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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..c54765e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68467 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68467) diff --git a/old/68467-0.txt b/old/68467-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 676d4a0..0000000 --- a/old/68467-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5361 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nick Carter Stories No. 122, January -9, 1915; The suicide; or Nick Carter and the lost head, 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. 122, January 9, 1915; The suicide; or - Nick Carter and the lost head - -Author: Nick Carter - -Editor: Chickering Carter - -Release Date: July 7, 2022 [eBook #68467] - -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. 122, -JANUARY 9, 1915; THE SUICIDE; OR NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD *** - - - - - - 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. 122.= NEW YORK, January 9, 1915. =Price Five Cents.= - - - THE SUICIDE; - - Or, NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD. - - Edited by CHICKERING CARTER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -HOW THE END CAME. - - -“Slow down, Danny, and look out for that wire,” said Nick Carter to his -chauffeur. “It may be a live one.” - -“I’m onto it, chief.” - -“Onto it, eh? Don’t you run onto it while I’m in the car, not if it’s a -live one. You may fancy absorbing the output of an electric-lighting -plant, but not for mine, Danny, not for mine! I know what it would do to -me. I’ve seen men electrocuted.” - -Danny Maloney laughed, for it was obvious that the famous detective was -jesting. - -“Onto it with my lamps, chief, is what I meant,” he replied. - -“Say what you mean, then,” said Nick, with a smile. “Precision is one of -the valuable assets of a detective. Luckily, however, you are addressing -one who can read between the lines--barring those of the ambiguous -letter that brought us out here.” - -“Can’t you fathom it? It must be mighty blind, chief, if it fools you.” - -“On the contrary, Danny, it is perfectly plain--what there is of it,” -said Nick dryly. “A woman, one Mrs. Myra Darling, states that she is in -great trouble, that a very devoted friend of mine has advised her to -appeal to me, and will I favor her with a call at my earliest -convenience.” - -“That all?” questioned Danny tersely. - -“The whole business,” said Nick. “Of course, the appeal coming from a -woman, I cannot turn it down. Noblesse oblige.” - -“You don’t know her?” - -“Not from a side of leather. I am acquainted with no Darling -woman--suppress that smile, Danny. I know what you are thinking. But -all women are not darlings--far from it.” - -“This one might be,” said Danny, his smile spreading to a grin. - -“That’s neither here nor there,” said Nick, with a laugh. “Not being in -the market, Danny, all women look alike to me. Now, the said Mrs. -Darling’s trouble may be--ah, but we are near an answer to the momentous -question. Yonder is the place, unless I am much mistaken. Stop at the -driveway gate. I’ll walk into the grounds. Keep your eye peeled, by the -way, while I’m engaged with her ladyship.” - -The place referred to was out beyond Washington Heights and overlooking -the Hudson. It was an attractive estate, without being at all -pretentious, as were others in the immediate locality. - -The grounds flanked a broad street in which electric lighting was being -introduced, and from which the house stood back some thirty yards, with -a well-kept lawn and a few shade trees. In the rear were a stable and -garage, beyond which the land sloped down sharply toward the river. - -Nick did not wait for an answer from his chauffeur. He sprang from the -car while speaking, then walked briskly up the driveway and approached -the house, quite a large wooden dwelling of the colonial type. Nick -mounted the broad front veranda and rang the bell. - -It was answered almost immediately by a tall, graceful woman, clad in -black, and about thirty years of age. She was of medium complexion, with -brown hair and eyes and a finely poised head. Her features were regular, -but her face was a strong one, rather than handsome, evincing will -power, intellectuality, and a lofty character. She bowed and smiled a -bit gravely, saying immediately: - -“You are Mr. Carter, I think.” - -“Yes,” said Nick politely. - -“I am Mrs. Darling. Walk in, please, and come into the library. I am -very glad you could comply so soon with my request. It is very good of -you.” - -“I happened to be at liberty this afternoon,” Nick replied, following -her into the hall. “I received your letter this morning.” - -Mrs. Darling conducted him into a prettily furnished library and invited -him to be seated. Taking an opposite chair, she then said gravely: - -“I will take as little as possible of your valuable time. I will tell -you with few and simple words, Mr. Carter, why I have sent for you.” - -“Cover all of the ground, Mrs. Darling,” Nick suggested. “My time just -now is at your disposal.” - -“Thank you,” she replied, bowing. “I will in that case begin at the -beginning. I was married eight years ago to Mr. Cyrus Darling, a New -York tobacco dealer, a man whom I have always supposed had considerable -means, though he has never informed me definitely. He owned this place, -however, and we have always lived well, and he has provided for me -generously.” - -“Mr. Darling is not living?” - -“No. I will explain presently.” - -“Continue.” - -“I was nearly twenty years younger than he, Mr. Carter, but our married -life was a uniformly happy one, though not as gay and festive as he -perhaps would have preferred. I am inclined to be domestic, while he was -of a volatile nature, having neither a strong or stable character. I -frankly admit, Mr. Carter, that he was subservient to my will and -wishes.” - -“I understand you,” said Nick. - -“I have no children, and I keep only two servants, aside from a -chauffeur, whom I occasionally employ,” Mrs. Darling continued. “My -husband’s habits were good, as the world goes, and I noticed nothing -unusual in his conduct until about three months ago.” - -“And then?” - -“I then thought he appeared strangely reticent, at times very -self-absorbed and less frank and affectionate than before. I asked him -whether there was anything wrong, but he assured me to the contrary, -though he seemed a bit irritated because I questioned him.” - -“I follow you.” - -“Later, Mr. Carter, he appeared quite despondent, and I feared that his -business troubled him. He said that my fears were groundless, and that -his business was never better. He went from bad to worse. He said very -little at home, and remained in town evenings much more frequently than -in years past, which I attributed to his seeming depression and his -desire to find relief in the excitement and diversions of the city.” - -“Did you occasionally accompany him?” Nick inquired. - -“Very seldom. He did not seem inclined to have me do so.” - -“Was he addicted to drink?” - -“Only moderately. I never saw him intoxicated, nor anything like it.” - -“Proceed.” - -“About two weeks ago, Mr. Carter, he decided to sell his business, -saying that he was sick of it and would try something else. I -remonstrated with him, telling him that he was making a mistake, and -that it is not easy for a man over fifty to make such changes -profitably.” - -“That is very true, Mrs. Darling.” - -“It had no effect upon him, however, and he let the business go,” she -replied, sadly shaking her head. “During the following week he was at -home part of each day, but he spent most of the afternoons and evenings -in town. On Tuesday, one week ago yesterday, he appeared unusually -nervous and depressed. I missed him soon after lunch, and supposed he -had gone into town. I had an appointment with my dentist and was absent -from two o’clock until nearly six. When I returned home--well, Mr. -Carter, the end had come.” - -“You mean?” questioned Nick gravely. - -“My husband had committed suicide--or was the victim of foul play.” - -“H’m, I see!” Nick drew up in his chair. “Were you in any uncertainty at -that time, Mrs. Darling, as to the cause of his death?” - -“No, not at that time, Mr. Carter,” she quickly informed him. “I know -what you have in mind--that I should have called in the police -immediately. I did not then, however, nor at any time until yesterday, -have even a thought of anything but suicide. The circumstances suggested -nothing else.” - -“What were the circumstances, Mrs. Darling?” Nick inquired. “State them -briefly.” - -“There is very little to tell,” she rejoined. “My husband was last seen -alive by one of my servants. She saw him going out of the back door of -the house and around the stable, and she supposed he was going down to -our boathouse, which was on the river bank and out of view from here, -owing to the sharp slope of the land.” - -“I see,” said Nick, glancing from the window. - -“Soon after, Mr. Carter, the boathouse was seen to be on fire. It -contained a motor boat and considerable gasoline, which caused it to -burn very rapidly. It was completely destroyed. In the ruins were found -the remains of my husband, little more than a charred skeleton, from -which the flesh was almost entirely burned.” - -Mrs. Darling paused to dry her eyes, maintaining with an effort her -outward composure. Appreciating her feelings, Nick waited a few moments -and then inquired: - -“Are you sure, Mrs. Darling, that his death was not due to an accident?” - -“Positively,” she replied. “To begin with, Mr. Carter, he left this -letter on the chiffonier in my bedroom. You may read it.” - -She took it from the library table while speaking and tendered it to the -detective. - -Nick read it, the following few lines written with pen and ink. - - “MY DEAR MYRA: Forgive me for the step I am going to take. I am - driven to it by feelings I cannot describe. I am sick and tired of - the whole business--of life itself. I am going to end it. Forgive - and forget me. - -RIGHT -“CYRUS.” - - - -Nick replaced the letter on the table, saying considerately: - -“There seems, indeed, to be no reasonable doubt of Mr. Darling’s -intentions. You recognize the writing, I infer.” - -“Yes, surely,” she replied. “Furthermore, Mr. Carter, there were found -in the ruins numerous articles that positively identify my husband’s -remains. They included the buttons on his garments, which were entirely -consumed; also his pocketknife, his false teeth, and a plain gold ring. -His revolver also was found near by, and it is supposed that he shot -himself after setting fire to the boathouse, presumably to make sure -that his terrible design could not miscarry.” - -“Who examined the articles and investigated the case?” asked Nick. - -“Doctor Lyons, my physician, who is also the coroner.” - -“A capable man,” Nick nodded. “I am acquainted with him. What is his -opinion?” - -“He thinks it a case of suicide. He could find no evidence of anything -else, and is very positive in his opinion.” - -“Had your husband any money, jewelry, or----” - -“He left those in the bedroom, his watch, diamonds, and pocketbook, also -his ring of keys,” Mrs. Darling interposed. “Only one key was missing -from the ring.” - -“Which one?” - -“The key to the boathouse.” - -Nick did not reply for a few moments. He sat gazing thoughtfully at a -figure in the heavy carpet. Superficially viewed, the circumstances -stated seemed to admit of only one reasonable theory--that Mr. Cyrus -Darling had, indeed, deliberately ended his own life. - -“The funeral and burial were last Thursday,” Mrs. Darling added, during -the brief silence on Nick’s part. “Doctor Lyons did not think the case -called for any investigations beyond those he personally made, nor did I -at that time. He----” - -“One moment,” said Nick, looking up. “What have you since learned, Mrs. -Darling, that occasions your misgivings? Why do you now suspect foul -play? That, I think, is the term you used.” - -“I have two reasons for apprehending something of the kind,” she -replied. “One relates to my husband’s estate. I have learned from his -lawyer, who has been assisting me, and in whom I have absolute -confidence, that Mr. Darling left no will, that he has recently -withdrawn considerable money from the bank, and that his safety-deposit -drawer contains only a few securities, worth less than three thousand -dollars. From dividends which I know that he has been in the habit of -receiving, as well as from our living expenses for several years, I know -that he was worth at least a hundred thousand dollars.” - -“Is your lawyer investigating the matter?” - -“I have requested him to do so.” - -“What is his name?” Nick inquired, taking out his notebook. - -“Henry Clayton. He has an office in town.” - -“I am acquainted with him, also,” said Nick, noting the name. “You -mentioned a second reason for your misgivings. What is that?” - -“One of my servants.” - -“You mean?” - -“I referred in my letter, Mr. Carter, to a very devoted friend of yours, -who advised me to appeal to you.” - -“Yes, I remember,” said Nick, wondering. “A devoted friend of mine--one -of your servants?” - -“I refer to my table girl, who also serves me as a maid. You have, I am -very sure, no more grateful and devoted an admirer. I will call her.” - -Nick bowed and waited, still more deeply puzzled as to the girl’s -identity. - -Mrs. Darling touched a bell on the library table. - -Nick glanced again from one of the windows--and discovered another -perplexing fact. - -His touring car was standing where he had left it, but his chauffeur was -missing. Danny Maloney had disappeared. - -The quick, light steps of the approaching maid sounded in the hall. -Turning in that direction just as she appeared at the open door, Nick -beheld---- - -Nancy Nordeck. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE GIRL WHO WAS DOWN. - - -Suspicions were mingled with Nick Carter’s surprise at seeing Nancy -Nordeck. They were perfectly natural, too, under the circumstances, and -in view of the disclosures to which he had just listened. The presence -of a girl with a criminal record in the home of a man whose death was -shrouded in mystery, much more of a mystery than Mrs. Darling even -imagined, though already keenly appreciated by the detective, might -indeed be significant. - -Months had passed since Nick last saw Nancy Nordeck. She had so improved -in looks that he hardly recognized her. She bore little likeness to the -frail girl with pinched and haggard face, who was so deeply affected by -the violent death of her crook father that she had resolved to reform, a -moral awakening that Nick had by no means felt sure would be lasting. - -His first thought, therefore, was that she might be up to her old tricks -and in league with rascals to have killed Cyrus Darling to get -possession of his fortune. It was not in Nick’s nature to expose the -girl, nevertheless, if her reformation was genuine, for he never put a -block in the way of any one who was down and striving to rise. - -He felt for a moment that his position might be a delicate one, but -though no signs of them appeared in his face, his impressions evidently -were suspected by the girl. For she approached him quickly, saying -respectfully, yet with characteristic assurance: - -“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Carter, and no one could blame you. -But there’s nothing in it, sir. I’ve been as straight as a string from -the time you set me right and shook hands with me, wishing me all kinds -of good luck, and you couldn’t think if you tried how much I now care -for you and your good opinion. I have hid nothing here, sir. Mrs. -Darling knows all about me and what I was, and she’s been as good to me -as you, sir. I’d bite a finger off before I’d go crooked again in any -way.” - -“I think you can safely depend upon that, Mr. Carter,” said Mrs. -Darling, smiling faintly. “Nancy has confided her entire past to me, and -in overlooking it and lending her a helping hand, I now know positively -that I made no mistake. She is a good girl and a capable one.” - -There was a suspicious moisture in Nancy’s brown eyes, then fixed upon -the strong, kindly face of her mistress. She colored deeply, too, when -Nick extended his hand and said heartily: - -“Come here, Nancy. Let’s shake again. I’m more than glad to hear this -and to know you are on the right track. Stick to it, my girl, as I now -feel sure you will.” - -“You may be sure that I will, Mr. Carter,” said Nancy, eagerly shaking -his hand. - -“Now let’s proceed with this matter,” Nick said, more seriously. “Mrs. -Darling tells me that you advised her to appeal to me?” - -“So I did, Mr. Carter,” Nancy replied. - -“She will answer any questions you care to ask her,” Mrs. Darling put -in. - -“To begin with, then, what do you know about the case?” said Nick. “Was -it you who last saw Mr. Darling alive?” - -“Yes, sir. I saw him leaving the house and going down back of the -stable.” - -“Did you notice anything unusual? Did he appear excited, or----” - -“No, sir; not in the least,” put in Nancy. “I didn’t reckon anything -wrong was coming off. I didn’t get wise at all until the mistress told -me that most of the master’s money is missing.” - -“Wise to what, Nancy?” - -“That he was killed and robbed, mebbe, instead of putting out his own -light.” - -“Why did you suspect that?” - -“Only because of two guys he has been friendly with lately. They have -been here to see him, one of them quite a number of times.” - -“Two men?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Do you know them?” Nick inquired, turning to Mrs. Darling. - -“Hardly more than by name,” she replied. “My husband introduced me to -one of them, named Philip Floyd, who has called several times to see -him. I have met the other only once.” - -“What is his name?” asked Nick, proceeding to write them in his -notebook. - -“Ralph Sheldon. He called here a few days ago with Mr. Floyd, who -introduced me to him. My husband was absent at the time and they -remained only a few minutes. That is the only time I ever saw Mr. -Sheldon, though my husband had frequently mentioned him.” - -“Are they old friends of his?” - -“Quite the contrary. I never heard of them until about a month ago.” - -“Had they any business relations with your husband?” - -“I cannot say.” - -“Do you know anything about them?” - -“No more than I have told you,” said Mrs. Darling. “My husband referred -to them only as friends, and he appeared to think well of them.” - -“Do you know where they live?” - -“I do not.” - -“Both were here, you say, a few days before he died.” - -“The day before, Mr. Carter, and both attended his funeral.” - -“Did they say why they wanted to see him on the day preceding his -death?” - -“They did not. I inferred from their remarks, however, that it was only -a friendly call.” - -“Are they men of his own age?” - -“I would say that Mr. Sheldon is nearly as old. He appears to be in the -forties. Mr. Floyd, however, is not over thirty.” - -“Are they prepossessing men?” - -“Yes, in a way, though I did not quite fancy them,” said Mrs. Darling. -“As for Nancy--well, she may speak for herself. It was partly her -impression of them that led me to take her advice and appeal to you.” - -“On the dead, Mr. Carter, I would not trust either of them as far as I -could throw a bull by the tail,” Nancy bluntly declared, in -characteristic terms. “You know me, sir. I am not easily fooled. I can -read a man dead right nine times out of ten, Mr. Carter, the minute I -set my eyes on him.” - -“You did not fancy them, then?” - -“Not so you’d notice it,” said Nancy. “I wouldn’t say too much against -the Sheldon man, Mr. Carter, for I’ve seen him only twice. I saw him at -the funeral, and I let him in with Mr. Floyd a few days before. He’s all -right, mebbe, though I’d hate to bank much on it.” - -“What about Mr. Floyd? Why do you distrust him so seriously?” - -“I have more than one reason for that hunch,” said Nancy inelegantly. -“For a starter, Mr. Carter, I’ve seen that guy before.” - -“Floyd?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“When and where, Nancy?” - -“Give it up. On the dead, sir, I can’t tell.” - -“But you feel sure of it?” - -“Surest thing you know,” said Nancy confidently. “I’d stake my bundle on -it, Mr. Carter, and you know what that means, knowing what I was. Any -man I knew in the past was most likely a crook.” - -Nick did not contradict her. - -“Besides, he knew me, sir, the first time. I let him in here,” Nancy -went on. “I was wise to that, all right, but it wasn’t for me to meddle -with the master’s affairs. So I kept my trap closed.” - -“Why did you think Floyd recognized you?” - -“I saw his lamps light up the instant they lit on me,” Nancy explained, -in characteristic terms. “He looked at me like he saw a ghost.” - -“Did he say anything to you?” - -“No, not a word, Mr. Carter. But no man with eyes like his is on the -level. I know what I’m saying. It’s like breaking sticks for me to pick -out a crook from a bunch of men. Floyd is one, Mr. Carter, if ever there -was one, and that’s why I got the mistress to send for you. I don’t -forget what you did in that Maybrick case--and what you did for me, sir, -never!” - -“I’m quite sure of it, Nancy,” Nick replied. “You can tell me no more -about the two men, I infer.” - -“No, sir.” - -“That is all, then. I will look deeper into this matter, Mrs. Darling, -if you wish me to do so, under one condition.” - -“Any conditions you see fit to impose, Mr. Carter,” she replied -gratefully. - -“You must leave the case entirely to me, aside from the instructions you -already have given your lawyer and Doctor Lyons. I will see and inform -both of them of our arrangements.” - -“Very well. I leave it all to you.” - -“And say nothing about it to others,” Nick added. “There must be no -publicity at present.” - -“I am more than anxious to avoid it,” Mrs. Darling assured him. - -Nick arose and took his hat from the table. - -“I am going to have a look at the ruins of the boathouse,” he said. “If -you will show me the way----” - -“I will send Nancy with you.” - -“I prefer to go alone,” Nick objected. “I will return in a very few -minutes.” - -He left the house by the rear door, passing around the stable and down -the river bank. All that remained at the boathouse and its contents was -a heap of charred, black ruins. The ground near by was covered with -footprints of many persons who had visited the tragic scene, but none of -them were of material significance. - -Nick wanted only to view the surroundings, however, and he saw with a -glance that the spot was so shut in by the hill in the rear and the -trees on either side, that knaves selecting it for the murder of -Darling, if such was his fate, would have incurred only chance -observation by persons on the river, against which effective precautions -could easily have been taken. - -Scarce ten minutes had passed when Nick returned and rejoined Mrs. -Darling in the library. He then obtained from her a description of Floyd -and Sheldon, the only two persons then seeming to invite suspicion, and -he also asked to see a photograph of her husband. - -“I know of only one in existence, Mr. Carter,” she replied. “That was -taken the year after our marriage. It is still a very good likeness of -him. It is in our album. I will get it for you.” - -She brought the volume and opened it on the library table--only to -search it vainly. - -The photograph of Mr. Cyrus Darling had disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -POINTERS TO CRIME. - - -Nick Carter made no comments upon the disappearance of the photograph, -or, at least, none that expressed his thoughts. Mrs. Darling could not -say how long it had been gone from the album, nor could she conceive of -any reason for its removal. - -“He may have led a much more gay and festive life than she suspected,” -thought Nick, upon leaving the house after giving her a few additional -instructions. “He may also have been a thousand times more sly than she -imagined. Another woman now has the photograph, perhaps, the gift of a -recreant husband, who thought it easier to give her that than to sit for -a new one. It would be worth while to know the woman’s name, in that -case--and also to know what has become of Danny Maloney.” - -Nick’s mental digression occurred while he emerged from the driveway -gate and found that his chauffeur was nowhere to be seen. The touring -car stood at the curbing, but there was no sign of Danny. - -“H’m, that’s a bit odd,” Nick soliloquized, gazing in each direction. “I -thought he might be merely stretching his legs. He must have seen some -one, or something, that he thought it worth while to learn more about. -He never neglects--ah, that will explain.” - -A scrap of paper protruding from under the chauffeur’s seat had caught -Nick’s eye as he was about to enter the car. He drew it out and read, -scribbled with a lead pencil: - -“Don’t wait for me, chief. I’ll report later.” - -Nick smiled and sprang into the car. Ten minutes later he arrived at -the residence of Doctor Lyons, whom he found alone in his office. - -“Well, well, Nick, this is an unexpected pleasure,” said the physician, -after their greeting. “It’s ages since I have seen you. What’s on your -mind? I know your call is not entirely a social one, nor do you look as -if you needed a prescription.” - -“No, I’m as right as a trivet,” said Nick, smiling. “It’s about the -suicide of Mr. Cyrus Darling.” - -“What about it?” - -“This is strictly between us, mind you, and must not go farther.” - -“Enough said. Mum’s the word.” - -“You view the remains, I am told, and pronounced it a case of suicide?” - -“Certainly. There was nothing else to it, absolutely nothing.” - -“I’m not so sure of it,” said Nick. - -“Coming from any one else, Nick, I should laugh derisively at that,” -Doctor Lyons replied, with a look of surprise. “Coming from you, -however, it demands serious consideration. What do you mean?” - -“I’m not prepared to say,” Nick rejoined. “I have just begun to look -into the case at the request of Mrs. Darling. When I learn anything -definite, Lyons, I will make it a point to inform you.” - -“That’s good enough for me,” said the physician. “But I really think, -Nick, that you are on a wild-goose chase. There’s nothing to it. Darling -committed suicide, Nick, as sure as you’re alive.” - -“It will be wise to report nothing different at present,” said Nick. -“You may be right, of course, and I may drop the case within twenty-four -hours.” - -“I’ll wager you will.” - -“I would like to know how you sized up the circumstances, nevertheless,” -Nick went on. “Darling left a note which stated his suicidal intention, -then went to the boathouse and set it on fire, immediately shooting -himself. That is your opinion, I understand, briefly stated?” - -“Yes, that is about the size of it,” admitted the physician. - -“Were you among the first to view the remains?” - -“Yes. I was sent for immediately. I saw all that remained of the -unfortunate man. He was almost entirely cremated.” - -“You made a careful examination, I suppose.” - -“Certainly.” - -“Of the skull?” - -“I examined his remains thoroughly, Nick.” - -“Did you find any fractured bone, or splintered, as if caused by a -bullet?” Nick inquired. - -“No, I did not.” - -“Did you find the bullet that killed him?” - -“No. The body was terribly burned, parts of it being entirely consumed. -It was impossible to perform a satisfactory autopsy. There is no -question of his identity, however, if that is what you have in mind. -Darling’s ring was found on his finger. He wore a double set of false -teeth, which alone are enough to establish his identity. We found some -of the horn buttons on his clothing, moreover, which his wife readily -recognized. Really, Nick, there is nothing to it.” - -“Why do you think, then, that he set fire to the building before -shooting himself?” - -“Possibly to make sure of his death in case he only wounded himself. -Or, perhaps, the fire was caused by the flash of the revolver. There was -a lot of gasoline in the building. It may have caught from the flash of -the weapon. It certainly caused a very intense fire. The house and all -it contained were completely consumed.” - -“I was told that you still have the revolver and the articles -mentioned.” - -“That is true.” - -“May I take them temporarily? I will guarantee to return them.” - -“Certainly,” Doctor Lyons readily consented. “If the matter were a less -solemn one, however, I would wager a big round roll, Nick, that you are -wasting your energies on a fog bank. There’s nothing in it. Cyrus -Darling killed himself, as sure as death and taxes.” - -“We’ll let it go at that, then, for the present,” said the detective, -with a smile. “I will return these articles in a few days.” - -“Whenever convenient, Nick,” replied the physician. - -He had taken them from a drawer in his desk while speaking, a parcel -wrapped in thick brown paper and securely tied with a string. - -Nick thanked him and departed. - -Half an hour later he entered the New York office of Clayton & Craige, -attorneys, and was received in the private office of the senior partner. - -Nick found, however, that Clayton could add but little to the -information already imparted by Mrs. Darling. - -Clayton stated that he had been Darling’s legal adviser for a number of -years, that the latter had left no will, and that his personal estate, -as far as could be discovered, consisted of less than five thousand -dollars. From several brokers with whom Darling had been in the habit of -dealing, nevertheless, Clayton had learned that he had sold bonds and -securities within two months amounting to nearly a hundred thousand -dollars. - -“It certainly looks bad, Mr. Carter, deucedly bad,” he added gravely, -after stating these facts. “Though I have not yet mentioned it to Mrs. -Darling, I can form only one theory consistent with the circumstances, -and that is not entirely consistent.” - -“What is your theory?” Nick inquired. - -“I think Mr. Darling was murdered.” - -“By whom?” - -“I have no idea, not the slightest.” - -“Do you know of any persons with whom he has had business relations, who -might have committed the crime?” - -“I do not. I am entirely in the dark.” - -“How would you account for the letter stating his suicidal intention? -That was found in his wife’s bedroom.” - -“It may be a forgery.” - -“Put in the bedroom by some one else?” - -“Exactly.” - -“That would have been possible, perhaps, if a conspiracy existed,” Nick -allowed tentatively. - -“Conspiracy--that’s just the word,” said the lawyer. “I think that Cyrus -Darling was the victim of a dastardly conspiracy, Nick, carried out with -infernal cleverness.” - -“And that his fortune was the incentive to the crime?” - -“Precisely,” said Clayton. “I don’t know how it was framed up, of -course, nor who are involved. I do believe that Darling was terribly -jockeyed in some way, however, and either persuaded, or forced, to turn -all of his bonds and securities into cash. I know positively that he did -so, for all of the brokers with whom he dealt are well acquainted with -him and absolutely sure of his identity at the time. He certainly is the -man who made the sales and received the money. There is no question -about that.” - -“Admitting that,” said Nick; “what more do you suspect?” - -“I think that Darling was bunkoed out of it by some means and later -lured to the boathouse and killed, the rascals covering their tracks by -setting fire to the house, and contriving to leave a forged letter, -pointing to suicide. Either that is the case, Nick, or else he got in -wrong and lost all of his money, and then really committed suicide.” - -“You think either theory is tenable?” questioned Nick, smiling a bit -oddly. - -“I do think so.” - -“I am going to look a little deeper into the case.” - -“I’m glad to hear that, Carter, on my word,” Clayton quickly declared. -“No man would be more likely to ferret out the true solution of the -mystery.” - -“There is no solution, Clayton, but the true solution,” Nick replied. “I -may require some little time. Meanwhile, kindly say and do nothing about -the matter, nor reveal anything that would add to Mrs. Darling’s -distress. She appears to be a fine woman.” - -“She is a fine woman, Nick. That goes without saying, and I know what -I’m talking about.” - -“Has Darling lived happily with her?” - -“Surely,” Clayton replied. “Why not, indeed? She is just the type of -woman to steady a man of his temperament. He liked a good time, you -know, and was easily influenced. But for her, Nick, he might have gone -clean over the traces. She was his balance wheel. She kept him going -nicely, instead of off on a tangent. Yes, yes, they have lived happily, -all right, or I would have heard of it.” - -“No doubt,” Nick allowed. - -He took his hat and arose to go. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE ANGLE OF REFLECTION. - - -As Nick Carter had inferred, even before finding the terse, explanatory -note of his chauffeur, there was a very good reason for the -disappearance of Danny Maloney. There were equally good reasons, too, -for the brevity of his note and his delay in reporting at the home -office. - -Seated alone in the touring car after Nick had entered the Darling -residence, Danny fell to watching a gang of men at work in the near -distance, then installing the wires for an electric-lighting system, to -one of which Nick had jestingly referred when approaching the place. - -Scarce five minutes had passed, however, when something of much more -importance caught Danny’s eye and instantly claimed his attention. It -was the sudden appearance and significant actions of a man who rounded a -corner some thirty yards back of the motionless car. - -One might wonder, perhaps, how Danny, not having eyes in the back of his -head, caught sight of the man the moment he turned the corner. As a -matter of fact, however, Danny saw him reflected in the chauffeur’s -mirror clamped to the frame of the windshield, in which he could -distinctly see objects back of the car. - -This led to a somewhat curious situation. The man saw the car and its -solitary occupant, but he did not observe the mirror, and he evidently -supposed that Danny, facing straight ahead, could not see him. - -Danny easily saw the reflection, however, without turning his head. He -saw the stranger stop short the moment he rounded the corner, and saw -the car, at which he gazed suspiciously, which in turn was enough to -arouse Danny’s suspicions. - -“Gee! what’s eating him?” he muttered, watching him intently. “Here’s a -reflex, back-action discovery, for fair. He don’t know I can see him; -but who the dickens is he, and what’s struck him?” - -The man stood gazing intently, first at the car and then at the Darling -residence, several times from one to the other. He appeared in doubt, -uncertain what to do. - -Presently, frowning darkly, he took a pencil and a letter, from his -pocket and made a memorandum of the envelope. Then he turned and -retraced his steps and vanished around the corner as quickly as he had -come. - -“Gee whiz! there’s nothing to it,” thought Danny. “That fellow was going -to the Darling residence. He was alarmed when he saw this car, and he -has taken the number of it. He don’t know who owns it, then, so why did -he change his mind? He certainly must be off color, or he would not have -feared to enter the house. But why--why be hanged! It’s up to me, by -gracious, to find out why.” - -Danny abruptly ended his vain speculations. He quickly wrote the brief -note that Nick found a little later, then sprang from the car and -started after the departing stranger. - -Danny discovered him nearly a block away, after rounding the corner--an -erect, finely built man, fashionably clad, and having all of the outward -indications of a gentleman. He was about thirty years old, with dark -eyes and hair and clean-cut features, in many respects a strikingly -handsome man. - -Danny shadowed him to the city. He saw him enter an automobile garage -and consult a reference book, one containing the license numbers of New -York cars and the names of their owners. His face, when he departed, -wore a darker cloud, a look of increasing apprehensions. - -“Gee! he’s found out that the car belongs to Nick Carter,” Danny readily -reasoned. “That don’t seem to please him worth a cent, which shows that -my suspicions are all to the good. I’ll not lose sight of him, by -gracious, until I learn who he is and where he hangs out.” - -Danny then shadowed him to a leading hotel, where his quarry spent -nearly an hour at lunch in the café, afterward sauntering out and -bringing up, ten minutes later, near a large West Side apartment house, -then known as the Ashburton Chambers. - -This house evidently was his destination, for he gazed up at one of the -side windows when crossing a street on the corner of which the lofty -building stood. - -“He’s got a date with some one,” thought Danny, watching him from the -opposite side of the avenue. “Or mebbe he has a suite there and--no, by -ginger, I was right. He’s here to see that woman.” - -She emerged from a side door of the house just as the man was crossing -the street--a finely formed woman in a stylish walking costume, a figure -so striking and graceful that Danny at once felt sure that he had seen -her before. Her face was partly hidden under a polka-dotted veil, -however, precluding immediate recognition. - -They caught sight of one another at the same moment, and the man stopped -on the corner, while the woman hastened to join him. Remaining there, -apparently heedless of numerous passing pedestrians, they entered into a -subdued and earnest conversation, the gravity of which was obvious. - -“I’ve got to have a nearer look at her,” thought Danny. “I’m dead sure -I’ve seen her before. Mebbe, too, I can get a line on what they are -talking about by passing near them.” - -Retracing his steps, he quickly crossed the avenue and then slowly -approached the couple, sauntering by them. He then saw the woman’s face -distinctly--her large, lustrous eyes, glowing darkly through the meshes -of her veil; her attractive features and clear, velvety complexion; her -finely formed mouth and rounded chin--a strikingly handsome face, of -that type and character for which men sometimes lose their heads. - -“Great guns!” Danny muttered. “It’s Kate Crandall, that fly beauty who -figured in the Maybrick case. She tried to throw down the church rector -because he would not marry her. She must have found an easier way to get -money and plenty of it, if fine feathers cut any ice.” - -Danny paused in the broad main entrance to the house and furtively -watched the couple. He had tried in vain to catch a word or two of their -conversation. He now saw the man show Kate Crandall the memorandum made -on his letter, and he rightly inferred that they were talking about the -touring car and its owner. - -Presently, parting abruptly, the man hailed a taxicab and rode away, -while Kate Crandall quickly approached the front entrance to the house. - -Danny as quickly withdrew to the office, where he began an examination -of the register. - -Kate Crandall entered and approached the counter, speaking to the clerk. - -“If Ralph Sheldon comes in, Tom, send him up to my suite, will you?” she -said familiarly. - -“Certainly,” replied the clerk. “Does that go until evening?” - -“It goes until he shows up,” replied Kate, with significant emphasis. “I -will be at home all of this evening.” - -“I’ll keep him in mind.” - -“Thanks.” - -Kate turned quickly away and entered the elevator. - -Danny decided that he had picked up all that was coming to him, and he -started for home. It was nearly six o’clock when he entered the house, -and found Nick in his business office with his two chief assistants, -Chick Carter and Patsy Garvan. - -On the office table lay the several articles Nick had obtained from -Doctor Lyons, which he was just beginning to examine, already having -told Chick and Patsy about the case as thus far set forth. - -It took Danny only a few minutes to report what he had seen and heard, -and it was very nearly in line with what Nick had expected. - -“Good work, Danny, very good work,” he said approvingly. “It will help -some, my lad, even more than you imagine. I have left the car at the -curbing. Take charge of it, please.” - -“Sure thing, Mr. Carter,” cried Danny, glad to feel that he had been of -service. - -“So Kate Crandall is at the Ashburton Chambers, eh?” remarked Nick, -with thoughtful frown, “I have wondered what became of her after that -Maybrick affair. She is about as attractive a woman as one often meets, -but she has an infernally evil streak in her.” - -“You think she figures in this affair?” Chick inquired. - -“I certainly do,” Nick declared. “Danny undoubtedly is right in thinking -that the unknown man was going to the Darling residence. The fact that -he has an interest there, and also in Kate Crandall, denotes plainly -enough that Cyrus Darling also had an interest in the woman. The -stranger, in view of his conduct, forms a connecting link between the -other two, so to speak.” - -“I see the point,” Chick replied. - -“Gee! that point is plain enough,” put in Patsy. “But, holy smoke, it -must be a case of suicide. How else can you size it up, chief? Darling -had been in the dumps for two or three months, as down in the mouth as a -sick horse, according to his wife’s story. Crooks could not have forced -him to feign despondency for that length of time. In my opinion, chief, -he just about blew in all of his money with some other woman, and blew -out his brains when his bundle was gone. That’s how I size it up.” - -“Really?” queried Nick dryly. - -“That’s what. He certainly shot himself, chief, if what Doctor Lyons -told you is true.” - -“If what Doctor Lyons told me is true, Patsy, you probably are entirely -wrong.” - -“Wrong?” - -“It’s a hundred to one.” - -“Why so, chief?” - -“Because in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred a person who commits -suicide with a revolver shoots himself in the head,” said Nick. “That is -the most natural spot for a suicide to select. He knows that a bullet in -the brain will instantly render him insensible and preclude conscious -suffering. Even if he does not stop to reason about it, he instinctively -selects his head in which to send the fatal bullet. The records -corroborate me. How often do you hear of a man shooting himself in the -heart or lungs?” - -“Very seldom, indeed,” Chick agreed. “I don’t know that I ever heard of -a case.” - -“But what of that?” questioned Patsy argumentatively. “I don’t see how -that cuts any ice. Darling could have shot himself in the head.” - -“I admit that he could--but he didn’t,” Nick said dryly. - -“Why are you so sure of it, chief?” - -“Because the bullet would have made a hole in his skull. Even if sent -into his mouth, or through an eye, it would surely have passed through -the brain and have fractured, at least, the back of the skull. Doctor -Lyons is positive, however, that the skull was intact. I questioned him -particularly about that. Admitting that my premises are correct, then, -it’s a hundred to one that Cyrus Darling did not shoot himself.” - -“Gee! there’s no getting around that argument,” Patsy thoughtfully -allowed. “You must be right, chief, after all.” - -“I think so.” - -“But how came the revolver near him? Some one else must have shot him. -In that case, chief, he must have been murdered, as Doctor Lyons and -Lawyer Clayton suspect.” - -“On the contrary, Patsy, both of them are wrong,” Nick said confidently. -“Cyrus Darling was not shot at all.” - -“Not shot at all!” echoed Patsy incredulously. - -“That is my opinion.” - -“Gee! that beats me. Why was the revolver there, then? Why----” - -“Stop a moment,” Nick interrupted. “You have just said, Patsy, that -crooks could not have forced Darling to feign despondency for eight -consecutive weeks. If so, then, his despondency must either have been -voluntarily feigned, or else it must have been genuine.” - -“Sure thing, chief. That’s plain enough.” - -“One fact, however, indicates that it was not genuine,” Nick proceeded. -“I refer to the fact that he recently spent many evenings in town, far -more than in the past. His wife thinks he sought diversion to relieve -his depression. He did not, however, permit her to accompany him. That’s -a very significant point. - -“It is wholly inconsistent in a husband seeking such relief. He would -have wanted his wife with him to cheer him up and help divert his -mind--barring one contingency.” - -“Namely, chief?” - -“Another attraction.” - -“Gee! there may be something in that,” said Patsy, quick to see the -point. “You mean another woman.” - -“Exactly.” - -“Kate Crandall.” - -“Quite likely, Patsy, in view of what Danny discovered.” - -“Gee whiz! things are shaping up,” said Patsy, laughing. “I begin to -think you are right, chief.” - -“Let’s see, now, in how far this is confirmed by Darling’s conduct -during the past three months,” said Nick. “It was then that his wife -first noticed his reticence and lack of customary affection.” - -“He must have been bestowing it upon the other.” - -“Quite likely,” Nick dryly agreed. “Then came a long period of -increasing depression, relieved by frequent evenings in town, ostensibly -alone. Later he sold his business, also his bonds and securities. -Obviously, he wanted all of his funds in cash. Finally came the suicide, -the letter stating his intention, and the burning of the boathouse, -which nearly consumed the corpse and precluded absolute identification.” - -“By Jove, Nick, you evidently think the whole business was faked,” said -Chick abruptly. - -“That is precisely what I think.” - -“And that Cyrus Darling is not dead?” - -“Exactly.” - -“But the body----” - -“One obtained for a blind,” Nick interrupted. “Really, Chick, this -entire combination of circumstances admits of no other conclusion. -Darling’s conduct during the past three months, as I have just sized it -up: the selection of the boathouse for the supposed suicide, where the -arrangements for such a fraud could have been easily and secretly made, -as well as a quick and undetected get-away on the river after the trick -was turned; the setting fire to the building in order to cremate the -corpse and preclude identification except by means of articles placed on -it, the garments, ring, and even the false teeth of the supposed -victim--all point to one conclusion, Chick; that the job was a frame-up -from beginning to end.” - -“By Jove, it’s a curious case, Nick, if you are right,” Chick answered. - -“Not so very curious. It’s a case of a lost head.” - -“A lost head?” - -“Exactly. That of a man who has lost his head. It’s up to us to help him -find it and set it back on his shoulders--if not too late.” - -“Lost his head for a woman? Is that what you mean?” - -“Precisely.” - -“But why do you think we may be too late?” - -“Because, though a week has passed since the supposed suicide, the cat -has not jumped,” said Nick enigmatically. - -“I don’t get you.” - -“Nor I, chief,” put in Patsy. “What cat has not jumped?” - -“The two-legged cat responsible for the whole business,” Nick explained. -“We can safely assume, the foregoing being correct, that Darling turned -his fortune into cash with a view to leaving the country with the woman; -that he aimed to create a belief that he is dead, presumably to prevent -investigations, pursuit, and a possible lawsuit, with consequent -alimony, and that he intended living abroad under a fictitious name with -the woman.” - -“That now seems perfectly reasonable,” Chick agreed. - -“The question is, then, assuming Kate Crandall to be the woman, why have -they not jumped the country?” Nick added. “Why the delay? Why is she -established in the Ashburton Chambers? Why the continued interest in the -Darling residence, as appears in what Danny saw and heard? That shows -plainly enough that she is the woman involved. It is confirmed by her -acquaintance with Ralph Sheldon, mentioned by Mrs. Darling as a friend -of her husband. His friendship may be of the left-handed kind.” - -“Most likely, Nick.” - -“All this, then, denotes that something has gone wrong. Why has Darling -not fled with the woman? Has he been given the double cross? He may have -been bunkoed out of his big bundle of cash and--well, there is no -telling what has become of him. It’s up to us to find out.” - -“I get you now, Nick,” Chick nodded. “He may, after all, be the man -found dead in the boathouse.” - -Nick quickly shook his head. - -“I don’t think so,” said he. “If there were evidence showing positively -that he was shot, rather than the contrary, I might think the rascals -killed him. His going there voluntarily, however, his feigning -despondency for close upon two months, apparently paving the way to get -by with a fake suicide--all convinces me that he was not killed.” - -“I see.” - -“This is further confirmed by the removal of his photograph, which Mrs. -Darling thinks is the only one in existence.” - -“What was his object in removing it?” - -“To prevent broadcast publication of it in the newspapers, in case the -truth was suspected,” said Nick. “Verbal descriptions cut no great ice. -A picture, however, has brought many a knave to the ringbolt. He was -heading off that means of identification, exposure, and arrest.” - -“Gee! that listens good to me, chief,” said Patsy. “Ten to one it hits -the nail on the head.” - -“I feel reasonably sure of it.” - -“But what are your plans?” Chick inquired. “If Darling is up against a -gang, as you suspect, and they discover that his wife has put us on the -case, it’s long odds that they will lose no time in bolting.” - -“That’s the very point I was coming to,” Nick said, more forcibly. “They -must have discovered it. Danny’s report convinces me of that. Kate -Crandall knows it, also the unknown man who informed her. He must be -identified. We have Danny’s description of him, which will probably be -recognized by persons employed in the Ashburton Chambers, if he has been -in the habit of visiting Kate Crandall.” - -“No doubt.” - -“You tackle that part of the work, Chick, and we’ll get after these -suspects before they can make a successful get-away.” - -“But Kate Crandall said she would be in her apartments all of this -evening, chief,” Patsy reminded him. “That don’t look much like -bolting.” - -“That may have been only a blind,” Nick replied. “She may have feared -that she already was being watched, or that the clerk might be -questioned later. Be that as it may, we’ll lose no time in seeking -tangible proof of my suspicions. While Chick is hunting up the unknown -man, Patsy, you see what you can learn about Ralph Sheldon and Philip -Floyd.” - -“I’ve got you, chief.” - -“If the former visits Kate Crandall, as she directed, we may be lucky -enough to clinch the case and round up the entire gang this very -evening,” Nick added, rising abruptly. “I’ll tackle Kate Crandall -personally. I’ll find out in short order what she knows about Cyrus -Darling.” - -“That’s the stuff, chief,” cried Patsy. - -“We’ll be off at once. Danny is still waiting. We can make the Ashburton -Chambers in twenty minutes.” - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE WOMAN IN THE CASE. - - -Nick Carter entered the Ashburton Chambers soon after eight o’clock that -evening. He did not send up his card to Kate Crandall. He sauntered in -and bought some cigars off a girl clerk in charge of the counter. While -lighting one, he inquired carelessly: - -“Have you seen Ralph Sheldon here this evening?” - -“Yes, sir,” said the girl. “He came in half an hour ago. I saw him -talking with the clerk. I guess he went up to his suite.” - -“To the woman’s suite,” thought Nick, recalling what Danny had reported. -Then, indifferently: “I heard to-day that Mr. Sheldon is living here.” - -“Yes, sir. He has a suite with Mr. Floyd on the third floor. They have -been here about two months.” - -“Philip Floyd?” - -“Yes, sir. But I don’t think he is here to-day. He travels a good deal -of the time. The clerk can tell you.” - -“It’s not material,” said Nick, turning away. - -He sauntered out and around to the side door of the house, throwing away -his cigar, then entered and took the elevator, saying to the man in -charge: - -“Miss Crandall’s apartments.” - -“Third floor, sir,” directed the man. “Number ninety-eight, to the -right.” - -“Number ninety-eight?” queried Nick. “I thought Ralph Sheldon had that -suite.” - -“No, sir. He and Mr. Floyd have number ninety-four, rear corridor.” - -Nick did not reply. He stepped out on the third floor and turned to the -right. The dimly lighted corridor was deserted. It ran parallel with one -side of the house and led to a stairway and a narrow passage back of -some of the rear apartments, evidently a passage and stairway designed -for the use of servants and the removal of sweepings and rubbish. - -Nick found that Kate Crandall’s suite was the last in the side corridor. -He paused at the door and listened, hearing nothing, and he then -crouched and peered through the keyhole. He could see a thread of light -under an inner door, which precluded hearing voices from within, and he -then knocked sharply on one of the panels. - -There was no response. - -Nick waited a few moments, then knocked again, which had the desired -result. The door was opened by the woman he was seeking. - -She was not conventionally clad for receiving visitors. Her fine figure -was enveloped in a voluminous woolen wrapper. Her feet were thrust into -a pair of worsted slippers. She appeared to have been on the verge of -getting ready for bed. She drew back with a look of surprise on her -darkly handsome face. - -“Goodness!” she exclaimed. “I thought one of the hall-boys knocked. What -do you want?” - -“An interview with you,” Nick tersely informed her. “Don’t pretend, Miss -Crandall, that you do not recognize me. A woman never forgets the face -of a person she dislikes.” - -“I did not so pretend,” Kate retorted. “I knew you immediately, Mr. -Carter, but I cannot imagine why you want an interview with me.” - -“I will presently inform you,” said Nick. “May I come in?” - -“Certainly.” - -“You are alone?” - -“Of course. I am nearly always alone here. I have a headache and was -thinking of going to bed,” Kate glibly asserted. - -“That is why, perhaps, you were so long in answering my knock,” Nick -remarked, more sharply eying her. - -“Precisely,” Kate nodded. “I was near not answering it at all. I am glad -I did, however. As for disliking you, Mr. Carter, that is absurd. I bear -you no ill will for the part you played in that Maybrick affair. I was -not seriously involved in it. I always make it a point not to lay myself -liable.” - -“To the law, you mean?” - -“To the law--certainly,” she bluntly admitted. “What else would I mean? -I’ll keep out of the grabnet of the law, Mr. Carter, you can safely bet -on that.” - -Nick wondered whether it was true, or only a bluff designed to dispel -his suspicions. He had followed her into an attractively furnished -parlor, where he instantly detected the odor of cigarette smoke. He -wondered, too, whether he really had found her alone, or whether some -male visitor, possibly Ralph Sheldon, had hurriedly concealed himself in -one of the adjoining rooms. - -“Have a chair,” Kate added. “Really, Mr. Carter, I am quite pleased to -see you, for all you think I dislike you. What do you want to interview -me about? You have piqued my curiosity.” - -“You said you were alone here,” Nick remarked, instead of answering her -question. - -“So I was until you came in.” - -“Really?” - -“Sure! Why should I deceive you?” - -“That’s the question,” said Nick. “I think that you have.” - -He had leaned nearer to her while taking a chair, so near that his head -almost touched hers, for she then was seated. - -“That I have deceived you?” she asked, gazing at him. - -“Surely.” - -“How so?” - -“Some person was smoking a cigarette here within a very few minutes.” - -Kate Crandall laughed and tossed her head. - -“Dear me, is that why you think so?” she said derisively. “Really, Mr. -Carter, you are not near as keen and clever as you think you are.” - -“No?” - -“Far from it. It was cute in you, of course, to detect cigarette smoke -so quickly. But I was the smoker. You’ll find the end of my cigarette in -the cuspidor, if you care to look. Here is the box.” Kate took it from -the pocket of her woolen robe. “Have one. They seem to steady one’s -nerves for a time. It may sharpen you up a bit.” - -“My wits don’t need the grindstone,” Nick replied dryly. - -“No?” queried Kate, with his own tentative intonation. - -“Far from it,” said Nick, imitating her. “You are the one who is not -keen and clever. You were not the smoker, Miss Crandall. When a woman -has just smoked a cigarette, the scent of it may be easily detected in -her hair. I smelled of yours when I sat down.” - -“Oh, indeed!” - -“Now, having eliminated you, who was your visitor? Why did he hide when -I knocked? I know, of course, that he did not depart, or I should have -seen him.” - -Kate Crandall’s mocking smile had given way to a frown, but it was not -of long duration. - -“You are very much mistaken, Mr. Carter,” she replied. “He left just -before you arrived. If you think any person is concealed in my -apartments, you are at liberty to search them.” - -“No, indeed; it is not material.” - -“I fail to see why you have any interest in me, or my visitor,” Kate -quickly added. “Please explain. Why are you here? What have you to say?” - -“I want you to do most of the saying,” Nick replied. “Tell me, and give -it to me straight, what do you know about Mr. Cyrus Darling?” - -Kate Crandall heard him without a change of countenance. - -“Well, just now, Mr. Carter, I know nothing about him,” she said -pointedly. “He’s dead.” - -“What did you know about him when alive, then?” Nick demanded. - -“Very little. So little, Mr. Carter, that I’m quite ashamed of myself.” - -“Why so?” - -“Because, when I discovered the truth, it was not at all to my liking.” - -“What truth?” - -“That he was a married man.” - -“Do you mean that you did not know it before he died?” - -“That’s just what I mean.” - -“How long had you known him?” - -“Something like three months.” - -“Were you friends?” - -“The best of friends. I supposed, in fact, that we were to become -something more,” Kate significantly added. - -“You mean?” - -“In other words, Mr. Carter, I supposed that Cyrus Darling was going to -marry me, and that I should roll in wealth for the rest of my life. -Imagine my chagrin, dismay, and disappointment, therefore, when I -learned that he had killed himself--and that a wife was mourning his -tragic end. Perdition! I could have cut off my two ears for having -listened to his treacherous love avowals.” - -Nick Carter now saw plainly that this woman had no intention of bolting, -that she had taken a position she felt sure she could maintain, and that -she was not to be easily frightened or intimidated. All this appeared in -her darkly glowing eyes, her look of covert contempt and defiance, and -in the utter lack of anything like apprehension on her part. Nick gazed -at her intently for a moment, then asked bluntly: - -“Do you expect me to believe, Miss Crandall, that you did not know -Darling was married?” - -“I don’t care whether you believe it, Mr. Carter, or not,” she -deliberately answered, meeting him eye to eye while she lighted a -cigarette. “What is that to me? The fact is not altered by what you -believe.” - -“It is a fact, then?” - -“Yes, positively.” - -“You are acquainted with Ralph Sheldon, aren’t you?” - -“I am.” - -“And Philip Floyd?” - -“Yes.” - -“Are they friends of yours?” - -“I think so,” Kate coolly nodded. “I have no reason to doubt it.” - -“Why, then, did they not tell you that Darling was a married man?” Nick -demanded. “They knew it.” - -“And they supposed that I knew it,” Kate curtly explained. “They had no -idea that I was ignorant of it. They saw me with Darling only -occasionally, and they attributed no special significance to it.” - -“No?” - -“Why should they?” she added, a bit sharply. “Why should they meddle -with my affairs? I wonder at your presuming to do so--though I know, of -course, that yours is a meddlesome business and you a prince of -meddlers. What’s it all about? What’s the answer? What are you driving -at, anyway?” - -“You will learn in time,” Nick informed her. “If what you imply is true, -then, you were not used quite right by Darling.” - -“No--quite the contrary.” - -“Why have you still an interest in his affairs, then?” - -“In his affairs?” - -“That’s what I said.” - -“Nonsense! I have no such interest,” Kate declared, with a stony stare. -“I have wiped his name off my slate.” - -“Who is your friend, then, who has such an interest?” - -“My friend?” - -“Yes.” - -“I don’t understand you,” snapped Kate. “Come across plainly, Mr. -Carter, if you wish me to continue this interview. I’ll not stand for -any beating around a bush. What friend of mine do you mean?” - -“The man you talked with on the street a short time ago,” Nick said -bluntly. “The man who told you he had seen my touring car at the Darling -residence this afternoon.” - -Kate Crandall’s eyes dilated perceptibly under her knitted brows. The -shot was evidently not expected, but it did not appear to disturb her -seriously. She tossed away her cigarette, nevertheless, asking, a bit -resentfully: - -“What is it to you, Carter, anyway? Why are you putting me through the -wringer in this fashion? What are you trying to dig up? I tell you right -here and now that you’ve got nothing on me. My relations with Cyrus -Darling were open and above board. He was the only one guilty of any -duplicity. I was the one deceived--and his wife! What are you out after, -anyway?” - -“You are evading my question,” Nick said pointedly. - -“What question?” - -“Who is the man with whom you talked this afternoon?” Nick repeated. “If -you are strictly on the level, as you assert, you should be willing to -tell me.” - -“Willing be hanged!” snapped Kate inelegantly. “You make me tired, -Carter, when you get one of these meddlesome wasps in your bonnet. Why, -I am more than willing to tell you, if you are really anxious to know.” - -“Tell me, then.” - -“The man was Jim Dacey, a very good friend of mine,” said Kate. “That’s -why he came to tell me that he had seen a car thought to be yours at the -Darling residence. He even went and looked up the number, to be sure of -it.” - -“But why did he hasten to inform you?” - -“He feared that I might be involved in some way because of my relations -with Darling, so he came to put me on my guard,” Kate glibly explained. -“But there was no occasion, not the slightest occasion.” - -“Indeed?” - -“Not the slightest,” Kate forcibly repeated. - -“Who is this man, Dacey, and where does he hang out?” Nick then -inquired, not yet in a position to contradict the woman. “Why was he -going to the Darling residence? What is his interest there? Why did -he----” - -“Stop a moment!” Kate exclaimed, lurching forward in her chair. “What do -you think I am, Carter, an information bureau? I’ll stand for this no -longer. I don’t know what you suspect, nor care, and you evidently don’t -intend to enlighten me. It’s a mighty poor rule that won’t work both -ways. I’ve told you all I’m going to tell you. If you want to learn more -of Cyrus Darling, or of Jim Dacey, or of Sheldon and Floyd--go and -question them. You’ll get no more out of me.” - -Nick saw that she meant it. - -“Wait and see,” he remarked, rising. - -“I can wait,” Kate retorted. “Go elsewhere with your questions.” - -“That is precisely what I shall do.” - -“Go ahead, then. It’s up to you. Go where you please--I’m going to -bed.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BIRDS OF A FEATHER. - - -Nick Carter had an object in not revealing his suspicions to Kate -Crandall and attempting to force a different story from her. He had seen -plainly that such an attempt would be useless, that the woman felt -secure in the position she had taken and was prepared to stick to her -statements. - -Nick believed very few of them, however. He keenly realized, -nevertheless, that they ordinarily would appear perfectly plausible, -that a woman is always given the benefit of a doubt in such cases, and -that her story would be very generally accepted unless he could find -positive evidence with which to refute it. - -“There is only one way it can be done. That’s by producing the supposed -suicide himself,” Nick decided, a bit grimly, after leaving her. “She -was expecting my visit and had prepared herself for it. That was as -plain as twice two. I scored one point on her, nevertheless, that she -was not expecting, and which may prove to be her undoing. - -“She certainly was rattled for a moment when she learned that I knew of -Dacey’s doings. It forced her to come across with a plausible -explanation. Not having anticipated that contingency, however, there may -be a weak spot in her arrangements with Sheldon, or Floyd. I’ll try to -find it. I’ll hunt up Sheldon before she can communicate with him and -put him on his guard. I’ll see whether he will tell precisely the same -story. Rear corridor, suite number ninety-four, eh? This must be the -way.” - -Hastening through several diverging corridors, Nick had entered one -leading to the rear of the house. He would not delay to hunt up Chick -and Patsy, being anxious to find the subject as quickly as possible, and -it was less than five minutes after his parting from Kate Crandall, when -Nick arrived at the door of Ralph Sheldon’s apartments. He listened -vainly, then knocked. It brought an immediate response. - -“Come in!” - -Nick entered the parlor of an attractively furnished suite. A table -covered with books and newspapers occupied the middle of the room. Amid -them stood a library lamp with a large, drooping silk shade of -nile-green color, which deflected the light upon, and immediately around -the table, leaving other parts of the room in semi-obscurity, causing -Nick to think at first sight that it was only dimly lighted. - -In the bright glow close to the table, however, sat the solitary -occupant of the room. He was lounging in a large armchair, with his -slippered feet in another, and his tall figure wrapped in a long house -robe. He seemed to be a man of fifty, of refined appearance, with hair -and beard slightly shot with gray. He wore black-rimmed glasses and was -reading a book, over which he gazed inquiringly when the detective -entered. - -“Sheldon himself,” thought Nick, recalling Nancy Nordeck’s description -of the man. “Alone and absorbed in a book. It’s odds, then, I’m ahead of -any warning from Kate Crandall. She certainly has not been here since I -left her.” - -These conclusions flashed through Nick’s mind while he bowed and said: - -“I am looking for Mr. Floyd, or Mr. Sheldon. You are one or the other, I -infer.” - -“My name is Sheldon,” he replied, drawing up in his chair. “Mr. Floyd is -out just now, but he may return at any moment. What is your business?” - -“I want a little information which I think you, or Mr. Floyd, can give -me.” - -“Certainly. Sit down, Mr.----” - -“Carter,” put in Nick. “I am a detective.” - -“Not--not Nick Carter?” faltered Sheldon inquiringly, with a look of -surprise. - -“Yes. I see that you have heard of me.” - -“Who has not?” and Sheldon smiled significantly. “But I do not recall -having seen you before. I am glad to meet you.” - -He certainly spoke as if pleased, but his smile appeared forced and his -cheeks were pale. When he extended his hand without rising, moreover, -Nick detected that it was trembling slightly and then noted that it felt -abnormally cold and clammy. - -“I am glad to find you here,” he replied, taking a chair near the table. -“You were, I am told, a friend of the late Cyrus Darling.” - -“Yes, in a way,” said Sheldon, settling back in his chair and fixedly -eyeing the detective. - -“In a way?” echoed Nick. “What do you mean by that?” - -“I mean that I met him only a few times,” Sheldon explained. “I called -once at his residence in company with Mr. Floyd, but we did not find him -at home.” - -Nick could not deny that this coincided exactly with what Nancy Nordeck -had told him. - -“I did not know him well,” Sheldon added. “Floyd was much better -acquainted with him. What about him, Mr. Carter, that you are seeking -information?” - -“I have been employed to do so.” - -“By whom?” - -“His wife.” - -“For what reason? What is the occasion?” - -“Have you no idea?” Nick inquired, with sharper scrutiny. - -“I--not the slightest.” Sheldon quickly shook his head. “I knew nothing -about Darling’s personal affairs. I know only that he shot himself, -and--ah, here is Floyd, now,” he abruptly digressed. “You are just in -time, Phil. Shake hands with Mr. Nicholas Carter, the famous detective. -He is after information about Cyrus Darling. You can tell him, perhaps, -what he wants to know.” - -Floyd had entered while Sheldon was speaking, and Nick detected an -accent of relief in the latter’s voice. - -Floyd appeared to be about thirty, a compactly built man, under medium -height, clad in a stylish plaid suit and a soft felt hat. He was very -dark, his hair thick and curly, his mustache long and drooping, -completely hiding his mouth. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, through which -he fixed a pair of searching black eyes upon the detective, bowing -indifferently and not tendering his hand. - -“Pleased to know you, Mr. Carter,” he said, sitting directly opposite -Nick at the table. “Information about Cyrus Darling, eh? He’s dead. -What’s the big idea? What do you want to know about him?” - -There was a sinister flippancy in this man’s voice and manner that Nick -did not fancy. Like Nancy Nordeck, too, he somehow felt that he had seen -Philip Floyd before, but he could not even vaguely determine when, or -where. - -Nick did feel positive, however, that Floyd was bent upon putting up a -bluff, that he was by far the more nervy man of these two, and that -Sheldon was much relieved by his timely arrival. All this presently -impelled Nick to venture a counterbluff, which proved more effective -than he anticipated. - -“I want to know anything about him, Mr. Floyd, that you can tell me,” he -replied. - -“But what’s the big idea?” Floyd repeated, staring steadily at Nick. -“Why are you seeking information about a dead man? Is there anything -wrong with his record?” - -“That’s what I wish to learn.” - -“Who put you on the job?” - -“His wife.” - -“Why so? Why has she gone up in the air? What does she suspect?” Floyd -glibly inquired. - -“It does not much matter what she thinks,” Nick slowly answered. “That’s -neither here nor there at this stage of the game.” - -“Humph! Is that so?” - -“What I suspect is much more material. I came here to ask a few -questions, Mr. Floyd, not to answer a string of inquiries from you. -Please bear that in mind.” - -Nick’s voice had taken on a subtle and somewhat threatening ring. He -gazed at his hearers with a sharper gleam in his impressive eyes. He saw -Floyd frown quickly, while Sheldon’s bearded face grew quite haggard and -ghastly in the greenish light cast upon it through the drooping silk -shade. - -“Bear it in mind, eh?” Floyd curtly questioned. - -“That’s what I said,” Nick returned. - -“Why do you speak like that? I’m not likely to answer questions put to -me in that fashion.” - -“Oh, yes, you are,” Nick retorted. “Otherwise, I shall take steps to -compel you to answer them. Bear that in mind, also.” - -Floyd jerked his chair nearer the table. - -“See here, Mr. Carter, what’s the meaning of this?” he demanded -aggressively. “What do you suspect, that you come here and----” - -“Never mind what I suspect,” Nick interrupted. “What I want to know, Mr. -Floyd, is what sort of a game you and Sheldon and Kate Crandall are -playing? How does Jim Dacey figure in it? What are you scheming to get -from Cyrus Darling by----” - -“Get from him be hanged!” Floyd cut in sharply. “You’re talking through -your hat. Cyrus Darling is dead and buried----” - -“No, he isn’t.” - -“Not dead?” - -“Not by a long chalk!” Nick sternly declared. “He is alive, very much -alive, as I shall presently convince you. I know that without your -informing me. I know, too, that you fellows are responsible for his -supposed suicide. I know that you----” - -Nick stopped short at that point. - -Floyd’s right hand suddenly appeared above the edge of the table. It -held a revolver--aimed point-blank at the detective’s breast. - -“You know too much, Carter, for your own good,” he hissed viciously -between his teeth. “If you move foot or finger, I’ll send a bullet -through your heart. Sit quiet, Sheldon, and keep your mouth shut.” - -Nick Carter did not appear at all disturbed by the sudden threatening -turn of the situation. He had deliberately invited it, in fact, though -it came so much more quickly than he expected, that it found him partly -unprepared. Without stirring from his position, he gazed across the -table at Floyd’s hard-set face, replying sternly: - -“Your threat is equivalent to a confession. You have decided, then, to -fly your true colors. That is what I wanted.” - -“True colors be hanged!” snapped Floyd. “You’ll never discover my true -colors, Nick Carter, nor get me under your infernal heel. Keep your -hands where I can see them, or you’ll get all that’s coming to you.” - -Nick saw that the hand gripping the weapon was as steady as the voice -uttering the threat. He saw, too, that the scowling rascal meant what he -said, though his confederate, Sheldon, had gone as white and mute as a -corpse. - -“I shall do nothing to invite a bullet, Mr. Floyd,” he coolly answered, -though watchful to seize the slightest opportunity to reverse the -situation. “I value a whole skin too highly. But matters cannot remain -as they stand. What do you propose doing, now that you have held me up, -and----” - -“You’ll soon see,” snapped Floyd, interrupting. Then, with voice raised: -“Hurry up, Martin! Get a move on! Come here, and----” - -Nick cut him short in characteristic fashion. For the hundredth part of -a second Floyd’s eyes were diverted from him. Nick saw the opportunity, -and seized it. He heard hurried steps in an adjoining room. He lifted -his knees as quick as a flash and upset the table--just as a portière -behind him was cast aside and two brawny, powerful men bounded into the -room. - -What followed was of brief duration. - -The table and books went crashing to the floor. - -Sheldon caught the lamp as it was falling. - -Nick reached over the toppling table, and, with a lightninglike move, -snatched the revolver from Floyd’s hand. - -At the same moment came a blow from behind, dealt with the weapon of one -of the ruffians who had entered. It was impossible for the detective to -avoid it. It fell squarely on the back of his head, knocking him -senseless on the instant. He dropped without so much as a groan, face -forward over the table. - -Floyd seized the ribbons again. - -“Quick!” he cried fiercely. “Take him to my room. The crash must have -been heard. Some one may come to investigate it. Wait here, Sheldon, and -explain. State that you fell against the table and upset it. This way, -Martin, this way! We must get him out of the house, Jim, or our game -will go by the board.” - -Meantime, Nick was being hurriedly removed from the suite, through a -rear door. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A STARTLING DISCOVERY. - - -Nick Carter had accomplished his object, but at some little cost. He had -aimed to force the suspects into some impetuous move that would fully -confirm his suspicions. - -He had expected it to follow his assertion that Cyrus Darling was alive, -and that the supposed suicide was but part of a knavish scheme, -including Kate Crandall, Jim Dacey, and Cyrus Darling himself. The -speedy effect of his declarations, however, as well as the resources of -the rascals, had exceeded his anticipations. - -But there was still another reason for the sudden aggressive move made -by Philip Floyd, a reason that Nick could not possibly have anticipated, -yet which alone necessitated the desperate step Floyd had taken. - -Patsy Garvan was responsible for it, though not because of any fault on -his part. Following the instructions that Nick had given them, Patsy and -Chick arrived at the Ashburton Chambers about ten minutes after Nick, -separating before entering, Patsy to look up Sheldon and Floyd, while -Chick undertook to identify the suspect seen by Danny in company with -Kate Crandall that afternoon. - -Nick had remarked, before leaving home, that, with three strings to -their bow, there certainly should be something doing--and there was. - -Patsy entered the house about ten minutes after Nick went up to Kate -Crandall’s suite, and, as luck would have it, he shaped the same course -that his chief had taken. He began his work with buying a cigar and -interrogating the girl clerk with precisely the same question. - -“Have you seen Ralph Sheldon here this evening?” - -The girl laughed while giving Patsy his change. - -“You’re not alone,” she remarked. “Another man just asked the same -question.” - -“That so?” queried Patsy, knowing it must have been Nick. “How long ago -was that?” - -“Not more than ten minutes,” said the girl. “Sheldon must be in demand -this evening. He was talking with the clerk a short time ago. I guess -you’ll find him in his suite, third floor, rear corridor, number -ninety-four.” - -“Thanks,” said Patsy, with a smile. “It’s not material.” - -“That’s just what the other man said,” replied the girl, laughing. - -“Gee! I must be walking right in the chief’s tracks,” thought Patsy, -moving away. “That denotes that I’ve got a long head, at least; but I -must cut it out, all the same, or some one may get wise to what we are -doing. It’s odds that the chief took the elevator, so I’ll vary the -program by hoofing it.” - -Patsy knew, of course, that Nick had gone to seek an interview with Kate -Crandall, as he had stated. - -“I’ll look up Sheldon’s suite,” he said to himself. “If he still was -with the Crandall woman, it’s odds that he left when the chief showed -up. He may be with a confederate in his apartments by this time, in -which case their conversation might enable me to clinch the chief’s -suspicions, if I can contrive to overhear it. I’ll locate the suite, at -all events, and find out what’s doing.” - -Patsy climbed the stairs to the second floor, then sought a corridor -leading to the rear of the house. He found it with no great difficulty, -but upon entering the corridor adjoining the rear rooms, he turned in -the wrong direction to find the main stairway. - -He brought up in a narrow, dimly lighted hall, instead, and at the -narrow stairway already mentioned. - -“Gee, I’m in wrong!” he muttered, glancing at several doors in the dim, -uncarpeted entry. “I ought to have gone the other way. These stairs will -take me up to the next floor, however, and the rear corridor must run -parallel with one of this floor. These doors must be rear exits from -some of the side and back suites. I’ll go up and have a look.” - -Patsy started up the stairs with the last. - -The long corridor through which he had just come was deserted. The -narrow entry and stairway appeared to be for the use of servants only, -and entirely out of use at that hour. - -Nevertheless, while still only part way up the stairs, Patsy suddenly -heard the rustle of skirts and hurried footsteps in the narrow entry on -the third floor. - -He stopped short and listened. - -The sounds ceased in a moment, and Patsy thought he heard the cautious -closing of a door. Uncertain as to the last, however, he remained -motionless on the stairs, holding his breath, and listened intently for -several moments. - -“By Jove, that’s mighty strange,” he said to himself. “I certainly heard -a woman’s steps and the rustle of skirts. She was in a hurry, too, yet -was moving stealthily. That ought to signify something. Have I stumbled -upon a rear entrance to Kate Crandall’s suite? Has she eluded the chief -by stealing out of a back door? Gee! I’d better look into this.” - -Patsy’s suspicion was perfectly natural under the circumstances. It -acted upon him like a spur, moreover. He crept quickly up to the third -landing and glanced through the narrow hall. - -It was unoccupied. The several doors were closed. A short side entry -around a corner, and several feet from the stairs, caught Patsy’s eye. -That also was deserted. It contained only a single door, also closed, -and Patsy stole nearer to it and listened. - -He could hear no sound from within, nor detect any sign of light on the -threshold. He stole away, retracing his steps, and listened at one of -the other doors, then another and still another. - -Patsy paused longer at the last, then suddenly crouched and tried vainly -to peer through the keyhole. He had heard a man’s voice from within, -crying curtly: - -“Come in!” - -“Gee! he’s not addressing me,” thought Patsy. “He couldn’t have heard my -catlike tread.” - -Then other words reached his ears, and a familiar voice. - -“Holy smoke! it’s the chief himself,” he muttered. “He just inquired for -Sheldon, or Floyd. He has just arrived in Sheldon’s suite, as sure as -I’m a foot high, instead of interviewing Kate Crandall. He already has -seen her, mebbe, and----” - -Patsy’s inference was correct, but his rapid train of thought ended -abruptly. He heard a sound from the direction of the stairs. He thought -some one was ascending them. - -“Gee! I must not be caught playing the spy here,” flashed through his -mind. “Nor must I lose the chance of doing so later. I’ll hide in the -side entry.” - -He darted toward it on the instant, eager to round the corner before the -approaching person could arrive at the head of the stairs--on which -Patsy still supposed him to be. - -He had, however, mistaken the precise direction of the sound. He moved -like a flash, yet as noiselessly as a shadow. He turned the corner at -nearly top speed and collided violently with another--none other than -Mr. Philip Floyd. - -Patsy needed no introduction to him. The description of him provided by -Nancy Nordeck and Mrs. Darling was fresh in his mind. There could be no -mistaking him under the circumstances--his dark face, his piercing black -eyes, and his drooping black mustache. - -Yes, Patsy recognized him instantly--but with an unexpected discovery -and a thrill that went through him like an electric shock from head to -foot. - -For the figure with which he had collided, that he had seized in his -arms to prevent a fall, that at once began to struggle to free itself -from his involuntary embrace, was not the figure of a man. - -It was the supple, yielding figure of--a woman! - -Patsy guessed the truth on the instant. There was no need for -explanations. He knew, now, why Nancy Nordeck had distrusted her -master’s visitor, why she felt sure that she had seen him before, and -why he had involuntarily betrayed his recognition of her when she first -admitted him to the Darling residence. - -It was a discovery that clinched all of Nick Carter’s suspicions. For -Patsy now plainly recognized the cleverly disguised face. It told him on -the instant that Philip Floyd and Kate Crandall were one and the same. - -The recognition was mutual, moreover, and a half-smothered oath broke -from the lips of the dismayed woman. - -“Let me go!” she hissed, struggling viciously. “Let me go, I say!” - -“Not much!” muttered Patsy exultantly. “I know you, now, and I’ve got -you for keeps.” - -His arms closed more tightly around her. He had seized her, by chance, -so that her arms were confined to her sides and she could not free them, -could not use them to scratch and tear him, as she fain would have done. - -But she writhed from side to side like an eel in his powerful grasp, her -eyes glowing like balls of fire, her breath coming in quick, sharp gasps -and falling hot on Patsy’s cheeks. - -“Let me go! Let me go!” she repeated in fierce, frantic whispers. “Curse -you, let me go!” - -“Not by a jugful,” said Patsy. “I know you now. You’re Kate Crandall.” - -“Let me go!” - -“You’ll go, all right--but you’ll go with me.” - -“You devil! You----” - -“Oh, cut out your struggling. You can’t get away,” Patsy interrupted, -though content to let her exhaust herself with her furious efforts. -“I’ve got you and I’m going to hold you.” - -“I’ll kill----” - -“Here, none of that! You’ll be roughly handled if you try to pull a -gun.” - -Patsy had felt her working one hand behind her to reach a hip pocket. He -seized her wrist and held her closer, almost crushing her in his -embrace; for not for an instant had she ceased her fierce, frantic -struggles, and she was possessed of more than ordinary womanly strength -and was giving him quite a battle. - -She muttered a vicious oath again when foiled in her attempt to draw a -weapon. Then, while they still swayed to and fro in the narrow entry, -she took another course. She suddenly bowed her head and tried to set -her teeth in Patsy’s neck. - -Patsy expected no less. He forced her quickly away, then swung her -around, to crowd her against a wall, rendered a bit impatient by her -fury, and now determined to handcuff her and end her struggles. - -Instead of forcing her against the wall, however, Patsy forced her -against the only door in the narrow side entry--the rear door of her own -suite. - -It was an unfortunate move on his part. The struggle was now heard from -within. The door was suddenly opened--by the man whom Danny had seen -with Kate Crandall that afternoon. - -All this proved disastrous for Patsy Garvan. He partly lost his balance -when the door opened, and he fell against the casing. - -A gasp of relief came from the woman, and then a fierce cry. - -“Down him! Down him, Jim, for God’s sake!” - -Dacey needed no bidding. He had guessed the truth upon hearing the noise -of the struggle. He had drawn a weapon while approaching the door--the -same weapon that felled Nick Carter a quarter hour later. - -It fell like a flash when Patsy reeled against the casing, and while the -frantic appeal was still on the woman’s lips. - -The sandbag caught Patsy squarely on the head, dropping him as it -dropped Nick a little later. Without a groan, even, he sank in a crimped -and senseless heap on the threshold of the door. - -It was a brutal blow, dealt by the hand of a brutal man. It was this man -who had been smoking a cigarette in Kate Crandall’s suite just before -the arrival of Nick Carter, but who had stolen into the rear entry -before the detective entered, returning after his departure. Safely -enough, indeed, the woman had given Nick permission to search her -apartments. - -“Quick!” she now said curtly. “Drag him in here, Jim.” - -“Do you know him?” questioned Dacey, hastening to obey. - -“Know him--I should say so!” snapped Kate. “He’s one of Carter’s -assistants. His name is Garvan.” - -“The devil!” Dacey exclaimed. “Things are looking bad.” - -“We can right them, or get what’s coming to us, at least,” Kate -hurriedly replied. “Come what may, Jim, these dicks will have nothing on -us. We must stave off arrest and exposure, however, if possible. Cut one -of the window cords and bind this whelp.” - -Dacey hastened to do so, asking, in the meantime: - -“How did you run foul of him?” - -“We met in the entry.” - -“What was he doing there?” - -“Give it up,” said Kate tersely. “There must be more doing than we have -suspected. There is only one course for us, Jim, until we can land the -coin.” - -“What’s that?” - -“We must get Nick Carter, also, if he has gone to Sheldon’s suite, as I -suspect,” Kate hurriedly explained. “We must get away with both of these -dicks and hold them at your place until we can bring Sheldon to our -terms. There’s nothing else to it.” - -“Can it be done?” questioned Dacey doubtfully. - -“It must be done,” Kate insisted. “Is Moran in the side street with your -limousine?” - -“Yes.” - -“Open the window. Whistle him up here. He will aid us.” - -“Surest thing you know,” cried Dacey, darting to the window. - -“Note me, Jim, and follow my instructions,” Kate quickly added. “I’ll go -at once to Sheldon’s suite, as planned, and find out whether Carter is -there.” - -“I get you.” - -“If he is, and appears likely to give us further trouble, I’ll hold him -up with a gun in about ten minutes. In the meantime, with Martin Moran -to aid, gag this whelp and tie his hands together. Then steal into -Sheldon’s suite through the rear door. He left it unlocked for me.” - -“I’m on,” Dacey nodded. - -“Come quietly, mind you, and be ready to lend me a hand,” Kate directed. -“If we can get away with Carter and this fellow and confine them in your -crib, we’ll jump this house and remain at your place until we can bring -Sheldon to his milk. He’ll be so rattled up by this turn of affairs, -that I think he will weaken.” - -“But how----” - -“I’ll explain later,” Kate interrupted. “There is no time at present. I -must hike to Sheldon’s suite, in case Carter is already there. Follow me -with Moran as soon as possibly. The rear door, mind you. I must go round -to the front.” - -“I understand,” Dacey replied. “But how can we get them out of the -house?” - -“There’s a lift for trunks and merchandise just beyond the back stairs,” -Kate hurriedly explained. “We can use it without being detected. We’ll -lower them both down and get away with them in your car. It can be done, -all right. Take my word for that.” - -“Your word goes with me, Kate,” Dacey declared significantly. “Be off, -then, to Sheldon’s suite. I’ll be on hand with Moran in less than ten -minutes.” - -As already has appeared, Jim Dacey proved to be as good as his word. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE THIRD STRING. - - -Chick Carter was not idle while Nick Carter and Patsy Garvan were -engaged as described. Chick had, of course, a very good description of -the man whose identity he had undertaken to discover, and it soon proved -sufficient for his need. For the man had been a frequent visitor to the -apartments of Kate Crandall, and he was quite well known by Tom Carson, -the clerk, with whom Chick had a confidential interview soon after -entering the house. - -“Know him--sure!” Carson declared, after Chick had introduced himself -and stated his mission. “That description fits just one man to a nicety. -His name is Jim Dacey.” - -“Capital!” said Chick earnestly. “Jim Dacey, eh? What do you know about -him, Mr. Carson?” - -“Well, nothing very bad, Mr. Carter, nor so good that he’ll be sought -for a Sunday-school superintendent,” laughed the clerk. “He’s a man -about town and a good deal of a rounder.” - -“Is he in business?” - -“I don’t think so.” - -“What does he do for a living?” - -“Anything that comes his way, I guess, or anybody. He must have means -enough to sport on in a quiet way, and I think he gambles frequently -when he finds an easy game. I can’t put you wise to much more.” - -“Is he quite friendly with the Crandall woman?” Chick inquired. - -“He certainly is,” said Carson. - -“How long has she been living here?” - -“About two months.” - -“What’s her reputation?” - -“None too good. She’s pretty fly, I reckon, if the whole truth were -told. We have been thinking of asking her to move out. That tells the -story.” - -“Quite right,” Chick replied. “Do you know where Jim Dacey lives?” - -“Not exactly,” said Carson. “But you can easily find out.” - -“How so?” - -“Go out and question Tony Hogan. He has a taxicab stand around the -corner. He has frequently taken Dacey home from here. He can tell you -more about the man and just where he lives.” - -“Thanks,” said Chick approvingly. “Not a word about this to others, mind -you.” - -“Trust me, Carter. I’m dumb.” - -“You haven’t seen Dacey this evening?” - -“No, not since yesterday.” - -There was a very good reason for it. Leaving his limousine in the side -street in charge of his chauffeur, Martin Moran, who was a bird of the -same shady feather, Jim Dacey had entered the side door of the house -when he went up to Kate Crandall’s apartments. - -Chick thanked Carson again and repaired to the street. He soon found the -man he was seeking, a shrewd, keen-eyed Irishman, who already knew Chick -by sight and reputation. Hogan needed only a hint from the detective, -moreover, to cut loose and tell all that he knew about Dacey. - -But Chick soon found that Hogan could add but little definite -information to that already obtained, which of itself was quite -sufficient to convince Chick that he was on the right track. This was -further confirmed by the fact that Dacey dwelt in a somewhat isolated -place, that was less than a mile from the Darling residence, where he -employed only a deaf housekeeper and the chauffeur already mentioned. - -Chick paused only briefly to determine what course he would take. - -“Nick and Patsy can look after things here,” he said to himself. “They -will not need me. There is a bare possibility, on the other hand, that -Darling is in the clutches of this bunch of blacklegs, as Nick suspects, -and that he is confined at the Dacey place. I’ll go out there and look -it over, at all events, and communicate later with Nick.” - -Then, turning to the cabman, he said abruptly: - -“Take me out there, Hogan, and drop me a couple of hundred yards from -the place. I’ll decide later whether I have further use for you.” - -“That’s good enough for me, Mr. Carter,” Hogan said readily. “Tumble in, -sir.” - -Less than half an hour brought them to their destination, a crossroad -from which could be seen, in the near distance, quite an old wooden -dwelling half hidden amid the trees flanking one side of the narrower -road. It could be discerned only dimly in the starlight, though some -lighted lower windows could be plainly seen through the trees. It was -the only dwelling in the immediate locality, and Chick came to a quick -conclusion. - -“Drive on about a quarter mile, Hogan, and wait till I come,” he -directed. “I cannot say just how long you may have to wait.” - -“My time is yours, Mr. Carter,” said Hogan. “You’ll find me there when -you come.” - -“Good enough,” said Chick. “You’ll get all that’s coming to you.” - -“I know I can bank on that, sir.” - -Chick waited until the taxicab had disappeared around a curve in the -main road. He then followed the other for a short distance, presently -vaulting a low wall and crossing a strip of rough land, from which he -could steal into the grounds at one side of the Dacey dwelling. - -They were unattractive in appearance, denoting that the owner was far -from being a man of means. Chick sized them up correctly, and was about -to steal nearer the house to peer through one of the windows, when the -side door was opened and a woman appeared in the lighted hall. She -lingered briefly, gazing out toward the road, and then closed the door -and vanished. - -“The deaf housekeeper,” thought Chick, who had easily seen her tall, -gaunt figure. “She is evidently expecting some one, probably Dacey -himself. There would be lights in more than that one room if he were at -home. By Jove, if she is as deaf as Hogan stated, and also is alone -there, I can easily enter unheard through one of the windows and search -the house from cellar to roof. I could find Darling, all right, if he is -confined there.” - -Not yet convinced that Dacey was absent, however, Chick still proceeded -cautiously, approaching one of the lighted windows on all fours, then -stealthily rising to peer between the curtain and the casing. - -He could see part of a cheaply furnished sitting room. An oil lamp -burned on the table. The housekeeper was seated near by, absorbed in -reading a newspaper. It was half past nine by a small oak clock on the -mantel. - -Chick watched the woman for a few moments, then gently tapped once on -the windowpane. The woman did not stir. Chick tapped louder, then -knocked quite sharply, but the sounds brought no sign from the reading -woman. - -“As deaf as a hitching post,” thought Chick. “I’ll force a window in the -opposite side of the house. She might detect the chill of the night air, -if I were to open a door.” - -Stealing around the house, Chick selected the side window of a front -room, then shrouded in darkness. Thrusting his knife blade between the -sashes, he easily forced the lock aside and was about to lift the lower -section, when a flash of light deterred him. - -He saw it again in a moment. It flashed between the trees in the -distance. It came from the lamps of an automobile running at high speed -over the main road. Suddenly it diverged and a steady glare fell upon -the road approaching Dacey’s place. - -“By Jove, it may be coming here,” Chick muttered, watching. “Dacey is -returning, perhaps, just in time to prevent my search. Yes, by thunder, -I am right--it is coming here.” - -The car was slowing down. The outlines of a limousine now could be seen. -It swerved into a driveway approaching the house--and Chick dropped flat -on the ground, close to the foundation wall, lest he might be seen in -the glare of the headlights. - -He now saw that there were several men in the car, but he could not -distinguish their faces. The number surprised him. - -“Great Scott! there are six, at least,” he said to himself. “I’m up -against more of a gang than I expected. Where the deuce are they going?” - -The car had passed a side door and was rounding a rear corner of the -house. Chick crept out from his concealment far enough to see that it -had stopped directly back of the dwelling. Presently, too, he saw four -of the men alighting--for he naturally supposed that all of them were -men. - -One of them hastened to open a bulkhead door leading into the cellar. -The chauffeur extinguished the lights of the car. Then a cry came from -Dacey, as he returned from the cellar with a lighted lantern. - -“All ready for them, Martin,” he said curtly. “Lend a hand, Sheldon. You -stand aside, Floyd, and hold this lantern; we can lift them out and lug -them into the cellar. We’ll lock them in the laundry till we have -settled this business. I’ll send Sarah to bed, though she’s as deaf as -an adder.” - -“Would she squeal, Jim, if she knew?” questioned Kate Crandall. - -“Never a squeal,” Dacey declared. “But she’s best out of the way, for -all that.” - -“By Jove, that was a woman’s voice, as sure as I’m over seven,” thought -Chick, when he heard Kate’s question. “A woman in male attire, eh? Great -guns! I begin to scent the rat in the meal. This bunch of rascals have -in some way got the best of Nick and Patsy. But there still is a third -string to the chief’s bow. It’s always safe to bank on one of us.” - -Chick had not long to wait for his suspicion to be confirmed. He saw -Nick and Patsy lifted from the limousine and carried into the cellar, -both conscious then, but gagged and securely bound, and Chick stole -quickly back to the window he had unlocked. - -“I’ll get into the house while the coast is clear,” he said to himself. -“I’ll find out what business is to be settled by these rascals. Then -I’ll settle them and their business--or know the reason why!” - -Noiselessly lifting the window, Chick crept over the sill and stood in a -gloomy front parlor, reclosing the window and locking it. There he -paused for a moment, listening. He could hear the men inside, the -muffled sound of their voices, and the bang of a closed door. - -“The bulkhead door, or that of the laundry,” he muttered. “Got Nick and -Patsy, eh? I must contrive to liberate them. I’ll try to locate the -cellar stairs.” - -Chick did not find it difficult to do so. He tiptoed to the door leading -into the hall, which ran straight through the house to a rear door and -the kitchen. It was lighted only by a feeble oil lamp and the glow that -came through the open door of the sitting room. - -Pausing, Chick peered cautiously in that direction--then quickly drew -back. - -A door near the main stairway was suddenly opened. - -Jim Dacey had come up from the cellar and was striding through the dimly -lighted hall. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE INNER WHEEL. - - -Chick Carter stepped back of the parlor door and peered between it and -the casing, shifting a revolver to his side pocket. - -Jim Dacey turned abruptly, however, and entered the sitting room. - -Chick heard him shout to the deaf housekeeper and order her to go to -bed. She came out with a lamp in a few moments, and Chick saw her -disappear up a back stairway. - -She scarce had vanished when Floyd, or Kate Crandall, still in male -attire, came through the cellar doorway and was joined in the hall by -Dacey, who asked abruptly, with a look of grim misgivings: - -“Where is Sheldon? What’s turned him so sour and----” - -“Cut it!” Kate sharply whispered, audible to Chick. “He must not hear -us. I have something to say to you. I have ordered him to watch the -laundry door till Moran returns.” - -“Where has he gone?” - -“To house the car. He’ll not show up for several minutes. That will give -me time to explain.” - -“Explain what?” - -“Come into the sitting room. I’ll soon tell you.” - -“You’ll tell me, also, you jade, and I’ll wager I will make the most of -it,” thought Chick, watching the couple enter the room and noting that -they only partly closed the door. “Unless I am much mistaken, by Jove, I -shall now get the key to the whole mystery.” - -Chick lingered only a moment, then stole into the hall and found -concealment under the rise of the main stairway. That brought him within -ten feet of the sitting-room door, and within easy view of that opening -upon the landing at the head of the cellar stairs. He scarce had -concealed himself in the dark corner he had selected, when he made -another discovery. - -The cellar door was slowly swinging open. A stealthy hand was cautiously -moving it. Presently, not only the hand, but the spy himself could be -seen. He was crouching on the landing, his head thrust forward, his ears -strained, his eyes glowing like those of a cornered wolf. - -“Sheldon!” thought Chick, startled by the terrible look on the man’s -face. “By Jove, I’m not alone. He, too, wants to learn what this vixen -has up her sleeve.” - -Sheldon, having reached the vantage point desired, did not stir from his -crouching posture on the landing. - -Chick waited and listened. - -Kate Crandall’s voice, though somewhat subdued, could be distinctly -heard by both. - -“I can tell you in a nutshell, Jim, just where we stand and what must be -done,” she was saying earnestly. “Our easy mark has ceased to be an easy -mark. He has become suspicious. He begins to feel sure that I am in love -with you, instead of with him, and that I intend to throw him down. -That’s why he has balked at making over half of his fortune to me, and -at putting it in my hands before I marry him. That’s what has kept us -hung up in the Ashburton Chambers for a whole week since the supposed -suicide.” - -“By thunder!” Chick mentally exclaimed. “Supposed suicide? Easy mark, -eh? This man Sheldon must be Cyrus Darling, then, as sure as there is -juice in a lemon.” - -Chick needed only one glance at the face of the crouching man to -convince him that he was right. - -“I know all that, Kate,” Dacey responded, with a growl. “But what’s the -answer? What’s to be done?” - -“We must blind him still farther and contrive to get his coin. That -done, we must get rid of him and bolt for Europe.” - -“Get rid of him?” - -“Exactly.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Listen!” Kate Crandall’s voice took on more vicious accents. “He has -turned all of his fortune into cash and has it in a deposit drawer -downtown.” - -“Well?” - -“Providing I will marry him and go with him to live in Europe, he will -get the bundle of money from the safety deposit in order to take it with -us.” - -“Well?” Dacey repeated grimly. - -“Here, now, is the point,” Kate went on. “The Carters have us hard -pressed, but they do not yet suspect that Sheldon and Cyrus Darling are -one and the same.” - -“Surely not.” - -“They are the only persons on earth who really believe that Darling is -alive. No one else suspects it, even.” - -“Surely not,” Dacey again repeated. - -“If we were to kill him, then, and get rid of his body, who the devil -would ever suspect the crime? Only the Carters! But they could not prove -anything. They could not even show that Darling did not kill himself. -He’s as good as dead already, as far as that goes, and they can never -learn where Moran got the body that was substituted for Darling at the -time of the supposed suicide.” - -“By Heaven, Kate, you’ve got all the makings of a devil in you,” said -Dacey, with a growl. - -“I’m only showing you the way,” Kate Crandall replied. “It can be done -easily enough. It’s the only way by which we can make Darling produce -the coin.” - -“What’s your plan?” - -“We’ll keep Carter and Garvan here till the trick is turned. We’ll fake -a marriage ceremony with Darling. That done and his money on his person, -we’ll end him forever and bolt with the coin.” - -“I see,” Dacey nodded. - -“When Carter and Garvan are liberated, they’ll have only a guess coming -to them,” Kate added. “They cannot prove that Floyd and I were one. They -cannot show that Sheldon and Darling were one. All they can do, Jim, -will be to look wise and guess at the whole business. It can be done -like breaking sticks. What do you say?” - -“Kill Darling, eh?” queried Dacey. - -“Why not? There is no risk. He’s dead already--in the eye of the law.” - -“That’s true.” - -“We surely can turn the trick and get away without serious suspicion.” - -“It does look so, Kate, I’ll admit,” Dacey thoughtfully agreed. - -How this enterprising colloquy would have ended, and at what final -conclusion the plotters would have arrived, will never be known in this -world. - -Chick Carter, glancing at the crouching man, saw him withdraw from his -position and cautiously descend the cellar stairs. - -Chick suspected a genuine suicide, and he stole quickly from his -concealment and noiselessly followed him. When part way down the stairs, -he again discovered his man. - -Sheldon was tearing the disguise from his face in frantic haste, and was -casting it fiercely upon the floor. - -Chick waited and watched him. - -The disguise removed, revealing a weak-featured man of forty, Darling -hastened to open the door of the laundry, into which he vanished. - -Chick crept down the stairs and to the open door. - -Darling was hurriedly cutting the bonds from Nick and Patsy, at the same -time crying in nervous, frantic, agonized whispers: - -“Enough of this--enough of it! I’m going to confess; going to tell the -whole truth. I’ve been a blinded, cursed fool, an infernal madman, -crazed with love for an unscrupulous woman. I am Cyrus Darling--Cyrus -Darling himself. I’ll tell the whole truth and take my medicine. Come -with me, Mr. Carter. Come with me, for God’s sake, and arrest that -she-devil and her knavish confederate. Come with me and----” - -“Hush!” - -Nick calmly interrupted him. He then was free and on his feet, as was -Patsy. He saw Chick entering the room, also, and he knew that the case -was precisely what he had asserted, that of a man with a lost head, and -that the finish was but the work of moments. - -Nick waited only to hear Chick’s statement. - -Half a minute later, still engaged in discussing their devilish plot, -Dacey and Kate Crandall beheld the three detectives and the undisguised -man enter the sitting room. Both instantly guessed the truth, and while -Dacey weakened perceptibly, only a loud laugh came from the woman. - -“Oh, it’s all off, then,” she cried, with mingled disgust and defiance. -“You have called the turn on us, Carter, have you?” - -“You’ll find that I have,” Nick replied. - -“Oh, well, that don’t rattle me any,” Kate sharply asserted. “You have -got nothing on us, Carter. I told you I never would lay myself liable. -Any man may pretend to commit suicide, if he wants to, and turn all of -his fortune into cash. The more fool he, in that case, and he’s the one -who must pay the price. You’ve got nothing on us, Carter, and well you -know it. Otherwise, you’d have had us in irons by this time.” - -Nick Carter knew that there was some truth in this, yet he said sternly: - -“Don’t you be so sure of it, Kate Crandall. I can send you up for a term -of years for conspiracy, abduction, and opposing officers of the law. If -I don’t do so--there will be but one reason,” he added pointedly. - -“What reason is that?” Kate demanded, with color fading. - -“You have made an infernal fool of this man, and he knows it, now. I -think he will behave himself in the future, and I’m going to give him a -chance. I shall do so for the sake of his wife, who is as fine a woman -as you are the reverse. I shall invent a story to account for all that -has occurred, and shall send Cyrus Darling home to his wife. Neither she -nor the public must know the truth. Your only hope, Kate Crandall, and -that of your confederates, lies in your permanent secrecy.” - -“I agree to that, Carter,” cried Kate quickly. “The truth shall never be -told.” - -“Does that go with you, Dacey?” Nick sternly demanded. - -“You bet!” Dacey eagerly cried. - -“And you will silence Moran?” - -“Silence him? You bet I’ll silence him--if I have to cut his tongue -out.” - -Nick turned to Cyrus Darling, who had sunk upon the nearest chair, with -his head bowed in his hands. - -What Nick said to the erring man is of minor importance. It is enough to -add that he adjusted the matter in the manner suggested; that Cyrus -Darling returned home a few days later with a story that Nick had -invented for him, and that the real truth was, indeed, never disclosed. - - -THE END. - - -Two convictions on Nick’s part, however, were verified later. One that -Cyrus Darling thereafter would be a man. The other, that Nick had not -seen the last of Kate Crandall. You will read about the verification of -these two convictions in the story that you will find in the next issue -of this weekly, No. 123, out January 16th, entitled “Half a Million -Ransom; or, Nick Carter and the Needy Nine.” - - - - -RUBY LIGHT. - -By BURKE JENKINS. - - (This interesting story was commenced in No. 120 of NICK CARTER - STORIES. Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer - or the publishers.) - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A DASH IN THE DARK. - - -I enjoyed that ride into the darkness that was, by now, fast settling -over Casco Bay; at least, I relished the first part of it. And it was in -momentary forgetfulness of my dislike of my companion that I said -cheerfully: - -“Somethin’ like, eh?” - -“Uh!” grunted Pawlinson; and I resolved to make no further overtures. - -Some more minutes elapsed in this dark dash--straight away we were -making it, and we flew no lights. Then Pawlinson swirled us to a -tangent. - -“You’re not going past Orr’s Island, then?” I cried; but I might have -saved my breath for all the attention he paid me. - -Perhaps three more minutes it was that we ran thus. Then he whirled on -me with a short: - -“Off!” I was bewildered, for speed had certainly been the desideratum up -to now. - -“Off, I said!” he ripped out vexedly. “_I’m_ giving orders here, -remember.” - -I threw out the switch, and we slumped down to wabbling in the light sea -that was running. - -Even in the gloom I could see his features working. Then I followed his -gaze out over the water toward where Peak’s Island showed darker against -the night sky. - -And more showed in that direction than that; for two trim masts were -swaying slightly against the starred background. - -“The schooner!” said I. - -“Right--for once.” Pawlinson came out of his silence. “And now maybe you -can see why I didn’t run right past the island, eh?” - -“But surely speed boats are plentiful enough nowadays,” I answered. -“There couldn’t have been much to arouse suspicion, even if we had shot -directly alongside. The lad said it was shortest.” - -“It’s easy to see you don’t know Carl Stroth. Look!” - -The steady, bright-eyed glare of a powerful searchlight ate into the -night. It came from the schooner’s fore crosstrees. - -“Get it through your noddle at last?” - -“Yes,” said I humbly enough. - -For some minutes the searchlight played over the waters; but it was -noticeable that it confined its attentions to a small arc; and that arc, -fortunately or unfortunately, did not include that portion of the bay -where lay our inert, low-lying craft. - -But its radiance suddenly found and rested upon something well ahead of -us--a something that made both Pawlinson and myself let out an oath. - -“The police launch!” - -“But it’s headed back to town from Trawly’s Rock!” I cried. - -“Well, and why not?” he snapped. “Even a policeman can sometimes fall to -the fact that there’s such a thing in this world as a bunk.” - -“You think, then,” said I, “that they have found out the wire was -bogus?” - -“I think that when they got out to that desolate chunk of rock and -didn’t find me there, that possibly something like that did enter their -heads.” - -“But----” - -“But Stroth is right this minute chuckling happily; for, by the time -that launch gets back to headquarters for new orders, he’ll be hull -down, seaward.” - -“But he’s waiting for that gasoline.” - -“Oh, he is, is he? Take a squint at the schooner again, and see if he’ll -have to wait long.” - -Much as I hated the fellow, I couldn’t but admire his perception. I -followed his pointing, and discerned that a small lighter had been -brought alongside the vessel, and, by the light of the lanterns that had -been hung to the rigging at the rail, I could see men transferring -barrel after barrel to the schooner’s hold. - -“The gasoline!” I cried. - -“Probably,” came the reply. - -“Then Hallins’ man who got aboard to-day was wrong as to the time they -could get it?” - -“I have known mistakes, such slight ones, to be made before,” snarled -Pawlinson. - -“But we can beat ’em to it yet,” I said, with enthusiasm. - -“How? What are you driving at?” - -“There’s a good twenty-five-mile-an-hour gait bottled up in this little -tube,” I explained. “And here we are in a triangle. The police launch is -headed cityward, but ahead of us, eh?” - -“Right enough.” - -“Then out there lies the schooner at another corner of the triangle, and -to our port side.” - -“Right again.” Pawlinson’s sarcasm was, for the moment, absent. - -“I take it you are planning force from the first. You asked as to my -gun, you know.” - -“Yes, yes. Go ahead, man!” - -“Then,” I cried, “what’s the matter with us uncorking every bit of -ginger there is in this hydro--shoot past the schooner--overtake the -patrol launch--give ’em the news, and----” - -“You think we could make it before Stroth’d get wise? He’s got a good -engine himself, remember; and, should he tumble, he’d have a head start -on the launch.” - -“But, being auxiliary,” I interrupted, frantic for action, “he is bound -to be as much slower than the police boat than it is to our hydro. -Besides, he’s not to up-anchor or cut. It’ll work!” I cried -enthusiastically as I fished in my pocket for my jackknife and turned -back quickly toward the taffrail. - -“Here, what’re you up to?” snapped Pawlinson. - -“Why, we’ve got to cast that blamed punt adrift now,” I answered -sharply. “We’ve got to be clear of everything.” - -Ice came into the voice that met my warmth. - -“Start the engine. We’ll keep the punt.” - -“But, man----” - -“Start the engine.” - -There was that in Pawlinson I’ve met in few men; for I had that machine -barking the next instant--and I’m not an oversweet-tempered individual -myself, as I have intimated. - -I threw in the clutch, and we fairly jumped out of the water when she -began to “plane.” - -There was no shunning the island now on Pawlinson’s part. - -Instead, he headed almost directly for it--a course that was calculated -to bring us within a furlong of the anchored schooner on our way to -intercept the patrol launch, which was pointed, as near as we could -judge, directly cityward. - -The exact angle was a thing of estimation to a nicety; but, with the -speed we were soon attaining, it certainly looked as if it would work. - -The wind had fallen flat, as it often does between the day and night -breezes, and this helped. So we cut a swath of boiling spume over an -unrippled mirror which heaved only to a slight swell. - -“Now, man”--Pawlinson let me into his thoughts--“once clear of the -schooner’s stern, and we’ve got ’em; no matter which way the cat jumps.” - -“Yes,” I agreed enthusiastically. “By that time they wouldn’t have a -chance to clear before we’d have the patrol launch veered for her.” - -“And now for it!” His tone was calm and collected enough; but I read -tenseness in it, nevertheless. - -As for myself, I was fairly rigid with the moment, for it was the -crucial one. We were about to pass the schooner. - -Then came the sickening disgust. - -Out from the fore crosstrees blazed the white glare of the searchlight -again. - -This time we were in for it. The rattling exhaust of our engine had told -its story; or, at least, it had told enough to excite sufficient -curiosity for a look at us. - -The light oscillated once or twice in search; then it steadied, and our -eyes blinked in its glare. Everything about us sprang into daylight, and -the brass cylinder heads before me fairly glittered. - -I imagined I could hear the wielder of the light chuckle at his find; -but I didn’t have to imagine the imprecation that Pawlinson hissed -venomously. I have seldom heard such fervor; but I seconded it -heartily. - -“All up!” I groaned; for it took no clairvoyant to fathom that the alarm -had been sounded. - -Even above the sound of our engine we heard a sharp command given, and -the lines were cast from the lighter alongside. Then came some quick -blows on metal. - -“Make that out?” queried Pawlinson shortly. - -“Cutting the cable,” I muttered. “They know the game. Her engine’s going -already. Where’s the police boat?” - -“The fools in her smell something up; but, being fools, they’ve stopped -to see what it is.” - -Sure enough, off there about a quarter mile, the lights of the patrol -stood fixed, showing that either her engine had been shut off or was -running free from load. - -“At any rate,” I growled, “she’s too far off to help, anyway. That -schooner’s certainly fast under power. Once started, she’s a good match -for the launch, and besides----” - -“Stop the engine!” - -I whirled in amazement at the deadly animosity that came into -Pawlinson’s voice; and the searchlight--which had kept us steadily in -its radiance--showed a countenance an equal match to the tone. Then a -smile came over his face as he corrected: - -“Throw her into the neutral!” - -I did so, and our screw stopped. - -“Now, haul up that punt’s painter and get into the tub.” - -“Get into the punt?” I cried, mystified. - -“Into the punt, I said, didn’t I?” shrilled the man with me. I can -scarcely call him Pawlinson. I have never seen rage mount much higher as -he busied himself setting the steering wheel to a certain spoke. The -gear was a good one, and would hold to any setting of rudder. - -“But why?” I ventured further; then regretted the words, and forthwith -did as he had ordered. - -I brought the punt alongside, sprang into it, and stood steadying, -awaiting what would come next. - -But I snatched a second for a peek over my shoulder. - -The schooner was almost upon us by now; for, of course, she was headed -for the nearest way out of the bay; and that way happened to be our way. - -But I was brought sharply back to Pawlinson. - -“And now,” said he, “I think we’ve got something that’ll work.” - -As he said this, he, too, clambered from the speed boat into the punt -along with me. - -Now, mind you, the engine was still running in the neutral. - -“Reach over there!” he ordered. “Full speed ahead! You can reach the -lever from where you stand. You know best how to do it. You start her, -and the rudder’ll do the rest.” - -Then it was, on that very instant, that there flashed over me a light of -understanding as brilliant as the calcium that still played about us. - -“You don’t mean it, man?” I cried; for I remembered now the strong metal -stringers of the hydroplane’s structure; the weight of her engine; the -impact that it meant at a twenty-five-mile-an-hour clip. The boat lay -low in the water; and the hole she’d make in that yacht-planked schooner -would be well along, and even below the water line. - -“I do mean it!” he yelled. “And now’s the time! About amidships she’ll -catch it, I think. We’ll watch it from the punt.” - -I felt myself boil as would any civilized man. - -“And I think _not_!” The words sounded as from some other throat than my -own. “Sink that schooner with all the men in her, and----” - -“And what?” I could feel his breath hot with wrath as he brought his -face pugnaciously close to mine. - -“The girl!” I cried. - -“What do you know about her?” - -“Enough to know that I’ll not----” - -I don’t remember the end of that sentence; for he suddenly whirled his -broad back upon me, and, fending my interference off thus, reached over -into the speed boat’s cockpit and threw back the starting lever. - -But the steering wheel was aft, a side steerer attached to the -coaming--the port coaming at that, and right to my hand. - -I grabbed that wheel, and flung it around desperately, in the second I -had before the hydroplane shot from us. - -She didn’t veer far from her course of intended destruction; but it was -enough, and I had the inner glow of satisfaction for the one instant -that was allowed me before I met him as he turned and gripped me in -deadly embrace. - -In an iron clutch I felt myself borne bodily aloft. I struck the water -breathless, and I cannot swim. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -IN STRANGE QUARTERS. - - -I have my own theory as to just what becomes of us when we--the real, -thinking we, that is--enter that somewhat uncanny realm which men have -agreed to let ignorance call unconsciousness. But this is neither the -time nor place to air it. - -Sufficient to state, now, that from the moment I felt the chill of the -waters of the bay, and strangled in its brine, I knew nothing of what we -name actuality until I was sensible of an easy, steady sway of body as I -was rocked cradlewise. - -A distinctly delicious semiconsciousness made me forget a decided -stiffness and cramp of muscle, and it was with reluctance that I opened -a tentative eye. - -I am not ordinarily one of those who jump up immediately upon wakening, -anyway. - -And slowly it was that the nature of my surroundings came to me. - -A faint swish directly beside the bunk whereon I found I was lying -proved to come from a hung-up suit of Cape Ann oilskins; and a further -exploring peek beyond revealed several rows of bunks like my own. - -A ladder of steep incline, topped by a hatch; a semicircle of seat -lockers; tar in the air, and a faint reek of bilge--the combination -ended all conjecture. - -A hearty chuckle from directly alongside my head made me up-on-elbow for -a nearer scan of the chuckler. - -I have never seen a bundle of more jovial rotundity, or a larger. A -perfect giant of a man he was, with good nature popping from him. And a -sailor he was to the gnarled crooks of his “fishhook” fingers, which at -this moment were ramming home a husky charge of palm-rolled cut plug -into a broken-stemmed “ha’penny clay.” - -“Ho, ho!” he burbled when he saw that I had caught sight of him. “An’ -where away now, m’ bucko?” - -I passed a hand over my features, and my question was trite enough: - -“Where am I?” - -Again merriment rippled in folds up and down him as he replied: - -“On board the _Ruby Light_, m’ lad, and a better vessel’s keel was never -laid!” - -“_Ruby Light?_” I echoed hesitatingly, for a bit of mistiness still held -me. “Why, I thought--that is----” - -“That is,” he rumbled gleefully, “this here’s about the last place you -expected ter come ter life in. An’ mebbe it are jest about the last -place you’d ’a’ picked out. He, he! Shouldn’t wonder, m’ lad, shouldn’t -wonder!” And he drifted off into a falsetto titter. - -But there certainly was no malice in his merriment; it seemed rather to -make me a comrade. - -“But how in thunder did I get here?” My voice was putting on more -heartiness. “And who----” - -“Hold on, now Billy-boy! One at a time, and slow,” he chided. “As to the -how and the who, why--I m’self was the who; an’ a good long boat hook -was the how. Managed ter ketch under the belt as you slid by our quarter -during said episode last night. An’, by time, boy, you were heavier’n -you look, shore!” - -“But what I should like to know is, why----” - -“An’ that thar’s just what I’m going ter pass up ter sooperiors. Orders -is orders, y’ know, matie; an’ I shore am some strong when it comes to -’em. But I tell you what I can do an’ it ought’r sound like screeching -good news; I can tumble a cup o’ b’iling hot coffee into you. Eh, what? -A mug along ’ith some salt horse?” - -“Sounds good to me!” I strove to echo his strain, as I threw my legs -over the side of the bunk. “But how about my clothes?” For the first -time I realized that I was wearing nothing but a coarse, sailor’s blue -flannel shirt. - -“Right t’ hand, an’ bone dry!” he chortled, as he edged his huge bulk -through a narrow opening, beyond which I caught the glow of a small -“shipmate” range. - -Next instant he reappeared with my clothes over his arm. - -“Did m’ best, laddie, ter get ’em into some sort o’ shape. Kind o’ -draggled they was, as is natural. An’ the shoes are durned stiff, -believe me. But they’ll come around----” - -“Well, I should say!” said I, delighted to get into my own togs, “and I -don’t see how you managed to get ’em as good as you did.” - -The old fellow had actually made a pretense of pressing the trousers, -though truth compels me to say that he had run the seams decidedly awry. - -I was surprised to see how weak I was, for, even though there was -scarcely any sea running, I lurched abominably as I put on my trousers. - -“Coffee’s in order!” he announced, and once more sought the range. - -Two minutes after I had drained that mug and chewed off some chunks of -“junk,” and I was still doing business at the old stand. - -“And now,” said I, “next?” - -“Well,” came the hearty response, “seein’s I’m the doctor, why, I jest -says the deck for yourn. Besides, them’s the orders.” - -Before I mounted the ladder I stood before the old fellow, and put out -my hand. - -“My name’s Tom Grey,” said I, “and somehow I’m not much when it comes to -thanks; but----” - -“Aw, shucks!” he roared back at me, as he fairly enveloped my hand with -his big paw. “Nawthin’ ’tall! Kind o’ fun, ’twas, fishin’ you out -thataway! Besides, I warn’t doing nothin’ but obeyin’ orders; an’ as -mebbe I’ve before let out, I’m quite some when it comes t’ orders. Yep! -Why, any o’ the lads on deck’ll second the motion that old Steve, bos’n -o’ this here _Ruby Light_, jest eats ’em--orders, that is. Now, tumble -out and mind your eye, matie. Me fer a cat nap.” - -Whereupon he rolled into the bunk I had quitted. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A PLEASURE TRIP. - - -It was fully fifteen minutes after I gained the deck before the -slightest attention was paid to my appearance, and this period I made -full use of in close scrutiny of my surroundings. - -Never, even aboard a man-of-war, have I seen such decks. Holystoned they -were, every inch of them, and at that very instant four fellows were -scouring away for dear life. - -And that immaculateness was everywhere apparent. I could see well enough -why it was that I had awakened alone in the forecastle with only old -Steve to watch over me. - -Brass shone to brisk burnishing; mahogany glowed to the chamois; every -man jack of ’em was furbishing, except the helmsman. - -And the craft was well worth such grooming. Even in the anxiety that, of -necessity, was mine at the moment, I glowed over such fitness; -everything O. K. to the dot. Bowsprit to taffrail I scanned her, and -didn’t find an “out.” Her forestay she carried pretty well inboard, for -the ’sprit was short, according to the modern custom. - -The masts, clear Oregon pine, raked a trifle, giving a dash that was a -bit reminiscent of the old _America_. It may not make for speed, but I -never saw a real sailor that didn’t favor it. - -Guessing the direction by the sun, I reckoned our course to be somewhat -east of south, and the freshening west wind bellied the creamy canvas -into unwrinkled corpulence. Besides her lower standing, she was carrying -ballooner and club topsail. - -But no foretopsail met my upward search, and it didn’t take long to see -why. Between her masts stretched wireless rigging. - -Now, all this time of my survey of the schooner, not one of the full -score of sailors that were working all about me, as I paced the forward -deck, gave me a word. But I judged, from an occasional furtive glance or -two I caught, that I was nothing if not interesting. - -I suppose, though, as old Steve had intimated, “orders were orders.” But -that kind of thing gets on a man’s nerves as only such inactive suspense -can, and I was upon the very point of striding aft to stir up something -when I spied some gilt emerging from the companionway. - -The little captain gave a word to the man at the wheel, then whirled and -faced forward. - -“Stevens once more!” said I to myself, though I was not oversurprised at -the recognition. - -His grin when he caught sight of me was all the satisfaction I got -before he popped immediately back down the companionway. But I didn’t -have long to wait for further developments, for I don’t believe it was a -full minute before a little Jap glided up the steps, and came directly -toward me. - -“You come follow me,” said the flunky abruptly, as he whirled a most -ridiculous rightabout. But naturally I was in no mood to read humor in -things, so I followed meekly enough. - -The Jap led down the steps, and across a saloon; then he tapped almost -reverently at a door that gave off from a passageway beyond. - -To a sharp summons to enter, he opened the door, and stood aside for me -to pass him, which I did. Then the door closed behind me, and I faced -the strangest stateroom I ever saw. - -But it was not the room itself, remarkable as it was, that focused the -entire attention, for a man in a broad-backed chair, busied at something -on the table before him, sat facing me. - -The whole breadth of the room was between us, but I could feel every -nerve of my ill-controlled features pass under the appraising scrutiny -of that pair of half-closed gray eyes that drilled at me as he glanced -up from what had been engrossing his attention. - -It will be remembered that on the two occasions I had seen this man, -Carl Stroth, I had not got a fair and square look at him. Back there on -the launch at Port Washington he had stood steadily at the wheel, -peering ahead, while I, of necessity, was busied with the engine. - -And that other time when, as the accommodating “deck hand,” he had made -a fool of me, his disguise had been of the cleverest. - -But now I had ample opportunity for a searching survey of the man, for -he let a minute pass in silence. And I availed myself of this -opportunity to the full; though now, as I attempted to word the -impression his face made upon me, I am forced lamely to state that its -strongest characteristic lay in its very indefinableness; a sort of -haunting fitting of something I decidedly didn’t like across features -which seemed more naturally to fit themselves into something I -instinctively did like. - -Even seated as he was, there came to his shoulders suddenly that forward -hunch which I had before noted, and which now I could see was -accompanied by a forward craning of the neck in riveting his eyes upon -me. Vulturelike it was, and more. - -And then, as suddenly, the posture shifted to ease as he said quietly: - -“None the worse for the episode, Mr. Grey?” - -It was not so much surprise at his knowing my name--which I knew his -methods well enough by now to see would be easy--as it was the lightness -and even friendliness of the tone; a friendliness which consorted ill -with the stare he had favored me with the moment before. But I strove to -match it as I replied: - -“It was more for adventure than money that I entered the detective -service, Mr. Stroth.” - -I know now that nothing I could have said would have had more effect -upon him, or quicker. - -“Ah!” he cried delightedly, as he sprang to his feet, shoved -back his chair, and strode toward me. “Good! There we have -it--adventure--spice--zest! The only thing worth while, isn’t it?” - -It certainly was an unexpected way to open conversation, under the -circumstances; and, next second, he seemed to realize it, for his tone -altered to one of less enthusiasm: - -“But first it’s probably best for us to understand each other.” - -He nodded for me to be seated, and resumed his own chair. - -“Mr. Grey,” said he, “who is, or was, your employer in this case?” - -My smile was almost a wince at his shift of tense to the past; then I -replied evasively: - -“This case?” - -“Come, now, man,” he retorted sharply, and I regretted my attempt at -fencing; “you look like more sense. And I believe, if you’ll remember -our several positions at the present minute, that probably out-and-out -frankness will strike you as the best policy. It is natural that I am -puzzled about you at some points in reviewing the events of the past two -days, and I see no better or quicker method of clearing the air than -direct question and answer. So now, what say you? Of course, I can -handle my own end in either course you choose to pursue, though -personally I prefer candor.” - -He was right; the upper hand was his, and it didn’t take me many seconds -to reconcile my conscience to my superior’s, by saying: - -“Let it be the truth, then, Mr. Stroth. And I certainly hope that -something’ll come out that will make things a bit clearer to me. The -Lord knows I’m in the dark deep enough myself. I’m ready.” - -“First, then,” said he, as he handed me over a humidor of dusky-hued -panetelas--though I noticed he didn’t take one himself--“perhaps it -would be best for me to state my difficulties, eh?” - -“As you will, sir,” I agreed, lighting the welcome cigar, which I really -stood in need of. - -“Here we have it, then,” he continued. “First I see you on the dock at -Port Washington, and it’s the first time I ever saw you in my life, I -believe.” - -“Exactly,” I broke in, “and I believe I was at that time -instrumental--was of some service?” - -“Wait! That’s just the point. You were of service, immense service, I -admit. I never would have thought that Pawlinson would have the nerve to -risk fooling Stevens into hiring him for engineer of my own launch. And -it might very well have succeeded but for you, as you say.” - -“But then?” - -“But next I stumble on you at the Portland wharf. Apparently your rôle -had, by that time, decidedly shifted. Stevens, who came from Stamford, -where he left the launch, even tells me that both you and Pawlinson -traveled in the same sleeping coach with him to Boston.” - -“I didn’t know it at the time,” I said, but he paid no attention to the -interruption as he concluded: - -“And now, last night, came the final mystery, for my searchlight -revealed both you and Pawlinson at fisticuff loggerheads in a wabbly -punt, with a speed-boat accompaniment. As to your place in this little -series of events, I confess myself completely mystified; and so it is -that I ask you--who was your employer in this thing, and where do you -stand, anyway?” - -I saw no way to answer except in the strictest truth, and I couldn’t -see, for the life of me, how it could hurt matters at all then, for I -certainly was completely in his power any time he should choose to -apply the thumbscrews. - -“I am one of Chief Garth’s men,” said I. “You know him?” - -“Old Garth, of the United?” he chuckled. “I should say I did. Yes?” - -“Now, it was mere coincidence that made me figure back there at Port -Washington. I didn’t even know Pawlinson then.” - -“I have had enough whirls with coincidence to credit improbability on -that score. Well?” - -He was attention itself, and, had I resolved upon a lie, I might well -have feared the brain behind those eyes. But truth is deliciously easy. -So I continued quietly: - -“So when I returned to Chief Garth’s house that night I found that -Pawlinson had asked him for a man upon a difficult case, and that----” - -“Yes, yes. I’ve got you. The same case. Coincidence again, and, as I -say, I believe you. You left Portland with what plan?” - -“Simply to spot you,” I replied. “You see, I read the steamer’s name on -the stern out there in the Sound when you boarded her. I knew her port, -for I have sailed on her myself.” - -There was a short interval of silence, during which he fitted things -together. Then he came out with: - -“So Pawlinson followed you to Portland, made his authority known to you, -and you worked together after your meeting there?” - -“Exactly!” - -“But come, finish it! What was the meaning of that disagreement between -you alongside the hydroplane?” - -“You didn’t catch the motive, then?” I queried. - -“Not at all. I was called to the deck only in time to see him lift you -clear of the punt, and hurl you overboard. And,” he added, with a smile, -“old Steve’s boat hook did the rest.” - -“So you haven’t yet tumbled to the reason for quitting the speed boat?” - -“No; though I did understand that there wasn’t time for you to connect -with the police launch.” - -“Well,” said I, “granting a fiend’s viewpoint, the plan was not so bad, -for it certainly would have stopped you. That craft was built stancher -than most hydroplanes, and carried a terrible way on her. She’d have -made a nasty-enough hole----” - -“What!” He sprang erect in the sudden mount of fury at the full -realization. “Do you mean to tell me that the scoundrel actually -meditated----” - -“Not only meditated,” I interrupted coolly. “He’d already ordered me -into the punt, and set the rudder before I myself could----” - -His tone lowered as he broke in on my explanation: - -“So that was the reason for the fight?” - -“Naturally,” I replied. “Much as my ways lie in dark places, I am not -taken with such methods; where women are concerned especially.” - -“Then you knew that my daughter was aboard with me?” - -“I didn’t know till this minute that the young lady was your daughter,” -said I. “But the inference that she was on the vessel was natural enough -after I had chased you pretty well over Portland.” - -Stroth made no direct reply to this. He seemed rather to be settling -some course. Then he shot out abruptly: - -“What did Pawlinson tell you he was after my scalp for? Did he let you -that far into his confidence?” - -Now, it’s no easy matter to tell a man of Stroth’s type that he’s a -thief, and in spite of me I couldn’t word Pawlinson’s revelations into -much softer phrase. - -He noted my hesitation, but didn’t spare me a whit. - -“Come, Grey, out with it exactly! I want it all--and unvarnished!” - -“Well,” said I, bracing my voice with a swallow, “those affairs at -certain country places along Long Island Sound have long been puzzling -us, and----” - -I might have spared myself my hesitation, for he didn’t so much as turn -a hair. - -“Oh, so that was all, eh? Then he said nothing about----” He checked the -sentence to another question: “What do you know about Pawlinson, -anyway?” - -“Precious little,” I answered him, and I let my manner tell as much as -it could of my contempt for the fellow. “In fact, I never heard of him -till he came into prominence about three years ago at Washington. And -that’s about all any one in the service knows. He’s understood to be -something of a mystery.” - -Stroth grunted. - -“I don’t doubt it--I don’t doubt it,” said he, as to himself. - -Then came another slight interval of silence, during which I puffed away -contentedly at the panetela, for I felt no presentiment of coming -trouble. In fact, I was beginning rather to enjoy the situation. - -I knew men well enough to read in Stroth that he had not lost sight of -the saving part I had played the night before; though, as I sat there -looking at him, I confessed to myself he was a puzzle in some -way--distinctly a puzzle. - -He came out of his momentary abstraction with a shout of enthusiasm that -was positively boyish: - -“Then it’s to be a little pleasure trip, after all! Good enough, Grey! -And I believe you’ll find that----” - -Here I was fool enough to enter a wedge of curiosity. - -“Then all that dope about this being the schooner that has been working -the Sound is absolute bunkum, Mr. Stroth?” - -It was as if I had touched a match to bomb. - -His brow darkened, and he bit out: - -“I believe I’m doing pretty well by you! But, of course, you have your -choice--that is--pleasure trip--or otherwise. Understand me? Otherwise.” - -I hastened to shift. - -“Nothing I like better than a sailing voyage, Mr. Stroth,” and I let him -know by my laugh that I realized he had me. - -“I didn’t think you were a fool,” he replied, in lighter vein. “So here -we have it, then, and it’s the last word I want spoken on the subject. -We’re bound for Savannah, Georgia. Simple enough, eh? Till then you’re -my guest, we’ll say. And, after we reach port, I’ll have your word that -you let three days go before you get the wires hot to headquarters. Now, -take the proposition or leave it!” - -“I understand at last, Mr. Stroth,” said I slowly, “and my worst enemy -can’t say I’m not a man of my word.” - -As suddenly as he had left it he whirled back to boyishness. - -“Fine--fine!” And he actually slapped me heartily on the shoulder. “By -the way, what time is it?” - -As if in answer, seven bells rang out. - -“Good enough! There’s plenty of time to show you something before -dinner. And if you’re interested in that sort of thing we’ll certainly -have an enjoyable trip!” - -Well, here, indeed, was a man of moods. - - -TO BE CONTINUED. - - - - -THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER. - -By E. K. NOSTWELL. - - -My shanty was situated in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming. With the -exception of two companions and some friendly trappers, who lived about -five miles distant, I had not seen a white man for nearly a year. - -One day I was out hunting with Anderson Picket. We had just sighted an -antelope, and were occupied in stalking the animal, when we suddenly -heard the neighing of a horse near us. Surprised at such an unusual -sound in a neighborhood where very few human beings were to be -encountered, we looked up and saw, hardly three hundred paces from us, a -rider whose head was uncovered and his long hair floating in the wind -that blew across the hills. He was a white-faced, haggard man, mounted -on a thin horse. - -For a few seconds he remained motionless, and then disappeared as -suddenly as he had come. - -“A highwayman,” whispered Picket. - -“What should a marauder be doing here?” I replied doubtfully, “for a -distance of three or four hundred miles no one, with the exception of -you, myself, and the trappers upon the creek, can be found. Not a single -soul to hold up. Let us see who the fellow is.” - -Quickly mounting our horses and dropping our game for the time being, we -galloped up the hill, following the stranger, who was slowly riding -toward the north. - -“That animal hasn’t had much fodder or rest lately,” laughed my -companion. “I’ll wager he hasn’t ten pounds of flesh on his bones.” - -“I’d like to know who the man is, and what he is doing alone in these -solitary hills,” said I inquisitively. “Come, get a gait on the horse; -let’s get our game, and follow the fellow.” - -After acting upon the suggestion, we returned to our pursuit, and were -hardly a hundred paces behind, when I shouted: - -“Hello, my man! Where are you bound for?” - -The horse turned its head toward us, but the rider did not move, and -immediately started off at a breakneck gallop. - -Although we were well mounted, and endeavored to follow him, he soon -disappeared in a path thickly overgrown with brushwood. We consequently -lost scent of the fugitive, and my companion very sensibly observed that -we had better not follow him, as he might easily blow out our brains, -under shelter of the rocks or hidden behind the brushwood, before we -were aware of his presence. - -We therefore retraced our steps toward our cabin, which we reached an -hour later. - -My second companion, who, in consequence of a slight wound, had remained -at home, came toward us in great excitement. - -“I’m glad you’re back, boys!” he cried. - -“Heavens, man! what has happened?” I asked anxiously. - -He was as white as a corpse, and sighed as if relieved when we reached -him. - -“It was awful, I tell you, awful. In all my life I shall never forget -what has happened to me.” - -“Come along; stop your quaking, and tell us what’s wrong. Seen any -suckers or a ghost?” said I smilingly, while Anderson asked impatiently: - -“You’ve had a visit, haven’t you? A highwayman on an old gray nag----” - -“How do you know that?” stammered Jim, quickly interrupting him. “Some -one was here, but it wasn’t a road man, it was a ghost.” - -While he said this, he shivered from head to foot, and looked around -anxiously on all sides. - -“Don’t be a fool,” I laughed. “Tell us a straight story. What has -happened to you?” - -“Meanwhile we had reached the cabin, and, as I sprang from the saddle, -Jim pointed, with trembling hand, to the ground.” - -“Here, look at this; you can see the prints of the ghostly horse’s -hoofs,” said he, in a voice full of excitement. “I was cleaning up -things in the cabin, when I suddenly heard a noise outside. I thought -you fellows had returned, and went out-o’-doors to meet you. Horrified, -I sprang back; before me, on a horse, nothing but skin and bones, was a -man without a hat, with long black hair. He sat bolt upright in the -saddle; he had a thick black beard; his face was ashen gray, and two -eyes, wide open, stared at me in a ghastly way as only a specter’s can. -I wanted to cry out, but my tongue seemed glued to my mouth--I felt my -hair standing on end. Then the ghost turned his horse--started off at a -gallop--I could plainly hear the rattling of the rider’s and the horse’s -bones.” - -Jim shuddered again at the remembrance of the horrifying spectacle. - -“That was the same fellow that we followed,” cried Anderson; and I could -only agree with him. - -We then told Jim of our adventure, and quieted him by reasoning that it -could not have been a ghost, but simply a human being, possibly some -lunatic. - -It was my custom before going to bed, to look after the horses. I left -the hut that evening as usual, but hardly had I taken a few steps when -suddenly I stopped as though my feet were rooted to the ground. - -Directly in front of me, in the bright moonlight, stood the same ghastly -rider. His long black hair hung loosely round a ghastly face. The eyes -were sunk deep in their sockets. The mouth was wide open, and the -glimmer of the white teeth could be seen behind the black beard; in his -left hand he held the reins, while the right hung limply by his side. He -sat in the saddle as though hewn out of stone, without the slightest -motion. - -I had the same feeling as Jim. I wanted to cry out, but could not; only -a hoarse whisper came from my throat, but instinctively my hand sought -the revolver at my side. I slowly raised my six-shooter, and covered the -frightful apparition. Then I found my voice. - -“Who are you? Answer, or I’ll shoot!” I said. - -At the sound of my voice, the horse, which consisted of nothing but skin -and bones, jumped to one side, and both horse and rider went off at a -breakneck gallop, the bullets which I sent after them taking no effect. -I distinctly heard the peculiar rattle of which Jim had spoken, and -which gradually grew dimmer and dimmer, until nothing could be -distinguished but the far-off clatter of horse’s hoofs on the rocky -ground. - -My heart was beating violently as I reëntered the hut. - -Not one of us closed an eye that night. I tossed to and fro, in vain -speculating what was to be done if the uncanny thing reappeared. When at -last morning dawned, I resolved to ride over to the trappers at the -creek and get their advice. - -Soon after sunrise I started, and, after two hours’ ride, saw the shanty -of my friends some little distance off. They came to meet me with their -guns in their hands, ready to shoot. - -“Lucky for you that our eyes are accustomed to long range, and that the -air is clear to-day, else either you or your horse would have a bullet -between his bones now,” said the elder of the two trappers, as I reached -them, holding out his hand in friendly greeting. - -“That’s so,” acquiesced the other, also shaking hands, but with a very -solemn air. “Charlie is right. We were ready to shoot, but luckily saw -our mistake in time.” - -“Since yesterday we have been on the watch. We’ve been fooled long -enough, and mean to make an end to this infernal nonsense,” said the -first trapper. - -“Has a singular-looking rider also paid you a visit?” I cried eagerly. - -The friends looked at each other in astonishment. - -“Do you know the beggar?” asked Jack quickly. - -“I don’t know him, but it is on his account that I’m here.” - -And I related our adventure, to which both listened attentively. - -“No doubt it’s the same fellow who got the best of us,” said Charlie; -shaking his head. “Day before yesterday we saw him for the first time. -He took no notice of us, and seemed to be deaf to our shots. About noon -he and his miserable old horse stood there, just opposite our shanty. -‘Hello, what do you want?’ I called out. No answer. A minute afterward -he was gone. In the evening he drew rein up there on the hill again. As -he wouldn’t answer me, I lost patience, and got out my shooter, but -before I could raise it, the fellow again disappeared. But I’m not going -to be fooled to-day. I’ll send a bullet through him, or his horse.” - -I willingly accepted the trappers’ invitation to stay with them during -the day. Our conversation turned almost exclusively on the mysterious -stranger. In the afternoon I accompanied them to their traps, and while -they were setting them I walked up and down with my gun in my hand. We -had resolved as soon as the rider should reappear, to shoot his horse, -and in that way get this singular creature into our hands. - -The day was drawing to a close, and the peaks of the mountains were dyed -in the sunlight. - -“The fellow has a notion we’re going for him,” said Jack. “I shouldn’t -be sorry if he slipped by us now, for I’m anxious to see what sort -of----” - -He stopped suddenly, and the words seemed as if frozen to his lips as he -stood staring at the rocks opposite the hut. There, on the top of the -hills, clearly outlined against the red sky, was the ghostly rider. I -also stood staring, spellbound, at the apparition. Then a shot rang out, -and the horse fell forward. - -“Come on, and don’t let the fellow crawl from under and get out,” cried -Charlie, the smoking gun still in his hand, and pulling the revolvers -from our belts we all scurried over the frozen creek that ran in front -of the shanty, and up the declivity. - -Jack was the first to reach the top. With one bound he stood next to the -rider, who lay motionless on the quivering horse, of which he was still -astride. - -“Hold him!” yelled Charlie, with whom I was close on Jack’s heels. - -“It’s not necessary,” said Jack, bewildered, “for you’ve shot the beggar -dead.” - -“Nonsense,” said Charlie angrily. “I know exactly where my bullet hit. I -aimed at the horse’s left eye,” he added. “There it is.” - -Meanwhile Jack was examining the rider closely. - -“What is this?” he cried, astonished. “The fellow is bound fast to the -horse--look here--even with a chain.” Horrified, he sprang back. “Look, -the man has a mark around his neck. Great Heaven, he’s been -hanging--he’s been lashed to the horse, and the poor beast has been -carrying around a lifeless burden.” - -Filled with astonishment and horror, we saw that Jack’s suspicions -admitted of no doubt. The rope had sunk deep into the man’s muscular -throat, and the knot was still attached to it. - -Charlie then raised the dead man’s head. - -“Why, it’s Black Sam!” he exclaimed. “He was a wild fellow, but he got -his deserts. His gun was always ready, and he has sent many a good -fellow to pass in his checks. Who knows how long it is that he has been -astride this horse? Corpses do not decompose up here in the mountains, -but dry up; I’ve often noticed that in dead animals.” - -Shuddering, he turned away. The dead man, with his withered face and -staring eyes, had a truly horrifying appearance. - -“What’ll we do with him?” asked Jack, after a short pause. - -Charlie considered a moment, then answered, while he unfastened the -bands which tied the dead man to the dead horse: - -“Lend a hand here, boys! It’s our duty to give him a Christian burial. -Let’s push him in the gully.” - -In a few moments the dead man was released; Charlie took him by the -shoulders, Jack and I by the legs, and so we carried him to the place -indicated, and, by our united efforts, soon had a grave dug, in which he -was laid. After this had been filled in, we rolled stones and small -rocks over it to prevent the wolves from disturbing the dead. - -It was night before we had finished our work. A solemn stillness reigned -over all; no sound was to be heard, and, with uncovered heads, we -uttered a short prayer. - -“God be merciful to this poor sinner,” added Charlie. - -Then we silently returned to the hut. - -We retired that night earlier than usual, and even in my dreams the -ghostly rider appeared to me. I awoke several times bathed in -perspiration, disturbed by the loud howls piercing the stillness of the -night. Wolves were eagerly fighting over the bones of the dead horse. - -Next day I returned home, and related to my astonished friends the end -of the mysterious rider. - - - - -THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS. - - -Want Shorter Course. - -The Cornell faculty has directed the committee on student affairs to -give serious consideration to the plan to cut down the length of the -varsity race at the Hudson regatta from four to three miles, and has -directed that committee to take the matter up with the stewards of the -Intercollegiate Rowing Association. - -The question of shortening this course was taken up seriously at a -recent meeting of the faculty, and a considerable number of the -professors expressed themselves as in favor of shortening the course. An -agitation by Cornell to this end may be expected during the winter. - - -Calf With Eight Good Legs. - -Wrily Simpson, of Big Laurel, Va., owns a calf which has eight -well-developed legs, the extra limbs being just behind the forelegs and -just in front of the hind legs. The animal gets about splendidly on its -extra walkers. - - -Exhibits of Ten Nations Arrive for the Fair. - -Large consignments of foreign and domestic exhibits are arriving daily -for the Panama Exposition, which will be opened promptly February 20, -1915. The latest consignments are: - -Japanese shipment of 1,671 cases; 1,568 crates and cases from Canada; -126,000 pounds of exhibits from the Philippines; 110,000 pounds of -materials from the Argentine. - -Heavy shipments from England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, -and Italy are already on the grounds. - - -Two Prolific Apple Trees. - -Frank Weber and John Trent, of Troy, Kan., picked from two trees -twenty-seven barrels of apples. They were of the York Imperial variety. -Trent’s orchard is considered one of the most productive in that -section. - - -Wireless Tit-for-tat Shots. - -Europe’s two principal wireless stations, the Eiffel Tower, at Paris, -and the Nauen Tower, between Berlin and Hamburg, have been exchanging -conversations. - -The Nauen operator, discovering that the Eiffel was able to pick up his -war messages ticked an indictment of Eiffel’s news as flimsy and -unreliable, to which the Eiffel rushed a long, rhyming retort, jeering -the Germany army for its failure to reach Paris, and concluding: - -“Despite your fine telegraphic victories, the Germans are slowly -plunging into an abyss.” - - -Oldfield Wins Desert Race. - -Barney Oldfield, “master driver of the world,” is the title the -automobile speed king now is wearing. - -Greeted by 15,000 cheering people, Oldfield drove in his car, a winner -of the 671-mile Los Angeles-Phoenix road race. - -Although led into the fair grounds seventeen minutes by Nikrent, -Oldfield won first place and a cash prize of $2,750 by thirty-six -minutes elapsed time. Oldfield’s elapsed time was 22 hours 59 minutes, -and his average was 29.1 miles per hour. Nikrent’s time was 23 hours 35 -minutes. - -The 134 miles from Prescott, the second-night control, was driven in -mud, and the drivers and cars were covered with a coat of clay. - - -Town Sells Jail at Auction. - -Noank, Conn., is getting rid of some of its luxuries. The lockup and -contents have been sold at auction and brought $83.12. - -The jail building, an unpretentious affair as compared with the Tombs in -New York, was knocked down to Squadrito Brothers, of Mystic, for $75, -and two other bids took the jail stove and utensils for $6.87. A quilt -and mattress fetched $1.25. - - -Schoolhouse Topples Over. - -While the school at Sulphur Point, Fla., was being dismissed for recess, -the building, which was built on high blocks, suddenly toppled over and -went crashing to the ground, killing a cow that happened to be lying -alongside of it. Fortunately none of the inmates were injured. A crowd -gathered and succeeded in freeing the carcass of the cow by raising the -building back into its place. Studies were resumed after the excitement -died down, but some repairs have been made to the schoolhouse. - - -Old Gravestone is Replaced. - -A century-old gravestone, made in 1814 to mark the graves of two victims -of an Indian massacre near Alton, Ill., was brought to an Alton -stonecutter to be repaired. - -The stone, which commemorated the deaths of William and Joel Moore, July -10, 1814, had been split by the weather, and the parts will be cemented -together. It was a rough sandstone slab, not smoothed, and the early-day -pioneer had carved out an inscription in the sandstone with some crude -tool. The letters are still legible. - -A granite tablet has been placed on the site where the sandstone slab -was found, and the slab has been taken as a relic by Irby Williams. - - -Prophesied His Long Sleep. - -“I feel so tired that I believe I could sleep forever,” remarked C. A. -Kinkaid to a hotel clerk at Seattle, Wash., as he obtained his key and -repaired to his room. - -On the following afternoon Kinkaid was found dead. Death was due to -asphyxiation, and evidently was accidental. One of the gas burners was -partly open, but the window was up about six inches. - -Kinkaid, who was a bridge carpenter, was a well-known member of the -Eagles. He is survived by a wife, who left the city a few weeks ago to -visit relatives in Lafayette, Ohio. - - -State Map Made from Seeds. - -One of the unique agricultural exhibits that will be displayed at the -Pan-American Exposition is a grain map of Kansas, made from twenty-eight -varieties of field and garden seeds by J. C. Hastings, of Grantville, -Kan. The grains and seeds are glued to a canvas, and the coloring -contained in the ordinary map of Kansas is carried out so far as -possible with the various grains, so that the reproduction shows a -splendid similarity. The size of the map is 48×88, and the grain on it -weighs nineteen pounds. - - -Boy Helps Build Church. - -Verne Hall, fifteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. George Hall, of -Portland, Ore., is helping to build a church by soliciting bricks and -hauling them to the site of the new St. John’s edifice. In answer to his -letter to Governor West, he received 500 bricks. - - -Hole Was Dug by Scientist. - -The English newspapers recently made what they declared to be a -startling discovery of extensive underground galleries at Totternhoe, in -the Chiltern Hills, which the Germans had dug, supposedly for some -mysterious military purpose. The residents of the neighborhood even -described the Germans and the mysterious way in which their excavations -were conducted. - -William M. Safford, whom the _Observer_ describes as a distinguished -American scholar, now writes to that newspaper declaring that he made -the excavations. Mr. Safford says he discovered a cavern, which was -nearly closed, and that his excavations in it disclosed carvings on -stone dating 1613. - - -Quits Cattle for Turkeys. - -Herding turkeys is a new way of making a living discovered by J. W. -Abrams, of Springfield, Colorado. Abrams herds nearly a thousand turkeys -through the Colorado alfalfa fields every year, letting the birds feed -on grasshoppers. Two especially trained collie dogs assist in the work -of herding. The ranchers are glad to have the pests which destroy their -crops eaten from the fields, so Abrams and his outfit are welcome -wherever they go. - -An old cow pony, with a slicker, a shelter tent, and a cooking outfit -packed on his back; two beautifully marked collies, and a thousand -bronze turkeys, strutting and gobbling, make up the outfit. Abrams -always herds within reaching distance of a stream, so his charges can -get plenty of water. - -When the turkey herder sold his flock last year at Thanksgiving time, -the $2,450 he received was almost clear profit. Abrams had 980 birds, -averaging ten pounds apiece. He topped the market with his -grasshopper-fed turkeys, receiving twenty-five cents a pound on the lot. - -The only expense the birds had been to him was for oil to run his -incubators, feed during the first six weeks of their lives, when they -were too small to herd, rent on the ten-acre place where they were -hatched, and the cost of raising a small field of spelt in which they -ran to fatten after the fall frosts had killed the grasshoppers. Some -turkey hens which he kept through the winter laid the eggs he set in the -incubators. - -“It isn’t difficult to teach young turkeys to let dogs herd them,” -Abrams said. “They are rather timid at first. But Jeff and Mutt, here, -have been trained never to frighten the birds. You’ll notice they never -bark at them, just growl a little and pretend to snap at their legs when -they don’t behave. Turkeys are stupid birds, you know. Every flock has a -leader, who walks ahead. The others follow him blindly. I always keep an -old gobbler from the year before for a leader. He is used to the dogs, -and Jeff and Mutt manage the flock by guiding him.” - -The real work of the two dogs begins at dusk, when they herd the turkeys -to the nearest shelter and keep them there until they settle for the -night. When their master has cooked and eaten his supper and has rolled -up in his blankets for his night’s sleep, it is their duty to guard the -flock from wandering skunks, stray coyotes, cats, and other animals who -are fond of young turkey. By dawn the old gobbler is stirring, eager for -a breakfast of bugs and grasshoppers. - -Abrams was a cowboy before he started herding turkeys, about five years -ago. - -“The range was all fenced in Colorado,” he said, “and it was up to me to -find some other job besides running cattle.” - - -“Big May,” Circus Lady, Dead. - -Christiana Sinclair, who traveled with circus side shows as “Big May, -the tattooed woman,” is dead at her home at Baltimore, Md. She weighed -three hundred pounds. - - -Eyewitnesses Tell How “Audacious” Sank. - -According to witnesses of the sinking of the great British dreadnaught -_Audacious_, off the coast of Ireland, there was only one fatality. -Naval men in New York unite in praise of the work of the crew of the -steamship _Olympic_, in effecting the rescue of nearly nine hundred men -of the sea fighter’s crew. All those not taken off by the _Olympic_ were -rescued by the British cruiser _Liverpool_. - -Whether the _Audacious_ is still at the bottom of the sea or is being -repaired by the British admiralty and may again see service is now the -only mystery connected with reports of the vessel of the first line of -England’s naval defense falling victim to a German mine or torpedo. It -is the general opinion that the _Audacious_ struck a mine. - -Two men who arrived in New York on the steamship _New York_, from -Liverpool, confirmed the stories of the loss of the warship that had -previously reached here, and added numerous details. One statement they -made was that the _Audacious_ was blown up by the cruiser _Liverpool_ at -nine p. m. on the day it was disabled. This has not been confirmed. - -The men who told the story were James Rupert Beames, leader of the -orchestra on the White Star liner _Olympic_, which rescued the crew of -the _Audacious_ and made fruitless efforts to tow the battleship to -shoal water, and Hugh Griffiths, one of the orchestra musicians. - -The story of Beames, who was helped from time to time by Griffiths, -substantially was as follows: - -“Neither the _Liverpool_ nor the other small warship that had steamed to -the work of rescue was capable of saving the superdreadnaught. - -“It was decided that the _Liverpool_ could better risk hitting a mine -than could the _Olympic_, and for this reason the _Liverpool_ made a -serpentine maneuver ahead of the _Olympic_ as a feeler for mines. - -“Hardly had the _Liverpool_ cut across our bow when the order was given -to man the starboard lifeboats. Before this a call had been issued for -volunteers. - -“More answered than the boats could accommodate, and when it came time -for action the _Olympic’s_ crew actually fought to get into the boats, -so eager were they to do something for their country and for the sailors -on the doomed _Audacious_. When one of the boats hit the water they -found in it a little bell boy, eleven years old, who carried messages to -and from the purser’s office. - -“Although the starboard lifeboats were manned, Captain Haddock suddenly -changed his plan. - -“Instead of dropping down on the port side of the pounding warrior, he -decided to put about and approach on the starboard side. By so doing he -made a lee, which enabled the fourteen lifeboats dropped from the port -side to accomplish a task that never could have been done if the -original plan had been put into effect. - -“The seas were high, and the men in the _Olympic’s_ lifeboats had a hard -pull. It took them twenty minutes to get over to the _Audacious_, which -lay about five hundred yards away. We could see the crew at quarters. -They were the calmest body of men I ever have seen. The discipline was -perfect. Through the binoculars the captain of the _Audacious_ was seen -walking up and down the deck calmly, with his hands behind his back. The -rescue work proceeded rapidly, and there was but one fatality. - -“The _Olympic_ dropped anchor off Lough Swilly at eight p. m. An hour -later a tremendous flash lighted up the entire ship. We rushed to the -deck and could see, for fully twenty seconds afterward, burning -fragments shooting upward from the place where the _Audacious_ had been. -Then there came a roar. It sounded, they said, as if some mammoth boiler -were letting off steam. It stopped as suddenly as it came. That was the -end of the _Audacious_. - -“As a reason for destroying the _Audacious_ it was said that the -battleship was hopelessly damaged, and that if not blown up it would -become a menace to navigation.” - - -Seek Brave Man to Ring Haunted Bell. - -At midnight Christmas Eve the ringing tones of “Big Sam,” the haunted -bell, as it is called at Richmond, Va., will be heard for the first time -from the tower of the new armory. Chief W. H. Thompson, of the -fire-and-police-signal system, makes this announcement, but he does so -with a hesitancy that frequently brings this question: - -“Are you sure?” - -“As reasonably sure as any one may be about anything in connection with -the haunted bell,” said Chief Thompson, still with an air of mystery and -as if evading a direct reply. “That bell has been silent almost from the -time it was brought to this city twenty-three years ago, and they say it -is haunted.” - -“So I’ve heard,” ventured the scribe, “but what about it?” - -“It has had a baleful influence upon everything connected with it. All -who had a hand in bringing it here are dead.” - -“Good gracious! What more?” - -“It is the biggest bell in the city. It weighs four thousand pounds. It -was presented to the Grace Street Presbyterian Church by David Sinton in -1891. We called it ‘Big Sam,’ and the first time he spoke he shook the -tower so hard all feared it would come down. The vibrations were so -great that it was decided not to ring it again, and, being useless, an -effort was made to sell it. The city bought it for the Blues armory in -November, 1909, but the acoustics there made it impossible to operate -the striker, and finally it was transferred to the new First Regiment -Armory and installed in the tower.” - -“Well, how about this midnight business on Christmas Eve? I would like -to know,” said the scribe, “because it may be that I won’t be here.” - -“I was directed to make the necessary connections so that it will strike -the hours, both day and night, and automatically strike all alarms of -fire, military, and special calls. It should be ready to strike the -midnight hour Christmas Eve.” - -“Will you have the honor of starting the apparatus that strikes the -first call?” Chief Thompson was asked. - -“No,” he replied quietly. “I told you that every one connected with the -haunted bell is dead. I shall sublet the contract of making the -connections. Now, possibly you, being a newspaper man and one used to -dangers, will----” - -“No, sir; I positively will not! Good night!” - - -Serenade for Newlyweds. - -William Munn was married at Corry, Pa., on a recent evening, and while -the wedding supper was in progress a party of serenaders arrived. To -make the affair interesting, Munn’s friends set off several sticks of -dynamite. The charge shattered every window in the house, and the bride -and groom and several of the guests were hurled from the chairs upon -which they were sitting. To avoid arrest, the serenaders paid all of the -damages. - - -Strange Animal in His Trap. - -Jerome Redmond, known all over the Northwest for his skill in trapping, -recently captured a strange animal in Lake Sixteen, Cheboygan County, -Michigan. It resembles an otter, only its body is more like a serpent. -It has two front legs, and its tail is shaped like that of a fish. -Running the full length of its back is a ridge with teeth like a saw’s. -Redmond has been offered one hundred dollars for it by the local -taxidermist, but refused the offer. The animal measures eight inches -from tip to tip. - - -Bars Whipping from School. - -Corporal punishment has been abolished in the public schools at St. -Louis, Mo., except for extraordinary cases, as a result of the petition -of George E. Dieckman, chairman of the humane society executive -committee, who maintained that St. Louis was the only one of the big, -progressive cities in which this “brutal and ineffective punishment” was -preserved. - -The new regulation adopted by the board of education provides that -corporal punishment may be administered only in incorrigible cases, with -the consent of the parent, and in the presence of the principal. A thin -rattan is to be used. Slapping, shaking, and boxing the child’s ears are -all absolutely prohibited. - - -Daylight Bandits Get $25,000 in “Swag.” - -The most daring robbery that has been perpetrated in Chicago in many -months, in which a jeweler, his clerk, and two other men were seized in -broad daylight, bound hand and foot with rope, held prisoners, and -menaced with revolvers, while gunmen robbed the safe of $25,000 in -jewelry and money, occurred recently. - -The scene of the robbery was the North Avenue loan bank and jewelry -store, 517 West North Avenue, founded six years ago by Max Klein and Max -Spear. An important part of the business is loaning money on jewelry, -and all the valuable pieces were in a safe in the rear of the store, -which was looted. The four men who were seized, bound, and held -prisoners while the men packed the loot in a suit case and got away were -Max Spear, partner and manager; George Kacker, clerk; Charles A. White, -customer, who entered while the robbers were at work, and Frank Dallas, -a saloon keeper, who came in to get change for a twenty-dollar bill. - -All four victims remained bound hand and foot in the little rear office -for forty minutes while the money, watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, -and other jewelry were taken from the safe by one of the men, while the -other robber kept a gun close to their heads. They saw every detail of -the robbery, and finally watched the robbers depart. - - -Says 150 Hens Equal Six Bales of Cotton. - -“One hundred and fifty hens equal six bales of cotton,” is the -economical equation demonstrated by George Echols, a farmer, of Brazos -County, Texas. - -Echols has a flock of 150 hens. He has sold, this year, $200 worth of -eggs. Reckoning sales for the next two months, and adding sales of live -poultry, making due allowance for eggs and poultry used by his family. -Echols figures he will clear $300 on his flock. - -Echols has a tenant who pays him $140 for the use of his farm land. The -tenant’s crop this season is six bales of cotton, worth but $40 more -than his rent. Under normal conditions the cotton would not net more -than $360. The cotton required most of the tenant’s time since April and -the feed of a team. - -Echols says his wife devoted only about one hour a day to the hens. -Counting the equipment of team and implements for growing cotton, and -contrasting the investment in chickens and poultry houses, Echols -declares the gross figures prove 150 hens are equal to six bales of -cotton. - - -Egg-laying Contest Closed. - -The third international egg-laying test, held at Storrs, Conn., is -concluded, and every poultryman should be interested in the few -following facts: - -1--Of the five leading pens, three were from New England. - -2--The leading pen is owned by Francis F. Lincoln, of Mount Carmel, -Conn. - -3--The leading pen--White Leghorns--laid 2,088 eggs. - -4--Tom Barron’s White Wyandottes finished second, with 2,085 eggs. - -5--The average production per hen is 144 eggs. - -6--The highest individual record, 265 eggs, was made by a White -Wyandotte, owned by Merrythought Farm, Columbia, Conn. - - -Rabbit-killing Boy Released from Jail. - -Oscar Phillipson, of Plainfield, N. J., the nineteen-year-old boy who -was recently sentenced to the county jail for 120 days for shooting a -rabbit, is at liberty on bail pending an appeal. Former Mayor N. B. -Smalley put up the $250 bail. - -Ernest Napier, president of the State game commission, and William -Hoblitzel, game warden for Union County, conferred with Mr. Angleman, -the boy’s lawyer, and an appeal was decided upon. Justice of the Peace -Thomas Snape, who sentenced Phillipson, accepted Mr. Smalley’s bond and -Mr. Napier paid the $9 costs himself. They then went to Somerville and -brought Phillipson home in an automobile. - -Young Phillipson has declined a number of offers from men who want to -pay his fine. He has declined because he doesn’t want half of the fine -to go to the man who informed against him. - -Mr. Napier upheld Justice Snape as well as Game Warden Hoblitzel in the -action taken over the violation of the game laws. At the same time he -said he was willing to do all in his power to relieve the present -situation, which has aroused so much public sentiment. - -There is a feeling that the case will not be argued on appeal. Governor -Fielder himself suggested an appeal as a means of getting the boy out of -jail in the event that the court of pardons, consisting of the governor, -the chancellor, and six members of the court of errors and appeals, -should not look favorably upon a pardon. - -The governor has directed his secretary, L. Edward Herrmann, to make an -investigation of the whole case in preparation for the meeting of the -court of pardons. Governor Fielder said it seemed to him that some plan -might be devised whereby the exaction of the maximum penalty might be -avoided where the circumstances seemed to warrant. - - -Newsboy Becomes Dairyman. - -With nickels and pennies made after school hours and on Saturday selling -newspapers, Noble McKillip, thirteen years old, of Fort Worth, Texas, -has been paying for school books for himself and his eleven-year-old -sister, Goodie, and also car fare for both, and in addition clothed -himself and put so much in the bank each day. He has now set himself up -in the dairy business with his newspaper earnings. He drew his savings -out of the bank and paid for the cow, a four-gallon Jersey. - -Noble is a student in the Vickery school. Selling papers did not -interfere with his studies, and he is progressing rapidly in them and -expects to go through the higher branches. - - -De Oro’s Mark to Stand a Long Time. - -Alfredo de Oro, the world’s champion at three-cushion billiards, has -experienced the thrills of victory in many hard-fought matches, but it -is doubtful if any of his performances afford him greater satisfaction -than his world’s record run of 13, made in his match with George Moore, -for the three-cushion title, at New York, recently. - -Previous to this, the best mark of the veteran Cuban in a title match -was ten, but now that he hoisted the mark three points, it may stand for -a long time. The present season has been productive of some phenomenal -performances at the angle game. Early in the season, Pierre Maupome, the -Mexican expert, ran eighteen in a practicing game at St. Louis, and a -little later August Kieckhefer, champion of the Interstate Three-cushion -League, made a run of seventeen points in a game at Milwaukee. - -Quite as remarkable as these two big runs was the performance of Harry -Wakefield, one of San Francisco’s leading experts, who in a game against -a coast amateur scored fifty points in twenty-two innings. Wakefield -started With 5, 5, 2, 5, and then electrified the crowd with a run of -fifteen on his next trial, giving him thirty-two points in five innings. -He made forty-six points in sixteen innings, and in the seventeenth -inning scored three, missing his fiftieth point by a whisker. His -opponent played five safety shots in succession, so that it took -Wakefield five more innings to count his remaining point. Among those -who saw the performance were Joe Carney, former three-cushion national -champion, and W. H. Sigourney, the well-known balkline amateur. - -With the big Interstate Three-cushion League affording the sixteen -contestants every incentive to practice, some great performances can be -looked for. - -This prediction also applies to the balkline stars playing in the -Champion Billiard Players League and to those who are not. The -contestants around the big circuit are getting more billiards this year -than any set of players have enjoyed in the history of the game in this -country. - - -Too Heavy for Hikes of War. - -Rudolph Berger, who is a well-known operatic baritone singer, and who is -six feet five inches tall and tips the beam at 240 pounds, has arrived -at New York from Naples after serving three weeks in the Austrian army. -He took part in long marches. The Austrians started for Lemberg, but -Berger never got there. He was overweight, and after a while his feet -refused to carry him. He was allowed to abandon his military career. He -says he will become an American citizen. - - -New Fluid to Take Place of Gasoline. - -John Andrus, a Portuguese, came to this country to make his fortune. He -has become an inventor. Recently the government paid him thirty thousand -dollars for a discovery he made in toughening armor plate. A much more -important discovery, however, has been made by Andrus. He is working on -a substitute for gasoline that can be manufactured, he says, for one and -one-half cents a gallon. - -According to some of the biggest men in the automobile business, who -have observed tests of the new fuel, it will revolutionize not only the -automobile business, but all manufacturing business. The substitute is -declared to be superior to gasoline in more respects than cost. It is -claimed that it runs automobiles faster and that when it is used the -engines are cleaner and cooler. - -Andrus has a good business head, and has interested influential men in -his plans. No stock is for sale, but the automobile men are talking -about the discovery as the most important news in their industry. They -say that the new fluid consists mostly of water, a little naphthalene, -and two secret ingredients. Andrus mixes these in a still to which heat -is applied. The fluid looks like water and smells like camphor balls. - - -Says His Rifle Fires 200 Shots a Minute. - -A one-man gun, invented by a Rochester man, and guaranteed by him to -increase a soldier’s fighting efficiency twenty or thirty times, is for -sale. Its inventor, Harry W. Sweeting, says he has begun negotiations -with Germany for the sale of the invention, which he has protected by -American patents. Mr. Sweeting is now in New York on his way to -Washington. At the Park Avenue Hotel he admitted that he was trying to -sell the gun to Germany, but hinted that there was some probability of -negotiations with this government. - -The new gun weighs only nine pounds, half a pound more than the present -standard rifle. It will fire from 165 to 200 shots a minute, Mr. -Sweeting said, ninety shots consecutively without being taken from the -shoulder. He says the velocity is 2,700 feet a second. - -“By holding the trigger back,” Mr. Sweeting said, “ninety shots are -fired. The ejector is on the under side. The sight is only three inches -from the eye, giving a quicker and more accurate aim than in the present -rifles, in some of which the sight is thirteen inches from the eye. - -“My gun has only one-third as many working parts as the present rifle. -There is not a flat spring in the gun, and all the parts are inclosed, -which protects them from the weather. It has safety locks which make it -impossible to fire after the gun misses fire, and a self-cleaning -device. Give me the gun to bring down a man a mile away who is six feet -from a tree and I will get him before he gets to the tree. If I should -fail, I can shoot him through the tree, if it is not more than eighteen -inches in diameter.” - -The inventor has been working on the invention for more than a year. His -thirty-eight pages of specifications are registered with the Patent -Office. - - -Dollar a Year is His Salary. - -At a salary of one dollar a year, Frederick W. M. Burmeister has been -appointed custodian of the cut-off channel front and rear-range lights -in the Patapsco River, near Baltimore, Md. - -Custodian Burmeister has but few duties to perform. In addition to his -salary, he has the free use of a home on the lighthouse reservation. He -could not be carried on the government pay rolls without a specified -salary, and to give official importance and responsibility the salary of -one dollar was agreed upon. - -It was not stated whether he would be paid monthly, as is the -department’s custom, or let it accrue to the end of the year. - - -Big Eagle Drops Baby. - -About two weeks ago a posse of farmers scoured Will County, Illinois, -for two huge eagles, which were killing hundreds of chickens and young -turkeys. One of the pair was killed. The other disappeared, and the -hunters finally abandoned the hunt. - -On a recent morning, Delmer Reeves, the two-year-old son of David -Reeves, was playing in the back yard of the Reeves home. His mother -heard the child scream and rushed to the door in time to see an enormous -bird clutch the baby by his dress and lift him from the ground. - -The mother screamed, and the eagle dropped the child after the baby had -been carried a few feet. The eagle’s talons badly lacerated the child’s -flesh. Members of the farmers’ posse have resumed their hunt for the -dangerous visitor. - - -“Wild Man” Was Only Ill. - -Women and girls of Port Jefferson, L. I., who had been frightened -frequently in the last few months by the appearance in deserted -stretches of road near the town of a “wild man,” learned with relief -recently that Constable Harry Gover had caught the man. Their fears -changed to sympathy when they learned the wild man’s story, and his -capture probably will result in his getting assistance. - -He said his name was Juan Rodriguez, and that he had come from -Monterrey, Mexico, ten years ago. He was sent to a hospital in New York -some time ago, and eight months back was discharged as cured. It was -spring then, and he walked out into the country looking for work. - -His strength has been sapped by his long illness, he said, and at last -he found himself too weak to work. Then he took to the woods, -subsisting on what he could beg at first, and then, as his clothes -became mere tatters and his appearance began to frighten strangers, on -what he could find in the woods. - -He said he had never accosted a woman or a girl, though he realized many -had seen him and had run, and he said he had frequently spent the night -in trees while he listened to farmers beating the woods around him for -traces of him after their wives or daughters had seen the wild man. - -He was fed, and decent clothes were given to him. - - -Three Boys Travel Far in Piano Box. - -The trucker wheeled the heavy piano box into the Erie freight house, at -Fourteenth and Clark Streets, Chicago, and dumped it on the floor. - -“That’s some box!” he complained. - -“You bet it is!” - -The words came from the mouth of a youth whose grinning head stuck out -from the top of the box. The trucker fell over his truck and ran yelling -into the night. Attracted by the noise, the night watchman, William -Schimmel, came into the freight house. - -“Hey!” shouted the boy. “Can I get some water?” - -Schimmel questioned the head. - -“I’m Willard Montague, snake charmer,” it said. “Got two pythons and -their baby here. Get me some water for myself and some cocaine for the -snakes.” - -Mr. Schimmel left the freight house in a great hurry. He described what -he had seen and heard to C. D. Ward, general agent; A. C. Brundage, -claim agent; Policeman Toussaint, and Detectives Zohora and Jansen. Ward -called up James Burke, superintendent of the Chicago terminal division -of the Erie, who came down in his auto. The crowd grouped itself around -the box, which was marked. “Don’t Stand on End,” and signaled for the -young man inside to stick his head through the trap. Montague, grinning, -complied. - -Burke asked to see the snakes. - -“They’re wrapped up in those comforters,” said Montague. “I don’t like -to disturb ’em. Besides, I couldn’t get out of here in time.” - -Burke insisted. Montague made a dive at the comforters, whistled through -his teeth, and drew his hand out sharply. - -“One of ’em kinda catch you?” prompted Burke. - -“Yeah,” said Monty, sucking his thumb; “the big one sorta got me.” - -“How big are they?” - -“One’s ’bout eleven feet long. Ugly. Haven’t been fed. Been keeping them -asleep with ‘coke.’ Just run out of the dope.” - -“Well, let me see their scales,” Burke insisted. - -Two electric lights were rigged up and held in the opening so that Burke -and others might have a glimpse of the interior of the box. - -Monty was stirring up the blankets as though some monstrous reptile were -there. - -“Come, come!” said Burke. “If you don’t pull that comforter off that boa -constrictor I will.” - -Then the covering was yanked off and the men on top of the box looked -directly into the cherubic face of another grinning boy. Simultaneously -another heap of covers back of Montague was thrown off and a third head -revealed. - -“Those are the pythons, are they?” - -“Yes, those are the snakes.” - -“Well, now, suppose you come out here and tell us the story.” - -One at a time the boys wriggled through the trapdoor and came out, -blinking, to face the audience. Each was bathed in perspiration and all -were in stocking feet. - -A reporter took their names: Willard Fox, 18 years old; Howillard Edward -Montague, 22 years old, and Carl Espe, 17 years old. All were from -Binghamton, N. Y. - -They had been disguised as a piano box for seven days, and were on their -way to Alameda, Cal., to the ranch of Montague’s uncle, Doctor William -Tappan Lumb. They chose to go as a piano box because it was cheaper than -three passenger tickets. - -The box was built by a carpenter in Binghamton. It had a false bottom -and the sides were padded. The boys put stones in the bottom, and also -their suit cases. - -“We expected to be on the way about three weeks,” said Monty, who seemed -to be the leader of the expedition. “We took along canned goods, bread -and cereals, coffee and tobacco. - -“We had a phonograph and records, but it is broken. We had also arranged -to have light. We had some electric batteries in the false bottom which -connected with a bulb, but the bulb broke. - -“There was also a stove and alcohol to run it. We have shoes, coats, -sweaters, hats, and, in fact, all our possessions.” - -They even had a framed certificate on the wall--Montague’s diploma from -the “Boan Lake, Mich., College of Manopathy.” - -“We didn’t have much sleep, add we got bumped around some,” said Fox, -“but, say, wasn’t it a peach of an adventure? My parents live in Wiegel, -N. Y., and Monty and Espe haven’t any.” - -“The boys have violated a Federal interstate law,” said Mr. Burke, “but -I don’t know what action the road will take. We shall probably take -steps against the shipper and the man who was to receive them at the -other end. The fare was to be paid in Alameda.” - -Officer Toussaint questioned the travelers, then turned them over to the -South Clark Street police. He could not say definitely what would be -done with them. - - - - -300 SONGS 10c - -[Illustration] - -ON MOONLIGHT BAY; I’d Love to Live in Loveland; If You Talk in Your -Sleep; Oh Mr. Dream Man; Everybody’s Doin’ It; When I Was 21 and You -Were Sweet 16; Is it Very Far to Heaven; After the Honeymoon; I’m Going -Back to Dixie; Alexander’s Ragtime Band; Oh You Beautiful Doll; Casey -Jones; Grizzly Bear; Red Wing; They Always Pick on Me; Put on Your Old -Grey Bonnet; Steamboat Bill; Let Me Call You Sweetheart; Roses Bring -Dreams of You; Silver Bell; Billy; Mysterious Rag etc. OVER 300 Latest -Song Hits & 10 pieces PIANO MUSIC for 10c. - - -ENTERPRISE CO., TT 3348 LOWE AVE., CHICAGO. - - - - -[Illustration: - - 3⅓c a Day - - now buys a dazzling Lachnite Gem. Their brilliance is eternal--they - stand fire and acid tests and cut glass like diamonds. Cost but - one-thirtieth as much. =Set in solid gold.= The newest designs. Sold - on Free Trial. See our new jewelry book. - - Write for Big Jewelry Book - - Your name and address is enough. No obligations whatever. Write - today--now. - -HAROLD LACHMAN COMPANY -12 N. Michigan Avenue, Dept. 2341, Chicago, Ill. -] - - - - -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. - - -692--Doctor Quartz Again. -693--The Famous Case of Doctor Quartz. -694--The Chemical Clue. -695--The Prison Cipher. -696--A Pupil of Doctor Quartz. -697--The Midnight Visitor. -698--The Master Crook’s Match. -699--The Man Who Vanished. -700--The Garnet Gauntlet. -701--The Silver Hair Mystery. -702--The Cloak of Guilt. -703--A Battle for a Million. -704--Written in Red. -707--Rogues of the Air. -709--The Bolt from the Blue. -710--The Stockbridge Affair. -711--A Secret from the Past. -712--Playing the Last Hand. -713--A Slick Article. -714--The Taxicab Riddle. -715--The Knife Thrower. -717--The Master 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. -737--The Mark of a Circle. -738--A Plot Within a Plot. -739--The Dead Accomplice. -741--The Green Scarab. -743--A Shot in the Dark. -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. -778--A Six-word Puzzle. -782--A Woman’s Stratagem. -783--The Cliff Castle Affair. -784--A Prisoner of the Tomb. -785--A Resourceful Foe. -786--The Heir of Dr. Quartz. -787--Dr. Quartz, the Second. -789--The Great Hotel Tragedies. -790--Zanoni, the Witch. -791--A Vengeful Sorceress. -794--Doctor Quartz’s Last Play. -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. -806--Nick Carter and the Broken Dagger. -807--Nick Carter’s Advertisement. -808--The Kregoff Necklace. -809--The Footprints on the Rug. -810--The Copper Cylinder. -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. -817--In the Canadian Wilds. -818--The Niagara Smugglers. -819--The Man Hunt. - - -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. - Dated December 5th, 1914. -117--The Deadly Parallel. - Dated December 12th, 1914. -118--The Vivisectionists. - Dated December 19th, 1914. -119--The Stolen Brain. - Dated December 26th, 1914. -120--An Uncanny Revenge. - - -=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. 122, -JANUARY 9, 1915; THE SUICIDE; OR NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD *** - -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. 122, January 9, 1915; The suicide; or Nick Carter and the lost head</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: July 7, 2022 [eBook #68467]</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. 122, JANUARY 9, 1915; THE SUICIDE; OR NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<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> - -<div class="blk"> -<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> -<tr><td>3 months</td><td>65c.</td></tr> -<tr><td>4 months</td><td>85c.</td></tr> -<tr><td>6 months</td><td>$1.25</td></tr> -<tr><td>One year</td><td>2.50</td></tr> -<tr><td>2 copies one year</td><td>4.00</td></tr> -<tr><td>1 copy two years</td><td>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. 122. <span style="margin-left: 4em; -margin-right:4em;">NEW YORK, January 9, 1915.</span> Price Five Cents.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="blk"> -<h1>THE SUICIDE;<br /><br /> -<small>Or, NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD.</small></h1> - -<p class="c">Edited by CHICKERING CARTER.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>HOW THE END CAME.</small></h2> - -<p>“Slow down, Danny, and look out for that wire,” said Nick Carter to his -chauffeur. “It may be a live one.”</p> - -<p>“I’m onto it, chief.”</p> - -<p>“Onto it, eh? Don’t you run onto it while I’m in the car, not if it’s a -live one. You may fancy absorbing the output of an electric-lighting -plant, but not for mine, Danny, not for mine! I know what it would do to -me. I’ve seen men electrocuted.”</p> - -<p>Danny Maloney laughed, for it was obvious that the famous detective was -jesting.</p> - -<p>“Onto it with my lamps, chief, is what I meant,” he replied.</p> - -<p>“Say what you mean, then,” said Nick, with a smile. “Precision is one of -the valuable assets of a detective. Luckily, however, you are addressing -one who can read between the lines—barring those of the ambiguous -letter that brought us out here.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t you fathom it? It must be mighty blind, chief, if it fools you.”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, Danny, it is perfectly plain—what there is of it,” -said Nick dryly. “A woman, one Mrs. Myra Darling, states that she is in -great trouble, that a very devoted friend of mine has advised her to -appeal to me, and will I favor her with a call at my earliest -convenience.”</p> - -<p>“That all?” questioned Danny tersely.</p> - -<p>“The whole business,” said Nick. “Of course, the appeal coming from a -woman, I cannot turn it down. Noblesse oblige.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know her?”</p> - -<p>“Not from a side of leather. I am acquainted with no Darling -<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>woman—suppress that smile, Danny. I know what you are thinking. But -all women are not darlings—far from it.”</p> - -<p>“This one might be,” said Danny, his smile spreading to a grin.</p> - -<p>“That’s neither here nor there,” said Nick, with a laugh. “Not being in -the market, Danny, all women look alike to me. Now, the said Mrs. -Darling’s trouble may be—ah, but we are near an answer to the momentous -question. Yonder is the place, unless I am much mistaken. Stop at the -driveway gate. I’ll walk into the grounds. Keep your eye peeled, by the -way, while I’m engaged with her ladyship.”</p> - -<p>The place referred to was out beyond Washington Heights and overlooking -the Hudson. It was an attractive estate, without being at all -pretentious, as were others in the immediate locality.</p> - -<p>The grounds flanked a broad street in which electric lighting was being -introduced, and from which the house stood back some thirty yards, with -a well-kept lawn and a few shade trees. In the rear were a stable and -garage, beyond which the land sloped down sharply toward the river.</p> - -<p>Nick did not wait for an answer from his chauffeur. He sprang from the -car while speaking, then walked briskly up the driveway and approached -the house, quite a large wooden dwelling of the colonial type. Nick -mounted the broad front veranda and rang the bell.</p> - -<p>It was answered almost immediately by a tall, graceful woman, clad in -black, and about thirty years of age. She was of medium complexion, with -brown hair and eyes and a finely poised head. Her features were regular, -but her face was a strong one, rather than handsome, evincing will -power, intellectuality, and a lofty character. She bowed and smiled a -bit gravely, saying immediately:</p> - -<p>“You are Mr. Carter, I think.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Nick politely.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am Mrs. Darling. Walk in, please, and come into the library. I am -very glad you could comply so soon with my request. It is very good of -you.”</p> - -<p>“I happened to be at liberty this afternoon,” Nick replied, following -her into the hall. “I received your letter this morning.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Darling conducted him into a prettily furnished library and invited -him to be seated. Taking an opposite chair, she then said gravely:</p> - -<p>“I will take as little as possible of your valuable time. I will tell -you with few and simple words, Mr. Carter, why I have sent for you.”</p> - -<p>“Cover all of the ground, Mrs. Darling,” Nick suggested. “My time just -now is at your disposal.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” she replied, bowing. “I will in that case begin at the -beginning. I was married eight years ago to Mr. Cyrus Darling, a New -York tobacco dealer, a man whom I have always supposed had considerable -means, though he has never informed me definitely. He owned this place, -however, and we have always lived well, and he has provided for me -generously.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Darling is not living?”</p> - -<p>“No. I will explain presently.”</p> - -<p>“Continue.”</p> - -<p>“I was nearly twenty years younger than he, Mr. Carter, but our married -life was a uniformly happy one, though not as gay and festive as he -perhaps would have preferred. I am inclined to be domestic, while he was -of a volatile nature, having neither a strong or stable character. I -frankly admit, Mr. Carter, that he was subservient to my will and -wishes.”</p> - -<p>“I understand you,” said Nick.</p> - -<p>“I have no children, and I keep only two servants, aside from a -chauffeur, whom I occasionally employ,” Mrs. Darling continued. “My -husband’s habits were good, as the world goes, and I noticed nothing -unusual in his conduct until about three months ago.”</p> - -<p>“And then?”</p> - -<p>“I then thought he appeared strangely reticent, at times very -self-absorbed and less frank and affectionate than before. I asked him -whether there was anything wrong, but he assured me to the contrary, -though he seemed a bit irritated because I questioned him.”</p> - -<p>“I follow you.”</p> - -<p>“Later, Mr. Carter, he appeared quite despondent, and I feared that his -business troubled him. He said that my fears were groundless, and that -his business was never better. He went from bad to worse. He said very -little at home, and remained in town evenings much more frequently than -in years past, which I attributed to his seeming depression and his -desire to find relief in the excitement and diversions of the city.”</p> - -<p>“Did you occasionally accompany him?” Nick inquired.</p> - -<p>“Very seldom. He did not seem inclined to have me do so.”</p> - -<p>“Was he addicted to drink?”</p> - -<p>“Only moderately. I never saw him intoxicated, nor anything like it.”</p> - -<p>“Proceed.”</p> - -<p>“About two weeks ago, Mr. Carter, he decided to sell his business, -saying that he was sick of it and would try something else. I -remonstrated with him, telling him that he was making a mistake, and -that it is not easy for a man over fifty to make such changes -profitably.”</p> - -<p>“That is very true, Mrs. Darling.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“It had no effect upon him, however, and he let the business go,” she -replied, sadly shaking her head. “During the following week he was at -home part of each day, but he spent most of the afternoons and evenings -in town. On Tuesday, one week ago yesterday, he appeared unusually -nervous and depressed. I missed him soon after lunch, and supposed he -had gone into town. I had an appointment with my dentist and was absent -from two o’clock until nearly six. When I returned home—well, Mr. -Carter, the end had come.”</p> - -<p>“You mean?” questioned Nick gravely.</p> - -<p>“My husband had committed suicide—or was the victim of foul play.”</p> - -<p>“H’m, I see!” Nick drew up in his chair. “Were you in any uncertainty at -that time, Mrs. Darling, as to the cause of his death?”</p> - -<p>“No, not at that time, Mr. Carter,” she quickly informed him. “I know -what you have in mind—that I should have called in the police -immediately. I did not then, however, nor at any time until yesterday, -have even a thought of anything but suicide. The circumstances suggested -nothing else.”</p> - -<p>“What were the circumstances, Mrs. Darling?” Nick inquired. “State them -briefly.”</p> - -<p>“There is very little to tell,” she rejoined. “My husband was last seen -alive by one of my servants. She saw him going out of the back door of -the house and around the stable, and she supposed he was going down to -our boathouse, which was on the river bank and out of view from here, -owing to the sharp slope of the land.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Nick, glancing from the window.</p> - -<p>“Soon after, Mr. Carter, the boathouse was seen to be on fire. It -contained a motor boat and considerable gasoline, which caused it to -burn very rapidly. It was completely destroyed. In the ruins were found -the remains of my husband, little more than a charred skeleton, from -which the flesh was almost entirely burned.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Darling paused to dry her eyes, maintaining with an effort her -outward composure. Appreciating her feelings, Nick waited a few moments -and then inquired:</p> - -<p>“Are you sure, Mrs. Darling, that his death was not due to an accident?”</p> - -<p>“Positively,” she replied. “To begin with, Mr. Carter, he left this -letter on the chiffonier in my bedroom. You may read it.”</p> - -<p>She took it from the library table while speaking and tendered it to the -detective.</p> - -<p>Nick read it, the following few lines written with pen and ink.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="smcap">My Dear Myra</span>: Forgive me for the step I am going to take. I am -driven to it by feelings I cannot describe. I am sick and tired of -the whole business—of life itself. I am going to end it. Forgive -and forget me.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Cyrus.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Nick replaced the letter on the table, saying considerately:</p> - -<p>“There seems, indeed, to be no reasonable doubt of Mr. Darling’s -intentions. You recognize the writing, I infer.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, surely,” she replied. “Furthermore, Mr. Carter, there were found -in the ruins numerous articles that positively identify my husband’s -remains. They included the buttons on his garments, which were entirely -consumed; also his pocketknife, his false teeth, and a plain<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> gold ring. -His revolver also was found near by, and it is supposed that he shot -himself after setting fire to the boathouse, presumably to make sure -that his terrible design could not miscarry.”</p> - -<p>“Who examined the articles and investigated the case?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“Doctor Lyons, my physician, who is also the coroner.”</p> - -<p>“A capable man,” Nick nodded. “I am acquainted with him. What is his -opinion?”</p> - -<p>“He thinks it a case of suicide. He could find no evidence of anything -else, and is very positive in his opinion.”</p> - -<p>“Had your husband any money, jewelry, or——”</p> - -<p>“He left those in the bedroom, his watch, diamonds, and pocketbook, also -his ring of keys,” Mrs. Darling interposed. “Only one key was missing -from the ring.”</p> - -<p>“Which one?”</p> - -<p>“The key to the boathouse.”</p> - -<p>Nick did not reply for a few moments. He sat gazing thoughtfully at a -figure in the heavy carpet. Superficially viewed, the circumstances -stated seemed to admit of only one reasonable theory—that Mr. Cyrus -Darling had, indeed, deliberately ended his own life.</p> - -<p>“The funeral and burial were last Thursday,” Mrs. Darling added, during -the brief silence on Nick’s part. “Doctor Lyons did not think the case -called for any investigations beyond those he personally made, nor did I -at that time. He——”</p> - -<p>“One moment,” said Nick, looking up. “What have you since learned, Mrs. -Darling, that occasions your misgivings? Why do you now suspect foul -play? That, I think, is the term you used.”</p> - -<p>“I have two reasons for apprehending something of the kind,” she -replied. “One relates to my husband’s estate. I have learned from his -lawyer, who has been assisting me, and in whom I have absolute -confidence, that Mr. Darling left no will, that he has recently -withdrawn considerable money from the bank, and that his safety-deposit -drawer contains only a few securities, worth less than three thousand -dollars. From dividends which I know that he has been in the habit of -receiving, as well as from our living expenses for several years, I know -that he was worth at least a hundred thousand dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Is your lawyer investigating the matter?”</p> - -<p>“I have requested him to do so.”</p> - -<p>“What is his name?” Nick inquired, taking out his notebook.</p> - -<p>“Henry Clayton. He has an office in town.”</p> - -<p>“I am acquainted with him, also,” said Nick, noting the name. “You -mentioned a second reason for your misgivings. What is that?”</p> - -<p>“One of my servants.”</p> - -<p>“You mean?”</p> - -<p>“I referred in my letter, Mr. Carter, to a very devoted friend of yours, -who advised me to appeal to you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I remember,” said Nick, wondering. “A devoted friend of mine—one -of your servants?”</p> - -<p>“I refer to my table girl, who also serves me as a maid. You have, I am -very sure, no more grateful and devoted an admirer. I will call her.”</p> - -<p>Nick bowed and waited, still more deeply puzzled as to the girl’s -identity.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Darling touched a bell on the library table.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nick glanced again from one of the windows—and discovered another -perplexing fact.</p> - -<p>His touring car was standing where he had left it, but his chauffeur was -missing. Danny Maloney had disappeared.</p> - -<p>The quick, light steps of the approaching maid sounded in the hall. -Turning in that direction just as she appeared at the open door, Nick -beheld——</p> - -<p>Nancy Nordeck.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>THE GIRL WHO WAS DOWN.</small></h2> - -<p>Suspicions were mingled with Nick Carter’s surprise at seeing Nancy -Nordeck. They were perfectly natural, too, under the circumstances, and -in view of the disclosures to which he had just listened. The presence -of a girl with a criminal record in the home of a man whose death was -shrouded in mystery, much more of a mystery than Mrs. Darling even -imagined, though already keenly appreciated by the detective, might -indeed be significant.</p> - -<p>Months had passed since Nick last saw Nancy Nordeck. She had so improved -in looks that he hardly recognized her. She bore little likeness to the -frail girl with pinched and haggard face, who was so deeply affected by -the violent death of her crook father that she had resolved to reform, a -moral awakening that Nick had by no means felt sure would be lasting.</p> - -<p>His first thought, therefore, was that she might be up to her old tricks -and in league with rascals to have killed Cyrus Darling to get -possession of his fortune. It was not in Nick’s nature to expose the -girl, nevertheless, if her reformation was genuine, for he never put a -block in the way of any one who was down and striving to rise.</p> - -<p>He felt for a moment that his position might be a delicate one, but -though no signs of them appeared in his face, his impressions evidently -were suspected by the girl. For she approached him quickly, saying -respectfully, yet with characteristic assurance:</p> - -<p>“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Carter, and no one could blame you. -But there’s nothing in it, sir. I’ve been as straight as a string from -the time you set me right and shook hands with me, wishing me all kinds -of good luck, and you couldn’t think if you tried how much I now care -for you and your good opinion. I have hid nothing here, sir. Mrs. -Darling knows all about me and what I was, and she’s been as good to me -as you, sir. I’d bite a finger off before I’d go crooked again in any -way.”</p> - -<p>“I think you can safely depend upon that, Mr. Carter,” said Mrs. -Darling, smiling faintly. “Nancy has confided her entire past to me, and -in overlooking it and lending her a helping hand, I now know positively -that I made no mistake. She is a good girl and a capable one.”</p> - -<p>There was a suspicious moisture in Nancy’s brown eyes, then fixed upon -the strong, kindly face of her mistress. She colored deeply, too, when -Nick extended his hand and said heartily:</p> - -<p>“Come here, Nancy. Let’s shake again. I’m more than glad to hear this -and to know you are on the right track. Stick to it, my girl, as I now -feel sure you will.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“You may be sure that I will, Mr. Carter,” said Nancy, eagerly shaking -his hand.</p> - -<p>“Now let’s proceed with this matter,” Nick said, more seriously. “Mrs. -Darling tells me that you advised her to appeal to me?”</p> - -<p>“So I did, Mr. Carter,” Nancy replied.</p> - -<p>“She will answer any questions you care to ask her,” Mrs. Darling put -in.</p> - -<p>“To begin with, then, what do you know about the case?” said Nick. “Was -it you who last saw Mr. Darling alive?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. I saw him leaving the house and going down back of the -stable.”</p> - -<p>“Did you notice anything unusual? Did he appear excited, or——”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; not in the least,” put in Nancy. “I didn’t reckon anything -wrong was coming off. I didn’t get wise at all until the mistress told -me that most of the master’s money is missing.”</p> - -<p>“Wise to what, Nancy?”</p> - -<p>“That he was killed and robbed, mebbe, instead of putting out his own -light.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you suspect that?”</p> - -<p>“Only because of two guys he has been friendly with lately. They have -been here to see him, one of them quite a number of times.”</p> - -<p>“Two men?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know them?” Nick inquired, turning to Mrs. Darling.</p> - -<p>“Hardly more than by name,” she replied. “My husband introduced me to -one of them, named Philip Floyd, who has called several times to see -him. I have met the other only once.”</p> - -<p>“What is his name?” asked Nick, proceeding to write them in his -notebook.</p> - -<p>“Ralph Sheldon. He called here a few days ago with Mr. Floyd, who -introduced me to him. My husband was absent at the time and they -remained only a few minutes. That is the only time I ever saw Mr. -Sheldon, though my husband had frequently mentioned him.”</p> - -<p>“Are they old friends of his?”</p> - -<p>“Quite the contrary. I never heard of them until about a month ago.”</p> - -<p>“Had they any business relations with your husband?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot say.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know anything about them?”</p> - -<p>“No more than I have told you,” said Mrs. Darling. “My husband referred -to them only as friends, and he appeared to think well of them.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know where they live?”</p> - -<p>“I do not.”</p> - -<p>“Both were here, you say, a few days before he died.”</p> - -<p>“The day before, Mr. Carter, and both attended his funeral.”</p> - -<p>“Did they say why they wanted to see him on the day preceding his -death?”</p> - -<p>“They did not. I inferred from their remarks, however, that it was only -a friendly call.”</p> - -<p>“Are they men of his own age?”</p> - -<p>“I would say that Mr. Sheldon is nearly as old. He appears to be in the -forties. Mr. Floyd, however, is not over thirty.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Are they prepossessing men?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, in a way, though I did not quite fancy them,” said Mrs. Darling. -“As for Nancy—well, she may speak for herself. It was partly her -impression of them that led me to take her advice and appeal to you.”</p> - -<p>“On the dead, Mr. Carter, I would not trust either of them as far as I -could throw a bull by the tail,” Nancy bluntly declared, in -characteristic terms. “You know me, sir. I am not easily fooled. I can -read a man dead right nine times out of ten, Mr. Carter, the minute I -set my eyes on him.”</p> - -<p>“You did not fancy them, then?”</p> - -<p>“Not so you’d notice it,” said Nancy. “I wouldn’t say too much against -the Sheldon man, Mr. Carter, for I’ve seen him only twice. I saw him at -the funeral, and I let him in with Mr. Floyd a few days before. He’s all -right, mebbe, though I’d hate to bank much on it.”</p> - -<p>“What about Mr. Floyd? Why do you distrust him so seriously?”</p> - -<p>“I have more than one reason for that hunch,” said Nancy inelegantly. -“For a starter, Mr. Carter, I’ve seen that guy before.”</p> - -<p>“Floyd?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“When and where, Nancy?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up. On the dead, sir, I can’t tell.”</p> - -<p>“But you feel sure of it?”</p> - -<p>“Surest thing you know,” said Nancy confidently. “I’d stake my bundle on -it, Mr. Carter, and you know what that means, knowing what I was. Any -man I knew in the past was most likely a crook.”</p> - -<p>Nick did not contradict her.</p> - -<p>“Besides, he knew me, sir, the first time. I let him in here,” Nancy -went on. “I was wise to that, all right, but it wasn’t for me to meddle -with the master’s affairs. So I kept my trap closed.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you think Floyd recognized you?”</p> - -<p>“I saw his lamps light up the instant they lit on me,” Nancy explained, -in characteristic terms. “He looked at me like he saw a ghost.”</p> - -<p>“Did he say anything to you?”</p> - -<p>“No, not a word, Mr. Carter. But no man with eyes like his is on the -level. I know what I’m saying. It’s like breaking sticks for me to pick -out a crook from a bunch of men. Floyd is one, Mr. Carter, if ever there -was one, and that’s why I got the mistress to send for you. I don’t -forget what you did in that Maybrick case—and what you did for me, sir, -never!”</p> - -<p>“I’m quite sure of it, Nancy,” Nick replied. “You can tell me no more -about the two men, I infer.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That is all, then. I will look deeper into this matter, Mrs. Darling, -if you wish me to do so, under one condition.”</p> - -<p>“Any conditions you see fit to impose, Mr. Carter,” she replied -gratefully.</p> - -<p>“You must leave the case entirely to me, aside from the instructions you -already have given your lawyer and Doctor Lyons. I will see and inform -both of them of our arrangements.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. I leave it all to you.”</p> - -<p>“And say nothing about it to others,” Nick added. “There must be no -publicity at present.”</p> - -<p>“I am more than anxious to avoid it,” Mrs. Darling assured him.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nick arose and took his hat from the table.</p> - -<p>“I am going to have a look at the ruins of the boathouse,” he said. “If -you will show me the way——”</p> - -<p>“I will send Nancy with you.”</p> - -<p>“I prefer to go alone,” Nick objected. “I will return in a very few -minutes.”</p> - -<p>He left the house by the rear door, passing around the stable and down -the river bank. All that remained at the boathouse and its contents was -a heap of charred, black ruins. The ground near by was covered with -footprints of many persons who had visited the tragic scene, but none of -them were of material significance.</p> - -<p>Nick wanted only to view the surroundings, however, and he saw with a -glance that the spot was so shut in by the hill in the rear and the -trees on either side, that knaves selecting it for the murder of -Darling, if such was his fate, would have incurred only chance -observation by persons on the river, against which effective precautions -could easily have been taken.</p> - -<p>Scarce ten minutes had passed when Nick returned and rejoined Mrs. -Darling in the library. He then obtained from her a description of Floyd -and Sheldon, the only two persons then seeming to invite suspicion, and -he also asked to see a photograph of her husband.</p> - -<p>“I know of only one in existence, Mr. Carter,” she replied. “That was -taken the year after our marriage. It is still a very good likeness of -him. It is in our album. I will get it for you.”</p> - -<p>She brought the volume and opened it on the library table—only to -search it vainly.</p> - -<p>The photograph of Mr. Cyrus Darling had disappeared.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>POINTERS TO CRIME.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter made no comments upon the disappearance of the photograph, -or, at least, none that expressed his thoughts. Mrs. Darling could not -say how long it had been gone from the album, nor could she conceive of -any reason for its removal.</p> - -<p>“He may have led a much more gay and festive life than she suspected,” -thought Nick, upon leaving the house after giving her a few additional -instructions. “He may also have been a thousand times more sly than she -imagined. Another woman now has the photograph, perhaps, the gift of a -recreant husband, who thought it easier to give her that than to sit for -a new one. It would be worth while to know the woman’s name, in that -case—and also to know what has become of Danny Maloney.”</p> - -<p>Nick’s mental digression occurred while he emerged from the driveway -gate and found that his chauffeur was nowhere to be seen. The touring -car stood at the curbing, but there was no sign of Danny.</p> - -<p>“H’m, that’s a bit odd,” Nick soliloquized, gazing in each direction. “I -thought he might be merely stretching his legs. He must have seen some -one, or something, that he thought it worth while to learn more about. -He never neglects—ah, that will explain.”</p> - -<p>A scrap of paper protruding from under the chauffeur’s seat had caught -Nick’s eye as he was about to enter the car. He drew it out and read, -scribbled with a lead pencil:</p> - -<p>“Don’t wait for me, chief. I’ll report later.”</p> - -<p>Nick smiled and sprang into the car. Ten minutes later<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> he arrived at -the residence of Doctor Lyons, whom he found alone in his office.</p> - -<p>“Well, well, Nick, this is an unexpected pleasure,” said the physician, -after their greeting. “It’s ages since I have seen you. What’s on your -mind? I know your call is not entirely a social one, nor do you look as -if you needed a prescription.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m as right as a trivet,” said Nick, smiling. “It’s about the -suicide of Mr. Cyrus Darling.”</p> - -<p>“What about it?”</p> - -<p>“This is strictly between us, mind you, and must not go farther.”</p> - -<p>“Enough said. Mum’s the word.”</p> - -<p>“You view the remains, I am told, and pronounced it a case of suicide?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. There was nothing else to it, absolutely nothing.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not so sure of it,” said Nick.</p> - -<p>“Coming from any one else, Nick, I should laugh derisively at that,” -Doctor Lyons replied, with a look of surprise. “Coming from you, -however, it demands serious consideration. What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not prepared to say,” Nick rejoined. “I have just begun to look -into the case at the request of Mrs. Darling. When I learn anything -definite, Lyons, I will make it a point to inform you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good enough for me,” said the physician. “But I really think, -Nick, that you are on a wild-goose chase. There’s nothing to it. Darling -committed suicide, Nick, as sure as you’re alive.”</p> - -<p>“It will be wise to report nothing different at present,” said Nick. -“You may be right, of course, and I may drop the case within twenty-four -hours.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll wager you will.”</p> - -<p>“I would like to know how you sized up the circumstances, nevertheless,” -Nick went on. “Darling left a note which stated his suicidal intention, -then went to the boathouse and set it on fire, immediately shooting -himself. That is your opinion, I understand, briefly stated?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is about the size of it,” admitted the physician.</p> - -<p>“Were you among the first to view the remains?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I was sent for immediately. I saw all that remained of the -unfortunate man. He was almost entirely cremated.”</p> - -<p>“You made a careful examination, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p>“Of the skull?”</p> - -<p>“I examined his remains thoroughly, Nick.”</p> - -<p>“Did you find any fractured bone, or splintered, as if caused by a -bullet?” Nick inquired.</p> - -<p>“No, I did not.”</p> - -<p>“Did you find the bullet that killed him?”</p> - -<p>“No. The body was terribly burned, parts of it being entirely consumed. -It was impossible to perform a satisfactory autopsy. There is no -question of his identity, however, if that is what you have in mind. -Darling’s ring was found on his finger. He wore a double set of false -teeth, which alone are enough to establish his identity. We found some -of the horn buttons on his clothing, moreover, which his wife readily -recognized. Really, Nick, there is nothing to it.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you think, then, that he set fire to the building before -shooting himself?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly to make sure of his death in case he only<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> wounded himself. -Or, perhaps, the fire was caused by the flash of the revolver. There was -a lot of gasoline in the building. It may have caught from the flash of -the weapon. It certainly caused a very intense fire. The house and all -it contained were completely consumed.”</p> - -<p>“I was told that you still have the revolver and the articles -mentioned.”</p> - -<p>“That is true.”</p> - -<p>“May I take them temporarily? I will guarantee to return them.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” Doctor Lyons readily consented. “If the matter were a less -solemn one, however, I would wager a big round roll, Nick, that you are -wasting your energies on a fog bank. There’s nothing in it. Cyrus -Darling killed himself, as sure as death and taxes.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll let it go at that, then, for the present,” said the detective, -with a smile. “I will return these articles in a few days.”</p> - -<p>“Whenever convenient, Nick,” replied the physician.</p> - -<p>He had taken them from a drawer in his desk while speaking, a parcel -wrapped in thick brown paper and securely tied with a string.</p> - -<p>Nick thanked him and departed.</p> - -<p>Half an hour later he entered the New York office of Clayton & Craige, -attorneys, and was received in the private office of the senior partner.</p> - -<p>Nick found, however, that Clayton could add but little to the -information already imparted by Mrs. Darling.</p> - -<p>Clayton stated that he had been Darling’s legal adviser for a number of -years, that the latter had left no will, and that his personal estate, -as far as could be discovered, consisted of less than five thousand -dollars. From several brokers with whom Darling had been in the habit of -dealing, nevertheless, Clayton had learned that he had sold bonds and -securities within two months amounting to nearly a hundred thousand -dollars.</p> - -<p>“It certainly looks bad, Mr. Carter, deucedly bad,” he added gravely, -after stating these facts. “Though I have not yet mentioned it to Mrs. -Darling, I can form only one theory consistent with the circumstances, -and that is not entirely consistent.”</p> - -<p>“What is your theory?” Nick inquired.</p> - -<p>“I think Mr. Darling was murdered.”</p> - -<p>“By whom?”</p> - -<p>“I have no idea, not the slightest.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know of any persons with whom he has had business relations, who -might have committed the crime?”</p> - -<p>“I do not. I am entirely in the dark.”</p> - -<p>“How would you account for the letter stating his suicidal intention? -That was found in his wife’s bedroom.”</p> - -<p>“It may be a forgery.”</p> - -<p>“Put in the bedroom by some one else?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly.”</p> - -<p>“That would have been possible, perhaps, if a conspiracy existed,” Nick -allowed tentatively.</p> - -<p>“Conspiracy—that’s just the word,” said the lawyer. “I think that Cyrus -Darling was the victim of a dastardly conspiracy, Nick, carried out with -infernal cleverness.”</p> - -<p>“And that his fortune was the incentive to the crime?”</p> - -<p>“Precisely,” said Clayton. “I don’t know how it was framed up, of -course, nor who are involved. I do believe that Darling was terribly -jockeyed in some way, however, and either persuaded, or forced, to turn -all of his bonds and securities into cash. I know positively that he did -so,<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> for all of the brokers with whom he dealt are well acquainted with -him and absolutely sure of his identity at the time. He certainly is the -man who made the sales and received the money. There is no question -about that.”</p> - -<p>“Admitting that,” said Nick; “what more do you suspect?”</p> - -<p>“I think that Darling was bunkoed out of it by some means and later -lured to the boathouse and killed, the rascals covering their tracks by -setting fire to the house, and contriving to leave a forged letter, -pointing to suicide. Either that is the case, Nick, or else he got in -wrong and lost all of his money, and then really committed suicide.”</p> - -<p>“You think either theory is tenable?” questioned Nick, smiling a bit -oddly.</p> - -<p>“I do think so.”</p> - -<p>“I am going to look a little deeper into the case.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad to hear that, Carter, on my word,” Clayton quickly declared. -“No man would be more likely to ferret out the true solution of the -mystery.”</p> - -<p>“There is no solution, Clayton, but the true solution,” Nick replied. “I -may require some little time. Meanwhile, kindly say and do nothing about -the matter, nor reveal anything that would add to Mrs. Darling’s -distress. She appears to be a fine woman.”</p> - -<p>“She is a fine woman, Nick. That goes without saying, and I know what -I’m talking about.”</p> - -<p>“Has Darling lived happily with her?”</p> - -<p>“Surely,” Clayton replied. “Why not, indeed? She is just the type of -woman to steady a man of his temperament. He liked a good time, you -know, and was easily influenced. But for her, Nick, he might have gone -clean over the traces. She was his balance wheel. She kept him going -nicely, instead of off on a tangent. Yes, yes, they have lived happily, -all right, or I would have heard of it.”</p> - -<p>“No doubt,” Nick allowed.</p> - -<p>He took his hat and arose to go.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>THE ANGLE OF REFLECTION.</small></h2> - -<p>As Nick Carter had inferred, even before finding the terse, explanatory -note of his chauffeur, there was a very good reason for the -disappearance of Danny Maloney. There were equally good reasons, too, -for the brevity of his note and his delay in reporting at the home -office.</p> - -<p>Seated alone in the touring car after Nick had entered the Darling -residence, Danny fell to watching a gang of men at work in the near -distance, then installing the wires for an electric-lighting system, to -one of which Nick had jestingly referred when approaching the place.</p> - -<p>Scarce five minutes had passed, however, when something of much more -importance caught Danny’s eye and instantly claimed his attention. It -was the sudden appearance and significant actions of a man who rounded a -corner some thirty yards back of the motionless car.</p> - -<p>One might wonder, perhaps, how Danny, not having eyes in the back of his -head, caught sight of the man the moment he turned the corner. As a -matter of fact, however, Danny saw him reflected in the chauffeur’s -mirror clamped to the frame of the windshield, in which he could -distinctly see objects back of the car.</p> - -<p>This led to a somewhat curious situation. The man<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> saw the car and its -solitary occupant, but he did not observe the mirror, and he evidently -supposed that Danny, facing straight ahead, could not see him.</p> - -<p>Danny easily saw the reflection, however, without turning his head. He -saw the stranger stop short the moment he rounded the corner, and saw -the car, at which he gazed suspiciously, which in turn was enough to -arouse Danny’s suspicions.</p> - -<p>“Gee! what’s eating him?” he muttered, watching him intently. “Here’s a -reflex, back-action discovery, for fair. He don’t know I can see him; -but who the dickens is he, and what’s struck him?”</p> - -<p>The man stood gazing intently, first at the car and then at the Darling -residence, several times from one to the other. He appeared in doubt, -uncertain what to do.</p> - -<p>Presently, frowning darkly, he took a pencil and a letter, from his -pocket and made a memorandum of the envelope. Then he turned and -retraced his steps and vanished around the corner as quickly as he had -come.</p> - -<p>“Gee whiz! there’s nothing to it,” thought Danny. “That fellow was going -to the Darling residence. He was alarmed when he saw this car, and he -has taken the number of it. He don’t know who owns it, then, so why did -he change his mind? He certainly must be off color, or he would not have -feared to enter the house. But why—why be hanged! It’s up to me, by -gracious, to find out why.”</p> - -<p>Danny abruptly ended his vain speculations. He quickly wrote the brief -note that Nick found a little later, then sprang from the car and -started after the departing stranger.</p> - -<p>Danny discovered him nearly a block away, after rounding the corner—an -erect, finely built man, fashionably clad, and having all of the outward -indications of a gentleman. He was about thirty years old, with dark -eyes and hair and clean-cut features, in many respects a strikingly -handsome man.</p> - -<p>Danny shadowed him to the city. He saw him enter an automobile garage -and consult a reference book, one containing the license numbers of New -York cars and the names of their owners. His face, when he departed, -wore a darker cloud, a look of increasing apprehensions.</p> - -<p>“Gee! he’s found out that the car belongs to Nick Carter,” Danny readily -reasoned. “That don’t seem to please him worth a cent, which shows that -my suspicions are all to the good. I’ll not lose sight of him, by -gracious, until I learn who he is and where he hangs out.”</p> - -<p>Danny then shadowed him to a leading hotel, where his quarry spent -nearly an hour at lunch in the café, afterward sauntering out and -bringing up, ten minutes later, near a large West Side apartment house, -then known as the Ashburton Chambers.</p> - -<p>This house evidently was his destination, for he gazed up at one of the -side windows when crossing a street on the corner of which the lofty -building stood.</p> - -<p>“He’s got a date with some one,” thought Danny, watching him from the -opposite side of the avenue. “Or mebbe he has a suite there and—no, by -ginger, I was right. He’s here to see that woman.”</p> - -<p>She emerged from a side door of the house just as the man was crossing -the street—a finely formed woman in a stylish walking costume, a figure -so striking and graceful that Danny at once felt sure that he had seen -her before. Her face was partly hidden under a polka-dotted veil, -however, precluding immediate recognition.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p> - -<p>They caught sight of one another at the same moment, and the man stopped -on the corner, while the woman hastened to join him. Remaining there, -apparently heedless of numerous passing pedestrians, they entered into a -subdued and earnest conversation, the gravity of which was obvious.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to have a nearer look at her,” thought Danny. “I’m dead sure -I’ve seen her before. Mebbe, too, I can get a line on what they are -talking about by passing near them.”</p> - -<p>Retracing his steps, he quickly crossed the avenue and then slowly -approached the couple, sauntering by them. He then saw the woman’s face -distinctly—her large, lustrous eyes, glowing darkly through the meshes -of her veil; her attractive features and clear, velvety complexion; her -finely formed mouth and rounded chin—a strikingly handsome face, of -that type and character for which men sometimes lose their heads.</p> - -<p>“Great guns!” Danny muttered. “It’s Kate Crandall, that fly beauty who -figured in the Maybrick case. She tried to throw down the church rector -because he would not marry her. She must have found an easier way to get -money and plenty of it, if fine feathers cut any ice.”</p> - -<p>Danny paused in the broad main entrance to the house and furtively -watched the couple. He had tried in vain to catch a word or two of their -conversation. He now saw the man show Kate Crandall the memorandum made -on his letter, and he rightly inferred that they were talking about the -touring car and its owner.</p> - -<p>Presently, parting abruptly, the man hailed a taxicab and rode away, -while Kate Crandall quickly approached the front entrance to the house.</p> - -<p>Danny as quickly withdrew to the office, where he began an examination -of the register.</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall entered and approached the counter, speaking to the clerk.</p> - -<p>“If Ralph Sheldon comes in, Tom, send him up to my suite, will you?” she -said familiarly.</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” replied the clerk. “Does that go until evening?”</p> - -<p>“It goes until he shows up,” replied Kate, with significant emphasis. “I -will be at home all of this evening.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll keep him in mind.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks.”</p> - -<p>Kate turned quickly away and entered the elevator.</p> - -<p>Danny decided that he had picked up all that was coming to him, and he -started for home. It was nearly six o’clock when he entered the house, -and found Nick in his business office with his two chief assistants, -Chick Carter and Patsy Garvan.</p> - -<p>On the office table lay the several articles Nick had obtained from -Doctor Lyons, which he was just beginning to examine, already having -told Chick and Patsy about the case as thus far set forth.</p> - -<p>It took Danny only a few minutes to report what he had seen and heard, -and it was very nearly in line with what Nick had expected.</p> - -<p>“Good work, Danny, very good work,” he said approvingly. “It will help -some, my lad, even more than you imagine. I have left the car at the -curbing. Take charge of it, please.”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing, Mr. Carter,” cried Danny, glad to feel that he had been of -service.</p> - -<p>“So Kate Crandall is at the Ashburton Chambers, eh?<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>” remarked Nick, -with thoughtful frown, “I have wondered what became of her after that -Maybrick affair. She is about as attractive a woman as one often meets, -but she has an infernally evil streak in her.”</p> - -<p>“You think she figures in this affair?” Chick inquired.</p> - -<p>“I certainly do,” Nick declared. “Danny undoubtedly is right in thinking -that the unknown man was going to the Darling residence. The fact that -he has an interest there, and also in Kate Crandall, denotes plainly -enough that Cyrus Darling also had an interest in the woman. The -stranger, in view of his conduct, forms a connecting link between the -other two, so to speak.”</p> - -<p>“I see the point,” Chick replied.</p> - -<p>“Gee! that point is plain enough,” put in Patsy. “But, holy smoke, it -must be a case of suicide. How else can you size it up, chief? Darling -had been in the dumps for two or three months, as down in the mouth as a -sick horse, according to his wife’s story. Crooks could not have forced -him to feign despondency for that length of time. In my opinion, chief, -he just about blew in all of his money with some other woman, and blew -out his brains when his bundle was gone. That’s how I size it up.”</p> - -<p>“Really?” queried Nick dryly.</p> - -<p>“That’s what. He certainly shot himself, chief, if what Doctor Lyons -told you is true.”</p> - -<p>“If what Doctor Lyons told me is true, Patsy, you probably are entirely -wrong.”</p> - -<p>“Wrong?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a hundred to one.”</p> - -<p>“Why so, chief?”</p> - -<p>“Because in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred a person who commits -suicide with a revolver shoots himself in the head,” said Nick. “That is -the most natural spot for a suicide to select. He knows that a bullet in -the brain will instantly render him insensible and preclude conscious -suffering. Even if he does not stop to reason about it, he instinctively -selects his head in which to send the fatal bullet. The records -corroborate me. How often do you hear of a man shooting himself in the -heart or lungs?”</p> - -<p>“Very seldom, indeed,” Chick agreed. “I don’t know that I ever heard of -a case.”</p> - -<p>“But what of that?” questioned Patsy argumentatively. “I don’t see how -that cuts any ice. Darling could have shot himself in the head.”</p> - -<p>“I admit that he could—but he didn’t,” Nick said dryly.</p> - -<p>“Why are you so sure of it, chief?”</p> - -<p>“Because the bullet would have made a hole in his skull. Even if sent -into his mouth, or through an eye, it would surely have passed through -the brain and have fractured, at least, the back of the skull. Doctor -Lyons is positive, however, that the skull was intact. I questioned him -particularly about that. Admitting that my premises are correct, then, -it’s a hundred to one that Cyrus Darling did not shoot himself.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! there’s no getting around that argument,” Patsy thoughtfully -allowed. “You must be right, chief, after all.”</p> - -<p>“I think so.”</p> - -<p>“But how came the revolver near him? Some one else must have shot him. -In that case, chief, he must have been murdered, as Doctor Lyons and -Lawyer Clayton suspect.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, Patsy, both of them are wrong,” Nick said confidently. -“Cyrus Darling was not shot at all.”</p> - -<p>“Not shot at all!” echoed Patsy incredulously.</p> - -<p>“That is my opinion.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! that beats me. Why was the revolver there, then? Why——”</p> - -<p>“Stop a moment,” Nick interrupted. “You have just said, Patsy, that -crooks could not have forced Darling to feign despondency for eight -consecutive weeks. If so, then, his despondency must either have been -voluntarily feigned, or else it must have been genuine.”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing, chief. That’s plain enough.”</p> - -<p>“One fact, however, indicates that it was not genuine,” Nick proceeded. -“I refer to the fact that he recently spent many evenings in town, far -more than in the past. His wife thinks he sought diversion to relieve -his depression. He did not, however, permit her to accompany him. That’s -a very significant point.</p> - -<p>“It is wholly inconsistent in a husband seeking such relief. He would -have wanted his wife with him to cheer him up and help divert his -mind—barring one contingency.”</p> - -<p>“Namely, chief?”</p> - -<p>“Another attraction.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! there may be something in that,” said Patsy, quick to see the -point. “You mean another woman.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly.”</p> - -<p>“Kate Crandall.”</p> - -<p>“Quite likely, Patsy, in view of what Danny discovered.”</p> - -<p>“Gee whiz! things are shaping up,” said Patsy, laughing. “I begin to -think you are right, chief.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s see, now, in how far this is confirmed by Darling’s conduct -during the past three months,” said Nick. “It was then that his wife -first noticed his reticence and lack of customary affection.”</p> - -<p>“He must have been bestowing it upon the other.”</p> - -<p>“Quite likely,” Nick dryly agreed. “Then came a long period of -increasing depression, relieved by frequent evenings in town, ostensibly -alone. Later he sold his business, also his bonds and securities. -Obviously, he wanted all of his funds in cash. Finally came the suicide, -the letter stating his intention, and the burning of the boathouse, -which nearly consumed the corpse and precluded absolute identification.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, Nick, you evidently think the whole business was faked,” said -Chick abruptly.</p> - -<p>“That is precisely what I think.”</p> - -<p>“And that Cyrus Darling is not dead?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly.”</p> - -<p>“But the body——”</p> - -<p>“One obtained for a blind,” Nick interrupted. “Really, Chick, this -entire combination of circumstances admits of no other conclusion. -Darling’s conduct during the past three months, as I have just sized it -up: the selection of the boathouse for the supposed suicide, where the -arrangements for such a fraud could have been easily and secretly made, -as well as a quick and undetected get-away on the river after the trick -was turned; the setting fire to the building in order to cremate the -corpse and preclude identification except by means of articles placed on -it, the garments, ring, and even the false teeth of the supposed -victim—all point to one conclusion, Chick; that the job was a frame-up -from beginning to end.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, it’s a curious case, Nick, if you are right,” Chick answered.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Not so very curious. It’s a case of a lost head.”</p> - -<p>“A lost head?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly. That of a man who has lost his head. It’s up to us to help him -find it and set it back on his shoulders—if not too late.”</p> - -<p>“Lost his head for a woman? Is that what you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Precisely.”</p> - -<p>“But why do you think we may be too late?”</p> - -<p>“Because, though a week has passed since the supposed suicide, the cat -has not jumped,” said Nick enigmatically.</p> - -<p>“I don’t get you.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I, chief,” put in Patsy. “What cat has not jumped?”</p> - -<p>“The two-legged cat responsible for the whole business,” Nick explained. -“We can safely assume, the foregoing being correct, that Darling turned -his fortune into cash with a view to leaving the country with the woman; -that he aimed to create a belief that he is dead, presumably to prevent -investigations, pursuit, and a possible lawsuit, with consequent -alimony, and that he intended living abroad under a fictitious name with -the woman.”</p> - -<p>“That now seems perfectly reasonable,” Chick agreed.</p> - -<p>“The question is, then, assuming Kate Crandall to be the woman, why have -they not jumped the country?” Nick added. “Why the delay? Why is she -established in the Ashburton Chambers? Why the continued interest in the -Darling residence, as appears in what Danny saw and heard? That shows -plainly enough that she is the woman involved. It is confirmed by her -acquaintance with Ralph Sheldon, mentioned by Mrs. Darling as a friend -of her husband. His friendship may be of the left-handed kind.”</p> - -<p>“Most likely, Nick.”</p> - -<p>“All this, then, denotes that something has gone wrong. Why has Darling -not fled with the woman? Has he been given the double cross? He may have -been bunkoed out of his big bundle of cash and—well, there is no -telling what has become of him. It’s up to us to find out.”</p> - -<p>“I get you now, Nick,” Chick nodded. “He may, after all, be the man -found dead in the boathouse.”</p> - -<p>Nick quickly shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so,” said he. “If there were evidence showing positively -that he was shot, rather than the contrary, I might think the rascals -killed him. His going there voluntarily, however, his feigning -despondency for close upon two months, apparently paving the way to get -by with a fake suicide—all convinces me that he was not killed.”</p> - -<p>“I see.”</p> - -<p>“This is further confirmed by the removal of his photograph, which Mrs. -Darling thinks is the only one in existence.”</p> - -<p>“What was his object in removing it?”</p> - -<p>“To prevent broadcast publication of it in the newspapers, in case the -truth was suspected,” said Nick. “Verbal descriptions cut no great ice. -A picture, however, has brought many a knave to the ringbolt. He was -heading off that means of identification, exposure, and arrest.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! that listens good to me, chief,” said Patsy. “Ten to one it hits -the nail on the head.”</p> - -<p>“I feel reasonably sure of it.”</p> - -<p>“But what are your plans?” Chick inquired. “If Darling is up against a -gang, as you suspect, and they <span class="pagenum"><a id="page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>discover that his wife has put us on the -case, it’s long odds that they will lose no time in bolting.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the very point I was coming to,” Nick said, more forcibly. “They -must have discovered it. Danny’s report convinces me of that. Kate -Crandall knows it, also the unknown man who informed her. He must be -identified. We have Danny’s description of him, which will probably be -recognized by persons employed in the Ashburton Chambers, if he has been -in the habit of visiting Kate Crandall.”</p> - -<p>“No doubt.”</p> - -<p>“You tackle that part of the work, Chick, and we’ll get after these -suspects before they can make a successful get-away.”</p> - -<p>“But Kate Crandall said she would be in her apartments all of this -evening, chief,” Patsy reminded him. “That don’t look much like -bolting.”</p> - -<p>“That may have been only a blind,” Nick replied. “She may have feared -that she already was being watched, or that the clerk might be -questioned later. Be that as it may, we’ll lose no time in seeking -tangible proof of my suspicions. While Chick is hunting up the unknown -man, Patsy, you see what you can learn about Ralph Sheldon and Philip -Floyd.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got you, chief.”</p> - -<p>“If the former visits Kate Crandall, as she directed, we may be lucky -enough to clinch the case and round up the entire gang this very -evening,” Nick added, rising abruptly. “I’ll tackle Kate Crandall -personally. I’ll find out in short order what she knows about Cyrus -Darling.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the stuff, chief,” cried Patsy.</p> - -<p>“We’ll be off at once. Danny is still waiting. We can make the Ashburton -Chambers in twenty minutes.”</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>THE WOMAN IN THE CASE.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter entered the Ashburton Chambers soon after eight o’clock that -evening. He did not send up his card to Kate Crandall. He sauntered in -and bought some cigars off a girl clerk in charge of the counter. While -lighting one, he inquired carelessly:</p> - -<p>“Have you seen Ralph Sheldon here this evening?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” said the girl. “He came in half an hour ago. I saw him -talking with the clerk. I guess he went up to his suite.”</p> - -<p>“To the woman’s suite,” thought Nick, recalling what Danny had reported. -Then, indifferently: “I heard to-day that Mr. Sheldon is living here.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. He has a suite with Mr. Floyd on the third floor. They have -been here about two months.”</p> - -<p>“Philip Floyd?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. But I don’t think he is here to-day. He travels a good deal -of the time. The clerk can tell you.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not material,” said Nick, turning away.</p> - -<p>He sauntered out and around to the side door of the house, throwing away -his cigar, then entered and took the elevator, saying to the man in -charge:</p> - -<p>“Miss Crandall’s apartments.”</p> - -<p>“Third floor, sir,” directed the man. “Number ninety-eight, to the -right.”</p> - -<p>“Number ninety-eight?” queried Nick. “I thought Ralph Sheldon had that -suite.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“No, sir. He and Mr. Floyd have number ninety-four, rear corridor.”</p> - -<p>Nick did not reply. He stepped out on the third floor and turned to the -right. The dimly lighted corridor was deserted. It ran parallel with one -side of the house and led to a stairway and a narrow passage back of -some of the rear apartments, evidently a passage and stairway designed -for the use of servants and the removal of sweepings and rubbish.</p> - -<p>Nick found that Kate Crandall’s suite was the last in the side corridor. -He paused at the door and listened, hearing nothing, and he then -crouched and peered through the keyhole. He could see a thread of light -under an inner door, which precluded hearing voices from within, and he -then knocked sharply on one of the panels.</p> - -<p>There was no response.</p> - -<p>Nick waited a few moments, then knocked again, which had the desired -result. The door was opened by the woman he was seeking.</p> - -<p>She was not conventionally clad for receiving visitors. Her fine figure -was enveloped in a voluminous woolen wrapper. Her feet were thrust into -a pair of worsted slippers. She appeared to have been on the verge of -getting ready for bed. She drew back with a look of surprise on her -darkly handsome face.</p> - -<p>“Goodness!” she exclaimed. “I thought one of the hall-boys knocked. What -do you want?”</p> - -<p>“An interview with you,” Nick tersely informed her. “Don’t pretend, Miss -Crandall, that you do not recognize me. A woman never forgets the face -of a person she dislikes.”</p> - -<p>“I did not so pretend,” Kate retorted. “I knew you immediately, Mr. -Carter, but I cannot imagine why you want an interview with me.”</p> - -<p>“I will presently inform you,” said Nick. “May I come in?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p>“You are alone?”</p> - -<p>“Of course. I am nearly always alone here. I have a headache and was -thinking of going to bed,” Kate glibly asserted.</p> - -<p>“That is why, perhaps, you were so long in answering my knock,” Nick -remarked, more sharply eying her.</p> - -<p>“Precisely,” Kate nodded. “I was near not answering it at all. I am glad -I did, however. As for disliking you, Mr. Carter, that is absurd. I bear -you no ill will for the part you played in that Maybrick affair. I was -not seriously involved in it. I always make it a point not to lay myself -liable.”</p> - -<p>“To the law, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“To the law—certainly,” she bluntly admitted. “What else would I mean? -I’ll keep out of the grabnet of the law, Mr. Carter, you can safely bet -on that.”</p> - -<p>Nick wondered whether it was true, or only a bluff designed to dispel -his suspicions. He had followed her into an attractively furnished -parlor, where he instantly detected the odor of cigarette smoke. He -wondered, too, whether he really had found her alone, or whether some -male visitor, possibly Ralph Sheldon, had hurriedly concealed himself in -one of the adjoining rooms.</p> - -<p>“Have a chair,” Kate added. “Really, Mr. Carter, I am quite pleased to -see you, for all you think I dislike you. What do you want to interview -me about? You have piqued my curiosity.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“You said you were alone here,” Nick remarked, instead of answering her -question.</p> - -<p>“So I was until you came in.”</p> - -<p>“Really?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Why should I deceive you?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the question,” said Nick. “I think that you have.”</p> - -<p>He had leaned nearer to her while taking a chair, so near that his head -almost touched hers, for she then was seated.</p> - -<p>“That I have deceived you?” she asked, gazing at him.</p> - -<p>“Surely.”</p> - -<p>“How so?”</p> - -<p>“Some person was smoking a cigarette here within a very few minutes.”</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall laughed and tossed her head.</p> - -<p>“Dear me, is that why you think so?” she said derisively. “Really, Mr. -Carter, you are not near as keen and clever as you think you are.”</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p>“Far from it. It was cute in you, of course, to detect cigarette smoke -so quickly. But I was the smoker. You’ll find the end of my cigarette in -the cuspidor, if you care to look. Here is the box.” Kate took it from -the pocket of her woolen robe. “Have one. They seem to steady one’s -nerves for a time. It may sharpen you up a bit.”</p> - -<p>“My wits don’t need the grindstone,” Nick replied dryly.</p> - -<p>“No?” queried Kate, with his own tentative intonation.</p> - -<p>“Far from it,” said Nick, imitating her. “You are the one who is not -keen and clever. You were not the smoker, Miss Crandall. When a woman -has just smoked a cigarette, the scent of it may be easily detected in -her hair. I smelled of yours when I sat down.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, indeed!”</p> - -<p>“Now, having eliminated you, who was your visitor? Why did he hide when -I knocked? I know, of course, that he did not depart, or I should have -seen him.”</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall’s mocking smile had given way to a frown, but it was not -of long duration.</p> - -<p>“You are very much mistaken, Mr. Carter,” she replied. “He left just -before you arrived. If you think any person is concealed in my -apartments, you are at liberty to search them.”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed; it is not material.”</p> - -<p>“I fail to see why you have any interest in me, or my visitor,” Kate -quickly added. “Please explain. Why are you here? What have you to say?”</p> - -<p>“I want you to do most of the saying,” Nick replied. “Tell me, and give -it to me straight, what do you know about Mr. Cyrus Darling?”</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall heard him without a change of countenance.</p> - -<p>“Well, just now, Mr. Carter, I know nothing about him,” she said -pointedly. “He’s dead.”</p> - -<p>“What did you know about him when alive, then?” Nick demanded.</p> - -<p>“Very little. So little, Mr. Carter, that I’m quite ashamed of myself.”</p> - -<p>“Why so?”</p> - -<p>“Because, when I discovered the truth, it was not at all to my liking.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“What truth?”</p> - -<p>“That he was a married man.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean that you did not know it before he died?”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what I mean.”</p> - -<p>“How long had you known him?”</p> - -<p>“Something like three months.”</p> - -<p>“Were you friends?”</p> - -<p>“The best of friends. I supposed, in fact, that we were to become -something more,” Kate significantly added.</p> - -<p>“You mean?”</p> - -<p>“In other words, Mr. Carter, I supposed that Cyrus Darling was going to -marry me, and that I should roll in wealth for the rest of my life. -Imagine my chagrin, dismay, and disappointment, therefore, when I -learned that he had killed himself—and that a wife was mourning his -tragic end. Perdition! I could have cut off my two ears for having -listened to his treacherous love avowals.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter now saw plainly that this woman had no intention of bolting, -that she had taken a position she felt sure she could maintain, and that -she was not to be easily frightened or intimidated. All this appeared in -her darkly glowing eyes, her look of covert contempt and defiance, and -in the utter lack of anything like apprehension on her part. Nick gazed -at her intently for a moment, then asked bluntly:</p> - -<p>“Do you expect me to believe, Miss Crandall, that you did not know -Darling was married?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care whether you believe it, Mr. Carter, or not,” she -deliberately answered, meeting him eye to eye while she lighted a -cigarette. “What is that to me? The fact is not altered by what you -believe.”</p> - -<p>“It is a fact, then?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, positively.”</p> - -<p>“You are acquainted with Ralph Sheldon, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>“I am.”</p> - -<p>“And Philip Floyd?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Are they friends of yours?”</p> - -<p>“I think so,” Kate coolly nodded. “I have no reason to doubt it.”</p> - -<p>“Why, then, did they not tell you that Darling was a married man?” Nick -demanded. “They knew it.”</p> - -<p>“And they supposed that I knew it,” Kate curtly explained. “They had no -idea that I was ignorant of it. They saw me with Darling only -occasionally, and they attributed no special significance to it.”</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p>“Why should they?” she added, a bit sharply. “Why should they meddle -with my affairs? I wonder at your presuming to do so—though I know, of -course, that yours is a meddlesome business and you a prince of -meddlers. What’s it all about? What’s the answer? What are you driving -at, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“You will learn in time,” Nick informed her. “If what you imply is true, -then, you were not used quite right by Darling.”</p> - -<p>“No—quite the contrary.”</p> - -<p>“Why have you still an interest in his affairs, then?”</p> - -<p>“In his affairs?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I said.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! I have no such interest,” Kate declared, with a stony stare. -“I have wiped his name off my slate.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Who is your friend, then, who has such an interest?”</p> - -<p>“My friend?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand you,” snapped Kate. “Come across plainly, Mr. -Carter, if you wish me to continue this interview. I’ll not stand for -any beating around a bush. What friend of mine do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“The man you talked with on the street a short time ago,” Nick said -bluntly. “The man who told you he had seen my touring car at the Darling -residence this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall’s eyes dilated perceptibly under her knitted brows. The -shot was evidently not expected, but it did not appear to disturb her -seriously. She tossed away her cigarette, nevertheless, asking, a bit -resentfully:</p> - -<p>“What is it to you, Carter, anyway? Why are you putting me through the -wringer in this fashion? What are you trying to dig up? I tell you right -here and now that you’ve got nothing on me. My relations with Cyrus -Darling were open and above board. He was the only one guilty of any -duplicity. I was the one deceived—and his wife! What are you out after, -anyway?”</p> - -<p>“You are evading my question,” Nick said pointedly.</p> - -<p>“What question?”</p> - -<p>“Who is the man with whom you talked this afternoon?” Nick repeated. “If -you are strictly on the level, as you assert, you should be willing to -tell me.”</p> - -<p>“Willing be hanged!” snapped Kate inelegantly. “You make me tired, -Carter, when you get one of these meddlesome wasps in your bonnet. Why, -I am more than willing to tell you, if you are really anxious to know.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me, then.”</p> - -<p>“The man was Jim Dacey, a very good friend of mine,” said Kate. “That’s -why he came to tell me that he had seen a car thought to be yours at the -Darling residence. He even went and looked up the number, to be sure of -it.”</p> - -<p>“But why did he hasten to inform you?”</p> - -<p>“He feared that I might be involved in some way because of my relations -with Darling, so he came to put me on my guard,” Kate glibly explained. -“But there was no occasion, not the slightest occasion.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed?”</p> - -<p>“Not the slightest,” Kate forcibly repeated.</p> - -<p>“Who is this man, Dacey, and where does he hang out?” Nick then -inquired, not yet in a position to contradict the woman. “Why was he -going to the Darling residence? What is his interest there? Why did -he——”</p> - -<p>“Stop a moment!” Kate exclaimed, lurching forward in her chair. “What do -you think I am, Carter, an information bureau? I’ll stand for this no -longer. I don’t know what you suspect, nor care, and you evidently don’t -intend to enlighten me. It’s a mighty poor rule that won’t work both -ways. I’ve told you all I’m going to tell you. If you want to learn more -of Cyrus Darling, or of Jim Dacey, or of Sheldon and Floyd—go and -question them. You’ll get no more out of me.”</p> - -<p>Nick saw that she meant it.</p> - -<p>“Wait and see,” he remarked, rising.</p> - -<p>“I can wait,” Kate retorted. “Go elsewhere with your questions.”</p> - -<p>“That is precisely what I shall do.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead, then. It’s up to you. Go where you please—I’m going to -bed.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>BIRDS OF A FEATHER.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter had an object in not revealing his suspicions to Kate -Crandall and attempting to force a different story from her. He had seen -plainly that such an attempt would be useless, that the woman felt -secure in the position she had taken and was prepared to stick to her -statements.</p> - -<p>Nick believed very few of them, however. He keenly realized, -nevertheless, that they ordinarily would appear perfectly plausible, -that a woman is always given the benefit of a doubt in such cases, and -that her story would be very generally accepted unless he could find -positive evidence with which to refute it.</p> - -<p>“There is only one way it can be done. That’s by producing the supposed -suicide himself,” Nick decided, a bit grimly, after leaving her. “She -was expecting my visit and had prepared herself for it. That was as -plain as twice two. I scored one point on her, nevertheless, that she -was not expecting, and which may prove to be her undoing.</p> - -<p>“She certainly was rattled for a moment when she learned that I knew of -Dacey’s doings. It forced her to come across with a plausible -explanation. Not having anticipated that contingency, however, there may -be a weak spot in her arrangements with Sheldon, or Floyd. I’ll try to -find it. I’ll hunt up Sheldon before she can communicate with him and -put him on his guard. I’ll see whether he will tell precisely the same -story. Rear corridor, suite number ninety-four, eh? This must be the -way.”</p> - -<p>Hastening through several diverging corridors, Nick had entered one -leading to the rear of the house. He would not delay to hunt up Chick -and Patsy, being anxious to find the subject as quickly as possible, and -it was less than five minutes after his parting from Kate Crandall, when -Nick arrived at the door of Ralph Sheldon’s apartments. He listened -vainly, then knocked. It brought an immediate response.</p> - -<p>“Come in!”</p> - -<p>Nick entered the parlor of an attractively furnished suite. A table -covered with books and newspapers occupied the middle of the room. Amid -them stood a library lamp with a large, drooping silk shade of -nile-green color, which deflected the light upon, and immediately around -the table, leaving other parts of the room in semi-obscurity, causing -Nick to think at first sight that it was only dimly lighted.</p> - -<p>In the bright glow close to the table, however, sat the solitary -occupant of the room. He was lounging in a large armchair, with his -slippered feet in another, and his tall figure wrapped in a long house -robe. He seemed to be a man of fifty, of refined appearance, with hair -and beard slightly shot with gray. He wore black-rimmed glasses and was -reading a book, over which he gazed inquiringly when the detective -entered.</p> - -<p>“Sheldon himself,” thought Nick, recalling Nancy Nordeck’s description -of the man. “Alone and absorbed in a book. It’s odds, then, I’m ahead of -any warning from Kate Crandall. She certainly has not been here since I -left her.”</p> - -<p>These conclusions flashed through Nick’s mind while he bowed and said:<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am looking for Mr. Floyd, or Mr. Sheldon. You are one or the other, I -infer.”</p> - -<p>“My name is Sheldon,” he replied, drawing up in his chair. “Mr. Floyd is -out just now, but he may return at any moment. What is your business?”</p> - -<p>“I want a little information which I think you, or Mr. Floyd, can give -me.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. Sit down, Mr.——”</p> - -<p>“Carter,” put in Nick. “I am a detective.”</p> - -<p>“Not—not Nick Carter?” faltered Sheldon inquiringly, with a look of -surprise.</p> - -<p>“Yes. I see that you have heard of me.”</p> - -<p>“Who has not?” and Sheldon smiled significantly. “But I do not recall -having seen you before. I am glad to meet you.”</p> - -<p>He certainly spoke as if pleased, but his smile appeared forced and his -cheeks were pale. When he extended his hand without rising, moreover, -Nick detected that it was trembling slightly and then noted that it felt -abnormally cold and clammy.</p> - -<p>“I am glad to find you here,” he replied, taking a chair near the table. -“You were, I am told, a friend of the late Cyrus Darling.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, in a way,” said Sheldon, settling back in his chair and fixedly -eyeing the detective.</p> - -<p>“In a way?” echoed Nick. “What do you mean by that?”</p> - -<p>“I mean that I met him only a few times,” Sheldon explained. “I called -once at his residence in company with Mr. Floyd, but we did not find him -at home.”</p> - -<p>Nick could not deny that this coincided exactly with what Nancy Nordeck -had told him.</p> - -<p>“I did not know him well,” Sheldon added. “Floyd was much better -acquainted with him. What about him, Mr. Carter, that you are seeking -information?”</p> - -<p>“I have been employed to do so.”</p> - -<p>“By whom?”</p> - -<p>“His wife.”</p> - -<p>“For what reason? What is the occasion?”</p> - -<p>“Have you no idea?” Nick inquired, with sharper scrutiny.</p> - -<p>“I—not the slightest.” Sheldon quickly shook his head. “I knew nothing -about Darling’s personal affairs. I know only that he shot himself, -and—ah, here is Floyd, now,” he abruptly digressed. “You are just in -time, Phil. Shake hands with Mr. Nicholas Carter, the famous detective. -He is after information about Cyrus Darling. You can tell him, perhaps, -what he wants to know.”</p> - -<p>Floyd had entered while Sheldon was speaking, and Nick detected an -accent of relief in the latter’s voice.</p> - -<p>Floyd appeared to be about thirty, a compactly built man, under medium -height, clad in a stylish plaid suit and a soft felt hat. He was very -dark, his hair thick and curly, his mustache long and drooping, -completely hiding his mouth. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, through which -he fixed a pair of searching black eyes upon the detective, bowing -indifferently and not tendering his hand.</p> - -<p>“Pleased to know you, Mr. Carter,” he said, sitting directly opposite -Nick at the table. “Information about Cyrus Darling, eh? He’s dead. -What’s the big idea? What do you want to know about him?”</p> - -<p>There was a sinister flippancy in this man’s voice and manner that Nick -did not fancy. Like Nancy Nordeck, too, he somehow felt that he had seen -Philip Floyd be<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>fore, but he could not even vaguely determine when, or -where.</p> - -<p>Nick did feel positive, however, that Floyd was bent upon putting up a -bluff, that he was by far the more nervy man of these two, and that -Sheldon was much relieved by his timely arrival. All this presently -impelled Nick to venture a counterbluff, which proved more effective -than he anticipated.</p> - -<p>“I want to know anything about him, Mr. Floyd, that you can tell me,” he -replied.</p> - -<p>“But what’s the big idea?” Floyd repeated, staring steadily at Nick. -“Why are you seeking information about a dead man? Is there anything -wrong with his record?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I wish to learn.”</p> - -<p>“Who put you on the job?”</p> - -<p>“His wife.”</p> - -<p>“Why so? Why has she gone up in the air? What does she suspect?” Floyd -glibly inquired.</p> - -<p>“It does not much matter what she thinks,” Nick slowly answered. “That’s -neither here nor there at this stage of the game.”</p> - -<p>“Humph! Is that so?”</p> - -<p>“What I suspect is much more material. I came here to ask a few -questions, Mr. Floyd, not to answer a string of inquiries from you. -Please bear that in mind.”</p> - -<p>Nick’s voice had taken on a subtle and somewhat threatening ring. He -gazed at his hearers with a sharper gleam in his impressive eyes. He saw -Floyd frown quickly, while Sheldon’s bearded face grew quite haggard and -ghastly in the greenish light cast upon it through the drooping silk -shade.</p> - -<p>“Bear it in mind, eh?” Floyd curtly questioned.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I said,” Nick returned.</p> - -<p>“Why do you speak like that? I’m not likely to answer questions put to -me in that fashion.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you are,” Nick retorted. “Otherwise, I shall take steps to -compel you to answer them. Bear that in mind, also.”</p> - -<p>Floyd jerked his chair nearer the table.</p> - -<p>“See here, Mr. Carter, what’s the meaning of this?” he demanded -aggressively. “What do you suspect, that you come here and——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind what I suspect,” Nick interrupted. “What I want to know, Mr. -Floyd, is what sort of a game you and Sheldon and Kate Crandall are -playing? How does Jim Dacey figure in it? What are you scheming to get -from Cyrus Darling by——”</p> - -<p>“Get from him be hanged!” Floyd cut in sharply. “You’re talking through -your hat. Cyrus Darling is dead and buried——”</p> - -<p>“No, he isn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Not dead?”</p> - -<p>“Not by a long chalk!” Nick sternly declared. “He is alive, very much -alive, as I shall presently convince you. I know that without your -informing me. I know, too, that you fellows are responsible for his -supposed suicide. I know that you——”</p> - -<p>Nick stopped short at that point.</p> - -<p>Floyd’s right hand suddenly appeared above the edge of the table. It -held a revolver—aimed point-blank at the detective’s breast.</p> - -<p>“You know too much, Carter, for your own good,” he hissed viciously -between his teeth. “If you move foot<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> or finger, I’ll send a bullet -through your heart. Sit quiet, Sheldon, and keep your mouth shut.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter did not appear at all disturbed by the sudden threatening -turn of the situation. He had deliberately invited it, in fact, though -it came so much more quickly than he expected, that it found him partly -unprepared. Without stirring from his position, he gazed across the -table at Floyd’s hard-set face, replying sternly:</p> - -<p>“Your threat is equivalent to a confession. You have decided, then, to -fly your true colors. That is what I wanted.”</p> - -<p>“True colors be hanged!” snapped Floyd. “You’ll never discover my true -colors, Nick Carter, nor get me under your infernal heel. Keep your -hands where I can see them, or you’ll get all that’s coming to you.”</p> - -<p>Nick saw that the hand gripping the weapon was as steady as the voice -uttering the threat. He saw, too, that the scowling rascal meant what he -said, though his confederate, Sheldon, had gone as white and mute as a -corpse.</p> - -<p>“I shall do nothing to invite a bullet, Mr. Floyd,” he coolly answered, -though watchful to seize the slightest opportunity to reverse the -situation. “I value a whole skin too highly. But matters cannot remain -as they stand. What do you propose doing, now that you have held me up, -and——”</p> - -<p>“You’ll soon see,” snapped Floyd, interrupting. Then, with voice raised: -“Hurry up, Martin! Get a move on! Come here, and——”</p> - -<p>Nick cut him short in characteristic fashion. For the hundredth part of -a second Floyd’s eyes were diverted from him. Nick saw the opportunity, -and seized it. He heard hurried steps in an adjoining room. He lifted -his knees as quick as a flash and upset the table—just as a portière -behind him was cast aside and two brawny, powerful men bounded into the -room.</p> - -<p>What followed was of brief duration.</p> - -<p>The table and books went crashing to the floor.</p> - -<p>Sheldon caught the lamp as it was falling.</p> - -<p>Nick reached over the toppling table, and, with a lightninglike move, -snatched the revolver from Floyd’s hand.</p> - -<p>At the same moment came a blow from behind, dealt with the weapon of one -of the ruffians who had entered. It was impossible for the detective to -avoid it. It fell squarely on the back of his head, knocking him -senseless on the instant. He dropped without so much as a groan, face -forward over the table.</p> - -<p>Floyd seized the ribbons again.</p> - -<p>“Quick!” he cried fiercely. “Take him to my room. The crash must have -been heard. Some one may come to investigate it. Wait here, Sheldon, and -explain. State that you fell against the table and upset it. This way, -Martin, this way! We must get him out of the house, Jim, or our game -will go by the board.”</p> - -<p>Meantime, Nick was being hurriedly removed from the suite, through a -rear door.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>A STARTLING DISCOVERY.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter had accomplished his object, but at some little cost. He had -aimed to force the suspects into some impetuous move that would fully -confirm his suspicions.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p> - -<p>He had expected it to follow his assertion that Cyrus Darling was alive, -and that the supposed suicide was but part of a knavish scheme, -including Kate Crandall, Jim Dacey, and Cyrus Darling himself. The -speedy effect of his declarations, however, as well as the resources of -the rascals, had exceeded his anticipations.</p> - -<p>But there was still another reason for the sudden aggressive move made -by Philip Floyd, a reason that Nick could not possibly have anticipated, -yet which alone necessitated the desperate step Floyd had taken.</p> - -<p>Patsy Garvan was responsible for it, though not because of any fault on -his part. Following the instructions that Nick had given them, Patsy and -Chick arrived at the Ashburton Chambers about ten minutes after Nick, -separating before entering, Patsy to look up Sheldon and Floyd, while -Chick undertook to identify the suspect seen by Danny in company with -Kate Crandall that afternoon.</p> - -<p>Nick had remarked, before leaving home, that, with three strings to -their bow, there certainly should be something doing—and there was.</p> - -<p>Patsy entered the house about ten minutes after Nick went up to Kate -Crandall’s suite, and, as luck would have it, he shaped the same course -that his chief had taken. He began his work with buying a cigar and -interrogating the girl clerk with precisely the same question.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen Ralph Sheldon here this evening?”</p> - -<p>The girl laughed while giving Patsy his change.</p> - -<p>“You’re not alone,” she remarked. “Another man just asked the same -question.”</p> - -<p>“That so?” queried Patsy, knowing it must have been Nick. “How long ago -was that?”</p> - -<p>“Not more than ten minutes,” said the girl. “Sheldon must be in demand -this evening. He was talking with the clerk a short time ago. I guess -you’ll find him in his suite, third floor, rear corridor, number -ninety-four.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” said Patsy, with a smile. “It’s not material.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what the other man said,” replied the girl, laughing.</p> - -<p>“Gee! I must be walking right in the chief’s tracks,” thought Patsy, -moving away. “That denotes that I’ve got a long head, at least; but I -must cut it out, all the same, or some one may get wise to what we are -doing. It’s odds that the chief took the elevator, so I’ll vary the -program by hoofing it.”</p> - -<p>Patsy knew, of course, that Nick had gone to seek an interview with Kate -Crandall, as he had stated.</p> - -<p>“I’ll look up Sheldon’s suite,” he said to himself. “If he still was -with the Crandall woman, it’s odds that he left when the chief showed -up. He may be with a confederate in his apartments by this time, in -which case their conversation might enable me to clinch the chief’s -suspicions, if I can contrive to overhear it. I’ll locate the suite, at -all events, and find out what’s doing.”</p> - -<p>Patsy climbed the stairs to the second floor, then sought a corridor -leading to the rear of the house. He found it with no great difficulty, -but upon entering the corridor adjoining the rear rooms, he turned in -the wrong direction to find the main stairway.</p> - -<p>He brought up in a narrow, dimly lighted hall, instead, and at the -narrow stairway already mentioned.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I’m in wrong!” he muttered, glancing at several doors in the dim, -uncarpeted entry. “I ought to have gone the other way. These stairs will -take me up to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> next floor, however, and the rear corridor must run -parallel with one of this floor. These doors must be rear exits from -some of the side and back suites. I’ll go up and have a look.”</p> - -<p>Patsy started up the stairs with the last.</p> - -<p>The long corridor through which he had just come was deserted. The -narrow entry and stairway appeared to be for the use of servants only, -and entirely out of use at that hour.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, while still only part way up the stairs, Patsy suddenly -heard the rustle of skirts and hurried footsteps in the narrow entry on -the third floor.</p> - -<p>He stopped short and listened.</p> - -<p>The sounds ceased in a moment, and Patsy thought he heard the cautious -closing of a door. Uncertain as to the last, however, he remained -motionless on the stairs, holding his breath, and listened intently for -several moments.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, that’s mighty strange,” he said to himself. “I certainly heard -a woman’s steps and the rustle of skirts. She was in a hurry, too, yet -was moving stealthily. That ought to signify something. Have I stumbled -upon a rear entrance to Kate Crandall’s suite? Has she eluded the chief -by stealing out of a back door? Gee! I’d better look into this.”</p> - -<p>Patsy’s suspicion was perfectly natural under the circumstances. It -acted upon him like a spur, moreover. He crept quickly up to the third -landing and glanced through the narrow hall.</p> - -<p>It was unoccupied. The several doors were closed. A short side entry -around a corner, and several feet from the stairs, caught Patsy’s eye. -That also was deserted. It contained only a single door, also closed, -and Patsy stole nearer to it and listened.</p> - -<p>He could hear no sound from within, nor detect any sign of light on the -threshold. He stole away, retracing his steps, and listened at one of -the other doors, then another and still another.</p> - -<p>Patsy paused longer at the last, then suddenly crouched and tried vainly -to peer through the keyhole. He had heard a man’s voice from within, -crying curtly:</p> - -<p>“Come in!”</p> - -<p>“Gee! he’s not addressing me,” thought Patsy. “He couldn’t have heard my -catlike tread.”</p> - -<p>Then other words reached his ears, and a familiar voice.</p> - -<p>“Holy smoke! it’s the chief himself,” he muttered. “He just inquired for -Sheldon, or Floyd. He has just arrived in Sheldon’s suite, as sure as -I’m a foot high, instead of interviewing Kate Crandall. He already has -seen her, mebbe, and——”</p> - -<p>Patsy’s inference was correct, but his rapid train of thought ended -abruptly. He heard a sound from the direction of the stairs. He thought -some one was ascending them.</p> - -<p>“Gee! I must not be caught playing the spy here,” flashed through his -mind. “Nor must I lose the chance of doing so later. I’ll hide in the -side entry.”</p> - -<p>He darted toward it on the instant, eager to round the corner before the -approaching person could arrive at the head of the stairs—on which -Patsy still supposed him to be.</p> - -<p>He had, however, mistaken the precise direction of the sound. He moved -like a flash, yet as noiselessly as a shadow. He turned the corner at -nearly top speed and<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> collided violently with another—none other than -Mr. Philip Floyd.</p> - -<p>Patsy needed no introduction to him. The description of him provided by -Nancy Nordeck and Mrs. Darling was fresh in his mind. There could be no -mistaking him under the circumstances—his dark face, his piercing black -eyes, and his drooping black mustache.</p> - -<p>Yes, Patsy recognized him instantly—but with an unexpected discovery -and a thrill that went through him like an electric shock from head to -foot.</p> - -<p>For the figure with which he had collided, that he had seized in his -arms to prevent a fall, that at once began to struggle to free itself -from his involuntary embrace, was not the figure of a man.</p> - -<p>It was the supple, yielding figure of—a woman!</p> - -<p>Patsy guessed the truth on the instant. There was no need for -explanations. He knew, now, why Nancy Nordeck had distrusted her -master’s visitor, why she felt sure that she had seen him before, and -why he had involuntarily betrayed his recognition of her when she first -admitted him to the Darling residence.</p> - -<p>It was a discovery that clinched all of Nick Carter’s suspicions. For -Patsy now plainly recognized the cleverly disguised face. It told him on -the instant that Philip Floyd and Kate Crandall were one and the same.</p> - -<p>The recognition was mutual, moreover, and a half-smothered oath broke -from the lips of the dismayed woman.</p> - -<p>“Let me go!” she hissed, struggling viciously. “Let me go, I say!”</p> - -<p>“Not much!” muttered Patsy exultantly. “I know you, now, and I’ve got -you for keeps.”</p> - -<p>His arms closed more tightly around her. He had seized her, by chance, -so that her arms were confined to her sides and she could not free them, -could not use them to scratch and tear him, as she fain would have done.</p> - -<p>But she writhed from side to side like an eel in his powerful grasp, her -eyes glowing like balls of fire, her breath coming in quick, sharp gasps -and falling hot on Patsy’s cheeks.</p> - -<p>“Let me go! Let me go!” she repeated in fierce, frantic whispers. “Curse -you, let me go!”</p> - -<p>“Not by a jugful,” said Patsy. “I know you now. You’re Kate Crandall.”</p> - -<p>“Let me go!”</p> - -<p>“You’ll go, all right—but you’ll go with me.”</p> - -<p>“You devil! You——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut out your struggling. You can’t get away,” Patsy interrupted, -though content to let her exhaust herself with her furious efforts. -“I’ve got you and I’m going to hold you.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll kill——”</p> - -<p>“Here, none of that! You’ll be roughly handled if you try to pull a -gun.”</p> - -<p>Patsy had felt her working one hand behind her to reach a hip pocket. He -seized her wrist and held her closer, almost crushing her in his -embrace; for not for an instant had she ceased her fierce, frantic -struggles, and she was possessed of more than ordinary womanly strength -and was giving him quite a battle.</p> - -<p>She muttered a vicious oath again when foiled in her attempt to draw a -weapon. Then, while they still swayed to and fro in the narrow entry, -she took another course. She suddenly bowed her head and tried to set -her teeth in Patsy’s neck.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p> - -<p>Patsy expected no less. He forced her quickly away, then swung her -around, to crowd her against a wall, rendered a bit impatient by her -fury, and now determined to handcuff her and end her struggles.</p> - -<p>Instead of forcing her against the wall, however, Patsy forced her -against the only door in the narrow side entry—the rear door of her own -suite.</p> - -<p>It was an unfortunate move on his part. The struggle was now heard from -within. The door was suddenly opened—by the man whom Danny had seen -with Kate Crandall that afternoon.</p> - -<p>All this proved disastrous for Patsy Garvan. He partly lost his balance -when the door opened, and he fell against the casing.</p> - -<p>A gasp of relief came from the woman, and then a fierce cry.</p> - -<p>“Down him! Down him, Jim, for God’s sake!”</p> - -<p>Dacey needed no bidding. He had guessed the truth upon hearing the noise -of the struggle. He had drawn a weapon while approaching the door—the -same weapon that felled Nick Carter a quarter hour later.</p> - -<p>It fell like a flash when Patsy reeled against the casing, and while the -frantic appeal was still on the woman’s lips.</p> - -<p>The sandbag caught Patsy squarely on the head, dropping him as it -dropped Nick a little later. Without a groan, even, he sank in a crimped -and senseless heap on the threshold of the door.</p> - -<p>It was a brutal blow, dealt by the hand of a brutal man. It was this man -who had been smoking a cigarette in Kate Crandall’s suite just before -the arrival of Nick Carter, but who had stolen into the rear entry -before the detective entered, returning after his departure. Safely -enough, indeed, the woman had given Nick permission to search her -apartments.</p> - -<p>“Quick!” she now said curtly. “Drag him in here, Jim.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know him?” questioned Dacey, hastening to obey.</p> - -<p>“Know him—I should say so!” snapped Kate. “He’s one of Carter’s -assistants. His name is Garvan.”</p> - -<p>“The devil!” Dacey exclaimed. “Things are looking bad.”</p> - -<p>“We can right them, or get what’s coming to us, at least,” Kate -hurriedly replied. “Come what may, Jim, these dicks will have nothing on -us. We must stave off arrest and exposure, however, if possible. Cut one -of the window cords and bind this whelp.”</p> - -<p>Dacey hastened to do so, asking, in the meantime:</p> - -<p>“How did you run foul of him?”</p> - -<p>“We met in the entry.”</p> - -<p>“What was he doing there?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up,” said Kate tersely. “There must be more doing than we have -suspected. There is only one course for us, Jim, until we can land the -coin.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“We must get Nick Carter, also, if he has gone to Sheldon’s suite, as I -suspect,” Kate hurriedly explained. “We must get away with both of these -dicks and hold them at your place until we can bring Sheldon to our -terms. There’s nothing else to it.”</p> - -<p>“Can it be done?” questioned Dacey doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“It must be done,” Kate insisted. “Is Moran in the side street with your -limousine?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Open the window. Whistle him up here. He will aid us.”</p> - -<p>“Surest thing you know,” cried Dacey, darting to the window.</p> - -<p>“Note me, Jim, and follow my instructions,” Kate quickly added. “I’ll go -at once to Sheldon’s suite, as planned, and find out whether Carter is -there.”</p> - -<p>“I get you.”</p> - -<p>“If he is, and appears likely to give us further trouble, I’ll hold him -up with a gun in about ten minutes. In the meantime, with Martin Moran -to aid, gag this whelp and tie his hands together. Then steal into -Sheldon’s suite through the rear door. He left it unlocked for me.”</p> - -<p>“I’m on,” Dacey nodded.</p> - -<p>“Come quietly, mind you, and be ready to lend me a hand,” Kate directed. -“If we can get away with Carter and this fellow and confine them in your -crib, we’ll jump this house and remain at your place until we can bring -Sheldon to his milk. He’ll be so rattled up by this turn of affairs, -that I think he will weaken.”</p> - -<p>“But how——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll explain later,” Kate interrupted. “There is no time at present. I -must hike to Sheldon’s suite, in case Carter is already there. Follow me -with Moran as soon as possibly. The rear door, mind you. I must go round -to the front.”</p> - -<p>“I understand,” Dacey replied. “But how can we get them out of the -house?”</p> - -<p>“There’s a lift for trunks and merchandise just beyond the back stairs,” -Kate hurriedly explained. “We can use it without being detected. We’ll -lower them both down and get away with them in your car. It can be done, -all right. Take my word for that.”</p> - -<p>“Your word goes with me, Kate,” Dacey declared significantly. “Be off, -then, to Sheldon’s suite. I’ll be on hand with Moran in less than ten -minutes.”</p> - -<p>As already has appeared, Jim Dacey proved to be as good as his word.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>THE THIRD STRING.</small></h2> - -<p>Chick Carter was not idle while Nick Carter and Patsy Garvan were -engaged as described. Chick had, of course, a very good description of -the man whose identity he had undertaken to discover, and it soon proved -sufficient for his need. For the man had been a frequent visitor to the -apartments of Kate Crandall, and he was quite well known by Tom Carson, -the clerk, with whom Chick had a confidential interview soon after -entering the house.</p> - -<p>“Know him—sure!” Carson declared, after Chick had introduced himself -and stated his mission. “That description fits just one man to a nicety. -His name is Jim Dacey.”</p> - -<p>“Capital!” said Chick earnestly. “Jim Dacey, eh? What do you know about -him, Mr. Carson?”</p> - -<p>“Well, nothing very bad, Mr. Carter, nor so good that he’ll be sought -for a Sunday-school superintendent,” laughed the clerk. “He’s a man -about town and a good deal of a rounder.”</p> - -<p>“Is he in business?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p>“What does he do for a living?”</p> - -<p>“Anything that comes his way, I guess, or anybody. He<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> must have means -enough to sport on in a quiet way, and I think he gambles frequently -when he finds an easy game. I can’t put you wise to much more.”</p> - -<p>“Is he quite friendly with the Crandall woman?” Chick inquired.</p> - -<p>“He certainly is,” said Carson.</p> - -<p>“How long has she been living here?”</p> - -<p>“About two months.”</p> - -<p>“What’s her reputation?”</p> - -<p>“None too good. She’s pretty fly, I reckon, if the whole truth were -told. We have been thinking of asking her to move out. That tells the -story.”</p> - -<p>“Quite right,” Chick replied. “Do you know where Jim Dacey lives?”</p> - -<p>“Not exactly,” said Carson. “But you can easily find out.”</p> - -<p>“How so?”</p> - -<p>“Go out and question Tony Hogan. He has a taxicab stand around the -corner. He has frequently taken Dacey home from here. He can tell you -more about the man and just where he lives.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” said Chick approvingly. “Not a word about this to others, mind -you.”</p> - -<p>“Trust me, Carter. I’m dumb.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t seen Dacey this evening?”</p> - -<p>“No, not since yesterday.”</p> - -<p>There was a very good reason for it. Leaving his limousine in the side -street in charge of his chauffeur, Martin Moran, who was a bird of the -same shady feather, Jim Dacey had entered the side door of the house -when he went up to Kate Crandall’s apartments.</p> - -<p>Chick thanked Carson again and repaired to the street. He soon found the -man he was seeking, a shrewd, keen-eyed Irishman, who already knew Chick -by sight and reputation. Hogan needed only a hint from the detective, -moreover, to cut loose and tell all that he knew about Dacey.</p> - -<p>But Chick soon found that Hogan could add but little definite -information to that already obtained, which of itself was quite -sufficient to convince Chick that he was on the right track. This was -further confirmed by the fact that Dacey dwelt in a somewhat isolated -place, that was less than a mile from the Darling residence, where he -employed only a deaf housekeeper and the chauffeur already mentioned.</p> - -<p>Chick paused only briefly to determine what course he would take.</p> - -<p>“Nick and Patsy can look after things here,” he said to himself. “They -will not need me. There is a bare possibility, on the other hand, that -Darling is in the clutches of this bunch of blacklegs, as Nick suspects, -and that he is confined at the Dacey place. I’ll go out there and look -it over, at all events, and communicate later with Nick.”</p> - -<p>Then, turning to the cabman, he said abruptly:</p> - -<p>“Take me out there, Hogan, and drop me a couple of hundred yards from -the place. I’ll decide later whether I have further use for you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good enough for me, Mr. Carter,” Hogan said readily. “Tumble in, -sir.”</p> - -<p>Less than half an hour brought them to their destination, a crossroad -from which could be seen, in the near distance, quite an old wooden -dwelling half hidden amid the trees flanking one side of the narrower -road. It could be discerned only dimly in the starlight, though some<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -lighted lower windows could be plainly seen through the trees. It was -the only dwelling in the immediate locality, and Chick came to a quick -conclusion.</p> - -<p>“Drive on about a quarter mile, Hogan, and wait till I come,” he -directed. “I cannot say just how long you may have to wait.”</p> - -<p>“My time is yours, Mr. Carter,” said Hogan. “You’ll find me there when -you come.”</p> - -<p>“Good enough,” said Chick. “You’ll get all that’s coming to you.”</p> - -<p>“I know I can bank on that, sir.”</p> - -<p>Chick waited until the taxicab had disappeared around a curve in the -main road. He then followed the other for a short distance, presently -vaulting a low wall and crossing a strip of rough land, from which he -could steal into the grounds at one side of the Dacey dwelling.</p> - -<p>They were unattractive in appearance, denoting that the owner was far -from being a man of means. Chick sized them up correctly, and was about -to steal nearer the house to peer through one of the windows, when the -side door was opened and a woman appeared in the lighted hall. She -lingered briefly, gazing out toward the road, and then closed the door -and vanished.</p> - -<p>“The deaf housekeeper,” thought Chick, who had easily seen her tall, -gaunt figure. “She is evidently expecting some one, probably Dacey -himself. There would be lights in more than that one room if he were at -home. By Jove, if she is as deaf as Hogan stated, and also is alone -there, I can easily enter unheard through one of the windows and search -the house from cellar to roof. I could find Darling, all right, if he is -confined there.”</p> - -<p>Not yet convinced that Dacey was absent, however, Chick still proceeded -cautiously, approaching one of the lighted windows on all fours, then -stealthily rising to peer between the curtain and the casing.</p> - -<p>He could see part of a cheaply furnished sitting room. An oil lamp -burned on the table. The housekeeper was seated near by, absorbed in -reading a newspaper. It was half past nine by a small oak clock on the -mantel.</p> - -<p>Chick watched the woman for a few moments, then gently tapped once on -the windowpane. The woman did not stir. Chick tapped louder, then -knocked quite sharply, but the sounds brought no sign from the reading -woman.</p> - -<p>“As deaf as a hitching post,” thought Chick. “I’ll force a window in the -opposite side of the house. She might detect the chill of the night air, -if I were to open a door.”</p> - -<p>Stealing around the house, Chick selected the side window of a front -room, then shrouded in darkness. Thrusting his knife blade between the -sashes, he easily forced the lock aside and was about to lift the lower -section, when a flash of light deterred him.</p> - -<p>He saw it again in a moment. It flashed between the trees in the -distance. It came from the lamps of an automobile running at high speed -over the main road. Suddenly it diverged and a steady glare fell upon -the road approaching Dacey’s place.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, it may be coming here,” Chick muttered, watching. “Dacey is -returning, perhaps, just in time to prevent my search. Yes, by thunder, -I am right—it is coming here.”</p> - -<p>The car was slowing down. The outlines of a limousine now could be seen. -It swerved into a driveway approaching the house—and Chick dropped flat -on the ground,<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> close to the foundation wall, lest he might be seen in -the glare of the headlights.</p> - -<p>He now saw that there were several men in the car, but he could not -distinguish their faces. The number surprised him.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott! there are six, at least,” he said to himself. “I’m up -against more of a gang than I expected. Where the deuce are they going?”</p> - -<p>The car had passed a side door and was rounding a rear corner of the -house. Chick crept out from his concealment far enough to see that it -had stopped directly back of the dwelling. Presently, too, he saw four -of the men alighting—for he naturally supposed that all of them were -men.</p> - -<p>One of them hastened to open a bulkhead door leading into the cellar. -The chauffeur extinguished the lights of the car. Then a cry came from -Dacey, as he returned from the cellar with a lighted lantern.</p> - -<p>“All ready for them, Martin,” he said curtly. “Lend a hand, Sheldon. You -stand aside, Floyd, and hold this lantern; we can lift them out and lug -them into the cellar. We’ll lock them in the laundry till we have -settled this business. I’ll send Sarah to bed, though she’s as deaf as -an adder.”</p> - -<p>“Would she squeal, Jim, if she knew?” questioned Kate Crandall.</p> - -<p>“Never a squeal,” Dacey declared. “But she’s best out of the way, for -all that.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, that was a woman’s voice, as sure as I’m over seven,” thought -Chick, when he heard Kate’s question. “A woman in male attire, eh? Great -guns! I begin to scent the rat in the meal. This bunch of rascals have -in some way got the best of Nick and Patsy. But there still is a third -string to the chief’s bow. It’s always safe to bank on one of us.”</p> - -<p>Chick had not long to wait for his suspicion to be confirmed. He saw -Nick and Patsy lifted from the limousine and carried into the cellar, -both conscious then, but gagged and securely bound, and Chick stole -quickly back to the window he had unlocked.</p> - -<p>“I’ll get into the house while the coast is clear,” he said to himself. -“I’ll find out what business is to be settled by these rascals. Then -I’ll settle them and their business—or know the reason why!”</p> - -<p>Noiselessly lifting the window, Chick crept over the sill and stood in a -gloomy front parlor, reclosing the window and locking it. There he -paused for a moment, listening. He could hear the men inside, the -muffled sound of their voices, and the bang of a closed door.</p> - -<p>“The bulkhead door, or that of the laundry,” he muttered. “Got Nick and -Patsy, eh? I must contrive to liberate them. I’ll try to locate the -cellar stairs.”</p> - -<p>Chick did not find it difficult to do so. He tiptoed to the door leading -into the hall, which ran straight through the house to a rear door and -the kitchen. It was lighted only by a feeble oil lamp and the glow that -came through the open door of the sitting room.</p> - -<p>Pausing, Chick peered cautiously in that direction—then quickly drew -back.</p> - -<p>A door near the main stairway was suddenly opened.</p> - -<p>Jim Dacey had come up from the cellar and was striding through the dimly -lighted hall.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>THE INNER WHEEL.</small></h2> - -<p>Chick Carter stepped back of the parlor door and peered between it and -the casing, shifting a revolver to his side pocket.</p> - -<p>Jim Dacey turned abruptly, however, and entered the sitting room.</p> - -<p>Chick heard him shout to the deaf housekeeper and order her to go to -bed. She came out with a lamp in a few moments, and Chick saw her -disappear up a back stairway.</p> - -<p>She scarce had vanished when Floyd, or Kate Crandall, still in male -attire, came through the cellar doorway and was joined in the hall by -Dacey, who asked abruptly, with a look of grim misgivings:</p> - -<p>“Where is Sheldon? What’s turned him so sour and——”</p> - -<p>“Cut it!” Kate sharply whispered, audible to Chick. “He must not hear -us. I have something to say to you. I have ordered him to watch the -laundry door till Moran returns.”</p> - -<p>“Where has he gone?”</p> - -<p>“To house the car. He’ll not show up for several minutes. That will give -me time to explain.”</p> - -<p>“Explain what?”</p> - -<p>“Come into the sitting room. I’ll soon tell you.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll tell me, also, you jade, and I’ll wager I will make the most of -it,” thought Chick, watching the couple enter the room and noting that -they only partly closed the door. “Unless I am much mistaken, by Jove, I -shall now get the key to the whole mystery.”</p> - -<p>Chick lingered only a moment, then stole into the hall and found -concealment under the rise of the main stairway. That brought him within -ten feet of the sitting-room door, and within easy view of that opening -upon the landing at the head of the cellar stairs. He scarce had -concealed himself in the dark corner he had selected, when he made -another discovery.</p> - -<p>The cellar door was slowly swinging open. A stealthy hand was cautiously -moving it. Presently, not only the hand, but the spy himself could be -seen. He was crouching on the landing, his head thrust forward, his ears -strained, his eyes glowing like those of a cornered wolf.</p> - -<p>“Sheldon!” thought Chick, startled by the terrible look on the man’s -face. “By Jove, I’m not alone. He, too, wants to learn what this vixen -has up her sleeve.”</p> - -<p>Sheldon, having reached the vantage point desired, did not stir from his -crouching posture on the landing.</p> - -<p>Chick waited and listened.</p> - -<p>Kate Crandall’s voice, though somewhat subdued, could be distinctly -heard by both.</p> - -<p>“I can tell you in a nutshell, Jim, just where we stand and what must be -done,” she was saying earnestly. “Our easy mark has ceased to be an easy -mark. He has become suspicious. He begins to feel sure that I am in love -with you, instead of with him, and that I intend to throw him down. -That’s why he has balked at making over half of his fortune to me, and -at putting it in my hands before I marry him. That’s what has kept us -hung up in the Ashburton Chambers for a whole week since the supposed -suicide.”</p> - -<p>“By thunder!” Chick mentally exclaimed. “Supposed suicide? Easy mark, -eh? This man Sheldon must be Cyrus Darling, then, as sure as there is -juice in a lemon.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Chick needed only one glance at the face of the crouching man to -convince him that he was right.</p> - -<p>“I know all that, Kate,” Dacey responded, with a growl. “But what’s the -answer? What’s to be done?”</p> - -<p>“We must blind him still farther and contrive to get his coin. That -done, we must get rid of him and bolt for Europe.”</p> - -<p>“Get rid of him?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Listen!” Kate Crandall’s voice took on more vicious accents. “He has -turned all of his fortune into cash and has it in a deposit drawer -downtown.”</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“Providing I will marry him and go with him to live in Europe, he will -get the bundle of money from the safety deposit in order to take it with -us.”</p> - -<p>“Well?” Dacey repeated grimly.</p> - -<p>“Here, now, is the point,” Kate went on. “The Carters have us hard -pressed, but they do not yet suspect that Sheldon and Cyrus Darling are -one and the same.”</p> - -<p>“Surely not.”</p> - -<p>“They are the only persons on earth who really believe that Darling is -alive. No one else suspects it, even.”</p> - -<p>“Surely not,” Dacey again repeated.</p> - -<p>“If we were to kill him, then, and get rid of his body, who the devil -would ever suspect the crime? Only the Carters! But they could not prove -anything. They could not even show that Darling did not kill himself. -He’s as good as dead already, as far as that goes, and they can never -learn where Moran got the body that was substituted for Darling at the -time of the supposed suicide.”</p> - -<p>“By Heaven, Kate, you’ve got all the makings of a devil in you,” said -Dacey, with a growl.</p> - -<p>“I’m only showing you the way,” Kate Crandall replied. “It can be done -easily enough. It’s the only way by which we can make Darling produce -the coin.”</p> - -<p>“What’s your plan?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll keep Carter and Garvan here till the trick is turned. We’ll fake -a marriage ceremony with Darling. That done and his money on his person, -we’ll end him forever and bolt with the coin.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Dacey nodded.</p> - -<p>“When Carter and Garvan are liberated, they’ll have only a guess coming -to them,” Kate added. “They cannot prove that Floyd and I were one. They -cannot show that Sheldon and Darling were one. All they can do, Jim, -will be to look wise and guess at the whole business. It can be done -like breaking sticks. What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“Kill Darling, eh?” queried Dacey.</p> - -<p>“Why not? There is no risk. He’s dead already—in the eye of the law.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true.”</p> - -<p>“We surely can turn the trick and get away without serious suspicion.”</p> - -<p>“It does look so, Kate, I’ll admit,” Dacey thoughtfully agreed.</p> - -<p>How this enterprising colloquy would have ended, and at what final -conclusion the plotters would have arrived, will never be known in this -world.</p> - -<p>Chick Carter, glancing at the crouching man, saw him withdraw from his -position and cautiously descend the cellar stairs.</p> - -<p>Chick suspected a genuine suicide, and he stole quickly<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> from his -concealment and noiselessly followed him. When part way down the stairs, -he again discovered his man.</p> - -<p>Sheldon was tearing the disguise from his face in frantic haste, and was -casting it fiercely upon the floor.</p> - -<p>Chick waited and watched him.</p> - -<p>The disguise removed, revealing a weak-featured man of forty, Darling -hastened to open the door of the laundry, into which he vanished.</p> - -<p>Chick crept down the stairs and to the open door.</p> - -<p>Darling was hurriedly cutting the bonds from Nick and Patsy, at the same -time crying in nervous, frantic, agonized whispers:</p> - -<p>“Enough of this—enough of it! I’m going to confess; going to tell the -whole truth. I’ve been a blinded, cursed fool, an infernal madman, -crazed with love for an unscrupulous woman. I am Cyrus Darling—Cyrus -Darling himself. I’ll tell the whole truth and take my medicine. Come -with me, Mr. Carter. Come with me, for God’s sake, and arrest that -she-devil and her knavish confederate. Come with me and——”</p> - -<p>“Hush!”</p> - -<p>Nick calmly interrupted him. He then was free and on his feet, as was -Patsy. He saw Chick entering the room, also, and he knew that the case -was precisely what he had asserted, that of a man with a lost head, and -that the finish was but the work of moments.</p> - -<p>Nick waited only to hear Chick’s statement.</p> - -<p>Half a minute later, still engaged in discussing their devilish plot, -Dacey and Kate Crandall beheld the three detectives and the undisguised -man enter the sitting room. Both instantly guessed the truth, and while -Dacey weakened perceptibly, only a loud laugh came from the woman.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s all off, then,” she cried, with mingled disgust and defiance. -“You have called the turn on us, Carter, have you?”</p> - -<p>“You’ll find that I have,” Nick replied.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, that don’t rattle me any,” Kate sharply asserted. “You have -got nothing on us, Carter. I told you I never would lay myself liable. -Any man may pretend to commit suicide, if he wants to, and turn all of -his fortune into cash. The more fool he, in that case, and he’s the one -who must pay the price. You’ve got nothing on us, Carter, and well you -know it. Otherwise, you’d have had us in irons by this time.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter knew that there was some truth in this, yet he said sternly:</p> - -<p>“Don’t you be so sure of it, Kate Crandall. I can send you up for a term -of years for conspiracy, abduction, and opposing officers of the law. If -I don’t do so—there will be but one reason,” he added pointedly.</p> - -<p>“What reason is that?” Kate demanded, with color fading.</p> - -<p>“You have made an infernal fool of this man, and he knows it, now. I -think he will behave himself in the future, and I’m going to give him a -chance. I shall do so for the sake of his wife, who is as fine a woman -as you are the reverse. I shall invent a story to account for all that -has occurred, and shall send Cyrus Darling home to his wife. Neither she -nor the public must know the truth. Your only hope, Kate Crandall, and -that of your confederates, lies in your permanent secrecy.”</p> - -<p>“I agree to that, Carter,” cried Kate quickly. “The truth shall never be -told.”</p> - -<p>“Does that go with you, Dacey?” Nick sternly demanded.</p> - -<p>“You bet!” Dacey eagerly cried.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p> - -<p>“And you will silence Moran?”</p> - -<p>“Silence him? You bet I’ll silence him—if I have to cut his tongue -out.”</p> - -<p>Nick turned to Cyrus Darling, who had sunk upon the nearest chair, with -his head bowed in his hands.</p> - -<p>What Nick said to the erring man is of minor importance. It is enough to -add that he adjusted the matter in the manner suggested; that Cyrus -Darling returned home a few days later with a story that Nick had -invented for him, and that the real truth was, indeed, never disclosed.</p> - -<p class="fint">THE END.</p> - -<p>Two convictions on Nick’s part, however, were verified later. One that -Cyrus Darling thereafter would be a man. The other, that Nick had not -seen the last of Kate Crandall. You will read about the verification of -these two convictions in the story that you will find in the next issue -of this weekly, No. 123, out January 16th, entitled “Half a Million -Ransom; or, Nick Carter and the Needy Nine.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><a id="RUBY_LIGHT"></a>RUBY LIGHT.<br /><br /> -<small>By BURKE JENKINS.</small></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><small>(This interesting story was commenced in No. 120 of <span class="smcap">Nick Carter -Stories</span>. Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer -or the publishers.)</small></p></div> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_VIIa"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>A DASH IN THE DARK.</small></h2> - -<p>I enjoyed that ride into the darkness that was, by now, fast settling -over Casco Bay; at least, I relished the first part of it. And it was in -momentary forgetfulness of my dislike of my companion that I said -cheerfully:</p> - -<p>“Somethin’ like, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Uh!” grunted Pawlinson; and I resolved to make no further overtures.</p> - -<p>Some more minutes elapsed in this dark dash—straight away we were -making it, and we flew no lights. Then Pawlinson swirled us to a -tangent.</p> - -<p>“You’re not going past Orr’s Island, then?” I cried; but I might have -saved my breath for all the attention he paid me.</p> - -<p>Perhaps three more minutes it was that we ran thus. Then he whirled on -me with a short:</p> - -<p>“Off!” I was bewildered, for speed had certainly been the desideratum up -to now.</p> - -<p>“Off, I said!” he ripped out vexedly. “<i>I’m</i> giving orders here, -remember.”</p> - -<p>I threw out the switch, and we slumped down to wabbling in the light sea -that was running.</p> - -<p>Even in the gloom I could see his features working. Then I followed his -gaze out over the water toward where Peak’s Island showed darker against -the night sky.</p> - -<p>And more showed in that direction than that; for two trim masts were -swaying slightly against the starred background.</p> - -<p>“The schooner!” said I.</p> - -<p>“Right—for once.” Pawlinson came out of his silence. “And now maybe you -can see why I didn’t run right past the island, eh?”</p> - -<p>“But surely speed boats are plentiful enough nowadays,<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>” I answered. -“There couldn’t have been much to arouse suspicion, even if we had shot -directly alongside. The lad said it was shortest.”</p> - -<p>“It’s easy to see you don’t know Carl Stroth. Look!”</p> - -<p>The steady, bright-eyed glare of a powerful searchlight ate into the -night. It came from the schooner’s fore crosstrees.</p> - -<p>“Get it through your noddle at last?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said I humbly enough.</p> - -<p>For some minutes the searchlight played over the waters; but it was -noticeable that it confined its attentions to a small arc; and that arc, -fortunately or unfortunately, did not include that portion of the bay -where lay our inert, low-lying craft.</p> - -<p>But its radiance suddenly found and rested upon something well ahead of -us—a something that made both Pawlinson and myself let out an oath.</p> - -<p>“The police launch!”</p> - -<p>“But it’s headed back to town from Trawly’s Rock!” I cried.</p> - -<p>“Well, and why not?” he snapped. “Even a policeman can sometimes fall to -the fact that there’s such a thing in this world as a bunk.”</p> - -<p>“You think, then,” said I, “that they have found out the wire was -bogus?”</p> - -<p>“I think that when they got out to that desolate chunk of rock and -didn’t find me there, that possibly something like that did enter their -heads.”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>“But Stroth is right this minute chuckling happily; for, by the time -that launch gets back to headquarters for new orders, he’ll be hull -down, seaward.”</p> - -<p>“But he’s waiting for that gasoline.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he is, is he? Take a squint at the schooner again, and see if he’ll -have to wait long.”</p> - -<p>Much as I hated the fellow, I couldn’t but admire his perception. I -followed his pointing, and discerned that a small lighter had been -brought alongside the vessel, and, by the light of the lanterns that had -been hung to the rigging at the rail, I could see men transferring -barrel after barrel to the schooner’s hold.</p> - -<p>“The gasoline!” I cried.</p> - -<p>“Probably,” came the reply.</p> - -<p>“Then Hallins’ man who got aboard to-day was wrong as to the time they -could get it?”</p> - -<p>“I have known mistakes, such slight ones, to be made before,” snarled -Pawlinson.</p> - -<p>“But we can beat ’em to it yet,” I said, with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“How? What are you driving at?”</p> - -<p>“There’s a good twenty-five-mile-an-hour gait bottled up in this little -tube,” I explained. “And here we are in a triangle. The police launch is -headed cityward, but ahead of us, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Right enough.”</p> - -<p>“Then out there lies the schooner at another corner of the triangle, and -to our port side.”</p> - -<p>“Right again.” Pawlinson’s sarcasm was, for the moment, absent.</p> - -<p>“I take it you are planning force from the first. You asked as to my -gun, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes. Go ahead, man!”</p> - -<p>“Then,” I cried, “what’s the matter with us uncorking every bit of -ginger there is in this hydro—shoot<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> past the schooner—overtake the -patrol launch—give ’em the news, and——”</p> - -<p>“You think we could make it before Stroth’d get wise? He’s got a good -engine himself, remember; and, should he tumble, he’d have a head start -on the launch.”</p> - -<p>“But, being auxiliary,” I interrupted, frantic for action, “he is bound -to be as much slower than the police boat than it is to our hydro. -Besides, he’s not to up-anchor or cut. It’ll work!” I cried -enthusiastically as I fished in my pocket for my jackknife and turned -back quickly toward the taffrail.</p> - -<p>“Here, what’re you up to?” snapped Pawlinson.</p> - -<p>“Why, we’ve got to cast that blamed punt adrift now,” I answered -sharply. “We’ve got to be clear of everything.”</p> - -<p>Ice came into the voice that met my warmth.</p> - -<p>“Start the engine. We’ll keep the punt.”</p> - -<p>“But, man——”</p> - -<p>“Start the engine.”</p> - -<p>There was that in Pawlinson I’ve met in few men; for I had that machine -barking the next instant—and I’m not an oversweet-tempered individual -myself, as I have intimated.</p> - -<p>I threw in the clutch, and we fairly jumped out of the water when she -began to “plane.”</p> - -<p>There was no shunning the island now on Pawlinson’s part.</p> - -<p>Instead, he headed almost directly for it—a course that was calculated -to bring us within a furlong of the anchored schooner on our way to -intercept the patrol launch, which was pointed, as near as we could -judge, directly cityward.</p> - -<p>The exact angle was a thing of estimation to a nicety; but, with the -speed we were soon attaining, it certainly looked as if it would work.</p> - -<p>The wind had fallen flat, as it often does between the day and night -breezes, and this helped. So we cut a swath of boiling spume over an -unrippled mirror which heaved only to a slight swell.</p> - -<p>“Now, man”—Pawlinson let me into his thoughts—“once clear of the -schooner’s stern, and we’ve got ’em; no matter which way the cat jumps.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I agreed enthusiastically. “By that time they wouldn’t have a -chance to clear before we’d have the patrol launch veered for her.”</p> - -<p>“And now for it!” His tone was calm and collected enough; but I read -tenseness in it, nevertheless.</p> - -<p>As for myself, I was fairly rigid with the moment, for it was the -crucial one. We were about to pass the schooner.</p> - -<p>Then came the sickening disgust.</p> - -<p>Out from the fore crosstrees blazed the white glare of the searchlight -again.</p> - -<p>This time we were in for it. The rattling exhaust of our engine had told -its story; or, at least, it had told enough to excite sufficient -curiosity for a look at us.</p> - -<p>The light oscillated once or twice in search; then it steadied, and our -eyes blinked in its glare. Everything about us sprang into daylight, and -the brass cylinder heads before me fairly glittered.</p> - -<p>I imagined I could hear the wielder of the light chuckle at his find; -but I didn’t have to imagine the imprecation that Pawlinson hissed -venomously. I have seldom heard such fervor; but I seconded it -heartily.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All up!” I groaned; for it took no clairvoyant to fathom that the alarm -had been sounded.</p> - -<p>Even above the sound of our engine we heard a sharp command given, and -the lines were cast from the lighter alongside. Then came some quick -blows on metal.</p> - -<p>“Make that out?” queried Pawlinson shortly.</p> - -<p>“Cutting the cable,” I muttered. “They know the game. Her engine’s going -already. Where’s the police boat?”</p> - -<p>“The fools in her smell something up; but, being fools, they’ve stopped -to see what it is.”</p> - -<p>Sure enough, off there about a quarter mile, the lights of the patrol -stood fixed, showing that either her engine had been shut off or was -running free from load.</p> - -<p>“At any rate,” I growled, “she’s too far off to help, anyway. That -schooner’s certainly fast under power. Once started, she’s a good match -for the launch, and besides——”</p> - -<p>“Stop the engine!”</p> - -<p>I whirled in amazement at the deadly animosity that came into -Pawlinson’s voice; and the searchlight—which had kept us steadily in -its radiance—showed a countenance an equal match to the tone. Then a -smile came over his face as he corrected:</p> - -<p>“Throw her into the neutral!”</p> - -<p>I did so, and our screw stopped.</p> - -<p>“Now, haul up that punt’s painter and get into the tub.”</p> - -<p>“Get into the punt?” I cried, mystified.</p> - -<p>“Into the punt, I said, didn’t I?” shrilled the man with me. I can -scarcely call him Pawlinson. I have never seen rage mount much higher as -he busied himself setting the steering wheel to a certain spoke. The -gear was a good one, and would hold to any setting of rudder.</p> - -<p>“But why?” I ventured further; then regretted the words, and forthwith -did as he had ordered.</p> - -<p>I brought the punt alongside, sprang into it, and stood steadying, -awaiting what would come next.</p> - -<p>But I snatched a second for a peek over my shoulder.</p> - -<p>The schooner was almost upon us by now; for, of course, she was headed -for the nearest way out of the bay; and that way happened to be our way.</p> - -<p>But I was brought sharply back to Pawlinson.</p> - -<p>“And now,” said he, “I think we’ve got something that’ll work.”</p> - -<p>As he said this, he, too, clambered from the speed boat into the punt -along with me.</p> - -<p>Now, mind you, the engine was still running in the neutral.</p> - -<p>“Reach over there!” he ordered. “Full speed ahead! You can reach the -lever from where you stand. You know best how to do it. You start her, -and the rudder’ll do the rest.”</p> - -<p>Then it was, on that very instant, that there flashed over me a light of -understanding as brilliant as the calcium that still played about us.</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean it, man?” I cried; for I remembered now the strong metal -stringers of the hydroplane’s structure; the weight of her engine; the -impact that it meant at a twenty-five-mile-an-hour clip. The boat lay -low in the water; and the hole she’d make in that yacht-planked schooner -would be well along, and even below the water line.</p> - -<p>“I do mean it!” he yelled. “And now’s the time! About amidships she’ll -catch it, I think. We’ll watch it from the punt.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>I felt myself boil as would any civilized man.</p> - -<p>“And I think <i>not</i>!” The words sounded as from some other throat than my -own. “Sink that schooner with all the men in her, and——”</p> - -<p>“And what?” I could feel his breath hot with wrath as he brought his -face pugnaciously close to mine.</p> - -<p>“The girl!” I cried.</p> - -<p>“What do you know about her?”</p> - -<p>“Enough to know that I’ll not——”</p> - -<p>I don’t remember the end of that sentence; for he suddenly whirled his -broad back upon me, and, fending my interference off thus, reached over -into the speed boat’s cockpit and threw back the starting lever.</p> - -<p>But the steering wheel was aft, a side steerer attached to the -coaming—the port coaming at that, and right to my hand.</p> - -<p>I grabbed that wheel, and flung it around desperately, in the second I -had before the hydroplane shot from us.</p> - -<p>She didn’t veer far from her course of intended destruction; but it was -enough, and I had the inner glow of satisfaction for the one instant -that was allowed me before I met him as he turned and gripped me in -deadly embrace.</p> - -<p>In an iron clutch I felt myself borne bodily aloft. I struck the water -breathless, and I cannot swim.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_VIIIa"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>IN STRANGE QUARTERS.</small></h2> - -<p>I have my own theory as to just what becomes of us when we—the real, -thinking we, that is—enter that somewhat uncanny realm which men have -agreed to let ignorance call unconsciousness. But this is neither the -time nor place to air it.</p> - -<p>Sufficient to state, now, that from the moment I felt the chill of the -waters of the bay, and strangled in its brine, I knew nothing of what we -name actuality until I was sensible of an easy, steady sway of body as I -was rocked cradlewise.</p> - -<p>A distinctly delicious semiconsciousness made me forget a decided -stiffness and cramp of muscle, and it was with reluctance that I opened -a tentative eye.</p> - -<p>I am not ordinarily one of those who jump up immediately upon wakening, -anyway.</p> - -<p>And slowly it was that the nature of my surroundings came to me.</p> - -<p>A faint swish directly beside the bunk whereon I found I was lying -proved to come from a hung-up suit of Cape Ann oilskins; and a further -exploring peek beyond revealed several rows of bunks like my own.</p> - -<p>A ladder of steep incline, topped by a hatch; a semicircle of seat -lockers; tar in the air, and a faint reek of bilge—the combination -ended all conjecture.</p> - -<p>A hearty chuckle from directly alongside my head made me up-on-elbow for -a nearer scan of the chuckler.</p> - -<p>I have never seen a bundle of more jovial rotundity, or a larger. A -perfect giant of a man he was, with good nature popping from him. And a -sailor he was to the gnarled crooks of his “fishhook” fingers, which at -this moment were ramming home a husky charge of palm-rolled cut plug -into a broken-stemmed “ha’penny clay.”</p> - -<p>“Ho, ho!” he burbled when he saw that I had caught sight of him. “An’ -where away now, m’ bucko?”</p> - -<p>I passed a hand over my features, and my question was trite enough:<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Where am I?”</p> - -<p>Again merriment rippled in folds up and down him as he replied:</p> - -<p>“On board the <i>Ruby Light</i>, m’ lad, and a better vessel’s keel was never -laid!”</p> - -<p>“<i>Ruby Light?</i>” I echoed hesitatingly, for a bit of mistiness still held -me. “Why, I thought—that is——”</p> - -<p>“That is,” he rumbled gleefully, “this here’s about the last place you -expected ter come ter life in. An’ mebbe it are jest about the last -place you’d ’a’ picked out. He, he! Shouldn’t wonder, m’ lad, shouldn’t -wonder!” And he drifted off into a falsetto titter.</p> - -<p>But there certainly was no malice in his merriment; it seemed rather to -make me a comrade.</p> - -<p>“But how in thunder did I get here?” My voice was putting on more -heartiness. “And who——”</p> - -<p>“Hold on, now Billy-boy! One at a time, and slow,” he chided. “As to the -how and the who, why—I m’self was the who; an’ a good long boat hook -was the how. Managed ter ketch under the belt as you slid by our quarter -during said episode last night. An’, by time, boy, you were heavier’n -you look, shore!”</p> - -<p>“But what I should like to know is, why——”</p> - -<p>“An’ that thar’s just what I’m going ter pass up ter sooperiors. Orders -is orders, y’ know, matie; an’ I shore am some strong when it comes to -’em. But I tell you what I can do an’ it ought’r sound like screeching -good news; I can tumble a cup o’ b’iling hot coffee into you. Eh, what? -A mug along ’ith some salt horse?”</p> - -<p>“Sounds good to me!” I strove to echo his strain, as I threw my legs -over the side of the bunk. “But how about my clothes?” For the first -time I realized that I was wearing nothing but a coarse, sailor’s blue -flannel shirt.</p> - -<p>“Right t’ hand, an’ bone dry!” he chortled, as he edged his huge bulk -through a narrow opening, beyond which I caught the glow of a small -“shipmate” range.</p> - -<p>Next instant he reappeared with my clothes over his arm.</p> - -<p>“Did m’ best, laddie, ter get ’em into some sort o’ shape. Kind o’ -draggled they was, as is natural. An’ the shoes are durned stiff, -believe me. But they’ll come around——”</p> - -<p>“Well, I should say!” said I, delighted to get into my own togs, “and I -don’t see how you managed to get ’em as good as you did.”</p> - -<p>The old fellow had actually made a pretense of pressing the trousers, -though truth compels me to say that he had run the seams decidedly awry.</p> - -<p>I was surprised to see how weak I was, for, even though there was -scarcely any sea running, I lurched abominably as I put on my trousers.</p> - -<p>“Coffee’s in order!” he announced, and once more sought the range.</p> - -<p>Two minutes after I had drained that mug and chewed off some chunks of -“junk,” and I was still doing business at the old stand.</p> - -<p>“And now,” said I, “next?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” came the hearty response, “seein’s I’m the doctor, why, I jest -says the deck for yourn. Besides, them’s the orders.”</p> - -<p>Before I mounted the ladder I stood before the old fellow, and put out -my hand.</p> - -<p>“My name’s Tom Grey,” said I, “and somehow I’m not much when it comes to -thanks; but<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>——”</p> - -<p>“Aw, shucks!” he roared back at me, as he fairly enveloped my hand with -his big paw. “Nawthin’ ’tall! Kind o’ fun, ’twas, fishin’ you out -thataway! Besides, I warn’t doing nothin’ but obeyin’ orders; an’ as -mebbe I’ve before let out, I’m quite some when it comes t’ orders. Yep! -Why, any o’ the lads on deck’ll second the motion that old Steve, bos’n -o’ this here <i>Ruby Light</i>, jest eats ’em—orders, that is. Now, tumble -out and mind your eye, matie. Me fer a cat nap.”</p> - -<p>Whereupon he rolled into the bunk I had quitted.</p> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_IXa"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>A PLEASURE TRIP.</small></h2> - -<p>It was fully fifteen minutes after I gained the deck before the -slightest attention was paid to my appearance, and this period I made -full use of in close scrutiny of my surroundings.</p> - -<p>Never, even aboard a man-of-war, have I seen such decks. Holystoned they -were, every inch of them, and at that very instant four fellows were -scouring away for dear life.</p> - -<p>And that immaculateness was everywhere apparent. I could see well enough -why it was that I had awakened alone in the forecastle with only old -Steve to watch over me.</p> - -<p>Brass shone to brisk burnishing; mahogany glowed to the chamois; every -man jack of ’em was furbishing, except the helmsman.</p> - -<p>And the craft was well worth such grooming. Even in the anxiety that, of -necessity, was mine at the moment, I glowed over such fitness; -everything O. K. to the dot. Bowsprit to taffrail I scanned her, and -didn’t find an “out.” Her forestay she carried pretty well inboard, for -the ’sprit was short, according to the modern custom.</p> - -<p>The masts, clear Oregon pine, raked a trifle, giving a dash that was a -bit reminiscent of the old <i>America</i>. It may not make for speed, but I -never saw a real sailor that didn’t favor it.</p> - -<p>Guessing the direction by the sun, I reckoned our course to be somewhat -east of south, and the freshening west wind bellied the creamy canvas -into unwrinkled corpulence. Besides her lower standing, she was carrying -ballooner and club topsail.</p> - -<p>But no foretopsail met my upward search, and it didn’t take long to see -why. Between her masts stretched wireless rigging.</p> - -<p>Now, all this time of my survey of the schooner, not one of the full -score of sailors that were working all about me, as I paced the forward -deck, gave me a word. But I judged, from an occasional furtive glance or -two I caught, that I was nothing if not interesting.</p> - -<p>I suppose, though, as old Steve had intimated, “orders were orders.” But -that kind of thing gets on a man’s nerves as only such inactive suspense -can, and I was upon the very point of striding aft to stir up something -when I spied some gilt emerging from the companionway.</p> - -<p>The little captain gave a word to the man at the wheel, then whirled and -faced forward.</p> - -<p>“Stevens once more!” said I to myself, though I was not oversurprised at -the recognition.</p> - -<p>His grin when he caught sight of me was all the satisfaction I got -before he popped immediately back down<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> the companionway. But I didn’t -have long to wait for further developments, for I don’t believe it was a -full minute before a little Jap glided up the steps, and came directly -toward me.</p> - -<p>“You come follow me,” said the flunky abruptly, as he whirled a most -ridiculous rightabout. But naturally I was in no mood to read humor in -things, so I followed meekly enough.</p> - -<p>The Jap led down the steps, and across a saloon; then he tapped almost -reverently at a door that gave off from a passageway beyond.</p> - -<p>To a sharp summons to enter, he opened the door, and stood aside for me -to pass him, which I did. Then the door closed behind me, and I faced -the strangest stateroom I ever saw.</p> - -<p>But it was not the room itself, remarkable as it was, that focused the -entire attention, for a man in a broad-backed chair, busied at something -on the table before him, sat facing me.</p> - -<p>The whole breadth of the room was between us, but I could feel every -nerve of my ill-controlled features pass under the appraising scrutiny -of that pair of half-closed gray eyes that drilled at me as he glanced -up from what had been engrossing his attention.</p> - -<p>It will be remembered that on the two occasions I had seen this man, -Carl Stroth, I had not got a fair and square look at him. Back there on -the launch at Port Washington he had stood steadily at the wheel, -peering ahead, while I, of necessity, was busied with the engine.</p> - -<p>And that other time when, as the accommodating “deck hand,” he had made -a fool of me, his disguise had been of the cleverest.</p> - -<p>But now I had ample opportunity for a searching survey of the man, for -he let a minute pass in silence. And I availed myself of this -opportunity to the full; though now, as I attempted to word the -impression his face made upon me, I am forced lamely to state that its -strongest characteristic lay in its very indefinableness; a sort of -haunting fitting of something I decidedly didn’t like across features -which seemed more naturally to fit themselves into something I -instinctively did like.</p> - -<p>Even seated as he was, there came to his shoulders suddenly that forward -hunch which I had before noted, and which now I could see was -accompanied by a forward craning of the neck in riveting his eyes upon -me. Vulturelike it was, and more.</p> - -<p>And then, as suddenly, the posture shifted to ease as he said quietly:</p> - -<p>“None the worse for the episode, Mr. Grey?”</p> - -<p>It was not so much surprise at his knowing my name—which I knew his -methods well enough by now to see would be easy—as it was the lightness -and even friendliness of the tone; a friendliness which consorted ill -with the stare he had favored me with the moment before. But I strove to -match it as I replied:</p> - -<p>“It was more for adventure than money that I entered the detective -service, Mr. Stroth.”</p> - -<p>I know now that nothing I could have said would have had more effect -upon him, or quicker.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” he cried delightedly, as he sprang to his feet, shoved back his -chair, and strode toward me. “Good! There we have -it—adventure—spice—zest! The only thing worth while, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>It certainly was an unexpected way to open conver<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>sation, under the -circumstances; and, next second, he seemed to realize it, for his tone -altered to one of less enthusiasm:</p> - -<p>“But first it’s probably best for us to understand each other.”</p> - -<p>He nodded for me to be seated, and resumed his own chair.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Grey,” said he, “who is, or was, your employer in this case?”</p> - -<p>My smile was almost a wince at his shift of tense to the past; then I -replied evasively:</p> - -<p>“This case?”</p> - -<p>“Come, now, man,” he retorted sharply, and I regretted my attempt at -fencing; “you look like more sense. And I believe, if you’ll remember -our several positions at the present minute, that probably out-and-out -frankness will strike you as the best policy. It is natural that I am -puzzled about you at some points in reviewing the events of the past two -days, and I see no better or quicker method of clearing the air than -direct question and answer. So now, what say you? Of course, I can -handle my own end in either course you choose to pursue, though -personally I prefer candor.”</p> - -<p>He was right; the upper hand was his, and it didn’t take me many seconds -to reconcile my conscience to my superior’s, by saying:</p> - -<p>“Let it be the truth, then, Mr. Stroth. And I certainly hope that -something’ll come out that will make things a bit clearer to me. The -Lord knows I’m in the dark deep enough myself. I’m ready.”</p> - -<p>“First, then,” said he, as he handed me over a humidor of dusky-hued -panetelas—though I noticed he didn’t take one himself—“perhaps it -would be best for me to state my difficulties, eh?”</p> - -<p>“As you will, sir,” I agreed, lighting the welcome cigar, which I really -stood in need of.</p> - -<p>“Here we have it, then,” he continued. “First I see you on the dock at -Port Washington, and it’s the first time I ever saw you in my life, I -believe.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” I broke in, “and I believe I was at that time -instrumental—was of some service?”</p> - -<p>“Wait! That’s just the point. You were of service, immense service, I -admit. I never would have thought that Pawlinson would have the nerve to -risk fooling Stevens into hiring him for engineer of my own launch. And -it might very well have succeeded but for you, as you say.”</p> - -<p>“But then?”</p> - -<p>“But next I stumble on you at the Portland wharf. Apparently your rôle -had, by that time, decidedly shifted. Stevens, who came from Stamford, -where he left the launch, even tells me that both you and Pawlinson -traveled in the same sleeping coach with him to Boston.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know it at the time,” I said, but he paid no attention to the -interruption as he concluded:</p> - -<p>“And now, last night, came the final mystery, for my searchlight -revealed both you and Pawlinson at fisticuff loggerheads in a wabbly -punt, with a speed-boat accompaniment. As to your place in this little -series of events, I confess myself completely mystified; and so it is -that I ask you—who was your employer in this thing, and where do you -stand, anyway?”</p> - -<p>I saw no way to answer except in the strictest truth, and I couldn’t -see, for the life of me, how it could hurt matters at all then, for I -certainly was completely in his<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> power any time he should choose to -apply the thumbscrews.</p> - -<p>“I am one of Chief Garth’s men,” said I. “You know him?”</p> - -<p>“Old Garth, of the United?” he chuckled. “I should say I did. Yes?”</p> - -<p>“Now, it was mere coincidence that made me figure back there at Port -Washington. I didn’t even know Pawlinson then.”</p> - -<p>“I have had enough whirls with coincidence to credit improbability on -that score. Well?”</p> - -<p>He was attention itself, and, had I resolved upon a lie, I might well -have feared the brain behind those eyes. But truth is deliciously easy. -So I continued quietly:</p> - -<p>“So when I returned to Chief Garth’s house that night I found that -Pawlinson had asked him for a man upon a difficult case, and that——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes. I’ve got you. The same case. Coincidence again, and, as I -say, I believe you. You left Portland with what plan?”</p> - -<p>“Simply to spot you,” I replied. “You see, I read the steamer’s name on -the stern out there in the Sound when you boarded her. I knew her port, -for I have sailed on her myself.”</p> - -<p>There was a short interval of silence, during which he fitted things -together. Then he came out with:</p> - -<p>“So Pawlinson followed you to Portland, made his authority known to you, -and you worked together after your meeting there?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly!”</p> - -<p>“But come, finish it! What was the meaning of that disagreement between -you alongside the hydroplane?”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t catch the motive, then?” I queried.</p> - -<p>“Not at all. I was called to the deck only in time to see him lift you -clear of the punt, and hurl you overboard. And,” he added, with a smile, -“old Steve’s boat hook did the rest.”</p> - -<p>“So you haven’t yet tumbled to the reason for quitting the speed boat?”</p> - -<p>“No; though I did understand that there wasn’t time for you to connect -with the police launch.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said I, “granting a fiend’s viewpoint, the plan was not so bad, -for it certainly would have stopped you. That craft was built stancher -than most hydroplanes, and carried a terrible way on her. She’d have -made a nasty-enough hole——”</p> - -<p>“What!” He sprang erect in the sudden mount of fury at the full -realization. “Do you mean to tell me that the scoundrel actually -meditated——”</p> - -<p>“Not only meditated,” I interrupted coolly. “He’d already ordered me -into the punt, and set the rudder before I myself could——”</p> - -<p>His tone lowered as he broke in on my explanation:</p> - -<p>“So that was the reason for the fight?”</p> - -<p>“Naturally,” I replied. “Much as my ways lie in dark places, I am not -taken with such methods; where women are concerned especially.”</p> - -<p>“Then you knew that my daughter was aboard with me?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know till this minute that the young lady was your daughter,” -said I. “But the inference that she was on the vessel was natural enough -after I had chased you pretty well over Portland.”</p> - -<p>Stroth made no direct reply to this. He seemed rather to be settling -some course. Then he shot out abruptly:<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What did Pawlinson tell you he was after my scalp for? Did he let you -that far into his confidence?”</p> - -<p>Now, it’s no easy matter to tell a man of Stroth’s type that he’s a -thief, and in spite of me I couldn’t word Pawlinson’s revelations into -much softer phrase.</p> - -<p>He noted my hesitation, but didn’t spare me a whit.</p> - -<p>“Come, Grey, out with it exactly! I want it all—and unvarnished!”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said I, bracing my voice with a swallow, “those affairs at -certain country places along Long Island Sound have long been puzzling -us, and——”</p> - -<p>I might have spared myself my hesitation, for he didn’t so much as turn -a hair.</p> - -<p>“Oh, so that was all, eh? Then he said nothing about——” He checked the -sentence to another question: “What do you know about Pawlinson, -anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Precious little,” I answered him, and I let my manner tell as much as -it could of my contempt for the fellow. “In fact, I never heard of him -till he came into prominence about three years ago at Washington. And -that’s about all any one in the service knows. He’s understood to be -something of a mystery.”</p> - -<p>Stroth grunted.</p> - -<p>“I don’t doubt it—I don’t doubt it,” said he, as to himself.</p> - -<p>Then came another slight interval of silence, during which I puffed away -contentedly at the panetela, for I felt no presentiment of coming -trouble. In fact, I was beginning rather to enjoy the situation.</p> - -<p>I knew men well enough to read in Stroth that he had not lost sight of -the saving part I had played the night before; though, as I sat there -looking at him, I confessed to myself he was a puzzle in some -way—distinctly a puzzle.</p> - -<p>He came out of his momentary abstraction with a shout of enthusiasm that -was positively boyish:</p> - -<p>“Then it’s to be a little pleasure trip, after all! Good enough, Grey! -And I believe you’ll find that——”</p> - -<p>Here I was fool enough to enter a wedge of curiosity.</p> - -<p>“Then all that dope about this being the schooner that has been working -the Sound is absolute bunkum, Mr. Stroth?”</p> - -<p>It was as if I had touched a match to bomb.</p> - -<p>His brow darkened, and he bit out:</p> - -<p>“I believe I’m doing pretty well by you! But, of course, you have your -choice—that is—pleasure trip—or otherwise. Understand me? Otherwise.”</p> - -<p>I hastened to shift.</p> - -<p>“Nothing I like better than a sailing voyage, Mr. Stroth,” and I let him -know by my laugh that I realized he had me.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think you were a fool,” he replied, in lighter vein. “So here -we have it, then, and it’s the last word I want spoken on the subject. -We’re bound for Savannah, Georgia. Simple enough, eh? Till then you’re -my guest, we’ll say. And, after we reach port, I’ll have your word that -you let three days go before you get the wires hot to headquarters. Now, -take the proposition or leave it!”</p> - -<p>“I understand at last, Mr. Stroth,” said I slowly, “and my worst enemy -can’t say I’m not a man of my word.”</p> - -<p>As suddenly as he had left it he whirled back to boyishness.</p> - -<p>“Fine—fine!” And he actually slapped me heartily on the shoulder. “By -the way, what time is it?”</p> - -<p>As if in answer, seven bells rang out.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Good enough! There’s plenty of time to show you something before -dinner. And if you’re interested in that sort of thing we’ll certainly -have an enjoyable trip!”</p> - -<p>Well, here, indeed, was a man of moods.</p> - -<p class="fint">TO BE CONTINUED.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><a id="THE_MYSTERIOUS_RIDER"></a>THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER.<br /><br /> -<small>By E. K. NOSTWELL.</small></h2> - -<p>My shanty was situated in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming. With the -exception of two companions and some friendly trappers, who lived about -five miles distant, I had not seen a white man for nearly a year.</p> - -<p>One day I was out hunting with Anderson Picket. We had just sighted an -antelope, and were occupied in stalking the animal, when we suddenly -heard the neighing of a horse near us. Surprised at such an unusual -sound in a neighborhood where very few human beings were to be -encountered, we looked up and saw, hardly three hundred paces from us, a -rider whose head was uncovered and his long hair floating in the wind -that blew across the hills. He was a white-faced, haggard man, mounted -on a thin horse.</p> - -<p>For a few seconds he remained motionless, and then disappeared as -suddenly as he had come.</p> - -<p>“A highwayman,” whispered Picket.</p> - -<p>“What should a marauder be doing here?” I replied doubtfully, “for a -distance of three or four hundred miles no one, with the exception of -you, myself, and the trappers upon the creek, can be found. Not a single -soul to hold up. Let us see who the fellow is.”</p> - -<p>Quickly mounting our horses and dropping our game for the time being, we -galloped up the hill, following the stranger, who was slowly riding -toward the north.</p> - -<p>“That animal hasn’t had much fodder or rest lately,” laughed my -companion. “I’ll wager he hasn’t ten pounds of flesh on his bones.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know who the man is, and what he is doing alone in these -solitary hills,” said I inquisitively. “Come, get a gait on the horse; -let’s get our game, and follow the fellow.”</p> - -<p>After acting upon the suggestion, we returned to our pursuit, and were -hardly a hundred paces behind, when I shouted:</p> - -<p>“Hello, my man! Where are you bound for?”</p> - -<p>The horse turned its head toward us, but the rider did not move, and -immediately started off at a breakneck gallop.</p> - -<p>Although we were well mounted, and endeavored to follow him, he soon -disappeared in a path thickly overgrown with brushwood. We consequently -lost scent of the fugitive, and my companion very sensibly observed that -we had better not follow him, as he might easily blow out our brains, -under shelter of the rocks or hidden behind the brushwood, before we -were aware of his presence.</p> - -<p>We therefore retraced our steps toward our cabin, which we reached an -hour later.</p> - -<p>My second companion, who, in consequence of a slight wound, had remained -at home, came toward us in great excitement.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you’re back, boys!” he cried.</p> - -<p>“Heavens, man! what has happened?” I asked anxiously.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - -<p>He was as white as a corpse, and sighed as if relieved when we reached -him.</p> - -<p>“It was awful, I tell you, awful. In all my life I shall never forget -what has happened to me.”</p> - -<p>“Come along; stop your quaking, and tell us what’s wrong. Seen any -suckers or a ghost?” said I smilingly, while Anderson asked impatiently:</p> - -<p>“You’ve had a visit, haven’t you? A highwayman on an old gray nag——”</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” stammered Jim, quickly interrupting him. “Some -one was here, but it wasn’t a road man, it was a ghost.”</p> - -<p>While he said this, he shivered from head to foot, and looked around -anxiously on all sides.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a fool,” I laughed. “Tell us a straight story. What has -happened to you?”</p> - -<p>“Meanwhile we had reached the cabin, and, as I sprang from the saddle, -Jim pointed, with trembling hand, to the ground.”</p> - -<p>“Here, look at this; you can see the prints of the ghostly horse’s -hoofs,” said he, in a voice full of excitement. “I was cleaning up -things in the cabin, when I suddenly heard a noise outside. I thought -you fellows had returned, and went out-o’-doors to meet you. Horrified, -I sprang back; before me, on a horse, nothing but skin and bones, was a -man without a hat, with long black hair. He sat bolt upright in the -saddle; he had a thick black beard; his face was ashen gray, and two -eyes, wide open, stared at me in a ghastly way as only a specter’s can. -I wanted to cry out, but my tongue seemed glued to my mouth—I felt my -hair standing on end. Then the ghost turned his horse—started off at a -gallop—I could plainly hear the rattling of the rider’s and the horse’s -bones.”</p> - -<p>Jim shuddered again at the remembrance of the horrifying spectacle.</p> - -<p>“That was the same fellow that we followed,” cried Anderson; and I could -only agree with him.</p> - -<p>We then told Jim of our adventure, and quieted him by reasoning that it -could not have been a ghost, but simply a human being, possibly some -lunatic.</p> - -<p>It was my custom before going to bed, to look after the horses. I left -the hut that evening as usual, but hardly had I taken a few steps when -suddenly I stopped as though my feet were rooted to the ground.</p> - -<p>Directly in front of me, in the bright moonlight, stood the same ghastly -rider. His long black hair hung loosely round a ghastly face. The eyes -were sunk deep in their sockets. The mouth was wide open, and the -glimmer of the white teeth could be seen behind the black beard; in his -left hand he held the reins, while the right hung limply by his side. He -sat in the saddle as though hewn out of stone, without the slightest -motion.</p> - -<p>I had the same feeling as Jim. I wanted to cry out, but could not; only -a hoarse whisper came from my throat, but instinctively my hand sought -the revolver at my side. I slowly raised my six-shooter, and covered the -frightful apparition. Then I found my voice.</p> - -<p>“Who are you? Answer, or I’ll shoot!” I said.</p> - -<p>At the sound of my voice, the horse, which consisted of nothing but skin -and bones, jumped to one side, and both horse and rider went off at a -breakneck gallop, the bullets which I sent after them taking no effect. -I distinctly heard the peculiar rattle of which Jim had spoken,<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> and -which gradually grew dimmer and dimmer, until nothing could be -distinguished but the far-off clatter of horse’s hoofs on the rocky -ground.</p> - -<p>My heart was beating violently as I reëntered the hut.</p> - -<p>Not one of us closed an eye that night. I tossed to and fro, in vain -speculating what was to be done if the uncanny thing reappeared. When at -last morning dawned, I resolved to ride over to the trappers at the -creek and get their advice.</p> - -<p>Soon after sunrise I started, and, after two hours’ ride, saw the shanty -of my friends some little distance off. They came to meet me with their -guns in their hands, ready to shoot.</p> - -<p>“Lucky for you that our eyes are accustomed to long range, and that the -air is clear to-day, else either you or your horse would have a bullet -between his bones now,” said the elder of the two trappers, as I reached -them, holding out his hand in friendly greeting.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” acquiesced the other, also shaking hands, but with a very -solemn air. “Charlie is right. We were ready to shoot, but luckily saw -our mistake in time.”</p> - -<p>“Since yesterday we have been on the watch. We’ve been fooled long -enough, and mean to make an end to this infernal nonsense,” said the -first trapper.</p> - -<p>“Has a singular-looking rider also paid you a visit?” I cried eagerly.</p> - -<p>The friends looked at each other in astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Do you know the beggar?” asked Jack quickly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know him, but it is on his account that I’m here.”</p> - -<p>And I related our adventure, to which both listened attentively.</p> - -<p>“No doubt it’s the same fellow who got the best of us,” said Charlie; -shaking his head. “Day before yesterday we saw him for the first time. -He took no notice of us, and seemed to be deaf to our shots. About noon -he and his miserable old horse stood there, just opposite our shanty. -‘Hello, what do you want?’ I called out. No answer. A minute afterward -he was gone. In the evening he drew rein up there on the hill again. As -he wouldn’t answer me, I lost patience, and got out my shooter, but -before I could raise it, the fellow again disappeared. But I’m not going -to be fooled to-day. I’ll send a bullet through him, or his horse.”</p> - -<p>I willingly accepted the trappers’ invitation to stay with them during -the day. Our conversation turned almost exclusively on the mysterious -stranger. In the afternoon I accompanied them to their traps, and while -they were setting them I walked up and down with my gun in my hand. We -had resolved as soon as the rider should reappear, to shoot his horse, -and in that way get this singular creature into our hands.</p> - -<p>The day was drawing to a close, and the peaks of the mountains were dyed -in the sunlight.</p> - -<p>“The fellow has a notion we’re going for him,” said Jack. “I shouldn’t -be sorry if he slipped by us now, for I’m anxious to see what sort -of——”</p> - -<p>He stopped suddenly, and the words seemed as if frozen to his lips as he -stood staring at the rocks opposite the hut. There, on the top of the -hills, clearly outlined against the red sky, was the ghostly rider. I -also stood staring, spellbound, at the apparition. Then a shot rang out, -and the horse fell forward.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come on, and don’t let the fellow crawl from under and get out,” cried -Charlie, the smoking gun still in his hand, and pulling the revolvers -from our belts we all scurried over the frozen creek that ran in front -of the shanty, and up the declivity.</p> - -<p>Jack was the first to reach the top. With one bound he stood next to the -rider, who lay motionless on the quivering horse, of which he was still -astride.</p> - -<p>“Hold him!” yelled Charlie, with whom I was close on Jack’s heels.</p> - -<p>“It’s not necessary,” said Jack, bewildered, “for you’ve shot the beggar -dead.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense,” said Charlie angrily. “I know exactly where my bullet hit. I -aimed at the horse’s left eye,” he added. “There it is.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Jack was examining the rider closely.</p> - -<p>“What is this?” he cried, astonished. “The fellow is bound fast to the -horse—look here—even with a chain.” Horrified, he sprang back. “Look, -the man has a mark around his neck. Great Heaven, he’s been -hanging—he’s been lashed to the horse, and the poor beast has been -carrying around a lifeless burden.”</p> - -<p>Filled with astonishment and horror, we saw that Jack’s suspicions -admitted of no doubt. The rope had sunk deep into the man’s muscular -throat, and the knot was still attached to it.</p> - -<p>Charlie then raised the dead man’s head.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s Black Sam!” he exclaimed. “He was a wild fellow, but he got -his deserts. His gun was always ready, and he has sent many a good -fellow to pass in his checks. Who knows how long it is that he has been -astride this horse? Corpses do not decompose up here in the mountains, -but dry up; I’ve often noticed that in dead animals.”</p> - -<p>Shuddering, he turned away. The dead man, with his withered face and -staring eyes, had a truly horrifying appearance.</p> - -<p>“What’ll we do with him?” asked Jack, after a short pause.</p> - -<p>Charlie considered a moment, then answered, while he unfastened the -bands which tied the dead man to the dead horse:</p> - -<p>“Lend a hand here, boys! It’s our duty to give him a Christian burial. -Let’s push him in the gully.”</p> - -<p>In a few moments the dead man was released; Charlie took him by the -shoulders, Jack and I by the legs, and so we carried him to the place -indicated, and, by our united efforts, soon had a grave dug, in which he -was laid. After this had been filled in, we rolled stones and small -rocks over it to prevent the wolves from disturbing the dead.</p> - -<p>It was night before we had finished our work. A solemn stillness reigned -over all; no sound was to be heard, and, with uncovered heads, we -uttered a short prayer.</p> - -<p>“God be merciful to this poor sinner,” added Charlie.</p> - -<p>Then we silently returned to the hut.</p> - -<p>We retired that night earlier than usual, and even in my dreams the -ghostly rider appeared to me. I awoke several times bathed in -perspiration, disturbed by the loud howls piercing the stillness of the -night. Wolves were eagerly fighting over the bones of the dead horse.</p> - -<p>Next day I returned home, and related to my astonished friends the end -of the mysterious rider.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span class="big">THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS.</span></h2> - -<h3>Want Shorter Course.</h3> - -<p>The Cornell faculty has directed the committee on student affairs to -give serious consideration to the plan to cut down the length of the -varsity race at the Hudson regatta from four to three miles, and has -directed that committee to take the matter up with the stewards of the -Intercollegiate Rowing Association.</p> - -<p>The question of shortening this course was taken up seriously at a -recent meeting of the faculty, and a considerable number of the -professors expressed themselves as in favor of shortening the course. An -agitation by Cornell to this end may be expected during the winter.</p> - -<h3>Calf With Eight Good Legs.</h3> - -<p>Wrily Simpson, of Big Laurel, Va., owns a calf which has eight -well-developed legs, the extra limbs being just behind the forelegs and -just in front of the hind legs. The animal gets about splendidly on its -extra walkers.</p> - -<h3>Exhibits of Ten Nations Arrive for the Fair.</h3> - -<p>Large consignments of foreign and domestic exhibits are arriving daily -for the Panama Exposition, which will be opened promptly February 20, -1915. The latest consignments are:</p> - -<p>Japanese shipment of 1,671 cases; 1,568 crates and cases from Canada; -126,000 pounds of exhibits from the Philippines; 110,000 pounds of -materials from the Argentine.</p> - -<p>Heavy shipments from England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, -and Italy are already on the grounds.</p> - -<h3>Two Prolific Apple Trees.</h3> - -<p>Frank Weber and John Trent, of Troy, Kan., picked from two trees -twenty-seven barrels of apples. They were of the York Imperial variety. -Trent’s orchard is considered one of the most productive in that -section.</p> - -<h3>Wireless Tit-for-tat Shots.</h3> - -<p>Europe’s two principal wireless stations, the Eiffel Tower, at Paris, -and the Nauen Tower, between Berlin and Hamburg, have been exchanging -conversations.</p> - -<p>The Nauen operator, discovering that the Eiffel was able to pick up his -war messages ticked an indictment of Eiffel’s news as flimsy and -unreliable, to which the Eiffel rushed a long, rhyming retort, jeering -the Germany army for its failure to reach Paris, and concluding:</p> - -<p>“Despite your fine telegraphic victories, the Germans are slowly -plunging into an abyss.”</p> - -<h3>Oldfield Wins Desert Race.</h3> - -<p>Barney Oldfield, “master driver of the world,” is the title the -automobile speed king now is wearing.</p> - -<p>Greeted by 15,000 cheering people, Oldfield drove in his car, a winner -of the 671-mile Los Angeles-Phoenix road race.</p> - -<p>Although led into the fair grounds seventeen minutes by Nikrent, -Oldfield won first place and a cash prize of $2,750 by thirty-six -minutes elapsed time. Oldfield’s elapsed time was 22 hours 59 minutes, -and his average<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> was 29.1 miles per hour. Nikrent’s time was 23 hours 35 -minutes.</p> - -<p>The 134 miles from Prescott, the second-night control, was driven in -mud, and the drivers and cars were covered with a coat of clay.</p> - -<h3>Town Sells Jail at Auction.</h3> - -<p>Noank, Conn., is getting rid of some of its luxuries. The lockup and -contents have been sold at auction and brought $83.12.</p> - -<p>The jail building, an unpretentious affair as compared with the Tombs in -New York, was knocked down to Squadrito Brothers, of Mystic, for $75, -and two other bids took the jail stove and utensils for $6.87. A quilt -and mattress fetched $1.25.</p> - -<h3>Schoolhouse Topples Over.</h3> - -<p>While the school at Sulphur Point, Fla., was being dismissed for recess, -the building, which was built on high blocks, suddenly toppled over and -went crashing to the ground, killing a cow that happened to be lying -alongside of it. Fortunately none of the inmates were injured. A crowd -gathered and succeeded in freeing the carcass of the cow by raising the -building back into its place. Studies were resumed after the excitement -died down, but some repairs have been made to the schoolhouse.</p> - -<h3>Old Gravestone is Replaced.</h3> - -<p>A century-old gravestone, made in 1814 to mark the graves of two victims -of an Indian massacre near Alton, Ill., was brought to an Alton -stonecutter to be repaired.</p> - -<p>The stone, which commemorated the deaths of William and Joel Moore, July -10, 1814, had been split by the weather, and the parts will be cemented -together. It was a rough sandstone slab, not smoothed, and the early-day -pioneer had carved out an inscription in the sandstone with some crude -tool. The letters are still legible.</p> - -<p>A granite tablet has been placed on the site where the sandstone slab -was found, and the slab has been taken as a relic by Irby Williams.</p> - -<h3>Prophesied His Long Sleep.</h3> - -<p>“I feel so tired that I believe I could sleep forever,” remarked C. A. -Kinkaid to a hotel clerk at Seattle, Wash., as he obtained his key and -repaired to his room.</p> - -<p>On the following afternoon Kinkaid was found dead. Death was due to -asphyxiation, and evidently was accidental. One of the gas burners was -partly open, but the window was up about six inches.</p> - -<p>Kinkaid, who was a bridge carpenter, was a well-known member of the -Eagles. He is survived by a wife, who left the city a few weeks ago to -visit relatives in Lafayette, Ohio.</p> - -<h3>State Map Made from Seeds.</h3> - -<p>One of the unique agricultural exhibits that will be displayed at the -Pan-American Exposition is a grain map of Kansas, made from twenty-eight -varieties of field and garden seeds by J. C. Hastings, of Grantville, -Kan. The grains and seeds are glued to a canvas, and the coloring<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -contained in the ordinary map of Kansas is carried out so far as -possible with the various grains, so that the reproduction shows a -splendid similarity. The size of the map is 48×88, and the grain on it -weighs nineteen pounds.</p> - -<h3>Boy Helps Build Church.</h3> - -<p>Verne Hall, fifteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. George Hall, of -Portland, Ore., is helping to build a church by soliciting bricks and -hauling them to the site of the new St. John’s edifice. In answer to his -letter to Governor West, he received 500 bricks.</p> - -<h3>Hole Was Dug by Scientist.</h3> - -<p>The English newspapers recently made what they declared to be a -startling discovery of extensive underground galleries at Totternhoe, in -the Chiltern Hills, which the Germans had dug, supposedly for some -mysterious military purpose. The residents of the neighborhood even -described the Germans and the mysterious way in which their excavations -were conducted.</p> - -<p>William M. Safford, whom the <i>Observer</i> describes as a distinguished -American scholar, now writes to that newspaper declaring that he made -the excavations. Mr. Safford says he discovered a cavern, which was -nearly closed, and that his excavations in it disclosed carvings on -stone dating 1613.</p> - -<h3>Quits Cattle for Turkeys.</h3> - -<p>Herding turkeys is a new way of making a living discovered by J. W. -Abrams, of Springfield, Colorado. Abrams herds nearly a thousand turkeys -through the Colorado alfalfa fields every year, letting the birds feed -on grasshoppers. Two especially trained collie dogs assist in the work -of herding. The ranchers are glad to have the pests which destroy their -crops eaten from the fields, so Abrams and his outfit are welcome -wherever they go.</p> - -<p>An old cow pony, with a slicker, a shelter tent, and a cooking outfit -packed on his back; two beautifully marked collies, and a thousand -bronze turkeys, strutting and gobbling, make up the outfit. Abrams -always herds within reaching distance of a stream, so his charges can -get plenty of water.</p> - -<p>When the turkey herder sold his flock last year at Thanksgiving time, -the $2,450 he received was almost clear profit. Abrams had 980 birds, -averaging ten pounds apiece. He topped the market with his -grasshopper-fed turkeys, receiving twenty-five cents a pound on the lot.</p> - -<p>The only expense the birds had been to him was for oil to run his -incubators, feed during the first six weeks of their lives, when they -were too small to herd, rent on the ten-acre place where they were -hatched, and the cost of raising a small field of spelt in which they -ran to fatten after the fall frosts had killed the grasshoppers. Some -turkey hens which he kept through the winter laid the eggs he set in the -incubators.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t difficult to teach young turkeys to let dogs herd them,” -Abrams said. “They are rather timid at first. But Jeff and Mutt, here, -have been trained never to frighten the birds. You’ll notice they never -bark at them, just growl a little and pretend to snap at their legs when -they don’t behave. Turkeys are stupid birds, you know. Every flock has a -leader, who walks ahead. The others follow him blindly. I always keep an -old gobbler from the year before for a leader. He is used to the dogs, -and Jeff and Mutt manage the flock by guiding him.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>”</p> - -<p>The real work of the two dogs begins at dusk, when they herd the turkeys -to the nearest shelter and keep them there until they settle for the -night. When their master has cooked and eaten his supper and has rolled -up in his blankets for his night’s sleep, it is their duty to guard the -flock from wandering skunks, stray coyotes, cats, and other animals who -are fond of young turkey. By dawn the old gobbler is stirring, eager for -a breakfast of bugs and grasshoppers.</p> - -<p>Abrams was a cowboy before he started herding turkeys, about five years -ago.</p> - -<p>“The range was all fenced in Colorado,” he said, “and it was up to me to -find some other job besides running cattle.”</p> - -<h3>“Big May,” Circus Lady, Dead.</h3> - -<p>Christiana Sinclair, who traveled with circus side shows as “Big May, -the tattooed woman,” is dead at her home at Baltimore, Md. She weighed -three hundred pounds.</p> - -<h3>Eyewitnesses Tell How “Audacious” Sank.</h3> - -<p>According to witnesses of the sinking of the great British dreadnaught -<i>Audacious</i>, off the coast of Ireland, there was only one fatality. -Naval men in New York unite in praise of the work of the crew of the -steamship <i>Olympic</i>, in effecting the rescue of nearly nine hundred men -of the sea fighter’s crew. All those not taken off by the <i>Olympic</i> were -rescued by the British cruiser <i>Liverpool</i>.</p> - -<p>Whether the <i>Audacious</i> is still at the bottom of the sea or is being -repaired by the British admiralty and may again see service is now the -only mystery connected with reports of the vessel of the first line of -England’s naval defense falling victim to a German mine or torpedo. It -is the general opinion that the <i>Audacious</i> struck a mine.</p> - -<p>Two men who arrived in New York on the steamship <i>New York</i>, from -Liverpool, confirmed the stories of the loss of the warship that had -previously reached here, and added numerous details. One statement they -made was that the <i>Audacious</i> was blown up by the cruiser <i>Liverpool</i> at -nine p. m. on the day it was disabled. This has not been confirmed.</p> - -<p>The men who told the story were James Rupert Beames, leader of the -orchestra on the White Star liner <i>Olympic</i>, which rescued the crew of -the <i>Audacious</i> and made fruitless efforts to tow the battleship to -shoal water, and Hugh Griffiths, one of the orchestra musicians.</p> - -<p>The story of Beames, who was helped from time to time by Griffiths, -substantially was as follows:</p> - -<p>“Neither the <i>Liverpool</i> nor the other small warship that had steamed to -the work of rescue was capable of saving the superdreadnaught.</p> - -<p>“It was decided that the <i>Liverpool</i> could better risk hitting a mine -than could the <i>Olympic</i>, and for this reason the <i>Liverpool</i> made a -serpentine maneuver ahead of the <i>Olympic</i> as a feeler for mines.</p> - -<p>“Hardly had the <i>Liverpool</i> cut across our bow when the order was given -to man the starboard lifeboats. Before this a call had been issued for -volunteers.</p> - -<p>“More answered than the boats could accommodate, and when it came time -for action the <i>Olympic’s</i> crew actually fought to get into the boats, -so eager were they to do something for their country and for the sailors -on the doomed <i>Audacious</i>. When one of the boats hit the water they -found in it a little bell boy, eleven years old, who carried messages to -and from the purser’s office.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Although the starboard lifeboats were manned, Captain Haddock suddenly -changed his plan.</p> - -<p>“Instead of dropping down on the port side of the pounding warrior, he -decided to put about and approach on the starboard side. By so doing he -made a lee, which enabled the fourteen lifeboats dropped from the port -side to accomplish a task that never could have been done if the -original plan had been put into effect.</p> - -<p>“The seas were high, and the men in the <i>Olympic’s</i> lifeboats had a hard -pull. It took them twenty minutes to get over to the <i>Audacious</i>, which -lay about five hundred yards away. We could see the crew at quarters. -They were the calmest body of men I ever have seen. The discipline was -perfect. Through the binoculars the captain of the <i>Audacious</i> was seen -walking up and down the deck calmly, with his hands behind his back. The -rescue work proceeded rapidly, and there was but one fatality.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Olympic</i> dropped anchor off Lough Swilly at eight p. m. An hour -later a tremendous flash lighted up the entire ship. We rushed to the -deck and could see, for fully twenty seconds afterward, burning -fragments shooting upward from the place where the <i>Audacious</i> had been. -Then there came a roar. It sounded, they said, as if some mammoth boiler -were letting off steam. It stopped as suddenly as it came. That was the -end of the <i>Audacious</i>.</p> - -<p>“As a reason for destroying the <i>Audacious</i> it was said that the -battleship was hopelessly damaged, and that if not blown up it would -become a menace to navigation.”</p> - -<h3>Seek Brave Man to Ring Haunted Bell.</h3> - -<p>At midnight Christmas Eve the ringing tones of “Big Sam,” the haunted -bell, as it is called at Richmond, Va., will be heard for the first time -from the tower of the new armory. Chief W. H. Thompson, of the -fire-and-police-signal system, makes this announcement, but he does so -with a hesitancy that frequently brings this question:</p> - -<p>“Are you sure?”</p> - -<p>“As reasonably sure as any one may be about anything in connection with -the haunted bell,” said Chief Thompson, still with an air of mystery and -as if evading a direct reply. “That bell has been silent almost from the -time it was brought to this city twenty-three years ago, and they say it -is haunted.”</p> - -<p>“So I’ve heard,” ventured the scribe, “but what about it?”</p> - -<p>“It has had a baleful influence upon everything connected with it. All -who had a hand in bringing it here are dead.”</p> - -<p>“Good gracious! What more?”</p> - -<p>“It is the biggest bell in the city. It weighs four thousand pounds. It -was presented to the Grace Street Presbyterian Church by David Sinton in -1891. We called it ‘Big Sam,’ and the first time he spoke he shook the -tower so hard all feared it would come down. The vibrations were so -great that it was decided not to ring it again, and, being useless, an -effort was made to sell it. The city bought it for the Blues armory in -November, 1909, but the acoustics there made it impossible to operate -the striker, and finally it was transferred to the new First Regiment -Armory and installed in the tower.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how about this midnight business on Christmas Eve? I would like -to know,” said the scribe, “because it may be that I won’t be here.”</p> - -<p>“I was directed to make the necessary connections so that it will strike -the hours, both day and night, and auto<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>matically strike all alarms of -fire, military, and special calls. It should be ready to strike the -midnight hour Christmas Eve.”</p> - -<p>“Will you have the honor of starting the apparatus that strikes the -first call?” Chief Thompson was asked.</p> - -<p>“No,” he replied quietly. “I told you that every one connected with the -haunted bell is dead. I shall sublet the contract of making the -connections. Now, possibly you, being a newspaper man and one used to -dangers, will——”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; I positively will not! Good night!”</p> - -<h3>Serenade for Newlyweds.</h3> - -<p>William Munn was married at Corry, Pa., on a recent evening, and while -the wedding supper was in progress a party of serenaders arrived. To -make the affair interesting, Munn’s friends set off several sticks of -dynamite. The charge shattered every window in the house, and the bride -and groom and several of the guests were hurled from the chairs upon -which they were sitting. To avoid arrest, the serenaders paid all of the -damages.</p> - -<h3>Strange Animal in His Trap.</h3> - -<p>Jerome Redmond, known all over the Northwest for his skill in trapping, -recently captured a strange animal in Lake Sixteen, Cheboygan County, -Michigan. It resembles an otter, only its body is more like a serpent. -It has two front legs, and its tail is shaped like that of a fish. -Running the full length of its back is a ridge with teeth like a saw’s. -Redmond has been offered one hundred dollars for it by the local -taxidermist, but refused the offer. The animal measures eight inches -from tip to tip.</p> - -<h3>Bars Whipping from School.</h3> - -<p>Corporal punishment has been abolished in the public schools at St. -Louis, Mo., except for extraordinary cases, as a result of the petition -of George E. Dieckman, chairman of the humane society executive -committee, who maintained that St. Louis was the only one of the big, -progressive cities in which this “brutal and ineffective punishment” was -preserved.</p> - -<p>The new regulation adopted by the board of education provides that -corporal punishment may be administered only in incorrigible cases, with -the consent of the parent, and in the presence of the principal. A thin -rattan is to be used. Slapping, shaking, and boxing the child’s ears are -all absolutely prohibited.</p> - -<h3>Daylight Bandits Get $25,000 in “Swag.”</h3> - -<p>The most daring robbery that has been perpetrated in Chicago in many -months, in which a jeweler, his clerk, and two other men were seized in -broad daylight, bound hand and foot with rope, held prisoners, and -menaced with revolvers, while gunmen robbed the safe of $25,000 in -jewelry and money, occurred recently.</p> - -<p>The scene of the robbery was the North Avenue loan bank and jewelry -store, 517 West North Avenue, founded six years ago by Max Klein and Max -Spear. An important part of the business is loaning money on jewelry, -and all the valuable pieces were in a safe in the rear of the store, -which was looted. The four men who were seized, bound, and held -prisoners while the men packed the loot in a suit case and got away were -Max Spear, partner and manager; George Kacker, clerk; Charles A. White, -customer, who entered while the robbers were at work, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> Frank Dallas, -a saloon keeper, who came in to get change for a twenty-dollar bill.</p> - -<p>All four victims remained bound hand and foot in the little rear office -for forty minutes while the money, watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, -and other jewelry were taken from the safe by one of the men, while the -other robber kept a gun close to their heads. They saw every detail of -the robbery, and finally watched the robbers depart.</p> - -<h3>Says 150 Hens Equal Six Bales of Cotton.</h3> - -<p>“One hundred and fifty hens equal six bales of cotton,” is the -economical equation demonstrated by George Echols, a farmer, of Brazos -County, Texas.</p> - -<p>Echols has a flock of 150 hens. He has sold, this year, $200 worth of -eggs. Reckoning sales for the next two months, and adding sales of live -poultry, making due allowance for eggs and poultry used by his family. -Echols figures he will clear $300 on his flock.</p> - -<p>Echols has a tenant who pays him $140 for the use of his farm land. The -tenant’s crop this season is six bales of cotton, worth but $40 more -than his rent. Under normal conditions the cotton would not net more -than $360. The cotton required most of the tenant’s time since April and -the feed of a team.</p> - -<p>Echols says his wife devoted only about one hour a day to the hens. -Counting the equipment of team and implements for growing cotton, and -contrasting the investment in chickens and poultry houses, Echols -declares the gross figures prove 150 hens are equal to six bales of -cotton.</p> - -<h3>Egg-laying Contest Closed.</h3> - -<p>The third international egg-laying test, held at Storrs, Conn., is -concluded, and every poultryman should be interested in the few -following facts:</p> - -<p>1—Of the five leading pens, three were from New England.</p> - -<p>2—The leading pen is owned by Francis F. Lincoln, of Mount Carmel, -Conn.</p> - -<p>3—The leading pen—White Leghorns—laid 2,088 eggs.</p> - -<p>4—Tom Barron’s White Wyandottes finished second, with 2,085 eggs.</p> - -<p>5—The average production per hen is 144 eggs.</p> - -<p>6—The highest individual record, 265 eggs, was made by a White -Wyandotte, owned by Merrythought Farm, Columbia, Conn.</p> - -<h3>Rabbit-killing Boy Released from Jail.</h3> - -<p>Oscar Phillipson, of Plainfield, N. J., the nineteen-year-old boy who -was recently sentenced to the county jail for 120 days for shooting a -rabbit, is at liberty on bail pending an appeal. Former Mayor N. B. -Smalley put up the $250 bail.</p> - -<p>Ernest Napier, president of the State game commission, and William -Hoblitzel, game warden for Union County, conferred with Mr. Angleman, -the boy’s lawyer, and an appeal was decided upon. Justice of the Peace -Thomas Snape, who sentenced Phillipson, accepted Mr. Smalley’s bond and -Mr. Napier paid the $9 costs himself. They then went to Somerville and -brought Phillipson home in an automobile.</p> - -<p>Young Phillipson has declined a number of offers from men who want to -pay his fine. He has declined because he doesn’t want half of the fine -to go to the man who informed against him.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Napier upheld Justice Snape as well as Game Warden Hoblitzel in the -action taken over the violation of the game laws. At the same time he -said he was willing to do all in his power to relieve the present -situation, which has aroused so much public sentiment.</p> - -<p>There is a feeling that the case will not be argued on appeal. Governor -Fielder himself suggested an appeal as a means of getting the boy out of -jail in the event that the court of pardons, consisting of the governor, -the chancellor, and six members of the court of errors and appeals, -should not look favorably upon a pardon.</p> - -<p>The governor has directed his secretary, L. Edward Herrmann, to make an -investigation of the whole case in preparation for the meeting of the -court of pardons. Governor Fielder said it seemed to him that some plan -might be devised whereby the exaction of the maximum penalty might be -avoided where the circumstances seemed to warrant.</p> - -<h3>Newsboy Becomes Dairyman.</h3> - -<p>With nickels and pennies made after school hours and on Saturday selling -newspapers, Noble McKillip, thirteen years old, of Fort Worth, Texas, -has been paying for school books for himself and his eleven-year-old -sister, Goodie, and also car fare for both, and in addition clothed -himself and put so much in the bank each day. He has now set himself up -in the dairy business with his newspaper earnings. He drew his savings -out of the bank and paid for the cow, a four-gallon Jersey.</p> - -<p>Noble is a student in the Vickery school. Selling papers did not -interfere with his studies, and he is progressing rapidly in them and -expects to go through the higher branches.</p> - -<h3>De Oro’s Mark to Stand a Long Time.</h3> - -<p>Alfredo de Oro, the world’s champion at three-cushion billiards, has -experienced the thrills of victory in many hard-fought matches, but it -is doubtful if any of his performances afford him greater satisfaction -than his world’s record run of 13, made in his match with George Moore, -for the three-cushion title, at New York, recently.</p> - -<p>Previous to this, the best mark of the veteran Cuban in a title match -was ten, but now that he hoisted the mark three points, it may stand for -a long time. The present season has been productive of some phenomenal -performances at the angle game. Early in the season, Pierre Maupome, the -Mexican expert, ran eighteen in a practicing game at St. Louis, and a -little later August Kieckhefer, champion of the Interstate Three-cushion -League, made a run of seventeen points in a game at Milwaukee.</p> - -<p>Quite as remarkable as these two big runs was the performance of Harry -Wakefield, one of San Francisco’s leading experts, who in a game against -a coast amateur scored fifty points in twenty-two innings. Wakefield -started With 5, 5, 2, 5, and then electrified the crowd with a run of -fifteen on his next trial, giving him thirty-two points in five innings. -He made forty-six points in sixteen innings, and in the seventeenth -inning scored three, missing his fiftieth point by a whisker. His -opponent played five safety shots in succession, so that it took -Wakefield five more innings to count his remaining point. Among those -who saw the performance were Joe Carney, former three-cushion national -champion, and W. H. Sigourney, the well-known balkline amateur.</p> - -<p>With the big Interstate Three-cushion League affording<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> the sixteen -contestants every incentive to practice, some great performances can be -looked for.</p> - -<p>This prediction also applies to the balkline stars playing in the -Champion Billiard Players League and to those who are not. The -contestants around the big circuit are getting more billiards this year -than any set of players have enjoyed in the history of the game in this -country.</p> - -<h3>Too Heavy for Hikes of War.</h3> - -<p>Rudolph Berger, who is a well-known operatic baritone singer, and who is -six feet five inches tall and tips the beam at 240 pounds, has arrived -at New York from Naples after serving three weeks in the Austrian army. -He took part in long marches. The Austrians started for Lemberg, but -Berger never got there. He was overweight, and after a while his feet -refused to carry him. He was allowed to abandon his military career. He -says he will become an American citizen.</p> - -<h3>New Fluid to Take Place of Gasoline.</h3> - -<p>John Andrus, a Portuguese, came to this country to make his fortune. He -has become an inventor. Recently the government paid him thirty thousand -dollars for a discovery he made in toughening armor plate. A much more -important discovery, however, has been made by Andrus. He is working on -a substitute for gasoline that can be manufactured, he says, for one and -one-half cents a gallon.</p> - -<p>According to some of the biggest men in the automobile business, who -have observed tests of the new fuel, it will revolutionize not only the -automobile business, but all manufacturing business. The substitute is -declared to be superior to gasoline in more respects than cost. It is -claimed that it runs automobiles faster and that when it is used the -engines are cleaner and cooler.</p> - -<p>Andrus has a good business head, and has interested influential men in -his plans. No stock is for sale, but the automobile men are talking -about the discovery as the most important news in their industry. They -say that the new fluid consists mostly of water, a little naphthalene, -and two secret ingredients. Andrus mixes these in a still to which heat -is applied. The fluid looks like water and smells like camphor balls.</p> - -<h3>Says His Rifle Fires 200 Shots a Minute.</h3> - -<p>A one-man gun, invented by a Rochester man, and guaranteed by him to -increase a soldier’s fighting efficiency twenty or thirty times, is for -sale. Its inventor, Harry W. Sweeting, says he has begun negotiations -with Germany for the sale of the invention, which he has protected by -American patents. Mr. Sweeting is now in New York on his way to -Washington. At the Park Avenue Hotel he admitted that he was trying to -sell the gun to Germany, but hinted that there was some probability of -negotiations with this government.</p> - -<p>The new gun weighs only nine pounds, half a pound more than the present -standard rifle. It will fire from 165 to 200 shots a minute, Mr. -Sweeting said, ninety shots consecutively without being taken from the -shoulder. He says the velocity is 2,700 feet a second.</p> - -<p>“By holding the trigger back,” Mr. Sweeting said, “ninety shots are -fired. The ejector is on the under side. The sight is only three inches -from the eye, giving a quicker and more accurate aim than in the present -rifles,<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> in some of which the sight is thirteen inches from the eye.</p> - -<p>“My gun has only one-third as many working parts as the present rifle. -There is not a flat spring in the gun, and all the parts are inclosed, -which protects them from the weather. It has safety locks which make it -impossible to fire after the gun misses fire, and a self-cleaning -device. Give me the gun to bring down a man a mile away who is six feet -from a tree and I will get him before he gets to the tree. If I should -fail, I can shoot him through the tree, if it is not more than eighteen -inches in diameter.”</p> - -<p>The inventor has been working on the invention for more than a year. His -thirty-eight pages of specifications are registered with the Patent -Office.</p> - -<h3>Dollar a Year is His Salary.</h3> - -<p>At a salary of one dollar a year, Frederick W. M. Burmeister has been -appointed custodian of the cut-off channel front and rear-range lights -in the Patapsco River, near Baltimore, Md.</p> - -<p>Custodian Burmeister has but few duties to perform. In addition to his -salary, he has the free use of a home on the lighthouse reservation. He -could not be carried on the government pay rolls without a specified -salary, and to give official importance and responsibility the salary of -one dollar was agreed upon.</p> - -<p>It was not stated whether he would be paid monthly, as is the -department’s custom, or let it accrue to the end of the year.</p> - -<h3>Big Eagle Drops Baby.</h3> - -<p>About two weeks ago a posse of farmers scoured Will County, Illinois, -for two huge eagles, which were killing hundreds of chickens and young -turkeys. One of the pair was killed. The other disappeared, and the -hunters finally abandoned the hunt.</p> - -<p>On a recent morning, Delmer Reeves, the two-year-old son of David -Reeves, was playing in the back yard of the Reeves home. His mother -heard the child scream and rushed to the door in time to see an enormous -bird clutch the baby by his dress and lift him from the ground.</p> - -<p>The mother screamed, and the eagle dropped the child after the baby had -been carried a few feet. The eagle’s talons badly lacerated the child’s -flesh. Members of the farmers’ posse have resumed their hunt for the -dangerous visitor.</p> - -<h3>“Wild Man” Was Only Ill.</h3> - -<p>Women and girls of Port Jefferson, L. I., who had been frightened -frequently in the last few months by the appearance in deserted -stretches of road near the town of a “wild man,” learned with relief -recently that Constable Harry Gover had caught the man. Their fears -changed to sympathy when they learned the wild man’s story, and his -capture probably will result in his getting assistance.</p> - -<p>He said his name was Juan Rodriguez, and that he had come from -Monterrey, Mexico, ten years ago. He was sent to a hospital in New York -some time ago, and eight months back was discharged as cured. It was -spring then, and he walked out into the country looking for work.</p> - -<p>His strength has been sapped by his long illness, he said, and at last -he found himself too weak to work. Then<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> he took to the woods, -subsisting on what he could beg at first, and then, as his clothes -became mere tatters and his appearance began to frighten strangers, on -what he could find in the woods.</p> - -<p>He said he had never accosted a woman or a girl, though he realized many -had seen him and had run, and he said he had frequently spent the night -in trees while he listened to farmers beating the woods around him for -traces of him after their wives or daughters had seen the wild man.</p> - -<p>He was fed, and decent clothes were given to him.</p> - -<h3>Three Boys Travel Far in Piano Box.</h3> - -<p>The trucker wheeled the heavy piano box into the Erie freight house, at -Fourteenth and Clark Streets, Chicago, and dumped it on the floor.</p> - -<p>“That’s some box!” he complained.</p> - -<p>“You bet it is!”</p> - -<p>The words came from the mouth of a youth whose grinning head stuck out -from the top of the box. The trucker fell over his truck and ran yelling -into the night. Attracted by the noise, the night watchman, William -Schimmel, came into the freight house.</p> - -<p>“Hey!” shouted the boy. “Can I get some water?”</p> - -<p>Schimmel questioned the head.</p> - -<p>“I’m Willard Montague, snake charmer,” it said. “Got two pythons and -their baby here. Get me some water for myself and some cocaine for the -snakes.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Schimmel left the freight house in a great hurry. He described what -he had seen and heard to C. D. Ward, general agent; A. C. Brundage, -claim agent; Policeman Toussaint, and Detectives Zohora and Jansen. Ward -called up James Burke, superintendent of the Chicago terminal division -of the Erie, who came down in his auto. The crowd grouped itself around -the box, which was marked. “Don’t Stand on End,” and signaled for the -young man inside to stick his head through the trap. Montague, grinning, -complied.</p> - -<p>Burke asked to see the snakes.</p> - -<p>“They’re wrapped up in those comforters,” said Montague. “I don’t like -to disturb ’em. Besides, I couldn’t get out of here in time.”</p> - -<p>Burke insisted. Montague made a dive at the comforters, whistled through -his teeth, and drew his hand out sharply.</p> - -<p>“One of ’em kinda catch you?” prompted Burke.</p> - -<p>“Yeah,” said Monty, sucking his thumb; “the big one sorta got me.”</p> - -<p>“How big are they?”</p> - -<p>“One’s ’bout eleven feet long. Ugly. Haven’t been fed. Been keeping them -asleep with ‘coke.’ Just run out of the dope.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let me see their scales,” Burke insisted.</p> - -<p>Two electric lights were rigged up and held in the opening so that Burke -and others might have a glimpse of the interior of the box.</p> - -<p>Monty was stirring up the blankets as though some monstrous reptile were -there.</p> - -<p>“Come, come!” said Burke. “If you don’t pull that comforter off that boa -constrictor I will.”</p> - -<p>Then the covering was yanked off and the men on top of the box looked -directly into the cherubic face of another grinning boy. Simultaneously -another heap of cov<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>ers back of Montague was thrown off and a third head -revealed.</p> - -<p>“Those are the pythons, are they?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, those are the snakes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, now, suppose you come out here and tell us the story.”</p> - -<p>One at a time the boys wriggled through the trapdoor and came out, -blinking, to face the audience. Each was bathed in perspiration and all -were in stocking feet.</p> - -<p>A reporter took their names: Willard Fox, 18 years old; Howillard Edward -Montague, 22 years old, and Carl Espe, 17 years old. All were from -Binghamton, N. Y.</p> - -<p>They had been disguised as a piano box for seven days, and were on their -way to Alameda, Cal., to the ranch of Montague’s uncle, Doctor William -Tappan Lumb. They chose to go as a piano box because it was cheaper than -three passenger tickets.</p> - -<p>The box was built by a carpenter in Binghamton. It had a false bottom -and the sides were padded. The boys put stones in the bottom, and also -their suit cases.</p> - -<p>“We expected to be on the way about three weeks,” said Monty, who seemed -to be the leader of the expedition. “We took along canned goods, bread -and cereals, coffee and tobacco.</p> - -<p>“We had a phonograph and records, but it is broken. We had also arranged -to have light. We had some electric batteries in the false bottom which -connected with a bulb, but the bulb broke.</p> - -<p>“There was also a stove and alcohol to run it. We have shoes, coats, -sweaters, hats, and, in fact, all our possessions.”</p> - -<p>They even had a framed certificate on the wall—Montague’s diploma from -the “Boan Lake, Mich., College of Manopathy.”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t have much sleep, add we got bumped around some,” said Fox, -“but, say, wasn’t it a peach of an adventure? My parents live in Wiegel, -N. Y., and Monty and Espe haven’t any.”</p> - -<p>“The boys have violated a Federal interstate law,” said Mr. Burke, “but -I don’t know what action the road will take. We shall probably take -steps against the shipper and the man who was to receive them at the -other end. The fare was to be paid in Alameda.”</p> - -<p>Officer Toussaint questioned the travelers, then turned them over to the -South Clark Street police. He could not say definitely what would be -done with them.<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"><img src="images/songs.png" -width="550" -alt="" /></p> - -<p class="cb"><span class="cbig250">300 SONGS 10c</span></p> - -<p class="nind">ON MOONLIGHT BAY; I’d Love to Live in Loveland; If You Talk in Your -Sleep; Oh Mr. Dream Man; Everybody’s Doin’ It; When I Was 21 and You -Were Sweet 16; Is it Very Far to Heaven; After the Honeymoon; I’m Going -Back to Dixie; Alexander’s Ragtime Band; Oh You Beautiful Doll; Casey -Jones; Grizzly Bear; Red Wing; They Always Pick on Me; Put on Your Old -Grey Bonnet; Steamboat Bill; Let Me Call You Sweetheart; Roses Bring -Dreams of You; Silver Bell; Billy; Mysterious Rag etc. OVER 300 Latest -Song Hits & 10 pieces PIANO MUSIC for 10c. -ENTERPRISE CO., TT 3348 LOWE AVE., CHICAGO.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"><img src="images/threehalf.png" -width="550" -alt="" /></p> - -<p class="cb"><span class="cbig250">3⅓c a Day</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">now buys a dazzling Lachnite Gem. Their brilliance is eternal—they -stand fire and acid tests and cut glass like diamonds. Cost but -one-thirtieth as much. <b>Set in solid gold.</b> The newest designs. Sold -on Free Trial. See our new jewelry book.</p> - -<p><b>Write for Big Jewelry Book</b></p> - -<p>Your name and address is enough. No obligations whatever. Write -today—now.</p></div> - -<p class="cb"> -HAROLD LACHMAN COMPANY<br /> -12 N. Michigan Avenue, Dept. <span style="margin-left: 2em;">2341, Chicago, Ill.</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p><p><span class="pagenum"><a id="page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span class="cbig250">The Nick Carter Stories</span></h2> - -<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 id="page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind"> -692—Doctor Quartz Again.<br /> -693—The Famous Case of Doctor Quartz.<br /> -694—The Chemical Clue.<br /> -695—The Prison Cipher.<br /> -696—A Pupil of Doctor Quartz.<br /> -697—The Midnight Visitor.<br /> -698—The Master Crook’s Match.<br /> -699—The Man Who Vanished.<br /> -700—The Garnet Gauntlet.<br /> -701—The Silver Hair Mystery.<br /> -702—The Cloak of Guilt.<br /> -703—A Battle for a Million.<br /> -704—Written in Red.<br /> -707—Rogues of the Air.<br /> -709—The Bolt from the Blue.<br /> -710—The Stockbridge Affair.<br /> -711—A Secret from the Past.<br /> -712—Playing the Last Hand.<br /> -713—A Slick Article.<br /> -714—The Taxicab Riddle.<br /> -715—The Knife Thrower.<br /> -717—The Master 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 /> -737—The Mark of a Circle.<br /> -738—A Plot Within a Plot.<br /> -739—The Dead Accomplice.<br /> -741—The Green Scarab.<br /> -743—A Shot in the Dark.<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 /> -778—A Six-word Puzzle.<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 /> -786—The Heir of Dr. Quartz.<br /> -787—Dr. Quartz, the Second.<br /> -789—The Great Hotel Tragedies.<br /> -790—Zanoni, the Witch.<br /> -791—A Vengeful Sorceress.<br /> -794—Doctor Quartz’s Last Play.<br /> -795—Zanoni, the Transfigured.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>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 /> -806—Nick Carter and the Broken Dagger.<br /> -807—Nick Carter’s Advertisement.<br /> -808—The Kregoff Necklace.<br /> -809—The Footprints on the Rug.<br /> -810—The Copper Cylinder.<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 /> -817—In the Canadian Wilds.<br /> -818—The Niagara Smugglers.<br /> -819—The Man Hunt.<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 /> -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 /> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>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 /> -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 /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Dated December 5th, 1914.</span><br /> -117—The Deadly Parallel.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Dated December 12th, 1914.</span><br /> -118—The Vivisectionists.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Dated December 19th, 1914.</span><br /> -119—The Stolen Brain.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Dated December 26th, 1914.</span><br /> -120—An Uncanny Revenge.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a id="page_74">[Pg 74]</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="fint">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. 122, JANUARY 9, 1915; THE SUICIDE; OR NICK CARTER AND THE LOST HEAD ***</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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