -would show up quite early, so I decided to wait for you."</p> - -<p>"What’s the game?" Nick questioned, still pretending to be a bit -doubtful.</p> - -<p>It convinced Sadie Badger that he did not suspect her deeper game, and -that he would walk blindly into the trap she and Goulard had laid for -him.</p> - -<p>"There’s another job on, Bosey," she replied, with voice lowered.</p> - -<p>"What kind of a job, kid?"</p> - -<p>"Same kind. A crib up in Riverside Drive. It has been sized up by -another pal of mine, and a good haul can be made, but it will take three -or four of us to pull it off. I’ve told him about you, Bosey, and -insisted that you be let in on it. I’ve not forgotten last night, you -see," Sadie added expressively.</p> - -<p>"You’re all right, kid," Nick grimly nodded. "But when is the trick to -be turned?"</p> - -<p>"To-morrow night. I’ve got to go out and talk it over with the other -this evening. You’re to go with me, if the scheme hits you all right."</p> - -<p>"Sure it hits me all right," Nick quickly declared. "But where do we go -to see them?"</p> - -<p>"A good piece out of town."</p> - -<p>"By train?"</p> - -<p>"No. Taxi."</p> - -<p>"Ain’t that taking a chance?" growled Nick, still seeming doubtful. "I -don’t bank strong on chauffeurs."</p> - -<p>"The one I employ is all right," said Sadie, with sinister earnestness. -"He is one of the gang. We can trust him the limit."</p> - -<p>"Well, that’s more like it," said Nick. "What’s his name?"</p> - -<p>"Fallon."</p> - -<p>"How can you get at him?"</p> - -<p>"By telephone," said Sadie, with a glance at an instrument on a stand in -one corner. "He’s expecting to hear from me. I’ve been waiting only for -you to show up, Bosey, and say you would go."</p> - -<p>Nick was very willing to go and he saw no reason to defer doing so, the -woman’s assurance convincing him that she felt that she held the ribbons -and that he suspected no ulterior designs. Nick had not a doubt, -moreover, as to whom he was to meet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Sure, kid, I’ll go," he said, after a moment. "Why wouldn’t I go?"</p> - -<p>"No reason, Bosey."</p> - -<p>"Get next to the phone, then, and fetch on your man. We can’t start too -soon to suit me."</p> - -<p>"That’s the stuff!" cried Sadie; with another momentary gleam of -satisfaction in her eyes. "I’ll have him here with his buzz car in five -minutes."</p> - -<p>She arose with the last and hastened to the telephone.</p> - -<p>Nick fished out a black cigar and lit it, smoking indifferently until -the woman resumed her seat. He then continued the conversation much -along the foregoing lines, until the noise of the approaching taxicab -was heard by both, when Sadie started up and exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"He’s here, Bosey. That’s Fallon."</p> - -<p>"So I heard."</p> - -<p>"I’ll get into my cloak and lid."</p> - -<p>"Stop a bit, kid," said Nick, checking her and lurching forward in his -chair. "Lemme have a look at him before we start."</p> - -<p>"What’s that for?" questioned Sadie quickly.</p> - -<p>"Only because I like to see who I’m in with," Nick explained -indifferently. "Call him in and give him your directions. That’ll be -enough."</p> - -<p>Sadie Badger saw nothing for him to gain, if she complied with his wish, -feeling that she had all the best of him. She shrugged her broad, -shapely shoulders and laughed, then stepped to the front door and called -Fallon into the house.</p> - -<p>"He is here, Bosey," she remarked, when the burly chauffeur followed her -into the room. "Shake hands with Bosey Magee, Bill, who is going out -with me. You’ll find him all right."</p> - -<p>Fallon grinned and complied.</p> - -<p>"The more the better, old top," he remarked carelessly.</p> - -<p>"Glad to know you," Nick growled cordially.</p> - -<p>"Take us out to Corson’s place, Bill, and get there lively," said Sadie, -in compliance with Nick’s suggestion.</p> - -<p>"I can make it in twenty minutes," Fallon nodded.</p> - -<p>"Good enough. I’ll get into my rags and veil and be with you in a couple -of minutes."</p> - -<p>"I’ll wait for you outside."</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, then. We’ll not be long."</p> - -<p>Fallon swung round and swaggered out of the house, returning to his seat -in the taxicab.</p> - -<p>Sadie Badger arose and took her cloak from the sofa.</p> - -<p>When she turned to put it on—she found Nick Carter confronting her, -with a revolver thrust under her very nose.</p> - -<p>"If you speak, Sadie, this will speak louder," he said sternly, gripping -her by the shoulder. "Not a sound, mind you, or you’ll get all that’s -coming to you."</p> - -<p>The woman turned as white as the knot of lace at her throat.</p> - -<p>"Heavens!" she muttered, with lips twitching. "You mean——”</p> - -<p>"Silence!" Nick sternly hissed. "I’m wise to the whole business. Our -partnership in crime is ended, also your little game. If you utter a -sound to warn Fallon, I’ll send you to prison for twenty years."</p> - -<p>"Curse you, Carter, I——”</p> - -<p>"Hush! Ah, Chick, you’re here!"</p> - -<p>Chick Carter had darted quietly in from a rear room.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sadie Badger had dropped on the sofa, as pale as if death-stricken.</p> - -<p>"I picked the lock of the back door," Chick whispered. "Is the way -open?"</p> - -<p>"Wide open," said Nick, whipping out a pair of handcuffs. "Get into her -garments. We must be out in another minute. I’ll fix the woman."</p> - -<p>Sadie Badger, with the detective’s threat ringing in her ears, which she -knew only too well he would execute, collapsed completely and offered no -resistance.</p> - -<p>Nick handcuffed her with her arms behind her, then tied a bandage -securely over her mouth. He then marched her into a closet in the -adjoining room and locked the door.</p> - -<p>When he returned, after less than a minute, he found Chick clad in the -woman’s hat and veil, with his figure almost completely enveloped in her -long, black cloak.</p> - -<p>"Capital!" said Nick, surveying him. "You’ll get by hands down."</p> - -<p>"I think so."</p> - -<p>"Ready?"</p> - -<p>"As a rivet."</p> - -<p>Nick switched out the electric light.</p> - -<p>Fallon saw the glow vanish from the curtained windows. Less than two -minutes had passed since he returned to his seat.</p> - -<p>He merely glanced at the two figures that came from the house, quickly -crossing the sidewalk in the darkness and entering the open taxicab. The -door was closed with a bang, and another moment saw them speeding -away—whither Sadie Badger had directed.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later a policeman, acting under instructions Nick had given -him earlier, entered the flat and removed the detective’s partner in -crime to the precinct station.</p> - -<p>It was half past six when Fallon slowed down in the darkness bf the -narrow road into which he had turned, immediately drawing up at one side -of it. He stopped the motor, then sprang down and opened the cab door.</p> - -<p>"We’ll have to walk to the house, Sadie," he growled, addressing the -veiled figure in the opposite corner. "I’ll not risk running the taxi -over this bum road in the dark. It’s only fifty yards to the house. We -can walk it."</p> - -<p>"Sure!" said Nick. "Come on, kid."</p> - -<p>Fallon drew back to let them out, turning to gaze up the narrow, -deserted road.</p> - -<p>Nick stepped in front of him, drawing his revolver.</p> - -<p>"Put your hands behind you, Fallon," he said sternly. "You are under -arrest. Take it easy and save yourself worse trouble."</p> - -<p>Fallon staggered and glanced back over his shoulder in search of Sadie -Badger. The hat, veil, and cloak had been discarded by the figure behind -him, and he found himself gazing at the face of Chick Carter.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens!" he gasped involuntarily. "What am I up against?"</p> - -<p>"You know, Fallon, without my telling you," said Nick. "The game is up, -and we’re out to get the entire gang. We’re going to do it, too."</p> - -<p>"I guess that’s no fairy tale." Fallon knuckled with a sickly smile. -"You’re the worst ever, Carter, the very worst. Well, I’m not in so bad, -at that. Go as far as you like."</p> - -<p>"Put bracelets on him, Chick, and we’ll secure him with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> another pair to -one of the taxicab wheels," Nick directed. "That will hold him till we -return."</p> - -<p>"Let me sit inside," said Fallon. "I’ll not bolt."</p> - -<p>"I shall feel a little more easy if I don’t take the chance," Nick dryly -answered. "You’ll not suffer greatly, and it won’t be for long."</p> - -<p>Fallon offered no further protest, and was left secured as described.</p> - -<p>"Now, Chick, having landed a couple of the hirelings, we’ll get after -the master," said Nick, as they turned away. "Unless I am much mistaken, -we to-night shall see the last of Gaston Goulard, in so far as his -criminal career is concerned. He is booked to pay the penalty."</p> - -<p>"That’s likely to be his life for having killed Batty Lang."</p> - -<p>"It’s more than probable. Come on."</p> - -<p>"You expect to find Helen Mantell here, I infer."</p> - -<p>"I haven’t a doubt of it," said Nick. "Be quiet, now, and have your guns -ready. I’ll lead the way."</p> - -<p>They had moved on and were picking their way up the narrow road. Through -the intervening trees, the outlines of the old Corson house could be -dimly seen. A solitary light appeared at one of the side windows.</p> - -<p>Nick led the way in that direction, moving noiselessly over the damp -sod. It proved to be the window of a dining room, as he could see -between the curtain and the casing, though the roller shade was drawn -completely down.</p> - -<p>No other precautions had been taken by Gaston Goulard, however, so sure -was he that the expected taxicab would bring only Fallon, Sadie Badger, -and Nick, with the latter up against odds that he could not possibly -oppose.</p> - -<p>Though none of them were entirely visible, Nick could see that there -were several persons in the room. While he gazed, trying to identify one -or more of them, he heard the voice of the crook he was chiefly seeking.</p> - -<p>"I’ll not stand for any further objections, Mrs. Mantell," Goulard was -harshly saying. "You write what I dictate to your husband, stating the -terms I direct, or I’ll——”</p> - -<p>"Don’t you do anything of the kind, Mrs. Mantell," interrupted a voice -that Nick instantly knew to be Patsy’s. "Let this rascal collect the -ransom he demands as best he can. He’ll not harm you as long as he sees -any show of getting it. Don’t write a line, or——”</p> - -<p>"You keep quiet, or I’ll silence you in a way you’ll not fancy," Goulard -fiercely cut in. "I’ll put you away, Garvan, as well as Nick Carter, if -I do nothing else. You listen to me, woman, and——”</p> - -<p>Nick did not wait to hear more. He touched Chick’s elbow and continued -on toward the rear of the house, where the door of the kitchen met his -gaze.</p> - -<p>"We have them where we want them, Chick, if we can enter quietly," he -whispered.</p> - -<p>"Dead to rights," Chick nodded.</p> - -<p>"There is no lock on the door. It may be hooked or bolted on the inside. -No, by Jove, it is not. They were cocksure of their game, all right."</p> - -<p>Nick had tried the door and found that he could open it. He did so, -glancing at Chick, and both stepped into the kitchen.</p> - -<p>The only light came through a doorway in the near hall, that of the -dining room.</p> - -<p>The voice of Goulard again could be heard, addressing the abducted woman -and rising loud and harsh with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> threats and commands. It served to -completely drown the stealthy steps in the hall.</p> - -<p>Suddenly it stopped short, as if the miscreant’s tongue had been -palsied, and then came a shriek of dismay that was bloodcurdling in its -intensity.</p> - -<p>Goulard saw Nick and Chick in the open door, with hard-set faces and -drawn revolvers.</p> - -<p>A shout came from Patsy, bound hand and foot to a chair.</p> - -<p>A scream of relief broke from Helen Mantell, seated white and helpless -in one corner.</p> - -<p>Mullen, Sampson, and Jim Corson, with jaws suddenly dropping, stared as -if they beheld two ghosts.</p> - -<p>"Sit still, all of you," Nick calmly commanded. "I will shoot the first -man who shows fight or makes a move in that direction."</p> - -<p>Only one man did so—Goulard.</p> - -<p>A vision of the electric chair must have leaped up in his mind. For his -face turned as gray as ashes, and he appeared to choose the quicker -fate. He whipped out a revolver, clapped the muzzle against his ribs, -and fired.</p> - -<p>The thundering report fairly shook the house.</p> - -<p>Goulard pitched face forward on the floor, shot through the heart.</p> - -<p>It was the last step of a downward career, the last act of a man gone -hopelessly to the bad.</p> - -<p>The arrest of the others was easily accomplished, with nothing more -sensational than imprecations and curses. Nine o’clock that evening saw -all that remained of the gang securely lodged in the Tombs.</p> - -<p>The same hour saw Helen Mantell restored to her husband’s arms, and the -cloud of fear that had hung over the Mantell mansion was dispelled -forever.</p> - -<p>Though uninjured by the experience she had suffered, Helen could only -state that, after riding away with the man she had supposed to be her -father-in-law, he had almost immediately seized her and plunged a needle -into her neck, evidently impregnated with some powerful and quick-acting -drug. She knew no more until she revived in the old Corson place, scarce -a half hour before Nick Carter’s arrival.</p> - -<p>The gratitude of the Mantells, as well as their reward to the detectives -for their splendid work, were all that the Carters could ask, and Patsy -made sure that Frank Steel got his for the services rendered.</p> - -<p>The crooks suffered the extreme penalty for their crime, including -Nick’s partner in knavery—but the detective made sure that the Buckley -plunder was restored to its owner.</p> - -<p>It was found in the secret cellar under the Corson stable—with the -hidden fruits of several previous robberies.</p> - -<p>"Taken as a whole," Nick Carter remarked that evening; "it was the -round-up and wind-up of a very bad gang."</p> - -<p class="fint">THE END.</p> - -<p>"The Mystery of the Crossed Needles; or, Nick Carter and the Yellow -Tong," will be the title of the long, complete story which you will find -in the next issue, No. 151, of the <span class="smcap">Nick Carter Stories</span>, out July 31st. -In this interesting narrative the famous detective matches wits with a -clever Chinese crook, and throughout the story there is a constant -mental battle between the man of the Orient<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> and the man of the -Occident. Then, too, you will also find the usual installment of the -serial now running, together with several interesting articles.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cb"><span class="big">Sheridan of the U. S. Mail.</span><br /><br /> -<small>By RALPH BOSTON.</small></p> - -<p><small>(This interesting story was commenced in No. 148 of <span class="smcap">Nick Carter Stories</span>. -Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer or the -publishers.)</small></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /><br /> -<small>ONE LITTLE SLIP.</small></h2> - -<p>Judge Lawrence opened the case for the defense by assuring the jury that -it would take but a few minutes to present all his evidence. The first -witness counsel for the defense placed on the stand was the prisoner -himself. In as few words as possible, Owen told how he had incurred the -enmity of Samuel Coggswell by exposing the latter’s plot to tamper with -Judge Lawrence’s mail. He explained that for the same reason he had also -aroused the animosity of Carrier Smithers, of Branch X Y.</p> - -<p>"Our next witness will be Carrier John Smithers," announced Judge -Lawrence, when Owen had finished.</p> - -<p>Smithers, sullen and hostile, glared at his questioner as the latter -asked quietly: "You and Carrier Sheridan occupy adjoining rooms in a -boarding house, do you not, Mr. Smithers?"</p> - -<p>"We do."</p> - -<p>"And you were off duty and in your room at the boarding house the day -the inspectors visited the house and searched Sheridan’s trunk?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was; but if you’re trying to infer—\-\-\" began the witness -angrily.</p> - -<p>"Never mind what I’m trying to infer, Mr. Smithers," interrupted the -lawyer gently. "Step down, please, unless the district attorney wishes -to cross-examine; I’m through with you."</p> - -<p>He turned to the jury with, a pleasant smile. "But one more witness; -then our case is finished. I shall now call Mr. Alfred Adams."</p> - -<p>As Mr. Adams, a gray-haired, bespectacled man, took the stand, Jake -Hines stared at him in astonishment. Who could this fellow be? Jake had -never seen him before, and the name suggested nothing to him. He -wondered what the calling of this witness could mean.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Adams," began counsel for the defense, very softly, "will you -please tell the jury what your occupation is?"</p> - -<p>"I am a postal clerk employed at the registry window of Branch Post -Office D E."</p> - -<p>"At Branch D E. That’s the branch from which the package was mailed," -explained the lawyer. "And how long have you been employed there, Mr. -Adams?"</p> - -<p>"For seventeen years," replied the gray-haired witness proudly.</p> - -<p>"Seventeen years! That’s a long time, Mr. Adams. Have you made many -mistakes in your work during that period?"</p> - -<p>"Not a single mistake, sir," replied the postal clerk, still more -proudly, and added, with a smile: "The boys at the branch call me -‘Accurate’ Adams."</p> - -<p>"An enviable nickname," said Judge Lawrence. "Now,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> tell me, sir, is it -your custom to weigh all letters and packages that are handed in at your -window for registry?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir; we are required to do that."</p> - -<p>"It is a precaution no registry clerk overlooks?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. You see, the rules require us to see that letters and -packages are sufficiently stamped before we make out a receipt for them. -If the letter or package is overweight, we call the sender’s attention -to the fact, and he must supply the deficient postage before we will -accept it."</p> - -<p>"I see. Then it would not be possible for a man to hand you a sealed -package weighing over seven ounces, and bearing only three two-cent -stamps and a ten-cent stamp for registration—you wouldn’t give him his -registry receipt under such circumstances?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly not, sir," replied the postal clerk. "The package, being -sealed, would have to go as first-class mail; and if it weighed a -fraction more than seven ounces it would require sixteen cents postage -in addition to the registry fee."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Mr. Adams," said counsel for the defense, opening a wooden -box and producing a small pair of official post-office scales. "Now, -will you please take these scales and this watch and tell the jury how -much the watch weighs?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly five ounces, sir," replied the witness, after he had carried -out these instructions.</p> - -<p>"And now please weigh this leather watchcase, and the box it was sent -in. What is their combined weight?"</p> - -<p>"Two and a half ounces, sir."</p> - -<p>"Thank you. So the watch, the leather case, and the box together would -weigh seven and a half ounces, and if sent by first-class mail would -require sixteen cents postage, and an additional ten cents for registry, -would they not?"</p> - -<p>"They certainly would."</p> - -<p>"And the empty leather case and the box alone would require just six -cents in postage?"</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"Very good," said the lawyer, with a chuckle. "Now, take a look at this -wrapper—the wrapper which was around the package from which my client -is alleged to have stolen the watch—and tell the jury how many stamps -you find there, Mr. Adams."</p> - -<p>"Three two-cent stamps and a ten-cent stamp," announced the witness.</p> - -<p>"Consequently the package, when it was handed in at your window for -registry could not have contained the watch, could it, Mr. Adams?" -demanded Judge Lawrence, looking triumphantly toward the jury.</p> - -<p>"It positively could not, sir," replied the postal clerk. "Otherwise -when I weighed it I should have noticed the discrepancy in postage."</p> - -<p>"Well, for the love of Mike!" muttered Jake Hines, his face turning the -color of chalk. "Gee! What a fierce break!"</p> - -<p>Fifteen minutes later a taxicab drew up in front of the headquarters of -the Samuel J. Coggswell Association, and a young man jumped out, dashed -frantically into the clubhouse, and up the stairs.</p> - -<p>"Well, Jake?" demanded Boss Coggswell, as the young man burst into the -room.</p> - -<p>"The whole thing’s busted, boss!" gasped Hines, the sweat streaming down -his face. "Sheridan’s acquitted! We made a bad break not puttin’ enough -stamps on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> package, and they’ve got Bill Warren and the pawnbroker’s -clerk on the rack now, tryin’ to make ’em squeal."</p> - -<p>"Holy smoke!" gasped Coggswell, jumping up from his chair. "That sounds -bad, Jake—very bad. Do you suppose those fellows will squeal?"</p> - -<p>Hines nodded gloomily. "I’m afraid so, governor. That pawnbroker’s clerk -is a white-livered rat; it won’t take long to break down his nerve; and -Bill Warren ain’t much to be depended on when his own hide’s in danger. -I’m afraid we’re in bad this time, boss—up against it for fair."</p> - -<p>For five minutes Samuel J. Coggswell agitatedly paced the floor. -Suddenly he halted and turned to Hines, a queer look on his face.</p> - -<p>"Jake," he said, "you’re looking bad—very bad, indeed, my boy. You need -a change of climate—a little trip for your health. Do you understand?"</p> - -<p>"You mean you want me to beat it, governor?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, at once! Better start right now to pack your suit case. If you -need any money I’ll sign a check for any amount you want. The bank isn’t -closed yet."</p> - -<p>Hines nodded gloomily. "Yes, I guess you’re right. I’d better go. If -those fellers squeal—and I’m pretty sure they will—New York’s no place -for me just now. But how about yourself, boss? What are you goin’ to -do?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I’ll stay, Jake—stay and face the music," replied Coggswell, a -smile of resignation on his face. "As long as you’re safe, I don’t care -much what happens to me."</p> - -<p>Hines would have been more touched by this unselfishness on the part of -his chief if he had not observed that the latter’s ears were wagging -furiously while he spoke.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /><br /> -<small>AN INFLUENTIAL FRIEND.</small></h2> - -<p>As Jake Hines tremulously informed Boss Coggswell, the jury had brought -in a verdict of "Not guilty" in the case of Owen Sheridan. That one -little slip on the part of the conspirators—their failure to put on the -package sufficient stamps to cover the weight of the watch it was -supposed to contain—enabled Judge Lawrence to convince the jurors that -his client was the victim of a "frame-up."</p> - -<p>In his summing up he showed how the wholesale liquor dealer, William -Warren, could easily have deceived the two reputable business men who -testified that they had seen the watch placed in the package. He pointed -out that both of these witnesses had admitted that during the walk to -the post office the package had been in Warren’s pocket. How simple for -him to have had a duplicate package in the same pocket, and hand it in -at the registry window instead of the box which contained the watch.</p> - -<p>The jury deliberated less than ten minutes before they acquitted the -accused carrier. Later that day the pawnbroker’s clerk, after a long and -grueling examination, broke down, and confessed that he had committed -perjury when he had sworn that Owen had pledged the watch.</p> - -<p>Carrier Sheridan had not been in the pawnshop at all that day, he -admitted. The watch had been pawned by Bill Warren himself, who had -offered him a hundred dollars to swear that Owen had conducted the -transaction. As he knew the letter carrier by sight, it had been an easy -matter for the pawnbroker’s clerk to pick him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> out unhesitatingly from a -group of twenty other carriers, and thus satisfy the post-office -inspectors that he was telling the truth.</p> - -<p>This was not the only confession extracted that day. Warren, the -wholesale liquor dealer, realizing that he was "in bad," decided to make -things easier for himself by "blowing the whole game." He swore that he -had done this thing at the request of Jake Hines. There were certain -reasons why he could not afford to lose Hines’ good will, and when the -politician had come to him and asked him to do this favor, he had not -dared to refuse.</p> - -<p>Carrier Smithers, possessing more nerve than these other conspirators, -could not be made to admit that he had placed the pawn ticket in -Sheridan’s trunk. He preserved his taciturn, defiant air throughout the -examination, and came from the ordeal smilingly triumphant.</p> - -<p>Judge Lawrence and Owen Sheridan were very well satisfied, however, with -the result of their efforts. The latter grasped his client’s hand -fervently, and said:</p> - -<p>"Let me congratulate you, Sheridan. Your own cleverness has saved you -from jail and enabled us to turn the tables on our enemies. We wouldn’t -have stood a ghost of a show if it hadn’t been for that happy thought of -yours about the stamps on the package.</p> - -<p>"And now," he added, a gleam in his keen eyes, "we are going after those -rascals hot and heavy."</p> - -<p>A responsive gleam in Owen’s eyes showed how greatly this idea appealed -to him. "Yes," he said confidently, "I guess we’ve got Boss Coggswell -where we want him now. This means the finish of that grafter."</p> - -<p>"I’m not quite so sure of that," replied the judge, with a whimsical -smile. "Don’t forget that friend Samuel is a pretty slippery customer. I -shouldn’t be at all surprised if he managed to wriggle out of this. I -think we’ll be able to put Jake Hines behind bars without any trouble, -but I’m afraid we’re not going to have such an easy task convicting his -master—not yet, at least."</p> - -<p>And the lawyer proved to be a true prophet as far as Samuel J. Coggswell -was concerned. When, later that day, reporters from all the daily papers -thronged the clubhouse to interview the boss, they found that gentleman -smiling and apparently very much at his ease.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Coggswell," a newspaper man said bluntly, "we understand that you -are going to be indicted for conspiracy. You are accused of being -responsible for a frame-up to send a young letter carrier named Sheridan -to prison."</p> - -<p>The district leader shook his head deprecatingly. "Nothing to it, -boys—nothing to it. The rumor is absolutely without foundation, I -assure you. Why should a grand jury seek to indict me? It is -preposterous to suppose that I had anything to do with the infamous -attempt to railroad young Sheridan. On the contrary, I am very friendly -toward the man, and I’m glad that he got off—very glad, indeed."</p> - -<p>"But, Mr. Coggswell," the newspaper man insisted, "they have proof that -Jake Hines, your confidential man, was the moving spirit in that -conspiracy."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" exclaimed the politician, with a sad smile. "Poor Jake! Poor Jake! -By the way, has anybody seen him lately?"</p> - -<p>"No," answered the reporter. "I hear that detectives with a warrant for -his arrest have been searching all over town for him in vain. It is -understood that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> has fled. That is why, Mr. Coggswell, it looks as -if——”</p> - -<p>"So they can’t find Jake, eh?" the boss interrupted, his ears wiggling a -fast accompaniment to his words. "It is understood that he has run away? -Well, if such is, indeed, the case, it looks as if the rascal really -must be guilty. Flight can generally be regarded as a confession of -guilt, can’t it, boys?"</p> - -<p>"Well," said one of the newspaper men boldly, "if Hines is guilty, Mr. -Coggswell, how about yourself? Everybody knows that he is your -confidential man, and——”</p> - -<p>"He was my confidential man, you mean, sir," corrected Coggswell, with -dignity. "I’ll admit that Jake has been very close to me. I’ll admit -that I thought the world of him. But, of course, if he was in any way -connected with that dastardly plot to send an innocent man to prison—if -it can be proved that he had anything to do with it, Jake Hines and I -must part company forever. I wouldn’t have such a scoundrel around me. -Even if he were my own brother, I would cast him out. It is really a sad -case—a very sad case. It only goes to show, boys, to what depths an -impetuous young man will sometimes descend when he is in love."</p> - -<p>The newspaper men looked at him in amazement. "In love?" one repeated -inquiringly.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Let me give you fellows a little tip. There is a young lady—Miss -Dallas Worthington—a very charming young lady, I have been told. She is -employed as a typist in the office of a real-estate man named Walter K. -Sammis. If you go and see her, she will probably tell you that Jake -Hines has been making love to her. I understand, in fact, that he is -madly infatuated with her. Now, Miss Worthington happens to be engaged -to Carrier Sheridan. Perhaps you can see now the motive which inspired -poor Jake to——”</p> - -<p>The reporters waited to hear no more. They departed hurriedly for the -real-estate office, eager to interview Dallas and get her to confirm -this tip.</p> - -<p>Thus it happened that the newspapers next morning, in their accounts of -Owen Sheridan’s trial and its sensational developments, exonerated Boss -Coggswell, and unanimously declared that while at first it had been -assumed that the conspiracy to railroad the letter carrier to jail was -of a political nature, it had been discovered that rivalry in love was -at the bottom of it all—that Jake Hines had been inspired solely by -personal motives, and had acted without the knowledge of his master.</p> - -<p>"I feared as much," said Judge Lawrence to Owen, pointing with a wry -smile to the pile of newspapers on his desk. "Coggswell has managed to -get from under by making Jake Hines the goat. The grand jury will take -the same view of the matter as the newspapers. We shan’t be able to -convict that rascal this time."</p> - -<p>"But we’ll get him on that other charge, anyway—the charge of tampering -with your mail, judge," declared Owen confidently. "He can’t very well -wriggle out of that."</p> - -<p>The lawyer shook his head dubiously. "I’m not so sure. Carrier Greene -and Tom Hovey have skipped their bail. Of course, Coggswell will keep -them liberally supplied with funds, so there isn’t much chance of their -being caught. And unless they can be brought back and forced to squeal, -it will be impossible to implicate the boss."</p> - -<p>"But how about my testimony?" protested Owen. "You<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> are forgetting that -I am in a position to prove that Coggswell was behind that plot to -tamper with your mail, judge."</p> - -<p>Judge Lawrence laughed grimly. "No, I am not forgetting. Your testimony, -by itself, wouldn’t be worth anything at all, Owen. Sam Coggswell -evidently thought that it would. He must have been afraid of you, or he -wouldn’t have gone to such trouble and risk to have you discredited, -unless, of course, he did it merely out of revenge; but if he had -consulted a lawyer he would have learned that we couldn’t implicate him -on your testimony alone."</p> - -<p>Seeing the look of disappointment of Sheridan’s face, the lawyer laid -his hand upon the young man’s shoulder, and said:</p> - -<p>"Never mind, my boy; we’ll get that rascal yet. You can depend upon it -that he is mixed up in several corrupt post-office deals, any one of -which, if exposed, will land him in jail. And when you’re a post-office -inspector, Owen, you’ll have a chance to look thoroughly into some of -those deals."</p> - -<p>"When I’m a post-office inspector!" repeated Owen, with a laugh. "I’m -afraid there won’t be any chance of that happening while Boss Coggswell -remains in power. He’ll make it his business to see that I——”</p> - -<p>"My friend," interrupted Judge Lawrence dryly, "Sam Coggswell isn’t the -only one who has a pull with the post-office department. As it happens, -I have a friend at Washington whose word carries quite some weight in -postal affairs. Believing that a man of your cleverness would be a -valuable acquisition to the secret-service branch of the department, and -feeling absolutely confident that you would come out of your trouble all -right, I wrote to this friend of mine the other day in your behalf. This -morning I received his answer. When you have read it I think you will -agree that in spite of Sam Coggswell’s opposition you are going to get -the job you want."</p> - -<p>He took a letter from his desk, and handed it to Owen. With great -astonishment the young man read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>"<span class="smcap">My Dear Judge</span>: I have your note. Come and take lunch with me next -Thursday, and we will talk the matter over. If your young protégé -is as bright and honest as you say, I should like to see him made a -post-office inspector."</p></div> - -<p>This letter was written on White House stationery, and bore the -signature of the President of the United States.</p> - -<p>Three months later Letter Carrier Sheridan became Post-office Inspector -Sheridan.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /><br /> -<small>THE FIRST CASE.</small></h2> - -<p>Sheridan was assigned to the New York division of the postal secret -service, and, oddly enough, the first case that he was sent to -investigate was at the branch at which he had served as carrier.</p> - -<p>"Sheridan," said the chief inspector, "run up to Station X Y right away. -There’s some trouble up there. Go and straighten it out."</p> - -<p>Wondering what his trouble could be, and which one of his former -comrades was concerned in it, Owen jumped aboard a subway express, and -half an hour later stepped into the private office of Superintendent -Henderson, of Branch X Y.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p> - -<p>Henderson’s greeting was flatteringly deferential. No matter how honest -a postmaster may be, he likes to have the good will of the special -investigators. Owen in his new role was, therefore, considered a person -of some importance by his former boss.</p> - -<p>"How do you do, Mr. Sheridan?" said he. "May I offer you my heartiest -congratulations upon your promotion?" He extended his hand somewhat -hesitatingly, remembering the bad turn he had once done Owen by -peremptorily transferring him from his route.</p> - -<p>But Owen did not bear any grudge. Henderson, except for that one act of -injustice, had always been fairly decent to him. And, besides, the -inspector was too happy over the realization of his ambition to bear ill -will toward anybody. He cordially grasped the hand which the -superintendent held halfway toward him. "Thank you," he said, in -acknowledgment of the congratulations. "I shall never forget the many -little kindnesses you showed me when I was connected with this branch."</p> - -<p>Henderson looked at him keenly, wondering whether there was anything -ironical about this remark; he was relieved to see that there was -nothing at all suspicious about the inspector’s frank smile.</p> - -<p>"I understand that there’s some trouble up here," said Owen, getting -down to business. "The chief sent me up here to investigate."</p> - -<p>The superintendent nodded. "Yes, it’s a very mysterious case, Mr. -Sheridan. I can give you the details in a few words. A man named Walter -K. Sammis—— I beg your pardon?"</p> - -<p>Owen had been unable to refrain from an ejaculation of astonishment at -the mention of the name of Dallas Worthington’s employer. Could it be -possible that he had anything to do with this case?</p> - -<p>"I didn’t mean to interrupt you," he said. "Please go on. You mean -Sammis, the real-estate man, I presume?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He came around to this office at five o’clock yesterday evening, -accompanied by another man—the Reverend Atkinson Moore. They came to -see me with reference to a letter which they had dropped in the street -letter box outside Sammis’ office—a letter in a pink envelope. Mr. -Sammis explained to me that the letter contained a hundred-dollar bill -which the clergyman was sending to a poor family in Pennsylvania."</p> - -<p>"He was sending a hundred dollars in currency in an unregistered -letter?" exclaimed Owen, with some astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Yes," answered the superintendent, with a smile; "the reverend -gentleman has great faith evidently in the infallibility of Uncle Sam’s -post office; but his friend, Mr. Sammis, is not so trustful. After -dropping the letter in the box, Mr. Moore went into the real-estate -office to visit Sammis, who is a member of his church, and happened to -mention sending the money; whereupon the real-estate man told him what a -rash thing he had done to send money in that unsafe manner, and insisted -that he should try to get the letter back. They came around here to stop -the letter and have it registered before it went out. Of course, I -consented to this. I told them that the man who attended to that box had -not come in with the last collection, and asked them to wait until he -arrived."</p> - -<p>The superintendent smiled grimly. "And now, here comes the mystery, Mr. -Sheridan. When the carrier came<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> in and we went to look for that letter, -it wasn’t to be found. There was no pink envelope in his bag."</p> - -<p>"By Jove!" exclaimed Owen, who had not been in the secret service long -enough to conceal his emotions.</p> - -<p>"We searched through the contents of the bag four times," Henderson went -on. "We examined the bottom of the bag carefully, thinking it might -possibly have stuck there; we went to the street letter box to see -whether the pink envelope might not have been left behind. Not a trace -of it could we find anywhere."</p> - -<p>"And Mr. Moore is quite certain that he dropped it in the box?" asked -Owen.</p> - -<p>"Absolutely positive."</p> - -<p>"And quite sure that it was a pink envelope?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, he is certain of that."</p> - -<p>"Who’s the carrier who made the collections, Mr. Henderson?"</p> - -<p>"James Andrews."</p> - -<p>"‘Pop’ Andrews!" exclaimed Owen. "Then that disposes of the theory that -the letter was stolen on the way from the street box to the post office. -I’m sure that Pop is too honest to have stolen it himself, and too -careful to let anybody else take it from his bag. What has Pop to say -about the matter, Mr. Henderson?"</p> - -<p>"He hasn’t given us any explanation. He’s all broken up about the -matter. The poor fellow realizes that he’s placed in a nasty position. -Nevertheless, it seems to me that he’s holding something back. I mean to -say that there’s something about his manner that sort of gives me the -idea that he knows a little more than he cares to tell about that -letter."</p> - -<p>"May I see him?" asked Inspector Sheridan.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I’ll send for him."</p> - -<p>Carrier Andrews entered the superintendent’s private office looking very -worried and upset. He uttered an exclamation of astonishment when he -discovered that Sheridan was the inspector assigned to the case.</p> - -<p>"Now, Pop," said Owen gently to the veteran postman, "what can you tell -me about this pink letter? Any help that you can give me I’ll greatly -appreciate."</p> - -<p>The old man looked at the young inspector pityingly. "Owen—er—I beg -your pardon, I mean Mr. Sheridan—I’m mighty sorry that they sent you up -to handle this case, because I’ve decided, after thinking it over, that -I’d better tell the whole truth, and I’m afraid it’s going to hit you -pretty hard."</p> - -<p>"Hit <i>me</i> hard!" exclaimed Owen, in astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. I’ve kept quiet until now—first, because in order to tell -the truth I’ll have to confess to having violated the rules, which I -hate to do, having been so long in the service; secondly, because I -don’t like the idea of causing trouble to the young lady."</p> - -<p>"The young lady!" Owen couldn’t help breaking in.</p> - -<p>"Yes. As I say, I’ve decided that I’d better tell the truth," said Pop -Andrews. "I do know something about that letter. There was a pink -envelope in the box when I went to collect the mail. I gave it to the -young lady who was standing at the box waiting for me. At first I didn’t -want to give it to her, knowing it was against the rules, but she begged -so hard, and finally, when she began to cry, telling me that it meant -all the world to her to get that letter back, I decided that I’d take a -chance, and I handed her the pink envelope."</p> - -<p>"She told you that it was hers, of course, Pop?" said Owen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Yes; she said that she’d dropped it in the box only five minutes -before, and that it was a letter that would cause a lot of trouble if it -was sent, so she wanted it back. I believed her, and I let her have it, -not dreaming that it wasn’t hers—that she was working a game on me."</p> - -<p>"And I suppose you have no idea who this young woman was, have you, -Pop?"</p> - -<p>Once more the gray-haired carrier looked pityingly at the young -inspector. "Yes, Mr. Sheridan, I have. I hate to tell you, knowing what -she is to you, but it was the young lady who works in Mr. Sammis’ -office, Miss Dallas Worthington."</p> - -<p>Walking so quickly that his pace was almost a run, Owen Sheridan hurried -around to Walter K. Sammis’ real-estate office. It was past ten o’clock, -and Dallas was usually at her typewriter by nine; but there was no sign -of her now. Her employer stood in the outer office, and looked at Owen -questioningly.</p> - -<p>"Hasn’t Miss Worthington got down yet, Mr. Sammis?" the young man asked.</p> - -<p>"No, she hasn’t, and I can’t understand what’s keeping her."</p> - -<p>Without stopping to say another word, Owen hurried around to Dallas’ -boarding house. It was ridiculous, of course, to suspect that she could -have stolen that letter; but the mystery must be cleared up immediately.</p> - -<p>"Where’s Miss Worthington?" he inquired of the landlady, who came to the -door in response to his ring.</p> - -<p>"I couldn’t tell you, Mr. Sheridan," the woman answered; "she left here -last night."</p> - -<p>"Left last night!" repeated Owen blankly.</p> - -<p>"Yes; she came in here just before supper time, rushed up to her room, -packed her suit case, and hurried out of the house as if a thousand -demons were after her."</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br /><br /> -<small>THE PINK ENVELOPE.</small></h2> - -<p>For a moment Post-office Inspector Owen Sheridan stood staring stupidly -at Dallas Worthington’s landlady, appalled by the significance of what -the woman had just told him.</p> - -<p>"Gone!" he exclaimed dazedly, at last, "and with her suit case. But -didn’t she say where she was going, Mrs. O’Brien? Didn’t she tell you -when she’d be back?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir; not a word. She rushed out of the house like a creature -possessed. In all the while I’ve known her I’ve never seen her in such a -state. She’s usually such a calm, dignified young woman, as well you -know, Mr. Sheridan. If it wasn’t that she left her trunk behind her, and -that she don’t impress me as bein’ at all that kind of person, I’d be -inclined to think that she’d skipped to beat her board bill; she owes me -three weeks’ board. I’ve been gettin’ nothing but excuses and promises -from her lately."</p> - -<p>This was another staggerer for Owen. Dallas in need of money! He knew -that the girl’s position as stenographer in Mr. Sammis’ real-estate -office did not command a very big salary; but she had never once hinted -to Owen that she was not earning enough to pay her expenses.</p> - -<p>"Poor little girl," he mused tenderly. "She’s evidently been having a -hard struggle to get along, and I never guessed it. But, thank goodness, -she won’t have to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> struggle any longer. There’s nothing to prevent us -from getting married now, and she can throw up that job as soon as she’s -ready."</p> - -<p>He was smiling to himself at the pleasant picture his mind drew of a -cozy little flat, with Dallas, trim and dainty, pouring coffee at a -breakfast table laid for two, when the strident voice of the -boarding-house woman brought him sharply to his senses:</p> - -<p>"Why a young woman that’s earning twelve dollars a week—which I -understand is her salary, Mr. Sheridan—shouldn’t be able to keep out of -debt when her board bill’s only eight, is something that I fail to -understand. It isn’t as if she was a fancy dresser. She’s always neat, -of course, but she never wears expensive clothes, and I can’t see why -she should have to get three weeks behind in her board, when——”</p> - -<p>Owen hastily took out his wallet, and withdrew twenty-four dollars.</p> - -<p>"When Miss Worthington comes back, you can tell her that her board bill -has been paid, without telling her who paid it, Mrs. O’Brien," he said, -handing her the money. "And please don’t mention anything to anybody -about her having been in arrears."</p> - -<p>"I won’t, sir," the landlady assured him. "It ain’t no disgrace, of -course, to be hard up; but, at the same time, I know it ain’t a subject -that people like to have talked about. I’ll be very careful not to -mention it, Mr. Sheridan."</p> - -<p>"I sincerely hope that she’ll keep that promise," said Owen to himself, -as he left the house. "Until this pink-envelope mystery is cleared up, -it would be very awkward to have it become known that Dallas was so -financially embarrassed that she couldn’t pay her board bill."</p> - -<p>Then he smiled grimly, as it occurred to him that the only person from -whom, in Dallas’ behalf, such knowledge should have been kept was -himself. Of what use to request the landlady not to mention the matter -to anybody, when he, the inspector in charge of the case, was already in -possession of the incriminating information? He was the man who must -find out what had become of the missing pink envelope. He was the man -who must name the guilty person, and eventually make an arrest in the -case. And, now that he knew that Dallas Worthington had suddenly -vanished, a few minutes after she got possession of the only pink -envelope which the letter box contained, what was he going to do about -it?</p> - -<p>He asked himself this question uneasily as he walked away from the -boarding place. He told himself indignantly that it was preposterous to -suppose for a minute that Dallas could be guilty of stealing the missing -letter; that she could deliberately have deceived Carrier Andrews in -order to get possession of the hundred-dollar bill which the pink -envelope contained.</p> - -<p>He was angry with himself for even considering the possibility of -Dallas’ guilt. "A nice way to treat the girl I love—the girl I am going -to make my wife!" he muttered. "It would serve me right if she threw me -over entirely when she learns that I dared to doubt her. How foolish to -suppose that her disappearance can have anything to do with the loss of -that letter!"</p> - -<p>Yet he knew very well that it was not foolish, from the standpoint of an -impartial post-office inspector. He knew very well that, considering all -the facts in the case, if it had been any other girl than Dallas -Worthington, he would have decided with positiveness that the person<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> to -be charged with the crime was the young woman who had accosted Pop -Andrews at the street letter box, and pleaded with the old mail -collector until he handed her the letter.</p> - -<p>He realized that he must do one of two things: He must scoff at Pop -Andrews’ story, accuse him of having invented that yarn about handing -the pink envelope to Dallas, charge the veteran carrier with being the -thief, and place him under arrest; or else, accepting the carrier’s -story as the truth, he must report to his chief that the missing letter -had been stolen by a young woman named Dallas Worthington, who had not -yet been placed under arrest because she had fled to escape the -consequences of her act.</p> - -<p>"It’s a ticklish proposition," reflected Owen. "I can’t very well accuse -Dallas, yet I know very well that Pop Andrews is honest, and it would -break the old fellow’s heart to accuse him of being a thief."</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br /><br /> -<small>UNWELCOME DUTIES.</small></h2> - -<p>As Sheridan entered the post office, and stepped moodily into the -private rooms of the superintendent, Henderson looked at him with an -expectant smile. "Well, Mr. Inspector, have you solved the mystery yet?"</p> - -<p>"Not quite, Henderson. Is Pop Andrews in? I’d like to have another talk -with him."</p> - -<p>"Yes; he’s upstairs in the swing room, I believe. I’ll send for him."</p> - -<p>"Now, Pop," said Owen, as the grizzled carrier came into the office, -"are you absolutely sure that it was Miss Worthington to whom you handed -that pink envelope last night?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir; I am quite sure."</p> - -<p>"You don’t think there’s any possibility that you could have been -mistaken—that it might have been some other young woman who resembled -Miss Worthington?" asked Owen.</p> - -<p>"No; I’m positive, Mr. Sheridan. I know her well. You know I had that -delivery route for six weeks last summer, while Smithers was sick, and I -saw her, of course, every day when I called at the real-estate office -with the mail, so I couldn’t be mistaken."</p> - -<p>Owen nodded gloomily. "That’s right, Pop; I recall, now, that you had -that route while Smithers was laid up. As you say, you ought to know -her. Now, I want you to tell me, Pop, exactly what passed between you -when she asked for that letter. Give me every word of the conversation -as near as you can remember it."</p> - -<p>"Very good, sir," said the old man. "Well, to begin at the very -beginning, the young lady was pacing up and down in front of the letter -box in a very nervous manner, as I came along. When I went to open the -box, she touched my arm, and said: ‘I just dropped a letter in here, -which I’d like to get back. I’ve changed my mind about sending it.’ -‘Excuse me, miss,’ I said, ‘but before you go any further let me tell -you that us carriers are not allowed to hand back anything that has been -mailed. Its strictly against the rules,’ I says. ‘The only way you can -get your letter is by going around to the post office and seeing the -superintendent. He can let you have it if he wants to; the rules give -him that right; but I can’t.’"</p> - -<p>"And what did she say to that?" inquired Owen eagerly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span></p> - -<p>"She said that she didn’t care to go around to see the superintendent; -that she didn’t think he’d do her the favor, and she began to plead and -beg, saying that if I knew how very much it meant to her to get that -letter back, she was sure that I wouldn’t refuse her."</p> - -<p>"Didn’t she tell you what was in the letter?" asked Owen. "Surely she -must have mentioned something as to the nature of its contents, Pop?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir; she didn’t. She merely said it was a very important letter, -and that it would do a terrible lot of harm if it went through the mail. -And she said, also, that she could pick the letter out without giving me -any trouble, because it was in a pink envelope, and square-shaped."</p> - -<p>"Square-shaped!" repeated Owen, turning eagerly to Superintendent -Henderson, who sat listening to this conversation. "Then that goes to -prove that——”</p> - -<p>"I believe I forgot to mention, Mr. Inspector, that according to Mr. -Sammis and his clergyman friend, the letter which they dropped into the -box, and which is now missing, was also in a square envelope," -interrupted the superintendent.</p> - -<p>The look of joyous relief which had come to Owen’s face immediately -disappeared. "Well, go on, Pop," he said, in a discouraged tone.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, the young lady pleaded so hard that finally, like a weak old -fool, I consented to do her the favor. It wasn’t until she began to cry -that I gave in; I can’t bear to see a woman in tears, and I didn’t dream -for a minute, of course, that there was goin’ to be all this trouble -about that letter afterward; so I told her I’d take a chance and let her -have it."</p> - -<p>"And when you handed her the pink envelope, you noticed, of course, the -address which was on it," said Owen, clutching at straws. "Are you quite -sure, Pop, that it was addressed to a person in Pennsylvania—the same -person to whom the clergyman’s missing letter was addressed?"</p> - -<p>He asked the question fearfully, realizing that Dallas’ fate depended -upon what answer the old carrier made. If Pop Andrews answered in the -affirmative, then there could be no doubt, of course, that the letter -which Dallas had asked for and received was the letter which contained -the clergyman’s hundred-dollar bill.</p> - -<p>But the veteran shook his head. "No, I couldn’t swear to that, Owen; I -couldn’t tell you whether it was addressed to the same party or not, -because I didn’t see the address side at all."</p> - -<p>"You didn’t see it?" exclaimed Owen incredulously. "You mean to say that -you handed her the letter without even looking at it, Pop?"</p> - -<p>An exclamation of astonishment came from Superintendent Henderson. He, -too, looked at the old man incredulously.</p> - -<p>Pop Andrews’ air was sheepish. "I must admit that I’m all kinds of a -careless fool," he said; "but, you see, didn’t give me a chance to look -at the address. As soon as I opened the box and took out its contents -she reached for the pink envelope, which was lying on top of the heap, -and she said: ‘Here it is; thank you very much.’ And she grabbed it -before I had a chance to object. I was about to tell her that she -couldn’t have the letter until she had convinced me that it was the -right one, but before I could say a word she was hurrying up the street -with the pink envelope in her hand bag."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And you didn’t follow her and insist upon her giving it up or letting -you examine it?" exclaimed Owen.</p> - -<p>"No, sir; I didn’t bother. You see, I supposed everything was all right. -I thought the young lady acted like that merely because she was excited -and nervous. You know how jerky a woman’ll act when she’s got something -on her mind. I put it down to that, and went ahead with my collections, -not thinking any more about the matter until I got back here, and was -asked to produce the pink envelope containing a hundred-dollar bill, -which the parson had dropped into that same letter box."</p> - -<p>As the old man finished, he turned anxiously to Owen. "I hope you -believe what I’ve told you? You’re not going to place me under arrest, -are you, Mr. Sheridan?"</p> - -<p>Owen hesitated, but only for a moment. His glance traveled from the -veteran’s grizzled hair to the gold stars on his coat sleeves—emblems -of forty years’ faithful service in the department. Then a look of -determination came to the young inspector’s face.</p> - -<p>"No, Pop. I’m not going to arrest you," he said. "Hard as it is to -believe, I feel that you’ve told me the truth, and I can’t be so unjust -as to make you the scapegoat."</p> - -<p>Superintendent Henderson looked at Owen in astonishment. "Excuse me for -butting in, Mr. Sheridan," he said, "but being that you’re new at this -work I take the liberty of reminding you that it’s usual in cases of -this sort to arrest the carrier. I don’t want to make things unpleasant -for Pop, of course, but, at the same time, it seems to me that you can’t -very well let him go free. You see, Mr. Sheridan, he admits that he -handed the missing letter to the young woman, and, therefore, innocent -though his intentions may have been, in the eyes of the law he’s a party -to the crime."</p> - -<p>"I guess that’s right," assented Owen, his face flushing at thus having -displayed his greenness. He turned apologetically to Carrier Andrews. -"What the superintendent says is undoubtedly so, Pop. I’m sorry to say -that I’ll have to place you under arrest, after all."</p> - -<p class="fint">TO BE CONTINUED.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>ONE WAY TO DIE RICH.</h3> - -<p>A few years ago, a British ship having on board a large consignment of -Spanish specie for a house in Rio Janeiro, was wrecked on the Brazilian -coast. The captain ordered some of the casks containing the gold to be -brought on deck, but it was soon found necessary to take to the boats -without any of the treasure.</p> - -<p>As the last boat was about to leave, one of the officers went back to -make a last tour of the ship. Sitting beside one of the casks with a -hatchet in his hand, he found one of the sailors.</p> - -<p>"Hurry up!" cried the officer. "We came within an ace of going off -without you."</p> - -<p>"I’m not going," replied the sailor, giving the cask a hearty whack with -the hatchet, bursting it open, and laughing with delight as the coin -poured out around him; "I’ve always wanted to die rich. I’ve been poor -all my life, and this is my first and last chance. Go ahead! I’ll stay -here with my fortune."</p> - -<p>Argue as he might, the officer could not persuade the fellow to leave -the gold, with which he played as a child with marbles, and he finally -had to leave him to his fate.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"><span class="big">THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS.</span></p> - -<h3>Robber Spares Nervy Man.</h3> - -<p>Isaac Pressman, tailor at 5505 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, was -awakened at four a. m. by the gleam of a flash light on his face.</p> - -<p>When he sat up in bed he found the flash light had been switched so as -to shine on his trousers hung over the back of a chair. In the shaft of -light he saw a hand searching the pockets.</p> - -<p>Pressman leaped from bed and grappled with the burglar. In the struggle -the burglar seized Pressman’s revolver from the bureau and ordered hands -up.</p> - -<p>"You’ve got nerve," the intruder said, "so I won’t shoot you. But you -should have got the gun before you jumped me."</p> - -<p>Then he disappeared with the gun and a pocketbook containing fourteen -dollars.</p> - -<h3>Hen Cares for Little Pigs.</h3> - -<p>Because a hen, the property of Earl Peck, of Sandersbury, Pa., is not -allowed to set on eggs, she has undertaken to mother two little pigs the -farmer brought home a few days ago. It’s a cute sight to see the hen -strutting around with her adopted ones.</p> - -<h3>The "Sneeze Wood" Tree.</h3> - -<p>In South Africa there is the "sneeze-wood" tree, which is so called -because one cannot cut it with a saw without sneezing, as the fine dust -has exactly the effect of snuff. No insect or worm will touch it; it is -very bitter to the taste, and, when placed in water, it sinks.</p> - -<h3>Interesting New Inventions.</h3> - -<p>A typewriter that can be operated by the feet has been invented by a -German. It is for the benefit of those who have lost one or both arms in -the war.</p> - -<p>For testing X-ray apparatus, skeleton hands, made of paper and being -about as opaque as real hands, have been invented.</p> - -<p>Because some London streets are too narrow for motor omnibuses to be -turned around, vehicles are being tried with controlling apparatus at -each end.</p> - -<p>A recently invented pneumatic boxing glove is intended to protect both -user and opponent from harm.</p> - -<h3>His Case Puzzles Doctors.</h3> - -<p>W. H. Hilton, living near Crane, Mo., lost his voice two years ago from -the effects of a severe case of whooping cough. The singular feature of -Mr. Hilton’s affliction is that he can speak audibly to dumb animals on -his farm in as clear a voice as he ever could, but can only whisper when -he attempts to speak to persons. Mr. Hilton’s health is excellent, and -his strange affliction has puzzled physicians from many parts of the -State. He is sixty-five years old.</p> - -<h3>Electrically Groomed Horses.</h3> - -<p>Vacuum cleaners, which have the usefulness of curry-combs, with the -additional advantage of suction to draw into a receptacle the dust, -scale, and dandruff removed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> from the animal’s coat, have been adopted -for grooming the horses of New York City’s park department. The cleaner -is driven by an electric motor, and is so light as to be easily carried -from place to place. For greater convenience, however, they are mounted -on hand trucks.</p> - -<p>It has been found that besides doing the work in a much more thorough -and sanitary manner than is possible with the ordinary currycomb, the -cleaners are far more rapid. The men, using the vacuum cleaner, can care -for several times the number of horses they formerly could curry in the -old way.</p> - -<h3>Michigan Farmer is Rival of Burbank.</h3> - -<p>Hen Stratton, the Luther Burbank of Benzie County, Mich., is conducting -a series of interesting experiments with his chewing-gum tree.</p> - -<p>Last fall lightning struck three trees in Hen’s woods, and when he -looked over the damage he had an idea. One of his young maples was split -in two, the big spruce next to it was splintered, and the slippery elm, -a few feet away, was hewed from top to bottom. Hen pulled the three -trees together, bound them tight for twenty feet, and let them grow that -way.</p> - -<p>He thinks the sap of the sugar maple will flow through the spruce gum -and turn out the finest kind of maple-flavored gum. He added the -slippery elm to make it softer chewing.</p> - -<h3>"Safety-first" Candle.</h3> - -<p>Candles can easily be fitted with attachments to put out the light at a -set time. Mark a candle of the size used and time how long a certain -length of it will burn. Then suspend a small metal dome or cap, to which -a string is attached directly over the flame, and run the opposite end -of the string over nails or through screw eyes, so that it can be tied -around the candle such a distance from the flame end that the part -between the flame and the string will be consumed in the time desired -for the light to burn. When this point is reached, the string slips off -the candle and the cap drops on the flame.</p> - -<h3>Mule Stops Runaway Auto.</h3> - -<p>It took a Missouri mule to stop a runaway automobile belonging to -Professor W. G. Wesley, of Collinsville, Tenn., which started up -mysteriously and ran two blocks to where a mule was hitched to a hind -wheel of a country wagon. Seeing the car making for it, the mule turned -and kicked the car squarely in the hood, which resulted in damaging the -engine so badly that it stopped.</p> - -<p>The mule belonged to Jim Sparks, and came from Kansas City.</p> - -<h3>"The Campbells Are Coming."</h3> - -<p>For the first time in history, Scottish bagpipe factories are working -night and day, according to word from Glasgow.</p> - -<p>It is not only the Scottish regiments that march to the battlefields -behind the pipes. English, Irish, and even the Indian regiments have -caught the "pipe craze," until now it is estimated that ten thousand -pipes are playing "Johnny Cope" every morning in Britain, at sea, or in -France,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> and the demand for the instrument exceeds the supply. The -instruments cost from thirty-five dollars to forty-five dollars.</p> - -<h3>Woman Dwarf 106 Years Old.</h3> - -<p>The one-hundred-and-sixth birthday anniversary of Mrs. Jeannette -Schwartz, a dwarf three feet high, weighing only twenty pounds, was -recently celebrated in the Brooklyn Hebrew Home for the Aged.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Schwartz received her guests in bed, where she has been since -coming to the home a year ago. Her advanced age and diminutive size have -made her the wonder of the home.</p> - -<p>She replied with intelligence in German to the many questions put to -her, but her memory could not recall anything that happened beyond ten -years ago.</p> - -<h3>Bees Sting Horse to Death.</h3> - -<p>While grazing in a pasture, a valuable horse belonging to J. W. Sweeney, -of Lancaster, Ky., was attacked by a swarm of bees and so badly stung -that he died.</p> - -<h3>Chase Kills Dog and Rabbit.</h3> - -<p>Two greyhounds chased a jack rabbit until it toppled over dead, but the -dogs were so exhausted they did not pick it up. A few moments later the -dogs also died from overexertion. Ivan Marshall, of Lebanon, Kan., owner -of the dogs, buried the three bodies in the same grave.</p> - -<h3>Fifty Years a Postman.</h3> - -<p>Louis Manz, of Milwaukee, Wis., who quit the post-office department a -few days ago, was the oldest mail carrier in point of service in the -United States, having served fifty years. Mr. Manz, who is eighty years -old, may become the center of a movement for pensions for superannuated -mail carriers.</p> - -<p>Upon the occasion of his retirement, a banquet was given in his honor by -his friends. It was attended by many of those to whom he had carried -mail.</p> - -<h3>Tooter Would Lead Five Bands.</h3> - -<p>To be the leader of five brass bands is the strenuous and unusual task -of Charles Brown, a Junction City, Kan., bandmaster. Evidently he -believes with the poet, that music has its power to soothe the savage -breast.</p> - -<h3>Pink Kitten is a Beauty.</h3> - -<p>A kitten owned by Miss Mary Swartz, of Point Pleasant, Pa., is one of -the oddest freaks of nature ever seen in that section. The kitten is a -bright pink in color, and it is a beauty.</p> - -<h3>Moon is Powerless to Influence Crops.</h3> - -<p>"Scientists are now convinced that the moon has no more influence on -crops than it has upon the temperature, or the amount of rain, or the -winds, or any other weather element," say experts of the Federal -Department of Agriculture.</p> - -<p>"The growth of plants depends upon the amount of food in the soil and -the air that is available for them, and upon temperature, light, and -moisture. The moon obviously does not affect the character of the soil -in any way; neither does it affect the composition of the atmosphere. -The only remaining way in which it could influence plant growth, -therefore, is by its light.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Recent experiments, however, show that full daylight is about six -hundred thousand times brighter than full moonlight; yet, when a plant -gets one-one-hundredth part of normal daylight, it thrives little better -than in absolute darkness. If one-one-hundredth part of normal daylight -is thus too little to stimulate a plant, it seems quite certain that a -six-hundred-thousandth part cannot have any effect at all. It is, -therefore, a mere waste of time to think about the moon in connection -with the planting of crops.</p> - -<p>"The moon has nothing more to do with this than it has to do with the -building of fences, the time for killing hogs or any other of the -innumerable things over which it was supposed to exert a strong -influence."</p> - -<h3>Cat Mothers Young Rabbit.</h3> - -<p>A young rabbit found by Arthur Keen, who lives east of Gentry, Mo., a -few days ago, was taken home and placed in a nest of young kittens of -nearly the same size and age as the rabbit. The mother cat quietly -adopted the little stranger, seeming to think as much of it as she did -of her own offspring. The little rabbit seems perfectly satisfied with -its new mother, and is as lively and playful as the kittens.</p> - -<h3>Magnet Picks Up Nails.</h3> - -<p>This device has been invented to take the place of the hardware man’s -scoop. It is only necessary to thrust the hand magnet into a mass of -nails and touch a button, which turns on the electric current. The nails -cling to the magnet and may be lifted to the scales or wherever desired. -After a little practice in manipulating the magnet, the operator can -gauge closely as to the number of pounds of nails he desires to lift. As -can be seen, this is easier than trying to pick up a handful or scoopful -of eightpenny nails.</p> - -<h3>Work for Thirty-five Thousand in Kansas.</h3> - -<p>A call for thirty-five thousand harvest hands has been sent out by the -Kansas free-employment bureau. Last year forty-two thousand harvesters -found work in Kansas. The acreage is slightly less than a year ago, but -the prospects for an enormous crop are unusually good.</p> - -<h3>Find New Name for "Nuts."</h3> - -<p>"The strenuous life of business men," says an eminent physician, "is -causing New Yorkitis. For one insane man in our asylums there are ten -outside. New Yorkitis," he says, "is a mild form of insanity. It is -caused by irregular working hours, nonhygienic surroundings, and too -much rush. Unregulated work isn’t the only thing that’s the matter with -New Yorkers," says the doctor.</p> - -<p>"They eat too much. As for exercise, they take practically none. Up to -forty, we have decreased the death rate. But what is happening after -forty? The death rate is increasing by leaps and bounds. Organic -diseases, those affecting the kidneys and the heart, the blood vessels -and the nerves, are enormously on the increase."</p> - -<h3>New Typewriter Appliance.</h3> - -<p>The day of the unhandy hand method of pulling or pushing back the -typewriter carriage and spacing the paper on the roll at the end of each -line is to be ended for some people, for A. W. Wing, a court reporter, -of Chicago, Ill., has just secured a patent for a machine<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> which -accomplishes both movements with a slight movement of the foot.</p> - -<p>Wing believes his apparatus will add almost as much again efficiency to -a typewriter as at present, as the machine will save both time and -strength. He has several models working.</p> - -<h3>Resolved to Die in Deserted City.</h3> - -<p>Living only in the memory of a distant past, isolated from the rest of -the world, yet living in a city of a thousand homes, sitting idly hour -by hour at the front of a small saloon where twenty years ago prosperity -and excitement were on every hand, Sam Bolger, former Topeka bartender, -later an adventurer, gambler, and Colorado saloon owner, is residing in -the deserted mining town of Gillette, Col.</p> - -<p>The life of Sam Bolger reads like a romance, tinged with all the -vicissitudes of life, livened by the carefree days when gold was more -plentiful in Cripple Creek than to-day, shadowed by more sorrows than -falls to the lot of the average man.</p> - -<p>Several Topeka pioneers may remember him in the days of yore when he -served drinks over the bar of a saloon on lower Kansas Avenue, before -the amendment was put into effect which placed Kansas in the fore rank -of dry States.</p> - -<p>A newspaper man and party visited Gillette. They found the town -deserted, except by one man, Sam Bolger. He occupied a dilapidated -saloon, but had no customers.</p> - -<p>An inquisitive nomad put the following question to the old relic:</p> - -<p>"Where are the rest of the voters?"</p> - -<p>The faded old man did not answer at first, but then he replied: "They -are everywhere but here."</p> - -<p>He then relapsed into silence, but another Kansan—or, rather, he was a -Kansas Cityan—spied a table and a few suspicious-looking bottles within -the place. He called the ancient gentleman and together they entered the -poorly kept saloon. (Film here deleted by censor.) When the old man came -out, some ten minutes later, he was in a more talkative mood.</p> - -<p>"I hear that you fellows are from Kansas," he said, "but you don’t know -Kansas as I knew it. The men who were young then are now in their -dotage. When I lived in Topeka, it was a wide-open town, and it was my -business to furnish beer and whiskies to its progressive citizens."</p> - -<p>The man—he said his name was Sam Bolger—again fell into a moody -silence. Then he resumed his talk.</p> - -<p>"I was a fool for ever leaving Topeka. It was in 1880, not long after -the prohibition amendment went into effect. I had lost my job. I had no -money. So I just naturally drifted West, and for the next ten years I -roamed around California, New Mexico, Arizona, and old Mexico. But it -was in eighteen-ninety that I came to Cripple Creek. The first real -strike had been made. With thousands of others I fell a victim to my -ambition to be rich. Out of all those who went to Cripple Creek in those -years, only a few remain to-day who have wealth.</p> - -<p>"I just naturally had no luck. I sweated my life away in the mines. I -gambled and drank away my wages in Cripple Creek. There never was a city -yet that could equal it. Money flowed like water. I believe it was the -wickedest spot on the map.</p> - -<p>"I was in the great Cripple Creek fire of eighteen-ninety-<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>six. By that -time I was part owner of a small saloon. The fire destroyed my place, -and I was broke again.</p> - -<p>"Then I heard rumors of Gillette. The town became a city in a night. The -rush of men here at that time was heavy. Being one of the first on the -ground, I started a saloon in a shack and a boarding house in a tent. -Then I leased the upstairs of a building and owned the first dance hall -here. For several months Gillette was fast becoming the center of the -Cripple Creek region. Then the gold gave out. It was shallow. People -left here in a single night. Many did not take even the precaution of -shutting their doors. Gillette started like a whirlwind, and in a like -manner it became deserted.</p> - -<p>"Only a few of us remained, firm in the belief that the country was -plentiful in gold. My saloon business was ruined, yet I kept it up, and -still have it to-day. Gradually my friends left Gillette, but I -remained, and have lived in solitary grandeur since nineteen hundred and -eight, when the last of my family moved away.</p> - -<p>"Why don’t I leave, you ask? Why should I? I have nothing especially to -live for. I have formed an attachment to Gillette. I will die here. I am -emperor of the place. My word is law, having no one to dispute it."</p> - -<p>The visitors soon after this resumed their journey to Cripple Creek, -seven miles away. An air of depression filled each and every one of -them. They began to realize what Carthage looked like after the carnage -of the Romans. As they turned off the main "drag" into a side street and -thence to the main road, the newspaper man looked back. Sam Bolger, a -pathetic figure to say the least, was still sitting where he had been -left.</p> - -<h3>The Strange Rites of the "Voodoo Queen."</h3> - -<p>While voodooism—into the realm of which hideous and grotesque cult one -cannot go far without encountering the snake dancer, medicine faker, -charm vender, witchcraft queen, and the like—is becoming a matter of -"ancient history" in the South, still, one is bound to stumble onto -signs of it occasionally, and if one only follows the right trail, he -may come upon a scene that will readily convince him that the old-time -practices of some superstitious blacks are not dead or soundly -slumbering.</p> - -<p>The annual outbreaks—and then some—of aged Marie Lavoe, known in -Louisiana as the "Voodoo Queen," who was born in the Kongo and was -brought to that State in the slavery days, only go to prove that her -followers—and these are not all confined to the blacks—are just as -eager to take part in her mysterious séances and wilder orgies as they -were when she, as a young girl and stately specimen of the African -queen, first introduced her startling exhibitions of conjuring and -sorcery.</p> - -<p>Even now, with the annual return of St. John’s Day, this voodoo queen is -said to fall from her throne of Christian grace and to plunge again into -all the strange practices that in past years won for her a following -that has never been outnumbered by any of her rivals, male or female, -throughout the South, the only section of the country where such -practices are known, although in the large cities of the North charm -sellers and voodoo doctors can always be found, if the right negro can -be secured to act as guide through the "black belt."</p> - -<p>If one would witness some wild dances and still wilder orgies, then one -should hie away to Lake St. John, on St. John’s Day, and quietly trail -the small bands of happy, smiling black folks to the charming oval -clearing where<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> the "festivities" are to take place. Here the spectator -will see a terpsichorean divertisement that might well be called "the -dance of wild abandon," inasmuch as the dancers appear to have abandoned -about all of their covering that the law will allow.</p> - -<p>One has but to watch the contortions to discern the origin of many of -the movements of fashionable dances as adopted by the society circles of -"white folks" to-day. As to the music, one hears the same syncopated -measures that lure our white brothers and sisters into the gilded tango -palaces of the metropolis.</p> - -<p>The scene is startling, if not inspiring. On a mat of "latanier"—scrub -palm—sits the voodoo queen. In front of her is a charcoal brazier, a -bowl containing milk, a small cage in which are white mice, and in a -round basket rests the coiled, live snake that next to the sorceress is -the most important property item of the weird scenes that are about to -be enacted. While the aged queen is supposed to be a sorceress, judging -from her equipment, she is a "caplata" to her worshipers and supporters.</p> - -<p>Soon is heard the syncopated strum of the banjos, then the low minor -chant of those seated about the charmed circle. One by one the male -dancers divest themselves of their superfluous clothing, females the -while making the same preparations. The queen liberates the half-starved -snake and holds a tiny, frightened mouse before its glistening eyes. The -snake darts forth its head and swallows the mouse with a single gulp. -This is repeated until the snake has been fed three mice. As the snake -bolts each morsel of living food, the queen throws some red-flash powder -on the brazier, and for a moment the whole circle is lost in a sweetly -perfumed cloud of vapor, which gradually rises and floats away.</p> - -<p>When the dancing begins, the faces of the participants all wear a -serious look, very much like that seen on faces of a bunch of college -athletes about to engage in a hundred or four-hundred-yard sprint. The -wild frenzy of the thing is to come later. It will be noticed that the -dancers’ near-nude bodies are decorated with neck circlets of animal -teeth—a custom probably adopted from the North American Indians—gayly -colored chicken feathers, rabbits’ feet, curious medallions gathered -from all parts of the world, but of small intrinsic value, perhaps, -although some of the huge ear and nose rings worn by both sexes -undoubtedly have been handed down the family line by native Africans.</p> - -<p>Gradually the dancers work themselves into the real spirit of the -grotesque celebration. They circle about their queen in pairs and -singly, and their body contortions soon begin to equal those of the -Indians of the Far West when engaged in a similar pastime. The music -becomes wilder, the shouts of the nonparticipants become louder, and the -dancers begin to puff and blow and grunt strange sounds and -exclamations, much like so many blacks playing at craps. Their queen, -the while, is not idle. She continues to cast the varicolored flash -powders into the fire, and many times the dancers are lost in the misty -clouds that the brazier throws off. The dance continues until the -participants are completely exhausted and fall with fixed eyes and -frothing mouths to the ground, where they gradually recover and then -make way for a new "set."</p> - -<p>Following the custom established when the thrifty Marie first -established her reptilian fandango, each dancer must pay to her three -pieces of silver of different denominations.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> In the early days of her -reign this meant a three-cent piece, a dime, and a quarter, but if her -patron hasn’t a three-cent piece, which is now generally the case, he -must pay a dime, a quarter, and a half—eighty-five cents in the total. -In return for this presentation, the patron may receive a prettily -mounted rabbit’s foot, guaranteed to have been killed in a graveyard at -midnight, a conjure bag warranted to keep off bad spirits, or his pick -from a variety of other "charms" that the chooser firmly believes will -carry him safely through to the time when St. John’s Day shall have -again rolled around.</p> - -<h3>Peace at Last in "Bloody Breathitt."</h3> - -<p>"Dock" Smith, one of the alleged assassins of Ed Callahan, recently -pleaded guilty before the court in Winchester, Ky., and was sentenced to -a life term in the penitentiary, and it is believed that the passing of -sentence on Smith will be the finis to the long-continued feudal warfare -which caused the press of the nation to confer the title of "Bloody -Breathitt" on the county which produced Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan.</p> - -<p>With the deaths of Hargis and Callahan, and the conviction of several of -those alleged to have been responsible for the plot which ended -Callahan’s life, the old feudal spirit was practically wiped out in -Jackson and Breathitt Counties, and that section is to-day regarded as -having the brightest prospects of any section of the State.</p> - -<p>Wealthy Eastern syndicates have invaded Breathitt and adjoining counties -and invested heavily in the coal and timber lands of the section, while -at the time James B. Marcum was assassinated and for several years -subsequent to that tragedy, financial concerns of New York, -Philadelphia, and other Eastern cities declined to invest any capital in -this troubled district.</p> - -<p>Twelve years ago, in Breathitt County, was fired a shot that meant -little at the time to those responsible for it, but which in reality -meant more for the future of eastern Kentucky than any event of the past -half century, for it sounded the death knell of the famous and deadly -Hargis-Cockrill feud. It was the shot that killed James B. Marcum as he -stood in the front door of the bullet-riddled courthouse at Jackson, and -while Marcum was only one of the many who opposed the leaders of the old -Hargis-Callahan factions and had gone the same route, by the assassin’s -bullet, his death aroused the people of the State to action, and from -that moment the law camped on the trail of those believed to be guilty -of procuring Marcum’s death.</p> - -<p>Marcum walked into the trap laid for him while those later charged with -having laid it were interested spectators, they occupying easy-chairs in -the doorway of the Hargis store just across the street. Among those who -witnessed the assassination were Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan, county -judge and high sheriff, respectively, of Breathitt County; while the -other actors in the drama were Curtis Jett, nephew of Hargis, and Tom -White, henchman of the Hargis-Callahan clan. These two, according to a -subsequent confession by Jett, carried out a plot arranged by Hargis and -Callahan to kill Marcum, and as the latter started to enter the door of -the courthouse, a shot rang out and he fell mortally wounded.</p> - -<p>The assassination of Marcum, following so closely upon the deaths of -others in a similar manner, including Jim Cockrill, eldest of the -Cockrill brothers, and Doctor B. D. Cox, legal guardian of the infant -Cockrill heirs, created<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> a clamor for justice in Breathitt County, -heretofore unknown in this section. So strong was the pressure brought -to bear that before nightfall the governor of the State had ordered a -company of militia to Jackson, and martial law was declared the -following morning.</p> - -<p>This resulted in the calling of a special grand jury, and two weeks -later indictments were returned against Jett and White, charging them -with the murder of Marcum. They were later convicted and sentenced to a -life term in the penitentiary, and both are now paying the penalty -behind the prison walls at Frankfort. The case was tried in Cynthiana, -having been sent to Harrison County on a change of venue from Breathitt -County. Subsequently both men were tried and found guilty of the -assassination of Jim Cockrill and given the same sentence as in the -Marcum murder.</p> - -<p>Through the confession later obtained by the Commonwealth from Mose -Feltner and others of the alleged Hargis-Callahan faction, indictments -were returned against Jim and Alex Hargis, Ed Callahan, and B. Fult -French, charging them with conspiracy to bring about the death of -Marcum, Cockrill, and Doctor Cox.</p> - -<p>For seven years the four alleged conspirators faced legal death in -criminal proceedings as a result of the indictments against them, and -while they were subsequently acquitted by juries in Lexington, -Beattyville, and Sandy Hook, to which places the cases were sent on a -change of venue from Breathitt County, Alex Hargis is the only one of -the quartet now living.</p> - -<p>Jim Hargis was slain by his own son, Beach Hargis, in the Hargis store -in Jackson, and Callahan was slain in his store at Crockettsville, -twenty miles from Jackson, three years ago.</p> - -<p>B. Fult French was the last one of the alleged conspirators to die, and -while he was always considered by many as the real leader of the plots -which resulted in many of the anti-Hargis faction passing to the great -beyond, he died a peaceful death, last winter, at his home in -Winchester. It was to this place that French removed from Hazard after -the extermination of the French-Eversole feud in Perry County.</p> - -<p>The first of the many legal battles resulting from the death of James B. -Marcum was waged here in Winchester the year following his death, his -widow, Arbellah Marcum, choosing this city in which to file her claims -for one hundred thousand dollars damages because French, one of the -alleged conspirators, was a resident of this city. It was an easy matter -to get services on the other three alleged conspirators in Clark county, -as they had to pass through Winchester three or four times a week going -to and from Lexington and Jackson.</p> - -<p>The trial lasted five weeks and was, perhaps, the most sensational civil -proceeding ever fought in Kentucky. Mrs. Marcum was awarded a judgment -against Jim Hargis and Ed Callahan for eight thousand dollars damages, -but the judgment was the smallest part of the expense to the defendants, -as it cost them thousands of dollars to bring hundreds of witnesses from -various parts of the mountains and keep them in Winchester for weeks.</p> - -<p>Even with the conclusion of the Marcum suit the legal troubles of the -Hargises, Callahan, and French had just begun, and for a period of seven -years they were before the courts, either to defend themselves or some -of their alleged henchmen, and while neither of the four alleged leaders -were ever convicted, their large fortunes and once<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> powerful influence -had waned when their legal battles were over.</p> - -<p>At the time Jim Hargis was first accused of procuring assassins to kill -Marcum, he was the Tenth District Committeeman of the State General -Committee of his party, and continued to hold that office until public -sentiment forced him out, but when he was killed by his own son, he had -lost the political prestige of the leaders who for years stood by him, -and he died virtually an obscure resident of Jackson, rarely heard of -outside the confines of Breathitt County.</p> - -<p>Following the death of Hargis, it was generally believed the old feud -had died with its leader, but to those who were opposed to the Hargis -faction, Callahan loomed up as the leader of the faction, and every few -weeks the old feudal spirit would begin to boil, and this continued -until Callahan became the victim of an assassin.</p> - -<h3>Parting Shot Opens Gusher.</h3> - -<p>An oil well which it is believed will be in the five-thousand-barrel -class and will cause the opening of an extension of the famous Cushing -field, near Muskogee, Okla., was started to flowing by a twenty-seven -quart shot of nitroglycerin made as a parting slap by the owners, who -thought the well was worthless.</p> - -<p>This well was sunk in the sand in the edge of the Oilton oil pool. It -showed no signs of being productive, and there were no productive wells -around it. The owners were about to abandon it, but decided to try one -more shot of nitroglycerin. Then the oil spouted all over the lease.</p> - -<h3>Aged Ship, <i>Success</i>, is Safe in Oakland.</h3> - -<p>On April 14, 1912, an old, storm-beaten, odd-looking, three-masted -sailing ship—the oldest vessel afloat—set out from Lancaster, England, -and dropping away from Glasson dock, veteran of all piers, seized the -wind in her teeth and sped away on a voyage across the western ocean. At -different times in her career the old barkentine <i>Success</i>, for such is -her name, had been a full-rigged merchantman, a convict transport ship, -and a despised prison hulk, but just what she is to-day can be -ascertained by all who care to go down to the harbor at Oakland, Cal., -and devote an hour or so to an inspection of the age-old craft which has -just arrived here.</p> - -<p>High of stern—almost a galleon in lines—bluffy, "apple-bowed," with an -out-of-date figurehead sprawling beneath a skyward bowsprit, she sailed, -alone of her kind, an anachronism, a curiosity, a craft as out of place -among modern hulls, her foremast hands declared, "as an alligator -ashore."</p> - -<p>And that was why she sailed uninsured, for Lloyd’s—that gamest of all -maritime-insurance companies, in whose rooms a gamble will be taken even -upon a ship whose skipper "cracks on sail into the Day of Judgment"—had -refused her as a risk.</p> - -<p>She had been denied British clearance, too, and her only papers were a -board-of-health certificate, countersigned by the American consul in her -port of departure.</p> - -<p>Before her company was filled, a score of captains had thrown up their -sea-calloused hands in holy horror when offered the master’s billet -aboard her, and two crews had deserted before her forefoot could bruise -the ocean swells. And even now the old craft is short-manned.</p> - -<p>The date first set for the sailing of the <i>Success</i> from the port on the -River Lune saw the <i>Titanic</i> clear South<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>ampton upon her memorable and -tragic maiden voyage. The old barkentine, however, was delayed by an -inability to fill her crew.</p> - -<p>"If I hadn’t known the sort of stuff that the old girl was built of, I’d -have been as skeptical of her chances as the rest," Captain D. H. Smith, -her owner, admits. "As vessels go nowadays, she isn’t any giant. She is -only one hundred and thirty-five feet over all, with a beam of -twenty-nine feet, and registered at five hundred and eighty-nine tons. -And then consider her age and history.</p> - -<p>"She was built of teak throughout—what they used to call ‘black -ship’—and that’s why I have such faith in her, even though she was -battered up some in her early youth by the Indian Ocean pirates, and -after she fell from caste was moored for so many years as a prison hulk.</p> - -<p>"But she made the thousands of miles between Australia and England under -her own sail, and then I determined to bring her to the United States."</p> - -<p>The <i>Success</i>, all sail set to catch the last of the easterly winds she -had counted on to carry her across the north Atlantic in forty-six days, -left Lancaster with fair weather. She was provisioned for fifty days and -carried eighteen thousand gallons of water.</p> - -<p>Cordage humming, she stood bravely on the out course, and when she was -ten hours beyond sight of land, her wireless operator, Gallagher, sat at -a little petrol outfit which had been installed aboard her, sending the -last good-bys of the little ship’s company of nineteen over the evening -sea.</p> - -<p>Crook Haven, the great Irish station, was taking his messages, the -<i>Success</i>, with her call of "I. D. B.," having been given right of way -over all other craft. Time and time again other ships tried to cut in, -but Crook Haven "turned them out" until Gallagher finished.</p> - -<p>Then Gallagher, with his earpieces still on, heard the message which he -had shut out come spluttering out of the night. It had been relayed from -the <i>Carpathia</i>. She was picking up the <i>Titanic</i> survivors.</p> - -<p>Upon the old barkentine the news of the disaster fell like a -thunderclap, and the fear of death took each of them by the throat.</p> - -<p>"What chance have we," they asked, "with nothing but a century-old -bottom between us and losin’ the numbers of our mess?"</p> - -<p>And it was not cowardice, either. There was not a man for’ard on the -<i>Success</i> but who would cheerfully take every chance that comes in a -sailor’s twenty-four-hour day.</p> - -<p>There came a time when the <i>Success</i> was sixty days from port and -apparently far out of her course. Consequently every time their puny -wireless would sputter into the night in a vain attempt to give their -location to the ships which were looking for her, the crew, spirit -broken and diseased, would jump to the conclusion that their captain was -sending the "S. O. S." call for aid, and a strong hand was needed to -drive them to the back-breaking task when both watches were required on -deck constantly to tack her, and to wear her when the proximity of a -great iceberg would not permit them to tack.</p> - -<p>When they were twelve days out, four hundred miles due east of Boston, -trouble broke out among the crew. Five of the Liverpool bullies grew -unruly and demanded that the <i>Success</i> be headed for Halifax, which lay -a bit over four hundred miles west and about one hundred and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> fifty -miles north of their then position. That same night, while asleep in -their bunks, they were made prisoners and were kept locked up until -Boston was reached.</p> - -<p>The famous old hulk finally dropped anchor off of East Boston flats, -thus closing one of the most remarkable voyages in recent years. The -five malcontents, and one other who had made trouble for the captain, -were sent back to their native countries for punishment. From Boston she -went to New York, Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia prior to her -sailing for San Francisco.</p> - -<p>She will remain in Oakland for a brief period only while she is being -fitted out for her voyage to British Columbia, whence she will sail -direct to Melbourne, her home port. She will never return from the -latter port, as she will then have completed a tour of the world.</p> - -<h3>Oklahoma Will Honor First White Settlers.</h3> - -<p>Citizens of Salina, Okla., are making an effort to raise funds with -which to erect a monument in Salina marking the site of the first white -settlement in what is now Oklahoma.</p> - -<p>An organization known as the Choteau Monument Association has been -formed in Salina, and its object is to assemble funds or to coöperate -with others in raising funds with which to erect the monument.</p> - -<p>The Daughters of the American Revolution and the Oklahoma Historical -Association may be appealed to for financial aid, and the suggestion has -been made that St. Louis, Mo., where the Choteau family has lived since -the founding of that city, be asked to aid in marking the spot.</p> - -<p>Professor Joseph B. Thoburn, of the University of Oklahoma, State -ethnologist, gives the following account of the establishment of the -trading post at Salina:</p> - -<p>"It is not generally known in Oklahoma that Salina is the site of the -first white settlement in Oklahoma—at least of the first of which -anything is known. It was nearly one hundred and twenty years ago, or, -to be exact, in 1796, that a trading post was established here by the -Choteaus of St. Louis. The Choteau brothers were mere lads when they -were brought to St. Louis at the time of the first settlement in 1764. -They had grown up in the Indian trade, and for many years they had a -practical monopoly of that of the Osage tribe, the members of which were -several times as numerous as they are now.</p> - -<p>"In 1795 Manuel Lisa, a creole Spaniard, secured from the Spanish -governor general of the province of Louisiana, at New Orleans, an -exclusive concession or monopoly of trading with the Indians of the -valley of the Missouri and those of all of its tributaries.</p> - -<p>"As the Osage Indians spent most of their time in the valley of the -Osage River, and as the Osage never was a tributary of the Missouri, it -followed that the Choteaus would lose the lucrative business which they -had built up among the Osages. Moreover, there was nothing to prevent -the Choteaus from trading with the Osages at any place outside of the -watershed of the Missouri.</p> - -<p>"Accordingly, the members of the enterprising firm busied themselves in -inducing a large number of Osages to move over and settle in the valleys -of the Neosho—or Grand—and Verdigris Rivers, in southern Kansas and -northern Oklahoma. The establishment of the trading post in the valley -of the Grand River, in Mayes County, on the present site of the town of -Salina, followed shortly afterward."<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> - -<p class="cbig250">The Nick Carter Stories</p> - -<p class="c"> -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY <span style="margin-left: 2em;">BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>When it comes to detective stories worth while, the <b>Nick Carter Stories</b> -contain the only ones that should be considered. They are not overdrawn -tales of bloodshed. They rather show the working of one of the finest -minds ever conceived by a writer. The name of Nick Carter is familiar -all over the world, for the stories of his adventures may be read in -twenty languages. No other stories have withstood the severe test of -time so well as those contained in the <b>Nick Carter Stories</b>. It proves -conclusively that they are the best. We give herewith a list of some of -the back numbers in print. You can have your news dealer order them, or -they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt -of the price in money or postage stamps.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind"> -714—The Taxicab Riddle.<br /> -717—The Maser Rogue’s Alibi.<br /> -719—The Dead Letter.<br /> -720—The Allerton Millions.<br /> -728—The Mummy’s Head.<br /> -729—The Statue Clue.<br /> -730—The Torn Card.<br /> -731—Under Desperation’s Spur.<br /> -732—The Connecting Link.<br /> -733—The Abduction Syndicate.<br /> -736—The Toils of a Siren.<br /> -738—A Plot Within a Plot.<br /> -739—The Dead Accomplice.<br /> -741—The Green Scarab.<br /> -746—The Secret Entrance.<br /> -747—The Cavern Mystery.<br /> -748—The Disappearing Fortune.<br /> -749—A Voice from the Past.<br /> -752—The Spider’s Web.<br /> -753—The Man With a Crutch.<br /> -754—The Rajah’s Regalia.<br /> -755—Saved from Death.<br /> -756—The Man Inside.<br /> -757—Out for Vengeance.<br /> -758—The Poisons of Exili.<br /> -759—The Antique Vial.<br /> -760—The House of Slumber.<br /> -761—A Double Identity.<br /> -762—“The Mocker’s" Stratagem.<br /> -763—The Man that Came Back.<br /> -764—The Tracks in the Snow.<br /> -765—The Babbington Case.<br /> -766—The Masters of Millions.<br /> -767—The Blue Stain.<br /> -768—The Lost Clew.<br /> -770—The Turn of a Card.<br /> -771—A Message in the Dust.<br /> -772—A Royal Flush.<br /> -774—The Great Buddha Beryl.<br /> -775—The Vanishing Heiress.<br /> -776—The Unfinished Letter.<br /> -777—A Difficult Trail.<br /> -782—A Woman’s Stratagem.<br /> -783—The Cliff Castle Affair.<br /> -784—A Prisoner of the Tomb.<br /> -785—A Resourceful Foe.<br /> -789—The Great Hotel Tragedies.<br /> -795—Zanoni, the Transfigured.<br /> -796—The Lure of Gold.<br /> -797—The Man With a Chest.<br /> -798—A Shadowed Life.<br /> -799—The Secret Agent.<br /> -800—A Plot for a Crown.<br /> -801—The Red Button.<br /> -802—Up Against It.<br /> -803—The Gold Certificate.<br /> -804—Jack Wise’s Hurry Call.<br /> -805—Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase.<br /> -807—Nick Carter’s Advertisement.<br /> -808—The Kregoff Necklace.<br /> -811—Nick Carter and the Nihilists.<br /> -812—Nick Carter and the Convict Gang.<br /> -813—Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor.<br /> -814—The Triangled Coin.<br /> -815—Ninety-nine—and One.<br /> -816—Coin Number 77.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="c">NEW SERIES</p> - -<p class="cb">NICK CARTER STORIES</p> - -<p class="nind"> -1—The Man from Nowhere.<br /> -2—The Face at the Window.<br /> -3—A Fight for a Million.<br /> -4—Nick Carter’s Land Office.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>5—Nick Carter and the Professor.<br /> -6—Nick Carter as a Mill Hand.<br /> -7—A Single Clew.<br /> -8—The Emerald Snake.<br /> -9—The Currie Outfit.<br /> -10—Nick Carter and the Kidnapped Heiress.<br /> -11—Nick Carter Strikes Oil.<br /> -12—Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure.<br /> -13—A Mystery of the Highway.<br /> -14—The Silent Passenger.<br /> -15—Jack Dreen’s Secret.<br /> -16—Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case.<br /> -17—Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves.<br /> -18—Nick Carter’s Auto Chase.<br /> -19—The Corrigan Inheritance.<br /> -20—The Keen Eye of Denton.<br /> -21—The Spider’s Parlor.<br /> -22—Nick Carter’s Quick Guess.<br /> -23—Nick Carter and the Murderess.<br /> -24—Nick Carter and the Pay Car.<br /> -25—The Stolen Antique.<br /> -26—The Crook League.<br /> -27—An English Cracksman.<br /> -28—Nick Carter’s Still Hunt.<br /> -29—Nick Carter’s Electric Shock.<br /> -30—Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess.<br /> -31—The Purple Spot.<br /> -32—The Stolen Groom.<br /> -33—The Inverted Cross.<br /> -34—Nick Carter and Keno McCall.<br /> -35—Nick Carter’s Death Trap.<br /> -36—Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle.<br /> -37—The Man Outside.<br /> -38—The Death Chamber.<br /> -39—The Wind and the Wire.<br /> -40—Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase.<br /> -41—Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend.<br /> -42—The Queen of the Seven.<br /> -43—Crossed Wires.<br /> -44—A Crimson Clew.<br /> -45—The Third Man.<br /> -46—The Sign of the Dagger.<br /> -47—The Devil Worshipers.<br /> -48—The Cross of Daggers.<br /> -49—At Risk of Life.<br /> -50—The Deeper Game.<br /> -51—The Code Message.<br /> -52—The Last of the Seven.<br /> -53—Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful.<br /> -54—The Secret Order of Associated Crooks.<br /> -55—The Golden Hair Clew.<br /> -56—Back From the Dead.<br /> -57—Through Dark Ways.<br /> -58—When Aces Were Trumps.<br /> -59—The Gambler’s Last Hand.<br /> -60—The Murder at Linden Fells.<br /> -61—A Game for Millions.<br /> -62—Under Cover.<br /> -63—The Last Call.<br /> -64—Mercedes Danton’s Double.<br /> -65—The Millionaire’s Nemesis.<br /> -66—A Princess of the Underworld.<br /> -67—The Crook’s Blind.<br /> -68—The Fatal Hour.<br /> -69—Blood Money.<br /> -70—A Queen of Her Kind.<br /> -71—Isabel Benton’s Trump Card.<br /> -72—A Princess of Hades.<br /> -73—A Prince of Plotters.<br /> -74—The Crook’s Double.<br /> -75—For Life and Honor.<br /> -76—A Compact With Dazaar.<br /> -77—In the Shadow of Dazaar.<br /> -78—The Crime of a Money King.<br /> -79—Birds of Prey.<br /> -80—The Unknown Dead.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>81—The Severed Hand.<br /> -82—The Terrible Game of Millions.<br /> -83—A Dead Man’s Power.<br /> -84—The Secrets of an Old House.<br /> -85—The Wolf Within.<br /> -86—The Yellow Coupon.<br /> -87—In the Toils.<br /> -88—The Stolen Radium.<br /> -89—A Crime in Paradise.<br /> -90—Behind Prison Bars.<br /> -91—The Blind Man’s Daughter.<br /> -92—On the Brink of Ruin.<br /> -93—Letter of Fire.<br /> -94—The $100,000 Kiss.<br /> -95—Outlaws of the Militia.<br /> -96—The Opium-Runners.<br /> -97—In Record Time.<br /> -98—The Wag-Nuk Clew.<br /> -99—The Middle Link.<br /> -100—The Crystal Maze.<br /> -101—A New Serpent in Eden.<br /> -102—The Auburn Sensation.<br /> -103—A Dying Chance.<br /> -104—The Gargoni Girdle.<br /> -105—Twice in Jeopardy.<br /> -106—The Ghost Launch.<br /> -107—Up in the Air.<br /> -108—The Girl Prisoner.<br /> -109—The Red Plague.<br /> -110—The Arson Trust.<br /> -111—The King of the Firebugs.<br /> -112—“Lifter’s" of the Lofts.<br /> -113—French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves.<br /> -114—The Death Plot.<br /> -115—The Evil Formula.<br /> -116—The Blue Button.<br /> -117—The Deadly Parallel.<br /> -118—The Vivisectionists.<br /> -119—The Stolen Brain.<br /> -120—An Uncanny Revenge.<br /> -121—The Call of Death.<br /> -122—The Suicide.<br /> -123—Half a Million Ransom.<br /> -124—The Girl Kidnapper.<br /> -125—The Pirate Yacht.<br /> -126—The Crime of the White Hand.<br /> -127—Found in the Jungle.<br /> -128—Six Men in a Loop.<br /> -129—The Jewels of Wat Chang.<br /> -130—The Crime in the Tower.<br /> -131—The Fatal Message.<br /> -132—Broken Bars.<br /> -133—Won by Magic.<br /> -134—The Secret of Shangore.<br /> -135—Straight to the Goal.<br /> -136—The Man They Hold Back.<br /> -137—The Seal of Gijon.<br /> -138—The Traitors of the Tropics.<br /> -139—The Pressing Peril.<br /> -140—The Melting-Pot.<br /> -141—The Duplicate Night.<br /> -142—The Edge of a Crime.<br /> -143—The Sultan’s Pearls.<br /> -144—The Clew of the White Collar.<br /> -</p> - -<p>    Dated June 19th, 1915.</p> - -<p class="nind"> -145—An Unsolved Mystery.<br /> -</p> - -<p>    Dated June 26th, 1915.</p> - -<p class="nind"> -146—Paying the Price.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Dated July 3d, 1915.</p> - -<p class="nind"> -147—On Death’s Trail.<br /> -</p> - -<p>    Dated July 10th, 1915.</p> - -<p class="nind">The Mark of Cain.<br /></p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> - -<p class="fint"><b>PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY.</b> If you want any back numbers of our weeklies -and cannot procure them from your news dealer, they can be obtained -direct from this office. Postage stamps taken the same as money.</p> - -<p class="c">STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK CITY</p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO. 150, THE HOUSE OF FEAR; OR, NICK CARTER'S COUNTERSTROKE. ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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