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diff --git a/old/62010-0.txt b/old/62010-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 76cff99..0000000 --- a/old/62010-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8393 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Photographer's Evidence, by Nicholas 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'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: The Photographer's Evidence - Clever but Crooked - -Author: Nicholas Carter - -Release Date: May 3, 2020 [EBook #62010] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EVIDENCE *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Nahum Maso i Carcases, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - -The original spelling, hyphenation, and punctuation have been retained, -with the exception of apparent typographical errors which have been -corrected. - -Text in Italics is indicated between _underscores_. - -Text in small capitals has been replaced by regular uppercase text. - - * * * * * - - - - - NICK CARTER STORIES - - New Magnet Library - - _Not a Dull Book in This List_ - - ALL BY NICHOLAS CARTER - - -Nick Carter stands for an interesting detective story. The fact that -the books in this line are so uniformly good is entirely due to the -work of a specialist. The man who wrote these stories produced no -other type of fiction. His mind was concentrated upon the creation of -new plots and situations in which his hero emerged triumphantly from -all sorts of troubles and landed the criminal just where he should -be—behind the bars. - -The author of these stories knew more about writing detective stories -than any other single person. - -Following is a list of the best Nick Carter stories. They have been -selected with extreme care, and we unhesitatingly recommend each of -them as being fully as interesting as any detective story between cloth -covers which sells at ten times the price. - -If you do not know Nick Carter, buy a copy of any of the New Magnet -Library books, and get acquainted. He will surprise and delight you. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 850—Wanted: A Clew - 851—A Tangled Skein - 852—The Bullion Mystery - 853—The Man of Riddles - 854—A Miscarriage of Justice - 855—The Gloved Hand - 856—Spoilers and the Spoils - 857—The Deeper Game - 858—Bolts from Blue Skies - 859—Unseen Foes - 860—Knaves in High Places - 861—The Microbe of Crime - 862—In the Toils of Fear - 863—A Heritage of Trouble - 864—Called to Account - 865—The Just and the Unjust - 866—Instinct at Fault - 867—A Rogue Worth Trapping - 868—A Rope of Slender Threads - 869—The Last Call - 870—The Spoils of Chance - 871—A Struggle with Destiny - 872—The Slave of Crime - 873—The Crook’s Blind - 874—A Rascal of Quality - 875—With Shackles of Fire - 876—The Man Who Changed Faces - 877—The Fixed Alibi - 878—Out with the Tide - 879—The Soul Destroyers - 880—The Wages of Rascality - 881—Birds of Prey - 882—When Destruction Threatens - 883—The Keeper of Black Hounds - 884—The Door of Doubt - 885—The Wolf Within - 886—A Perilous Parole - 887—The Trail of the Finger Prints - 888—Dodging the Law - 889—A Crime in Paradise - 890—On the Ragged Edge - 891—The Red God of Tragedy - 892—The Man Who Paid - 893—The Blind Man’s Daughter - 894—One Object in Life - 895—As a Crook Sows - 896—In Record Time - 897—Held in Suspense - 898—The $100,000 Kiss - 899—Just One Slip - 900—On a Million-dollar Trail - 901—A Weird Treasure - 902—The Middle Link - 903—To the Ends of the Earth - 904—When Honors Pall - 905—The Yellow Brand - 906—A New Serpent in Eden - 907—When Brave Men Tremble - 908—A Test of Courage - 909—Where Peril Beckons - 910—The Garoni Girdle - 911—Rascals & Co. - 912—Too Late to Talk - 913—Satan’s Apt Pupil - 914—The Girl Prisoner - 915—The Danger of Folly - 916—One Shipwreck Too Many - 917—Scourged by Fear - 918—The Red Plague - 919—Scoundrels Rampant - 920—From Clew to Clew - 921—When Rogues Conspire - 922—Twelve in a Grave - 923—The Great Opium Case - 924—A Conspiracy of Rumors - 925—A Klondike Claim - 926—The Evil Formula - 927—The Man of Many Faces - 928—The Great Enigma - 929—The Burden of Proof - 930—The Stolen Brain - 931—A Titled Counterfeiter - 932—The Magic Necklace - 933—’Round the World for a Quarter - 934—Over the Edge of the World - 935—In the Grip of Fate - 936—The Case of Many Clews - 937—The Sealed Door - 938—Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men - 939—The Man Without a Will - 940—Tracked Across the Atlantic - 941—A Clew from the Unknown - 942—The Crime of a Countess - 943—A Mixed up Mess - 944—The Great Money-order Swindle - 945—The Adder’s Brood - 946—A Wall Street Haul - 947—For a Pawned Crown - 948—Sealed Orders - 949—The Hate that Kills - 950—The American Marquis - 951—The Needy Nine - 952—Fighting Against Millions - 953—Outlaws of the Blue - 954—The Old Detective’s Pupil - 955—Found in the Jungle - 956—The Mysterious Mail Robbery - 957—Broken Bars - 958—A Fair Criminal - 959—Won by Magic - 960—The Piano Box Mystery - 961—The Man They Held Back - 962—A Millionaire Partner - 963—A Pressing Peril - 964—An Australian Klondike - 965—The Sultan’s Pearls - 966—The Double Shuffle Club - 967—Paying the Price - 968—A Woman’s Hand - 969—A Network of Crime - 970—At Thompson’s Ranch - 971—The Crossed Needles - 972—The Diamond Mine Case - 973—Blood Will Tell - 974—An Accidental Password - 975—The Crook’s Double - 976—Two Plus Two - 977—The Yellow Label - 978—The Clever Celestial - 979—The Amphitheater Plot - 980—Gideon Drexel’s Millions - 981—Death in Life - 982—A Stolen Identity - 983—Evidence by Telephone - 984—The Twelve Tin Boxes - 985—Clew Against Clew - 986—Lady Velvet - 987—Playing a Bold Game - 988—A Dead Man’s Grip - 989—Snarled Identities - 990—A Deposit Vault Puzzle - 991—The Crescent Brotherhood - 992—The Stolen Pay Train - 993—The Sea Fox - 994—Wanted by Two Clients - 995—The Van Alstine Case - 996—Check No. 777 - 997—Partners in Peril - 998—Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé - 999—The Sign of the Crossed Knives - 1000—The Man Who Vanished - 1001—A Battle for the Right - 1002—A Game of Craft - 1003—Nick Carter’s Retainer - 1004—Caught in the Toils - 1005—A Broken Bond - 1006—The Crime of the French Café - 1007—The Man Who Stole Millions - 1008—The Twelve Wise Men - 1009—Hidden Foes - 1010—A Gamblers’ Syndicate - 1011—A Chance Discovery - 1012—Among the Counterfeiters - 1013—A Threefold Disappearance - 1014—At Odds with Scotland Yard - 1015—A Princess of Crime - 1016—Found on the Beach - 1017—A Spinner of Death - 1018—The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor - 1019—A Bogus Clew - 1020—The Puzzle of Five Pistols - 1021—The Secret of the Marble Mantle - 1022—A Bite of an Apple - 1023—A Triple Crime - 1024—The Stolen Race Horse - 1025—Wildfire - 1026—A _Herald_ Personal - 1027—The Finger of Suspicion - 1028—The Crimson Clew - 1029—Nick Carter Down East - 1030—The Chain of Clews - 1031—A Victim of Circumstances - 1032—Brought to Bay - 1033—The Dynamite Trap - 1034—A Scrap of Black Lace - 1035—The Woman of Evil - 1036—A Legacy of Hate - 1037—A Trusted Rogue - 1038—Man Against Man - 1039—The Demons of the Night - 1040—The Brotherhood of Death - 1041—At the Knife’s Point - 1042—A Cry for Help - 1043—A Stroke of Policy - 1044—Hounded to Death - 1045—A Bargain in Crime - 1046—The Fatal Prescription - 1047—The Man of Iron - 1048—An Amazing Scoundrel - 1049—The Chain of Evidence - 1050—Paid with Death - 1051—A Fight for a Throne - 1052—The Woman of Steel - 1053—The Seal of Death - 1054—The Human Fiend - 1055—A Desperate Chance - 1056—A Chase in the Dark - 1057—The Snare and the Game - 1058—The Murray Hill Mystery - 1059—Nick Carter’s Close Call - 1060—The Missing Cotton King - 1061—A Game of Plots - 1062—The Prince of Liars - 1063—The Man at the Window - 1064—The Red League - 1065—The Price of a Secret - 1066—The Worst Case on Record - 1067—From Peril to Peril - 1068—The Seal of Silence - 1069—Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle - 1070—A Blackmailer’s Bluff - 1071—Heard in the Dark - 1072—A Checkmated Scoundrel - 1073—The Cashier’s Secret - 1074—Behind a Mask - 1075—The Cloak of Guilt - 1076—Two Villains in One - 1077—The Hot Air Clew - 1078—Run to Earth - 1079—The Certified Check - 1080—Weaving the Web - 1081—Beyond Pursuit - 1082—The Claws of the Tiger - 1083—Driven from Cover - 1084—A Deal in Diamonds - 1085—The Wizard of the Cue - 1086—A Race for Ten Thousand - 1087—The Criminal Link - 1088—The Red Signal - 1089—The Secret Panel - 1090—A Bonded Villain - 1091—A Move in the Dark - 1092—Against Desperate Odds - 1093—The Telltale Photographs - 1094—The Ruby Pin - 1095—The Queen of Diamonds - 1096—A Broken Trail - 1097—An Ingenious Stratagem - 1098—A Sharper’s Downfall - 1099—A Race Track Gamble - 1100—Without a Clew - 1101—The Council of Death - 1102—The Hole in the Vault - 1103—In Death’s Grip - 1104—A Great Conspiracy - 1105—The Guilty Governor - 1106—A Ring of Rascals - 1107—A Masterpiece of Crime - 1108—A Blow for Vengeance - 1109—Tangled Threads - 1110—The Crime of the Camera - 1111—The Sign of the Dagger - 1112—Nick Carter’s Promise - 1113—Marked for Death - 1114—The Limited Holdup - 1115—When the Trap Was Sprung - 1116—Through the Cellar Wall - 1117—Under the Tiger’s Claws - 1118—The Girl in the Case - 1119—Behind a Throne - 1120—The Lure of Gold - 1121—Hand to Hand - 1122—From a Prison Cell - 1123—Dr. Quartz, Magician - 1124—Into Nick Carter’s Web - 1125—The Mystic Diagram - 1126—The Hand that Won - 1127—Playing a Lone Hand - 1128—The Master Villain - 1129—The False Claimant - 1130—The Living Mask - 1131—The Crime and the Motive - 1132—A Mysterious Foe - 1133—A Missing Man - 1134—A Game Well Played - 1135—A Cigarette Clew - 1136—The Diamond Trail - 1137—The Silent Guardian - 1138—The Dead Stranger - 1140—The Doctor’s Stratagem - 1141—Following a Chance Clew - 1142—The Bank Draft Puzzle - 1143—The Price of Treachery - 1144—The Silent Partner - 1145—Ahead of the Game - 1146—A Trap of Tangled Wire - 1147—In the Gloom of Night - 1148—The Unaccountable Crook - 1149—A Bundle of Clews - 1150—The Great Diamond Syndicate - 1151—The Death Circle - 1152—The Toss of a Penny - 1153—One Step Too Far - 1154—The Terrible Thirteen - 1155—A Detective’s Theory - 1156—Nick Carter’s Auto Trail - 1157—A Triple Identity - 1158—A Mysterious Graft - 1159—A Carnival of Crime - 1160—The Bloodstone Terror - 1161—Trapped in His Own Net - 1162—The Last Move in the Game - 1163—A Victim of Deceit - 1164—With Links of Steel - 1165—A Plaything of Fate - 1166—The Key Ring Clew - 1167—Playing for a Fortune - 1168—At Mystery’s Threshold - 1169—Trapped by a Woman - 1170—The Four Fingered Glove - 1171—Nabob and Knave - 1172—The Broadway Cross - 1173—The Man Without a Conscience - 1174—A Master of Deviltry - 1175—Nick Carter’s Double Catch - 1176—Doctor Quartz’s Quick Move - 1177—The Vial of Death - 1178—Nick Carter’s Star Pupils - 1179—Nick Carter’s Girl Detective - 1180—A Baffled Oath - 1181—A Royal Thief - 1182—Down and Out - 1183—A Syndicate of Rascals - 1184—Played to a Finish - 1185—A Tangled Case - 1186—In Letters of Fire - 1187—Crossed Wires - 1188—A Plot Uncovered - 1189—The Cab Driver’s Secret - 1190—Nick Carter’s Death Warrant - 1191—The Plot that Failed - 1192—Nick Carter’s Masterpiece - 1193—A Prince of Rogues - 1194—In the Lap of Danger - 1195—The Man from London - 1196—Circumstantial Evidence - 1197—The Pretty Stenographer Mystery - 1198—A Villainous Scheme - 1199—A Plot Within a Plot - 1200—The Elevated Railroad Mystery - 1201—The Blow of a Hammer - 1202—The Twin Mystery - 1203—The Bottle with the Black Label - 1204—Under False Colors - 1205—A Ring of Dust - 1206—The Crown Diamond - 1207—The Blood-red Badge - 1208—The Barrel Mystery - 1209—The Photographer’s Evidence - 1210—Millions at Stake - 1211—The Man and his Price - 1212—A Double-Handed Game - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 1213—A Strike for Freedom - 1214—A Disciple of Satan - - - To be published in Aug., 1927. - - 1215—The Marked Hand - 1216—A Fight with a Fiend - 1217—When the Wicked Prosper - - - To be published in Sept., 1927. - - 1218—A Plunge into Crime - 1219—An Artful Schemer - - - To be published in Oct., 1927. - - 1220—Reaping the Whirlwind - 1221—Out of Crime’s Depths - - - To be published in Nov., 1927. - - 1222—A Woman at Bay - 1223—The Temple of Vice - - - To be published in Dec., 1927. - - 1224—Death at the Feast - 1225—A Double Plot - - - - - The Photographer’s Evidence - - OR - - CLEVER BUT CROOKED - - BY - NICHOLAS CARTER - - Author of “The Barrel Mystery,” “The Blood-red Badge,” - “The Crown Diamond,” etc. - - [Illustration] - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - - - Copyright, 1902-1903 - - By STREET & SMITH - - The Photographer’s Evidence - - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - Printed in the U.S.A. - - - - - THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EVIDENCE. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - A DOUBTFUL CLIENT. - - -“Mr. Carter, can I trust you?” - -It was in the great detective’s own house that this question was asked. - -“Well,” was Nick’s quiet answer, “if you had any doubt on that matter, -why did you come to me?” - -His caller looked nervously at the floor. - -“There’s no use in talking to me,” Nick went on, “unless you do trust -me. A detective can do nothing for a client who does not give him his -confidence absolutely.” - -“Of course,” the other assented; “I did not mean to offend you.” - -“You haven’t offended me.” - -“I am so disturbed by it, you see. So much depends on secrecy. It is -so terribly important that I found it difficult to make up my mind to -consult anybody on the matter; and yet I know by your reputation that -you are a perfectly trustworthy man. There is nobody in the States more -so.” - -While the man was speaking Nick was studying him. - -In fact, the detective had been doing that from the moment the man -entered. - -He was apparently about fifty years old; a well-dressed, -prosperous-looking man, who might be a merchant, or a lawyer, or a -banker. - -Nick did no guessing. The man might be anything else. He had given his -name as George Snell, but he had not sent in his card, and he had not -said where he belonged. - -Word had simply been taken to Nick by a servant that a Mr. George Snell -wanted to see him on “most important business.” - -“He isn’t an American,” was Nick’s only conclusion from what had been -said thus far. “An American would not have spoken simply of ‘the -States,’ as he did.” - -There had been a pause after the caller’s last remarks. - -“Well,” he exclaimed then, “I’m not coming more than two-thirds of the -way across the continent for nothing. I set out to consult you, and I -will do so.” - -“That’s better,” said the detective; and, willing to help him tell his -story, he asked: “What kind of a case is it, Mr. Snell?” - -“I suppose you’d call it kidnaping; but there’s robbery combined with -it, and—and also—also blackmail.” - -Mr. Snell hesitated and stammered a little at the end of this speech. - -Nick merely nodded. - -“To begin with,” continued Mr. Snell, “I come from Wenonah. You may not -be aware that the Government of England has made a large section of -Western British America into a province and called it Wenonah.” - -“Yes,” said Nick, “I am aware of that.” - -“You are a well-informed man. Few Americans would know the fact, for -the province is so young that it isn’t down on the maps yet. You know, -also, I suppose, that the capital of the province is a town called -Manchester?” - -“Yes.” - -“That is where the crime was committed. It happened a month ago. The -governor of the province, Bradley is his name, gave a party at his -house. All the prominent families of the town and country around -attended. There was dancing till a late hour. - -“Then, when the guests were going away, it was discovered that the -governor’s daughter, Estelle, was missing. She has not been seen since.” - -“How old is the child?” asked Nick. - -“Child?” echoed Mr. Snell, in apparent astonishment. Then he seemed to -understand, and added: “It is natural that you should use that word, -but the girl is twenty.” - -“Oh!” - -“She’s the governor’s only daughter, and heiress, therefore, to his -property, which is very great.” - -“Has nothing been heard from her?” - -“Indirectly, yes. Her captors have offered to restore her for a ransom.” - -“Has there been any attempt to deal with her captors?” - -“Yes, but nothing has come of it. There is doubt now whether she is -really in the hands of kidnapers.” - -“Ah! what then?” - -“I haven’t told you the whole story, Mr. Carter.” - -“Go on, then.” - -“The day after she disappeared it was found that a considerable amount -of jewelry had gone also.” - -“Did she wear it at the ball?” - -“Some of it, most of it, in fact. But that was not all. There were -also missing certain State papers and some private documents belonging -to the governor. These are extremely important. They must be recovered -at any cost.” - -“Are they more important than the recovery of Miss Bradley, Mr. Snell?” - -“No, I wouldn’t say that, but they complicate the case badly. An offer -has been made to restore them.” - -“And the girl?” - -“No. That is, there was one offer to restore the girl and another to -deal for the return of the papers and jewelry. There seems to be a -double gang of villains at work.” - -“Possibly. What about the blackmail you mentioned?” - -“That,” answered Mr. Snell, hesitating, “has to do with the stolen -papers.” - -“Something shady in the governor’s past?” - -Mr. Snell looked at the floor. - -“I wouldn’t like to say,” he replied. “Some people might think so.” - -“Evidently the robbers do think so, eh?” - -“Yes, for they put a big price on the papers.” - -“I suppose the matter has been investigated by the police of -Manchester?” - -“No.” - -“Then how did you communicate with the robbers?” - -“I didn’t say that I had communicated with the robbers!” exclaimed Mr. -Snell, hastily. - -“No, but I supposed it was you. Never mind that for a moment. Tell me -more about the disappearance of Miss Bradley.” - -“There isn’t much that I can tell. She must have left the house soon -after midnight, but she wasn’t missed till three hours or more later.” - -“Was she engaged to be married?” - -Snell looked sharply at the detective. - -“You’re a keen one,” he said. “No, she wasn’t engaged, and that is -another complication. - -“Well, it is known that she was in love with a young fellow who wasn’t -liked by her father. Naturally he wasn’t at the ball. It is thought -possible that she eloped with him, and that the offer of the robbers to -restore her was a bluff.” - -“Was her lover a rich man?” - -“Decidedly not.” - -“Then you think she may have taken the jewelry to sell for her own use.” - -“It’s possible, yes. I’ve thought of it.” - -“And that the robbery of the papers simply happened to come at the same -time.” - -“That might be.” - -“Has Miss Bradley’s lover been seen since she disappeared?” - -“Yes.” - -“What does he say?” - -“Nothing.” - -“Indeed! I should suppose he would say a good deal.” - -“He goes about his business as usual, but he is under constant watch. -It’s plain enough that there is something on his mind.” - -“I should think there might be, in any case. What is his name?” - -“Cecil West.” - -“And what is your relation to the affair, Mr. Snell?” - -The visitor seemed startled. - -“My relation to it?” he echoed. - -“Certainly. Do you come here as the representative of Governor -Bradley?” - -“Oh, no! not at all! the governor didn’t send me.” - -“Who did, then?” - -Snell looked uncomfortable. - -“Do you need an answer to that?” he asked. - -“Of course I do. I must know whom I am dealing with.” - -“But I gave my name——” - -“It is not enough.” - -The detective spoke rather sharply. - -Mr. Snell hesitated and then said: - -“Mr. Carter, I cannot see why I should be dragged into the matter at -all——” - -“But,” interrupted Nick, coldly, “nobody has dragged you that I am -aware of. I certainly didn’t.” - -“You are trying to do so now, Mr. Carter.” - -Nick arose. - -“There is no need that we should talk longer,” he said. - -Snell also stood up, and he looked very much troubled. - -“I see that I have offended you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. You see, -Mr. Carter, a great scandal might come of this. It is very important -that there should be none. The governor’s position might be lost——” - -“At this moment,” said Nick, “I care nothing for the governor’s -position. You have given me some facts in a case that might be -interesting, but I don’t propose to tackle it unless I know what I am -about.” - -“We want you to look for the girl and the stolen papers.” - -“Who are we?” - -Snell hung his head. - -“Excuse me a moment,” said Nick; then: “I think I heard the telephone -ring. When I return I hope you will have made up your mind to trust me. -If you haven’t we can’t do business.” - -He bowed and left the room, but he did not go to the telephone. - -Instead he went to a room where Patsy, one of his assistants, was -reading and gave him a few rapid instructions. - -Then he wrote a telegram and sent it to the nearest office by a servant. - -Patsy got his hat and went downstairs. - -“Now, Mr. Snell,” said Nick, when he returned, “are you ready to tell -me what I want to know?” - -“I can only say that I want you to act in behalf of the governor.” - -“Does he know that you came to New York to ask this?” - -Snell did not answer. - -“We are wasting each other’s time,” said Nick. - -Snell made a last appeal. - -“I may be doing wrong,” he said, “but I beg you to look into this -matter. You can’t help seeing how important it is.” - -“Well,” replied Nick, “usually I have nothing to do with a case where -any facts are concealed from me——” - -“I am concealing no facts.” - -“Pardon me, you refuse to answer one of the first questions a detective -would ask. I was going to say, Mr. Snell, give me a few hours to think -it over and come again. Will you call to-morrow morning?” - -“I will.” - -“Very well, till then.” - -The detective went with his visitor to the door. - -Mr. Snell said “good-evening,” politely, and started down the street. - -A short distance behind him went Patsy. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - MR. SNELL IN TROUBLE. - - -Nick had not taken time to tell Patsy very much about Snell. - -“There’s something up,” he said to his assistant. “I have no idea what -it is, but I want you to shadow this man and see what becomes of him.” - -“Do you think he’s a crook?” asked the young man. - -“Not yet. He may be. If so, it won’t be the first time that a crook has -tried to throw me off the track by calling on me. I simply feel that -there’s something queer in this, and I’d like to find out about it. So -I shall ask this man to call again unless he makes up his mind to tell -me all the facts.” - -Snell refused to tell all the facts, and so Patsy slipped out after him. - -He had not gone far from the house when the young detective became -convinced that another man also was following Snell. - -This made his work very difficult, for he had to look sharp against -betraying himself not only to Snell, but the other man. - -Snell went into a drug store and bought a cigar. - -The man who seemed to be following him loafed on the opposite corner. - -Patsy turned down a street, and dropped into a doorway, where he made a -swift change in his appearance. - -He was at Snell’s heels again when the man from Wenonah went on. - -The other man seemed to have disappeared. - -“I was mistaken,” thought Patsy, “or the second chap is a better shadow -than I am.” - -For some blocks he kept up his chase, never losing sight of Snell, and -seeing nothing more of the other. - -Meantime Snell was apparently wandering around aimlessly. - -He would stop at a corner and wait a full minute before he made up his -mind which way to go. - -Often he changed his direction. - -In this way he got into a neighborhood which was very quiet in the -evening. - -Part way down a block he stopped suddenly, stood still for a moment and -then went close to a building. - -He was then in such deep shadow that Patsy could not see him. - -“Somebody spoke to him,” reasoned the detective. - -He went cautiously closer, and before he could see anybody he heard the -sounds of voices in conversation. - -What they said it was impossible to make out. - -The detective dared not get close enough than that for fear of -attracting the attention of the men. - -There seemed to be two of them. - -Presently he heard one voice say: - -“I won’t do it.” - -One of the men started away. - -“It will be the worse for you, then,” growled the other. - -The first man hastened his steps. - -As he came from the shadow, Patsy saw that it was Snell. - -The other man was darting after him on tiptoe. - -He had one arm drawn back. - -“Great Scott!” thought Patsy, “he means murder!” - -He gave up trying to conceal his actions then. - -Running forward as fast as possible, he shouted: - -“Look out!” - -Snell turned quickly. - -The other man was close to him, and let his hand fall. - -With a great leap Patsy was up to him just in time to catch his arm. - -But it was too late to stop the blow entirely. - -A slungshot in the man’s hand slipped from it and struck Snell a -glancing blow on the head. - -“Ah!” he cried, and staggered. - -Patsy dashed to assist him, and caught hold of him in time to prevent -him from falling against an iron fence, which probably would have -broken his head. - -The would-be murderer was dashing down the street. - -Patsy could not be in two places at once. - -He wanted to chase the unknown criminal, but his first business was -with Snell. - -This was not only because Nick had sent him out to shadow Snell, but -because the man seemed to be badly injured. - -He was groaning and trembling so that he would have fallen if the -detective had not held him up. - -“Better sit down a minute,” Patsy suggested, “and let me see if there’s -anything serious the matter.” - -Snell sank to a doorstep, and Patsy made a quick examination of his -head. - -“That was a nasty blow,” he said, “but I think your skull is sound. -Aren’t you feeling better?” - -“Yes,” Snell replied, “I am. I was more frightened than hurt, perhaps. -I am greatly obliged to you.” - -“Don’t mention it. Let me help you to your house. Do you live near?” - -Snell laughed a little. - -“Near!” he repeated, “I should say not.” - -“Will you have a cab called to take you home?” asked Patsy. - -Again Snell laughed. - -“It would be too long a journey,” he said. “I am a stranger in New -York, and I am staying at the Fifth Avenue. That isn’t very far away, I -believe.” - -“No, and you can get a car at the next block, if you want to.” - -“I’d rather walk.” - -He got up, and Patsy held his arm till they came to the corner. - -“I don’t suppose your friend will tackle you again,” said the -detective, then: “but I haven’t anything to do, and if you like I’ll -walk with you to the hotel.” - -“You are very kind,” Snell responded; “suppose you do. I confess that I -am very nervous.” - -“He had it in for you, I suppose,” remarked Patsy. - -“Yes.” - -“Don’t you want to speak to this policeman about it?” - -An officer was approaching. - -“No! no!” exclaimed Snell, hastily; “I have my reasons for keeping the -matter quiet. Don’t for Heaven’s sake, say a word.” - -“All right. It’s no business of mine, but if any fellow had thumped me -like that I should want him put where he couldn’t try it again.” - -“I don’t think he will try it again; at least, not in New York. I’d -rather not talk about it.” - -“Just as you say, sir. Want to stop in at a drug store and get your -head bathed with arnica?” - -“That would be a good idea.” - -They entered the next drug store they came to, where it proved that -Snell had suffered nothing more than a painful bruise. - -After that they went on to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. - -“I am very much obliged to you,” said Snell, halting in the doorway. - -“Don’t mention it,” Patsy responded. - -“Will you come in and have something?” - -He looked as if he hoped Patsy would say no, but the detective was glad -of any excuse to stick to him. - -“Yes,” said Patsy, “don’t care if I do.” - -Snell nodded silently, and led the way into the hotel. - -As they were passing the desk the clerk spoke to him. - -“Mr. Snell,” he said, “there’s a telegram here for you.” - -“Excuse me,” said Snell to Patsy, going quickly to the desk. - -He took the envelope handed to him, and opened it with trembling -fingers. - -When he had read the message he crumpled the paper in his hand and -frowned. - -After a moment of thought, he turned to Patsy, saying, “Excuse me” -again, and went with him to the barroom. - -Snell poured himself a stiff drink of whiskey. - -“Once more,” he said, raising his glass, “I thank you for coming to my -rescue. Honestly, I believe I should be a dead man this minute if you -hadn’t. Here’s your health.” - -“Thanks,” responded Patsy. - -“Now,” continued Snell, “I don’t like to leave a man who has saved my -life, in this abrupt way, but I’ve got to. This telegram calls me out -of town, and I must lose no time in getting ready. Won’t you leave me -your name and address?” - -“Why,” answered Patsy, “I’ll give you my name if you want it, and -address, too, but it isn’t likely that we shall meet again if you don’t -live in New York. My name is James Callahan,” and he gave an address -that the detectives sometimes used. - -It was a place where any letters that came to strange names were -promptly taken to Nick’s house. - -Snell made a note of the address. - -“My name is Snell,” he said, “and I hope we shall meet again, Mr. -Callahan. I must say good-by now.” - -They shook hands and Snell went to the elevator. - -“I wish he had dropped that telegram,” thought the detective. - -He looked at the clock. It was an hour and a half to midnight. If -Snell meant to leave town at once he could hardly hope to do so until -midnight, for that was the hour at which through trains started from -most stations. - -There was time to make a report to Nick and get back again if that -should be necessary. - -Accordingly Patsy hurried to Nick’s house, and told his chief what had -happened. - -Nick looked very thoughtful. - -“I had about decided that the man is crazy,” he said. “I sent a -telegram to the chief of police at Manchester, asking if he knew -of any robbery of jewels, State papers, or anything else of great -importance within a month. I also asked if there had been a mysterious -disappearance within the same time, and if he knew who George Snell -was. Here’s his answer, received five minutes ago.” - -He handed a telegram to Patsy. - -It read: - - “Nothing doing in crime here. Never heard of George Snell. No man of - that name lives here. - - “DINSMORE.” - -“Dinsmore,” said Nick, “is the chief at Manchester now. He used to be -on the New York force, and I know him well. Now, if there has been a -serious crime at Manchester, two thousand miles away, isn’t it strange -that I should hear of it in New York before it is known there?” - -“It beats me,” said Patsy. - -“And it looks as if Snell was the chief crook in the matter,” added -Nick. “But, if he is, I can’t see what he’s driving at. After getting -this telegram I thought he was crazy, that he imagined a crime had -been committed, and I didn’t mean to have anything more to do with the -matter. - -“Now I am interested. What you have told me shows that there’s -something up, something very mysterious. - -“I think we’d better keep our eyes on it, Patsy.” - -“Well?” - -“Go back to the hotel and get on Snell’s track. Follow him across the -continent if necessary, and keep me posted.” - -“All right, boss.” - -“Better take a cab. Leave your grip in it until you know what station -Snell is going to. Then stick to him like a burr. There may be more -attempts against his life.” - -Patsy was gone in a minute. - -When his cab halted at the Fifth Avenue he did not leave it, for he saw -Snell coming out. - -The man got into a hotel carriage, and told the driver to take him to -the Pennsylvania Railroad station. - -This was done, and, of course, Patsy followed. - -Snell bought a ticket for Chicago, and Patsy, who stood close behind -him at the window, did the same. - -They were almost side by side as they went to the ferry-boat, Patsy, of -course, so disguised that Snell did not recognize him. - -Snell went to the forward end of the boat and stood near the rail. - -The detective sat down in the men’s cabin. - -Hardly had he taken his seat when a man came aboard whom he had seen -before. - -It was the one whom he had suspected as shadowing Snell from Nick -Carter’s house. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A GAME OF WATCHING. - - -Patsy thought that this was the same man who had come so near killing -Snell. - -He had not been sure of that at the time, for he had not been able to -see the would-be murderer’s face. - -Now it took only a sharp glance to satisfy him, for the man’s motions -were a little peculiar. - -He had a way of bending his head to one side which Patsy had noticed in -the man who had shadowed Snell. - -As he remembered it the same sideways hang of the head had been the -case with the would-be murderer in that instant when he saw him darting -after his victim. - -“So,” thought Patsy, “he’s at his game again. Been watching Snell, -probably, ever since the attack. There’ll be trouble if he finds his -man on board.” - -Nothing could have been plainer than that the man was looking for -somebody. - -He went part way through the cabin, giving stealthy, side glances at -the men on the seats. - -When he came to the doorway that led to the upper deck, he went up. - -“He won’t find Snell up there, I think,” said Patsy to himself, as he -got up and went forward. - -The detective went as far as the door that opened upon the forward deck. - -Looking through it, he saw Snell leaning against the rail. - -Nobody else was out there. - -At that moment the boat had hardly got beyond the end of the ferry slip. - -Patsy sat down where he could look the length of the men’s cabin and -also glance through the glass in the door at the forward deck. - -In less than a minute he saw the stranger coming down the stairs from -the upper cabin. - -He was still walking slowly, and peering sharply at the passengers. - -When he had come as far as the door, he halted and looked through the -glass. - -The detective could see his face. - -He saw the man’s brow wrinkle first when he perceived that somebody was -standing alone by the rail. - -Then his lips were pressed hard together, and he nodded as if satisfied. - -Evidently he had recognized Snell. - -For a moment longer he stood there, hesitating, perhaps. - -Then he gave a side glance at Patsy, who sat so close that they almost -touched each other. - -The detective seemed to be deeply engaged in reading a placard hung on -the opposite wall. - -The man softly opened the door and went out. - -Patsy was on his feet instantly. - -Looking through the glass, he saw the stranger slink into the darkness -by the side wall of the boat, there being a space thus shut in between -the cabin door and the open deck where Snell stood looking at the water. - -“What a chance,” thought Patsy, “to sneak up and pitch his man -overboard!” - -The stranger stood motionless a moment. - -Then he edged forward. - -At that Patsy quietly opened the door and stepped out. - -The man did not hear him. - -His attention was too much taken with what he was going to do. - -Snell was motionless. - -The boat was about in midstream. - -Patsy’s muscles quivered as the stranger glided swiftly up and placed -his hand on Snell’s shoulder. - -Snell whirled around, with a gasp of surprise and alarm. - -He put up his hands to push the man away, and tried to back from the -rail. - -The stranger kept his hand firmly on Snell’s shoulder. - -For a second or two the men jostled each other, but it could not be -said that they were struggling. - -The stranger seemed merely trying to hold Snell still. - -Patsy heard him say: - -“Keep quiet! I am not going to hurt you!” - -Evidently Snell was somewhat relieved at this, but he was still -frightened. - -“I’ve a good mind to have you arrested,” he said. - -The other laughed. - -“You’ll think better of that as soon as you see a policeman,” he -retorted. - -“You’ve tried to kill me once to-night,” said Snell. - -“Well, let that pass. I didn’t succeed, and now that you’re starting -West I shan’t try again.” - -“What do you want of me now?” - -“I want to talk with you.” - -“On the same subject?” - -“The same.” - -Snell gave a hasty glance at the river. - -“Think of jumping in?” sneered the stranger. - -“No,” replied Snell, with a shudder. - -Then he looked back toward the cabin, and saw Patsy. - -Seeing that he was perceived, the detective walked easily forward and -stood looking at the lights of Jersey City. - -“This is no place,” said Snell, in a low tone. - -“Of course not. I’ll go on the train with you.” - -Snell started uncomfortably. - -“I presume,” the other went on, with a harsh chuckle, “that you engaged -a stateroom on the sleeper, and thought that you would lock yourself in -and so be safe for the night. Fortunately, there’s room for two in a -stateroom.” - -At this, Snell said nothing, but went back to the cabin. - -The other followed, and both went inside. - -“Well!” thought Patsy, “this is a puzzler, and no mistake. Are they -both crooks? and have they had a falling out? - -“One is certainly a would-be murderer, and Snell is plainly in great -fear of him. - -“I should think he would be. - -“I wonder if they will actually occupy the same room on the train?” - -They did. - -Snell, as the stranger had said, had engaged a stateroom, and both went -into it immediately on going aboard the train. - -Patsy secured a berth in the same car, and, as he turned in he wondered -whether one man or two would come out of that stateroom in the morning. - -It seemed to him most likely that the stranger would make an attempt to -murder Snell during the night. - -“If it were my business to take care of Snell,” thought the detective, -“I’d invent some way to do it; but it isn’t, and I’ll just wait and see -what happens.” - -With that thought he went to sleep. - -In the morning he touched the button beside his berth before getting up. - -When the porter came he asked: - -“Is there a dining car on the train, Charley?” - -“Yessah,” replied the porter. “Breakfast will be ready in twenty -minutes, sah.” - -“All right; then I’ll get up.” - -“Sumfin else yo’ want, sah?” - -“Yes. Put your head in here, Charley?” - -The porter put his head in between the curtains. - -“Have the gentlemen in the stateroom turned out yet?” asked Patsy. - -“No, sah; ain’t seed nuffin’ of ’em.” - -“Were they quiet all night?” - -“Yassah. Leastwise, I didn’t hear nuffin.” - -“All right.” - -“Friends of yours, sah?” - -“Not exactly, but I’m curious about them, that’s all. You needn’t say I -asked any questions.” - -“No, sah—thank yo’ berry much, sah. Won’t say a word.” - -The porter had received handsome pay for his silence, and Patsy knew he -could be trusted. - -He dressed and went forward to the dining car. - -As he passed Snell’s stateroom, he listened for the sound of voices, -but none came. - -The detective wondered if there was one man in that room who couldn’t -speak. - -Having plenty of time to kill, he spent an hour at the breakfast table. - -Before he was ready to go, in came Snell and the stranger. - -They sat at the same table and appeared to be in good spirits—at least, -the stranger was. - -Snell looked rather haggard, but he talked with his companion, and -without any apparent fear of him. - -“Strange!” thought Patsy; “but I’m glad my man is still alive. I want -to find out what it all means.” - -He went to the smoker, and after he had been there half an hour or so, -Snell and the stranger came in also. - -They did not talk much as they smoked their cigars, but no one would -have guessed that one had tried to kill the other less than twelve -hours before. - -So it was all the way to Chicago. - -The two men were together all the time, and there was hardly a minute -that the detective did not have them in view. - -It was early morning when the train arrived in Chicago. - -Snell and his companion got into a cab, and Patsy heard them tell the -driver to go to the Northwestern station. - -Patsy arrived at the station at the same moment they did. - -They breakfasted in the station restaurant, and after a time they went -to the ticket window. - -Snell bought a ticket for Helena, Montana. - -The stranger did not buy any. - -This also seemed somewhat strange, and the detective was a little -disappointed. - -He had hoped to keep them together. - -But he bought a ticket for Helena, and in due time was again on the -same train with Snell. - -The stranger stayed at the station until the train left, and Patsy saw -him on the platform as it rolled out. - -Nothing of importance happened on the rest of the way to Helena. - -Once the detective tried to scrape acquaintance with Snell, but the -latter answered him in a surly way, and made it plain that he did not -care to talk to anybody. - -So Patsy gave it up for fear of making him suspicious. - -Meantime, he had telegraphed Nick as to where he was going. - -When they arrived in Helena, Snell did not go to a first-rate hotel, as -he had done in New York, but walked about the streets, as if looking -for some place that he had been sent to. - -It was pretty clear that he was a stranger in the city. - -At last he turned into a small building, on which there was a rough -sign, with these words: - - BRONCO BILL’S HOUSE. - -The place was hardly larger than an ordinary saloon, and liquor selling -certainly was its principal business. - -Patsy went in a moment after Snell. - -He found himself in a cheap barroom, where a few men were loafing. - -Snell was at one end of the bar, talking in a low voice with one who -seemed to be the proprietor. - -The detective took his place at the other end of the bar and called for -a drink. - -A moment later, Snell and the proprietor went out by a door at the -back, and he heard their steps going up a flight of stairs. - -They were gone but a minute, and when they returned, Snell was saying: - -“It may be only two or three days, you know, and I can get along all -right. I’ll pay for the room for a week, anyway.” - -With this, he took bills from his pocket, and gave money to the -proprietor, who responded: - -“O.K., then the place is yours.” - -Then the landlord invited Snell to have a drink, and Snell accepted the -invitation. - -“Well,” thought Patsy, “I shall have to find another place to stay. -Bronco Bill evidently isn’t used to having guests in real hotel -fashion, and two at a time would make him and everybody else suspicious. - -“I couldn’t put up any sort of a yarn that would satisfy them. So I’ll -get a room somewhere else, and then drop in here when I feel like it. - -“That will be safe enough, for it looks sure that Snell is bound to -stay for a while.” - -As the detective left the saloon, he saw a sign in the window of a -house opposite: - - ROOMS TO LET. - -“That will do,” he decided, “but not just yet.” - -He was fearful that Snell might be watching him, for he could not tell -how suspicious that strange man might be. - -So he walked around town a little while, made a complete change in his -disguise, and finally returned to the lodging house opposite Bronco -Bill’s. - -There he hired a room that had a window opening on the street, at which -he sat for some time, with his face hidden behind the curtain. - -He saw enough to know that Snell was still at the “hotel,” and he was -satisfied. - -Late in the afternoon, Snell went out. - -The detective followed, of course. - -At first Snell did not seem to have any errand. He seemed to be walking -for exercise. - -But at last he stopped and looked in at a store window. - -Rifles, revolvers, and all sorts of things that hunters need were -displayed there. - -Snell went in, and Patsy, looking in at the window, saw him buy a -revolver. - -With this in his pocket, the strange man returned to Bronco Bill’s and -disappeared within. - -That evening the detective loafed away most of the time in Bronco -Bill’s barroom, but he did not see Snell. - -There was the ordinary crowd of idle workingmen, and a few roughs -who evidently came in from ranches at a distance, but there was no -disorder; none of the men seemed to be crooks, and nothing happened to -throw any light on Snell’s business in Helena. - -It was much the same the next day and evening. - -Snell took a long walk, but spoke to no one on the way, and when he -returned he apparently shut himself in the room he had hired. - -He came into the barroom late during the evening, but it was only to -have a drink, and go upstairs again at once. - -“Who’s the stranger, Bill?” asked one of the loafers. - -“How should I know?” was the surly response. “A gent comes to my house -an’ takes a room an’ pays for it like a gent. Why should I ask him if -his father went to church reg’lar, or if he intends to start a faro -bank?” - -“Do you think he does mean to start a faro bank, Bill?” - -“Aw, come off!” returned Bill, scornfully. “Can’t you take a hint? I -don’t know the gent’s business, and, if I did, I shouldn’t shoot off my -mouth about it.” - -Next day, Snell took several walks, but they were short ones. He always -returned quickly to Bill’s, and once Patsy heard him ask the landlord -if anybody had inquired for him. - -Nobody had, but it was clear that Snell’s business, whatever it was, -was coming to a head. - -In the evening quite a number of men galloped through the streets on -horseback. - -They shouted and sang songs and made a good deal of a racket at every -place they visited. - -By the time they arrived at Bronco Bill’s they were well loaded and -noisier than ever. - -“Paint the place red,” yelled half a dozen of them, as they came -stamping in. - -Patsy was standing at the farther end of the bar talking with Bill, -with whom he had picked up acquaintance. - -Snell was seated at a table in the corner nearest the door. - -“Everybody have a drink!” shouted the leader of the party, looking -around the room. - -All except Snell got up and went to the bar. - -“Come on, stranger,” yelled the leader. - -Snell, seeing that he was spoken to, got up slowly and started toward -the bar. - -His face was pale, and it was evident to Patsy that he wished he were -not there. - -When he was halfway to the bar he turned suddenly and made for the -stairway door. - -He passed through quickly, closed the door behind him, and all in the -room heard the click of the lock as he turned the key. - -“Well, I’ll be durned!” exclaimed the leader. - -As he spoke he drew a revolver from his belt, and, with the quick -motions of a Westerner, pointed it toward the door. - -But he was not so quick as Patsy, who darted forward and knocked his -arm up. - -The revolver went off, but the bullet, instead of crashing through the -door and thus endangering Snell’s life, flew into the ceiling. - -“Now then, gents,” began Bronco Bill, who didn’t want a disturbance in -his place. - -The leader was too mad to be stopped by talk. - -Turning fiercely upon Patsy, he demanded: - -“What in thunder do you mean, tenderfoot?” - -“I was afraid you might hurt somebody,” responded the detective, -quietly; “then you’d be sorry.” - -“Sorry! me sorry!” roared the ruffian; “reckon you don’t know who -you’re talking to. I’m Serpent Sam, of the Dead Hills, I am, and no -man tells me what I shall or shan’t do. I’ll make you dance for your -impudence, you measly tenderfoot!” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - PATSY’S DANCING LESSON. - - -Serpent Sam, as he called himself, backed into the middle of the room -as he spoke. - -The other men in the crowd yelled with joy, and got together at the -other end of the bar from Patsy, most of them. - -A few stood almost behind their leader. - -They were grinning at the fun they thought they were going to have with -the tenderfoot. - -Patsy thrust his hands in the side pockets of his coat, and watched, as -if with curiosity. - -He knew exactly what would happen, for he had met wild men from the -Western hills before. - -So, when Serpent Sam blazed at his feet, he did not stir. - -The first bullet tore a hole in the floor, just in front of his right -toe. - -“Dance, you onery cuss! dance!” yelled Serpent Sam. - -“I don’t know how,” replied Patsy. - -“Jump then, you idiot! jump into the air, durn ye! I’ll teach ye!” - -As he spoke, Serpent Sam fired again. - -This time the bullet struck so close to the detective’s foot that it -jarred it. - -But no harm was done, and Patsy never stirred. - -He knew that the first shots would be aimed so as to scare him—not to -hit. - -After that, Serpent Sam might be angered into firing to kill. - -“For Heaven’s sake, stranger,” called Bronco Bill, “don’t be a fool. -Dance for the gentleman. It won’t last long, and nobody will be hurt. -Jump and let him have his fun.” - -Patsy himself saw by the savage glare in Serpent Sam’s eyes that it -would be jump or get hit at the next shot. - -Quick as a flash, therefore, without moving from his place, and before -Serpent Sam could cock his revolver again, Patsy drew one of his own -barkers and fired. - -Nobody in the room knew what he was about till they heard the bang! and -saw the puff of smoke that rolled away from in front of the detective. - -“I don’t dance for anybody,” said Patsy, quietly. - -“Wow! ouch! damn!” howled Serpent Sam, as his revolver flew from his -hand. - -Patsy’s bullet had struck it on the butt. - -It not only caused Serpent Sam to drop the weapon, but it numbed his -fingers. - -And the bullet did another thing. - -Glancing from the place where it struck Sam’s revolver, it flew across -the room and hit another man on the cartridge belt, doing no harm, but -startling that man fearfully. - -For that matter, all the men were startled. - -Some of them ran behind the bar and crouched down. - -Half a dozen of those who had been in the place when the horsemen came -ran for the outside door. - -Serpent Sam, cursing with rage and pain, reached for his other revolver. - -He could bend his numbed fingers just enough to draw it from his belt, -but he could not cock it. - -While he was trying to do so, it dropped to the floor. - -The fingers of his right hand would not hold it. - -Patsy, knowing that he was disabled, was paying no attention to him. - -He was sweeping his revolver carelessly around the room. - -“It might go off,” he remarked. “It’s got a hair trigger. Look out!” - -At that his weapon did go off. - -One of the men was just getting the drop on him. - -Patsy’s shot did for him just what had been done for Serpent Sam. - -It knocked the gun out of his hand and caused him to leap back, cursing -with rage. - -“If you gents enjoy dancing,” said Patsy, coolly, “just recollect that -I’m floor manager here. I’ll tell you when it’s your turn—yours, for -instance.” - -With this he let drive at the feet of a man near the edge of the crowd. - -The bullets splintered the floor at the man’s toe. - -He jumped for fear, and the detective laughed. - -“It’s more fun than I thought,” he cried; “we’ll try it again.” - -He made as if he would empty all his cartridges at the men’s feet, but -he had done enough. - -All except Serpent Sam were making a wild scramble to get behind the -bar, out of doors, underneath tables—any place, so as to be out of -range. - -Sam had cooled down very suddenly. - -“Hold on, stranger,” he called; “we uns know when we’re licked. You’ve -done us brown, an’ ef thar’s anything in the house you want, call for -it.” - -Patsy understood the man. - -His tone and manner showed that he meant what he said. - -He was rubbing his sore hand and kicking his revolvers so that they -would lie where he could pick them up. - -Of all the men there Sam was the only one who hadn’t shown fear. - -The detective immediately pocketed his weapon. - -“All right, pard,” he said, good-naturedly; “there is one thing in the -house I want.” - -“Name it.” - -“I want every man jack of you to wet up. The drinks are on me, gents. -Step lively.” - -For an instant nobody stirred. - -They looked at him as if they could not believe their ears. - -Those who had crouched behind the bar gradually began to poke their -heads above it. - -Naturally, Serpent Sam was the first to move. - -Leaving his revolvers where they were on the floor, he strode to Patsy -with his hand outstretched. - -“Put it there, pard,” he cried; “you’re a white man an’ no mistake. I -see I don’t need to ’pologize fer trying to hev some fun with yer.” - -“Not at all,” replied Patsy, shaking the man’s hand. - -Sam winced, for the detective’s grip hurt his sore fingers. - -“Excuse me,” said Patsy, letting go; “I didn’t think.” - -Then both laughed, and at that sound the other men came crowding up. - -“Whar’d you learn to shoot?” asked one. - -“Say, are you a walking Gatling gun?” inquired another. - -Patsy smiled at them. - -“I never learned to shoot,” he said. “I was born with a gun in my hand, -and I used to practice at the flies on the wall before I could walk.” - -Everybody laughed at this. - -Bronco Bill drew a long breath. - -The shooting scrap had turned out pleasantly, with nobody the worse for -it, and everybody thirsty. - -Glasses rattled on the bar, and bottles passed. - -“Here’s how, pard,” said Sam. - -He drained his glass at one gulp, and set it down. - -“But say,” he added, “you’d oughter hev let us make the other cuss -dance. Friend of yourn?” - -“No. I saw that he was scared half to death, and I was afraid he might -have a fit.” - -“Rot! he’d ’a’ got over it. Jine us now, won’t ye, pard, and rout him -out?” - -“We’ll let you do the shootin’,” said another, eagerly. - -“Now, gents,” began Bronco Bill, fearful that the rough crowd would -break loose again. - -He didn’t know Patsy. - -“Rout him out?” echoed the detective; “why! he’s a mile from here by -this time.” - -“Go on!” - -“That’s what he’s doing. Bet your life on it.” - -“We might break down the door and see,” somebody suggested. - -Several of them began to move toward the door. - -“Wait a minute,” called Patsy. - -He was smiling, and they stopped to hear what he had to say. - -“I’d rather you wouldn’t bother the fellow,” he went on; “I tell you -that straight, but if you’re dead anxious to have some fun with him and -want me to join, I’ll take the chance of a toss-up. What do you say?” - -“It’s a go!” cried Sam, taking a coin from his pocket. “Heads or tails, -pard?” - -“Is it a cent?” asked the detective. - -“No—a dime.” - -“Just as good. Throw it up to the ceiling, and if it comes down what -you call yourself, I’ll join you.” - -Serpent Sam tossed up the coin. - -“Tails!” he called. - -It struck the ceiling with a ting, and began to fall. - -The detective’s revolver flashed, to the great surprise of all, for -they were watching the coin. - -Crack! bang! went the trusty barker twice in rapid order. - -There was another ting at the further side of the room. - -Sam went over there, and, after hunting a bit, picked up the dime. - -He came back to the bar with it, his face fairly blue with wonder. - -“Durned ef the stranger hain’t won,” he said; “the dime hain’t got -either a head or a tail.” - -He laid the coin on the bar, and everybody crowded around to look at it. - -Patsy’s first bullet had struck it on one side and his second on the -other, for the coin was spinning in the air and luck was with him to -the extent that both bullets did not hit the same side. - -“Wal! ef that ain’t the durnedest shootin’ ever I seen!” said one of -the men. - -All agreed with him. - -“It means,” said Sam, gravely, “that we let the white-livered cuss -upstairs alone. But you must come with us to the next joint, pardner.” - -“All right,” replied Patsy, “lead on.” - -“An’ you’ll hev to make some galoot dance soon as we find one of the -right kind.” - -“Go ahead. I’m agreed.” - -The whole mob charged for the door. - -On the sidewalk they paused to decide which way to go. - -The street was not well lighted, and, while they were talking, Patsy -slipped a beard to his face. - -“We’ll go to Danny Dineen’s next,” said Serpent Sam. “Come on, pard——” - -He looked around. - -“Where’s the sharpshooter?” he asked. - -Patsy pointed down the street. - -“He’s just scooted that way,” he said, in a disguised tone. - -“Durned ef I don’t believe he’s tryin’ to shake us!” cried Serpent Sam; -“come on, boys, let’s catch up with him.” - -Off they went, yelling like mad, some jumping to their horses, others -on foot. - -When they had all disappeared around a corner, Patsy took off his beard -and went back into Bronco Bill’s. - -Bill and his bartender were alone in the place. - -“Great Scott!” exclaimed Bill, “where’d you come from?” - -“I thought I’d say good-night,” responded Patsy, laughing. - -“Didn’t you go with that crowd?” - -“You see.” - -“Wal, I don’t see how you done it, but you done me and my house a good -turn, pardner. Gee! I thought they’d shoot the whole outfit to pieces. -Have something?” - -“No, thank you. When they find that I’ve given them the shake, they may -come back here, and if they find me, it won’t be so easy to get rid of -them again. Tell ’em you don’t know where I went.” - -“All right, no more I do. Call again?” - -“To-morrow.” - -The detective then went out and crossed the street to his lodging. - -He sat at his window for more than an hour. - -He saw the horsemen return after a time, heard them singing and -shouting in Bronco Bill’s, but he heard no more shooting, and he saw no -more of Snell that night. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - CAUGHT IN THE HILLS. - - -Next morning, in a fresh disguise, Patsy went over to Bronco Bill’s and -saw Snell eating breakfast. - -The detective felt relieved. - -He had feared that the man might have been so frightened by the drunken -horseman as to light out. - -Patsy had now been studying the man for several days. - -“I can’t make him out,” he said to himself, “but I don’t believe he’s a -regular crook.” - -The detective was inclined to think that Snell had been up to crooked -work, but that he was new to it. - -He went back to his lodging almost at once, and watched. - -Snell came to the door of Bronco Bill’s and stood there a moment, -looking up and down the street. - -“He wants to walk for exercise,” thought the waiting detective, “but -he doesn’t dare to get far away, for he’s expecting somebody. I won’t -bother to follow him.” - -So Snell that morning took his walks alone. - -They were not long ones. - -He was always back at Bronco Bill’s within ten minutes from the time he -started. - -At length he went in and stayed there. - -Patsy went across and looked in long enough to see that Snell had found -an old book somewhere, and was reading it in the barroom. - -It was almost noon when the man Snell had been expecting came. - -The detective knew it before Snell did. - -Watching from his window, he saw a man come rapidly up from the -direction of the railroad. - -He walked as if he knew where he was going, and he turned in at Bronco -Bill’s. - -It was the stranger who had come so near to murdering Snell a short -time before in New York City. - -“Now we’re getting down to business!” thought Patsy, with great -satisfaction. - -It had been a long wait, and he was a little tired of it. - -Every day he had sent a telegram to Nick, saying, simply: “No change,” -or “Nothing doing.” - -Meantime, he had received no word from his chief. - -So he knew that there was nothing for him to do but stay there and -watch. - -Of course, he crossed over to the saloon soon after the stranger went -in. - -He was disguised so that neither knew him, and Bronco Bill did not -suspect that the man who asked for a cigar was the one who had done the -wonderful shooting the night before. - -Snell and the stranger were eating dinner at a table in the corner. - -They did no talking. - -Patsy returned to his watching place. - -After dinner, the stranger went away alone. - -The detective would have liked to follow, but it was his business to -spot Snell. - -So he stayed where he was. - -Some three hours passed, and then the stranger returned. - -He went into the saloon, and almost immediately came out again with -Snell. - -They walked away rapidly. - -Patsy was after them. - -Thinking that there might be some such excursion as this, the detective -had bought a horse. - -The animal was stabled a few doors from his lodging house, where he -could be got quickly, and he was kept saddled all the time. - -But there was no use for him on this trip. - -The men walked through the city, and they acted as if they were in a -hurry, but they walked, and Patsy thought it better to follow them in -the same way. - -As long as they were in busy streets he had no difficulty in keeping -close to them. - -When they came to a long street, where the houses were scattered, he -fell a little further behind. - -And at last they were in the open country, with no house at all in -sight ahead. - -Then the detective had to be very cautious. - -He decided to get into a field alongside the road, where he could dodge -behind bushes. - -It was well he took this precaution when he did. - -He had hardly left the road when both men wheeled about suddenly. - -They stood for a full minute, looking back toward the city. - -There could be no doubt that some sudden fear of pursuit had made them -turn. - -Patsy stooped behind a low bush and waited. - -At last they went on, but Snell turned frequently, and Patsy was kept -on the dodge all the time. - -This continued for two miles or more. - -By then the road had brought them to hilly land, and the detective was -thinking that his pursuit would be easier, when the two turned aside -and began to climb a steep hill. - -It was covered with trees, and there was no path. - -Dead wood was on the ground everywhere. - -A man’s footsteps could be heard a long way, no matter how carefully he -proceeded. - -Therefore, it was not possible any longer to keep the men in sight. - -Patsy took the chance of cutting across ahead of where the men seemed -to be aiming for. - -In this way he thought he might come to the top of the hill before they -did. - -Perhaps he succeeded. He could not tell, for, when he got to the -hilltop, they were not to be seen. - -He waited a bit, and listened for a sound of their voices, or -footsteps, but heard nothing. - -The hill dipped steeply on the other side, and there were many hills -beyond. - -It was a very wild place, only partly wooded, and there seemed to be -deep gullies in every direction. - -“They didn’t come out here for their health,” thought Patsy. “It was to -meet somebody. - -“Probably that somebody is waiting in one of these gullies. - -“Which one? - -“It’s almost as good a place for hiding as a big city is.” - -After some little thought he went part way down the hill, then along -the side until he came near the edge of a ravine. - -While he was cautiously approaching the edge, he heard a laugh -somewhere below him. - -In the ravine, undoubtedly. - -Then that was where the men had gone. - -Patsy saw a rock a short distance away, from behind which he thought he -might be able to look down into the ravine without being seen. - -A few cautious steps and he was beside it. - -Leaning far over it, he found that he had chosen the spot luckily; for -a little way below him he saw a group of men, most of them roughly -dressed. - -Among them were Snell and his strange companion. - -They were talking earnestly. - -At that moment, Snell’s companion was speaking, and the others were -listening. - -His words came faintly to Patsy’s ears. - -“I tell you,” he said, “we’re ready to pay the price, but you’ve got to -deliver the goods. There’s nothing unfair in that. We’ve come out here -to tell you so, but you can’t deliver the goods here, can you?” - -“That’ll be all right,” said one of the rough men. - -“Oh! will it? How do we know?” demanded Snell’s companion. “We don’t -propose to put our feet into a trap.” - -At this some of the men laughed hoarsely. - -“Supposin’,” suggested one of them, “we don’t let you get out of this -gulch alive?” - -Snell could be seen to start uncomfortably. - -His companion was unmoved. - -“In that case,” he retorted, “you’d leave a couple of worthless stiffs -here for the crows to pick. That’s all.” - -“Do you mean that you haven’t brought the stuff with you?” - -“That’s it, exactly.” - -“Then what the dev——” - -“Why!” interrupted Snell’s companion, “we’re here to let you know that -we’re acting on the square. Prove that you’re on the square, too, and -we can do business.” - -The men looked at each other. - -“Don’t like it,” grumbled one. - -“Well,” said another, the youngest in the party, “I think they’ve got -the best of the argument. Here they are, just as they agreed to be. -They haven’t gone to any detectives, and it’s our business now to hand -over the goods——” - -Patsy was greatly interested, wondering whether this young man would -persuade the gang to his way of thinking, when, without the least -warning, strong hands were laid upon him. - -He turned like a flash at the first touch. - -His hand raised the revolver that he had been clutching from the moment -when he lay down behind the rock. - -But there was no use in firing it. - -The bullet wouldn’t have hit anybody. - -His assailants had every advantage of him. - -He had been caught by both feet and yanked backward. - -Others had grabbed him by the arms. - -Still another dropped a noose over his head and pulled it tight. - -A little more strain on that rope, and the detective would have been -choked to death. - -In much less time than it takes to tell it, they had him with his hands -securely bound behind his back. - -The detective was helpless. - -And up to this moment, nobody had said a word, and no sound of the -capture had reached the ears of the men in the ravine. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - PATSY IS FORCED TO SLEEP. - - -When they had him bound to their satisfaction, Patsy’s captors laid him -on his back and looked him over. - -He saw, too late, how it had happened. - -Close to the rock was a thick bunch of bushes. - -His judgment had been perfect, for it had taken him to the exact spot -where there was an easy way down to the gulch. - -It was the way these men always took to get there. - -But, unluckily for the detective, they had posted sentinels at that -spot. - -His captors had been within reach of him from the moment he arrived. - -Why they had not attacked him at once could only be guessed. - -Probably they were so surprised that they didn’t know what to do at -first. - -And maybe they thought he might be a prospector, or anybody but a -detective, who would go away as soon as he had taken a look. - -“Wal, by gosh!” muttered one who seemed to be the leader of the -sentinels, “I reckon this’ll make some difference with what they’re -jawin’ about down thar.” - -Patsy tried a bluff. - -“I’d like to know what you mean,” he began, indignantly. “I haven’t -done anything to you——” - -“And we won’t do a thing to you,” interrupted the leader, harshly—“oh, -no! we won’t tech ye! Pick him up, boys.” - -Two of the men took Patsy on their shoulders, and they went stumbling -down the side of the gulch. - -Snell and the others looked up in the greatest surprise when they heard -the sentinels coming. - -All the men got to their feet, for some had been sitting, and guns were -shown freely. - -“What ye got thar?” demanded the chief of the gang. - -“A spy,” replied the leader of the sentinels. - -“Find him up thar?” - -“Yes—behind that rock. He crep’ up jest as ef he knowed thar was -suthin’ to see below.” - -“The skunk!” - -“Prob’ly,” went on the sentinel, “he was put onto the thing by them -galoots,” and he pointed to Snell and his companion. - -“That’s it!” roared more than one, angrily. - -“So this is what ye call bein’ on the square, is it?” exclaimed the -chief, turning to Snell’s companion, fiercely. “Ye make a deal to meet -us here alone to talk business, and give the tip to a pryin’ detective, -do ye? An’ do ye think ye’ll git outen it with hull skins? Wal, I don’t -think!” - -The ruffians were growling angrily and watching their leader. - -It needed only his word to make every one of them empty their revolvers -into Snell and his companion. - -Snell was horribly frightened. - -“I don’t know anything about this,” he stammered; “I give you my word -of honor——” - -“Rats!” interrupted the leader, scornfully, “what’s your word of honor -worth?” - -“Plug ’em full of holes!” cried another. - -The men raised their weapons, and it did look as if there would be a -double murder on the spot. - -“He’s right!” said Patsy, quietly. - -The leader turned swiftly toward him. - -“What’s that ye say?” he demanded; “who’s right?” - -“The man who just spoke.” - -“Him?” pointing to Snell. - -“Yes. I don’t know who he is.” - -“And I s’pose ye don’t know him, nuther,” pointing to Snell’s companion. - -“I certainly don’t.” - -It was plain enough that nobody believed the detective, but he breathed -easier. - -His interruption had gained time. - -The men were not so likely now to shoot in a hurry and ask questions -afterward. - -Patsy had been set on the ground with his back to a rock. - -Snell’s companion was looking at him sharply. - -It was to him the leader spoke next. - -“I s’pose, Jim Leonard,” he said, “thet you’ve got a word of honor to -stack up thet ye never seen this man afore, eh?” - -“He’s a stranger to me,” replied Leonard. “I never saw him before, and -we took all the pains we could to keep from being followed. Snell’s -been in town three days without seeing anybody who was on his track. -Why should anybody be on his track, anyway?” - -“Why!” roared the leader, “to get us behind the bars, you fool! Ain’t -that reason enough?” - -He turned again to the detective. - -“P’r’haps you’ll tell us how ye come here?” he said. - -“Certainly,” replied Patsy. “I saw these two men in town. It was plain -enough that they had good business of some kind on. I took ’em for -prospectors and thought they’d struck a good thing somewhere. It wasn’t -a straight thing to do, but I followed ’em to see what they’d got.” - -This was a story that it was very easy for the rough Westerners to -believe. - -Evidently they were struck by it, for they looked at each other -doubtfully. - -All except the leader. - -He turned his eyes from Snell to his companion, and then to Patsy, and -remarked, calmly: - -“You lie—every one of ye.” - -Then he addressed his men. - -“We won’t go off at half-cock,” said he; “these geezers hev done us -dirt, but mebbe we’d better talk it over afore we do anything.” - -He spoke then to the sentinels. - -“Stay here and use yer guns, ef any of ’em tries to scoot. We’ll go -further down the gulch and chin about it.” - -The sentinels nodded and the leader and the rest of his men went down -the ravine until they were out of sight. - -Now and then their voices could be heard as they argued, but what they -said could not be told. - -Once they sent a couple of men up to take Snell’s companion, Jim -Leonard, down to talk with him. - -They sent him back after half an hour, and continued their discussion -until the sun was setting. - -Then they all came slowly back to the spot where Patsy lay. - -The young man who had been speaking when Patsy was captured, was -talking with the leader. - -“I’m sure it’s the best way,” he was saying. - -“Wal, Harry,” returned the leader, “you’ve got a sound nut on yer -shoulders, an’ you can talk better’n most of us, but I dunno. -Howsomever, we’ll try it. As you say, the main thing is to get the -stuff.” - -“We certainly can’t get the ransom, if we don’t give ’em a chance to -pay it,” said Harry. - -The leader nodded. - -“After dark,” he said, shortly. - -It grew dark early in that deep ravine, but it was not till fully two -hours had passed that the gang began to move. - -In the meantime, they smoked and talked in low voices, or lay on the -ground and snoozed. - -At last the leader stood up and said: - -“Bring ’em along.” - -Patsy had tried at first to see if he could free his hands. In the -darkness he tried again, but it was of no use. - -These fellows had known how to tie a knot, and they kept the noose -around his neck, with a warning that they wouldn’t mind leaving him -there for crows to pick. - -That was only too plain. They cared little for the detective. It was -Snell and Leonard that they were interested in. - -The gang returned to Helena in pairs mostly. - -Two went beside Patsy, and one each with Snell and Leonard. - -The rest trailed along—some in advance, some behind. - -When they came to the edge of the town they scattered over different -streets. - -No one meeting any of them would have suspected that a score of men -were coming into the city together. - -Patsy’s guides took the noose from around his neck then, and cautioned -him that if he tried to break away they would shoot. - -The caution wasn’t necessary, for the detective had no idea of doing -anything except stick to the gang until he had found out all about the -business that had brought them together. - -They came at length to a house in a quiet street. - -Patsy’s guides took him in there, opening the front door with a key, -and led him to the kitchen. - -The house was dark when they arrived, but it had gas, and this was lit. - -Curtains were pulled down at the windows, and they waited in silence. - -Others came in from time to time. - -The last to arrive were Snell and Leonard, and the men who had been -walking with them. - -It was understood that they had been to Bronco Bill’s, where Snell had -hidden the “stuff.” - -When all were there, the leader said: - -“Now, ef ye’re ready fer business at last, let’s git at it without any -palaver.” - -“We’re ready,” responded Leonard. - -“Prove it.” - -Leonard glanced at Snell, who slowly drew a wallet from his pocket, and -took from it a number of one-thousand-dollar bills. - -The eyes of the men in the gang flashed greedily. - -“I’d ruther ’twas gold,” muttered the leader, “but it looks straight -enough.” - -“It’s perfectly straight,” said Snell, closing the wallet. - -“Wal, but what are ye doin’ now? You brought that stuff to hand over, -didn’t ye?” - -“Certainly; when you deliver the goods.” - -It was Snell who responded, and his voice was calm now. - -He seemed to feel that his victory was won. - -Leonard, on the other hand, looked worried. - -“Guess that’s right enough, then,” remarked the leader. “We’ve got the -goods, an’ we’ll show thet we can meet ye. Harry——” - -He interrupted himself suddenly, with a glance at Patsy. - -“’Twon’t do,” he added, in a decided tone; “not jest yet. We don’t -want no witnesses to this perceedin’. I don’t perfess to say thet this -geezer’s a detective, but dead men tell no tales. I wisht we’d bored -holes in him out thar in the hills.” - -“Better not do any shootin’ here,” suggested one of the men. - -“Right; but thar’s a good way, jest as quiet an’ peaceable as a -graveyard. Take him into the basement.” - -“What!” exclaimed Harry, “you wouldn’t do that?” - -“Wouldn’t I? In course I would,” replied the leader, harshly. “You go -an’ git the goods, Harry, an’ mind yer own business. Two or three of ye -gag that geezer and tie his feet. Then take him to the basement. Hear?” - -They heard. - -Patsy saw young Harry’s face pale as he went slowly from the room. - -Others proceeded promptly to obey the leader. - -“I wonder if my time has really come at last?” thought the detective. - -He could make no resistance, and tried none. - -It was useless, too, to bluff the men or try to plead with them. - -They stuffed his own handkerchief in his mouth and tied a cord tightly -around his ankles. - -Then they lifted him, while the rest of the gang and Snell and Leonard -looked silently on, and took him from the room by a door that opened -upon a stairway. - -Down the stairs and along a short passage they carried the helpless -detective, and at last laid him upon a cemented floor. - -Not a ray of light was there. - -The men stumbled in the darkness as if they were not familiar with the -place. - -“Say yer pra’rs, tenderfoot,” remarked one of them, with a harsh -chuckle, as he started away. - -“He’s got nerve,” said another, noticing that no sound came from their -victim’s throat. - -“More likely he’s scared silly,” returned the first. - -One of them was feeling along the wall. - -“Hurry up,” said the other. - -“It’s all right, I’ve found it,” was the reply from a corner. - -“Full on,” said the first. - -“So ’tis.” - -“Come on, then.” - -They went out. - -Patsy heard the door close behind them. - -Then their steps stumbling along the passage and upstairs. - -At last he heard the opening and shutting of a door at the top. - -The sound of the leader’s rough voice came to him, evidently asking a -question. - -“Is the trick done?” or something of that sort. - -He could imagine the men’s short answer. - -Then probably the gang got down to business again with Snell and -Leonard. - -It would do no good to try to tell what Patsy’s thoughts and feelings -were. - -He had been unlucky enough before to get captured by men who meant to -kill him. - -On other occasions he had worked himself free, or Nick or Chick had -come just in time to rescue him. - -Nick was thousands of miles away. - -Chick wasn’t on this strange case at all. - -The cords upon his hands and legs were very firm. - -And yet the young man felt no despair. - -“Somehow!” he thought, and he went to rubbing his back as well as he -could against the hard cellar floor. - -He thought he might wear the cords through in time. - -In time—good Heaven! would there be time? - -What was that he smelled? - -An enemy more fearful than the bullets of assassins. - -He understood now what he had been doing when the man had been feeling -along the way. - -The villain had been hunting for the gas jet. - -He had found it and turned the cock “full on!” - -The close cellar was filling rapidly with the poisonous stuff. - -Patsy’s throat tickled. - -He coughed and partly dislodged his gag, but it was only to take more -gas into his lungs. - -With all his might he wriggled so that the cord might be cut or worn -enough to break. - -He could make no effect on it, so far as he could tell. - -Every strain simply made the cord cut deeper into his flesh, and he was -as helpless as before. - -The poisoned atmosphere choked him. - -He felt his head whirling. - -The whole house seemed to be going around and around. - -In the confusion of his mind he seemed to hear voices in a loud -discussion. - -They ceased—there was no sound—except a fearful roaring as if he lay at -the bottom of Niagara Falls. - -And then, a dreadful feeling that he might as well give it all up. - -A man had to die some time. - -One time was probably as good as another. - -He had done what Nick told him to as well as he knew how. - -He hoped that Nick and Chick would somehow get at this gang. - -Patsy was very tired and sleepy. - -The whirling and the noises ceased. His brain was at rest. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE MYSTERY OF GEORGE SNELL. - - -Nick Carter had said good-by to his bright young assistant at about -half-past ten of an evening. - -He gave little further thought to the case that night, for he knew that -it was in good hands. - -“I shall probably hear from the boy in the morning,” he thought, as he -went to bed. - -No message came from Patsy in the morning, because the young man had -been too much occupied in watching Snell and Leonard in the Jersey City -station to send one. - -But a message came from Dinsmore that gave Nick a bit of a surprise. - -It was as follows: - -“Important robbery just reported. Don’t know if it is the one you -referred to last night, but it is very important and mysterious. Wish -you would come on.” - -Nick took the next train for the West. - -Dinsmore’s telegram was sent from Manchester, the capital of Wenonah, -and there, of course, the detective went. - -The journey was without incident, and was made as rapidly as possible, -considering that there are no through trains between New York and the -distant Canadian town. - -Dinsmore met him at the station. - -“I’ve got a telegram for you,” he said, as soon as they had shaken -hands. “It was forwarded from New York, after you left.” - -Nick opened and read it. It was the one Patsy had sent from Chicago to -say that he was going with Snell to Helena. - -“All right,” said Nick. “Now, what’s the case?” - -“It was reported by the lieutenant governor,” replied Dinsmore, “Gov. -Bradley being away. His absence makes the thing very peculiar, and I -don’t understand it at all. How you should know in New York that a -robbery had taken place in Manchester before anybody here suspected -such a thing, is quite a mystery.” - -“I believe,” responded Nick, “that I begin to see how that happened. -But go on. Some State papers have disappeared.” - -“That’s it, and that’s what makes me suppose it the same affair that -you seemed to have in mind when you telegraphed from New York.” - -“Anything else?” - -“Do you mean anything else stolen? Not that I am aware of, but the -papers are very important. I thought you ought to come on, as you -seemed to know something of the matter.” - -“I am afraid I don’t, but I’m interested. You say there’s been no -abduction, or kidnaping?” - -“I didn’t say so, but I know of no such case.” - -“Well, tell me all you know about the loss of the papers.” - -“That’s very little. The lieutenant governor called me up late on the -night you telegraphed me. In fact, I think it was about two hours after -I had sent my answer. - -“‘Dinsmore,’ said he, ‘there’s been a very strange robbery, or -something that looks very much like it. Some papers that cannot be of -value to ordinary thieves, but for which the government would pay a -handsome reward, have disappeared.’” - -“I asked him when they were taken. - -“‘I’ve no idea,’ he answered. ‘I only discovered the loss this -afternoon.’ - -“Then I asked him why he had not called on me sooner. - -“‘Because,’ he replied, ‘we’ve been hunting high and low for the -papers. We supposed they must be somewhere in the government building. -But we’ve looked everywhere. They’re gone, and that’s all there is to -it.’” - -“I thought of your telegram, Nick, but said nothing. After I had asked -the usual questions about where the papers were kept, and so forth, I -inquired if he had any suspicions. - -“The questions seemed to make him uneasy. - -“‘I cannot suspect anybody,’ he replied. - -“I remembered you, Nick, and I said: - -“‘That means that you suspect everybody.’” - -“What did he say to that?” asked Nick. - -“Huh! he smiled in a queer way, and simply said: ‘Well?’ Of course, I -pressed him to be frank with me, but didn’t succeed at first. - -“Finally, though, he let the cat out of the bag in a kind of roundabout -way. - -“I saw that he actually suspected Gov. Bradley himself.” - -“Well!” exclaimed Nick, “that’s rather interesting.” - -“Yes—and mysterious. I’ll tell you a fact or two without stopping to -say how I squeezed them from the lieutenant governor. - -“Some six or seven weeks ago a man unknown here called on Gov. Bradley. -We know his name was Leonard and that he and the governor had been in -some sort of business deal together years before. - -“That much is known, because a part of their conversation was -accidentally overheard. - -“Nobody thought anything of it at the time, of course, for it all -seemed natural and straight enough. - -“The lieutenant governor heard Leonard asking about some papers of some -kind. - -“‘They’re safe,’ Gov. Bradley told him. - -“‘That’s all well enough for you to say,’ Leonard responded, ‘but I’d -rather keep them myself. Then I’d know.’” - -Dinsmore paused. - -“Does anybody know what the governor said to that?” asked Nick. - -“He was heard to say something to the effect that that would give -Leonard the whip hand. - -“The men were evidently on bad terms, and that is all that is known of -that matter. - -“Now, some time later—it is rather more than three weeks ago—Gov. -Bradley left town. He hasn’t been back since.” - -“Is there anything strange in that?” - -“Not exactly. He went away openly enough. Told everybody that he was -tired and needed rest. That was natural. He also told the lieutenant -governor secretly that he was going to travel without letting anybody -know where he was. - -“‘I don’t want to be bothered with letters,’ he said.” - -“That was natural enough, too, wasn’t it?” - -“I suppose so; but just now the lieutenant governor is putting two and -two together, and I can see that he is suspicious. He hasn’t said so in -so many words, you understand, but that’s what he feels, just the same.” - -“You haven’t told me all, Dinsmore.” - -“Not quite. Governor Bradley told the lieutenant governor that he would -manage to be within reach at all times, but that his movements and -address must be kept private. - -“‘I will take the name of George Snell,’ said he, ‘and keep you -informed where you may telegraph to me, if anything of real importance -comes up.’ - -“So, for some days, the lieutenant governor received a telegram every -day, saying: ‘Snell, Auditorium, Chicago,’ or ‘Snell, Planter’s, St. -Louis,’ and so forth. - -“Then there was a break of a few days, after which came word that -‘Snell’ was at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York. - -“Meantime, nothing had happened that the lieutenant governor couldn’t -attend to alone. - -“Then came the discovery that papers were missing. - -“As soon as it was certain that the papers had disappeared, the -lieutenant governor telegraphed the fact to ‘Snell,’ and told him in -the same message that the matter would be placed in my hands. - -“If the lieutenant governor had thought twice, he would have called me -up before wiring to Bradley, alias Snell, but he didn’t think quick -enough, and since that time not a word has been heard from ‘Snell.’ And -there you are.” - -“I see,” said Nick; “it’s very interesting. When does the next train go -to Helena, Mont.?” - -“To Helena! There’s no direct train to that point, in any case; but -what the mischief do you want to go there for?” - -“Because that’s where Gov. Bradley is, or where he went. I think, -Dinsmore, that I shall have to hunt for your governor, as well as for -the thieves who stole the papers. I hope I may find the governor alive.” - -“Good gracious! what——” - -“Look up the trains, please. I want to catch the first that goes.” - -With a wondering face, Dinsmore studied a railway guide for a few -minutes. - -Presently, he looked at his watch. - -“There’s a train in half an hour,” he said, “that will get you pretty -well started, and you can probably make connections that will take you -through so as to reach Helena in about thirty hours. Will that do?” - -“How can I tell? I must take that train, and I think, Dinsmore, it -would be as well if you should come along, too.” - -“I’ll do it, gladly.” - -“Anything to do to get ready?” - -“No.” - -“Let’s start for the station, then.” - -They went out, and on the way Nick asked: - -“Dinsmore, do you know anybody in Manchester whose name is Cecil West?” - -“Slightly,” replied Dinsmore. “Friend of yours?” - -“No, I never saw him. What sort of a man is he?” - -“Tiptop, from all I hear. Not rich, you know, but honest and -industrious. First-rate fellow, every way. By the way, he’s in love -with the governor’s daughter, Estelle.” - -“So?” - -“Yes, and the old man won’t have him. He’s sent the girl away, so as to -keep them from meeting.” - -“The governor sent his daughter away, did he?” - -“That’s what I hear. She dropped out of sight after a big party at the -governor’s house some five weeks ago, and it is understood that she was -packed off to visit a distant aunt, or something, in the hope that she -would forget young West.” - -“I wonder if West hears from her?” mused Nick. - -“If he does, he doesn’t say so.” - -“Of course not.” - -Nothing more was said on this subject, and Dinsmore did not suspect -what was in the detective’s mind. - -Nick asked one other question about the case: - -“I understand that nothing has been reported, except a theft of -government papers. Is that right?” - -“Yes, and I have wondered a little, for in your telegram to me you -mentioned jewelry.” - -“I did. I heard some was taken.” - -“Nick,” said Dinsmore, “who gave you the tip about all this?” - -The detective looked his old friend in the eyes for a moment, and -answered, quietly: - -“Gov. Bradley.” - -“The deuce you say! Why didn’t you jump on the case?” - -“Because I didn’t know till I arrived in Manchester that it was the -governor who called on me. He said his name was Snell. I doubted it, -but I had no suspicion as to who he really was. I could see that he was -holding some facts back, and that made me turn him down. That was where -Bradley made a bad mistake.” - -The detective and Dinsmore made good connections, and arrived in Helena -at six o’clock in the evening of the following day. - -They began at once to trace the men they wanted to find. - -Dinsmore made inquiries for a man answering the description of Gov. -Bradley. - -Nick, knowing that Patsy must have come to Helena, hunted for some -trace of him. - -He had the more difficult task, for Patsy, of course, had been -disguised when he arrived in the town, and, as Nick presumed, he -changed his disguise almost daily. - -Calculating from the telegram, Nick reckoned that Patsy must have -reached Helena on a certain day and by a certain train. - -He asked men employed at the station about the passengers who arrived -on that day. - -From one he got a tip as to a man who might be Patsy who left his grip -at the station and walked away. - -The grip was sent for later, the man said, and was taken to a street -that he named. - -Nick went to that street. - -He walked the length of it twice. - -There was no good hotel on it, but several boarding houses, and any -number of saloons. - -Among others was Bronco Bill’s. - -Nick looked at it each time he passed. - -It was not the first one he entered, but, after dropping in at two -or three other places, he entered Bronco Bill’s place just as the -proprietor was telling a customer about a shooting scrap that had taken -place there recently. - -“They wanted to make the tenderfoot dance,” said Bill, grinning, “but -durn me ef he didn’t make them dance and holler afore he got through -with them. Such shootin’ I never did see! I thought ’twould be the last -of Bronco Bill’s house, but the young stranger just brought them crazy -galoots to their senses in no time. Say! he hit a dime——” - -And Bill went on to tell the whole story. - -“Patsy!” said Nick to himself, as he slowly put down a glass of beer at -the other end of the bar. “I wonder how long it will take Dinsmore to -follow his trail to this joint?” - -Nick sat down to wait, and had supper meantime. - -Shortly after nine o’clock, Dinsmore came in, looking sour and hopeless. - -“Ah! there you are,” said he. “I’ve been looking for you.” - -“Why didn’t you come here, then?” asked Nick. - -“Because I didn’t expect to find you here. I seemed to trace a man who -looked like the governor to this hole several times. Plenty said they’d -seen such a man hanging around, but the governor wouldn’t put up in -such a place, not he!” - -“It’s where he put up, just the same,” said Nick. - -“Who told you?” - -“I guessed it. My assistant has been here, and he wouldn’t stay in such -a place, either, unless there was business in it. The business that -brought Patsy here was——” - -Nick did not finish. - -Instead, he caught up a newspaper and held it in front of Dinsmore. - -“Read it!” he whispered, “and don’t show your face!” - -Four men were coming in from the street. - -One of them was the man whom Nick had known as George Snell. - -As the detective was now disguised, he did not hesitate to show his -face. - -It looked, however, as if his disguise would have been unnecessary, for -Snell walked quickly across the room and out by a door at the back. - -One of the four went with him. - -The other two stepped up to the bar and called for drinks. - -Snell came back in a short time with the man who had gone out with him. - -“Have something?” asked a man at the bar. - -“No,” replied Snell; “let’s be going.” - -The four then went out at once. - -“Great Scott!” whispered Dinsmore, “that was Gov. Bradley’s voice!” - -“Of course it was,” replied Nick. “Come on.” - -They kept on the track of the four men, and followed them to a house in -a quiet street. - -There was a light in the kitchen windows. - -“Crooked work here,” whispered Dinsmore. - -“Sure!” replied Nick. “We must get a line on it, if possible.” - -They had not gone very near the house, presuming that there might be -men on guard who would give warning to the others. - -It seemed best to try to get at the kitchen windows from behind, and, -accordingly, they went around to another street, through a yard, and -over a fence. - -This took some time, but the lights were still there, and all was quiet -within. - -Although the curtains were down, they managed to get a glimpse inside -through a small hole. - -It was just enough to show a good many tough-looking men around a -table, with Snell in the middle. - -He was counting out a big roll of bills. - -“Buying back the papers,” whispered Nick, “and paying the ransom for -his daughter.” - -“What! you don’t mean——” - -“Miss Bradley was kidnaped. That’s what I mean. Ah! if the governor had -had the sense to tell me the whole truth!” - -Nick was thinking. - -“There are a good many of them,” whispered Dinsmore; “shall we go to -headquarters for a squad of police?” - -“No. They’ll be through in a minute. We must make a bluff, and they’ll -think they’re surrounded. You go to the front door, and I’ll tackle -them here.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE RANSOM. - - -Harry had brought down what the leader of the gang called “the goods.” - -This was a parcel of papers done up in red tape. - -It was laid on the kitchen table, and Snell began to count out the -money that he had shown a few minutes before. - -“I have forty thousand dollars here,” he remarked. - -“Ought to be twice that!” growled the leader. - -“That was the price agreed on with Leonard, wasn’t it?” - -“Go ahead.” - -“You haven’t produced the goods.” - -Snell, or, rather, Gov. Bradley, stopped counting out the money, and -looked straight at the leader. - -“Plank down the money!” ordered the leader, harshly. - -Just then there was a furious knocking at both the back and front doors. - -Loud voices—there seemed to be a dozen of them—were crying: - -“Surrender, in the name of the law!” - -“We’re done!” gasped the leader, starting up, and lifting his revolver, -“and by thunder! I know who done it! You, Harry, you sneak, with your -argument——” - -“I haven’t given you away, Hamilton,” cried Harry, “I swear——” - -He got no further, for Hamilton, the leader, fired. - -Harry groaned and staggered to the cellar door. - -He grasped the handle to keep from falling. - -It turned, the door opened, and he plunged headlong down the stairs. - -All the other men were starting up in great confusion. - -“Kill the governor!” they cried. - -“No!” shouted Hamilton; “there’ll be more in him than in anything else. -Take him with us.” - -Then he added, in a lower tone: - -“Side door, boys. Nobody seems to be there. They’ve forgotten the side -door!” - -He seized the governor as he spoke, and pushed him from the room. - -Others helped, and both the governor and Leonard were hustled out. - -All the things on the table—money and papers—were swept off by -somebody. - -A door crashed in, and next instant Nick Carter leaped into the room. - -He was greeted by a pistol shot from one of the ruffians. - -It missed him. - -Many voices were heard, calling, ordering, cursing. - -Dinsmore rushed in from the front. - -“Heaven!” he gasped, “the governor’s voice. He’s calling for help. -After him, Nick, and rescue him.” - -Together they made for the side door. - -They overtook some of the gang there and Nick laid them flat with giant -blows from his fists. - -Then they went on. - -Over a fence at a little distance a number of men were seen climbing. - -A pistol shot from Nick dropped one. - -The rest ran on. - -Nick and Dinsmore dashed off in pursuit, their one hope being to rescue -the governor, who had foolishly tried to do his own detective work. - - * * * * * - -Patsy felt as if a fearfully heavy blanket lay upon him. - -Slowly, for he was less than half-awake, he put up his hands to brush -the blanket away. - -It was too heavy, and he wondered. - -Then he opened his eyes. - -It was rather a dark place, and rough, unfinished ceiling overhead. - -He saw that first, naturally, for he was lying on his back. - -“By Jumbo!” he muttered, beginning to remember, “I thought I was dead.” - -He looked down, raising his head a little, and saw with horror that -what he thought was a heavy blanket was the body of a young man. - -There was an open knife in the young man’s hand. - -“It’s the fellow they called Harry!” said Patsy to himself, sitting up -now and carefully lifting the body away. “What the mischief does it all -mean?” - -His memory was returning fast. - -He recalled now how he had been carried down to this cellar to be -suffocated with gas. - -That was early last night. - -It was now day, as he could tell from the light at one dusty window. - -Besides, the cellar door was open, the one opening into the passage -through which he had been taken. - -His hands had been bound so hard that he could not loose them, and now -they were free! - -“How did that hap——” - -He looked at the cord that had been around his wrists. - -It was cut through. - -Nothing could be clearer than that smooth mark of a sharp knife. - -The detective looked at the knife in Harry’s dead hand. - -“That’s it!” he said, softly. “The poor fellow tried to save me, and he -came pretty near doing it.” - -He tried to take the knife from Harry’s hand, but the stiffened fingers -held it tight. - -His own knife was in his pocket, and with that he cut the cord around -his ankles. - -Then he got up. - -His head still swam, and he was weak, but his strength came back -rapidly. - -Going to the wall, he found the gas jet. - -The cock had been turned square off. - -“Harry did it,” he whispered. “Poor fellow! I remember how he couldn’t -stand the idea of my being murdered. His coming in and leaving the -door open, ventilated the place, and so I didn’t die of suffocation. -Poor chap! he meant well. I wonder how he came to be shot?” - -Shot he was, as the detective could see from the wound in the young -man’s breast. - -Patsy stood still for a full minute. - -“Hang me!” he exclaimed, “if it doesn’t seem as wonderful as if I was -dead!” - -He felt for his revolver. - -One had been taken away from him, but he had the other, and, with this -in his hand, he went upstairs. - -The house was very still. - -In the kitchen he found overturned chairs and other signs of disorder. - -“There was a ruction of some kind,” he concluded. - -He wasn’t sure just what he ought to do, and decided that before he -tried to form a plan he would explore the house. - -Nothing attracted his attention in the rooms of the ground floor, and -it was the same on the next floor. - -They were ordinary rooms, furnished cheaply. - -The detective looked into bureau drawers, not because he was expecting -to find anything, but to see if there was any evidence that the house -was regularly occupied. - -There was none. All the drawers were empty. - -Opening a door, he found himself at the foot of the stairs to the attic. - -“Might as well take it all in,” he thought, and he started up. - -The third step was loose, and came up when he put his foot on it. - -At once he pulled the board away. - -He saw something that made his eyes bulge. - -A box had been made beneath the step, and, lying in it, were two -packets of papers done up in red ribbon, and a great quantity of money -in big bills. - -He took out and counted twenty one-thousand-dollar bills, and twenty -thousand more dollars in bills of five and one hundred. - -“Whew!” he whistled, sitting down and looking at his find. - -A sound startled him. - -It came from above. - -A faint, weak voice—a woman’s, apparently. - -It seemed to be calling for help. - -Patsy stuffed the money in his pockets, and bounded up the attic stairs. - -Under the unfinished loft on a couch of blankets he saw a young woman -lying. - -She was tied to the place so that she could turn over only with -difficulty. - -“Good gracious!” he cried, “who are you? What does this mean? Have you -been hurt?” - -“No,” she answered, weakly, “but I am so weak and hungry. They haven’t -given me anything to eat or drink for more than a day. I suppose they -have forgotten me. I am Estelle Bradley, sir. If you would only get -word to my father! He is the Governor of Wenonah, and I know he would -reward you!” - -“Don’t try to talk, Miss Bradley,” interrupted Patsy. - -He was stooping to cut the cords that bound her to the floor. - -When this was done, he helped her to her feet and then downstairs. On -the way, he took the papers he had seen in the box, and put them in his -pockets. - -She told him, when he explained that he was a detective, how she had -been deceived by a message that was supposed to be sent by her lover, -Cecil West. - -“It was handed to me during a party at my father’s house,” she said, -“and it told me that Cecil was lying dangerously wounded not far away. -I went at once to see him, and was seized by rough men, who brought me -here and have kept me ever since.” - -Patsy took her to a hotel, where they had breakfast. - -Then, knowing nothing of Nick’s journey to the West, he arranged for -taking her home. - -They started on a train that left Helena just as Nick and Dinsmore -returned after a successful chase of the ruffians. - -It had taken them most of the night, but they had rescued the governor -and caught three of the gang, though Hamilton, the leader, had escaped. - -Leonard had been shot through the heart by the leader when it came to -the last fight out in the hills miles beyond Helena. - -The governor confessed bitterly that he and Leonard had been engaged in -a business that could not be called quite square years before. - -“For my reputation,” said the governor, “I had to keep certain papers, -and Leonard wanted them, fearing that I would give them up some time, -and so ruin him. We feared each other. - -“So he hired a band of ruffians to steal the papers. They not only -stole mine, but, without knowing it, a number of government documents, -also. Then, to make a complete job of it, they kidnaped my daughter. - -“I dared not trust my secrets to the police, or to you, Mr. Carter. -When Leonard found that the ruffians would not give up the papers -without an immense ransom, that he was unable to pay, he told me what -he had done. It was for the interest of both of us to keep the matter -dark, and he thought he could drive a bargain with the thieves. - -“So I got together all the cash I could and we tried it. - -“We went from city to city, but whether Leonard saw the leader -anywhere, I do not know. At last, I told him I should give the matter -to Nick Carter. - -“Leonard threatened to kill me if I did so. He nearly succeeded, as, -perhaps, you know. At last, he said we should find that gang in Helena, -and that by this time they would be willing to come to my terms—forty -thousand dollars—their first bid having been for a hundred thousand. - -“We came to Helena, Leonard taking a different route from Chicago, in -order to give the word to the gang, who, he said, were mostly at the -North. - -“I came here and went, as he told me, to a low saloon, where I stayed -till he came, and the rest you know.” - -“Not quite all,” said Nick; “wasn’t there a man on your track all this -time?” - -“Not that I know of, though yesterday a stranger was found spying on -us. The gang killed him.” - -“How? When? Where?” demanded Nick, anxiously. - -Gov. Bradley told him about the way the stranger was put down the -cellar. - -“And I was there,” thought Nick, with deep sorrow, “perhaps in time to -save him! I wish I had let the governor go.” - -They went to the house, and found it deserted by all, save the dead -Harry. - -What Nick saw, though, the open knife, the cut cords, convinced him -that Patsy had made his escape. - -But the case did not seem to be finished, for the valuable papers and -the governor’s daughter were still missing, to say nothing of the great -ransom that had been paid down. - -So Nick went with the governor to Manchester, and there found Patsy, -Miss Estelle, and all that the governor had been looking for. - -It is supposed that one of the gang hid the papers and the money in the -box under the stairs during the confusion of the attempt to escape. - -“It was a clever move,” said Nick, discussing it; “for the rascal must -have known that some, if not all the gang, would be captured, and it -would be foolish to have the stuff captured with them. So he took the -chance of hiding it, meaning to go back some time, next day, probably, -and get it.” - -Gov. Bradley offered to pay Nick and Patsy for their services. - -“I don’t think we want any pay,” replied Nick. “We’ve had a good time -out of it, and we weren’t engaged on the matter at all. But I’d like to -ask two favors.” - -“They shall be granted,” said the governor. - -“First, then, when you have detective work to do in the future, don’t -try to do it yourself.” - -“That’s easy,” laughed the governor; “you may be sure I shan’t try that -sort of thing again.” - -“The second,” said Nick, “is that you consent to the marriage of your -daughter and Cecil West. He’s a fine young man——” - -“I yield,” interrupted Gov. Bradley. “I will send for West at once.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - A CALL TO COLORADO. - - -“Patsy, here’s a letter from a friend of mine in Colorado who asks me -to go around that way and look at some mining property he’s got.” - -“Just the thing,” said Patsy. “I’m pretty sick of British America, and -I guess Colorado is about as good a way as any other to get back to -old New York. I don’t suppose we’ll ever strike that gang of villains -again.” - -“You think not?” queried Nick. “I’m not usually disposed to plume -myself on any prophetic gifts, but something tells me that before we -sight the Brooklyn Bridge again we’ll have some of the members of that -gang to deal with once more. In the meantime, however, we’ll accept -this invitation to Colorado.” - -It is not necessary to dwell on the trip; suffice it to say that Nick -finished the examination of the mines and prepared to resume his return -journey. - -While on the train he received a telegram that disarranged his plans -and gave him the first inkling that his prophetic vision was to -materialize. - -The telegram was from a man named Folsom, whom Nick had met while -examining his friend’s mining property. It intimated that a tragic -occurrence was disturbing the people of Mason Creek, and that the -services of Nick Carter would be appreciated in clearing up the mystery. - -Nick decided to reply in person to the telegram, and started -immediately for Denver. - -It is necessary to go back a little to understand why Folsom had -telegraphed for Nick. - -A day or two before, two men had met on a rocky plateau, some three -miles from the village of Mason Creek, in Colorado, and a little -farther from Denver, near which city the overland express was bearing -Nick Carter and his assistant eastward. - -One of the men was a farmer, the other a clergyman. - -The farmer was vociferating wildly, while the clergyman strove to -pacify him. - -“It ain’t right! it’s swindling, and you can’t make it anything else!” -declared the farmer. - -The clergyman raised his hand, and there was a look of pain on his pale -face. - -“I wish you wouldn’t swear,” he said, gently. “Be calm, and tell me -just what you mean.” - -The farmer looked ashamed of himself, and probably would have answered -in a quiet way if another man who was standing near had not put in: - -“Don’t pay any attention to him, Mr. Judson. Let him rave. If he’s such -a fool that he can’t make money, it’s not your fault, and he has no -business to complain to you.” - -“But,” said Mr. Judson, “he makes a serious charge——” - -The farmer did not hear this, for he was angry almost beyond his -control, “mad clean through,” as the saying is in that part of Colorado. - -He did not hear, because he broke in violently: - -“I’ve been swindled, robbed, do you hear? and you’re just as much to -blame as if you’d been the only one in the scheme. You wear the clothes -of a preacher, but, by thunder! you’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and -you deserve to be shot on the spot. If you want to keep that pious skin -of yours whole, you’d better not come around Hank Low’s way.” - -“But, Mr. Low, listen to me,” the clergyman begged. - -“Not a word, you black-coated villain! When I think of the way my wife -and children have been cheated by a sneak-thief of a minister, it puts -murder in my heart, it does! I won’t talk to you, for fear I’ll forgit -and take the law into my own hands. Geddap, Jenny.” - -The farmer’s old mare responded to the command and a lash of the whip -and jogged away, dragging the rickety old wagon in which sat the angry -Hank Low alone. - -The clergyman turned, with a sigh, to his companion. - -“I’m afraid, Mr. Claymore,” he said, “that all is not as it should be -in this matter.” - -“Pooh!” returned Claymore, easily; “you mustn’t mind the howling of -such a wild man. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He won’t hurt -you.” - -“Oh! that isn’t what I fear. I don’t like to hear a man talk like that, -because it shows that he believes he has been wronged. There might be -some truth in it. If so, I should be the first to make it right.” - -“But there isn’t anything wrong. It was all a plain matter of business. -Hank Low had a lot of land that he couldn’t do anything with. We asked -him his price for it, we had a dicker with him, and he sold. What could -be simpler, or fairer, than that?” - -Instead of answering, the clergyman looked over the ground where they -were standing. - -It was a level, but rocky, spot between high hills. - -No house was in sight, but half a mile farther up the valley was Hank -Low’s cabin. - -This spot where they stood had been part of Hank Low’s farm. - -He had had a hard struggle trying to make a living out of his land, and -had not succeeded very well. - -There was a heavy mortgage to be lifted, besides. - -One day a couple of men came to Mason Creek and spent a good deal of -time tramping about the country. - -One of them was William Claymore. - -After a few days of tramping about, Claymore offered to buy the most -useless part of Hank Low’s farm. - -He mentioned the name of Rev. Elijah Judson as a man who was interested -with him in some kind of a plan. - -Nothing very definite was said about it, but Low understood that the -clergyman meant to put up a private school for young ladies, and wanted -the land for that purpose. - -A deal was made by which Low was able to pay off his mortgage, but -nothing more. - -He would have been content with that if he had not discovered, when -it was too late, that the parties who bought his land had no idea of -putting up a school or anything of that sort. - -It was at the time when the fact was just becoming known that oil could -be found in great quantities in the far Western lands. - -Claymore and his companion, by making secret tests of the soil, had -come to the conclusion that this worthless end of Hank Low’s farm was -the best place in the State for oil wells. - -So they bought several acres for next to nothing. - -It might be supposed that their next step would be to sink wells and -build a refinery, or a pipe line. - -But such things cost money, and neither Claymore nor his partner had -any left to speak of. - -They had to raise it, and in this task they had the assistance of the -Rev. Elijah Judson. - -The clergyman had not been in Colorado when Hank Low’s land was bought. - -In fact, he did not half understand the scheme. - -He had not been a success as a preacher, but he had a little money, -some two or three thousand dollars, and Claymore had persuaded him -that with it he could make his fortune in oil. - -There was nothing dishonest in discovering oil and digging for it. - -If there had been, the clergyman would not have touched the scheme. - -Supposing that it was all right, he had put in his money, and had been -made the president of the company. - -His name was printed in large type on the letters sent out by Claymore. - -These letters were sent to people in the far East, who had been members -of the Rev. Mr. Judson’s church. - -They were sent to other places where his name was known, and they told -all about the wonderful discovery of oil. - -Friends of the clergyman were to be allowed to invest in the company, -if they wanted a sure thing. - -The letters did not state that money was needed for digging the wells -or building a refinery. - -Oh, no! Persons who received the letters were given to understand that -this was their chance to get rich quickly. - -And the Rev. Elijah Judson’s name as president of the oil company was -enough to make everybody sure that it was all right. - -For, of course, the clergyman would not go into any business that was -not perfectly straight and sure. - -That was quite the case—at least, the clergyman thought it was. He -meant well, and he really believed that the company was square, and -that there would be great profits in the business. - -There were many answers to the letters, and money came in rapidly. Not -many persons invested large amounts, but the sum total was considerable. - -All this operation of raising money for the work took several months. - -At last the clergyman went to Colorado to look over the plant and do -his share of the work. - -He was surprised to find that there wasn’t any plant. - -There was the land that had been bought; on it were a few small mounds -of loose dirt to show where borings had been made; and in Denver there -was an office of the company. - -Nothing more. - -Claymore explained that it took time to get the machinery for sinking -the wells, and Mr. Judson was satisfied. - -They went out to the land, and there happened to meet Hank Low, as he -was driving to the city with a small load of farm stuff for the market. - -By that time, of course, Low had learned just why his land had been -bought. - -The farmer honestly believed that he had been swindled, because nobody -had told him that the land he was selling was very valuable. - -“They might have let me in on the deal,” he grumbled. “The land was -mine. S’pose it had been gold they found. Wouldn’t it be swindling to -make me sell it dirt cheap just because I didn’t know what ’twas worth?” - -His neighbors told him he mustn’t expect any better treatment in a -business deal. - -“But,” he argued, “they sprung the preacher on me, made me believe -there was to be a school there. Ain’t that false pretenses? You bet, -’tis!—an’ ef ever I git my hands on that preacher, I’ll make him -suffer!” - -He hadn’t had his hands on the Rev. Elijah Judson, but he had made him -suffer, just the same. - -“I hate to be called a swindler,” sighed the clergyman, as he stood -there with Claymore. - -“Mr. Judson,” responded Claymore, “business is business, and the man -who gets left in a trade is always sore. That’s all there is to it, and -you mustn’t think anything more about it.” - -“Well,” said Mr. Judson, “I’ll try to think it’s all right, but if I -should find that any wrong has been done, I shall insist on making -things right with Low.” - -There was a sneering expression on Claymore’s face, but he said -nothing, and they returned to the city. - -Mr. Judson found new trouble there. He met one of his old church -members on the street and shook hands with him. - -“I didn’t know you were in this part of the country, Mr. Folsom,” said -the clergyman. - -“I suppose not,” snapped Mr. Folsom, in reply, “and I presume you’d -have liked it better if I had stayed away.” - -“Why! what do you mean?” - -“I came out here to look into the oil company I put my money in. That’s -what I mean.” - -“Well——” - -“There isn’t any well. There ought to be several, but there isn’t one, -and, what’s more, there won’t be any, and what’s more yet, you know it.” - -“Why! Brother Folsom——” - -“Don’t brother me! You’ve lent your name to a swindle, and you ought to -be ashamed of yourself. I can stand my loss, and it will teach me not -to trust a minister again, but there are others, widows and orphans, -who have put their all into your infernal scheme, and they can’t stand -it. You’ve made them beggars just to fatten yourself.” - -The clergyman grew ghastly pale as he listened, and even Claymore, who -was still with him, looked troubled. - -“This is dreadful!” gasped Mr. Judson. “I’d die if I believed it to be -half true!” - -“Then you’d better die,” retorted Folsom. “That’s all I’ve got to say. -I’ve looked at that wonderful land the company bought, and there isn’t -enough oil in it to fill a lamp. Not a dollar that’s been put into it -will ever be got out again. But you’ll be fairly well off with the -money you’ve got from the widows and orphans—if you don’t get into jail -for swindling.” - -With this Mr. Folsom strode away. - -“What does it mean?” asked Mr. Judson. - -“Sore head, that’s all,” responded Claymore. “He doesn’t know what he’s -talking about——” - -“But he seems to. Mr. Claymore, if I find that there has been any -dishonest work in this business I shall expose it all, understand that. -I shall die of the shame of it, but I will not commit suicide until I -have seen that the really guilty parties are punished.” - -“Come, Mr. Judson, don’t talk of suicide. That’s foolish. You’re not -used to business, that’s all.” - -“It is not all—ah! there’s Mr. Low’s wagon in front of that store. I am -going to speak to him.” - -Claymore objected, but the minister was stubborn, and they went into -the store. - -Low was there, and the clergyman asked him to call at the hotel to talk -over matters. - -“I want to know all the facts,” said Mr. Judson. - -“Wal,” answered Low, slowly, “I’ve got some business to attend to, but -ef ye’re in at half-past three I’ll be thar.” - -“I shall look for you at that hour.” - -It was then about noon, and while they were at dinner Claymore tried -to make the clergyman think that the business was all straight, but -evidently he did not succeed. - -“I shall go to my room and think quietly till Low comes,” said Mr. -Judson when they got up from the table, “and I repeat that if all does -not seem to be honest and aboveboard I shall take measures to right the -wrongs that have been done.” - -“Go ahead, then,” grumbled Claymore. “I shall be at the office if you -want any information.” - -They parted, and did not meet again. - -Half-past three came, and, prompt to the minute, Hank Low drove to the -hotel entrance and went in. - -Mr. Judson’s room was on the fourth floor, the clerk told him, and -called a boy to show the visitor up. - -“Never mind,” said Low, “I’ve been here before, and I know the way.” - -He therefore went up alone. - -Within five minutes he came down the stairs again, an angry look upon -his face. - -He said nothing to anybody, but hastened to his wagon, got in, said, -“Geddap, Jenny,” and drove away as rapidly as the old nag could take -him. - -As nearly as anybody could make out, it was just previous to Low’s -departure that two or three persons on a street that ran along one side -of the hotel were fearfully startled by the sight of a man falling -from an upper story window. - -He struck head first on the sidewalk, and was instantly killed. - -Men were at his side before his heart stopped beating, but no word came -from the unfortunate man’s lips. - -He was unknown to those who saw his end, but they knew from the cut of -his clothes that he was a clergyman. - -Information was taken to the hotel office at once, and the clerk went -out. - -He immediately identified the body as that of a guest of the house, the -Rev. Elijah Judson. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - WAITING FOR NICK CARTER. - - -In the first horror of this discovery nobody thought of murder. - -It was taken for granted that the unfortunate clergyman had been -leaning from his window, and lost his balance. - -It was not long, however, before men began to look at the thing in -another way. - -The minister’s body was left on the walk under guard of policemen until -an undertaker came to take it away. - -Up to that time no friend of the dead man had appeared. - -The clerk had been so shocked that he could not remember whom he had -seen with Mr. Judson. - -So the hotel manager had engaged the undertaker. - -At last the clerk recalled that Judson had been with Claymore early -in the morning, and that the two had dined together in the hotel -restaurant at noon. - -Accordingly, a messenger was sent to the oil company’s office to inform -Claymore of what had happened. - -It was while the messenger was gone on this errand that a man went into -the hotel, and laid his card on the clerk’s desk. - -“Send it up to Mr. Judson, please,” he said. - -“Mr. Judson!” gasped the clerk, looking first at the man and then at -his card. - -“Yes,” replied the caller, “Rev. Elijah Judson. He’s stopping here, -isn’t he?” - -“Yes—that is, he was, Mr.——” The clerk looked at the card. “Mr. -Folsom,” he added, “but he’s—he’s gone.” - -“Gone! when?” - -“A short time ago—ah! you see, Mr. Folsom, he’s dead!” - -“Dead!” cried Folsom, “dead! Mr. Judson dead?” - -“Instantly killed, sir.” - -Mr. Folsom echoed these words as if he were in a dream. - -“What do you mean?” he whispered then; “how did it happen?” - -“Nobody knows, sir,” replied the clerk, “except that he pitched -headforemost out of his window. He struck the sidewalk; was just -outside there——” - -The clerk’s explanation was not heard by Mr. Folsom. - -“Great Heavens!” he gasped, pressing his hand to his brow; “he took me -in earnest and committed suicide.” - -“Suicide!” - -It was the clerk who repeated the word, but he had not time to say more -when Claymore rushed breathlessly up. - -He had caught the last of Folsom’s remark. - -“What’s that you say of suicide?” he demanded, excitedly. - -Folsom looked at him, blankly. - -“I said,” he answered, slowly, “that my old friend had committed -suicide, and I fear it was some hasty, angry words of mine that drove -him to it.” - -Claymore looked sharply at the speaker. - -He remembered him. - -That conversation on the street was not easy to forget, though Claymore -had taken no part in it. - -Evidently, Folsom did not remember that he had ever seen Claymore -before. - -He had spoken to the clergyman without noticing that a stranger stood -near. - -“I think you’re wrong,” said Claymore, still looking straight at Folsom. - -“I wish I could think so,” responded Folsom, sadly; “but I spoke to -Judson very harshly. I thought I had reason to be angry, and I guess I -had, but I should not have spoken in that way. I came here just now to -beg his pardon. He said at the time he should die, and I told him he’d -better. Great Heaven! to think that I should have hounded him to his -death!” - -Mr. Folsom was terribly distressed. - -The crowd that had gathered at the clerk’s desk listened breathlessly. - -“You may be entirely right,” said Claymore, quietly, “but I think not. -I heard the conversation you refer to.” - -“You heard it?” - -“Yes; I was with Mr. Judson at the time.” - -“Ah! I didn’t see you. Then you heard his words?” - -“I did, and, as I say, you may be right, but I think differently.” - -“How can you?” asked Mr. Folsom, eagerly; “if there’s a ray of hope for -a different explanation, in the name of Heaven speak up, man!” - -“Mr. Judson had a bitter enemy,” said Claymore. - -“An enemy? Do you know this?” - -“I heard a man threaten to kill him this morning.” - -For an instant Mr. Folsom was too astonished to speak. - -He stood with his mouth open, staring at Claymore. - -Then he brought his fist down on the clerk’s desk with a bang, and -exclaimed: - -“Then, I’ll be responsible for tracking that enemy to the ends of the -earth, if necessary. I’ll telegraph for Nick Carter to come. He’s in -this part of the country, and I can get him here by evening, if not -sooner.” - -There was a murmur from the crowd. - -Everybody, unless it was Claymore, seemed to think that this would be -the best possible plan. - -After a moment, he asked: - -“Is Nick Carter a friend of yours?” - -“I met him not long ago,” replied Folsom. “He’ll come; I know he’ll -come if he’s not too far away. I can’t rest as long as there’s any -shadow of doubt that I worried poor Judson to his death.” - -“The local police on such a plain case,” began Claymore, but Folsom -interrupted: - -“I said I’d take the responsibility, and I will. Let the local police -do all they can. It won’t do any harm to have Nick Carter also on the -spot. I’ll wire him at once.” - -He reached for a pad of telegraph blanks, and wrote a dispatch, which -he gave to the clerk with a request that it be sent to the office in a -hurry. - -A bell boy went off with it on the run. - -Then Folsom turned again to Claymore. - -“Who is this enemy of Judson’s you speak of?” he asked. - -A man who had been quietly listening to the conversation touched -Claymore on the shoulder. - -“Don’t answer that question just yet,” he said. - -At the same time he pulled aside the lapel of his coat. - -Claymore and Folsom both saw a badge pinned to his vest. - -“Come into the office a minute, both of you,” added the stranger. - -The two men followed him into the hotel manager’s private room, and the -door was closed. - -“My name is Kerr,” the stranger said then. “I am a detective, and -belong to the regular force here. I shall be very proud to work with -Nick Carter on this case if he comes, but it is my duty to get ahead -on it, and clear it up before he arrives, if possible.” - -“Of course,” responded Claymore. - -Folsom nodded. - -“Now,” said Detective Kerr, “you may answer this gentleman’s question. -Who is the enemy you refer to?” - -“You mean the man I heard threaten Mr. Judson’s life?” asked Claymore, -cautiously. - -“Yes.” - -“It was a farmer named Hank Low. He lives out beyond Mason Creek a few -miles.” - -Kerr made a note of the name. - -“What led to the threat?” he asked. - -“The men had high words about a business transaction, in which Low -thought he’d been badly used. As a matter of fact, Low was treated with -perfect fairness.” - -“But he was hot about it, eh?” - -“I should say so!” - -“Out there.” - -“Near Mason Creek?” - -“Yes; on the oil company’s land.” - -“Well, do you mean to say that this Hank Low followed Mr. Judson to -the city for the purpose of murdering him?” - -“No, I don’t mean to say anything of the kind.” - -“Then I don’t see how we can suspect Low. Mason Creek is some miles -away——” - -“Yes, but Low was on his way to the city when we saw him.” - -“Oh! that’s different. Now perhaps we are getting down to business. The -first question is, did anybody see him in town?” - -“I saw his wagon in front of the store,” said Claymore, hesitatingly. - -“Why do you hesitate?” demanded the detective sharply. - -“Well, just begin to feel that it’s a pretty serious thing to bring a -charge of murder against a man. You see, Low was hot and his tongue was -uncontrollable. I presume he didn’t mean what he said.” - -“It isn’t our business to think what he meant,” declared Kerr. “And -we’re not bringing any charge against him. If he’s innocent he can -stand a little inquiry. So you’d better tell all you know frankly, and -not wait till you are examined in court.” - -“Oh, I’ll be frank enough,” said Claymore, “I know that Mr. Judson -asked him to call here at half-past three.” - -“You ought to have said that before.” - -Folsom, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, here -suggested that an investigation should be made to find whether this -Hank Low had been seen in the hotel. - -“I was just going to,” said Kerr. - -He opened the door, and asked the clerk to step in. - -“Do you know anybody named Low?” asked Kerr, when the clerk was with -them. - -“Yes,” replied the clerk; “there’s a farmer named Hank Low, from Mason -Creek——” - -“That’s the man.” - -The clerk said nothing further, and Kerr asked: - -“When did you see him last?” - -“This afternoon,” was the reply. - -“Here?” - -“Yes—great Heaven!” - -The clerk looked suddenly startled. - -“What’s the matter?” - -“Why! Hank Low called on Mr. Judson just before he died—or was it -afterward?” - -“That’s a mighty important point,” said Kerr, gravely. “Isn’t there any -way by which you can fix the time?” - -The clerk thought a moment. - -“Yes,” he said, “I can fix it to the minute, but I can’t do it offhand.” - -“Why? How can you fix it, then?” - -“Just as Low came to the desk a telegraph boy came with a message for a -guest. I had to sign the boy’s book.” - -“Yes. Well?” - -“I had to enter the time, you know, and I looked up at the clock as I -did so.” - -“Did you enter the exact minute?” - -“I did.” - -“What was it?” - -“That I can’t remember.” - -“The boy’s book will show?” - -“Sure.” - -“Then,” said Kerr, rising, “we’ll look up that boy, and also try to -find the exact minute at which Mr. Judson fell or was thrown from the -window.” - -The detective cautioned the others to say nothing about their -conversation, and went out to talk with the men who had seen Judson -fall. - -They agreed pretty nearly as to the time of the event. - -One said twenty-five minutes of four. - -The other thought it was two minutes later. - -When their watches were compared it was found that one was two minutes -ahead of the other’s. - -The testimony of several other persons was taken on this matter, and it -was agreed that twenty-five or twenty-six minutes of four was the time -when Mr. Judson met his death. - -A bell boy was quietly questioned also. - -He remembered seeing Hank Low leave the hotel office. - -“’Twas just after he had gone up alone,” the boy said. “I remember, -’cause the clerk was going to send me up with him, and he saved me a -trip upstairs by going alone.” - -This was important, and Kerr asked a number of other questions as to -how it happened that Low went up alone, and so forth. - -Next he found a man who remembered seeing Low drive rapidly away. - -This man did not know when he was being questioned that Low was -suspected of murder. - -“I says, ‘Hello, Hank,’ says I,” he told the detective, “and he said, -‘Hello,’ and got into his wagon. - -“‘How’s things up at the farm?’ says I. - -“‘Can’t stop to chin,’ says he, kind of mad, and he whipped up his -critter, and went away. Never seen Hank in such a hurry.” - -All this was important, and Kerr made a note of the names of all -witnesses. - -“I’ll try to show Nick Carter,” he thought, “that I can work up a case.” - -He was just about to leave the hotel, when Folsom approached him with a -telegram in his hand. - -He gave it to Kerr, who read the one word it contained: - -“Coming.” - -It was signed “N.C.” - -“All right,” said Kerr; “when he gets here I shall probably have the -guilty man in the lockup. He doesn’t say when he will arrive.” - -“No,” responded Folsom, “but as this was sent from Pueblo, it shows -that he is on the way. I’ve looked up the trains, and should say that -he’d be here early in the evening.” - -“Well, I’m going down to the telegraph office to look up that -messenger’s book. If it gives the time I think it does, I shall start -for Mason Creek without waiting for Carter.” - -“I suppose that’s right,” said Folsom. - -Kerr was sure it was. - -He went to the telegraph office, but was disappointed to learn that the -boy who had the book he needed to see had been sent to a distant part -of the city, and could not be back before six o’clock at the earliest. - -Then Kerr was in doubt as to what he ought to do. - -“It would make me look like thirty cents,” he reflected, “if I should -arrest Hank Low, and bring him to the city, only to find that the boy’s -book showed that he couldn’t have done the thing.” - -“Suppose, for example, the book shows that the clerk signed it at -twenty minutes to four. - -“By that time Judson had been dead at least five minutes, and, of -course, Low couldn’t be guilty. - -“I think I’ll wait for the boy to get back. Carter may be here by that -time, and I’d rather take his judgment.” - -And Kerr left it that way. He went down to the railroad station at a -quarter to six with Folsom, hoping to meet the great detective on the -train due to arrive from Pueblo at that hour. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - A SUSPECT AND AN ALIBI. - - -They were not disappointed. - -Nick was on the train, and Patsy was with him. - -Nick greeted Folsom warmly when they met on the platform, and then he -was introduced to Detective Kerr. - -“I’m glad to see you, Mr. Kerr,” said Nick. “I suppose there’s no -mystery about this case?” - -“Well, I don’t know,” replied Kerr, doubtfully. “I think not.” - -“I thought it was all settled.” - -“Settled, Mr. Carter? What do you mean?” - -Nick smiled, and glanced at Folsom. - -“Usually,” he said, “my friends do not have a brass band to meet me -when I begin to work.” - -Folsom started, and looked uncomfortable. - -He had heard it said that Nick Carter had a great objection to working -on a case when it was known that he was at work. - -“I beg your pardon,” said Folsom, hastily; “I’ve been excited this -afternoon, or I would have sent for you secretly, but there’s no brass -band about it. Mr. Kerr is the only one who knows that you are here.” - -“It’s all right, Folsom; don’t worry,” responded Nick, “but I’ll bet -the cigars that more than Mr. Kerr know.” - -“You’d win,” said Kerr. “Mr. Folsom spoke of sending for you in the -presence of fifty men.” - -“That’s so!” exclaimed Folsom, looking very awkward. - -Nick laughed. - -“Let it go,” he said, good-humoredly. “I don’t need to bother with the -case if I don’t want to. I presume Mr. Kerr has the hang of it, anyway. -So, unless there is real trouble, Patsy and I can take the night train -for the East.” - -“I hope you won’t, Mr. Carter,” said Kerr, earnestly. “I do think that -I can put my hand on the murderer, but I’d like very much to get your -opinion if not your assistance.” - -“All right. There’ll be time enough for that while we get dinner -somewhere. Can you take us to a quiet place?” - -“We were going to the hotel where the crime was committed. The Western -Union manager is going to send a boy there with a piece of evidence we -need just as soon as the boy gets back from a long errand.” - -“Very well,” said Nick; “we’ll go to the hotel, but we won’t go -together, if you please. You and Folsom go back together, and if -anybody asks you about Nick Carter, give them any kind of an evasive -answer you choose, as long as you make them understand that I’m not in -town. Then engage a private room for dinner——” - -“We have done that already, Mr. Carter.” - -“Good! What’s the number?” - -“Fourteen, second floor.” - -“Patsy and I will join you there in half an hour unless there’s some -hurry.” - -“No,” said Kerr, a little doubtfully, “I don’t believe there’s any -hurry, for we can’t act till we get the messenger boy’s evidence.” - -“So long, then.” - -Kerr and Folsom left Nick and Patsy inside the station, where they had -met. - -“You don’t really hope to conceal the fact that you’re in Denver, do -you, Nick?” asked Patsy. - -The great detective smiled. - -“When fifty men heard that I was sent for?” he returned, quietly; “not -quite.” - -“Then, why do you make such a fuss about it? Why not go along to the -hotel openly?” - -“Patsy,” said Nick, as he pretended to consult a pocket time-table, “if -the guilty man was one of that fifty, don’t you think it likely that he -would shadow Folsom and Kerr, and follow them to the station to see if -I came?” - -“Yes! I hadn’t thought of that.” - -“And if he did so, of course, he’s seen me.” - -“Sure.” - -“And he wouldn’t follow the others out, but would wait to see what -became of me.” - -“That’s it.” - -“Well, then——” - -“You needn’t say any more, Nick. I see now. I’ve spotted every man who -had been in sight since we stepped off the train.” - -“About a dozen of them, eh?” - -“Fully that.” - -All through this talk each had been carefully looking around the -station, though no one there could have suspected that they were -paying attention to anything but themselves. - -In fact, Nick had been taking in the situation from the moment he met -Kerr and Folsom. - -“Let’s go into the waiting-room,” he said, as he put away his -time-table, “and buy a cigar and a newspaper.” - -As they crossed the large room they watched very carefully to see if -any man was observing their movements. - -The crime had happened too late in the afternoon for the regular -editions of the evening papers, but extras were now out, and a big pile -of them had just been brought to the newsstand. - -Several men were at the counter buying the papers. - -Patsy went to the cigar case, and Nick asked for a paper. - -The boy behind the counter was very busy just then. - -Nick had to wait his turn, which didn’t trouble him any. - -“Mr. Claymore!” the boy called, suddenly; “you forgot your change.” - -“Oh! did I?” said a man, who had bought several papers, and was -hurrying away. - -He came back and reached his hand across the counter. - -“Keep a nickel of it for your honesty,” he said. - -“Thankee, Mr. Claymore.” - -Nick bought his paper next, and Patsy joined him. - -They went slowly to a corner of the waiting-room, and sat down. - -“Well?” said Nick, as he unfolded the paper, and began to read about -the death of the Rev. Mr. Judson. - -“Well,” repeated Patsy, “there’s nobody around now who was here when we -came.” - -“I thought not.” - -Nick read for a moment, and then remarked: - -“That’s an honest newsboy.” - -“Yes,” returned Patsy, who had heard the talk about the forgotten -change. - -“The man he spoke to was on the platform when we arrived.” - -“He was.” - -That was all they said about it. - -As a matter of fact, neither of them had the slightest suspicion of -Claymore, any more than they had of any of the dozen others who had -stayed in sight while Kerr and Folsom were there; but they remembered -his face and name. - -That was a matter of habit with them. - -“Look it over,” said Nick, passing the paper to Patsy. - -While the young man read, Nick thought. - -At last he said: - -“I think we’ll call at the undertaker’s.” - -The name of the undertaker who had taken charge of Judson’s body was -printed in the paper, and Nick inquired the way to his place from the -first policeman they met. - -There was a crowd of curious idlers at the door, and a man stood there, -who at first was not going to let the detectives in. - -“We want to see the body of the clergyman who——” Nick began. - -“I know you do!” interrupted the man, crossly, “and so does everybody -else, but you can’t see!” - -“Can’t see when I have eyes,” retorted Nick, with a queer smile, and he -pushed by the man into the building. - -The man was astonished. - -He had not expected this stranger to defy him, and there was something -so commanding in Nick’s quiet way of doing things that he had let both -detectives pass before he knew it. - -Then he followed them into the office, blustering: - -“What do you mean?” he demanded. - -“It’s my business to be here,” said Nick, coldly. “I am a detective, -and my name is Nicholas Carter.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed the undertaker, and his eyes grew large. He did not -seem to be able to take them off the famous man, of whom he had heard -so much. “Oh!” he added, after a pause. - -“If that makes a difference,” said Nick, “you may show us the body.” - -“Certainly, anything you want, Mr. Carter. Only too proud.” - -He led the way to a back room, and for a minute or two Nick and Patsy -stood there studying the still, cold form. - -“Can I do anything more for you?” asked the undertaker, as they turned -away. - -“No, thank you.” - -“I suppose you’ll see the clergyman’s friend, won’t you?” - -“Do you mean Mr. Folsom?” - -“Yes, sir. The hotel people, you see, Mr. Carter, told me to take -charge of the body, and I supposed it would be a kind of charity case, -as, of course, the hotel people had no interest in the unfortunate man. -But if Mr. Folsom was his friend, perhaps he’d like to order a better -casket, don’t you see. If——” - -“I’ll speak to Mr. Folsom about it.” - -“Thank you, sir. Perhaps you’d like to look at some of my caskets, and -advise Mr. Folsom——” - -“I’ll leave that to him.” - -“Oh! very well, sir; but if you don’t mind speaking to him about the -matter. It would be too bad to bury a clergyman in an ordinary——” - -By this time Nick and Patsy were out of hearing. - -When they were about halfway to the hotel, Nick remarked: - -“It wasn’t suicide.” - -“No,” responded Patsy. “I could see that. The thing that killed him was -the breaking of the back of his skull on the sidewalk; but he had a -black and blue mark over the right eye. That wasn’t made by his fall.” - -“Certainly not. It was made by the blow that sent him reeling through -the window.” - -“That information will make your friend Folsom feel better, won’t it?” - -“I judge so, as his telegram told me that he feared suicide, and hoped -that it was murder. - -“But,” added Nick, “I don’t think I shall be in a hurry to ease -Folsom’s mind. We’ll wait till we have heard the whole story before -letting him know what we think. It may be handy to give out the report -that we believe it a case of suicide.” - -“I’m on,” said Patsy. - -They found Kerr and Folsom waiting for them in room fourteen, and they -sat down at once to dinner. - -While they were eating, Kerr told the whole story as far as he knew it. - -Naturally, he mentioned Claymore’s name as the witness to Hank Low’s -threats. - -“Who is this Claymore?” asked Nick, as he lighted a cigar at the end of -the meal. - -“He’s a Denver business man,” replied Kerr. “I have no acquaintance -with him. I believe he hasn’t been here more than a year or so.” - -“Less than a year, I guess,” said Folsom. - -“Why, do you know him?” asked Nick. - -“No,” replied Folsom, “except as I have talked with him this afternoon, -but I remember now that his name is on the letters sent out by the oil -company of which Judson was president. Claymore is the secretary of the -concern, I believe.” - -“But you hadn’t met him before?” - -“No; and I didn’t hear his name till late in the day, and even then -I didn’t connect him with the company, though I remember wondering a -little how he knew so much about poor Judson. You see, I was terribly -excited.” - -“No wonder.” - -“It worries me a great deal,” continued Folsom, “to think that my angry -words might have led Judson to suicide. He meant well, I am sure of -that, and he was deceived by the rascals as much as the rest of us.” - -“Hum!” murmured Nick; “seems to me that’s setting Claymore out in -rather a black light.” - -“Yes, it is. I hadn’t given it much thought, for my attention was -taken up with the death of Judson, but I have no doubt that Claymore -is crooked. A dishonest promoter, you know. One of these fellows who -knows how to swindle and keep on the right side of the law. Don’t you -think so?” - -“Maybe.” - -Folsom looked as if he wished that Nick would say more, but the -detective was silent. - -Shortly after this, a waiter came to the room to say that a telegraph -messenger wished to see Mr. Kerr. - -“Send him up at once!” exclaimed Kerr. - -The boy came in with his book. - -“Boss said you wanted to see it,” said he, laying it on the table, and -going out again at once. - -Kerr opened the book with great eagerness. - -After looking down the columns of names and time marks until he came to -the one he wanted, his eyes glowed with delight, and he passed the book -to Nick, with his finger on a certain line where the hotel clerk’s name -was written. - -“There!” he cried, triumphantly; “see that?” - -Nick looked. - -He saw the clerk’s name in one column, and against it in another column -the figures, “3-31.” - -“You see!” added Kerr, too excited to wait for Nick’s opinion, “Hank -Low did it.” - -“I see,” responded Nick, slowly, “that Hank Low could have done it.” - -The reply disappointed Kerr. - -He began to argue, but Nick interrupted. - -“Excuse me a moment, gentlemen,” he said. - -He arose and looked at Patsy. - -They withdrew to a corner of the room, and whispered together a moment. - -Then Patsy went out. - -Nick returned to the table. - -“Excuse me,” said Nick, again. “I don’t mean to interfere with your -handling of the case, Mr. Kerr——” - -“Oh! bless you!” exclaimed Kerr, “that’s what we all want. You do just -what you think best, Mr. Carter.” - -“Thank you. I was going to say that I had forgotten something and sent -my assistant out to look after it. Now, as to this time mark, it is -very important. I can see that.” - -“Of course,” said Kerr, encouraged by the great detective’s tone. “The -testimony of the clerk cannot be doubted. Here is the sure testimony -that Hank Low started for Judson’s room four minutes before the man -fell from his window. It is known that Low left the hotel and drove -away just before word was brought in that the man had fallen out. See?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then do you think we ought to lose any time before arresting Low?” - -“Do you say that he lives some eight miles from here?” - -“Yes—about eight.” - -“If he’s running away, he’s got a pretty good start.” - -“All the more reason why we should get after him at once. I declare, I -wish I had run out there and hauled him in before you came.” - -“That might have been a good idea, but I don’t believe there’s any use -in hurrying now.” - -Neither Kerr nor Folsom could understand Nick’s delay. - -The fact was he was waiting for Patsy. - -He kept them talking for several minutes, and then Patsy returned. - -“Speak out,” said Nick. “I want these gentlemen to hear what you have -to report.” - -“Well,” said Patsy, “Claymore was in his office all the time from one -o’clock to ten minutes of four, when a messenger came to tell him of -Judson’s death.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE JOURNEY TO HANK LOW’S. - - -Kerr and Folsom stared at each other and at Nick. - -They were no fools. - -It was clear enough what Patsy’s errand meant. - -“Then,” said Folsom, in a low voice, “you suspected Claymore?” - -“Oh, no, not exactly,” Nick replied, “but I thought it would be just as -well to make it impossible to suspect him. That was all.” - -This remark did not convince either of the men. - -“You wouldn’t have gone to this trouble,” said Folsom, “if you hadn’t -believed that he had a motive for the crime.” - -“As to motive,” replied Nick, “I can only guess, but if Claymore -is crooked and Judson was straight, isn’t it possible that Judson -threatened an exposure, and that Claymore would try to prevent it?” - -Kerr nodded. - -“That’s all right,” he said, “but in the face of this evidence,” and he -tapped the messenger’s book. - -“It looks very bad for Hank Low,” admitted Nick. - -“You think that Claymore set Low up to it?” remarked Folsom. - -“Do I?” inquired Nick, mildly. - -“Well,” responded Folsom, “what are we to think?” - -“Anything you please. I am willing to take hold of this case, but, as I -start under unusual difficulties, I want you to let me go at it in my -own way.” - -“Certainly, Mr. Carter,” said Kerr; “but I don’t see the difficulties -with all this evidence——” - -Nick raised his hand. - -“You’ve done first-rate work, Mr. Kerr,” he said. “The evidence -is sound as far as it goes. But it don’t go quite far enough. The -difficulties I refer to are the fact that so many men know that I am -here, and that the only man who can say that Judson was murdered is -dead.” - -“I see.” - -It was Kerr who spoke. - -Folsom turned pale. - -“You think, then,” he said, hoarsely, “that it was not a case of murder -at all?” - -“I didn’t say so,” responded Nick; “but this I will say, for, as I am -in it now pretty deep, there’s no use in concealing my thoughts from -you two—but you mustn’t let it go any further.” - -“Certainly not, Mr. Carter.” - -“Well, then, I don’t believe that Hank Low did it.” - -Both Kerr and Folsom stared open-mouthed. - -“By thunder!” said Kerr, slowly, “if any man but Nick Carter said -that——” - -He hesitated. - -“You’d say he was a fool,” remarked Nick. - -Kerr laughed uneasily. - -“I am afraid I should,” he admitted. - -“That’s all right,” said Nick; “you can think that of me just as well -as not, if you want to. Meantime, I’ll go out and get acquainted with -Hank Low.” - -“To-night?” - -“Now.” - -“Won’t you want help?” - -“Oh, no. If I don’t come back with him as a voluntary prisoner, Mr. -Kerr, I’ll help you arrest him in the morning and give you all the -credit.” - -“Credit be hanged, Mr. Carter! I’m not a jealous idiot.” - -“Glad to hear you say so. You will lie low, then, till you hear from me -again?” - -“Yes, but if it was any other man——” - -“You’d lock him up as a dangerous lunatic. I know. If I’m mistaken, -I’ll own up frankly. Now, tell me the way to Mason Creek.” - -Kerr told him and advised him where to get a horse. - -“It seems to me,” said Nick, “you’ve described a roundabout way.” - -“Yes, the road runs along a crooked valley, and around the base of a -big hill. If it was daylight, I might tell you of a short cut over the -hill, but you wouldn’t be able to keep to the trail in the dark, to say -nothing of the fact that the woods on the hill are not safe just now.” - -“Not safe?” - -“No. There’s a scare about panthers out that way.” - -“Ah! I shall have to keep my revolver handy.” - -“It will be as well, but, of course, you’ll stick to the road?” - -“Yes, though you might tell me where the trail strikes off.” - -“It’s about four miles from here. You pass a perfectly bare ledge a -hundred yards long at your right, and then come to a stream. Instead -of crossing the bridge, you can follow up the stream. In the daytime, -it’s plain enough, and not a bad ride for a good horse.” - -“All right.” - -Nick then gave some private instructions to Patsy, and left them. - -He went to the stable that Kerr had spoken of and hired a horse. - -It was about eight in the evening when he galloped away, and at that -hour it was quite dark. - -The road took him quickly out of the city, and he was soon in a wild -country, where it would have been easy to imagine that there wasn’t a -town within a hundred miles. - -The sky was clear, but the moon had not yet risen. - -Nick did not ride hard, for he felt in no hurry. - -It was somewhat less than half an hour after he started when he noticed -a long, high ledge at his right. - -“Probably the place Kerr spoke of,” he thought. - -He was glancing up at it, when his horse suddenly leaped violently. - -At the same instant there was a flash and a report from the bushes at -the other side of the road. - -Nick’s hat flew from his head. - -It had been singed by a rifle bullet. - -His hand caught his revolver, but before it was drawn, another shot -came, and the horse staggered. - -Nick slipped off quickly. - -He ran a few paces and fell. - -Then he lay still and watched. - -The horse fell in earnest. - -He was some two rods from the detective, and, as he did not struggle -after he went down, Nick knew that he had been instantly killed. - -Not another sound came from the bushes across the road. - -“Confound them!” thought Nick, who was not scratched, except for the -slight mark on his forehead. “Why don’t they come out to make sure of -their business?” - -It was clearly a case of murder intended, for, if the unseen villains -had been robbers they would have crept forward to go through the -supposed dead man. - -And, of course, it was plain that they knew whom they were firing at. - -Nobody would have shot at a stranger like that. - -“This,” muttered Nick, “is what comes of starting on a case with a -brass band at the head of the procession.” - -He meant by this that he believed the attempt to kill him was connected -with the death of Judson. - -“It’s only too easy to see how it happened,” he thought. “Everybody -knew I was sent for, and there isn’t a doubt that my arrival was -spotted. - -“Then it was easy to guess that I would go out to look up Hank Low, -and, as this is the only way to his place, they were sure of having a -shot at me.” - -Nick listened as he lay there, but could hear no sound of steps on the -other side of the road. - -The rushing of the stream a little beyond would have drowned ordinary -noises, so that the would-be murderers could have got away without -being noticed. - -Apparently, that was what they did, for the detective neither heard nor -saw them. - -He could only guess whether they believed that their shots had done -their work. - -While he was waiting the moon rose. - -As the sky was perfectly clear the land became almost as light as day. - -Nick at last got up cautiously and went to his horse. - -The animal had fallen at the side of the road, and so was out of the -way of anyone passing. - -Nick took off the saddle and bridle and hid them in the bushes near. - -“I’ll pay for the horse,” he thought, “but there’s no sense in giving -the saddle to the first thief who comes along.” - -He went back to the spot from which the shots had been fired, and lit -up the place with his pocket lantern. - -If the scoundrels had accidentally dropped anything that could serve as -a clew, the detective would have found it. - -Nothing was there that could be of any use to him. - -He saw traces of footprints on the grass and leaves, but they were too -faint to be measured. - -Having satisfied himself on this matter, Nick started on foot to finish -his journey. - -When he came to the stream, he did not cross the bridge, but turned -into the trail that Kerr had told him about. - -The moon made the path perfectly plain at the start, and Nick took it, -not only to save the long walk around the base of the hill, but to save -time. - -For some reasons, he would have liked to go straight back to Denver. - -There was no doubt in his mind that his would-be murderers had gone to -the city. - -If he was there, he might run across them. - -But he believed it to be his first business to have a talk with Hank -Low, and so he went on. - -The trail followed along the bank of the stream for some distance, and -then crossed it on a bridge of fallen trees. - -After that, it was very steep until it reached the summit of the hill. - -Although the trees were rather thick, the moonlight came in on the -eastern slope sufficiently to make the way clear. - -It was different when Nick began to descend upon the other side. - -That slope was in shadow, for the moon was not high enough to light it, -and more than once he found it difficult to keep on the path. - -Once he thought he had lost it, and he was thinking that it would make -him feel rather foolish to get lost at night in these woods. - -“Better have kept to the road,” he muttered, standing still. - -There was a very steep descent just before him. - -He could see hardly anything, but he felt that the ground was dipping -sharply. - -At the left there was a ridge of bare rock, and it seemed that the -trail led along the underside of it. - -“This must be right,” he argued to himself. “By daylight a horse would -get down here easily enough. It’s the right general direction, anyway, -and I’ll chance it.” - -Putting his hands on the bare rock at his left to steady himself, he -went slowly down. - -It was not a high ledge, and he had come, as he thought, about to the -bottom, when there was a slight noise behind and almost overhead that -startled him. - -His revolver was in his hand instantly. - -There was a blinding flash not ten feet in front of him and a deafening -report. - -Swish! went a bullet past his face. - -Then there was a blood-curdling scream in the air above, and the -detective fell flat under a heavy body. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - AN ARREST. - - -Nick’s breath was knocked out of him, but he was not stunned. - -He knew partly what had happened. - -It was a wild beast that had borne him to the ground. - -Kerr’s remarks about the “panther scare” flashed upon his memory. - -Evidently, this beast had sprung upon him from the top of the ledge. - -He could feel the great limbs quivering, and one of the claws scratched -his hand. - -All this was in a quarter of a second. - -In the next second, Nick had exerted all his giant strength, and rolled -the beast over. - -He got upon his knees and fired his revolver three times in rapid -succession at the huge carcass that he could feel but not see in front -of him. - -Then a rough, surprised voice interrupted him. - -“Geewhilikins! how many of ’em be ye, anyway?” - -“Only one, stranger,” replied Nick, getting to his feet. - -“Gosh! I thought it mought be a regiment by the way ye fired. Got a -double-quick action repeater, ain’t ye?” - -Nick did not reply at once. - -The beast was still clawing the ground frantically, and he was not sure -that another dose of lead was not necessary. - -Then a little flame glowed in the darkness near by. - -The man who had spoken to him had struck a match. - -He held it first over the dying panther, for such it was, and then -remarked, in a satisfied tone: - -“Done for. Four times dead, I reckon.” - -Then he took a step forward and held the match close to Nick’s face. - -The men looked at each other in silence for a moment. - -Nick saw a surprised, honest-looking face—that of a hardy -backwoodsman—and he caught a glimpse of the rifle that the man held -loosely in the hollow of his arm. - -The backwoodsman saw a well-dressed tenderfoot, whose coat was torn by -the panther’s claw, whose face was grimed with dirt and smeared with -blood. - -“By golly, stranger,” said the backwoodsman, “you’re not jest fit to -enter a beauty show—not but what ye may be a slick-lookin’ chap when -yer face is washed.” - -The detective laughed heartily. - -“I reckon, pard,” he said, “that you saved my life.” - -“Reckon I did,” returned the other, quietly, “but I come close to -killin’ you to do it.” - -“I felt your bullet hiss past my face.” - -“So? Should ha’ thought that mought have scared ye to death.” - -“Oh, no, I’m used to that.” - -“You don’t say!” - -“But I’m not used to enemies that spring on a man in the dark without -making any noise of warning. That’s what the panther did.” - -“Yes, he’d ha’ had ye, sure, ef I hadn’t been here to fire.” - -“It was good luck.” - -“Wal, I dunno about the luck of it. I was here on purpose. Been -a-lookin’ fer that critter.” - -“Indeed!” - -“Yes; the pesky varmint has been worryin’ the life out of us, and -to-night I jest made up my mind that I’d get him. I was pretty durn -certain he’d be on the trail somewhere, fer there’s enough as comes -over it, you know, to give the scent. I thought he’d be watchin’ fer -prey, but I didn’t have no idee that he’d git a chance at any. That’s -whar I’m s’prised. How come ye here, stranger?” - -“I’ll tell you in a minute,” Nick answered; “just explain to me first -how you managed to take that shot in time. I heard the beast springing -just as you fired.” - -“Why!” said the backwoodsman, “I was waitin’ here, hopin’ the scent of -me would bring the varmint along, and, of course, I wasn’t makin’ no -noise about it. - -“Then I heard steps—your’n, you know—and I was wondering about it as -you come down the steep part of the trail. - -“Ef you look up at the top of the ledge thar you’ll see that the risin’ -moon makes the top line quite clear. - -“Wal, I had my gun up, fer I didn’t know but what you might be an -enemy, when, all of a suddent, I saw a black mass on the clear edge of -the rock up thar. - -“I knowed what it was, and the thing jumped. - -“Thar wasn’t no time to think about it. - -“I knowed the critter had spied you, and was springin’ fer ye, and I -had to fire then, or not at all. - -“So I blazed while the beast was in the air. - -“It was too late to save you from a knock down, but the critter was -dead when he hit you. Them shots of yours was mighty slick ones, -comin’ as fast as they did, just as ef you was out practicin’ at a -target, but they was good powder and lead throwed away.” - -“I can spare the powder and lead,” Nick responded, “and at the time I -couldn’t believe that the panther had been hit in the heart. He was -making a furious struggle.” - -“Yes,” drawled the backwoodsman, “it takes them critters some time to -die. But how’d you come here?” - -“I was going along the road on horseback when the animal died suddenly.” - -“Died!” - -“Shot.” - -“Gosh!” - -“It was meant for me.” - -“Huh! Robbers?” - -“Perhaps, but they let me alone.” - -“Mebbe they knowed you was handy with a gun?” - -“I shouldn’t wonder. Anyhow, I had business out this way, so I came -along. I took the trail to save time.” - -“So! Business out here, you say.” - -“Yes. I’m looking for Hank Low’s place. I presume it’s not much -further, is it?” - -“Hank Low’s! No, it ain’t much further—’bout two gunshots.” - -There was surprise and suspicion in the man’s tone. - -“This trail will bring me there, I suppose,” said Nick. - -“’Twill if ye follow it far enough.” - -“Then I shall have to go on. I’m much obliged——” - -“Hold on, stranger! What’s yer business with Hank Low?” - -“I’ll tell that to Low.” - -“Then you can tell it to me.” - -“Why, are you——” - -“Yes, I am. My name’s Hank Low.” - -Nick had guessed as much. - -He held out his hand in the darkness and grasped that of the man who -had saved his life. - -Low returned the grasp rather feebly. - -“Mr. Low,” said Nick, “I am more obliged to you than ever.” - -“What do you want of me?” demanded Low, in a surly tone. - -“I want to talk to you about the land you sold some months ago.” - -“Do you belong to the company that bought it?” - -The question came quickly, and Low’s voice was harsh. - -There was no longer the good-natured tone in which he had spoken while -talking about the panther. - -“No,” replied Nick, “I haven’t anything to do with the company. I heard -you were swindled.” - -“That was it, stranger!” cried Low; “nothing short of it. People say -I was beat in a business deal, but I’m tellin’ ye it wasn’t a squar’ -deal.” - -“I’d like to know all about it.” - -“What’s yer name?” - -“Nicholas.” - -“Be you a lawyer?” - -“Not exactly, but I may be able to set you right in some ways that you -may not have thought of.” - -“Wal, Mr. Nicholas, come down to the house. I’ve got nothin’ to hold -back, and ef you’re interested, you can hear the whole story.” - -Low talked as they walked along through the woods. - -His voice continued to be harsh, as he told of the trick that had been -played upon him, but Nick saw that Claymore had kept well within the -law. - -“It wasn’t fair,” thought the detective, “but it was what would be -called a business deal, and Low was beaten. No wonder he feels sore, -but he can’t do anything about it.” - -Of course, Low mentioned the Rev. Elijah Judson in the course of his -story. - -His voice was more angry at this point. - -“I can’t understand an out-an’-out villain,” said he, “but it seems a -durned sight worse when a preacher takes to swindling, now don’t it, -Mr. Nicholas?” - -“I should say so,” replied Nick, “if I was sure that the preacher had -known that the scheme was unfair.” - -“Know! How could he help it? Ain’t he president of the company?” - -“He was.” - -“Was? Ef he ain’t now, then thar’s been a mighty sudden change. Will ye -come into the house, Mr. Nicholas?” - -They had come to cleared land at the bottom of the hill, and Low’s -house was plainly seen in the moonlight a few rods away. - -None of the windows were lighted. - -“No,” said Nick; “your wife and children are asleep by this time, and -we might wake them up. We can talk out here just as well, can’t we?” - -“Sure.” - -They sat down on a log near a shallow brook that crossed the farm. - -The moon rays reflected from the water straight into Nick’s eyes, and -his attention was curiously attracted. - -“Must be handy having running water on your place,” he remarked. - -“Huh!” returned Low, “that’s whar you reckon wrong. I thought so when I -took this land, and I found out my mistake too late.” - -“What’s the matter?” - -“Durned ef I know. The cattle won’t drink it, and I don’t like the -taste myself. I’ve had to dig a well up on the hill thar and run the -water to my house and barn through pipes. That cost a good bit, but it -was the only way I could get water that would do.” - -They were silent for a moment. Then Low said: - -“I seen that cuss, Judson, to-day.” - -“So?” - -“Yes. He was up here with Claymore in the early morning. I met ’em and -we had a jawin’ match. I spoke pretty hot, I reckon, but I can’t help -it when I think how I’ve been used. Thar’s my wife and children, you -see. I never have been able to give them the nice things I’d like to. -Ef they had let me in on the deal I mought ha’ got money enough to -dress my children right smart and send them to school in the city.” - -“What should you say,” suggested Nick, “if you heard that the company -had got left in buying your land.” - -“Eh? Got left? What do you mean?” - -“Suppose that, after all, the land proves to be as worthless as you -thought?” - -“B’gosh! ’twould serve ’em right.” - -“I guess that’s the case.” - -“Wal, I’m durn glad to hear it, but it don’t make me feel any better -toward those swindlers. I kind o’ thought the preacher chap wanted to -squar’ things, but I found I was mistaken.” - -“So? How was that?” - -“He met me again in the city, and asked me to call on him at the hotel. -Reckon he had some new, slick scheme up his sleeve.” - -“Did you call on him?” - -“Yep.” - -“Well?” - -“He wouldn’t see me.” - -“That’s odd.” - -“I thought so at the time. I told him I’d be there at half-past three, -and he said he’d wait for me. I was there on time, and I went right up -to his room.” - -“What did he say?” - -“Say? He didn’t say nothin’. I didn’t see him. He wouldn’t let me in.” - -“Did he know you were there?” - -“Sure! I knocked, and heard somebody stirrin’ in the room. I’m sure of -that. So, when he didn’t say ‘Come in,’ I knocked again. ‘It’s Hank -Low,’ says I, loud and sharp. ‘Ef you want to see me, speak up quick, -fer I ain’t got any time to waste on ye.’ - -“Thar wa’n’t no answer to that, so I sung out that he was off, and I -waltzed downstairs fast. - -“I was kind o’ ’fraid he might call me back, and I didn’t want to hear -him, for I was as mad as a hornet, and I was afraid that ef him and me -got together thar’d be trouble.” - -“Did you leave the hotel at once?” - -“Yep. Drove straight home and didn’t see him then, nor since.” - -“Did you notice any excitement around the hotel as you drove away?” - -“Excitement? Reckon not. A feller I know spoke to me, but I was too durn -mad to answer him decent.” - -“But didn’t you notice anything else?” - -Low thought a moment. - -“Now I think of it,” he said, “I do remember seein’ two or three men -runnin’ down the street at the side of the hotel, but I was so durn mad -that I didn’t turn my head. The hull town mought ha’ been on fire fer -all I cared. I was thinkin’ of how I’d been cheated.” - -“I understand.” - -If Nick had had any doubt of this man’s innocence it was all gone now. - -Low was no actor; just a plain, honest farmer—bullheaded, -quick-tempered and unreasonable, perhaps, but no murderer. - -He couldn’t have told his story of the afternoon in that -straightforward way, if he had been guilty. - -“Mr. Low,” said Nick, after a pause, “Judson is dead.” - -“Dead!” repeated the farmer, in a tone that showed the greatest -surprise. “How long since, Mr. Nicholas?” - -“He died while you were at the door to his room.” - -“You don’t mean it!” - -“He was murdered.” - -“Wha-a-a-t!” - -“Thrown from his window to the sidewalk.” - -“Good Lord! Then that was what those men were runnin’ for.” - -“Yes—they went to pick him up.” - -The farmer sat with his elbows on his knees, staring open-mouthed at -Nick. - -“That’s awful, ain’t it?” he whispered. - -“It is,” said Nick, “and there’s something else that is still more -awful.” - -He paused, but Low said nothing. - -“It is perfectly well known,” Nick added, “that you started up to -Judson’s room just before the deed.” - -Low became very attentive, but it was plain that the truth was not -dawning on him yet. - -“And that you came down again in a hurry,” added the detective, -“immediately afterward. It is also well known that you threatened Mr. -Judson——” - -This was enough. - -The light burst upon the honest farmer suddenly. - -In the moonlight, his face was ghastly white, and his voice almost -choked, as he said: - -“Mr. Nicholas, you don’t mean to set thar an’ tell me thar’s folks as -say I done it?” - -“That is what they say,” returned Nick, quietly. - -Low groaned, and buried his face in his hands. - -“My wife has often told me,” he sobbed, “that that sharp tongue of mine -would git me into trouble. I see! It all fits in like the handle into -an ax.” - -“Listen,” said Nick. “There isn’t going to be as much trouble as you -think for. I told you that I was not a lawyer, but that I might be able -to help you. I am a detective, Mr. Low.” - -The farmer uncovered his face and looked frightened now. - -“I said my name was Nicholas,” the detective went on, “and that was the -truth, but only a part of it. My last name is Carter.” - -Low started. - -“From New York?” he gasped. - -“Yes.” - -The farmer shook from head to toes. He laid his trembling hands on -Nick’s arm, and began: - -“Mr. Carter, I’ve hearn tell of you, that you’re keen and hard when it -comes to criminals, but you’re straight with innocent men. I swear——” - -“You don’t need to,” interrupted Nick; “you are as innocent as I am, -and I know it. I believed it when I started out to see you, but I am -going to arrest you for murder, nevertheless.” - -“Mr. Carter! I don’t understand! What will my poor wife say?” - -“You needn’t let her know. I want you to understand, though. Suspicion -has been put on you by an enemy of yours. Now, if I lock you up over -night, it will make this enemy believe that I have finished my work. -See?” - -“You want to blind him?” - -“Yes. Then I can hunt for the real murderer in my own way.” - -“All right, Mr. Carter.” - -Low was perfectly quiet. He did not talk or act like the hot-tempered -man who had threatened Mr. Judson. - -“You can tell your wife,” said Nick, “that a man wants you to go to -the city on business about the land deal. Let her think that some good -luck has come your way. I don’t think you’ll have to disappoint her -afterward. Then hitch up your horse, and we’ll go back together.” - -Low agreed to this without argument. He went into the house and was -gone several minutes. Then he went into the barn and hitched up. A -little later, he and the detective were jogging over the road toward -Denver. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - SNAPPED. - - -Kerr was at police headquarters when Nick arrived with his prisoner. - -His eyes glowed triumphantly when he saw them come in. - -“You got him?” he exclaimed. - -“Yes,” said Nick, “he surrendered when I told him how strong the -evidence was against him.” - -“I wonder he hadn’t run away.” - -“Well, you see, he didn’t know that a messenger had come in with a -telegram just ahead of him.” - -Kerr chuckled. - -“This will be a great story for the newspaper fellows,” he said. -“They’ve been here all the evening till about half an hour ago. I told -them to come back later.” - -Nick looked thoughtful. - -He wondered if it would be necessary to give the honest farmer the -shame of having it printed that he had been arrested for murder. - -“I suppose the newspaper boys know that I am on the case,” said Nick. - -“Oh, yes—everybody knows it.” - -“But they don’t know that I went to Mason Creek?” - -“Well, I reckon they’ve guessed it. Newspaper reporters are good at -that, you know.” - -“Do they know that Low was under suspicion?” - -“Sure! They got that from the hotel clerk.” - -“Humph!” - -Nick was a little disgusted. - -When he handled a case in his own way, hotel clerks and others were not -allowed to tell what they knew, and he took pains that nobody should -know too much, anyway, until he got ready to tell them. - -“See here, Kerr,” he said, earnestly, “I’d hold the reporters off for a -time, if I were in your place.” - -Kerr glanced at the clock. - -It was not far from midnight. - -“They’ll be hungry for news pretty soon,” said he. - -“And perhaps I can give them a little more, and a better story, if they -wait a bit.” - -“Why——” - -“Low isn’t the only one.” - -“Ah!” - -“I want to consult with my assistant before telling about this arrest.” - -“You have a clew that you haven’t spoken of, then?” - -“Maybe. Just lock Low up without putting anything on the blotter for a -little while. Give me an hour to see what I can do.” - -“All right, Mr. Carter, if you say so. But what shall I tell the -reporters?” - -“Nothing. I’ll be back inside an hour.” - -Nick whispered a few words to Low, telling him to keep his courage up -and his mouth shut, and went away. - -He had asked Kerr to wait an hour, without any idea as to what he -should or could do. - -Nick felt that he had only got to the beginning of the case. - -He was certain of Low’s innocence, though he might not be able to -convince a jury of it. - -It was necessary, then, to find the proof of Low’s innocence, as well -as proof that somebody else was guilty. - -Who that somebody else was, he could not guess. - -He still thought of Claymore, in spite of the alibi that Patsy had -found to be sound. - -Claymore evidently had not committed the murder, but that he knew more -than he had told, Nick was certain. - -Could any evidence be got in an hour that would save Low from being -published in the papers as a suspected murderer? - -Low’s horse and wagon were at the door of the station. - -Nick got in and drove to the stable where he had hired a horse. - -There he explained what had happened to the horse, paid the damage, and -returned the saddle and bridle that he had picked up on the way back -with his prisoner. - -Then he went to the hotel in the hope of finding Patsy. - -He made the round of the rooms on the ground floor without finding him. - -As he was passing the desk, the clerk spoke to him. - -“Excuse me,” said he, “but aren’t you Mr. Carter?” - -“I am,” said Nick. - -“There’s a young man waiting here to see you. Your assistant told me to -point him out to you as soon as you came in.” - -“Where is he?” - -“That man sitting near the door with a parcel in his hands.” - -Nick went up to the young man. - -“Are you waiting for Mr. Carter?” he asked. - -“Yes,” replied the young man, rising. - -“I am he.” - -“Oh! well, sir, I understand you are working on the Judson matter. The -man who is supposed to have committed suicide.” - -“I have been looking into it a little.” - -“Well, sir, I’ve got something here to show you. I showed it to your -assistant, and he said it would interest you.” - -The young man went to undoing his parcel, and three or four idlers drew -near. - -“Wait,” said Nick. - -He led the young man to the desk and asked for a room. - -Shortly afterward, they were in a room alone, and Nick took the parcel. - -Unfolding the paper with which it was wrapped, he found a photograph. - -It was a clean-cut picture of the Rev. Mr. Judson’s fall from the hotel -window. - -Nick looked earnestly at the picture. - -“How did you happen to get this?” he asked. - -“I am an amateur photographer,” was the reply. “I work in the office -at the top of the building just across the Street from the hotel. -Yesterday I got hold of some new plates that a friend had advised me to -use, but I had no time to try them till this afternoon.” - -“And you tried them on this scene?” asked Nick, quickly. - -“Without meaning to, yes. You see, I knew it would be Sunday before I -would have time to take any pictures that I cared about, but I wanted -to be sure that the plates were all right. - -“So, when there was a dull time in the office work, I got out my -camera, which I had with me, and went to the window. - -“There isn’t much of a view from here, but I thought I’d take a couple -of shots at the roofs, just to test the plates. - -“I had the camera all ready, when I accidentally touched the button. - -“That made me hot, for I had spoiled a plate. - -“I pointed it carefully from the best view I could get from there, and -tried again. - -“Just as I pushed the button, I heard cries on the street, and, looking -down, saw a man lying on the sidewalk, and several others running -toward him. - -“Of course, I went down to see what was the matter. - -“It was Mr. Judson. - -“Later I went back, and as soon as possible after supper, while there -was yet sunlight, I developed my second plate. - -“I didn’t bring that with me, for it wouldn’t interest you. But it came -out so good that I thought I might as well see what I had caught on the -first plate, when the thing went off before I knew. - -“That picture in your hand was what I caught.” - -He paused, but Nick said nothing, and the young man added: - -“I had heard your name mentioned in connection with the matter, and, -as people said it was a case of suicide, I thought I ought to show you -what I had caught.” - -Nick drew a long breath. - -“Well!” he said, “for once the brass band has been useful. I wanted -to work unknown, but the fact that I am known to be on the case has -brought me a piece of evidence that otherwise I might never have -discovered.” - -Again he looked at the picture. - -“This lets Low out of it,” he murmured. - -Kerr’s theory was that Low had made a mad rush for the clergyman as -soon as he entered the room, pushed him from the window, and then -hurried out and down the stairs. - -The amateur photograph showed not only the unfortunate clergyman -falling headforemost toward the sidewalk, but above him the forms of -two men at the window. - -They were not looking out, but rather in the act of dodging back. - -These two were outlined very dimly, but the picture was clear enough to -show that there were two of them, and that their arms were half-raised, -as would be natural if they had just thrown a body away from them. - -Unluckily, the faces were not at all distinct. - -Try as he would, and Nick used his magnifying glass, he could not make -them out to his satisfaction. - -While he was still studying it, there came a knock at the door, and -Patsy hurried in. - -“The clerk told me you were here?” he said. “Well?” - -“It’s a good piece of evidence,” responded Nick; “if only this young -man had had a little more luck! We could get along without the picture -of Judson if we only had a clean-cut picture of the two murderers.” - -“That’s all right,” said Patsy, confidently, “I know who they are.” - -Nick looked quickly at his assistant. - -Then he turned to the photographer. - -“Will you leave this with us?” he asked. “I shall see that you are well -paid for it.” - -“Oh! I don’t care for any pay,” replied the young man. “I shall be glad -if it helps you. Good-night.” - -He left them, and Patsy made his report. - -“I laid for Claymore, as you told me,” he said, “and after chasing him -around town for a while, I found at last that he had gone to the office -of the oil company. He spent the whole evening there.” - -“Well?” - -“There was nothing for me to do but stay around. I was pretty sure -that any attempt to find out what Claymore was doing would make him -suspicious. So I didn’t go into the building even, but stayed outside -on the other side of the street. - -“It was a dull wait till a while ago. - -“Then something happened. - -“A man came hurrying up the street and another man after him. I -thought I had seen them both before somewhere, from their motions, -but I couldn’t see their faces in the dark. I suppose I wouldn’t have -bothered to get a closer look, if they hadn’t stopped right in the -entrance to the building where Claymore has his office. - -“That interested me, and I crossed over. - -“One man was holding the other back. - -“‘’Tain’t safe to wait any longer,’ said the one who got there first. - -“‘And it ain’t half so safe to try to see him here,’ the other -answered. ‘Don’t be a fool! You see, his windows are still lighted, and -he’s busy. When he gets through, he’ll come, as he said he would. Let -him alone now and come back.’ - -“They talked a little more back and forth, and finally the second man -got the first one to go away. - -“I didn’t know then what they were talking about, and I don’t know -now, but I dropped Claymore for a time and followed those two men.” - -“Why?” asked Nick. - -“Because I knew them. One was Nat Hamilton, the leader of the gang we -had a tussle with in Helena, and the other was his right-hand man, Jack -Thompson.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - DADDY DREW’S DIVE. - - -“What! those two scoundrels!” cried Nick. - -“Yes, you were right when you prophesied that we would come upon them -again.” - -Nick looked suddenly at the picture. - -“By Jove!” he muttered, “I believes I know them now.” - -“I haven’t a doubt of it,” said Patsy, “but you couldn’t swear to it to -the satisfaction of a jury.” - -“True, and the jurymen could look at the picture for themselves, and -see that the likenesses are not there. We’ve got to get more evidence -than this, Patsy. Nobody saw them do the deed. This picture almost -tells the story, but not quite. But go on. You must have more to tell.” - -“A little. I shadowed Hamilton and Thompson to a dive where you and I -have been before—Daddy Drew’s.” - -“Whew!” whistled Nick. “It means a fight with all the crooks in Denver, -if we go there.” - -“Well, that’s where they are, and they’re waiting for Claymore.” - -“All right. We’ll go there and get them, then, if we decide we’d better -arrest them. Is that all?” - -“Not quite. Knowing they were there to stay, I ran back to Claymore’s -office. He had just put out his lights and was leaving the building. - -“He went to police headquarters.” - -“Did you go in, too?” - -“With a disguise, yes. I saw that Claymore had a private talk with -Kerr. Then he went out again.” - -“How did he look?” - -“Rocky, but he was saying, ‘Very good,’ and ‘Quite right’ to Kerr.” - -“That means that Kerr told him,” said Nick. - -“Told him what?” asked Patsy. - -“What I have done. He shouldn’t have said a word, but I can understand -how he should make such a slip, for Claymore was the first to direct -suspicion at Hank Low. What became of Claymore?” - -“He went home. He lives in a boarding house——” - -“We must have him! Come on!” - -They left the hotel together hurriedly. - - * * * * * - -In a corner of Daddy Drew’s dive—the worst place in Denver—sat the two -men who had escaped from Nick Carter in Helena a short time before. - -They had liquor in front of them, but they drank little. - -Every time the door opened to admit a newcomer, they looked that way -eagerly. - -The place was pretty well filled. - -All the scum of the city seemed to drift in there, for it was known -that once inside the doors a man need not leave until morning. - -Daddy let his customers sleep on the floor, if they had nowhere else to -go. - -At last it was closing hour. - -The doors were locked, and the curtains pulled tightly across the -windows. - -Jack Thompson muttered an oath. - -“He’s going to bilk us,” he muttered. - -“Not him,” responded Hamilton. “Wait, I tell you. The night’s young -yet. He can’t afford to bilk us, don’t you see?” - -“No, I don’t. He might skip——” - -“But he’s not suspected! He’s got every reason to stay, for here is -where the money is. He’ll get around before the night is over.” - -“I hope he brings his wad with him.” - -“He will.” - -They were silent for a moment, and then Jack muttered: - -“I’d have liked it better if he’d paid us for the other job and not -asked us to tackle the detective.” - -“Pooh! what scares you so?” - -“Nick Carter. Ain’t that enough?” - -“Nick Carter is dead.” - -“Do you believe it, Nat?” - -“I’m going to tell Claymore so.” - -Jack shuddered. - -“I see you don’t believe it,” he said; “But I hope Claymore comes along -and believes it. Then he’ll pay us, and we can skip before the cuss -comes to life.” - -Nat Hamilton smiled. - -“He won’t come to life if he’s dead,” he remarked, coolly, “any more -than the preacher chap will.” - -“Ugh!” grunted Jack, and they were silent again. - -Not less than thirty men were in the place. - -They were fairly quiet, for they knew that loud noise might bring the -police down on the dive, and then their night’s shelter would be closed -up. - -But they were a tough lot, and every man of them would have joined in -to help anybody there if a policeman, or a dozen of them, had come in -to make an arrest. - -This was so well known that the police usually waited for their men to -come out before trying to arrest them. - -There hadn’t been a murder in Daddy Drew’s for a long time, and a tough -present on this night remarked to another that one was about due. - -A few minutes after twelve, there was a light knock at the door. - -The bartender, who went to it and looked through a slide, came back to -Nat. - -“Feller out there askin’ fer youse,” he said. - -Both men got up, but Nat pushed Jack back into his chair. - -“I’ll see who ’tis,” he said. - -He went to the door and looked through the slide. - -Claymore’s face appeared there as if it were a picture in a frame. - -“He’s all right,” said Nat to the bartender; “friend o’ mine. Let him -in.” - -The door was opened, and Nat’s friend came in. - -As he went to the back of the room silently with Nat, many curious -glances were cast at him. - -“Who is he?” asked one of another. - -And those who answered came pretty near to guessing the truth. - -“Some fellow,” said they, “who gets others to do his work for him.” - -Two or three knew Claymore by sight, and they were not surprised. - -“Well?” said the newcomer, when he sat down at the table in the corner, -and three heads were put close together. - -“We done it,” said Nat. - -“Sure?” - -“He’s dead as a nail.” - -There was a short pause. Then, in a low voice: - -“You lie, Nat.” - -Both the criminals started angrily, but they gritted their teeth and -looked at the man, who added: - -“He’s just as alive as I am. Less than an hour ago he brought Hank Low -in on a charge of murder.” - -“Then,” exclaimed Jack; “it’s all right, ain’t it?” - -“No! it isn’t all right. Carter believes that Low is innocent, and he -has arrested him for a bluff. He knows that you did it.” - -Jack turned ghastly pale. - -Nat looked as if he didn’t believe it. - -“He can’t have any evidence against us,” said he. - -“He’ll get it. You know Nick Carter.” - -“But how can he get it? Nobody saw us.” - -“Somebody must have seen you enter the hotel.” - -“No,” said Nat, positively; “I swear, Claymore, we got in without being -seen.” - -“You haven’t told me how you managed that.” - -“No, for you sent us down the road on the chance of a pot shot at the -detective. I’ll tell you. There’s an office building next to the hotel, -you know, with an alley between.” - -“Yes.” - -“We went in there and found an empty room. It was easy enough to pick -the lock and get in. Then we found that a short board would reach from -the window to an open window in the hotel. Jack went out and swiped -a board from the place where they’re putting up a new building. At -twenty-five minutes past three we put the board out, crawled across -and got to the preacher’s room without meeting anybody.” - -“And left the board there?” - -“Not on your life!” replied Nat. “We took the board in and hid it in -a closet until we had tumbled the preacher out of the window. Then we -slipped back, returned to the office building by the same way, and so -went down to the street.” - -“And left the board——” - -“Of course! We weren’t going to lug it around in daylight. What harm -could it do in an empty room?” - -“Oh, no harm, of course,” very sarcastically. “Nobody would find it, -and wonder about it; oh, no!” - -“What do you mean, Claymore?” - -“I mean this: Nick Carter has that infernally sharp Patsy along with -him. I believe you know Patsy.” - -“Yes, confound him!” - -“So I say! but while Nick went out to get Low, Patsy was nosing around -town. He probably found that board; he probably saw you two fellows, -and knew you; then he put two and two together, and the long and short -of it is that Carter is after you.” - -“We’ll be hanged, sure!” groaned Jack. - -“There’s only one way out of it, boys.” - -“Well?” - -“Carter will come here to a dead certainty. He knows the town, and -knows that this is the place where you would most likely hang out. -He’ll come here.” - -“Then he’ll get a warm time of it,” said Nat. - -“If you think so, stay. But you know the Carters. If you want a chance -to escape, take it now. There’s a train for San Francisco runs through -here in half an hour. You can catch it.” - -“Come on,” said Jack, rising. - -“Hold on a bit,” said Nat. “Who pays the freight? We haven’t had our -money yet.” - -“I’ve got it, but I’ll be hanged myself if I pay you in here. Get out -on the street. I’ll go with you part way to the station, and settle -with you.” - -“Don’t wait,” urged Jack. - -“That’s good advice. Carter may break in here any minute, or he may -sneak in in disguise. That’s his most likely way, and then you’ll be -nabbed before you know it.” - -Nat was rather pale now. - -“I’ll give him a fight for it, if he comes,” he muttered, but he got -up, and the three went out. - -When they were on the street Nat turned. - -“Will you settle now?” he asked. - -“Don’t be in such a hurry,” was the sharp reply. “Your only safety is -to get away from this place. Walk along toward the railroad. I’ll be -close at your heels until I think it’s safe to stop and settle.” - -Nat hesitated. - -“Don’t you dare to try to skip without paying!” he hissed, savagely. - -“I’ll settle with you both before you get to the station. Get a move -on! Carter may be here the next second.” - -The crooks started away, looking back frequently to see that Claymore -was following. - -He kept about half a block behind them. - -Nobody but themselves seemed to be on the streets. - -There was a drunken man staggering along some distance ahead, but he -didn’t count. - -He, too, disappeared around a corner before the crooks came to it. - -When they were about to pass that corner a quiet voice behind them said: - -“This will do. We’ll settle here.” - -“All right,” responded Nat. - -Both men halted and turned about. - -They looked into the muzzles of two revolvers. - -The face back of the hands that held the weapons was not that of their -employer, Claymore, but that of their deadly enemy, Nick Carter. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - HANK LOW’S LUCK. - - -Claymore was not in his boarding house when Nick and Patsy arrived -there. - -He had come in and gone out shortly afterward. - -Where he had gone, or in what direction, nobody could say. - -Possibly to Daddy Drew’s to meet the desperadoes he had hired to commit -murder; but Nick didn’t believe it. - -“That long work in his office this evening means something else,” said -Nick. “He’s got another plot up his sleeve. I’ll go to Daddy Drew’s and -get those men.” - -Accordingly, he had turned his face into a copy of Claymore’s and had -been admitted easily. - -Nat had said he would put up a stiff fight if he should meet Carter, -and he kept his word. - -Probably he reckoned that the detective would wish to take him alive, -for he did not surrender when he saw the revolver pointed at his heart. - -Instead, he made a quick rush at Nick, trying to knock up both his -arms. - -The detective was quite ready for that. - -It was true that he wished to take the men alive, and he did not fire. - -He had hoped they would be scared into quiet surrender. - -When the attack came, he dropped both weapons to the sidewalk. - -Letting drive with his fists, he caught Nat on the chest, and knocked -the wind out of him. - -But the crook did not fall. - -He staggered against Jack, who at first was going to give up. - -Seeing that the weapons had been dropped, Jack joined in and made a -desperate effort for freedom. - -He caught his partner and kept him from falling. - -Then both together sailed into the detective. - -“Why!” said Nick, with a laugh, “come on, if that’s what you want.” - -His arms shot out like lightning flashes, and every blow landed, but -the crooks kept too close for him to give them settlers. - -And, after a moment, Jack retreated and drew his revolver. - -That was a moment of peril for Nick, as he was busy just then with Nat. - -And Nat, seeing the chance, pretended to be knocked down. - -This was to give Jack a chance to shoot. - -Up came the ruffian’s revolver, but before he could aim, around the -corner rushed the drunken man whom they had seen. - -This man threw his arms about Jack’s neck, and bore him silently to the -ground. - -“Put the bracelets on him, Patsy,” called Nick. - -“They’re on,” replied the “drunken man,” calmly. - -Nick had leaped upon Nat, and in a second had him ironed. - -“This is the way I settle,” he said, as he stood up. - -The prisoners cursed furiously, but if that did them any good nobody -knew it. - -Nick picked up his revolvers, and then he and Patsy marched the -prisoners to headquarters. - -Kerr was still there, and he was surrounded by eager reporters. - -“Here are the murderers,” said Nick. “Low is innocent.” - -He produced the amateur’s photograph, and told the story as briefly as -possible. - -“The chief villain is yet to be caught,” he concluded. “I think we -shall find the clew to him in his office.” - -There was a great deal of excitement at headquarters, and many -questions were asked. - -Nick told the reporters to make it plain that Low’s arrest had been a -fake. - -“When it’s all settled,” he said, “I’ll give you the details, or you -can get them from Kerr, who deserves a great deal of credit for the way -he picked up evidence. I’ve got work ahead between now and morning.” - -Low was released, of course, and he went with Nick, Patsy and Kerr to -Claymore’s office. - -Everything seemed to be in order there, but Nick picked the lock of -Claymore’s desk, and found a lot of papers there on which the man had -been at work during the long evening. - -There were maps of the country around Mason Creek, some printed, some -roughly drawn with a pencil. - -There was also the deed which Low had given to the oil company when he -sold a piece of his land. - -Using his magnifying glass, Nick saw that some changes had been made in -the deed. - -Words and figures had been carefully scratched out and others inked in. - -“I had an idea this was what he was up to,” said Nick. “We shall find -Claymore out at Low’s farm.” - -The four men set out for Mason Creek soon after. - -Nick went in Low’s wagon, and Patsy and Kerr in one they hired. - -When they came to the beginning of the trail, Nick got down and told -the others to drive slowly on. - -“I’ll take the short cut,” said he. “You keep on by the road, and if he -escapes me he’ll run into your hands.” - -As it was late in the spring, light came early. - -The day was beginning to break when Nick passed the dead body of the -panther. - -As he approached nearer Low’s house he moved cautiously. - -Coming to the edge of the cleared land, he saw a man busy with a shovel -at a little distance. - -It was Claymore. - -He was digging a hole for the purpose of setting a boundary post in it. - -The post had been taken up from a spot some distance farther down the -stream that crossed the farm. - -Claymore’s scheme was to change the boundaries of the land bought by -the oil company so that they should include twice as much as had been -bought. - -That was why the deed had been changed, and it explained the maps in -Claymore’s desk. - -Nick watched the rascal for a few minutes, and then walked toward him. - -“Why don’t you put the post up where it will take in Hank Low’s house -and barn?” he asked. - -Claymore turned at the sound, and caught up a revolver that was lying -on the ground beside him. - -He fired hastily, and the bullet went wild. - -Nick had him covered. - -“Try again,” said the detective, “if you think you can do your own -murdering.” - -As he spoke, he was advancing upon the man. - -Claymore gave one desperate look around. - -He saw two wagons coming up the road. - -Then he dropped his weapon, sat down on the ground, and put his hands -to his face. - -“You haven’t as much nerve as I thought you had,” remarked Nick. - -He put handcuffs on the prisoner, and waited for the others to come up. - -“I can tell you all about it,” said Nick, then. “This man Claymore -found that he had bought land where the oil was scarce. He was -so anxious to get the land cheap that he didn’t dare to prospect -thoroughly. If he had done his work well, he would have seen that the -place for oil wells is further up the stream and nearer Low’s house. - -“He found that out after a while, and then schemed to get possession of -the rest of the farm without paying for it. - -“Seeing that Judson would expose the crooked work of the company, he -had him murdered by a couple of desperadoes who drifted into Denver -just in time for the job. - -“Then he did some forgery work on the deed to make it show that he had -bought a good many acres more than he really had, and to back up the -deed he had to come out here and change the boundary posts. - -“His best chance for doing that was while Low was locked up. - -“That was why he didn’t go to meet his confederates early at Daddy -Drew’s. - -“His confederates have told me all about the murder of Judson, so that -they are sure to be hanged, and one of them, Jack Thompson, is ready to -confess and tell just how Claymore hired them to do the deed. - -“Between Jack’s confession and what I heard them say, we have got a -complete case. - -“If I was in Hank Low’s place I’d give up farming on land where the -water is covered with oil, and dig wells. - -“I noticed the appearance of the water in the stream when I was talking -with Low earlier in the night, and I knew that the place to dig for oil -is near his house.” - -It was soon proved that Nick was entirely right. - -The upper part of Low’s farm was rich in oil. - -The farmer acted more than honestly about it. - -With the help of Folsom, who was greatly pleased to learn that the -clergyman had not committed suicide, Low got the names and addresses -of all who had put money into the scheme of which Judson had been -president. And in the end nobody who had invested with the clergyman -lost anything. - -No attempt was made to get back the part of the farm that was sold, for -the land wasn’t worth the trouble. - -Jack Thompson confessed, but that did not save him from severe -punishment. He was put in prison for life, and Claymore and Hamilton -were hanged. - -Nick Carter and his faithful assistant, Patsy, were content at last. - - - THE END. - - -“Millions at Stake” is the title of NEW MAGNET No. 1210, by Nicholas -Carter. A story in which Nick Carter’s brilliant young assistants all -help to solve a mystery that involves millions in the Stock Exchange. - - - - - POPULAR COPYRIGHTS - - New Eagle Series - - _Carefully Selected Love Stories_ - - -There is such a profusion of good books in this list, that it is an -impossibility to urge you to select any particular title or author’s -work. All that we can say is that any line that contains the complete -works of Mrs. Georgie Sheldon, Charles Garvice, Mrs. Harriet Lewis, -May Agnes Fleming, Wenona Gilman, Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller, and other -writers of the same type, is worthy of your attention. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Queen Bess By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 2—Ruby’s Reward By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 7—Two Keys By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 9—The Virginia Heiress By May Agnes Fleming - 12—Edrie’s Legacy By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 17—Leslie’s Loyalty By Charles Garvice - 22—Elaine By Charles Garvice - 24—A Wasted Love By Charles Garvice - 41—Her Heart’s Desire By Charles Garvice - 44—That Dowdy By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 50—Her Ransom By Charles Garvice - 55—Thrice Wedded By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 66—Witch Hazel By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 70—Sydney By Charles Garvice - 73—The Marquis By Charles Garvice - 77—Tina By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 79—Out of the Past By Charles Garvice - 84—Imogene By Charles Garvice - 85—Lorrie; or, Hollow Gold By Charles Garvice - 88—Virgie’s Inheritance By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 95—A Wilful Maid By Charles Garvice - 98—Claire By Charles Garvice - 99—Audrey’s Recompense By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 102—Sweet Cymbeline By Charles Garvice - 109—Signa’s Sweetheart By Charles Garvice - 111—Faithful Shirley By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 117—She Loved Him By Charles Garvice - 119—’Twixt Smile and Tear By Charles Garvice - 122—Grazia’s Mistake By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 130—A Passion Flower By Charles Garvice - 133—Max By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 136—The Unseen Bridegroom By May Agnes Fleming - 138—A Fatal Wooing By Laura Jean Libbey - 141—Lady Evelyn By May Agnes Fleming - 144—Dorothy’s Jewels By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 146—Magdalen’s Vow By May Agnes Fleming - 151—The Heiress of Glen Gower By May Agnes Fleming - 155—Nameless Dell By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 157—Who Wins By May Agnes Fleming - 166—The Masked Bridal By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 168—Thrice Lost, Thrice Won By May Agnes Fleming - 174—His Guardian Angel By Charles Garvice - 177—A True Aristocrat By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 181—The Baronet’s Bride By May Agnes Fleming - 188—Dorothy Arnold’s Escape By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 199—Geoffrey’s Victory By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 203—Only One Love By Charles Garvice - 210—Wild Oats By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 213—The Heiress of Egremont By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 215—Only a Girl’s Love By Charles Garvice - 219—Lost: A Pearle By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 228—The Lily of Mordaunt By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 223—Leola Dale’s Fortune By Charles Garvice - 231—The Earl’s Heir By Charles Garvice - 233—Nora By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 236—Her Humble Lover By Charles Garvice - 242—A Wounded Heart By Charles Garvice - 244—A Hoiden’s Conquest By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 250—A Woman’s Soul By Charles Garvice - 255—The Little Marplot By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 257—A Martyred Love By Charles Garvice - 266—The Welfleet Mystery By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 267—Jeanne By Charles Garvice - 268—Olivia; or, It Was for Her Sake By Charles Garvice - 272—So Fair, So False By Charles Garvice - 276—So Nearly Lost By Charles Garvice - 277—Brownie’s Triumph By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 280—Love’s Dilemma By Charles Garvice - 282—The Forsaken Bride By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 283—My Lady Pride By Charles Garvice - 287—The Lady of Darracourt By Charles Garvice - 288—Sibyl’s Influence By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 291—A Mysterious Wedding Ring By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 292—For Her Only By Charles Garvice - 296—The Heir of Vering By Charles Garvice - 299—Little Miss Whirlwind By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 300—The Spider and the Fly By Charles Garvice - 303—The Queen of the Isle By May Agnes Fleming - 304—Stanch as a Woman By Charles Garvice - 305—Led by Love By Charles Garvice - 309—The Heiress of Castle Cliffs By May Agnes Fleming - 312—Woven on Fate’s Loom, and The Snowdrift By Charles Garvice - 315—The Dark Secret By May Agnes Fleming - 317—Ione By Laura Jean Libbey - 318—Stanch of Heart By Charles Garvice - 322—Mildred By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 326—Parted by Fate By Laura Jean Libbey - 327—He Loves Me By Charles Garvice - 328—He Loves Me Not By Charles Garvice - 330—Aikenside By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 333—Stella’s Fortune By Charles Garvice - 334—Miss McDonald By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 339—His Heart’s Queen By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 340—Bad Hugh. Vol. I. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 341—Bad Hugh. Vol. II. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 344—Tresillian Court By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 345—The Scorned Wife By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 346—Guy Tresillian’s Fate By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 347—The Eyes of Love By Charles Garvice - 348—The Hearts of Youth By Charles Garvice - 351—The Churchyard Betrothal By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 352—Family Pride. Vol. I. By Mary J. Holmes - 353—Family Pride. Vol. II. By Mary J. Holmes - 354—A Love Comedy By Charles Garvice - 360—The Ashes of Love By Charles Garvice - 361—A Heart Triumphant By Charles Garvice - 362—Stella Rosevelt By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 367—The Pride of Her Life By Charles Garvice - 368—Won By Love’s Valor By Charles Garvice - 372—A Girl in a Thousand By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 373—A Thorn Among Roses. - Sequel to “A Girl in Thousand” By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 380—Her Double Life By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 381—The Sunshine of Love. - Sequel to “Her Double Life” By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 382—Mona By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 391—Marguerite’s Heritage By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 399—Betsey’s Transformation By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 407—Esther, the Fright By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 415—Trixy By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 440—Edna’s Secret Marriage By Charles Garvice - 449—The Bailiff’s Scheme By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 450—Rosamond’s Love. - Sequel to “The Bailiff’s Scheme” By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 451—Helen’s Victory By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 456—A Vixen’s Treachery By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 457—Adrift in the World. - Sequel to “A Vixen’s Treachery” By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 458—When Love Meets Love By Charles Garvice - 464—The Old Life’s Shadows By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 465—Outside Her Eden. - Sequel to “The Old Life’s Shadows” By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 474—The Belle of the Season By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 475—Love Before Pride. - Sequel to “The Belle of the Season” By Mrs. Harriet Lewis - 481—Wedded, Yet No Wife By May Agnes Fleming - 489—Lucy Harding By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes - 495—Norine’s Revenge By May Agnes Fleming - 511—The Golden Key By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 512—A Heritage of Love. - Sequel to “The Golden Key” By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 519—The Magic Cameo By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 520—The Heatherford Fortune. - Sequel to “The Magic Cameo” By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 531—Better Than Life By Charles Garvice - 542—Once In a Life By Charles Garvice - 548—’Twas Love’s Fault By Charles Garvice - 553—Queen Kate By Charles Garvice - 554—Step by Step By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 557—In Cupid’s Chains By Charles Garvice - 630—The Verdict of the Heart By Charles Garvice - 635—a Coronet of Shame By Charles Garvice - 640—A Girl of Spirit By Charles Garvice - 645—A Jest of Fate By Charles Garvice - 648—Gertrude Elliott’s Crucible By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 650—Diana’s Destiny By Charles Garvice - 655—Linked by Fate By Charles Garvice - 663—Creatures of Destiny By Charles Garvice - 671—When Love Is Young By Charles Garvice - 676—My Lady Beth By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 679—Gold in the Gutter By Charles Garvice - 712—Love and a Lie By Charles Garvice - 721—A Girl from the South By Charles Garvice - 730—John Hungerford’s Redemption By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 741—The Fatal Ruby By Charles Garvice - 749—The Heart of a Maid By Charles Garvice - 758—The Woman in It By Charles Garvice - 774—Love in a Snare By Charles Garvice - 775—My Love Kitty By Charles Garvice - 776—That Strange Girl By Charles Garvice - 777—Nellie By Charles Garvice - 778—Miss Estcourt; or Olive By Charles Garvice - 818—The Girl Who Was True By Charles Garvice - 826—The Irony of Love By Charles Garvice - 896—A Terrible Secret By May Agnes Fleming - 897—When To-morrow Came By May Agnes Fleming - 904—A Mad Marriage By May Agnes Fleming - 905—A Woman Without Mercy By May Agnes Fleming - 912—One Night’s Mystery By May Agnes Fleming - 913—The Cost of a Lie By May Agnes Fleming - 920—Silent and True By May Agnes Fleming - 921—A Treasure Lost By May Agnes Fleming - 925—Forrest House By Mary J. Holmes - 926—He Loved Her Once By Mary J. Holmes - 930—Kate Danton By May Agnes Fleming - 931—Proud as a Queen By May Agnes Fleming - 935—Queenie Hetherton By Mary J. Holmes - 936—Mightier Than Pride By Mary J. Holmes - 940—The Heir of Charlton By May Agnes Fleming - 941—While Love Stood Waiting By May Agnes Fleming - 945—Gretchen By Mary J. Holmes - 946—Beauty That Faded By Mary J. Holmes - 950—Carried by Storm By May Agnes Fleming - 951—Love’s Dazzling Glitter By May Agnes Fleming - 954—Marguerite By Mary J. Holmes - 955—When Love Spurs Onward By Mary J. Holmes - 960—Lost for a Woman By May Agnes Fleming - 961—His to Love or Hate By May Agnes Fleming - 964—Paul Ralston’s First Love By Mary J. Holmes - 965—Where Love’s Shadows Lie Deep By Mary J. Holmes - 968—The Tracy Diamonds By Mary J. Holmes - 969—She Loved Another By Mary J. Holmes - 972—The Cromptons By Mary J. Holmes - 973—Her Husband Was a Scamp By Mary J. Holmes - 975—The Merivale Banks By Mary J. Holmes - 978—The One Girl in the World By Charles Garvice - 979—His Priceless Jewel By Charles Garvice - 982—The Millionaire’s Daughter - and Other Stories By Charles Garvice - 983—Doctor Hathern’s Daughters By Mary J. Holmes - 984—The Colonel’s Bride By Mary J. Holmes - 988—Her Ladyship’s Diamonds, - and Other Stories By Chas. Garvice - 998—Sharing Her Crime By May Agnes Fleming - 999—The Heiress of Sunset Hall By May Agnes Fleming - 1004—Maude Percy’s Secret By May Agnes Fleming - 1005—The Adopted Daughter By May Agnes Fleming - 1010—The Sisters of Torwood By May Agnes Fleming - 1015—A Changed Heart By May Agnes Fleming - 1016—Enchanted By May Agnes Fleming - 1025—A Wife’s Tragedy By May Agnes Fleming - 1026—Brought to Reckoning By May Agnes Fleming - 1027—A Madcap Sweetheart By Emma Garrison Jones - 1028—An Unhappy Bargain By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1029—Only a Working Girl By Geraldine Fleming - 1030—The Unbidden Guest By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1031—The Man and His Millions By Ida Reade Allen - 1032—Mabel’s Sacrifice By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1033—Was He Worth It? By Geraldine Fleming - 1034—Her Two Suitors By Wenona Gilman - 1035—Edith Percival By May Agnes Fleming - 1036—Caught in the Snare By May Agnes Fleming - 1037—A Love Concealed By Emma Garrison Jones - 1038—The Price of Happiness By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1039—The Lucky Man By Geraldine Fleming - 1040—A Forced Promise By Ida Reade Allen - 1041—The Crime of Love By Barbara Howard - 1042—The Bride’s Opals By Emma Garrison Jones - 1043—Love That Was Cursed By Geraldine Fleming - 1044—Thorns of Regret By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1045—Love Will Find the Way By Wenona Gilman - 1046—Bitterly Atoned By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1047—Told in the Twilight By Ida Reade Allen - 1048—A Little Barbarian By Charlotte Kingsley - 1049—Love’s Golden Spell By Geraldine Fleming - 1050—Married in Error By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1051—If It Were True By Wenona Gilman - 1052—Vivian’s Love Story By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1053—From Tears to Smiles By Ida Reade Allen - 1054—When Love Dawns By Adelaide Stirling - 1055—Love’s Earnest Prayer By Geraldine Fleming - 1056—The Strength of Love By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1057—A Lost Love By Wenona Gilman - 1058—The Stronger Passion By Lillian R. Drayton - 1059—What Love Can Cost By Evelyn Malcolm - 1060—At Another’s Bidding By Ida Reade Allen - 1061—Above All Things By Adelaide Stirling - 1062—The Curse of Beauty By Geraldine Fleming - 1063—Her Sister’s Secret By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1064—Married in Haste By Wenona Gilman - 1065—Fair Maid Marian By Emma Garrison Jones - 1066—No Man’s Wife By Ida Reade Allen - 1067—A Sacrifice to Love By Adelaide Stirling - 1068—Her Fatal Gift By Geraldine Fleming - 1069—Her Life’s Burden By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1070—Evelyn, the Actress By Wenona Gilman - 1071—Married for Money By Lucy Randall Comfort - 1072—A Lost Sweetheart By Ida Reade Allen - 1073—A Golden Sorrow By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1074—Her Heart’s Challenge By Barbara Howard - 1075—His Willing Slave By Lillian R. Drayton - 1076—A Freak of Fate By Emma Garrison Jones - 1077—Her Punishment By Laura Joan Libbey - 1078—The Shadow Between Them By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller - 1079—No Time for Penitence By Wenona Gilman - 1080—Norma’s Black Fortune By Ida Reade Allen - 1081—A Wilful Girl By Lucy Randall Comfort - 1082—Love’s First Kiss By Emma Garrison Jones - 1083—Lola Dunbar’s Crime By Barbara Howard - 1084—Ethel’s Secret By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1085—Lynette’s Wedding By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1086—A Fair Enchantress By Ida Reade Allen - 1087—The Tide of Fate By Wenona Gilman - 1088—Her Husband’s Other Wife By Emma Garrison Jones - 1089—Hearts of Stone By Geraldine Fleming - 1090—In Love’s Springtime By Laura Jean Libbey - 1091—Love at the Loom By Geraldine Fleming - 1092—What Was She to Him? By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1093—For Another’s Fault By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1094—Hearts and Dollars By Ida Reade Allen - 1095—A Wife’s Triumph By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1096—A Bachelor Girl By Lucy May Russell - 1097—Love and Spite By Adelaide Stirling - 1098—Leola’s Heart By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1099—The Power of Love By Geraldine Fleming - 1100—An Angel of Evil By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1101—True to His Bride By Emma Garrison Jones - 1102—The Lady of Beaufort Park By Wenona Gilman - 1103—A Daughter of Darkness By Ida Reade Allen - 1104—My Pretty Maid By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1105—Master of Her Fate By Geraldine Fleming - 1106—A Shadowed Happiness By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1107—John Elliott’s Flirtation By Lucy May Russell - 1108—A Forgotten Love By Adelaide Stirling - 1109—Sylvia, The Forsaken By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1110—Her Dearest Love By Geraldine Fleming - 1111—Love’s Greatest Gift By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1112—Mischievous Maid Faynie By Laura Jean Libbey - 1113—In Love’s Name By Emma Garrison Jones - 1114—Love’s Clouded Dawn By Wenona Gilman - 1115—A Blue Grass Heroine By Ida Reade Allen - 1116—Only a Kiss By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1117—Virgie Talcott’s Mission By Lucy May Russell - 1118—Her Evil Genius By Adelaide Stirling - 1119—In Love’s Paradise By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1120—Sold for Gold By Geraldine Fleming - 1121—Andrew Leicester’s Love By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1122—Taken by Storm By Emma Garrison Jones - 1123—The Mills of the Gods By Wenona Gilman - 1124—The Breath of Slander By Ida Reade Allen - 1125—Loyal Unto Death By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1126—A Spurned Proposal By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1127—Daredevil Betty By Evelyn Malcolm - 1128—Her Life’s Dark Cloud By Lillian R. Drayton - 1129—True Love Endures By Ida Reade Allen - 1130—The Battle of Hearts By Geraldine Fleming - 1131—Better Than Riches By Wenona Gilman - 1132—Tempted By Love By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1133—Between Good and Evil By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1134—A Southern Princess By Emma Garrison Jones - 1135—The Thorns of Love By Evelyn Malcolm - 1136—A Married Flirt By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1137—Her Priceless Love By Geraldine Fleming - 1138—My Own Sweetheart By Wenona Gilman - 1139—Love’s Harvest By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1140—His Two Loves By Ida Reade Allen - 1141—The Love He Sought By Lillian R. Drayton - 1142—A Fateful Promise By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1143—Love Surely Triumphs By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1144—The Haunting Past By Evelyn Malcolm - 1145—Sorely Tried By Emma Garrison Jones - 1146—Falsely Accused By Geraldine Fleming - 1147—Love Given in Vain By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1148—No One to Help Her By Ida Reade Allen - 1149—Her Golden Secret By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1150—Saved From Herself By Adelaide Stirling - 1151—The Gypsy’s Warning By Emma Garrison Jones - 1152—Caught in Love’s Net By Ida Reade Allen - 1153—The Pride of My Heart By Laura Jean Libbey - 1154—A Vagabond Heiress By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1155—That Terrible Tomboy By Geraldine Fleming - 1156—The Man She Hated By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1157—Her Fateful Choice By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1158—A Hero For Love’s Sake By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1159—A Penniless Princess By Emma Garrison Jones - 1160—Love’s Rugged Pathway By Ida Reade Allen - 1161—Had She Loved Him Less By Laura Jean Libbey - 1162—The Serpent and the Dove By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1163—What Love Made Her By Geraldine Fleming - 1164—Love Conquers Pride By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1165—His Unbounded Faith By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1166—A Heart’s Triumph By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1167—Stronger than Fate By Emma Garrison Jones - 1168—A Virginia Goddess By Ida Reade Allen - 1169—Love’s Young Dream By Laura Jean Libbey - 1170—When Fate Decrees By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1171—For a Flirt’s Love By Geraldine Fleming - 1172—All For Love By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1173—Could He Have Known By Charlotte May Stanley - 1174—The Girl He Loved By Adelaide Stirling - 1175—They Met By Chance By Ida Reade Allen - 1176—The Lovely Constance By Laura Jean Libbey - 1177—The Love That Prevailed By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1178—Trixie’s Honor By Geraldine Fleming - 1179—Driven from Home By Wenona Gilman - 1180—The Arm of the Law By Evelyn Malcolm - 1181—A Will of Her Own By Ida Reade Allen - 1182—Pity—Not Love By Laura Jean Libbey - 1183—Brave Barbara By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1184—Lady Gay’s Martyrdom By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1185—Barriers of Stone By Wenona Gilman - 1186—A Useless Sacrifice By Emma Garrison Jones - 1187—When We Two Parted By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1188—Far Above Price By Evelyn Malcolm - 1189—In Love’s Shadows By Ida Reade Allen - 1190—The Veiled Bride By Laura Jean Libbey - 1191—The Love Knot By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1192—She Scoffed at Love By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1193—Life’s Richest Jewel By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1194—A Barrier Between Them By Evelyn Malcolm - 1195—Too Quickly Judged By Ida Reade Allen - 1196—Lotta, the Cloak Model By Laura Jean Libbey - 1197—Loved at Last By Geraldine Fleming - 1198—They Looked and Loved By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1199—The Wiles of a Siren By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1200—Tricked Into Marriage By Evelyn Malcolm - 1201—Her Twentieth Guest By Emma Garrison Jones - 1202—From Dreams to Waking By Charlotte M. Kingsley - 1203—Sweet Kitty Clover By Laura Jean Libbey - 1204—Selina’s Love Story By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1205—The Cost of Pride By Lillian R. Drayton - 1206—Love Is a Mystery By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1207—When Love Speaks By Evelyn Malcolm - 1208—A Siren’s Heart By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1209—Her Share of Sorrow By Wenona Gilman - 1210—The Other Girl’s Lover By Lillian R. Drayton - 1211—The Fatal Kiss By Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller - 1212—A Reckless Promise By Emma Garrison Jones - 1213—Without Name or Wealth By Ida Reade Allen - 1214—At Her Father’s Bidding By Geraldine Fleming - 1215—The Heart of Hetta By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1216—A Dreadful Legacy By Geraldine Fleming - 1217—For Jack’s Sake By Emma Garrison Jones - 1218—One Man’s Evil By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1219—Through the Shadows By Adelaide Fox Robinson - 1220—The Stolen Bride By Evelyn Malcolm - 1221—When the Heart Hungers By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1222—The Love that Would Not Die By Ida Reade Allen - 1223—A King and a Coward By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1224—A Queen of Song By Geraldine Fleming - 1225—Shall We Forgive Her? By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1226—Face to Face with Love By Lillian R. Drayton - 1227—Long Since Forgiven By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1228—As Light as Air By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1229—When Man Proposes By Emma Garrison Jones - 1230—Wedded for Wealth By Lillian R. Drayton - 1231—Only Love’s Fancy By Ida Reade Allen - 1232—Alone with Her Sorrow By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1233—Her Life’s Desire By Mrs E. Burke Collins - 1234—For Her Husband’s Love By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1235—Bound by Gratitude By Lillian R. Drayton - 1236—A Splendid Man By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1237—The Vanished Heir By Mrs E. Burke Collins - 1238—Somebody Loves Me! By Ida Reade Allen - 1239—A Question of Honor By Charlotte May Kingsley - 1240—No Mother To Guide Her By Mrs E. Burke Collins - 1241—The Seed of Hate By Evelyn Malcolm - 1242—A Wife Yet No Wife By Lillian R. Drayton - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 1243—One of Life’s Roses By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 1244—With Beauty Beaming By Emma Garrison Jones - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 1245—She Could Not Forsake Him By Grace Garland - 1246—After She Promised By Adelaide Fox Robinson - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 1247—Bewitched By Evelyn Malcolm - 1248—His Love for Her By Geraldine Fleming - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 1249—Between Love and Conscience By Charlotte M. Stanley - 1250—The Web of Life By Ida Reade Allen - 1251—Love’s Bitter Harvest By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 1252—Just for a Title By Emma Garrison Jones - 1253—A Little Impostor By Charlotte May Kingsley - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 1254—The Wife He Chose By Mrs. E. Burke Collins - 1255—The Wine of Love By Lillian R. Drayton - - - - - ROMANCES THAT PLEASE MILLIONS - - The Love Story Library - - _This Popular Writer’s Favorites_ - - -There is unusual charm and fascination about the love stories of Ruby -M. Ayres that give her writings a universal appeal. Probably there -is no other romantic writer whose books are enjoyed by such a wide -audience of readers. Her stories have genuine feeling and sentiment, -and this quality makes them liked by those who appreciate the true -romantic spirit. In this low-priced series, a choice selection of Miss -Ayres’ best stories is offered. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - By RUBY M. AYRES - - 1—Is Love Worth While? - 2—The Black Sheep - 3—The Waif’s Wedding - 4—The Woman Hater - 5—The Story of an Ugly Man - 6—The Beggar Man - 7—The Long Lane to Happiness - 8—Dream Castles - 9—The Highest Bidder - 10—Love and a Lie - 11—The Love of Robert Dennison - 12—A Man of His Word - 13—The Master Man - 14—Nobody’s Lover - 15—For Love - 16—The Remembered Kiss - 17—The Littl’st Lover - 18—Amid Scarlet Roses - 19—The One Who Forgot - 20—Sacrificial Love - 21—The Imperfect Lover - 22—By the Gate of Pity - 23—The Scarred Heart - 24—The Winds of the World - 25—The Second Honeymoon - 26—The Uphill Road - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 27—The Man Without a Heart By Ruby M. Ayres - 28—The Phantom Lover By Ruby M. Ayres - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 29—The Rose of Yesterday By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 30—As Pictured in Dreams By Ruby M. Ayres - 31—Her Second Marriage By Viola Tyrell - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 32—The Dancing Master By Ruby M. Ayres - 33—A Life’s Love By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 34—The Ring on her Hand By Viola Tyrell - 35—The Fortune Hunter By Ruby M. Ayres - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 36—The Triumph of Love By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - 37—The Woman Pays By Viola Tyrell - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 38—The Little Lady in Lodgings By Ruby M. Ayres - 39—Why Did She Shun Him? By Effie Adelaide Rowlands - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN - - MERRIWELL SERIES - - ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH - - Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell - - Fascinating Stories of Athletics - - -A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will -attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures of -two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as with -the rest of the world. - -These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports and -athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot fail to be -of immense benefit to every boy who reads them. - -They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to become a -good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong, vigorous, -right-thinking man. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days - 2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums - 3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes - 4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West - 5—Frank Merriwell Down South - 6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery - 7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour - 8—Frank Merriwell in Europe - 9—Frank Merriwell at Yale - 10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield - 11—Frank Merriwell’s Races - 12—Frank Merriwell’s Party - 13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour - 14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage - 15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring - 16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm - 17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes - 18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill - 19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions - 20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale - 21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret - 22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger - 23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty - 24—Frank Merriwell in Camp - 25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation - 26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise - 27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase - 28—Frank Merriwell in Maine - 29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle - 30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job - 31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity - 32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck - 33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé - 34—Frank Merriwell on the Road - 35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company - 36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame - 37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums - 38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem - 39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune - 40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian - 41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity - 42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit - 43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme - 44—Frank Merriwell in England - 45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards - 46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel - 47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot - 48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories - 49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence - 50—Frank Merriwell’s Auto - 51—Frank Merriwell’s Fun - 52—Frank Merriwell’s Generosity - 53—Frank Merriwell’s Tricks - 54—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation - 55—Frank Merriwell on Top - 56—Frank Merriwell’s Luck - 57—Frank Merriwell’s Mascot - 58—Frank Merriwell’s Reward - 59—Frank Merriwell’s Phantom - 60—Frank Merriwell’s Faith - 61—Frank Merriwell’s Victories - 62—Frank Merriwell’s Iron Nerve - 63—Frank Merriwell in Kentucky - 64—Frank Merriwell’s Power - 65—Frank Merriwell’s Shrewdness - 66—Frank Merriwell’s Setback - 67—Frank Merriwell’s Search - 68—Frank Merriwell’s Club - 69—Frank Merriwell’s Trust - 70—Frank Merriwell’s False Friend - 71—Frank Merriwell’s Strong Arm - 72—Frank Merriwell as Coach - 73—Frank Merriwell’s Brother - 74—Frank Merriwell’s Marvel - 75—Frank Merriwell’s Support - 76—Dick Merriwell at Fardale - 77—Dick Merriwell’s Glory - 78—Dick Merriwell’s Promise - 79—Dick Merriwell’s Rescue - 80—Dick Merriwell’s Narrow Escape - 81—Dick Merriwell’s Racket - 82—Dick Merriwell’s Revenge - 83—Dick Merriwell’s Ruse - 84—Dick Merriwell’s Delivery - 85—Dick Merriwell’s Wonders - 86—Frank Merriwell’s Honor - 87—Dick Merriwell’s Diamond - 88—Frank Merriwell’s Winners - 89—Dick Merriwell’s Dash - 90—Dick Merriwell’s Ability - 91—Dick Merriwell’s Trap - 92—Dick Merriwell’s Defense - 93—Dick Merriwell’s Model - 94—Dick Merriwell’s Mystery - 95—Frank Merriwell’s Backers - 96—Dick Merriwell’s Backstop - 97—Dick Merriwell’s Western Mission - 98—Frank Merriwell’s Rescue - 99—Frank Merriwell’s Encounter - 100—Dick Merriwell’s Marked Money - 101—Frank Merriwell’s Nomads - 102—Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron - 103—Dick Merriwell’s Disguise - 104—Dick Merriwell’s Test - 105—Frank Merriwell’s Trump Card - 106—Frank Merriwell’s Strategy - 107—Frank Merriwell’s Triumph - 108—Dick Merriwell’s Grit - 109—Dick Merriwell’s Assurance - 110—Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide - 111—Frank Merriwell’s Rough Deal - 112—Dick Merriwell’s Threat - 113—Dick Merriwell’s Persistence - 114—Dick Merriwell’s Day - 115—Frank Merriwell’s Peril - 116—Dick Merriwell’s Downfall - 117—Frank Merriwell’s Pursuit - 118—Dick Merriwell Abroad - 119—Frank Merriwell in the Rockies - 120—Dick Merriwell’s Pranks - 121—Frank Merriwell’s Pride - 122—Frank Merriwell’s Challengers - 123—Frank Merriwell’s Endurance - 124—Dick Merriwell’s Cleverness - 125—Frank Merriwell’s Marriage - 126—Dick Merriwell, the Wizard - 127—Dick Merriwell’s Stroke - 128—Dick Merriwell’s Return - 129—Dick Merriwell’s Resource - 130—Dick Merriwell’s Five - 131—Frank Merriwell’s Tigers - 132—Dick Merriwell’s Polo Team - 133—Frank Merriwell’s Pupils - 134—Frank Merriwell’s New Boy - 135—Dick Merriwell’s Home Run - 136—Dick Merriwell’s Dare - 137—Frank Merriwell’s Son - 138—Dick Merriwell’s Team Mate - 139—Frank Merriwell’s Leaguers - 140—Frank Merriwell’s Happy Camp - 141—Dick Merriwell’s Influence - 142—Dick Merriwell, Freshman - 143—Dick Merriwell’s Staying Power - 144—Dick Merriwell’s Joke - 145—Frank Merriwell’s Talisman - 146—Frank Merriwell’s Horse - 147—Dick Merriwell’s Regret - 148—Dick Merriwell’s Magnetism - 149—Dick Merriwell’s Backers - 150—Dick Merriwell’s Best Work - 151—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust - 152—Dick Merriwell’s Debt - 153—Dick Merriwell’s Mastery - 154—Dick Merriwell Adrift - 155—Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy - 156—Dick Merriwell’s Close Call - 157—Frank Merriwell’s Air Voyage - 158—Dick Merriwell’s Black Star - 159—Frank Merriwell in Wall Street - 160—Frank Merriwell Facing His Foes - 161—Dick Merriwell’s Stanchness - 162—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Case - 163—Dick Merriwell’s Stand - 164—Dick Merriwell Doubted - 165—Frank Merriwell’s Steadying Hand - 166—Dick Merriwell’s Example - 167—Dick Merriwell in the Wilds - 168—Frank Merriwell’s Ranch - 169—Dick Merriwell’s Way - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 170—Frank Merriwell’s Lesson - 171—Dick Merriwell’s Reputation - - - To be published in Aug., 1927. - - 172—Frank Merriwell’s Encouragement - 173—Dick Merriwell’s Honors - - - To be published in Sept., 1927. - - 174—Frank Merriwell’s Wizard - 175—Dick Merriwell’s Race - - - To be published in Oct., 1927. - - 176—Dick Merriwell’s Star Play - 177—Frank Merriwell at Phantom Lake - 178—Dick Merriwell a Winner - - - To be published in Nov., 1927. - - 179—Dick Merriwell at the County Fair - 180—Frank Merriwell’s Grit - - - To be published in Dec., 1927. - - 181—Dick Merriwell’s Power - 182—Frank Merriwell in Peru - - - - - RATTLING GOOD ADVENTURE - - SPORT STORIES - - _Stories of the Big Outdoors_ - - -There has been a big demand for outdoor stories, and a very -considerable portion of it has been for the Maxwell Stevens stories -about Jack Lightfoot, the athlete. - -These stories are not, strictly speaking, stories for boys, but boys -everywhere will find a great deal in them to interest them. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Jack Lightfoot, the Athlete - 2—Jack Lightfoot’s Crack Nine - 3—Jack Lightfoot Trapped - 4—Jack Lightfoot’s Rival - 5—Jack Lightfoot in Camp - 6—Jack Lightfoot’s Canoe Trip - 7—Jack Lightfoot’s Iron Arm - 8—Jack Lightfoot’s Hoodoo - 9—Jack Lightfoot’s Decision - 10—Jack Lightfoot’s Gun Club - 11—Jack Lightfoot’s Blind - 12—Jack Lightfoot’s Capture - 13—Jack Lightfoot’s Head Work - 14—Jack Lightfoot’s Wisdom - - - - - A CARNIVAL OF ACTION - - ADVENTURE LIBRARY - - Splendid, Interesting, Big Stories - - -This line is devoted exclusively to a splendid type of adventure story, -in the big outdoors. There is really a breath of fresh air in each of -them, and the reader who pays fifteen cents for a copy of this line -feels that he has received his money’s worth and a little more. - -The authors of these books are experienced in the art of writing, and -know just what the up-to-date American reader wants. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK - - 1—The Desert Argonaut - 2—A Quarter to Four - 3—Thorndyke of the Bonita - 4—A Round Trip to the Year 2000 - 5—The Gold Gleaners - 6—The Spur of Necessity - 7—The Mysterious Mission - 8—The Goal of a Million - 9—Marooned in 1492 - 10—Running the Signal - 11—His Friend the Enemy - 12—In the Web - 13—A Deep Sea Game - 14—The Paymaster’s Special - 15—Adrift in the Unknown - 16—Jim Dexter, Cattleman - 17—Juggling with Liberty - 18—Back from Bedlam - 19—A River Tangle - 20—Billionaire Pro Tem - 21—In the Wake of the Scimitar - 22—His Audacious Highness - 23—At Daggers Drawn - 24—The Eighth Wonder - 25—The Cat’s-Paw - 26—The Cotton Bag - 27—Little Miss Vassar - 28—Cast Away at the Pole - 29—The Testing of Noyes - 30—The Fateful Seventh - 31—Montana - 32—The Deserter - 33—The Sheriff of Broken Bow - 34—Wanted: A Highwayman - 35—Frisbie of San Antone - 36—His Last Dollar - 37—Fools for Luck - 38—Dare of Darling & Co. - 39—Trailing “The Josephine” - 40—The Snapshot Chap By Bertram Lebhar - 41—Brothers of the Thin Wire By Franklin Pitt - 42—Jungle Intrigue By Edmond Lawrence - 43—His Snapshot Lordship By Bertram Lebhar - 44—Folly Lode By James F. Dorrance - 45—The Forest Rogue By Julian G. Wharton - 46—Snapshot Artillery By Bertram Lebhar - 47—Stanley Holt, Thoroughbred By Ralph Boston - 48—The Riddle and the Ring By Gordon McLaren - 49—The Black Eye Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - 50—Bainbridge of Bangor By Julian G. Wharton - 51—Amid Crashing Hills By Edmond Lawrence - 52—The Big Bet Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - 53—Boots and Saddles By J. Aubrey Tyson - 54—Hazzard of West Point By Edmond Lawrence - 55—Service Courageous By Don Cameron Shafer - 56—On Post By Bertram Lebhar - 57—Jack Cope, Trooper By Roy Fessenden - 58—Service Audacious By Don Cameron Shafer - 59—When Fortune Dares By Emerson Baker - 60—In the Land of Treasure By Barry Wolcott - 61—A Soul Laid Bare By J. Kenilworth Egerton - 62—Wireless Sid By Dana R. Preston - 63—Garrison’s Finish By W.B.M. Ferguson - 64—Bob Storm of the Navy By Ensign Lee Tempest, U.S.N. - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 65—Golden Bighorn By William Wallace Cook - 66—The Square Deal Garage By Burt L. Standish - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 67—Ridgway of Montana By Wm. MacLeod Raine - 68—The Motor Wizard’s Daring By Burt L. Standish - 69—The Presidential Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 70—The Sky Pilot By Burt L. Standish - 71—An Innocent Outlaw By William Wallace Cook - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 72—The Motor Wizard’s Mystery By Burt L. Standish - 73—From Copy Boy to Reporter By W. Bert Foster - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 74—The Motor Wizard’s Strange Adventure By Burt L. Standish - 75—Lee Blake, Trolley Man By Roland Ashford Phillips - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 76—The Motor Wizard’s Clean-up By Burt L. Standish - 77—Rogers of Butte By William Wallace Cook - - - When you get the - S & S Novels you - get the best! - - - - - _NOTE THE NEW TITLES LISTED_ - - Western Story Library - - For Everyone Who Likes Adventure - - -Ted Strong and his band of broncho-busters have most exciting -adventures in this line of attractive big books, and furnish the reader -with an almost unlimited number of thrills. - -If you like a really good Western cowboy story, then this line is made -expressly for you. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Ted Strong, Cowboy By Edward C. Taylor - 2—Ted Strong Among the Cattlemen By Edward C. Taylor - 3—Ted Strong’s Black Mountain Ranch By Edward C. Taylor - 4—Ted Strong With Rifle and Lasso By Edward C. Taylor - 5—Ted Strong Lost in the Desert By Edward C. Taylor - 6—Ted Strong Fighting the Rustlers By Edward C. Taylor - 7—Ted Strong and the Rival Miners By Edward C. Taylor - 8—Ted Strong and the Last of the Herd By Edward C. Taylor - 9—Ted Strong on a Mountain Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 10—Ted Strong Across the Prairie By Edward C. Taylor - 11—Ted Strong Out For Big Game By Edward C. Taylor - 12—Ted Strong, Challenged By Edward C. Taylor - 13—Ted Strong’s Close Call By Edward C. Taylor - 14—Ted Strong’s Passport By Edward C. Taylor - 15—Ted Strong’s Nebraska Ranch By Edward C. Taylor - 16—Ted Strong’s Cattle Drive By Edward C. Taylor - 17—Ted Strong’s Stampede By Edward C. Taylor - 18—Ted Strong’s Prairie Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 19—Ted Strong’s Surprise By Edward C. Taylor - 20—Ted Strong’s Wolf Hunters By Edward C. Taylor - 21—Ted Strong’s Crooked Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 22—Ted Strong in Colorado By Edward C. Taylor - 23—Ted Strong’s Justice By Edward C. Taylor - 24—Ted Strong’s Treasure By Edward C. Taylor - 25—Ted Strong’s Search By Edward C. Taylor - 26—Ted Strong’s Diamond Mine By Edward C. Taylor - 27—Ted Strong’s Manful Task By Edward C. Taylor - 28—Ted Strong, Manager By Edward C. Taylor - 29—Ted Strong’s Man Hunt By Edward C. Taylor - 30—Ted Strong’s Gold Mine By Edward C. Taylor - 31—Ted Strong’s Broncho Boys By Edward C. Taylor - 32—Ted Strong’s Wild Horse By Edward C. Taylor - 33—Ted Strong’s Tenderfoot By Edward C. Taylor - 34—Ted Strong’s Stowaway By Edward C. Taylor - 35—Ted Strong’s Prize Herd By Edward C. Taylor - 36—Ted Strong’s Trouble By Edward C. Taylor - 37—Ted Strong’s Mettle By Edward C. Taylor - 38—Ted Strong’s Big Business By Edward C. Taylor - 39—Ted Strong’s Treasure Cave By Edward C. Taylor - 40—Tod Strong’s Vanishing Island By Edward C. Taylor - 41—Ted Strong’s Motor Car By Edward C. Taylor - 42—Ted Strong in Montana By Edward C. Taylor - 43—Ted Strong’s Contract By Edward C. Taylor - 44—Ted Strong’s Stolen Pinto By Edward C. Taylor - 45—Ted Strong’s Saddle Pard By Edward C. Taylor - 46—Ted Strong and the Sioux Players By Edward C. Taylor - 47—Ted Strong’s Bronchos By Edward C. Taylor - 48—Ted Strong’s Ranch War By Edward C. Taylor - 49—Ted Strong and the Cattle Raiders By Edward C. Taylor - 50—Ted Strong’s Great Round-up By Edward C. Taylor - 51—Ted Strong’s Big Horn Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 52—Ted Strong in Bandit Cañon By Edward C. Taylor - 53—Ted Strong at Z-Bar Ranch By Edward C. Taylor - 54—Ted Strong’s Cattle Feud By Edward C. Taylor - 55—Ted Strong’s Border Battle By Edward C. Taylor - 56—Ted Strong on U.P. Duty By Edward C. Taylor - - * * * * * - - We have arranged with the author, Edward C. Taylor, to continue the - stories, and the following, therefore, are new stories, right up to - the minute. They are going to make a big hit, for we have abundant - proof in the way of letters that readers of paper books are strong for - Ted Strong. - - * * * * * - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 57—Ted Strong’s Lariat Duel By Edward C. Taylor - 58—Ted Strong’s Vigilantes By Edward C. Taylor - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 59—Ted Strong’s Mesa Foe By Edward C. Taylor - 60—Ted Strong Tries Prospecting By Edward C. Taylor - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 61—Ted Strong’s Desert Round-up By Edward C. Taylor - 62—Ted Strong at Lost Gulch By Edward C. Taylor - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 63—Ted Strong on an Outlaw’s Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 64—Ted Strong and the Two-Gun Men By Edward C. Taylor - 65—Ted Strong’s Rodeo Ride By Edward C. Taylor - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 66—Ted Strong’s Ivory-Handled Gun By Edward C. Taylor - 67—Ted Strong’s Redskin Pal By Edward C. Taylor - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 68—Ted Strong and the Sagebrush Kid By Edward C. Taylor - 69—Ted Strong’s Rustler Round-up By Edward C. Taylor - - - - - _TALES OF THE ROLLING PLAINS_ - - Great Western Library - - By COL. PRENTISS INGRAHAM and W.B. LAWSON - - Thrilling Adventure - - -For many years we have been urged by readers who like Western stories -to publish some tales about the adventures of Diamond Dick. Therefore, -we decided to have a new series of stories based upon the adventures of -this famous Western character, and to put them in a line called GREAT -WESTERN LIBRARY, together with stories about Buffalo Bill, by Col. -Prentiss Ingraham. - -Thus, in this line two of the most famous of all American characters -join hands. The so-called society stories with a kick in them come -and go, but these clean, wholesome tales of the West give a clean-cut -picture of the lives and characters of the men who carried the advance -banners of civilization westward. - -There are Indian stories, cowboy stories, outlaw stories, all sorts of -stories of adventures out West. Each one is clean and decent, even if -it is thrilling. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Diamond Dick’s Own Brand By W.B. Lawson - 2—Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 3—Diamond Dick’s Maverick By W.B. Lawson - 4—Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 5—Diamond Dick’s Man Hunt By W.B. Lawson - 6—Buffalo Bill’s Fight with Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 7—Diamond Dick’s Danger Signal By W.B. Lawson - 8—Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 9—Diamond Dick’s Prospect By W.B. Lawson - 10—Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 11—Diamond Dick and the Gold Bugs By W.B. Lawson - 12—Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 13—Diamond Dick at Comet City By W.B. Lawson - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 14—Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 15—Diamond Dick and the Worthless Bonanza By W.B. Lawson - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 16—Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 17—Diamond Dick’s Black List By W.B. Lawson - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 18—Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 19—Diamond Dick and the Indian Outlaw By W.B. Lawson - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 20—Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 21—Diamond Dick and Gentleman Jack By W.B. Lawson - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 22—Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 23—Diamond Dick at Secret Pass By W.B. Lawson - 24—Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 25—Diamond Dick’s Red Trailer By W.B. Lawson - 26—Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - - - - BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD - - Alger Series - - Clean Adventure Stories for Boys - - The Most Complete List Published - - -The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger -wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best. - -Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His -work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a -quality, the value of which is beyond computation. - -There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped -along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which -are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to -absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so -characteristically American. - -In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, -Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, -which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the -famous author after which this great line of books for boys is named. - - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - By HORATIO ALGER, Jr. - - 1—Driven from Home - 2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy - 3—Ned Newton - 4—Andy Gordon - 5—Tony, the Tramp - 6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check - 7—Helping Himself - 8—Making His Way - 9—Try and Trust - 10—Only an Irish Boy - 11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy - 12—Chester Rand - 13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point - 14—Joe’s Luck - 15—From Farm Boy to Senator - 16—The Young Outlaw - 17—Jack’s Ward - 18—Dean Dunham - 19—In a New World - 20—Both Sides of the Continent - 21—The Store Boy - 22—Brave and Bold - 23—A New York Boy - 24—Bob Burton - 25—The Young Adventurer - 26—Julius, the Street Boy - 27—Adrift in New York - 28—Tom Brace - 29—Struggling Upward - 30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy - 31—Tom Tracy - 32—The Young Acrobat - 33—Bound to Rise - 34—Hector’s Inheritance - 35—Do and Dare - 36—The Tin Box - 37—Tom, the Bootblack - 38—Risen from the Ranks - 39—Shifting for Himself - 40—Wait and Hope - 41—Sam’s Chance - 42—Striving for Fortune - 43—Phil, the Fiddler - 44—Slow and Sure - 45—Walter Sherwood’s Probation - 46—The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason - 47—The Young Salesman - 48—Andy Grant’s Pluck - 49—Facing the World - 50—Luke Walton - 51—Strive and Succeed - 52—From Canal Boy to President - 53—The Erie Train Boy - 54—Paul, the Peddler - 55—The Young Miner - 56—Charlie Codman’s Cruise - 57—A Debt of Honor - 58—The Young Explorer - 59—Ben’s Nugget - 60—The Errand Boy - 61—Frank and Fearless - 62—Frank Hunter’s Peril - 63—Adrift in the City - 64—Tom Thatcher’s Fortune - 65—Tom Turner’s Legacy - 66—Dan, the Newsboy - 67—Digging for Gold - 68—Lester’s Luck - 69—In Search of Treasure - 70—Frank’s Campaign - 71—Bernard Brook’s Adventures - 72—Robert Coverdale’s Struggles - 73—Paul Prescott’s Charge - 74—Mark Manning’s Mission - 75—Rupert’s Ambition - 76—Sink or Swim - 77—The Backwoods Boy - 78—Tom Temple’s Career - 79—Ben Bruce - 80—The Young Musician - 81—The Telegraph Boy - 82—Work and Win - 83—The Train Boy - 84—The Cash Boy - 85—Herbert Carter’s Legacy - 86—Strong and Steady - 87—Lost at Sea - 88—From Farm to Fortune - 89—Young Captain Jack - 90—Joe, the Hotel Boy - 91—Out for Business - 92—Falling in with Fortune - 93—Nelson, the Newsboy - 94—Randy of the River - 95—Jerry, the Backwoods Boy - 96—Ben Logan’s Triumph - 97—The Young Book Agent - 168—Luck and Pluck - 169—Ragged Dick - 170—Fame and Fortune - 171—Mark, the Match Boy - 172—Rough and Ready - 173—Ben, the Luggage Boy - 174—Rufus and Rose - - - By EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - 98—The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_ - 99—Reuben Stone’s Discovery - 100—True to Himself - 101—Richard Dare’s Venture - 102—Oliver Bright’s Search - 103—To Alaska for Gold - 104—The Young Auctioneer - 105—Bound to Be an Electrician - 106—Shorthand Tom - 107—Fighting for His Own - 108—Joe, the Surveyor - 109—Larry, the Wanderer - 110—The Young Ranchman - 111—The Young Lumberman - 112—The Young Explorers - 113—Boys of the Wilderness - 114—Boys of the Great Northwest - 115—Boys of the Gold Field - 116—For His Country - 117—Comrades in Peril - 118—The Young Pearl Hunters - 119—The Young Bandmaster - 120—Boys of the Fort - 121—On Fortune’s Trail - 122—Lost in the Land of Ice - 123—Bob, the Photographer - - - By OLIVER OPTIC - - 124—Among the Missing - 125—His Own Helper - 126—Honest Kit Dunstable - 127—Every Inch a Boy - 128—The Young Pilot - 129—Always in Luck - 130—Rich and Humble - 131—In School and Out - 132—Watch and Wait - 133—Work and Win - 134—Hope and Have - 135—Haste and Waste - 136—Royal Tarr’s Pluck - 137—The Prisoners of the Cave - 138—Louis Chiswick’s Mission - 139—The Professor’s Son - 140—The Young Hermit - 141—The Cruise of _The Dandy_ - 142—Building Himself Up - 143—Lyon Hart’s Heroism - 144—Three Young Silver Kings - 145—Making a Man of Himself - 146—Striving for His Own - 147—Through by Daylight - 148—Lightning Express - 149—On Time - 150—Switch Off - 151—Brake Up - 152—Bear and Forbear - 153—The “Starry Flag” - 154—Breaking Away - 155—Seek and Find - 156—Freaks of Fortune - 157—Make or Break - 158—Down the River - 159—The Boat Club - 160—All Aboard - 161—Now or Never - 162—Try Again - 163—Poor and Proud - 164—Little by Little - 165—The Sailor Boy - 166—The Yankee Middy - 167—Brave Old Salt - 175—Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin - 176—The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal - 177—The Go-ahead Boys By Gale Richards - 178—For the Right By Roy Franklin - 179—The Motor Cycle Boys By Donald Grayson - 180—The Wall Street Boy By Allan Montgomery - 181—Stemming the Tide By Roy Franklin - 182—On High Gear By Donald Grayson - 183—A Wall Street Fortune By Allan Montgomery - 184—Winning by Courage By Roy Franklin - 185—From Auto to Airship By Donald Grayson - 186—Camp and Canoe By Remson Douglas - 187—Winning against Odds By Roy Franklin - 188—The Luck of Vance Sevier By Frederick Gibson - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1927. - - 189—The Island Castaway By Roy Franklin - 190—The Boy Marvel By Frank H. MacDougal - 191—A Boy With a Purpose By Roy Franklin - - - To be published in August, 1927. - - 192—The River Fugitives By Remson Douglas - 193—Out For a Fortune By Roy Franklin - - - To be published in September, 1927. - - 194—The Boy Horse Owner By Frederick Gibson - 195—Always on Deck By Roy Franklin - - - To be published in October, 1927. - - 196—Paul Hassard’s Peril By Matt Royal - 197—His Own Master By Roy Franklin - - - To be published in November, 1927. - - 198—When Courage Wins By Edward S. Ellis - 199—Bound to Get There By Roy Franklin - - - To be published in December, 1927. - - 200—Who Was Milton Marr? By Frederick Gibson - 201—The Lost Mine By Roy Franklin - 202—Larry Borden’s Redemption By Emerson Baker - - - - - VALUE - - -Although literature is generally regarded as more or less of a luxury, -there is such a thing as getting your money’s worth, and a little more, -in the way of literature. - -For seventy years the firm of STREET & SMITH has specialized in the -publication of fiction. During all this time everything bearing our -imprint represented good value for the money. - -When, about thirty years ago, we began the publication of a series of -paper bound books, which has since become world famous by the name -of “The S & S Novel,” we did our best to publish the right sort of -fiction. The sales of these books proved that we have succeeded in -interesting and pleasing the American reading public. - -There are over 1,800 different titles in our catalogue, and every title -above reproach from every standpoint. The STREET & SMITH NOVEL has been -rightly called the fiction of the masses. - -Do not be deceived by books which look like the STREET & SMITH NOVELS -but which are made like them only in looks. Insist upon having paper -covered books bearing the imprint of STREET & SMITH, and so be sure of -securing full value for your money. - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - 79 Seventh Avenue :: New York City - - - - - The Dealer - - -who handles the STREET & SMITH NOVELS is a man worth patronizing. The -fact that he does handle our books proves that he has considered the -merits of paper-covered lines, and has decided that the STREET & SMITH -NOVELS are superior to all others. - -He has looked into the question of the morality of the paper-covered -book, for instance, and feels that he is perfectly safe in handing one -of our novels to any one, because he has our assurance that nothing -except clean, wholesome literature finds its way into our lines. - -Therefore, the STREET & SMITH NOVEL dealer is a careful and wise -tradesman, and it is fair to assume selects the other articles he -has for sale with the same degree of intelligence as he does his -paper-covered books. - -Deal with the STREET & SMITH NOVEL dealer. - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - 79 Seventh Avenue :: New York City - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Photographer's Evidence, by Nicholas Carter - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EVIDENCE *** - -***** This file should be named 62010-0.txt or 62010-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/0/1/62010/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Nahum Maso i Carcases, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - -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. 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