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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf17657 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67617 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67617) diff --git a/old/67617-0.txt b/old/67617-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d621fc9..0000000 --- a/old/67617-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5111 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of On Death's Trail, by Nick Carter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: On Death's Trail - Nick Carter Stories No 120 - 160 / Dec 26, 1914 - Oct 2, 1915 - -Author: Nick Carter - -Editor: Chickering Carter - -Release Date: March 13, 2022 [eBook #67617] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern - Illinois University Digital Library) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON DEATH'S TRAIL *** - - - - - - NICK CARTER STORIES - - _Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post - Office, by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Ave., New York. Copyright, - 1915, by_ STREET & SMITH. _O. G. Smith and G. C. Smithy Proprietors._ - - - Terms to NICK CARTER STORIES Mail Subscribers. - - (_Postage Free._) - - Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each. - - 3 months 65c. 4 months 85c. 6 months $1.25 One year 2.50 2 copies - one year 4.00 1 copy two years 4.00 - - =How to Send Money=--By post-office or express money order, - registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own - risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary - letter. - - =Receipts=--Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper - change of number on your label. If not correct you have not been - properly credited, and should let us know at once. - -=No. 147.= NEW YORK, July 3, 1915. =Price Five Cents.= - - - - - ON DEATH’S TRAIL; - - Or, NICK CARTER’S STRANGEST CASE. - - Edited by CHICKERING CARTER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -AN OPEN QUESTION. - - -The solitary ray of light that found its way into the dismal room seemed -to shrink from entering. - -Silence reigned supreme within. - -Outside, even the stillness of the night was hardly broken. - -It was a ray of moonlight, as feeble through the misty air as “the -glowworm’s ineffectual fire.” - -It found its way in, nevertheless, under one broken slat of a closed -blind, and then it seemed to hesitate, losing life and shrinking from -going farther. - -Was there a lost life within? - -The ray of light came farther and fell upon only one object in the room. -All else was gloom and silence. - -It stood near the partly open window and the closed blinds. It was as -motionless as a block of stone, as white as a figure of marble, as cold -as a form of clay. - -Its covering of white hid it entirely from view, had there been eyes to -see. It hung in flimsy folds on either side of the narrow, unpillowed -bed. Now and then a breath of the night air stirred it, but only as if -in mockery, and an observer would have shrunk and shuddered--lest its -motion had been imparted by what it covered. - -It was the only sign of life amid the gloom and silence. - -Suddenly the stillness was broken, but only faintly. It was as if a bell -tolled too soon the funeral knell. In some quarter remote from the -dismal room, a clock struck the hour--three slow, mellow strokes of the -bell. - -Three o’clock in the morning. - -Five hours afterward, when the November sun had risen into the heavens -and dispelled the night mists that had hung over the slow-winding -Potomac and the nation’s Capitol, a telephone communication sped from -the office of the Washington chief of police to a suite in the Willard, -in which three persons then were completing their toilets for breakfast. - -One was the celebrated New York detective, Nick Carter, and his two -companions were his two chief assistants, Chickering Carter and Patsy -Garvan. - -“I’ll answer it, chief,” said Patsy, who happened to be the nearest to -the room telephone. - -“Go ahead,” Nick nodded. “Who can want me at this hour? Harold Garland, -perhaps, or Senator Barclay, though I can’t imagine for what.” - -“It’s Captain Hadley, the chief of police,” said Patsy. “He wants to -talk with you.” - -Nick took the receiver and called: - -“Hello! What’s wanted, Hadley?” - -“That you, Nick?” - -“Yes.” - -“How soon can you leave to meet me?” - -“Immediately, Hadley, if necessary.” - -“Do so, then. Meet me as soon as possible, at Herman Fink’s undertaking -rooms. You know the place. It’s where that crook, Andy Margate, who -committed suicide when you cornered him last night, was laid out to -remain until this morning.” - -“I know, Hadley, of course,” Nick replied. “But what about him?” - -“His body is missing.” - -“Missing!” Nick echoed, amazed. - -“Yes. It was stolen in the night. Fink just telephoned me that he cannot -find----” - -“Enough said, Hadley,” Nick interrupted. “We’ll see what we can find. I -will join you there as soon as possible. I will leave at once.” - -“Great guns!” Chick exclaimed, after Nick had told him what had -occurred. “Margate’s body stolen! What’s the meaning of that? Are we up -against another job in which that miscreant figures?” - -“Gee! he’ll not cut much of a figure in any kind of a job,” said Patsy. -“He was dead as a doornail when he was lugged into Fink’s back room. I -can swear to that, chief, for I saw him stripped, and saw Doctor Nolan -view the body. He’s the district coroner and ought to know his business. -Say, chief, you don’t think that that rat has put anything over on us, -do you?” - -The last came from Patsy when he noticed the serious expression that had -settled on Nick’s face. - -“I hardly think so, though the bare possibility of it occurred to me,” -Nick replied, hastening to finish his toilet. - -“Holy smoke! it don’t seem possible.” - -“Margate was a crafty dog,” Nick added. “He knew more than a wooden -Indian. No, I don’t think, of course, that he can have fooled us.” - -“Gee! that would be the last straw. I can’t believe it.” - -“The theft of his body, nevertheless, unless it can be traced and proved -to have been disposed of in some way is a serious matter.” - -“Why so, Nick?” - -“Because Margate was a dangerous crook. The disappearance of his remains -is a thousand times more serious, in view of all of the possibilities -involved, than would be that of an ordinary person. If Margate is still -alive, incredible though it seems, he again becomes a dangerous menace -to society.” - -“Very true,” Chick admitted. “But, great guns, it seems utterly -incredible. The undertaker, or surely the physician, would have detected -it. Besides, we saw him keel over, toes up, when he swallowed poison, -and----” - -“Stop a moment,” Nick interrupted. “We don’t positively know that it was -poison. I’m not dead sure of it, now, in view of what has occurred.” - -“You suspect that it was only a drug?” - -“That is possible.” - -“Something that instantly caused a condition resembling death, but from -which he revived later?” - -“Such tricks have been turned.” - -“But----” - -“There is nothing in speculation,” Nick again interposed. “We’ll defer -breakfast until we have looked into the matter. There may be evidence -that will definitely settle it.” - -“Let’s hope so.” - -“You had better both go with me,” Nick added. “If the body has, indeed, -been stolen, we must find a way to trace it and make absolutely sure -that there was no monkey business in the death of Andy Margate. I shall -not rest easy while any doubts exist concerning the fate of that -designing rascal.” - -It then was eight o’clock, precisely ten hours since Nick Carter and his -assistants had rounded up Margate and his three confederates for the -murder of Father Cleary, a Roman Catholic priest, and the abduction of -Lottie Trent, the girl employed in the war department who had confided -to the priest the details of a plot to blackmail Harold Garland, an -engineer in the same department, as well as the father of his fiancée, -Senator Barclay, both of whom had previously been seriously involved in -the theft of secret fortification plans by Margate and a gang of foreign -spies, all of whom had been run down by the three detectives. - -Cornered by Nick and his assistants the previous night, one of the -crooks had been fatally wounded, two of them arrested, and their -ringleader, Margate, had committed suicide by swallowing poison from a -vial seized from his pocket. - -There had appeared to be no reasonable doubt of it. The district medical -examiner who viewed the body pronounced the man dead, and ordered the -removal of the corpse to the rooms of an undertaker until morning, it -then being too late to have it placed in the city morgue, pending the -necessary legal steps in such cases. - -Thus it occurred that the corpse of Andy Margate, or the supposed -corpse, if Nick Carter’s present misgivings were warranted, rested that -night in the back room of Herman Fink’s undertaking establishment, to -which Nick and his assistants repaired as quickly as possible after the -astounding telephone communication from Captain Hadley that morning. - -The chief had just arrived when Nick entered with Chick and Patsy. They -found him in the front office, talking with Herman Fink and Doctor -Nolan, the coroner who had viewed the body the previous night, and who -was solely responsible for the temporary disposal of it in charge of the -undertaker. - -The ruddy face of Herman Fink, who was a short, corpulent little German, -evinced not only his consternation over what had occurred, but also the -fact that he was utterly incapable of having connived in any way at the -theft of the notorious crook’s remains. - -“Ah, here is Carter, now,” Captain Hadley exclaimed, when the three -detectives entered. “Here’s a fine mess, Nick, for fair. I have known -live crooks to slip through the fingers of the police, but never a dead -one. This is the first case on record.” - -“We have no precedent, then, to serve us as a guide,” Nick replied, -smiling a bit grimly. “Is there any question, then, as to the theft of -the body?” - -Herman Fink threw up his pudgy hands and exclaimed, before Chief Hadley -could reply: - -“Mein Gott! Vot a question? Not der slightest, Mr. Carter, not der -slightest. How can there be any question, Der pody is gone, stolen from -my pack room, lugged out through der vindow. Come in and see for -yourself. Der plinds----” - -“One moment,” Nick interposed, detaining him. “I will presently make an -investigation. I understand, Doctor Nolan, that you were present when -Margate’s body was brought here last night.” - -The physician bowed, looking inexpressibly annoyed over what had -occurred and evidently feeling that he was in a measure responsible for -it. - -“I was here, Mr. Carter,” he replied. “I remained until after Fink and -his assistant had stripped the body and laid it out. It was nearly one -o’clock, mind you, which was the only reason why I deferred sending it -to the morgue until this morning. A thought of its being stolen did not -enter my mind. I would not have believed it possible.” - -“In view of what has occurred, can you believe it possible that the man -was not dead?” Nick asked, a bit dryly. - -“Not dead!” Doctor Nolan echoed, with a look of derision. “No, no, -certainly not. That is absurd, Mr. Carter. I know that he was dead.” - -“You feel absolutely sure of it, eh?” - -“I certainly do, sir.” - -“Did you make any tests to verify your opinion?” - -“I did not,” Doctor Nolan declared, a bit brusquely. “No test was -necessary. I can tell when a man is dead, Mr. Carter, without resorting -to tests.” - -“Mein gracious!” Fink exclaimed, starting with a sort of ludicrous -commiseration at the detective. “Vat an idea! Not tead--vy, vy, Mr. -Carter, dot is der vorst I ever heard. I know der man vas tead.” - -Nick did not resent these positive assertions of both the physician and -the undertaker. He knew much better than they, however, to what -consummate trickery knaves of Margate’s caliber sometimes resort, and he -was better informed than either of the ways and means that make it -possible. - -“I infer, Mr. Fink, that the body was not embalmed, or you would have -said so,” Nick replied. - -“No, sir, it was not,” Fink allowed. - -“At what time did you leave it laid out in your back room?” - -“It vas half past von when I vent up to ped.” - -“Do you reside over your business establishment?” - -“I do, Mr. Carter, mit my family and my assistant, Hans Grost. He came -down at half past seven this morning and found der pody vas stolen. -He----” - -“Who now has the vial, Chief Hadley, from which Margate took the -supposed poison?” Nick cut in, turning to the police chief. - -“Doctor Nolan has it, I believe.” - -“I have,” bowed the physician. “It is in a safe in my office.” - -“Does it still contain any of the liquid?” - -“A very little, Mr. Carter.” - -“Do you know of what it consists? Have you examined it?” - -“Not yet. I anticipated no such occasion as this.” - -“Hang on to it, doctor,” Nick directed. “A careful chemical analysis may -become necessary. Now, Mr. Fink, lead the way to your back room. I’ll -see what I make of this extraordinary robbery.” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -A CURIOUS CLEW. - - -Nick Carter lost no time in seeking evidence that would prove -conclusively that Margate’s body had really been stolen. He followed -Fink through an interior room in which numerous coffins and caskets were -displayed in casements of the walls, and adjoining which was the back -room in which the body had lain. - -It was about twelve feet square. Two windows overlooked a small back -yard, from which a narrow alley led out to a side street. The yard was -some six feet lower than the avenue on which the building fronted, and -below the back room was a basement used for a workroom and storage -purposes. A door led from the basement into the yard. - -The bare bier stood nearly in the middle of the room. - -The blinds of one of the windows was open, the others closed. - -A sheet with which the body had been covered was missing. - -The garments removed from the corpse the previous night hung on hooks in -one of the walls. - -Nick quickly took in these features of the scene, and he speedily -learned from Fink that both blinds had been closed the night before, -that one window was open a few inches, that a door leading to the -basement stairs was both locked and bolted, as was true of the lower -one leading into the yard. Neither of them appeared to have been opened -by the crooks. - -“Are these all of the garments removed from the body?” Nick inquired, -glancing at them. - -“Yes, sir, every piece,” Fink declared. - -“The remains were covered, you say?” - -“Yes, sir; with a sheet, but that is gone,” said the undertaker. - -“It certainly looks like a genuine case of body snatching,” Chick -remarked. “Assuming that your misgivings are warranted, Nick, and that -Margate tricked us with a drug and afterward revived, he surely would -have put on his clothing before departing. He would not have left here -unclad, or wrapped only in the missing sheet.” - -“Drug be hanged!” Doctor Nolan said derisively. “That’s nonsense. That -theory hasn’t feet to stand on.” - -“It does seem highly improbable,” added Chief Hadley, gravely shaking -his head. “I see no reasonable grounds for such a suspicion. It appears -dead open and shut that the corpse was stolen.” - -“We must, then, find positive evidence of it,” Nick replied. “The crooks -must have left their tracks. It won’t do to remain in any uncertainty -concerning the death of Margate. This matter must be positively -settled.” - -“Settled!” Doctor Nolan scornfully blurted. “It already is settled. -There’s no question about it.” - -Nick Carter did not reply. He saw nothing to be gained by an argument in -support of his seemingly absurd suspicions. - -Taking a powerful lens from his pocket, Nick fell to inspecting the -floor, the sill of the open window, and the outside of the faded green -blinds. - -On the floor near the bier were particles of dry dirt, as if tracked in -on soiled shoes. The dust on the stone outside of the window had -recently been disturbed, while that on the slats of the blinds plainly -showed the marks of fingers, evidently thrust between them in order to -pull open the blinds. - -Glancing down into the unpaved yard, Nick then discovered two quite deep -holes in the damp ground, some three feet from the wall and directly -opposite the window. He called Chick’s attention to them, remarking -quietly: - -“There was a short ladder set up against this window.” - -“I see. Surely.” - -“The indications are, indeed, that Margate was really dead and that his -body was stolen. Either that, Chick, or he had confederates who removed -and afterward revived him.” - -“But how could they have learned that he was brought here?” Chick -questioned doubtfully. “It was nearly midnight when we rounded him up, -and he was brought directly here from the building in which we cornered -him. Who could have learned about it, and how, between half past one and -daylight, to say nothing of having framed up and pulled off such a job?” - -“That remains to be learned,” Nick replied. “Nor will that alone be -sufficient. His body must be traced and found. Go down with me to the -yard. We’ll have a look in the alley.” - -Fink led the way and unlocked the doors. - -“All of you except Chick remain in the basement,” Nick directed, when -the others followed him down the stairs. “If there are any footprints to -be found outside, or evidence of any kind, I don’t want them -obliterated. They may prove to be of value.” - -“Ah!” Doctor Nolan exclaimed. “I take it, Mr. Carter, that you are -coming to my way of thinking.” - -“There is evidence in support of your belief,” Nick frankly admitted, -disregarding the tinge of sarcasm with which the physician had spoken. - -“I thought you would find it.” - -“I may find something more, perhaps, before I end my work in this case.” - -Nick’s voice took on a more subtle ring when he replied, stepping out -into the yard with his chief assistant. - -There in the damp earth they found numerous hardly discernible -footprints, most of them near the two holes Nick had observed from the -window, or leading toward a gate opening into the alley. All of them -were so intermingled and partly effaced, however, that they were of -little value. After carefully inspecting them, nevertheless, Nick said -quietly: - -“Three men have been here. I think that was the number, judging from -these faint imprints. One of them held a short ladder while the others -entered that window. They brought out the body, whether dead or alive, -and got away with it.” - -“You still suspect trickery on Margate’s part?” questioned Chick. - -“I do,” said Nick. “I believe there is something more than a coincidence -in the theft of this man’s body so soon after his supposed suicide. We -must go deeper, however, before I can form a more definite opinion. -Let’s have a look in the alley.” - -Nick found the gate unbolted and called Chick’s attention to it. - -“They did not delay to fasten it,” he remarked. “Ah, here is something -of more significance! The body was taken away in a box.” - -“By Jove, that’s as true as death and taxes,” Chick agreed, after -following Nick through the gate. “It also indicates, at least, that the -persons who stole the body supposed Margate to be dead.” - -“It does appear so.” - -The earth in the alley was more damp than in the yard, and was of a -grayish clay that readily retained an imprint. - -That which at once had caught Nick’s eye was that of a long box, such as -caskets are inclosed in for burial. It had been placed on the ground, -into which it had sunk just enough to leave a perfectly definite -impression of its outlines, presumably when a heavy body was placed in -it. - -Through the alley leading to the side street, moreover, were numerous -footprints; but these were so intermingled and partly obliterated, like -those in the yard, as to be of no great value. - -Crouching upon the ground, however, Nick made a discovery that would -have escaped the observation of most men. It was hardly perceptible, but -the keen eyes of the famous detective seldom missed anything out of the -ordinary. - -“By Jove, here’s a remarkable clew,” said he, suddenly looking up. “I -remember none like it.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Look closer.” - -Nick pointed to the rectangular surface contained within the plainly -discernible outlines of the box. - -“By gracious! there are some more faint marks on the damp clay,” said -Chick, bending nearer. - -“Exactly,” Nick nodded. - -“What do you make of them?” - -“That side of the box that came next to the ground was marked with the -ordinary ink and brush such as shippers use. There probably was an -address marked on the box.” - -“And transferred to the clay?” - -“Precisely. The damp clay moistened the ink and has retained parts of -some of the more heavily marked letters, chiefly the capital letters.” - -“I see.” - -“They are faint and much blurred, however, as well as reversed in -position; but--yes, I am right. Here are two at the end of an address -marked on the box.” - -“They look like two small letters, a ‘g’ and an ‘e,’” said Chick, -twisting so as to view them better. - -“That’s correct,” said Nick, using his lens. “They are the final letters -of the word college. Here is the loop of one ‘l’, also the larger curve -of the capital ‘C.’” - -“By Jove, that’s very significant,” said Chick. “This may have been the -crime of medical students who wanted a body for dissection.” - -“I begin to think so.” - -“Can you determine any of the other letters?” - -“Only three capitals,” said Nick, still scrutinizing the blurred marks -with his lens. “There appears to be two quite long words preceding the -word ‘college’.” - -“That immediately preceding it begins with ‘M.’ It may be medical.” -Chick quickly suggested. - -“I am quite sure of that.” - -“What are the others?” - -“There seems to be two words preceding that, or one very long one,” said -Nick. “They are so blurred that I cannot read them. The first capital in -the address, however, is a ‘D.’” - -“It evidently is the name of a medical college.” - -“I think so.” - -“The location is not legible?” - -“No. Only a capital ‘S,’ evidently that of the word ‘street.’ No -numerals are discernible.” - -“The box must originally have contained something that was shipped to a -local medical college,” said Chick. “With the initial to aid us, and the -fact that it is in one of the city streets, not an avenue, the directory -should enable us to identify it.” - -“We will see after going a step farther,” replied Nick, rising and -replacing his lens in his pocket. “I wish to inspect this side street.” - -He led the way while speaking, and paused on the curbing of the -sidewalk. The street was a narrow, unpaved one, flanked on both sides -with inferior stores with dwelling apartments above, a street that was -only dimly lighted after the early hours of the evening. - -The ground was somewhat muddy from recent rain, and near the curbing -were plainly discernible the tracks of a wagon and the footprints of the -horses attached to it. - -“A team stopped here last night,” said Nick, pointing. “There was a -fourth man in the gang.” - -“Why do you think so?” - -“Because here are four tracks of tires close to the curbing. There would -be only two, those of the front and rear wheels, if there had been only -one stop made.” - -“That’s true.” - -“I am sure there were three men who took the body from the back room,” -Nick added. “No less could have accomplished it without being heard. -They would not have dared to leave their team standing here all the -while. The fourth man drove away and returned to get his confederates -and their burden. That’s why we find four tracks here, instead of only -two.” - -“Surely,” Chick agreed. “There’s no getting around it.” - -“The wagon had rubber tires, moreover, and--yes, by Jove, one of them -was patched, or mended. Here are the marks left in two places by a seam, -or where some new rubber was vulcanized to the old. This will help some, -I think.” - -“We can bank on that, Nick, all right.” - -“Say nothing about this to others,” Nick directed. “We will follow up -these clews and see to what they lead, Chick, before making any -disclosures.” - -“That’s good judgment.” - -“Come. We’ll return to the shop.” - -As they retraced their steps through the alley, Nick obliterated the -evidence found there, treading out the imprint of the box with his -boots. - -“Well, what have you learned?” Chief Hadley asked, when the two -detectives entered and rejoined the group in the basement. “You have -been gone long enough to have discovered something.” - -“Enough to further confirm Doctor Nolan’s opinion,” Nick replied, a bit -dryly. “The body was taken away by four men who came in a wagon.” - -“Ah!” Doctor Nolan exclaimed. “I was reasonably sure of it.” - -“There is no other evidence worthy of mention,” Nick added. “It may be -well, chief, to have an officer inquire at the dwellings in the side -street. The crooks possibly were heard, or even seen, without the truth -being suspected.” - -“I will attend to it,” Hadley nodded, while they returned to the office -of the undertaker. - -“There is nothing more to be learned here,” said Nick. “I will look -deeper into the case, however, and will report to you later.” - -“Do so, Nick, by all means.” - -“Regarding that vial, Doctor Nolan. I want you to let Chick take it for -a few hours,” Nick added, turning to the physician. “I want an analysis -of its contents, or the nature of it to be positively determined. I will -be responsible for its safe return.” - -“That’s good enough for me, Carter,” Doctor Nolan readily assented. - -“Chick will call at your office for it later in the day.” - -“Very well.” - -Nick did not defer his departure to further discuss the matter. He left -Chief Hadley and the coroner to proceed as they saw fit, and Herman Fink -in quite abject consternation over the gruesome calamity that had -befallen him. - -“We now will hunt up a directory,” Nick remarked, walking up the street -with Chick and Patsy. “I decided not to consult the one in Fink’s -office.” - -“It would have led Hadley to suspect that we are wise to something,” -smiled Chick. - -“Surely.” - -“What have you picked up?” questioned Patsy, surprised. - -Chick informed him, ending just as they arrived at a corner drug store, -into which Nick led the way. - -A city directory supplied him with the information he was seeking. - -“Here we have it,” said he, while Chick and Patsy eagerly read the -address to which he pointed. “The Dabney Private Medical College.” - -“By Jove, there is no question about it,” Chick declared. - -“Private--that was the word that bothered me,” Nick added. “The first -two words looked like a single exceedingly long one. This certainly does -settle it. Come on. We’ll not wait for breakfast. We’ll find out what’s -doing in this Dabney Private Medical College. There shall be nothing too -private for us to butt into, Chick, take my word for that.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE EMPTY BOX. - - -Gifted with more than ordinary intuition, as well as a remarkably keen -perception resulting from years of trained experience, Nick Carter -already felt sure that the case engaging him had features that did not -yet appear on the surface, and that it might prove to be one of the -strangest cases on record. - -It still was comparatively early, only nine o’clock, when Nick arrived -with Chick and Patsy in the neighborhood of the Dabney Private Medical -College. - -From a policeman whom he met and whose beat was in that locality, Nick -learned that the institution was a small one, having usually only about -twenty students, and that it was conducted solely by one Doctor David -Dabney, a physician of good reputation, recognized ability, and a man of -considerable means. - -The last was manifest in the locality and appearance of the place -presently viewed from a near distance by the detectives. It occupied a -corner estate of considerable size, containing an attractive stone -residence and a near building of brick, to which an annex evidently had -been added, and beyond which were a stable and garage, the driveway to -which was entered from a side street. All were of a superior type, while -the well-kept grounds were adorned with numerous shade trees, the -branches of some of which mingled with those in the rear of a fine -estate forming on a fashionable avenue. - -The latter struck Nick as being somewhat familiar, but seeing only the -rear of the handsome wooden residence, which was almost hidden by the -intervening trees, and not having approached by the way of the avenue, -he did not then recall when he had previously seen it, or who dwelt -there. - -In view of what the policeman had told him, and which the appearance of -the Dabney place seemed to confirm, Nick quickly decided how he would -proceed. - -“If the physician is all that the officer stated, he would not -countenance the theft of a corpse, even that of a crook, and the job -must have been secretly done by some of his students, assuming that we -are in right,” said Nick, after sizing up the place. - -“That now seems reasonable,” Chick agreed. - -“Gee, we ought to be able to cinch it!” said Patsy. “The wagon and box -must be here, as well as the body, even though that may have been -concealed. We ought to be able to find them.” - -“We’ll find them, Patsy, if they are there,” Nick replied. “I’ll enter -and have a talk with Dabney. You two saunter around to the side street -from which the driveway leads to the stable and garage. Keep your eyes -open and hold up any one who attempts to leave while I am getting in my -work. I think I can drive the game from cover.” - -“Go ahead,” Chick nodded. “We’ll follow in a few moments.” - -Nick moved on, and presently entered a walk leading to the physician’s -residence. A man came out of a side door at the same moment and started -to cross the grounds toward the brick building mentioned. Upon seeing -Nick, however, he turned and approached him. - -He was a tall, spare man of about sixty, with smooth-shaved and rather -angular features, a prominent nose, deep-set eyes, and a high brow. He -was clad in a black suit with a long frock coat, which accentuated the -height of his somewhat attenuated figure. He bowed when the detective -drew nearer, saying, with an agreeable voice: - -“Good morning, sir.” - -Nick returned the greeting, then added: - -“I am looking for Doctor Dabney.” - -“You need look no farther,” smiled the physician. “I am Doctor Dabney. -What can I do for you? Will you walk into the house?” - -“I think not,” Nick replied, knowing that what he sought would not be -found in the house. “My name is Ryder. I have a nephew who wishes to -become a physician, and I am thinking of sending him here for tuition, -if agreeable to you.” - -Doctor Dabney brightened perceptibly. - -“It will be decidedly agreeable, Mr. Ryder,” he said, extending his hand -to shake that of the detective. “I am always glad to add to the list of -my students. How old is your nephew?” - -“He has just turned twenty.” - -“A very good age at which to begin a course of medical study. Do you -reside in Washington?” - -Nick replied that he did not, and he then proceeded to make a few -consistent inquiries as to terms and accommodations for students, and he -wound up with remarking: - -“If you can spare the time, Doctor Dabney, or will have some one conduct -me, I would like to inspect your college building and its various -departments. I infer that you have no objection.” - -“Quite the contrary,” Doctor Dabney said quickly. “I will be more than -pleased to show you around. I am to give a lecture in the dissecting -room in half an hour, but I shall have ample time to accompany you.” - -“The dissecting room--that is one place I would specially like to -visit,” said Nick, with manifest interest. - -“We can conveniently begin with that, for it is in the annex,” said -Doctor Dabney, pointing toward the rear of the brick building. “Come -with me. Some of my students are beginning to arrive, you see. They are -the ones whose homes are in or near the city. I at present have only -twenty students who are quartered in the college, though we have -accommodations for twice that number.” - -Nick had already observed that several young men were entering from the -side street, while others were gathered near a door leading into the -annex. He was quick to detect, moreover, that a group of three in front -of the garage and stable were betraying a much more serious interest in -him while he approached with the physician. They were talking earnestly -and viewing him with a furtive, apprehensive scrutiny which, with their -noticeable paleness, at once convinced him that they were the culprits -he was seeking. - -Nick evinced no special interest in them, however, but remarked to the -physician, following up the topic under discussion: - -“I suppose you find it difficult at times to obtain subjects for -dissection?” - -Doctor Dabney heard him without a change of countenance. - -“Well, yes, at times,” he admitted. “They can be obtained only through -the proper authorities and by paying a fixed price. That is to say, of -course, unless one resorts to felonious methods to get them,” he added, -smiling significantly. “But I would not sanction anything of that kind.” - -“I suppose not.” - -“No, not for a moment,” Doctor Dabney declared. - -Nick believed him. He saw plainly enough that the physician was not only -a man of character, but also that he had too much at stake to have -connived at such a crime as had been committed the previous night. - -They had been following a driveway passing the garage and stable. In the -latter a hostler was washing a covered wagon, and Nick glanced in and -noted that the wheels had rubber tires. - -A few more steps brought them to the annex of the brick building. A door -leading into a broad corridor with a cement floor was wide open. - -Instead of immediately entering, however, Doctor Dabney turned to -another door some twelve feet to the right, remarking, while he opened -it: - -“Speaking of subjects for dissection, Mr. Ryder, I will begin with -showing you where they are kept until wanted. The door in the rear leads -directly into the dissecting room, where I give many of my lectures.” - -Nick peered into the cold basement room which the physician disclosed. -It was lighted with only a single narrow window, high in one of the -walls. The door in the rear wall was closed. - -On a low stone shelf at one side a covered figure was lying, gruesome in -its suggestiveness, but the size of which at once convinced Nick that it -could not be the body of Andy Margate. - -Near the opposite wall, nevertheless, and equally convincing to the -detective, stood a long, narrow box, somewhat faded and defaced, which -Nick saw at a glance was about the size of the imprint found in the -alley back of Fink’s undertaking rooms. - -“It’s not a very agreeable sight, Mr. Ryder, but I thought you might -wish to omit nothing in connection with my establishment,” said Doctor -Dabney, in apologetic tones. - -“Quite right,” Nick replied. “Do you mind if I step in?” - -“Certainly not,” said the physician, with a look of surprise. - -“Such things do not affect me seriously,” Nick added. “The room appears -well adapted to what is required of it. May I ask, Doctor Dabney, what -this box contains?” - -Nick touched it with his foot. - -“Nothing whatever. It is empty.” - -“Are you sure of it?” - -“Sure of it--certainly,” exclaimed the physician. “It was put here only -temporarily. It contained the casement in which a skeleton was recently -shipped to me from New York. The skeleton has been removed and is now -in the dissecting room.” - -Nick turned and regarded him more sharply. - -“Would you be surprised, Doctor Dabney, if I were to tell you that the -box now contains a corpse?” he inquired. - -“Surprised would hardly express it,” Doctor Dabney replied, with a -shrug. “I would not call you a liar, of course, but I would say that you -never were more mistaken in your life.” - -“Nevertheless, doctor, you’re the one who would be mistaken,” said Nick -pointedly. - -“Nonsense! You don’t mean----” - -“I mean just what I say, Doctor Dabney. This box now contains a corpse.” - -“Absurd! How could----” - -“Wait a moment,” Nick again interrupted. “Let’s see whether I am right. -It is a matter that can be easily and quickly settled. See for yourself, -Doctor Dabney.” - -Nick had previously noticed that the screws had been removed from the -cover of the box, though it still remained in position. He bent over -while speaking and seized one side of it, then tipped it over on the -floor. - -No cry of amazement came from the physician. - -The detective was the one who drew back with surprise. - -Quite naturally, of course, Doctor Dabney now began to suspect some -ulterior motive for the detective’s conduct. He straightened up with a -frown, saying a bit brusquely: - -“This is no place for a jest, Mr. Ryder, as you should know without -being told. If you are not what you pretend, and have any reason for -thinking that this box contained a body, I beg to inform you----” - -“One moment, doctor, if you please,” Nick interposed. “I will presently -explain to your entire satisfaction.” - -Nick turned over the box while he was speaking. He found on the lower -side a blurred black address printed with a shipper’s marking brush. The -wood still was damp and soiled with grayish clay, moreover, which alone -would have convinced him that he had made no mistake. - -Nick did not immediately explain to the physician, however, who stood -watching him with a darker frown on his thin face. He saw that about a -dozen of the students had gathered in the driveway near by, all of them -men in the twenties, and among them the three whom he had seen talking -so earnestly near the stable. - -Nick stepped out and approached the group, apparently with no aggressive -intentions, until, turning abruptly to one of the three, he said -sternly: - -“Well, what have you done with it?” - -The man addressed was about twenty-five, and quite a powerful fellow, -set up like an athlete, with dark features and somewhat sinister eyes. - -“Done with what?” he demanded. “You appear to be addressing me.” - -“That’s right,” Nick nodded. “I am addressing you and your two -companions, and your faces alone warrant what I am saying. What have you -done with it?” - -“I don’t know what you mean,” snapped the other. “If you think----” - -“Stop one moment,” Nick sternly interrupted. “I know, young man, which -is much more than to merely think. You three men, with a fourth to aid -you, stole a corpse last night from the back room of Herman Fink, the -undertaker. You used the rubber-tired wagon in yonder stable. You -stopped in the side street, entered through an alley, and, with a short -ladder, you took the body through the undertaker’s back window. You put -it in that box, which you already had placed in the alley, and afterward -brought it here.” - -“I guess not,” cried the same man defiantly. “You’re talking through -your hat, Mr.----” - -“Carter is my name--Nick Carter,” the detective again cut in. “You may -have heard of me. Whether you have, or not, is immaterial. I can prove -all that I have said, and only the truth, if you chose to make a clean -breast of the whole business, will save you fellows from--ah, here is -additional evidence, if that were needed. It appears that your -confederate, the fourth man, was about to bolt.” - -Nick had caught sight of Chick and Patsy approaching from the side -street, each grasping the arm of a tall, pale young man, who appeared to -be on the verge of fainting. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MARKED IN DUST. - - -The mention of Nick Carter’s name, following close upon his positive -accusations, produced an immediate change in the attitude of the three -recreant medical students. Defiance vanished like a flash from the face -of the one who had been talking, and whom Nick now suspected of being -the leader in the crime of the previous night. - -Another was trembling visibly, while the third impulsively blurted, as -if impelled by the detective’s advice: - -“There’s nothing to it, Oakley, but to confess the whole business. -Neither bluff nor bluster will cut any ice against Nick Carter. Good -heavens! what possessed me to do such a thing?” - -“That’s not the question,” said Oakley, a bit sullenly. “You now have -confessed the whole business, barring the outcome. Only the devil -himself can explain that. The question is--what became of the body?” - -Nick Carter heard the last with no great surprise. It was in line with -his earlier suspicions. He saw, too, with what consternation Doctor -Dabney and the other students began to realize what had been done the -night before, and he checked with a gesture the censure that was rising -to the lips of the astounded physician. - -“You hold your horses, Doctor Dabney, and let me handle the ribbons,” he -said impressively. “The reputation of your college is at stake, and I am -much better able to save it than you, providing the remorse of these -young men is genuine and they follow my advice. The good name of your -institution should not be ruined by the foolishness of a few of your -students, if it can possibly be prevented. I think they now will see it -in the same light and do all in their power to rectify their folly. What -do you say, Mr. Oakley?” - -Oakley threw up his hands and met the detective better than halfway. - -“I say that you’re all wool and a yard wide, Mr. Carter,” he cried, with -genuine feeling. “I’ll speak for the others and tell you the whole -story. Not only that, sir, but we’ll do all we can to repair the wrong.” - -“Spoken like a man,” Nick replied. “I learned long ago that a manly man -can be brought out flat-footed with proper handling. What is the whole -story, Mr. Oakley?” - -“It can be told with a breath, Mr. Carter, and I’ll hand it to you -straight,” said Oakley. “We were out late last night, I and these three -companions, and we drank a bit more than we should have done. When wine -goes in, wisdom and discretion go out, sir, and that was the beginning -of it.” - -“Continue, Mr. Oakley,” said Nick. - -“Well, sir, we came to Fink’s place along about one o’clock, and we saw -that a corpse had been taken in there. We learned from a chap who had -overheard the facts, that it was the corpse of a notorious criminal, and -that it was to remain in Fink’s place till this morning, instead of -being sent to the morgue.” - -“That was correct.” - -“Well, sir, in the heat of wine, I suggested to my companions that we -ought to have that criminal’s brain for examination, in the interests of -medical science and the possible benefit to society. It was a mad -suggestion, but not too mad for my companions. We were just right to do -what, if in our sober senses, we would not have done for the world.” - -“In brief, Mr. Oakley, you went there and stole the body,” said Nick. - -“That’s just what we did, sir, and precisely as you have stated,” Oakley -admitted. “We came here and quietly got out the wagon, also a short -ladder with which to reach the undertaker’s back window, which we had -located before going away. We brought the body here about four o’clock -this morning. We did not dare to leave it in the box, however, which we -had taken from the room you have just inspected. We replaced the box in -the room, but hid the body in the basement under the dissecting room.” - -“It then was about four o’clock?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Continue.” - -“We already had begun to realize, of course, the gravity of the crime we -had committed,” Oakley proceeded. “We went to my apartments in the -street below, but not to go to bed, for we were much too nervous to -sleep. We held a long discussion of the matter and the situation in -which we had placed ourselves, and we finally determined to replace the -corpse in the wagon and to return it to Fink’s place, making a frank -confession of our guilt and relying upon his mercy. But we found, upon -returning to the basement, that we could not do so.” - -“Could not, Mr. Oakley?” - -“No, sir,” cried Oakley, with augmented feeling. “It was impossible for -us to do so. Imagine our surprise, our consternation, our utterly -inexpressible dismay.” - -“You mean----” - -“I mean, sir, that the body was gone.” - -“That’s true, Mr. Carter,” groaned another of the culprits. “Every word -of it is true as gospel. The corpse had vanished as if the earth had -swallowed it. We searched in vain. Good heavens, what a mess! I thought, -sir, I was going daffy.” - -Nick Carter was less surprised than the other hearers. He had begun to -suspect what had really occurred and how it was possible. He paused to -briefly consider the matter from every standpoint, aiming to act for the -best, while Doctor David Dabney relieved his pent-up feelings in terms -that would read even worse than they sounded, and while the half score -of students who had gathered near by stared in mute amazement over the -bewildering affair. - -Nick presently took the ribbons again, however, saying with an -impressiveness that never failed to prove effective: - -“There is nothing in harsh words, Doctor Dabney, at this stage of the -game. We must meet the situation in the best way and attempt to remedy -it without too much publicity. I am not going to arrest these young men -at present, nor later if it can be avoided.” - -“Good for you, sir,” cried Oakley gratefully. - -“I shall bind them on their honor to remain here, as usual, and these -other students, as well as yourself, to say nothing about this matter,” -Nick added. “Upon your silence and theirs may depend the effect of all -this upon your institution. I happen to know all about the criminal -whose body seems to have disappeared so mysteriously, and the recovery -of which is of much more importance to me, as well as to the community, -than the immediate censure and punishment of these four students. You -must do what I have directed, therefore, while I shall take immediate -steps to trace the missing body.” - -Nick’s consideration and advice had the effect he anticipated. Doctor -Dabney subdued his anger and eagerly seized the opportunity to avoid -publicity. The relief of the four culprits was beyond description, and -one and all who were present pledged themselves to strictly follow the -detective’s instructions. - -Thus the matter was adjusted temporarily, at least, and Nick then turned -to Oakley and said: - -“Conduct me to the basement, now, and show me where you left the body. -In the meantime, Doctor Dabney, that there may appear to be nothing -unusual going on here, have all of your other students attend the -lecture you had planned to deliver. There is, in fact, no occasion to -postpone it. I will undertake with my two assistants to do all that the -case now requires. Lead the way, Oakley, that no time may be lost.” - -The last was said with a significant glance at Chick and Patsy, and the -three detectives followed Oakley toward the basement door, while Doctor -Dabney and the gathering students trooped toward the entrance to the -annex in accord with Nick Carter’s instructions. - -“I happen to have a key that will open this door, Mr. Carter, or we must -have found some other hiding place for the body,” Oakley explained, -while unlocking the basement door. “How it was discovered and removed by -others--well, sir, that beats me to a frazzle. I was literally knocked -stiff when I found it missing.” - -“Had you detected any sign of life, Oakley, while handling it?” Nick -inquired. “I infer, of course, that you had not.” - -“Not the slightest, Mr. Carter,” said Oakley, with a look of surprise. -“You surely do not suspect----” - -“Never mind what I suspect,” Nick interrupted, while descending to the -basement. “Show me just where you placed the body.” - -Oakley led the way to a corner back of some coal bins and pointed to the -floor. - -“We left it there, sir,” he said simply. - -“With a covering over it?” - -“Yes, sir; the sheet brought from Fink’s place.” - -“Nothing else?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Did you lock the door after going out with your companions?” - -“That was not necessary,” Oakley explained. “It has an automatic spring -lock, like many of the doors in this building, which can be opened from -within, though a key is required by one entering from outside. They were -equipped with locks of that kind because students frequently are the -last to leave the building, and it obviated providing keys for all.” - -“I see,” Nick remarked. “One can leave this basement without a key, -then?” - -“Yes, sir; easily.” - -Nick took out his electric searchlight and began a close inspection of -the cement floor. It was covered with a thin, almost imperceptible layer -of dust, mingled with which were particles of coal dust, quite plainly -visible with the aid of a powerful lens. - -“You have given it to me straight, Oakley, all right,” Nick remarked, -after a moment, looking up. “My lens shows where the dust has been -disturbed, and I can determine part of the outline of the body. There -appears to have been considerable moving about, however, either by----” - -“Surely not by the body!” Oakley exclaimed, staring. - -“Don’t be so sure of that,” Nick said dryly. “Things aren’t always what -they seem. We may find that--ah, I find it even sooner than I expected. -Here is one--yes, a second and third. This tells the story.” - -“What is it?” cried Oakley impulsively. - -“Have a look, Chick,” said Nick. “Use my lens.” - -Chick hastened to comply, viewing one of several faint bits of evidence -on the dusty floor. - -“What is it?” Oakley repeated, quivering with excitement. - -Chick looked up and replied: - -“It’s a faint print in the dust--the print of a naked foot.” - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -WHERE THE TRAIL LED. - - -“Subdue your surprise. This is no more than I was expecting to find,” -said Nick Carter, glancing at Oakley’s amazed face. “I have picked up a -trail which I felt sure I must seek, sooner or later, and to find where -it leads now is of paramount importance.” - -“Gee! that’s right, chief, for fair,” said Patsy. “This man hunt now -opens in earnest.” - -“I shall need you no longer, Oakley,” Nick added. “You had better join -the other students at the lecture. I will do what I can to pull you -fellows out of this scrape, but much will depend upon what already has -been published, and upon my success in finding the missing man. No, no, -don’t demur over going, nor stop to thank me. Time now is of double -value. Go at once.” - -Oakley appeared anxious to remain to follow farther the detective’s -investigations, but the expression in Nick’s eyes warned him against -objecting, and he turned with a nod and a mere word of thanks and -hurried from the basement. - -“By Jove, this is a most extraordinary case,” Chick then said, a bit -grimly. “Have you now any doubt, Nick, that Margate still is alive?” - -“Not the slightest,” Nick replied. “I have felt from the first that that -was the case.” - -“But how could he have accomplished----” - -“Oh, the circumstances admit of only one explanation,” Nick interposed. -“Margate had, when we cornered him, some kind of a drug or compound -which, when swallowed, instantly produced a physical condition so -closely resembling death that it deceived not only us, but also Doctor -Nolan and the undertaker.” - -“It did, indeed.” - -“The condition, which was probably a form of catalepsy, evidently lasts -a definite number of hours, depending in a measure upon the health and -strength of the subject, and concerning which Margate must have been -perfectly informed.” - -“Surely.” - -“He took the one chance that, if supposed to be dead, he would throw off -the effects of the drug and revive at such a time and in such -surroundings as would permit of immediate flight.” - -“The drug evidently ceased to be effective between four o’clock and -daylight.” - -“Undoubtedly,” said Nick. “That would have served him admirably if he -had remained in Fink’s back room. He could have arisen and quietly -dressed himself, his garments having been left in the room, and he could -easily have made his escape.” - -“Sure, chief,” put in Patsy. “Like turning over in bed.” - -“The job done by the students, however, put him in bad,” Nick added. “He -must have revived in this basement, in a building in which he probably -could not obtain a rag of clothing, aside from the sheet with which he -was covered. Immediate flight, however, was imperative. He luckily had -the advantage of darkness, and he probably fled at once, wrapped only in -the sheet. His first move, of course, was to find garments by some hook -or crook and in some near quarter, and I think we can learn where he got -them.” - -“He did not break into Dabney’s house, nor the rooms of any of the -students, or the fact would have been reported,” said Chick. - -“He would have been less likely to do that, Chick, than to have sought -some near residence occupied by fewer persons and presenting less danger -of detection and arrest.” - -“That’s true.” - -“I will try with Patsy to follow up the trail,” said Nick, turning to -the door. “You go to Doctor Nolan’s office in the meantime and get the -vial still containing some of the drug, or compound, used by Margate. -Take it to Professor George Arden, whose address you will find in the -directory. He is one of the leading chemists in the country, and he -probably will be able to tell us of what the stuff consists.” - -“Most likely,” Chick agreed. “Where will I see you later?” - -“At the Willard. We will return about noon for lunch.” - -“Very good. I’ll be there,” Chick nodded, turning to go. - -They had emerged from the basement while speaking, and Nick and Patsy -now began seeking the trail of the missing man. Neither in the driveway, -nor on the surrounding lawns, could they discover any sign of a bare -footprint, however, and Nick paused after a few moments and said: - -“We must use our heads and determine what direction he naturally would -have taken. He would not have ventured to the lighted streets. He would -have known he might be seen and arrested.” - -“That would have been very probable, chief, for fair,” said Patsy. - -“He may have crossed the rear grounds, therefore, and perhaps saw that -house which fronts on the avenue. The roof could have been seen above -the trees, even in the darkness.” - -“That’s right, too.” - -“We’ll go that way, Patsy, and see what we can learn. Keep your eyes -open for footprints.” - -“Bet you!” said Patsy sententiously. - -It took them only a few minutes to cross the Dabney grounds, when they -brought up at a low wall flanking the rear of the estate Nick had -noticed when he first arrived in that locality. It now struck him even -more familiarly, though he never had seen the rear grounds, nor that -side of the imposing wooden residence. - -“Come on,” he said, leaping over the wall. “The direct course, if -Margate had his head and really came this way, would have been around -the garage and across the side lawn.” - -“Sure, chief, if he was heading for the house,” said Patsy. - -“A dwelling is where he most likely would have sought clothing,” Nick -replied. “A knave as desperate as he and as sorely in need of garments -would not have shrunk from breaking in and----” - -“Gee! half a minute, chief,” Patsy now cried, interrupting. “Yes, I’m -right. Here’s the print of a bare foot.” - -Patsy had discovered it in some loose earth near the garage and hastened -to inspect it. There was no mistaking it, for it was distinctly outlined -in the damp soil, and it showed plainly in which direction the man was -going. - -“He was heading for the house, chief, just as you have suspected,” Patsy -added, turning to look for another. - -“I was sure he would seek some dwelling,” Nick replied. “Which one was -the only question. It naturally would be the one most safely and quickly -approached, and that was why I came this way. We’ll inquire whether -anything has been stolen, or--hello! some one is calling my name. By -Jove, it’s Senator Barclay. That explains it. I thought I recognized -this place, though I have called here only twice.” - -“Gee! he’s some excited, chief,” said Patsy. “I guess you have hit the -nail on the head, all right.” - -Senator Barclay, who had emerged from a side door of the house, had been -hurrying toward them while they were speaking. He was hatless and wore a -loose velvet smoking jacket, and he looked pale and excited, indeed, in -the morning sunlight. - -“I saw you from the library window, Nick,” he cried, upon drawing -nearer. “What brought you here? I’ve been trying vainly to get you by -telephone. I was told that you left the Willard before breakfast.” - -“So I did,” Nick replied, shaking hands with him. “I was called out on a -rather curious case. But what do you want of me, Senator Barclay, and -why are you so disturbed?” he added tentatively. - -“I have cause to be disturbed, most serious cause,” Senator Barclay -answered, with an effort to govern his feelings. “I will tell you of -that a little later. My house has been robbed--a most amazing robbery.” - -“Why amazing, senator?” - -“Judge for yourself. Every piece of my clothing, removed when I went to -bed last night, was carried away by the thief. Shoes, stockings, -underwear, shirt, and outside garments--not a piece was left behind by -the rascal. Why he took such articles is more than I can fathom. Why -he----” - -“One moment,” Nick interposed, with a furtive glance at Patsy. “Did he -take anything else of value?” - -“I should say he did,” Senator Barclay cried impetuously. “My pocketbook -containing several hundred dollars, my diamond pin worth nearly a -thousand, my watch and chain--all of them went with the garments.” - -“H’m, I see.” - -“Not content with them, moreover, the rascal robbed the sleeping room of -my daughter Estella, and got away with considerable money and a quantity -of costly jewelry, which unfortunately had not been put in the library -safe.” - -“Your loss will aggregate, then----” - -“Ten thousand dollars, at least, as far as the plunder goes. But that is -nothing, absolutely nothing, Nick, compared with the loss of one other -article,” Senator Barclay said, with a groan. - -“One other article?” Nick echoed, gazing at his white face. “What is -that?” - -“I cannot tell you--not here,” was the reply. “I must talk with you -privately. Come to the house. Stella is nearly prostrated, but she does -not dream of my distress and anxiety. I have hidden the truth from her, -even, and can confide only in you, Nick. For you are the one man on whom -I can depend, who may be able to successfully meet the situation. Come -to the house. I then will inform you.” - -“Very well,” Nick consented. “I understand, now, why you were so anxious -to reach me.” - -“I was more than anxious, more than anxious,” Senator Barclay repeated, -while Nick and Patsy accompanied him toward the house. “There is another -mysterious feature in connection with this robbery, Nick; one that seems -utterly inexplicable.” - -“What is that?” Nick inquired. - -“The thief, or thieves, as the case may be, left a soiled sheet in the -butler’s pantry, which they entered by breaking the window and unlocking -it. The pantry is so shut in that the noise was not heard. The robbery -was not discovered until Estella awoke early this morning and found that -her room had been entered. Why the burglars had a soiled sheet, which -looks as if it had been through a war, puzzled me even more than----” - -“It does not puzzle me, Senator Barclay,” Nick interposed. - -“No?” - -The statesman gazed at Nick with a look of amazement. - -“Not at all,” Nick added. “There was only one burglar, senator, and I -happen to know why he had a soiled sheet.” - -“Good heavens! is it possible?” Senator Barclay replied, with -countenance beginning to brighten. “There are hundreds of brilliant and -discerning men in the circle of my acquaintance, Carter, but you -certainly have something on all of them. What do you mean? How do you -know there was only one burglar, and why he left a soiled sheet in my -house? By gracious, I begin to feel that you may yet avert the calamity -that threatens me.” - -“Let’s wait until we are seated in our library, senator,” Nick replied, -smiling. “I then will answer your questions and learn what you require -of me. It goes without saying, of course, that I will do all in my power -to avert any calamity that threatens you.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A THREATENING SITUATION. - - -Nick Carter did not visit the butler’s pantry to examine the broken -window, nor did he care to inspect the soiled sheet left there by Andy -Margate, who had provided for him with unexpected outside help one of -the strangest cases in the career of the celebrated detective. - -Nick already had formed a correct theory in regard to the burglary. He -now wanted to learn only what gave Senator Barclay so much more anxiety -and distress than his pecuniary loss. - -Nick accompanied him into the library, therefore, leaving Patsy to wait -in the reception room, and he began with informing the statesman of the -circumstances which, beyond any reasonable doubt, explained the crime -committed in his residence early that morning. - -“Good heavens!” Senator Barclay exclaimed, after hearing Nick’s -statements. “Are we never to be rid of this man Margate? I never heard -of such a case. If he----” - -“Never mind him, Senator Barclay,” Nick interposed. “I will put him away -for keeps sooner or later.” - -“Well, well, I hope so.” - -“Tell me without delay, for time may be valuable, how you are threatened -with something more serious than the loss of your money and jewels.” - -“It is infinitely more serious, Carter, for it not only involves a -matter of international importance, but also the reputation, welfare, -and social standing of a very prominent and very beautiful woman,” said -Senator Barclay, in tones tremulous again with profound feeling. - -“How so?” Nick inquired. “Was something else stolen?” - -“Yes. In the pocket of the coat stolen by Margate was a document -confided to me temporarily by the woman in question.” - -“Ah, I see.” - -“With it in the pocket, moreover, was a letter written to me by the -woman when she sent me the document for inspection,” Senator Barclay -continued. “I received it only early last evening. I was to have -returned it this morning. It was most important that I should have done -so. The gravity of the situation, Carter, can hardly be imagined.” - -“Because of the nature of the document?” Nick questioned. - -“That is one reason,” was the reply. “The document relates to a secret -compact between several European powers and in a measure has a bearing -upon their relations with this country.” - -“I see,” Nick nodded. - -“It bears the signatures of no less than five foreign ambassadors now in -Washington, all of whom are pledged to secrecy in regard to the matter. -None would believe for a moment that this compact is even suspected by -any American statesman or diplomat, and much less that the existence of -the document mentioned is positively known.” - -“I follow you.” - -“The discovery of the fact might precipitate complications of a very -grave and threatening nature,” Senator Barclay added. “I can safely -assert, however, that I am the only American who, with one exception, -knows anything about the document--aside from the knave into whose hands -it has fallen.” - -“Let me know the exact facts,” said Nick. “Who is the one exception who -knows about the document?” - -“The woman I have mentioned.” - -“How did you learn about it?” - -“The woman informed me.” - -“How did she become informed?” - -Senator Barclay hesitated for a moment, gazing intently at the earnest -face of the famous detective. - -“I am going to confide in you, Nick, as I would in no other man on -earth,” he said impressively. “The woman whose name I will presently -mention is the wife of one of the European ambassadors whose signatures -are on the document. He is without exception the most influential and -illustrious diplomat now in this country.” - -“You must refer, then, to Sir Edward Deland.” - -“Yes.” - -“I have met him,” said Nick. “He was married here only a year ago. His -wife, who is many years younger than he, was a wealthy American girl.” - -“From which,” said Senator Barclay; “has evolved the terrible situation -in which we now are placed.” - -“You and Lady Deland?” - -“Yes.” - -“Explain,” said Nick. “I don’t quite get you.” - -Senator Barclay proceeded to do so. Drawing forward in his chair, he -said, even more gravely: - -“Something like ten days ago, Nick, for no other reason than that I had -apprehended something of the kind, I began to suspect the frame-up of -the secret compact mentioned, and that a document to that effect already -existed. Naturally, of course, I knew that Sir Edward Deland would be -one of the chief figures in it.” - -“Quite likely, of course,” bowed Nick. - -“I had occasion three days ago to visit the Deland residence in company -with my daughter, who long has been an intimate friend of Lady Deland. I -found an opportunity to hint to the latter that she perhaps knew -something of the matter I had on my mind, and that it would become a -true-blue American girl to confidentially inform me of anything that -might possibly be a menace to our country.” - -“I see,” Nick remarked, suppressing an inclination to criticize. “What -did she say to that?” - -“Somewhat to my surprise, though I have always been very friendly with -Lady Deland and her parents, a fact which perhaps led me to make such a -suggestion to her--somewhat to my surprise, I repeat, she immediately -admitted that such a compact had been made, that she had overheard her -husband discussing it with other diplomats, and that the document -bearing upon the matter then was in the library safe.” - -“What followed?” - -“Lady Deland hastened to add that the compact, of the nature of which -she was partly informed, was in no sense a menace to this country,” -Senator Barclay continued. “I told her I could not believe that, and -that she really must be mistaken. We discussed the matter very earnestly -for some time, and she then declared, with much feeling, that the very -best service she could do me and her country would be to let me read the -document, in order to convince me of my error and so avert the troubles -that might otherwise result from it.” - -“That was hardly loyal to her husband,” said Nick. - -“Lady Deland did not so regard it,” replied Senator Barclay. “She argued -that she could not serve him better than to dispel my suspicions and set -him right in my opinion. Bear in mind that she has known me from -childhood, with absolute confidence in me. She would have no greater -faith in her own father.” - -“I can appreciate that, senator, as far as it goes.” - -“I do not feel that it was quite right to sanction her suggestion,” -Senator Barclay allowed. “I knew, in fact, that it was quite wrong. I -reasoned, on the other hand, however, that it would be of vast relief -and advantage to me to positively verify her assertions. The temptation -was one I really could not resist.” - -“You allowed her to show you the document?” said Nick inquiringly. - -“Not at that time,” Senator Barclay replied. “It then was impossible for -her to have done so secretly. Sir Edward Deland was at home, talking -with my daughter and another lady in the conservatory.” - -“And you alone with Lady Deland, of course, during your discussion.” - -“Yes, on the side veranda.” - -“What did you decide to do?” - -“Lady Deland decided for me. She said that Sir Edward was going to New -York yesterday morning for two or three days, also that she knew the -combination of the safe and in what compartment the document had been -placed.” - -“H’m, I see.” - -“She said she would send it to me yesterday evening, which she did, with -an understanding that I would surely return it to her this morning. That -now is impossible, utterly impossible,” Senator Barclay added, with -increasing agitation. “Unless I soon can do so, however--good heavens, -Carter, think of the position in which we are placed. Unless the -document can be recovered and returned to the safe before Sir Edward -Deland arrives home----” - -“There is no need to picture the situation,” Nick interposed. “If is -about as bad as it could be, senator, for you and Lady Deland.” - -“Bad doesn’t express it,” groaned the statesman. “It is -horrible--horrible!” - -“I will do all in my power to pull you out of the affair,” Nick assured -him. “Tell me, now, whether the document is of the nature you had -feared. Is this secret compact in any way a menace to this country?” - -“No, thank God, it is not,” Senator Barclay said fervently. “I am -relieved to that extent, at least.” - -“All that really is involved in the lost document, then, is the exposure -that threatens you and Lady Deland.” - -“Is that not enough?” - -“Quite enough, Senator Barclay, and then some,” Nick admitted. “You -said, I think, that she sent you a letter with the document.” - -“Yes.” - -“By mail?” - -“No, indeed. Both were brought here by her butler, Hawley, who was -entirety ignorant of what the package contained.” - -“What did she say in the letter?” - -“Only a few lines, directing me to take the utmost care of the document, -and reminding me of the terrible consequences in event of its loss.” - -“That would be quite enough for any knavish person into whose hands it -might fall,” Nick said, with grim dryness. “I know of no person who -would be more quick to take advantage of it than Andy Margate. Did Lady -Deland sign her full name to the letter?” - -“She did.” - -“Have you communicated with her this morning?” - -“Not yet,” groaned Senator Barclay, nervously wringing his hands. “I -have been trying to get hold of you. How can I tell her? How can I -inform her, Carter, that----” - -“You’re not going to inform her, Senator Barclay. You must keep -perfectly quiet and leave this matter to me. It now is eleven o’clock. I -will see Lady Deland as quickly as possible. Write me a letter of -introduction, senator, and I’ll be off at once.” - -“But what do you intend----” - -“Don’t ask me what I intend doing,” Nick interrupted. “I don’t know -myself, at present, save that I must see Lady Deland without needless -delay.” - -Senator Barclay hastened to write the desired note, saying while he gave -it to the detective: - -“Do you really mean, Nick, that I must do nothing more in this matter?” - -“Absolutely nothing until you have heard from me,” Nick said -impressively. “I now know positively that Andy Margate lives, and I’m -out to get him. In getting him, Senator Barclay, I shall probably get -the letter and document that are of such vast importance to you. Whether -it can be done in time to avert the peril that threatens you and Lady -Deland remains to be seen. It certainly cannot be accomplished by -prolonging this discussion. I must hasten to see Lady Deland.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -SUSPICIONS VERIFIED. - - -Chick Carter, following the instructions Nick had given him, readily -obtained from Doctor Nolan the vial from which Andy Margate had -swallowed most of the supposed poison with which he was thought to have -committed suicide when cornered by the detectives, yet which evidently -had resulted in the extraordinary case brought to Nick’s notice early -the following morning, and the true inwardness of which he had been so -quick to suspect. - -To prove it, however, despite the surrounding circumstances, and to -locate and corner Margate again, to say nothing of doing so in time to -save the reputations of Senator Barclay and the impulsive American girl -who had put herself in a position that threatened to ruin the remaining -years of her life--all this was an entirely different proposition. - -The discernment of Nick Carter, nevertheless, as well as the wisdom of -the course he had shaped, appeared in part in the visit of Chick Carter -to the laboratory of the eminent Washington chemist, and in what -immediately followed his departure. - -It was nearly noon when Chick introduced himself to Professor Arden and -stated his mission. He met with a cordial reception, and the chemist -soon began an examination of the small quantity of fluid still remaining -in the vial. - -Chick waited in an adjoining room for more than an hour. Most of this -time was passed in reading a magazine found on the table. Ending an -article in which he had become interested, Chick replaced the book on -the table and glanced incidentially through one of the screened windows -overlooking the grounds without and an adjoining side street. - -A man who was passing at that moment caught the detective’s eye, and his -sinister appearance and somewhat stealthy movements quickly aroused -Chick’s suspicions. - -He was a slender, cheaply clad fellow in the twenties, wearing a baggy -brown suit and a woolen cap, the latter pulled suggestively low over his -brow. He peered from under it while passing a boxwood hedge flanking one -side of the grounds, and once he paused nearly back of a clump of -shrubbery to gaze intently toward the laboratory windows, though the -wire screen prevented any view of the interior. - -“By Jove, he is sizing up this place,” thought Chick, after intently -watching the fellow. “What’s his motive? If it corresponds with his -looks, by gracious, it’s sinister enough. What motive can he have in -which I do not figure, since he appears to have turned up since I -arrived here? If I’m right, and I’d stake a trifle on it, that fellow is -a rat that needs watching.” - -The man had moved on, crossing the side street and turning an opposite -corner. He scarce had turned it, however, when Chick, still watching, -saw his bullet-shaped head thrust cautiously around the corner building. -It was obvious, too, that his ratty eyes were directed toward the -taxicab in front of the chemist’s residence, that in which Chick had -come there and for whom the chauffeur was waiting. - -Presently the head vanished--but not the detective’s suspicions. - -When Professor Arden rejoined Chick a few moments later, he returned the -nearly empty vial, saying, with a smile: - -“I have retained enough of the fluid to make a thorough analysis, or -tests that may possibly reveal its precise nature and properties. I was -inclined to doubt, Mr. Carter, the existence of any substance or -compound that would have upon the human organism just such effects as -you have described in the case of Margate.” - -“Nevertheless, professor, Nick feels very sure he is right,” said Chick. - -“I now think he may be,” replied the chemist. “I have been experimenting -with a guinea pig, using a minute quantity of the fluid, and the effect -upon the animal is very similar. He fell almost instantly into a rigid -state and appeared to be dead.” - -“That was precisely the case with Margate.” - -“While I was applying other tests to a drop of the fluid, however, which -required most of the time I have been absent, the animal began to -revive.” - -“So soon probably because of the small quantity of fluid used,” Chick -suggested. - -“I think so,” Professor Arden agreed. “I am more inclined, now, to -credit your suspicions concerning Margate. I cannot definitely determine -the ingredients of the fluid at this time, however, and I may not be -able to do so at all. I will try later, nevertheless, and will advise -you by letter.” - -“I will give you Nick’s home address,” said Chick, producing a card. -“It’s mighty strange and powerful stuff, all right, whatever it is.” - -“You may have heard, no doubt, of the poisons of Exili,” Professor -Arden replied. “He was a notorious criminal of the seventeenth century, -who knew the art of making the most subtle and deadly poisons, as well -as compounds which are said to have had very similar effects upon -persons as those you have described. Some of the formulas of Exili are -said to have been handed down through generations to the present day, -moreover, the secret and sinister possessions of a very few persons. It -is not impossible that was the source of this fluid used by Margate.” - -“I am well informed concerning Exili and his poisons,” said Chick, -smiling a bit grimly. “We had a very extraordinary and sensational case -about three years ago, in which one of the Exili poisons figured. There -was no doubt about it in that case. You may be right as to this stuff.” - -“You shall hear from me later about it,” said Professor Arden, while he -accepted his fee and accompanied the detective to the door. - -Chick thanked him again and departed. The man in a baggy brown suit had -not reappeared, but Chick still had him in mind. He walked briskly out -to the taxicab, then paused briefly and said to the chauffeur: - -“Has any man spoken to you while waiting?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Follow my instructions,” Chick directed, apprehending that he might be -covertly watched. “Drive straight down this avenue and turn the first -corner to the left. After having turned it to a point out of view from -here, stop at once and drop me. Then drive on quickly and go about your -business. Understand?” - -“Sure. That don’t take a very long head.” - -Chick sprang into the taxicab, and without looking back he was whirled -speedily around the corner, a block from the chemist’s residence. He -then sprang out--and the chauffeur uttered an exclamation of surprise. - -He did not recognize his passenger. - -Chick had put on a disguise and knocked his soft felt hat into an -entirely different shape. - -“Drive on,” he commanded, giving the chauffeur a bank note. “Move lively -and forget the quick change.” - -“Bet you!” grinned the driver, speeding away. - -Chick returned to the corner and peered cautiously around it. - -The man in baggy brown was just descending the steps of Professor -Arden’s residence. - -“Aha! That does settle it,” thought Chick. “He wanted to know who had -called on the chemist, and he went to inquire, probably offering some -plausible reason. He evidently found out, too, judging from the celerity -with which he is departing. You shall also find, young man, that there -are longer heads than yours.” - -The seedy young man then was hastening down the avenue in Chick’s -direction, but on the opposite side of the broad thoroughfare. - -Chick stepped into the side entrance of a near store and watched him -from one of the front windows. - -The suspect stopped short on the opposite corner and gazed sharply in -the direction the taxicab had taken. It then had disappeared. The street -was deserted, with the exception of a solitary nurse girl wheeling a -baby in a carriage. The man pushed the cap from over his brow and -hurried on. - -Chick left the store a moment later and followed him. - -His quarry turned the next corner east and soon brought up at a trolley -line running out of the city. At a stand near by he bought two -newspapers, and then waited on the corner for a car. - -Chick noticed in which direction he was looking for it to approach, -which told him in which direction the man intended going. He then -crossed the avenue, mingling with other pedestrians, and waited on the -next corner beyond his quarry. Five minutes later he saw the man board -an open car, taking one of the front seats, and Chick presently seated -himself on a rear one. - -The suspect then was absorbed in one of his newspapers. More than half -an hour had passed, when, looking up, he quickly folded it and thrust it -into his pocket. - -The car then had left the outskirts of the city far behind. It was -passing through a rural country, quite thickly wooded in sections, and -Chick could see in the near distance a road diverging at a slight angle -to the right from that of the trolley line. - -“He’s going to drop off at that road,” he said to himself, “It’s -favorable for me, all right, in that the woods and shrubbery will afford -me some shelter.” - -Chick had rightly interpreted the man’s movements, for the latter -presently signaled the conductor and alighted from the car at the -juncture of two roads, at once walking briskly up that to the right. - -Chick rode on about thirty yards, then sprang from the moving car and -stepped quickly toward the scrubby trees and shrubbery filling the apex -of the angle formed by the two roads. Flanking the opposite side of that -which the car was following, scattered dwellings could be seen in the -distance, but the road to the right appeared to be unsettled. - -Somewhat to Chick’s surprise, after stealing in among the low trees to a -point enabling him to see the latter road, he discovered his quarry -seated on a rock at one side and gazing up the deserted way. - -“He has an appointment with some one,” Chick reasoned, noting the man’s -expectant expression. “He is going to wait, and it’s up to me to do the -same, also to crawl near enough to overhear what may be said. That ought -to be easily accomplished, if I can avoid snapping a twig.” - -The suspect had unfolded his second newspaper and was beginning to read -it. - -Chick dropped upon his hands and knees and crept within thirty feet of -the man, then settled himself in a thicket that effectively concealed -him, though through the twigs and foliage he could plainly see the -waiting man. - -He could see, too, that he was much amused by what he was reading, and -Chick was not slow in suspecting the nature of it. - -Twenty minutes passed, also several motor cars, at each of which the -suspect gazed sharply when he heard it approaching. He sprang up at -length, hearing and seeing another, and Chick felt a thrill of -satisfaction, when an inferior, two-seated runabout containing a man and -a woman came to a stop near his quarry. - -“All three cannot ride away in that trap,” he said to himself. “I can -keep an eye on one of them, at least.” - -Even before a word came from one of them, moreover, confirming his -immediate suspicions, Chick had sized up the couple in the car. - -The woman was somewhat showily clad, about thirty years old, and quite -attractive, barring her rouged cheeks and indications of dissipation in -her sharp gray eyes. - -Her companion was a bearded man in an ill-fitting black suit with a -frock coat, and with a gray slouch hat on his head. The instant Chick -saw him and his garments, he was sure of the man’s identity, despite his -facial disguise. - -“Margate himself!” flashed up in his mind. “Andy Margate, as sure as I’m -a foot high.” - -This was confirmed almost immediately by the intercourse that began as -soon as the woman, who was driving the runabout, brought it to a stop at -one side of the road. - -“Ah!” she exclaimed. “You’re here ahead of us, Tony.” - -“Sure I’m here,” said the man in baggy brown. “I’ve been waiting twenty -minutes.” - -“Well, what have you learned, Selig?” Margate demanded, with manifest -interest. “You keep quiet, Nance, and let me do the talking.” - -“Tony Selig,” thought Chick; then, he rightly inferred: “By their -resemblance, too, this woman should be his sister. Nance Selig, eh?” - -The man in the road drew nearer the car, replying, with a laugh: - -“Oh, I have not been idle, Andy, you can bet on that. You’re in right in -one way, but wrong in another.” - -“Wrong, eh?” queried Margate, with a snarl. “Tell me the worst first. -Wrong in what way?” - -“Nick Carter suspects you have fooled him.” - -“The deuce he does!” - -“But he only suspects, mind you,” Tony Selig quickly added. “He isn’t -sure of it.” - -“How do you know? How did you learn that?” - -“After watching the Deland woman’s house until nearly noon, as you -directed, and seeing no one show up, I started out here to report. As I -was passing the residence of Professor Arden, the chemist, I saw a -taxicab waiting in front of it. I suspected right off the reel that a -detective on your case might be there. You know for what, Andy, and I -was right.” - -“How did you make sure of it?” - -“I watched until a man came out and hurried away in the taxi,” Selig -explained, with a sly grin. “I reckoned from your description that he -was Chick Carter. I made sure of it by ringing Arden to his door and -asking him if Mr. Carter had been there. He was a fall guy, Andy, all -right. He said that Mr. Carter had just left there.” - -“Humph!” Margate ejaculated, scowling. “That did settle it. I feared -that the Carters were on to the case.” - -“But they only suspect,” Tony Selig repeated. “They are sure of nothing, -Andy, nor any of the guns, except that the stiff was stolen. There is no -clew to the thieves, nor any doubt of its having been a genuine stiff, -as you can see from this newspaper story. Have a look. Here’s the latest -edition.” - -Margate seized the newspaper and eagerly read the story mentioned. It -told only of the theft of the supposed corpse from Fink’s back room, of -the ignorance of the police and detectives concerning the identity of -the perpetrators of the outrage, and of the deep mystery enshrouding the -entire gruesome case. - -Margate read it aloud for the benefit of Nancy Selig, and Chick heard -every word of it, as well as all of what passed between the three -crooks. - -“Nick was right, by Jove, in saying nothing about our discoveries in -the alley,” he said to himself. “This rascal now will think, indeed, -that we are all in the dark.” - -This already was apparent in the look of relief that had arisen to -Margate’s bearded face. He banged the newspaper with his fist, uttering -an oath, and exultantly adding: - -“You’re right, Selig, dead right. The infernal dicks know nothing -definite. They believe I was dead, they surely believe it, and know only -that my body was stolen. They have no idea who stole it, however, not -even a shadow of suspicion, or the reporters would have got wise to it.” - -“Surest thing you know, Andy,” Selig nodded. - -“It’s a safe gamble, too, that the cursed students who queered my game -will keep their traps closed,” Margate forcibly argued. “They’ll not -dare to confess. Even though mystified by its disappearance, they’ll -think themselves well rid of the body. It’s a cinch that the Carters -have not tracked them, nor more than suspect the truth, and we still -have time to bleed the woman out of a big wad of money.” - -“That’s true, Andy, if we waste no time,” put in Nance Selig -suggestively. - -“Right you are, Nance,” declared Margate, with eyes glowing. - -“Get a move on, then.” - -“We’ll get the coin. We’ll drive her to the wall. Home with you, Tony, -and wait till I return. I’ll be gone only long enough to put Nance in -right. She can turn the trick before evening. In the meantime, Tony, -we’ll make ready to receive her ladyship--and her boodle. Home with you, -Tony, and wait till I show up.” - -The runabout, guided, by the woman, was moving rapidly away before the -last was said, shouted over his shoulder by the daring and designing -criminal. - -Chick Carter had more than one reason for lying low and letting the -rascal go. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -CHICK CARTER’S MISHAP. - - -Knowing nothing about the discoveries made by Nick Carter since parting -from him at the medical college, ignorant as to the identity of the -woman mentioned by Margate, but knowing at least that the rascal was -engaged in another felonious scheme, said to reach its culmination that -very evening, and that he might accomplish even more by following Tony -Selig than by attempting to arrest the three crooks then and there, -which might have been difficult when undertaken; single-handed--these -were Chick Carter’s reasons, for letting Margate and the woman depart, -and for resuming his pursuit of Tony Selig. - -The latter immediately started up the road in the direction from which -Margate had come, and his actions plainly denoted that he had no thought -of being followed. - -Chick found it comparatively easy, therefore, to shadow him without -being detected. He followed him for nearly a mile through the woodland -road, passing only a solitary house on the way, despite that the road -appeared to be one that was frequently traveled by motorists. - -Twenty minutes brought Tony Selig to his destination. It proved to be an -old wooden house back from the road, with a stable and outbuildings in -the rear, all in a clearing dotted with numerous hencoops and countless -hens and chickens, which denoted from what the occupants of the -inferior place derived their living, perhaps in connection with other -and more profitable ventures. - -Chick stole to a point in the surrounding woods from which he could view -the place. He saw two men and a large, rawboned woman emerge from the -back door, toward which Tony had turned his steps, and all four then sat -down on a platform outside and began an earnest discussion of the news -Tony Selig evidently had brought them. - -Chick rightly inferred that they were all of one family, but he was too -far away to hear what passed between them during the next hour. He -continues to watch them until four o’clock, however, when Margate -returned alone in the runabout. All sprang up to greet him, to which he -put a speedy end by saying, so forcibly that Chick heard him distinctly: - -“Cut that out for something more important. I’ve set the ball rolling, -and Nance knows just what to do. It’s up to us to do the rest. Get the -lanterns, Zeke, you and Angus, and we’ll head for the Poplars. It will -be dark in an hour, or a trifle more. The game might show up even -earlier. We must be ready for her. I’ll get the documents, but we’ll -leave the other plunder here. Be ready when I come out.” - -Margate hurried into the house with the last, not waiting for an answer. - -The two men addressed by name, evidently the father and brother of Tony -Selig, hastened to the stable, from which they quickly emerged with -three oil lanterns. They then returned to the house, from which the -woman had in the meantime brought their coats and hats. - -“By Jove, this does look like something doing,” thought Chick, stealing -into a thicket some fifty yards back of the house. “The Poplars, eh? I -wonder where that is, or they, if it refers only to trees. I’ll come -pretty near finding out, by gracious, also to what documents that rascal -refers. I wonder which way they’ll head.” - -Chick had not long to wait, and it was not without misgivings that he -saw the four men shape a course through the woods that took them within -twenty feet of his concealment. - -They passed without seeing him, however, and he then proceeded to -cautiously keep them in view. - -A tramp of half a mile through the woods brought into view another -section of the road, also a large, old wooden house some fifty yards -from the highway, with a stable and a long, open shed adjoining it, the -whole shut in somewhat by a park of huge, old silver-leaf poplars, from -which the house evidently derived its name. - -Chick saw at a glance, nevertheless, that, the house was unoccupied. The -curtains or blinds of most of the windows were closely drawn. The stable -doors were closed and padlocked, while the ground in the driveway and -shed was running to rank grass. - -The character of the place also was apparent, and it afterward appeared -that it had been closed by the authorities nearly a year before, and -since had been unoccupied. - -“An old road house,” thought Chick, sizing it up. “It has been vacant -for some time. But why have these rascals come here? Why is he taking a -chance of breaking into the house? By Jove, I think I have it.” - -Margate, leading the way, was skillfully forcing open the back door of -the deserted old road house. - -“They want the expected interview in a house with which they are not -identified, yet in which it can be safely held,” Chick rightly reasoned. -“This isolated old place just serves them, and they feel sure of not -being traced from it. I reckon that won’t be necessary, by Jove, if I -can get in my work without a hitch.” - -Margate had led the way into the house, followed by his three -confederates. - -Chick could see that they had left the door ajar, however, and it was -obvious that not one of them feared having been watched, for not a -curtain stirred at any of the windows, denoting the precaution of -stealthily looking out. - -“I’ll wait a few minutes and then take a chance,” Chick muttered. “I can -slip in there unheard. I’ll wager I can thwart any knavery they have up -their sleeves. It’s only twenty yards from the end of the open shed to -that side of the house. It would be child’s play to reach the back door -from that place.” - -The sun had set and the dusk of the November afternoon was beginning to -gather. - -Chick looked around for another dwelling, or signs of persons traveling -the road, but none met his searching gaze. He felt that he must tackle -the task single-handed, and that a step taken at that time might be of -later advantage. - -Not a sound came from within the house, nor a sign of the men who had -entered it. - -Starting abruptly when the dusk, began to deepen, Chick crept back of -the long shed, quickly picking his way to that end of it nearest the -house. He then waited and listened briefly, and he could hear the -intermittent blows of a hammer. - -“That does settle it,” he said to himself. “They evidently are busy, so -here’s my chance.” - -Darting quickly to the back steps, Chick crouched and listened again, -still hearing the hammer, and he then pushed the door open a few inches. -The dim hall was deserted. It ran straight through the house to the -front door. - -Chick now could hear the four men in one of the side rooms. He stepped -noiselessly into the hall, leaving the door as he had found it, and he -then sought concealment on a bare back stairway leading to the second -floor. - -“I may find it of advantage to steal up there,” he said to himself. “I -must overhear just what comes off in this crib, and also learn how many -I am finally up against.” - -The hammer ceased at that moment, and he heard Margate say gruffly, -addressing the elder Selig: - -“That’s good enough, Zeke. Good enough.” - -“It strikes me so, Andy.” - -“Sure. Not a ray of light can get through the blankets, to say nothing -of the curtains and blinds. We’ll be safe enough from detection.” - -“They have been tacking blankets over the windows,” thought Chick. - -“Light the lanterns, Angus,” Margate now commanded. “It’s getting -infernally dark here, but not as dark as I found it last night, nor -anything like as cold. That was a close call, if ever a man had one.” - -“Close call is right, Andy,” Tony Selig vouchsafed. - -“But the meds did me a good turn, at that,” Margate added. “They forced -me into seeking other garments than my own, and put me in a way to pull -off this job. We’ll clean up handsomely from the whole business, you -can bank on that, and there’ll be no clew left to show who turned the -trick, after I have bolted with Nance for South America.” - -“You’ll be bolted in other quarters, you rascal, unless I am much -mistaken,” thought Chick, still on the stairway. “By Jove, I don’t quite -fathom this business.” - -The conversation that followed shed a ray of light upon it, but only a -ray, as far as the listening detective was concerned. - -“You feel sure the woman will pay, do you?” Zeke Selig inquired. - -“Pay--you bet she’ll pay,” said Margate confidently. “Her letter to -Barclay shows that. What else can she do? She’s got to have the document -before her husband shows up, or--well, she knows what the finish would -be.” - -“When will he show up?” - -“The letter don’t say. It says only that she must have the document -to-day. I would nail Barclay, too, only he’s likely to call on Nick -Carter for aid after informing the woman of his loss. I’ll take a chance -that we can bleed her before Carter gets to work there. Just now, you -know, he must have his hands full looking after my body.” - -“But what in thunder is the document?” asked Tony, after lighting the -lanterns. - -“I cannot just make it out,” replied Margate. “It’s a foreign agreement -of some kind and is signed by a bunch of diplomats. - -“H’m, I see,” thought Chick, listening intently. “Senator Barclay -evidently is in wrong with some woman.” - -“I know enough, however, to be sure we could nail no one else for -anything,” Margate added. “The woman is the only one in our clutches, -since the trick must be turned immediately. She’ll come across with the -coin, all right, and may show up here with Nance at any moment. I’ll fix -the front door so we can let her in. By the way, one of you lock and -bolt the back door.” - -Both Zeke and Angus Selig started to do so, striding out of the room at -Margate’s heels, and all three appeared almost immediately in the hall, -then lighted by the rays from the lanterns. - -Chick heard them coming and knew that he must be seen if he remained on -the stairway, about half of which he had ascended. He drew back quickly -from the plain wooden rail on the outer side, intending to steal quietly -up to the second floor. - -When he trod on the next bare stair, however, the projecting edge of the -footboard, weakened with age and dampness in the closed house, broke -under his weight. - -Chick lost his footing and his balance. - -He fell heavily against the rail, seizing it to prevent falling backward -down the stairs. - -The startling noise brought a roar from Margate: - -“What’s that?” - -The question was instantly answered--but not verbally. - -The stairway rail snapped and broke under the detective’s weight. - -Instead of falling backward down the stairway, Chick pitched headlong -over the side of it, straight down six feet to the hall floor, on which -he landed with a crash that seemed to shake the house. - -The three men saw him as plainly as they had heard him, and another roar -came from Andy Margate. - -“A spy! One of the Carters, boys, or I’m a liar. Get him! Lend me a -hand.” - -Chick heard them, though severely shaken and stunned, and he tried to -rise. - -Margate leaped upon him like a wolf on a lamb, however, forcing him back -upon the floor and dealing him a blow on the head, at the same time -shouting: - -“Out with a gun! Shoot him, Zeke, if he stirs. Bring a rope, Tony, and -be quick about it. Cut one of the window cords.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE WOMAN INVOLVED. - - -It was close upon noon when Nick Carter, after his interview with -Senator Barclay, rejoined Patsy Garvan and hastened from the statesman’s -residence. None could have appreciated more keenly the gravity of the -situation, the delicate nature of what had been confided to him, and the -quick and clever work that must be done to avert the impending calamity, -if indeed it were possible. - -Nick thought he already saw his way clearly, however, and he began with -informing Patsy of as many of the circumstances as the case required. - -“We’ve got a look in, Patsy, at least,” he added, pausing on a corner to -hail a taxicab. “If Margate sizes up the letter and document as I think -he will, he may undertake to blackmail Lady Deland before I can be seen -by Senator Barclay and put on the case. He will reason, of course, that -I cannot have yet discovered that he is alive, much less have tracked -him to the medical college and to the Barclay residence.” - -“Gee whiz!” exclaimed Patsy. “You’re the only man on earth, chief, who -could have accomplished all that in so short a time. Margate will not -believe it possible.” - -“I am banking on that, Patsy, and that he will attempt to take advantage -of my supposed ignorance. He will know, too, that any move to blackmail -Lady Deland must be made immediately, both on my account and the fact -that the document must be restored to her before to-morrow, when it will -become useless as a lever to blackmail her.” - -“I see both points, chief,” nodded Patsy. - -“I have a countermove framed up in my mind,” Nick added. - - -“What’s that, chief?” - -“I will inform you a little later. You go to the Willard as quickly as -possible, now, and bring our make-up box to the Deland residence, -wearing a disguise. I have one in my pocket that will enable me to go -there without being recognized, assuming that the house is being -watched, which I hardly think is probable. We’ll take no chances, -however. Rejoin me there as soon as possible.” - -“You can bank on that, chief,” declared Patsy, as he turned and hurried -away. - -Ten minutes later, and precisely ten minutes after Tony Selig ceased -watching the Deland residence, Nick alighted in the disguise of an -elderly man from his taxicab and rang the doorbell of the imposing stone -mansion. The summons was answered by the butler, Hawley, to whom Nick -said tentatively: - -“Is Sir Edward Deland at home?” - -“No, sir,” Hawley politely informed him. “He is in New York to-day. He -is expected here to-morrow.” - -“Lady Deland, then?” - -“She is at home, sir. I will take in your card, sir, if----” - -“Take this note to her, instead, and say that I would like to see her -immediately,” Nick directed, interrupting. - -“Walk in, sir.” - -Nick had waited only a few moments in the reception hall, when the -butler returned and conducted him to the library, where he found Lady -Deland awaiting him--a stately, beautiful woman still in the twenties, -whose pale cheeks and apprehensive eyes denoted with what misgivings she -had read Senator Barclay’s note introducing the famous detective. - -“Close the door when you go out,” she directed, with a glance at the -butler. - -“Yes, your ladyship.” - -Hawley bowed himself from the room. - -“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Carter, and long have known you by name,” -said Lady Deland, then shaking hands with the detective. “Tell me--what -is the meaning of this visit? Has anything happened to Sir Edward -Deland, or to----” - -She hesitated, turning deathly white when Nick, removing his disguise, -said gravely: - -“You have anticipated what has happened, Lady Deland.” - -“You know?” she gasped. - -“Senator Barclay was forced to confide in me.” - -“Oh, my God!” - -The woman reeled as if about to faint, and Nick helped her to a chair, -saying quickly: - -“Do not be alarmed. Nothing confided to me, Lady Deland, ever goes -farther. I know all of the circumstances and appreciate your position. I -hope to accomplish all that is necessary to set you right. I really -expect to do so, in fact, so try to be calm and give me your assistance. -Both are imperative to what I have in view.” - -Nick’s encouraging words were not without effect upon her. Lady Deland -drew up in her chair, composing herself with an effort and replying -gratefully: - -“Thank you, thank you, Mr. Carter; but, oh, this is terrible. How could -I have done such a thing? Tell me the worst. Let me know the worst.” - -Nick then informed her as briefly as possible of the strange combination -of circumstances resulting in the loss of the fateful document and her -letter relating to it, adding, with convincing earnestness: - -“Senator Barclay is in no sense to blame for the misfortune. He thought -the safest place for the document during the single night he was to -retain it was in the pocket of the coat in his own room.” - -“Oh, I do not blame him, Mr. Carter,” said Lady Deland, who now had -nerved herself to meet the trying situation. “Senator Barclay is a very -dear friend, and a man in whom I have absolute confidence. Otherwise I -never could have taken such a step, which I truly felt would be the best -for all concerned.” - -“I appreciate that, I assure you.” - -“But what can be done? How can----” - -“That is what I now wish to discuss with you, Lady Deland, and to point -out what I require of you,” Nick interposed. “I think that we may yet -thwart Andy Margate and recover the document in time to save you from -exposure.” - -“But that dreadful man! He must know----” - -“Never mind what he knows about it,” Nick again interrupted. “If I can -land him and recover the document, I will make very sure that neither -he nor any of his confederates will afterward reveal anything. I will -put them where they can accomplish nothing. Besides, Lady Deland, -revelations on their part would fall flat when opposed with denials from -persons of your character and that of Senator Barclay.” - -“But what can be done, Mr. Carter?” she anxiously inquired. - -Nick then proceeded to tell her of his suspicions, of the only way by -which advantage of the document would probably be taken, and that it -must be attempted that very day in order to be effective. - -“I understand,” she bowed, after hearing him. - -“There is only one way by which it could be done, Lady Deland, and only -one method that really appears feasible,” Nick continued. “One is by the -use of the telephone, which presents too many difficulties and -contingencies for me to think that method will be adopted.” - -“And the other?” - -“The other is with a personal interview with you, possibly by Margate -himself, though much more probably by one of his confederates,” Nick -continued to explain. “Though a daring and desperate man, I doubt that -Margate will venture here in person.” - -“But what am I to do?” - -“These rascals will have only one object in view, that of forcing you to -pay them a large sum of money, or perhaps turn over your jewels to them. -Just how they will attempt it remains to be seen, and I wish to be in a -position to direct what occurs here. That must be accomplished without -incurring the suspicions of the person whom Margate may send.” - -“But how can you do that, Mr. Carter?” Lady Deland doubtfully inquired. -“It will be necessary for me to see the person.” - -“Very true,” Nick admitted, glancing around the room. “I think, however, -that we can arrange it. Where does that door lead?” he added, pointing -to one across which a portière was partly drawn. - -“To Sir Edward’s private study,” said Lady Deland. - -“Is there another door leading out of the room?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Where?” - -“Into the side hall.” - -“Capital!” said Nick, with manifest satisfaction. “From where you sit, -Lady Deland, by glancing into the mirror over the fireplace, I think you -can see into the study.” - -“Yes, sir, I can.” - -“You can do so, I observe by merely turning your eyes in the direction -of the mirror.” - -“I can, Mr. Carter.” - -“If you were to do so merely casually, a person seated here would have -no idea that you were in communication with a person in the study,” said -Nick. “By turning my chair in this direction, I can see the mirror, but -not the study door, nor any reflection of it.” - -“Oh, I now see what you mean,” Lady Deland exclaimed. “You wish to -signal me from the study, by means of the mirror, while I am talking -with the person you suspect will come here.” - -“Exactly,” Nick replied. “I will stand so that you can see a reflection -of me, and I will signify with a nod, or with a negative shake of my -head, what course you must shape.” - -“I understand you perfectly.” - -“It will be necessary for you to yield to whatever design may be -attempted.” - -“Have you any idea of what it will consist?” - -“I think you will be required to go somewhere, both to get and deliver a -price for the document, and also in order to receive the letter.” - -“I will go,” said Lady Deland quickly. “I shall not fear. I would dare -anything, Mr. Carter, to recover it.” - -“Something more will be necessary,” Nick replied. “I wish to go with you -with one of my assistants, who will presently arrive here.” - -“But will that be allowed?” - -“We must fool whoever comes here into allowing it,” smiled Nick. - -“Will that be possible?” - -“I think so, in view of the fact that much is at stake, and that there -is no time for other arrangements. You must insist upon going in your -touring car, and taking your chauffeur and your maid.” - -“Well?” - -“You can state that they know nothing about the business engaging you, -and that the crooks will incur no danger from your having these -uninformed companions. They will have guarded against danger, all right, -as a matter of fact. I know such rascals root and branch.” - -“But I don’t understand,” Lady Deland said doubtfully. “What can my maid -and chauffeur accomplish?” - -“Leave that to me,” Nick replied, smiling again. “I shall be your -chauffeur, Lady Deland, and your maid will be Patsy Garvan, my -assistant, who can make up very cleverly as a girl in the twenties.” - -“Oh, I now see at what you are driving,” cried Lady Deland, with -countenance lighting. - -“You must provide him with the necessary garments, however,” Nick added. -“We have all else that will be required.” - -“I will do so, Mr. Carter.” - -“I also wish to take your butler’s place for a time, that I may -determine whether any visitor warrants suspicion, and also take steps -consistent with our design.” - -“You may do so,” Lady Deland said readily. “I will give you all the -assistance in my power.” - -“We will make all of the necessary arrangements after my assistant -arrives,” Nick rejoined. “I shall want a coat, cap, and gloves belonging -to your chauffeur. We will put them in an adjoining room, where I can -easily and quickly get them. I will wear a different disguise in the two -characters I shall assume, and--ah, there is the doorbell. That should -be Patsy. In half an hour, Lady Deland, we shall have completed our -arrangements.” - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -IN THE NICK OF TIME. - - -It was after two o’clock that afternoon when Nancy Selig, following -instructions received from Andy Margate, rang the bell at the Deland -residence and prepared, with all the nerve and effrontery of one of her -class, to carry out the coercive design of her knavish confederate. - -A butler answered the bell--but not the usual butler. - -“I would like an interview with Lady Deland,” said Nancy, bowing and -smiling with affected gentility. - -“I will take in your card, madame,” Nick replied, with blank -countenance. “Or if you will state what your business is, I will inform -her of your request.” - -“She does not know me by name,” Nancy coolly announced. “I am soliciting -contributions to a very worthy cause, and I was sent here by a friend of -Lady Deland. Will you kindly tell her so, and say,” she added, quite -pointedly, “that she may hear something greatly to her advantage.” - -Nick Carter needed to hear no more than that. He bowed and vanished. - -Two minutes later he returned, saying a bit stiffly: - -“Lady Deland will see you.” - -“I thought she would,” remarked Nancy, with covert dryness. - -Nick conducted her to the library and ushered her into the room. - -Lady Deland arose to receive her and pointed to a chair. - -Nancy Selig took it without the ghost of a suspicion. - -Nick withdrew and closed the door, then stepped noiselessly through the -side hall and into the diplomat’s study. - -The first words that fell upon his ears from the library told him that -Nancy Selig had lost no time in approaching the business engaging her. - -“You can safely admit it to me, since you say there is no one to hear -us,” she was adding to what already had passed between them. “There is -nothing in mincing matters. The question is--do you want to recover it?” - -“Assuming that you really know what you have stated, and that I have -lost such an article as you suggest, I naturally would be anxious to -recover it,” Lady Deland replied. - -“There’s just one way you can do it,” said Nancy. - -“How is that?” - -“By paying for it.” - -“Pay whom? Are you the person who has it?” - -“No. A man has it who----” - -“Send him here, then,” Lady Deland interrupted. “I will talk with him.” - -“Don’t be a fool,” Nancy said curtly. “And don’t pretend that the paper -is of no great value to you. We know better than that, we who have it. -You listen to me for half a minute and I’ll tell you just where you -stand and what you must do.” - -Lady Deland’s eyes drifted toward the mirror for an instant and she -received from the listening detective a signal of assent. - -“Well, I will hear you,” she replied, gazing at the crafty, determined -face of her visitor. - -What Nancy Selig had to say may easily be imagined, and she wound up her -threatening remarks with the announcement that Lady Deland must pay ten -thousand dollars for the return of the document and her letter to -Senator Barclay, or that both would be sent to her husband the moment he -returned to Washington. - -Lady Deland played her part consistently, now and then receiving a -signal from Nick, and evincing apprehensions that soon convinced Nancy -Selig of her own ultimate success. - -“All you need do is go with me and pay down the money,” she announced, -at length. “When you return home, you’ll have the two papers.” - -“But I haven’t so much money in the house,” Lady Deland protested. - -“Draw it from the bank,” said Nance curtly. “There still is time.” - -“Where am I to go with you?” - -“To a house a few miles from the city.” - -Lady Deland demurred over that, pretending that she feared to do so, and -she wound up with insisting that she would go only in her own touring -car, in company with her maid and chauffeur. - -Nancy Selig objected strongly to that, and for several minutes the -argument between the two women continued, but the outlook for success -finally overcame Nancy’s objections. - -“Well, I agree to that, then,” she said, with a threatening frown. “But -you’re not to leave me, or have any talk with them that I cannot hear. -I’ll ride with you and go into the bank with you. I’ll not stand for any -monkey business, you can bet on that.” - -“There will be no monkey business, whatever that is,” said Lady Deland -coldly. - -“Call your maid here, then, and give her your directions,” snapped -Nancy. “Send for the chauffeur, too, so we can make a quick get-away.” - -Lady Deland touched a bell on the library table. - -Nick entered from the hall half a minute later. - -“Send my maid, Hawley,” said Lady Deland; Nance constantly watching her. - -“Yes, your ladyship,” bowed Nick. - -Another half minute brought Patsy Garvan into the room, so cleverly made -up as a girl as to have deceived the most discerning observer. - -“Put on your outside garments, Lucy, and bring mine to the front hall,” -said Lady Deland. - -“Yes, madame,” said Patsy demurely. - -“Also tell Hawley to send James to the front door with the touring car,” -added Lady Deland. “I want both of you to go with me for a few hours.” - -“Yes, madame.” - -Patsy bowed and withdrew. - -Nick already was on his way to the garage. - -Lady Deland opened her desk in the library and removed a bank book. - -“Now, woman, I am ready,” she said coldly. - -She was not more ready than Nancy Selig, who now felt sure that she was -not being tricked. - -Five minutes later the touring car, driven by Nick, with Patsy on the -seat beside him and with Lady Deland and Nance in the tonneau, sped away -from the house and turned toward the business section of the city. - -Nick had been quietly informed as to the bank and its location, at which -they arrived twenty minutes later, and into which Nancy accompanied Lady -Deland, leaving the supposed chauffeur and maid in the car. - -“Gee! this looks like soft walking, chief, now,” remarked Patsy, while -they waited. - -“Quite so,” Nick replied. “I think we shall land the goods and arrest -the gang. That woman hasn’t even the ghost of a suspicion.” - -Nick was right. - -With crafty foresight, bent upon not arriving at the road house until -just after dark, Nancy Selig directed the supposed chauffeur over a -roundabout course that thus served her purpose. - -It was between five and six when the light from the touring car swerved -quickly from the woodland road, and the car itself ran noiselessly in -toward the shed and stable back of the road house. - -“Come!” Nance said quietly, quickly alighting and addressing Lady -Deland. “You two servants stay here.” - -Nick Carter bowed, standing at the door he had alighted to open. - -Lady Deland started to get out of the car. - -Then came a crash from within the house, the thud of a fallen body, and -then the fierce and furious shouts of Andy Margate, every word of which -reached the detective’s ears. - -Nick turned like a flash and seized Nancy Selig by the throat. - -“Handcuffs, Patsy,” he muttered. “Be quick. Chick is here before us.” - -Patsy was out and at work before the last was said, and in thirty -seconds Nancy Selig was lying on the ground, manacled hand and foot. - -Lady Deland was nearly fainting, but neither detective noticed her. - -Both rushed to the back door, still ajar and showing a beam of light. - -Nick was the first to reach and open it, dashing into the hall, revolver -in hand. He saw Chick on the floor, the four men above him, and the hand -of Andy Margate raised with a revolver to beat out the fallen -detective’s brains. - -Nick fired on the instant, and the bullet went true. - -Margate pitched forward in a heap, with an ounce of lead in his brain, -and instant consternation and dismay fell upon his three confederates. - -“Hands up, you fellows, or there’ll be another corpse here,” Nick cried -sternly, with the rascals effectively covered. “Look after Chick, Patsy. -I can attend to these rats.” - -The “rats” did not dare to show fight. They yielded with curses and -imprecations, and within ten more minutes the case was practically -ended. All were secured, followed later by Zeke Selig’s wife, and the -entire family went to prison for a term of years for their work of that -night. - -Andy Margate did not revive from the dose Nick Carter had given him, as -he had from that taken from his own hand. This time, indeed, he was as -dead as a doornail. - -The document, as well as the property stolen from Senator Barclay, were -easily found and restored to proper hands, and the circumstances were -never even dreamed of by Sir Edward Deland, much to the relief and -gratitude of the beautiful girl whom Nick had served so cleverly. - -He went even farther than that, moreover, interceding with a local judge -for the medical students, with the result that their transgression was -never made public, and the Dabney Medical College escaped without a -smirch on its reputation. - -So the strange case ended to the satisfaction of all--save the knaves -responsible for it. - - -THE END. - - -“The Mark of Cain; or, Nick Carter’s Air-line Case,” will be the title -of the long, complete story which you will find in the next issue, No. -148, of the NICK CARTER STORIES, out July 10th. You will also find -several other articles of interest, together with the usual installment -of the serial now running. - - - - -Sheridan of the U. S. Mail. - -By RALPH BOSTON. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE BOSS DEFIED. - - -The man in the gray uniform of Uncle Sam’s postal service laughed -lightly. “Don’t talk like a boob,” he said. “I’m not defying any -organization, and I have no desire to make an enemy of Mr. Samuel J. -Coggswell or anybody else. If he’s petty and narrow-minded enough to get -sore on me just because I refuse to give up five dollars for a picnic -ticket for which I have no earthly use, well, I can’t help it.” - -The smile upon his good-humored face suddenly gave place to a sterner -expression. “And let me tell you,” he went on, “I don’t like your method -of selling tickets. The way you go about it looks to me very much like -blackmail. I never had the pleasure of meeting your friend, Mr. -Coggswell, but if he instructed you to hold up strangers on the street, -and hand them that line of talk, I haven’t any use for him; and you can -tell him I said so.” - -The stout, red-faced, flashily dressed young man who had accosted the -letter carrier on the street corner just as the latter was about to -enter Branch Post Office X Y, scowled at this utterance. - -“Oh, I’ll tell him, all right,” he retorted. “You can bet he’s goin’ to -hear about your freshness. What’s your name, anyway?” - -“Owen Sheridan,” was the prompt reply. - -The other produced a pencil and memorandum book from his vest pocket and -ostentatiously made a note of the name. - -“Very well, Mr. Sheridan,” he sneered, “we’ll see how you’ll feel when -you’re on Boss Coggswell’s black list. Guess he’ll make you lose that -cocky air before long.” - -He turned on his heel and sauntered off up the street. Carrier Sheridan, -who had just returned from his delivery route, entered the post office -and went upstairs to the “swing room”--the place in which the carriers -lounge between tours--and joined a dozen of his gray-coated comrades who -were indulging in a few minutes of idle chatter. - -“I had a funny experience just now,” he said; “a chap buttonholed me on -the corner and tried to sell me a ticket to the Samuel J. Coggswell -Association’s annual chowder and outing. When I refused to come across -with five dollars, and told him I had no desire to go to the outing, he -got sore and began to threaten me with the wrath of Mr. Coggswell. He -said it meant my finish in the postal service if I wouldn’t give up. Can -you beat that for cast-iron nerve?” - -Instead of the loud laugh which he expected, some of the carriers smiled -sheepishly, and others looked grave. - -“You don’t mean to say that you refused to take the ticket, son?” -exclaimed “Pop” Andrews, a grizzled carrier, whose coat sleeve bore two -gold stars, signifying that he had seen forty years’ service in the -department. - -“I certainly did refuse,” replied young Sheridan indignantly. “Do you -suppose for a minute that I’d let any man blackmail me into giving up -money for something I don’t want?” - -Pop Andrews shook his head deprecatingly. “That was foolish of you, very -foolish. If you want to get along in this business, you can’t afford to -antagonize ‘Boss’ Coggswell. You haven’t been in New York long, so -perhaps you don’t know who and what he is?” - -“Oh, yes, I do,” replied Sheridan, with a smile. “I’ve heard of him, of -course. He’s a politician, and the leader of this assembly district; but -I don’t see what reason I’ve got to be afraid of him as long as I do my -duty. This is a civil-service job, and----” - -Several of the men interrupted him with bitter laughter. Pop Andrews -undertook to explain the reason for their mirth. - -“Civil service is all right as far as it goes, son,” he said gravely, -“but the trouble is, it don’t go very far--not nearly as far as the pull -of Samuel J. Coggswell. - -“You see,” he went on, “the boss has got so much influence at Washington -that he can get pretty near anything he wants. If he wishes to boost a -postal employee’s salary, or land him a soft berth, he can do it with a -few strokes of his pen, or a few words on the long-distance wire. But if -he wishes to keep a man down, he only has to put in a knock at -headquarters, and the poor fellow’s goose is cooked. You can slave, and -study, and take all the civil-service exams you want, but you’ll never -get promotion while you’re on Samuel J. Coggswell’s black list.” - -“You don’t mean it?” exclaimed Sheridan in astonishment. “Then that -fellow spoke the truth? I thought he was only trying to bluff me into -buying a ticket for the outing.” - -“He gave it to you straight,” replied the veteran postman. “You -shouldn’t have refused to buy the ticket. I guess you’re the only -employee in this branch that hasn’t got one.” - -“Is that right, boys?” demanded the astonished carrier, turning -incredulously to his comrades. “You don’t mean to say that you are all -going to the outing?” - -The other carriers laughed. “I reckon there’s mighty few of us that’ll -be there,” said one. “I gave my ticket to a feller that keeps a -delicatessen shop on my route, this morning. It wasn’t any use to me.” - -“Then why on earth did you buy it?” demanded Sheridan indignantly. - -“For the reason that Pop has just given you--because I want to stand in -right with Coggswell,” was the candid reply. “That’s why we all buy ’em -each year. It’s Coggswell’s little graft. He knows that we haven’t any -use for the tickets, but it’s his pleasant little way of collecting five -dollars a year from each of us. Considerin’ the pull he’s got at -headquarters, we think it’s a mighty good investment.” - -“I think it’s a dirty piece of blackmail,” declared Sheridan, his eyes -flashing. “Before I’d submit to it, I’d----” - -“Don’t be rash, son,” broke in Pop Andrews. “That kind of talk sounds -good behind the footlights at a theater, but, take it from me, it won’t -carry you very far in the service. You’re young and ambitious, you want -to get ’way up in the department; take my advice, and win the friendship -of the man whose pull can put you there. You might begin by joining his -organization. That’s what a good many of the fellows in this branch are -doing. They’re wise enough to see the advantage of being a member of the -Samuel J. Coggswell Association.” - -“But I’m on the other side of the fence,” protested Sheridan. “My -politics----” - -“I don’t care what your politics are,” interrupted the grizzled carrier, -with a sly wink. “When Election Day comes you can vote whatever way you -want. We all do that. Coggswell has no way of telling in which column -you put the cross. But in between elections, belong to the organization -and whoop it up for Coggswell all you can. In that way you’re sure to -bring yourself to the boss’ attention.” - -“I guess I’ve brought myself to his attention already,” said Sheridan, -with a whimsical smile. “You see, Pop, in addition to refusing to buy a -ticket, I sent him a message, telling him just what I think of him and -his blackmailing methods.” - -“Phew!” exclaimed several of the carriers, looking at their comrade -commiseratingly. Owen Sheridan was very popular with the employees of -Branch X Y, and they would have been sorry to see him come to grief. - -“What sort of a man was this fellow you were up against?” inquired Pop -Andrews gravely. - -“A chap about my own age, I should judge; rather stout, with a red, -beefy face, and dressed to kill,” replied Owen. “He had a diamond in his -necktie so big that it almost blinded me, and he was smoking a big black -cigar that I guess only a politician could afford to buy.” - -“That was Jake Hines,” declared one of the men. “He’s Coggswell’s -right-hand man.” - -“Jake’s not a bad sort, if he’s handled right,” said Pop Andrews. “If I -were you, Owen, I’d go and see him this evening. You’ll find him at the -clubhouse. He hangs round there nearly every night.” - -“Go and see him? What for?” demanded Sheridan in astonishment. - -“To have a talk with him and straighten things out, of course. You don’t -want to lose any time rectifying the blunder you’ve made. Tell Jake that -you’ve been thinking things over, and you’ve decided that you’d like one -of those tickets, after all. If you can afford it, it would be a good -scheme to take two, to help smooth things over, you know.” - -Owen Sheridan laughed heartily at this suggestion. “Say, if I could get -the job of postmaster general to-morrow merely by buying one of those -tickets, I wouldn’t buy one!” he declared resolutely. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -SUMMONED BY THE BOSS. - - -Owen Sheridan’s comrades had not been guilty of exaggeration in warning -the young man of the danger he ran in antagonizing Boss Coggswell. Great -reforms have been effected in the United States postal service since the -time when Sheridan entered the department, and politicians of Samuel J. -Coggswell’s ilk are no longer able to terrorize and corrupt the -employees by means of a “pull” at Washington. - -A certain famous post-office investigation resulted in the indictment of -many big and little postal officials, and the laying bare of a startling -system of fraud, corruption, and official misconduct; and made it, -happily, a thing of the past; but before that big house-cleaning -occurred, the power of the political boss was a thing to be feared by -every carrier and clerk in the department. - -Owen was not greatly disturbed by the warnings. Young, optimistic, -self-confident, he could scarcely bring himself to believe that the big -career he had mapped out for himself in the department could be checked -or affected merely by his refusal to buy a ticket to a political picnic. - -The idea appeared preposterous. He would succeed, he told himself -confidently, in spite of the antagonism of Samuel J. Coggswell and his -lieutenant, Jake Hines. He was painstaking, a hustler, and keen of mind; -these qualities, he felt sure, were bound to win his promotion in -time--even without any politician’s pull. - -“No, I’m not worrying much about Mr. Coggswell,” he said to himself, -with a smile, as he stood at his “case” in the post office, sorting the -mail for his delivery route, the morning after his encounter with Jake -Hines. “But what is worrying me a lot more,” he went on, with a frown, -“is this confounded---- By Jove! Here’s another one of ’em now!” - -The cause of his emotion was an envelope which had just turned up in the -pile of mail he was sorting. For several minutes his long, nimble -fingers had been going through the heap of letters with such speed and -dexterity that it seemed impossible that he could be separating and -arranging them in rotation, according to the house numbers on his -delivery route. He seemed scarcely to glance at the addresses on the -envelopes; it appeared to be a purely mechanical operation. - -Although there was nothing about this particular white envelope to make -it conspicuous, Owen recognized it as soon as it turned up. With a look -of deep disgust on his face he withdrew it from the pile. - -“This is the fifth he has sent her in the past week,” he muttered. “I -wonder who the fellow is, and what he is to her. I wish I knew. - -“But, of course, I wouldn’t do anything like that,” he added hastily, -ashamed of the unspoken thought. “It is mighty tough, though, to have to -deliver your rival’s letters to the girl you love. To suspect that there -is a rival is bad enough; but to have to be the bearer of his confounded -letters is certainly rubbing it in.” - -Uncle Sam’s men in gray are supposed to be mere automatons when it comes -to delivering mail. One of the rules of the department is to the effect -that carriers must not indulge in any unnecessary conversation while -covering their routes; and, of course, they are not supposed to ask any -questions or betray any curiosity concerning the letters they carry. - -Owen Sheridan was well up on the rules and regulations, but he vowed, as -he stepped out of the office to cover his route, that he was going to -find out the significance of that letter before another hour had passed. - -For thirty minutes he went briskly from house to house, stuffing mail -into letter boxes, ringing each bell, blowing his whistle in every -vestibule he visited; then, having finished his row of flat houses and -private dwellings on the side street, he swung into the avenue and -stopped outside a store, on the window of which was the sign, in gilt -lettering: “Walter K. Sammis, Real Estate and Insurance.” - -For a second he stood on the sidewalk as though afraid to go in. Then he -drew a long breath and entered, a half dozen letters in his hand, among -them the envelope which was causing him so much concern. - -A young woman who sat at a typewriter behind the barrier which divided -the office in two, looked up from her machine, and greeted him with a -cordial smile. - -“Good morning,” she said. “You’re a little late to-day, aren’t you? I’ve -been waiting impatiently for you--I mean the mail, for the past ten -minutes.” - -She was a very pretty girl. Her hair was dark, her eyes were brown and -very large and bright, her cheeks bewitchingly pink. The young carrier -thrilled as he looked at her. - -“Yes, the mail is kind of late this morning, Miss Worthington,” he said -awkwardly. “I’ve got an unusually big delivery to-day.” He held out the -bunch of letters in his hand. “Here are five for the boss and one for -you.” - -He watched her face anxiously as she extended her hand for the mail. His -own grew dark as he saw her eyes light up at the sight of the -handwriting on the envelope addressed to her. - -“You--you seem to be getting an awful lot of mail from Chicago lately,” -he remarked gloomily. - -She nodded and smiled brightly. “Yes, I am very fortunate. This is the -fifth this week.” - -“And all from the same fellow!” he exclaimed, with a bitter laugh. - -“Why, how do you know that?” she demanded, looking at him quizzically -from under her long lashes. - -“Oh, don’t you suppose I can recognize the handwriting?” was his sullen -reply. - -“Really?” She laughed. “I didn’t think you letter carriers were so -smart. Considering the thousands of letters you must handle in the -course of a week, I should think it would be impossible for you to -remember the handwriting of each----” - -“I’d like to know who he is!” Owen broke in impulsively. - -“Why, really, Mr. Sheridan!” she exclaimed. “I think you are rather -impertinent. Unless I am greatly mistaken, the contents of the letters -you handle do not concern you at all. Your duty is to deliver mail, and -it ends there.” - -Her tone was one of great indignation, but there was a merry twinkle in -her eye. He was so dejected, however, that he did not notice the -twinkle. - -“The contents of that particular letter do concern me very much, Miss -Worthington,” he returned doggedly. “As a letter carrier, I admit I have -no right to ask you any questions; but as a man--well, I’ve got to know -what that fellow is to you. I’ve got to know what chance I stand against -him. I’ve been suffering the whole week--ever since the first of those -confounded letters made its appearance, and I can’t stand it any -longer.” - -Then, before he realized what he was doing, Owen Sheridan was blurting -out a proposal of marriage. The words came impulsively from his lips. -When he entered the real-estate office five minutes previously, he -hadn’t the slightest intention of taking such a decisive step. - -He was in love with the girl, to be sure, and for several weeks past had -been telling himself that some day he would ask her to be his wife. But -he had also told himself that the day was far off. He was not in a -position to think of marrying as yet. He had been in the postal service -for less than a year, and consequently was receiving only six hundred -dollars per year. - -To marry on six hundred a year--less than twelve dollars per -week--looked much too difficult. And out of this modest wage, too, he -had to buy his uniforms--complete outfits for both summer and winter -wear. He would have to work for at least five years more before he -attained the rank of fifth-grade carrier and a salary of eleven hundred -dollars, on which he could support a wife. - -For this reason he had hesitated to speak out before; but now jealousy, -aroused by those letters from Chicago, forced the words from his lips. - -The blood rushed to Dallas Worthington’s cheeks as she listened to him. -“You--you want me to marry you?” she gasped. “You can’t mean it. Why, -you scarcely know me at all!” - -“Scarcely know you?” he protested. “Haven’t I been seeing you every day -for the past six months?” - -“Yes; but only when you’ve come in here to bring the mail. You can’t -learn enough about a girl to make up your mind that----” - -“Well, it isn’t my fault that I haven’t seen you after office hours,” he -protested. “I’ve asked you often enough to let me take you out or call -at your boarding house, but you’ve always turned me down. - -“But, anyway,” he went on earnestly, “I know you well enough to feel -sure that you’re the only girl for me. Why, I’m so crazy about you, that -on deliveries when there hasn’t been any mail for this address, I’ve -delivered the wrong letters here on purpose, just so as to have an -excuse for dropping in and seeing you.” - -The girl laughed. “Oh! So that’s why this office is always getting other -people’s mail. I’ve often wondered how you could be so careless.” - -“Isn’t there any chance for me, Miss Worthington?” the young carrier -asked pleadingly, as he glanced at the clock on the wall of the -real-estate office, and suddenly realized that if he dallied there much -longer there would be complaints all along his route; for the bag -suspended from his shoulder was still half full of undelivered mail, and -people in New York City are very particular about getting their letters -on time. - -“I don’t ask you to marry me now,” he went on hastily. “I couldn’t do it -even if you were willing, for I’m not making enough money. The United -States government pays its postal employees poorly at the start. I guess -there isn’t another branch of the Federal civil service where a fellow -has to do so much for so little pay.” - -“Why don’t you get out and go into something else?” she asked. “I’ve -often wondered why a bright fellow like you should be satisfied with -such a small job.” - -“I want to be a post-office inspector,” he answered. “That’s the goal -which tempted me into entering the service. Those fellows earn good -money, and I’ve always had a liking for detective work. You can rest -assured that I don’t intend to remain a carrier very long. To be -promoted to the secret-service branch of the department is my ambition, -and I feel confident that I’ll be able to realize it.” - -“I feel sure you will,” the girl said softly, with a quick glance at his -earnest face. “And--and I’ll wait for you, Owen--until you’re in a -position to get married.” - -“You will?” he exclaimed joyously. “I didn’t expect such luck. Then, -those letters from Chicago----” - -“Were from my brother,” she answered, with a laugh. “He’s two years -younger than I, and he’s always getting into scrapes. He’s in another -one now, and he needs money; that’s why he’s been writing so frequently -the past week.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE WIGGLING EAR. - - -Owen finished his deliveries and returned to the post office with a much -lighter heart than when he had started out. - -“She’s promised to wait for me, and I’m the happiest man in the world,” -he said to himself with a smile. “And she won’t have to wait so very -long, either. I’m going after that post-office inspector job hammer and -tongs--and nothing can stop me from getting it.” - -“Are you Carrier Owen Sheridan?” inquired a voice, suddenly breaking in -upon his happy meditations. - -“Yes,” answered Owen to the young man who addressed him. - -“Well, you’re to come around to the club at nine-thirty this evening,” -went on the latter, in a peremptory manner. - -“The club! What club?” demanded Owen, staring hard at the speaker, whom -he had never seen before. - -“The district organization, of course,” replied the young man -impatiently. “You didn’t suppose I meant the Elks or the Knights of -Pythias, did you? You’re to come around to the headquarters of the -Samuel J. Coggswell Association at nine-thirty sharp. The boss wants to -see you.” - -Having delivered this laconic message, the young man hurried away, and -Owen stood on the threshold of the post-office entrance looking after -him in great astonishment. - -“Boss Coggswell wants to see me!” he muttered to himself. “I wonder what -on earth for.” - -Then a ray of enlightenment came to him, and he grinned broadly. “I -guess Jake Hines has reported to him what I said about those tickets, -and his majesty has sent for me to demand an explanation and an -apology.” - -A frown displaced the grin upon his countenance. “I’d like to see myself -going,” he muttered. “If Coggswell wants any explanation, he’ll have to -come to me; and, at that, I guess he won’t get a lot of satisfaction.” - -But, after a half hour’s reflection, he changed his mind and decided -that it might be just as well for him to heed the summons, insultingly -peremptory as its delivery had been. - -“If I don’t go he may think I’m afraid to face him,” he told himself; -“and, besides, I’m mighty anxious to hear what he has to say.” - -So, at nine-thirty that evening, Owen, being through with his day’s -work, proceeded to the headquarters of the Samuel J. Coggswell -Association, a four-story brownstone structure on a quiet residence -street. - -The quarters of the district organization were luxurious for a political -club. Handsome oil paintings in big gilt frames lined the walls of the -reception hall into which the letter carrier stepped. - -One painting, which hung on the wall opposite the entrance, so that a -visitor’s eye was bound to strike it as soon as he stepped through the -door, was the full-length portrait of a dark, rather stout gentleman, -who stood with his arms folded and his chin sunk upon his chest--a pose -made famous by the late Napoleon Bonaparte, and since copied by many -others. - -A brass plate attached to the massive gilt frame of this portrait in -oils bore the legend: “Honorable Samuel J. Coggswell.” By this token -Owen knew that he was gazing upon the likeness of the man whom he had -come to see. He had never before met or seen Boss Coggswell, and had no -idea what he looked like; so, while he waited to be announced, he -studied the picture with great interest. - -He was greatly astonished at what he saw. From what he had heard and -read of political bosses in general, he had formed the impression that -they were all rough, thick-necked, illiterate men of a rough type. - -He had imagined that Coggswell would be like this; but the face which -looked at him from the painting was one of refinement; the forehead was -broad and high, the features were regular, the mouth was curved in a -kind, almost benevolent, smile. Unless the artist had unduly flattered -him, Boss Coggswell looked very much like a gentleman, and a very -pleasant sort of gentleman at that. - -The young man who had gone to announce Owen’s arrival to the boss soon -returned and beckoned to the letter carrier to follow him. He led the -way through a billiard room, and among the men playing at the tables -Owen recognized Jake Hines, the man who had tried in vain to intimidate -him into buying a ticket to the club outing. - -Although the carrier was not now wearing his gray uniform, the -recognition was mutual. Owen could tell that by the scowl which came to -Hines’ face at the sight of him, and, as he passed the table at which -the politician was playing, he heard him mutter something under his -breath which sounded like “fresh young Aleck.” - -Up a flight of stairs which led to a door marked “Director’s -Office--Private.” Owen’s guide conducted him. - -In response to a knock on this door, a deep, pleasant voice cried, “Come -in!” and Owen found himself in a luxuriously furnished room, facing a -rotund, smiling, middle-aged man who sat at a mahogany roll-top desk. - -One glance at Boss Coggswell convinced the letter carrier that the oil -painting downstairs was an excellent portrait. The district leader -certainly appeared to be a very pleasant man. It seemed hard to believe -that he could be the kind of fellow who would persecute a humble -post-office employee for refusing to give up five dollars for a ticket -to a club outing. - -“Sit down, young man,” said Mr. Coggswell, motioning to a chair beside -his desk. “You are Carrier Sheridan, I believe, and you have route -number forty-eight?” - -“Yes,” answered Owen, inwardly wondering why the political leader should -have taken the trouble to familiarize himself with the number of his -delivery route. - -“I am informed,” went on Mr. Coggswell, with a gentle smile, “that you -refused to buy a ticket to the annual chowder and outing of our -association.” - -“Yes,” replied Owen, meeting his questioner’s gaze boldly. To himself he -thought: “He certainly isn’t losing any time in getting down to -business.” - -“And I am informed, also,” Boss Coggswell went on, still with the same -gentle smile, “that you expressed an opinion that my method of selling -tickets was closely akin to blackmail?” - -“I didn’t say exactly that,” returned Owen. “I don’t know what _your_ -method of selling tickets may be; but I did say that if you instructed -or sanctioned your followers to hold up government employees and -threaten them with all sorts of dire disaster if they refused to buy -those tickets, you were a blackmailer, and I had no use for you.” - -He looked Coggswell squarely in the eye. “And, moreover, I am still of -the same opinion,” he added quietly. - -For a few seconds the two men sat eyeing each other; then the political -boss suddenly leaned forward in his chair and placed his plump hand upon -Owen’s shoulder. - -“Young man,” he said, “I like you for that. You make a hit with me. A -fellow who is not afraid to speak out always has my admiration. I -despise a man who will submit to injustice and tyranny for fear of -losing his job, or the hope of getting a better one.” - -To say that Owen was astonished by this unlooked-for treatment would be -to put it mildly. He looked at the speaker incredulously. The suspicion -entered his head that, perhaps, Coggswell was merely playing with him as -a cat plays with a mouse--handing him these verbal bouquets first of all -in order to give the more force to the abuse and threats which were -about to follow. - -“Yes,” the boss went on, “as soon as I heard that there was a young man -at Branch X Y who had the courage to defy me, I made up my mind to send -for him. I wanted to see what you looked like. I wished to find out -whether you would have backbone enough to stand by what you had said to -Jake Hines, or whether you would cringe and back water as soon as I put -it up to you.” - -Owen, not knowing what answer to make to these amazing words, smiled -lightly and remained silent. - -After a slight pause Boss Coggswell went on: - -“I am pretty good at sizing up men, Mr. Sheridan, and I like your style. -I should be pleased to have you join my organization. We need young men -of your caliber in this district.” - -“Thank you,” replied Owen, “but I don’t care to go into politics. And, -besides, I am of the opposite party.” - -“I like you for saying that, too,” declared the district leader warmly. -“It is refreshing to meet a young man who is so loyal to his party that -he won’t desert it even to advance himself. I am sorry that we can’t -have you in our organization, Mr. Sheridan, but I am going to help you, -nevertheless; I have taken a great fancy to you, and I am going to see -that you get ahead. - -“Tell me a little about yourself,” he went on. “How long have you been -in the postal service?” - -“Nine months,” answered Owen. - -“And what is your ambition? Surely, a bright young chap like you doesn’t -intend to remain a carrier all his life?” - -“Not if I can help it,” replied Owen, with a smile. “I am looking for -the job of post-office inspector. That’s what caused me to enter the -service.” - -“Ah!” murmured Coggswell; “a post-office inspector, eh? You know a good -thing when you see it, don’t you? Got any pull?” - -“No, I haven’t. But I’m studying hard, and I think I shall soon be able -to take the examinations, and----” - -A loud laugh from Boss Coggswell interrupted him. “The examinations? -Pshaw! They won’t get you very far unless you’ve got a pretty strong -pull, besides.” - -He looked keenly at the young man, and lowered his voice a trifle as he -went on: - -“Now, as I presume you are aware, I have considerable influence at -Washington. I think I shall use that influence to get you what you want, -Mr. Sheridan.” - -Owen stared at him incredulously. “Are you joking with me?” he demanded. - -“Not at all. I am perfectly serious. As I said before, you have made a -big hit with me, and I want to help you. To get you the post you are -looking for will not be difficult. You may have to wait a little while, -for there are no vacancies at present, but I give you my word that as -soon as one occurs you shall be made an inspector.” - -He rose from his chair and held out his hand to Owen to indicate that -the interview was at an end. - -“Well, good-by. I am very glad to have met you,” he said heartily. -“Stick to your job as carrier for the present, and rest assured that it -won’t be very long before you will be in the department’s secret -service.” - -Feeling as if he were in a dream, Owen rose and walked toward the door; -but just as he was about to turn the handle, Coggswell’s voice halted -him. - -“Oh, by the way,” said the politician, in a careless tone, “there is one -little point that I had almost forgotten. I think you cover route number -forty-eight, do you not?” - -“Yes, that is my regular route.” - -Coggswell drew nearer to Owen and lowered his voice almost to a whisper. -“Well, Sheridan, suppose there was somebody residing on your route whose -mail I happened to be interested in? Suppose I had good reasons for -wishing to examine this man’s letters, without his knowledge, of course. -Suppose I asked you not to deliver anything to him until after it had -first passed through my hands, or the hands of a trusted agent? What -would you say to that, Sheridan?” - -“I would tell you to go to blazes!” replied Owen promptly. “I am not a -crook, Mr. Coggswell.” - -So here was the nigger in the woodpile, at last. This was the meaning of -all the soft words that had gone before, and the glittering promise -which the politician had made to him. - -“You are quite sure that you wouldn’t do me a little favor like that?” -the boss went on, looking searchingly into the young man’s face. - -“Quite,” answered Owen shortly. - -“Not even if your promotion to the job of post-office inspector depended -upon it? One good turn deserves another, you know.” - -“I would rather remain a carrier all my life than stoop to such dirty -work,” declared the carrier hotly. - -“Better think it over, Sheridan. Don’t be rash. It would be a pity for a -bright young fellow like you to have his career ruined for a little -thing like this. You understand, of course, that there wouldn’t be the -slightest danger of this man finding out that his mail had been tampered -with? He would receive every letter in perfect shape. You wouldn’t be -running any possible risk of discovery.” - -“That doesn’t make any difference,” retorted Owen. “Whether it’s safe to -do so or not, nobody is going to tamper with any mail that’s in my -charge.” - -“You really mean that? You’re not making any grandstand play, eh?” - -“I never meant anything more in my life, Mr. Coggswell.” - -For several seconds the two men stood staring fixedly into each other’s -eyes. Then, suddenly, Boss Coggswell once more placed his hand upon the -carrier’s shoulder. - -“It was only a joke, my boy. Or, rather, I should say, it was a little -test. I wanted to determine your strength of character, and I must say -that you have met the test remarkably well. I know now, for sure, that -you are honest, and not to be tempted. Good-by.” - -With a paternal pat on the shoulder the politician dismissed his -visitor. - -Owen was very thoughtful as he walked out of the clubhouse. He was not -by any means convinced that the sinister proposition which had been made -to him was nothing more than a harmless ruse to test his character. - -In spite of the politician’s reassuring words, he felt sure that -Coggswell had been very much in earnest about wanting him to hand over -the mail of somebody on his route--that was the real reason he had been -summoned to the clubhouse. - -Owen recalled something which he had once heard somebody say regarding -Samuel J. Coggswell--a very queer remark which had been made in his -presence one day by a man who knew the boss well: “When you are talking -with Sammy,” this man had said, “watch his ears carefully. If they begin -to wiggle, look out for a crooked deal. Most men can’t move their ears -without moving the rest of their heads besides, but Boss Coggswell can -wiggle either ear at will. And, whenever he’s up to to some low trick, -those ears of his always begin to move. He can keep the rest of his face -as straight as a poker player; he can smile on you as sweetly as if he -loved you like a brother, when all the time he hates you like poison; he -can keep his voice as smooth as velvet; but he can’t make his ears -behave when there’s anything crooked going on inside his head.” - -Owen recalled these words now, as he stepped out of the clubhouse. And -he recalled, too, that all the while Samuel J. Coggswell had been -talking to him about that scheme to tamper with the United States mail, -his ears had been moving up and down as if on springs. Therefore, Owen -felt sure that there was mischief brewing. - - -TO BE CONTINUED. - - -UNEXPECTED. - -He had been trying to impress upon the children in the school, in the -capacity of a temperance lecturer, that though it was right and proper -to relieve suffering and poverty, it was much better to find out the -cause of it all--drink, of course--and remove that; and so with -everything. - -“Now,” he said, “suppose your father some morning came downstairs, and, -on going to the cellar, found it flooded; what would he do first? Would -he begin bailing the water out?” - -“No, of course not.” - -“Now, what would be the first thing he’d do?” - -After a short silence, a shrill, piping voice cried out: - -“Why, he’d carry on awful!” - - - - -SUMMERTIME IN THE COUNTRY. - -By MAX ADELER. - - -We have moved into the country to stay for a few weeks with some of our -relations. They gave us such very warm and repeated invitations that we -concluded to make some sacrifice to go, to oblige them, and I had no -idea how much they appreciated our company until the end of the first -week, when they handed me a bill for fifty dollars for board for three -of us. - -Life in the country is very charming in summertime. We sleep in the -spare room in the garret, where the temperature gets up to one hundred -and four degrees. The roof has not been repaired since Columbus landed, -and consequently it is full of apertures. For any one who wants to study -astronomy while lying in bed, our garret offers phenomenal advantages; -but whenever it rains at night there is nothing to be done but to make a -raft out of the clothes horse and some bed slats, and float the family -until daylight. It is sometimes an exciting apartment. A few nights ago, -while hitting at a mosquito with a shuck pillow, I knocked a wasps’ nest -off of one of the rafters, and in the morning we had knobs as big as -hickory nuts all over our faces and legs. - -It is a good thing to live out here in the country, because the -early-morning air is so healthful. We get our morning air very early. -The family is routed out at four o’clock, so that the men may go to the -harvest field, and if we lie abed, there will be nothing to eat until -dinnertime. To be sure, that would not make any very great difference, -if we could live without food, for country diet is not as attractive as -I hoped it would be. - -We always have salt ham and fried potatoes for breakfast; then we have -boiled ham and potatoes for dinner, and cold potatoes and sliced ham for -supper. On Sundays we have two kinds of ham and stewed potatoes, and -potato pudding for dessert. When I asked for milk for the children, they -said they were using all the milk to fatten the calves. - -They apologized for not having butter because the hucksters who supplied -it hadn’t come. I threw out a hint about raspberries, but they said the -man at the store was expecting them every day from the city, and I would -have to wait. They get their potatoes from the city, too, and the ham -was cured in Cincinnati. - -The only vegetable that grows here is cabbage, but we are not allowed to -eat it, because they trade it off at the store for potatoes, and they -swap their chickens to the huckster for butter--that is, their young -chickens. We had for dinner one day a hen that cackled during the War of -1812. She ate like a piece of india-rubber boot. - -One of the finest things about living in the country is that you can -wander off to some shady spot and lie in luxurious ease upon the grass, -dreaming away the hours. And while you are dreaming away the hours, -straddle bugs will probably crawl up your pantaloons and bite you, and -caterpillars will insert themselves between your shirt collar and neck. -When you get home you find that you have caught a frightful cold from -lying on the damp grass, and while you are sneezing, you learn that one -of the children has fallen out of the haymow and run a pitchfork -through his calf, and that the other one has been pitched over the fence -by the Durham bull. - -Then, we like to sit out in the cool of the evening and enjoy the calm, -quiet solitude of the place. There is a canal at the end of the lawn, -and when we get enough of the quiet solitude, the _Mary Jane, of -Pencader_, will come along, and we will be entertained by the captain, -who swears violently at the boy because he does not stimulate the mules -to sufficient activity. As he wakes the echoes with his abnormal -profanity, we suddenly put the children to bed to protect them from -demoralization; and then, when the hind mule has kicked at the boy three -or four times, the boat passes upstream, and silence once more returns. - -We sit there until bedtime, beating off the mosquitoes with one hand and -scratching the bites with the other. And as soon as we get into our -garret with a candle the atmosphere is filled with bugs, which dance -around the room and beat against the walls until we go to sleep. - -It is a good thing to live in the country, because the children have -such a chance to obtain vigorous health. They begin the summer in the -country with prickly heat. Before that is cured they get cholera morbus -from eating green apples. - -Afterward they catch mumps from the children on the next farm, and at -intermediate periods they get bitten by the dog, they come near drowning -in the creek, they are sunstruck, they rub against poison vine in the -woods and swell up, they are tangled in the mower and lose fingers in -the feed cutter, they are run over by the ox cart and ground up in the -threshing machine. - -Then they cry all night in our garret, and eat so much at meals that the -owner of the house looks sour at them and growls out something about -raising the price of board; and they wear out clothes enough to run an -orphan asylum for a couple of years. - -One of the best things about the country is that it gives you a chance -to go a-fishing. We fish in the creek. After digging for a couple of -hours in search of worms, we go to the water and throw in. I get a bite -and pull up, and the line winds tightly around the limb of a tree. Then -I shin up the tree and undo it, and throw in again. After several more -ineffectual bites, I pull up an eel, and find that he has swallowed the -hook. - -Everybody knows how it is with an eel. You might as well try to hold a -streak of lightning. When he has covered your boots with slime, he bites -the line off and wriggles back into the water. When you have put on a -new hook, you get a bite, and jerk out a muddy snag, and then you catch -one small minnow and find that you have been sitting in a puddle of -water, waiting for him to nibble. - -As your bait is exhausted, you conclude to go home, where you can put -some ointment on your blistered hands and face, and pick the ticks out -of your skin and have sewed up the rents made in your trousers by the -blackberry bushes, and get ready for the mosquitoes in the evening. - -There are some very peculiar charms about rural life, and the farmer is -the noblest man on earth. But as for me, I believe I prefer existence in -an alley in the city to even temporary residence among the agricultural -population. - - - - -THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS. - - -Failed to Get Guinea Eggs. - -Last autumn Clinton B. Struble, of Penn Yan, N. Y., bought one hundred -guinea fowls of a dealer in North Carolina, with the intention of -raising guineas on his Esperanza estate for the Rochester market. The -flock has had the best of care and has been fed with every variety of -supposedly egg-producing concoctions known to Yates County poultrymen. -Notwithstanding this treatment, which has been kept up for over six -months, not one egg was received. - -Recently Mr. Struble took a poultry expert home with him in the hope -that he might find out what the trouble has been. The expert found the -flock in a splendidly healthy condition, but all male birds. - - -“Dead Man” High, Not Dry. - -“There is a dead man on the roof of City Hall,” was the telephone -message to Mayor Mitchel’s office, in New York City, the other -afternoon. Like alarms followed from tenants of skyscrapers around City -Hall Park. Peter Chieffo, the janitor, was sent aloft to investigate. - -The janitor found a man stretched out asleep on the sunny side of the -clock tower. There was an aroma of rum about him and a spirit of -rebellion in his heart. He protested volubly at being awakened. - -“’Snice’n’ warm up here,” he said; “lemme ’lone.” - -Chieffo helped him down, first by the ladder which leads from the attic -to the skylight on the roof, then down two flights of spiral stairs, and -lastly down the three remaining marble flights to City Hall Park. How he -got up there with the bundle he was carrying is a question which puzzles -the members of the board of estimate. The visitor was unable to explain -or even to give his name. - - -Sudden Finish of a “Bad Man’s” Reign. - -In the early spring of 1877 the then wild-and-woolly little mining city -of Joplin, Mo., began to hear rumors of a great find of shallow lead on -the banks of Creek, just across the State line in Kansas. Short is a -little stream that rises in the western part of Jasper County, Missouri, -and, after meandering around a few miles, empties into Spring River, in -the eastern part of Cherokee County, Kansas. - -The new discovery of lead was on this stream some nine miles from -Joplin. At that time zinc mining was still in its infancy. In fact, -there were thousands of tons of high-grade zinc ore, which, under the -name of “black jack,” had been thrown out from the lead with which it -mingled and lay in the old dumps of the region. But the new strike was -of lead only, and shallow lead was the one thing sought after by the -miners of those days. - -Then there followed a “stampede” worthy to be classed with those we have -read about as occurring in the gold fields. One year from that day there -was on that ground a thriving little city that claimed a population of -5,000 people. - -There flocked in every blackleg and professional “bad man” from a wide -section of country. Gambling of all grades flourished unchecked in the -broad light of day. Half the buildings were saloons, and a large share -of the other half were brothels. The crooked little trail along which -the buildings of the place were scattered was very appropriately dubbed -“Red-hot Street” by the miners, and it played fully up to its name for -many weeks. - -Naturally, such surroundings and conditions bred crime. There was -quarreling, fighting, and bloodshed. One or two men dropped out of -sight, but their disappearance caused hardly a ripple of inquiry. They -were mostly of that sort who “die with their boots on,” and no one -mourned their loss. Gradually the evil elements grew bolder, and under -the lead of the bolder spirits among them, took advantage of the general -disorder to rob and plunder at every opportunity. - -At the head of these plunderers was one of those characters of whom we -read in stories of wild Western life, and whose likeness we may still -see exploited upon the screen of the moving pictures. He was a typical -“bad man” of the Western mining country. A tall, finely formed fellow, -with a handsome, dare-devil face. He wore his hair well down onto his -shoulders, sported high-heeled, red-topped boots, “toted” a pair of big -revolvers, and when under the influence of liquor, which was practically -all the time, he was a dangerous man. The respectable element feared him -and the coterie which followed his lead. But there was no organized -authority to appeal to for protection, and nothing was done, while the -gang went on their way unchecked and grew in insolence and outrage day -by day. - -This wild leader of a wild band called himself “Tiger Bill” and boasted -loudly of the men he had killed in other places and as to the valiant -things he proposed to do on Short Creek. But the men of the place were -mostly too busy to pay any attention to the vaporings of Tiger Bill, and -as time went on he waxed more truculent and boastful than ever. - -But he was destined to meet disaster at the moment when his prestige was -greatest, and from a source the very last that either the desperado -himself or any one else would have thought capable of resistance to his -will. Among the dozen or so plank sheds along Red-hot Street, that had -up the name of “Restaurant,” was a rough box of a place presided over by -a little German. - -He was a meek-looking, pink-and-white little man, with weak eyes -sheltered behind a pair of large spectacles. He was an industrious -fellow, who attended strictly to his business, and whose only name, so -far as we knew, was Gus. - -One morning Tiger Bill rose in an unusually ferocious frame of mind. The -luck had been against him at cards the night before, and his morning -potations had not sufficed to soothe his ruffled spirits. Walking along -Red-hot Street, he spied little Gus hard at work in his shed. The sight -seemed to fire Bill’s soul with a desire to exploit his fame in the -place. He felt assured that the inoffensive little German was a -tenderfoot ready to his hand, on whom he could demonstrate his valor -and satisfy his desire for blood and fame in perfect safety to himself. - -“It’s a long time,” he remarked to the henchman at his side; “it’s a -long time since I had a man for breakfast. Watch me get the little -Dutchman.” - -So saying, he strode into the place, with his revolver held -ostentatiously in his right hand. Walking up to the rough board counter, -he said: - -“Here, you little, sore-eyed cuss, give me half a dozen raw oysters. Do -it pretty quick, too, if you know what is good for yourself.” - -Gus hastened to fill the order. Not a sign did he show of fear, but some -remarked later that he served the oysters with his left hand. - -“Here,” shouted Bill. “What do you mean sticking such oysters as them -under my nose?” - -And at the word he dashed the contents of the dish full in the face of -the German. As he did so, he threw up his hand holding the revolver. -Beyond question he meant to kill Gus. - -But Tiger Bill never fired that shot. Quicker than even his trained and -murderous hand, quick as a flash, indeed, the little German’s hand came -up, and it held a big, old-fashioned Colt revolver, and in an instant -the desperado was as dead as he could reasonably expect to be, with a -bullet hole drilled neatly through his head. - -A great crowd instantly rushed in. Bill lay dead upon the floor, his -right hand still holding the revolver; behind the counter stood Gus, -quietly wiping off the mess of oysters from his face and the counter. - -“Good Lord, Gus, what have you done?” shouted one. - -“Mine Gott,” replied Gus. “Vat must I do? He vas schlapped me mit der -oysters of der face already, und he vas his gun have ready to shoot. -Next time maybe he takes a tenderfoot, maybe! Eh?” - -There was nothing further to be said. Gus had stated the question -perfectly. So they picked up what was left of Tiger Bill, and, clad as -he was, and “with his boots on,” they thrust him into a hole in the -woods. Then the decent element, always in a large majority, rallied, and -elected men to serve as a committee to control the town until such time -as a regular government could be established. - -One of the first duties that committee discharged was to send forth -notice that if any of the Tiger Bill crowd or their sympathizers were -caught in Short Creek that night there would be one of the largest and -liveliest hangings in history. That notice was enough; without Tiger -Bill, the courage of the bunch was wholly a minus quantity, and they -stayed not upon the order of their going, but went. - - -Silent Workers of the “Black Cabinet.” - -“Headwork and legwork are more important than green goggles and false -whiskers” for the modern sleuth, according to William J. Flynn, chief of -the United States Secret Service, better known as Uncle Sam’s “Black -Cabinet.” - -As a rule, disguises are not used by those in the service. If the matter -in hand, for instance, requires the collection of information from -workmen, a man is chosen who looks the part without a disguise. He -simply wears such clothes as workmen wear and affects the manners and -speech of the men with whom he mingles. On the other hand, if the work -requires contact with people in a better-dressed walk of life, or with -foreigners or negroes, an operative of the same class is chosen. - -The United States Secret Service is under the direct supervision of the -secretary of the treasury. The only thing that can land a man in its -employ is passing the preliminary examination, submitting to a personal -interview with Chief Flynn, and showing one’s nerve and ability during a -month of testing out in the real business of detective work for Uncle -Sam. If a man makes good after this preliminary test, he goes on the -roll permanently. - -The men are gathered from greatly different sources. There are college -graduates, mostly sons of criminal lawyers; musicians, stenographers, -linguists, bank clerks, identification experts, telegraph operators, -commissioned and noncommissioned officers of the army or navy, newspaper -men, a couple of sheriffs, one or two wardens, and an ex-mayor. - -Some of the best work of secret-service operatives in recent years has -been accomplished by men formerly in the claims department of a railroad -or life-insurance companies. - -The secret-service headquarters in Washington occupies a very -unpretentious suite of offices on the first floor of the treasury -department. Here are the private offices of Chief Flynn, whose salary is -$4,000 a year, and the assistant chief, William Moran, regarded as the -greatest expert in the detection of counterfeits and counterfeiters. - -There is a clerical division employing not more than a dozen persons; an -identification bureau, where are kept on file the records of all known -counterfeiters and other undesirable citizens, and a large storeroom, -where confiscated counterfeiting outfits seized in raids are allowed to -accumulate pending their destruction according to law. There is a saying -in the service that “once a counterfeiter always a counterfeiter.” - -The secret service was created primarily to catch counterfeiters and -protect the person of the president. In 1861 there was carried in one of -the appropriation acts $10,000 for suppressing the counterfeiting of -coin. Annually thereafter provision was made for the same purpose, and -embracing the counterfeiting of paper currency. - -The United States is divided into secret-service districts, each -district having headquarters conveniently located in charge of a skilled -operative, who has under his direction from time to time as many -assistants as the criminal activities in his locality demand. - -Perhaps the most picturesque work of the secret service is performed by -its “flying squadron”--the free-lance field workers, who may be sent to -any place at any time. Most of these men are not much above thirty years -of age; the average age of all secret-service men is under thirty-five. -They are alert, energetic, resourceful, and capable of assuming almost -any part of a sleuth demanded. - -A new recruit in the service starts in as an assistant operative at -three dollars a day--if he proves worthy, he is promoted to the rank of -operative at five dollars a day. As an operative his pay may increase to -seven dollars a day, but before he can obtain the top-notch salary, he -must have made good and have acquired a considerable fund of practical -experience valuable to the service. - -One of the most mysterious phases of the secret-service work concerns -the maintenance of communication between the central office in -Washington and its field operatives. A message, even in cipher is never -dispatched openly to his chief, but to some private individual, -previously agreed upon, who in turn places the message in the hands of -Chief Flynn. - -Secret-service men are at work all the time. When there is no particular -case on hand, they are getting a line on the habits, haunts, and byways -of certain people who seem to be living without apparent effort. The -shadowed party does not suspect it, and he may never know. - -Some years ago there was a notorious counterfeiter named Emanuel Ninger, -who for seventeen years kept the secret-service men of the whole country -chasing him. When they finally landed him, they had enough evidence -against him to convict him on a dozen counts. - -Ninger was a manufacturer of hand-painted paper money. Being a skillful -artist, he was able to paint on white paper an all-but-perfect -reproduction of a ten or twenty-dollar bill. But the wet finger of a -bartender coming in contact with one of Ninger’s hand-painted bills -caused the color to “run.” Ninger had passed this particular bill -himself, and through it he was traced, arrested, and convicted. - -At the time of his arrest the Washington bureau had on hand a large -collection of “Ninger notes,” but Ninger, until apprehended, had been -unknown to the secret service, and the notes were credited to “Jim the -Penman.” - -An Indiana preacher, William K. Wade, turned counterfeiter, but confined -himself to twenty-five-cent pieces. The secret-service men were never -able to discover the location of his factory nor find his apparatus, but -the evidence against him was conclusive, and he was convicted. He served -his term in the penitentiary. - -During the fiscal year ended June 30th last, there were 368 arrests by -the secret service, with seizure of $44,412 of counterfeit and altered -notes, $22,319 of counterfeit coins, 154 plates, four dies, and 162 -molds. - - -This Goose Lays Big Eggs. - -George Motter, of Nova, Ohio, reports that he has a remarkable goose. -This goose doesn’t lay golden eggs, but it does lay eggs which are five -inches long, two and seven-eighths inches in diameter, and which weigh -three-quarters of a pound each. And Mr. Motter’s goose continues to lay -in spite of the fact that she has passed her thirteenth birthday. - - -“Rings in Noses and Bells on Their Toes.” - -Fashions of men and women frequently jump from one extreme to another, -but, according to a general all-around prophet, America is soon to -witness a series of transformations that will make plain, old-fashioned -people simply gasp with amazement. Society maids are to wear rings in -their noses and bells on their toes; the fair sex will become entirely -bald, and perhaps have cute little landscape scenes done in oil here and -there on their shining pates; men may adopt skirts, wear bracelets and -earrings, and possibly carry fans instead of canes, the walking sticks -being permissible to women alone. - -This old world is fast approaching its great upheaval stage, this -wonderful prognostigator tells us. The great war of nations shows -it--the Scriptures show it, he declares. We have been in preparation for -this upheaval for nearly eighty years. He gets this from Peter’s saying -that an hour of God’s time is a thousand years. An hour of our time -would be eighty-three and one-third years of the Lord’s. This is our -eleventh hour of dispensation. It began in 1829 or thereabouts. He also -figures it out that the European war will end one year, one month, one -day, and one hour from the date of its inception--that--that--oh, well, -that lots of things are about to happen, including the customary rise in -beef prices. - -James Henry Tate is fifty years old, is a pleasant little man, with a -great deal of personality and knowledge of events, past, present, -and--possibly--the future. Born in America of wealthy parents, educated -in the East, and possessing the “gift of tongues” and the power of -healing, he went to Denver five years ago after a revelation that Denver -is to be the central city of the great upheaval, religious and -otherwise. - -“Present-day fashions are bearing out the Scriptures. In a very few -years women will be wearing bells on their shoes,” he predicts. “Skirts -will become tighter, and women will become old at early ages. Then women -will wear rings in their noses and will become bald, totally bald. For -the Scriptures read in the third chapter of Isaiah, 16th, 17th, and 18th -verses: - -“‘Moreover, the Lord said because the daughters of Zion are haughty and -walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as -they go and making a tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will -smite with a scab the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion.’ - -“I was called by the spirit when I was but seven years old. I have -received many calls since. I have the power of healing by the laying on -of hands. I carry a bottle of olive oil with me with which I anoint any -one who wishes to be healed, after the devils are cast out of the body. -I have a good constitution and have never had a doctor. - -“My father is eighty-five years old, has served as a State senator in -Wisconsin, and he is rugged and strong. I eat no pork or fish that do -not have scales. I bar catfish, for catfish are scavengers and unclean. -I eat coarse bread and drink pure water. - -“Latter-day churches are ignorant in their evils, and that is what is -causing so much backsliding. I have telegraphed President Wilson and -Secretary of State Bryan many times, and they have always followed my -advice, especially in the maintaining of strict neutrality. I have -received personal notes from our president, thanking me for my advice -and prayers.” - - -Interesting New Inventions. - -J. B. Deidrich, of Streator, Ill., has invented a bread slicer which he -believes will be especially valuable for restaurants and boarding -houses. The knife is not much different from the ordinary bread knife, -but it is suspended from a frame which causes it to come down in the -same place each time it is swung for a cut. There is also a gauge which -insures every slice being of the same thickness. With its use there is -no danger of bread more than an eighth of an inch thick getting by the -censor. - -Two Wisconsin inventors have patented a kerosene lamp that is -automatically extinguished if upset or even lifted from a support. - -A screen has been patented that is raised and lowered with a window so -as not to interfere with the light when the window is shut. - -The latest aëroplane invention is the use of a recording phonograph by -which the operator may make notes of his observations. - -A conveyer belt has been recently made for an Ohio stone quarry which -cost $6,000, weighs 12,000 pounds, is 839 feet long, and 26 inches in -width--one of the largest ever made, if not the record breaker itself. - -For carrying baskets that lack handles of their own, a folding wire -handle has been invented. - -A cane that can be taken apart and converted into a stool is a French -invention. - - -Odd Texas Chicken Prodigy. - -A four-legged chicken is the latest poultry prodigy to appear in Sulphur -Springs, Texas. Mrs. Neal Stribbling found this odd chicken in a brood -of twelve Rhode Island Reds. The baby chicken has two legs on its back, -directly above its two lower legs. It seems to be able to get about -quite as easily as the others of the hatch. - -While sitting down it looks as if it were lying on its back, especially -when it stretches its upper legs, but generally they lie flat. When -walking the upper legs keep in motion, as if they helped the little -chick to get over the ground. It is now five days old, seems healthy, -and there is every indication that it will live. - -Mrs. Stribbling thinks that possibly, later on, the chicken will be able -to flop over and use its upper legs for walking. Should this prove true, -she will try to sell it to a circus. - - -Egg in Contribution Plate. - -When Reverend J. George Betzle, pastor of the First Baptist Church, in -Fremont, Neb., entered the church on a mission, he was surprised to see -a hen flutter out from under the pulpit. In his chase after the startled -biddy Mr. Betzle found an egg in the collection plate. The hen entered -the church through an open window and evidently wanted to contribute her -mite to the cause by laying an egg. - - -Stayed in One Room Thirty-seven Years. - -After spending thirty-seven years in solitary confinement in a -dungeonlike room that knew no ray of sunshine, Monroe Eoff, sixty-eight -years old, Confederate veteran, died in Union, Ark. Thirty-seven years -ago he became blind, and immediately shut himself in his room, from -which he never left alive. His wife and daughter were the only persons -permitted to enter the room. - - -Gopher-trail Swindle Mulcts the Country. - -Following the discovery that Teodoro Rosas, a Mexican youth, of Phoenix, -Ariz., had been conducting a gopher farm and mulcting the county out of -fifty to one hundred dollars a month, the supervisors abolished the -bounty of five cents which they had long paid on each gopher tail. - -Farmers regard gophers as pests, and at their request the bounty was -made. Bounty claimants were required only to present the tails of -rodents, it being presumed that the animals the tails had belonged to -were killed. Young Rosas presented several hundred tails a month. - -One of the supervisors chanced to pass by the Rosas farm and saw that it -was honeycombed with gophers’ burrows. He saw a number of gophers -without tails, and questioned Fosas, who admitted that he had never -killed a gopher, but, after removing their tails, turned them loose for -breeding purposes. - - -Centipedes Moving North. - -The department of agriculture has made a study of the house centipede -which of late has spread from the Southern States to a number of -Northern States, and has issued a bulletin in which some of its -characteristics are set forth. It thrives in most places and devours -various house pests, such as moths, roaches, flies, probably even -bedbugs, and others. It does not injure household goods, woolens, et -cetera, as is commonly supposed. Its bite is somewhat poisonous, but it -seldom bites human beings except in self-defense. Prompt dressing with -ammonia is recommended as the best remedy for the bites. - - -Biggest Lemon Is in Jersey. - -Mrs. Henry H. Bull, of Sparta, N. J., is exhibiting a lemon said to be -the largest ever raised in a hothouse in this section of the country. -The lemon measures thirteen inches in circumference, is eight inches in -length, and weighs four pounds. It took one year from the time the tree -blossomed until the lemon was ripe. The trees is five years old. - - -Fat Girl Passenger Stops Railway Traffic. - -Traffic on the New York Central line was delayed twenty minutes when -Anna Chelton, Oil City’s fat girl, weighing more than 700 pounds, -departed to join a circus. - -Half a dozen men transported her in a specially made wheel chair to the -baggage car, and when a transfer was made at Andover, Pa., the car was -detached and shifted to the freight depot. Later the baggage car of the -second train was shifted to the depot, and the weighty damsel placed in -it. The train was held until the crew made the transfer. - - -Carnegie Medal Is Well Won by Boy. - -The stuff they mold heroes of cropped out at Dothan, Ala., one spring -morning. Now Henry T. Matthews, a youngster of that city, is wearing a -bronze medal presented by Andrew Carnegie for a remarkable deed of valor -committed with such modesty as would almost suggest indifference. -Newspapers throughout the State are now presenting the youth’s name as a -new representative of Alabama in the select few the Carnegie commission -chooses to call heroes. It all came about something like this: - -Little Benjamin Grant, son of B. J. Grant, Dothan banker, and several -other playmates, whose ages averaged about the three-year mark, had -slipped from their nurses who chatted in the sunshine and were enjoying -the fine spring morning away up under the Grant residence, digging -trenches, making frog houses, tunnels, and such things and getting their -fresh linen just as dirty as they shouldn’t. Suddenly Benjamin -disappeared, right before the eyes of his mystified young friends. It -was as if the earth had swallowed him up. - -The fair-haired tot had slipped into a deserted bored well, hid up under -the house for so long that no one ever remembered when it had been dug, -when it had been used, or when it had been deserted and covered up by -the building. Moreover, no one happened to know how deep it was, as was -later learned, and with these thoughts rushing through her frightened -brain the nurse girl in charge of little Ben prepared to inform the -child’s mother that her son was somewhere below earth, in a darkened, -unknown hole. - -The alarm spread with a swiftness hardly believable. Within a few -minutes every woman in the neighborhood and every man who might be -located sitting about home during the busy part of the morning had -rushed to the scene. - -The hole into which the boy had fallen was not large enough to carry -light more than a few feet; no man in a thousand could squeeze his -shoulders into the opening. To be exact, it measured thirteen inches in -diameter, as a later measurement showed. - -Several men gazed into the blackness of the hole and gazed back again, -their faces pale, their eyes wide with a helplessness that brought on an -uncanny fright, even in the hearts of the strongest. - -Some suggested a rope, others thought of hooks, and some said dig a -tunnel. All soon agreed, however, that none of the plans of rescue could -be carried out, for a three-year-old boy would never be expected to grab -a rope to be pulled through yards and yards of a bored well; iron hooks -might tear the baby to pieces while rescuers knelt and heard his cries -in vain, and a tunnel to the distance where his cries indicated he had -fallen would certainly mean a fatal cave-in. - -Suggestions that some person be lowered had, of course, been advanced -long before, but had proven useless, for not one person in the great -crowd could enter the small opening. - -“Send out and get some boys,” shouted one of the directors of the work. -The schools and their numerous offerings of all sizes and ages of lads -came first into the minds of the volunteer hunters. Two automobiles -rushed to a school less than three blocks away. - -“We want the nerviest, bravest kids you’ve got in the building,” said a -member of the party to the superintendent. “Give us some small ones, who -are not afraid.” - -The boys arrived. One by one they crept under the house; one by one they -looked into the blackness of the hole, and one by one they drew back -again. Their eyes glared and they soon became members of the back row of -spectators. - -Then Henry Matthews came up. He rode into the edge of the crowd on his -bicycle, upon which he carried clothes for a tailor, to support his -widowed mother. - -“What’s the matter?” he inquired meekly. Some one broke the uncanny -quietness for a moment and told him. - -“Here’s another kid; try him,” whispered a man to the would-be rescuers -who had grown despondent. Henry walked forward. They told him what it -meant to go headfirst for perhaps twenty or thirty feet downward. - -“Let me down,” said the frail boy quietly. - -His feet were securely tied with a heavy rope. An electric light with an -extension cord was placed in his hand. The boy gazed slowly about the -peering faces and shoved his pale face into the blackness. Down he went, -inch by inch, and then foot by foot. The rope disappeared, behind him -for one yard, two yards, then three, four, five, and six yards. He was -still going down, and the light had disappeared in the blackness. The -rope must have gone forty feet, thought the men at the other end of the -line. Then: - -“Pull,” came the faint command from down in the ground. The men at the -other end smiled with eagerness as they carefully drew on the line. Then -they looked at each other in excited expectation, for the load on the -rope was heavier than when Harry descended. - -Ten feet of the rope had been pulled to the surface, when the men’s -faces changed. Their eyes again filled with fright. Quickly they drew on -the line, and soon Henry, his body covered with mud, sticks, and -rubbish, appeared alone. They gave him water, fanned him for a second, -and his pale face began to show faint color again. Then he spoke. - -“I pulled him about ten feet,” he panted, “but his hands--his -hands--were so slick--the mud came off and he dropped back. He was on -some sticks--sticks caught in the well--when I found him--I’m afraid he -fell back through them. If he did, we can’t get him.” - -Bennie’s mother fainted and was carried away. Other women, screamed and -rushed about blindly. Bennie’s voice was getting fainter. Old men -cried--men whose hearts had faced everything from the trials of the -Civil War to modern troubles. - -“Let me down again,” said the brave young rescuer, as he rubbed his -face, as if to awaken to his undertaking. - -Again his face disappeared, then his body, and then his feet. On and on -he went down. Thirty-five feet of the grass rope had disappeared when -the order to “pull” was heard far off. Anxiously, and with, less hope -than before, the men pulled. The line was heavier as they pulled, foot -after foot, above the surface. - -The crying of a baby was heard down in the ground. The larger boy’s feet -appeared at the top; then his body, and then his face. - -Then--little Bennie, clasped by each wrist by a pair of muddy hands, -appeared on earth again. - -The women screamed and cried for the hundredth time that morning. The -men, or rather, most of them, wept and then cheered. Now everybody -cheered, and hundreds of voices let everybody within a block know that -the romper-clad boy was in his mother’s arms. They also let those about -know that Henry had emerged from beneath the house with eyes, hair, -hands, and clothing covered with mud. They grabbed him; women kissed -him, and men crowded about the boy. - -“Haven’t got time to stop now,” said Henry. “Got to get back to the -shop.” And he hurriedly washed the dirt from his face. But they wouldn’t -let him go. They surged about the wondering lad and held him for a -while, or at least until the praising crowds could press fifty dollars -into his bread-earning little hands. Then he turned, jumped upon his -bicycle, and rode speedily away, to deliver the clothes for the tailor, -for the support of himself and his widowed mother. - - -Two Years on Their Honeymoon Walk. - -Journeys across the continent twice on foot within a period of two years -marked the unique honeymoon trip taken by Mr. and Mrs. John Broxman, of -near Harrisburg, Pa., who arrived in Baltimore, Md., a few days ago, -and who, for just two hours, were the guests of Mrs. C. C. Webber, wife -of the pastor of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Greene Street, near -Lombard. - -In the twenty-four months that they have been away the young married -couple have traversed the parched sands of the semitropical countries of -the South, the fertile valleys of the Middle West, and the rugged -mountain paths of the Far Western States. They are happy, and have -returned to their homes without reporting a mishap. - -In making their long journey on foot, Mr. and Mrs. Broxman have won both -fame and fortune, for not only were they cordially welcomed in all the -towns and cities through which they passed, but as the result of their -long hike they have been presented with a huge sum of money by a -brother-in-law of Mrs. Broxman in California, and henceforth they will -make their home on a farm which has been purchased by the bridegroom -near Harrisburg. - -Mr. and Mrs. Broxman strolled into Baltimore unnoticed, and sought -acquaintances whom they had known years ago. In their search for their -friends they drifted into the neighborhood of Greene and Lombard Streets -and dropped into the parsonage of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church in -order to get directions as to streets and house numbers. Mrs. Webber -happened to be at home, and invited the strangers in. She could not aid -them in their quest for the Baltimore friends, but she did entertain -them the greater part of the afternoon, and while enjoying the -hospitality of her home, the young people told of their unique honeymoon -trip. - -Mr. and Mrs. Broxman were married two years ago, and had planned to -spend their honeymoon quietly in the East. But Mrs. Broxman’s -brother-in-law in Santa Ana, Cal., told them that he would present them -with a substantial sum of money if they would take as their honeymoon -trip a “stroll” from Harrisburg to California and back again. They -decided to try and win the prize held out to them, so immediately after -the wedding ceremony was performed, they started on their long hike. - -From Baltimore the young couple went to Harrisburg. - - -Dogs Have Acquired the Art of Speech. - -In a previous issue we briefly described a dog named Woodrow Wilson that -was said to be able to utter sounds which distinctly resemble words. The -dog is a bull terrier and was named Woodrow Wilson because on the day of -President Wilson’s inauguration he wandered into the home of Miss Rose -Bonn, of Scottsdale, Pa., his present owner. - -He does such feats in “talking” that he is the wonder of the town. He -answers questions promptly and correctly. For instance, when he is asked -“Whom do you love?” he promptly replies, “My mamma.” - -Woodrow Wilson may be a remarkable dog, but there have been other -talking dogs brought to the attention of the public during the last -decade, says a writer who has made note of them. There was Cutey! Did -you ever hear of her? Well, her owner was positive she could speak, and -many of his friends were willing to corroborate his enthusiastic -statements. - -Cutey’s ability as a talking dog was brought to the attention of the -public in a peculiar way. A small boy was playing with a ball in East -Fourteenth Street, New York, one afternoon when a fox terrier strolled -along and stopped to watch the boy. Greatly to the boy’s astonishment -the dog suddenly said: “I want my rights.” - -It did not take long for the boy to spread the news about the talking -dog, and finally it reached the newspapers. A reporter was sent to see -the owner of the dog, Fred Jackson, of 241 East Fourteenth Street. -Although the reporter was skeptical when he entered Cutey’s home, he -emerged convinced that if the dog did not speak, she made a pretty good -attempt. - -It took Cutey’s owner three months to teach her how to say “I want my -rights.” He got the idea from observing the dog trying to repeat things -that were said to her. It was also asserted by neighbors that Cutey was -able to say “I will not” and “Good night, everybody.” - -A dog named Rolf attracted much attention in Berlin because of his power -to utter sounds which could be distinguished as words. This dog not only -could speak, but he could spell. In fact, he attracted so much attention -that Professor Claparede, of the department of experimental psychology -of the University of Geneva examined the dog and pronounced him a -wonder. - -The professor, in order to avoid collusion between the dog and his -mistress, brought a set of pictures along with him which the dog had -never seen. One of the pictures showed four mice nibbling at cheese. -Without any hesitation the dog spelled out words which convinced -Professor Claparede that Rolf knew what the picture was. - -Not long ago the police of Philadelphia made what they considered an -important capture in the form of a dog who was in league with a band of -thieves. While this animal did some petty thieving on his own account, -he was valuable to the thieves because of his ability to “talk” to them -whenever he saw policemen approaching. His “talk” consisted of short -barks, which the thieves understood perfectly. - -Although the police were suspicious of the owners of the dog, they could -never catch them in the act. Finally it dawned on them that the dog had -been trained to run up and down before places which were being robbed. -The police then decided to watch the dog, and, swooping down suddenly -one night on the four-footed “lookout,” they caught the thieves at work. - -There lived in Cranford, N. J., a dog which could not only “talk” but -read a newspaper as well. The dog, whose name was Throgs, was the -property of Miss Alice Lakey, of the New Jersey State Food Commission, -and had the regular job of going to the newspaper store every morning -for the family paper. He carried the coin wrapped up in a paper, gave it -to the news dealer, got his paper, and returned home with it in his -mouth. - -One morning the regular news dealer was not present at the stand, but -another person in the store slipped a paper into Throgs’ mouth. The dog -walked slowly out of the store to the other side of the street, where he -dropped the paper and then thoroughly scrutinized it. Convinced that it -was not the paper he was in the habit of getting, he sat down and waited -until the news dealer returned. Then he walked back to the store, got -his regular paper, and trotted home with it. - - - - -The Nick Carter Stories - -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS - - -When it comes to detective stories worth while, the =Nick Carter Stories= -contain the only ones that should be considered. They are not overdrawn -tales of bloodshed. They rather show the working of one of the finest -minds ever conceived by a writer. The name of Nick Carter is familiar -all over the world, for the stories of his adventures may be read in -twenty languages. No other stories have withstood the severe test of -time so well as those contained in the =Nick Carter Stories=. It proves -conclusively that they are the best. We give herewith a list of some of -the back numbers in print. You can have your news dealer order them, or -they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt -of the price in money or postage stamps. - -704--Written in Red. -707--Rogues of the Air. -709--The Bolt from the Blue. -710--The Stockbridge Affair. -711--A Secret from the Past. -712--Playing the Last Hand. -713--A Slick Article. -714--The Taxicab Riddle. -717--The Master Rogue’s Alibi. -719--The Dead Letter. -720--The Allerton Millions. -728--The Mummy’s Head. -729--The Statue Clue. -730--The Torn Card. -731--Under Desperation’s Spur. -732--The Connecting Link. -733--The Abduction Syndicate. -736--The Toils of a Siren. -738--A Plot Within a Plot. -739--The Dead Accomplice. -741--The Green Scarab. -746--The Secret Entrance. -747--The Cavern Mystery. -748--The Disappearing Fortune. -749--A Voice from the Past. -752--The Spider’s Web. -753--The Man With a Crutch. -754--The Rajah’s Regalia. -755--Saved from Death. -756--The Man Inside. -757--Out for Vengeance. -758--The Poisons of Exili. -759--The Antique Vial. -760--The House of Slumber. -761--A Double Identity. -762--“The Mocker’s” Stratagem. -763--The Man that Came Back. -764--The Tracks in the Snow. -765--The Babbington Case. -766--The Masters of Millions. -767--The Blue Stain. -768--The Lost Clew. -770--The Turn of a Card. -771--A Message in the Dust. -772--A Royal Flush. -774--The Great Buddha Beryl. -775--The Vanishing Heiress. -776--The Unfinished Letter. -777--A Difficult Trail. -782--A Woman’s Stratagem. -783--The Cliff Castle Affair. -784--A Prisoner of the Tomb. -785--A Resourceful Foe. -789--The Great Hotel Tragedies. -795--Zanoni, the Transfigured. -796--The Lure of Gold. -797--The Man With a Chest. -798--A Shadowed Life. -799--The Secret Agent. -800--A Plot for a Crown. -801--The Red Button. -802--Up Against It. -803--The Gold Certificate. -804--Jack Wise’s Hurry Call. -805--Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase. -807--Nick Carter’s Advertisement. -808--The Kregoff Necklace. -811--Nick Carter and the Nihilists. -812--Nick Carter and the Convict Gang. -813--Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor. -814--The Triangled Coin. -815--Ninety-nine--and One. -816--Coin Number 77. - - -NEW SERIES - -NICK CARTER STORIES - -1--The Man from Nowhere. -2--The Face at the Window. -3--A Fight for a Million. -4--Nick Carter’s Land Office. -5--Nick Carter and the Professor. -6--Nick Carter as a Mill Hand. -7--A Single Clew. -8--The Emerald Snake. -9--The Currie Outfit. -10--Nick Carter and the Kidnaped Heiress. -11--Nick Carter Strikes Oil. -12--Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure. -13--A Mystery of the Highway. -14--The Silent Passenger. -15--Jack Dreen’s Secret. -16--Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case. -17--Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves. -18--Nick Carter’s Auto Chase. -19--The Corrigan Inheritance. -20--The Keen Eye of Denton. -21--The Spider’s Parlor. -22--Nick Carter’s Quick Guess. -23--Nick Carter and the Murderess. -24--Nick Carter and the Pay Car. -25--The Stolen Antique. -26--The Crook League. -27--An English Cracksman. -28--Nick Carter’s Still Hunt. -29--Nick Carter’s Electric Shock. -30--Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess. -31--The Purple Spot. -32--The Stolen Groom. -33--The Inverted Cross. -34--Nick Carter and Keno McCall. -35--Nick Carter’s Death Trap. -36--Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle. -37--The Man Outside. -38--The Death Chamber. -39--The Wind and the Wire. -40--Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase. -41--Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend. -42--The Queen of the Seven. -43--Crossed Wires. -44--A Crimson Clew. -45--The Third Man. -46--The Sign of the Dagger. -47--The Devil Worshipers. -48--The Cross of Daggers. -49--At Risk of Life. -50--The Deeper Game. -51--The Code Message. -52--The Last of the Seven. -53--Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful. -54--The Secret Order of Associated Crooks. -55--The Golden Hair Clew. -56--Back From the Dead. -57--Through Dark Ways. -58--When Aces Were Trumps. -59--The Gambler’s Last Hand. -60--The Murder at Linden Fells. -61--A Game for Millions. -62--Under Cover. -63--The Last Call. -64--Mercedes Danton’s Double. -65--The Millionaire’s Nemesis. -66--A Princess of the Underworld. -67--The Crook’s Blind. -68--The Fatal Hour. -69--Blood Money. -70--A Queen of Her Kind. -71--Isabel Benton’s Trump Card. -72--A Princess of Hades. -73--A Prince of Plotters. -74--The Crook’s Double. -75--For Life and Honor. -76--A Compact With Dazaar. -77--In the Shadow of Dazaar. -78--The Crime of a Money King. -79--Birds of Prey. -80--The Unknown Dead. -81--The Severed Hand. -82--The Terrible Game of Millions. -83--A Dead Man’s Power. -84--The Secrets of an Old House. -85--The Wolf Within. -86--The Yellow Coupon. -87--In the Toils. -88--The Stolen Radium. -89--A Crime in Paradise. -90--Behind Prison Bars. -91--The Blind Man’s Daughter. -92--On the Brink of Ruin. -93--Letter of Fire. -94--The $100,000 Kiss. -95--Outlaws of the Militia. -96--The Opium-Runners. -97--In Record Time. -98--The Wag-Nuk Clew. -99--The Middle Link. -100--The Crystal Maze. -101--A New Serpent in Eden. -102--The Auburn Sensation. -103--A Dying Chance. -104--The Gargoni Girdle. -105--Twice in Jeopardy. -106--The Ghost Launch. -107--Up in the Air. -108--The Girl Prisoner. -109--The Red Plague. -110--The Arson Trust. -111--The King of the Firebugs. -112--“Lifter’s” of the Lofts. -113--French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves. -114--Death Plot. -115--Evil Formula. -116--Blue Button. -117--Deadly Parallel. -118--The Vivisectionists. -119--The Stolen Brain. -120--An Uncanny Revenge. -121--The Call of Death. -122--The Suicide. -123--Half a Million Ransom. -124--The Girl Kidnaper. -125--The Pirate Yacht. -126--The Crime of the White Hand. -127--Found in the Jungle. -128--Six Men in a Loop. -129--The Jewels of Wat Chang. -130--The Crime in the Tower. -131--The Fatal Message. -132--Broken Bars. -133--Won by Magic. -134--The Secret of Shangore. -135--Straight to the Goal. -136--The Man They Held Back. -137--The Seal of Gijon. -138--The Traitors of the Tropics. -139--The Pressing Peril. -140--The Melting-Pot. - Dated May 22d, 1915. -141--The Duplicate Night. - Dated May 29th. 1915. -142--The Edge of a Crime. - Dated June 5th, 1915. -143--The Sultan’s Pearls. - Dated June 12th, 1915. -144--The Clew of the White Collar. - - - =PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY.= If you want any back numbers of our - weeklies and cannot procure them from your news dealer, they can be - obtained direct from this office. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: On Death's Trail</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>Nick Carter Stories No 120 - 160 / Dec 26, 1914 - Oct 2, 1915</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Nick Carter</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Chickering Carter</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: March 13, 2022 [eBook #67617]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON DEATH'S TRAIL ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="c"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="500" alt="[The -image of the book's cover is unavailable.]" /></a> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span>  </p> - -<p class="c"><img src="images/nickcarter.png" alt="NICK CARTER STORIES" width="500" /></p> - -<p class="c"><i>Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post -Office, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>, <i>79-89 Seventh Ave., New York. Copyright, -1915, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>. <i>O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, Proprietors.</i></p> - -<div class="boxx"> -<p class="c">TERMS TO NICK CARTER STORIES MAIL SUBSCRIBERS.</p> - -<p class="c">(<i>Postage Free.</i>)</p> - -<p class="c"><b>Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.</b></p> - -<table cellpadding="0"> -<tr><td align="left">3 months</td><td class="rt">65c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">4 months</td><td class="rt">85c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">6 months</td><td class="rt">$1.25</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One year</td><td class="rt">2.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2 copies one year</td><td class="rt">4.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1 copy two years</td><td class="rt">4.00</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><b>How to Send Money</b>—By post-office or express money order, -registered letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own -risk if sent by currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary -letter.</p> - -<p><b>Receipts</b>—Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper -change of number on your label. If not correct you have not been -properly credited and should let us know at once.</p></div> - -<p class="c"> -<b>No. 147.</b> <span style="margin-left: 10%; -margin-right:10%;">NEW YORK, July 3, 1915.</span> <b>Price Five Cents.</b><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<h1>ON DEATH’S TRAIL;<br /><br /> -<small>Or, NICK CARTER’S STRANGEST CASE.</small></h1> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span></p> - -<p class="c">Edited by CHICKERING CARTER.</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>AN OPEN QUESTION.</small></h2> - -<p>The solitary ray of light that found its way into the dismal room seemed -to shrink from entering.</p> - -<p>Silence reigned supreme within.</p> - -<p>Outside, even the stillness of the night was hardly broken.</p> - -<p>It was a ray of moonlight, as feeble through the misty air as “the -glowworm’s ineffectual fire.”</p> - -<p>It found its way in, nevertheless, under one broken slat of a closed -blind, and then it seemed to hesitate, losing life and shrinking from -going farther.</p> - -<p>Was there a lost life within?</p> - -<p>The ray of light came farther and fell upon only one object in the room. -All else was gloom and silence.</p> - -<p>It stood near the partly open window and the closed blinds. It was as -motionless as a block of stone, as white as a figure of marble, as cold -as a form of clay.</p> - -<p>Its covering of white hid it entirely from view, had there been eyes to -see. It hung in flimsy folds on either side of the narrow, unpillowed -bed. Now and then a breath of the night air stirred it, but only as if -in mockery, and an observer would have shrunk and shuddered—lest its -motion had been imparted by what it covered.</p> - -<p>It was the only sign of life amid the gloom and silence.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the stillness was broken, but only faintly. It was as if a bell -tolled too soon the funeral knell. In some quarter remote from the -dismal room, a clock struck the hour—three slow, mellow strokes of the -bell.</p> - -<p>Three o’clock in the morning.</p> - -<p>Five hours afterward, when the November sun had risen into the heavens -and dispelled the night mists that had hung over the slow-winding -Potomac and the nation’s Capitol, a telephone communication sped from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span>the office of the Washington chief of police to a suite in the Willard, -in which three persons then were completing their toilets for breakfast.</p> - -<p>One was the celebrated New York detective, Nick Carter, and his two -companions were his two chief assistants, Chickering Carter and Patsy -Garvan.</p> - -<p>“I’ll answer it, chief,” said Patsy, who happened to be the nearest to -the room telephone.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” Nick nodded. “Who can want me at this hour? Harold Garland, -perhaps, or Senator Barclay, though I can’t imagine for what.”</p> - -<p>“It’s Captain Hadley, the chief of police,” said Patsy. “He wants to -talk with you.”</p> - -<p>Nick took the receiver and called:</p> - -<p>“Hello! What’s wanted, Hadley?”</p> - -<p>“That you, Nick?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“How soon can you leave to meet me?”</p> - -<p>“Immediately, Hadley, if necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Do so, then. Meet me as soon as possible, at Herman Fink’s undertaking -rooms. You know the place. It’s where that crook, Andy Margate, who -committed suicide when you cornered him last night, was laid out to -remain until this morning.”</p> - -<p>“I know, Hadley, of course,” Nick replied. “But what about him?”</p> - -<p>“His body is missing.”</p> - -<p>“Missing!” Nick echoed, amazed.</p> - -<p>“Yes. It was stolen in the night. Fink just telephoned me that he cannot -find——”</p> - -<p>“Enough said, Hadley,” Nick interrupted. “We’ll see what we can find. I -will join you there as soon as possible. I will leave at once.”</p> - -<p>“Great guns!” Chick exclaimed, after Nick had told him what had -occurred. “Margate’s body stolen! What’s the meaning of that? Are we up -against another job in which that miscreant figures?”</p> - -<p>“Gee! he’ll not cut much of a figure in any kind of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> job,” said Patsy. -“He was dead as a doornail when he was lugged into Fink’s back room. I -can swear to that, chief, for I saw him stripped, and saw Doctor Nolan -view the body. He’s the district coroner and ought to know his business. -Say, chief, you don’t think that that rat has put anything over on us, -do you?”</p> - -<p>The last came from Patsy when he noticed the serious expression that had -settled on Nick’s face.</p> - -<p>“I hardly think so, though the bare possibility of it occurred to me,” -Nick replied, hastening to finish his toilet.</p> - -<p>“Holy smoke! it don’t seem possible.”</p> - -<p>“Margate was a crafty dog,” Nick added. “He knew more than a wooden -Indian. No, I don’t think, of course, that he can have fooled us.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! that would be the last straw. I can’t believe it.”</p> - -<p>“The theft of his body, nevertheless, unless it can be traced and proved -to have been disposed of in some way is a serious matter.”</p> - -<p>“Why so, Nick?”</p> - -<p>“Because Margate was a dangerous crook. The disappearance of his remains -is a thousand times more serious, in view of all of the possibilities -involved, than would be that of an ordinary person. If Margate is still -alive, incredible though it seems, he again becomes a dangerous menace -to society.”</p> - -<p>“Very true,” Chick admitted. “But, great guns, it seems utterly -incredible. The undertaker, or surely the physician, would have detected -it. Besides, we saw him keel over, toes up, when he swallowed poison, -and——”</p> - -<p>“Stop a moment,” Nick interrupted. “We don’t positively know that it was -poison. I’m not dead sure of it, now, in view of what has occurred.”</p> - -<p>“You suspect that it was only a drug?”</p> - -<p>“That is possible.”</p> - -<p>“Something that instantly caused a condition resembling death, but from -which he revived later?”</p> - -<p>“Such tricks have been turned.”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>“There is nothing in speculation,” Nick again interposed. “We’ll defer -breakfast until we have looked into the matter. There may be evidence -that will definitely settle it.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s hope so.”</p> - -<p>“You had better both go with me,” Nick added. “If the body has, indeed, -been stolen, we must find a way to trace it and make absolutely sure -that there was no monkey business in the death of Andy Margate. I shall -not rest easy while any doubts exist concerning the fate of that -designing rascal.”</p> - -<p>It then was eight o’clock, precisely ten hours since Nick Carter and his -assistants had rounded up Margate and his three confederates for the -murder of Father Cleary, a Roman Catholic priest, and the abduction of -Lottie Trent, the girl employed in the war department who had confided -to the priest the details of a plot to blackmail Harold Garland, an -engineer in the same department, as well as the father of his fiancée, -Senator Barclay, both of whom had previously been seriously involved in -the theft of secret fortification plans by Margate and a gang of foreign -spies, all of whom had been run down by the three detectives.</p> - -<p>Cornered by Nick and his assistants the previous night, one of the -crooks had been fatally wounded, two of them arrested, and their -ringleader, Margate, had committed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span> suicide by swallowing poison from a -vial seized from his pocket.</p> - -<p>There had appeared to be no reasonable doubt of it. The district medical -examiner who viewed the body pronounced the man dead, and ordered the -removal of the corpse to the rooms of an undertaker until morning, it -then being too late to have it placed in the city morgue, pending the -necessary legal steps in such cases.</p> - -<p>Thus it occurred that the corpse of Andy Margate, or the supposed -corpse, if Nick Carter’s present misgivings were warranted, rested that -night in the back room of Herman Fink’s undertaking establishment, to -which Nick and his assistants repaired as quickly as possible after the -astounding telephone communication from Captain Hadley that morning.</p> - -<p>The chief had just arrived when Nick entered with Chick and Patsy. They -found him in the front office, talking with Herman Fink and Doctor -Nolan, the coroner who had viewed the body the previous night, and who -was solely responsible for the temporary disposal of it in charge of the -undertaker.</p> - -<p>The ruddy face of Herman Fink, who was a short, corpulent little German, -evinced not only his consternation over what had occurred, but also the -fact that he was utterly incapable of having connived in any way at the -theft of the notorious crook’s remains.</p> - -<p>“Ah, here is Carter, now,” Captain Hadley exclaimed, when the three -detectives entered. “Here’s a fine mess, Nick, for fair. I have known -live crooks to slip through the fingers of the police, but never a dead -one. This is the first case on record.”</p> - -<p>“We have no precedent, then, to serve us as a guide,” Nick replied, -smiling a bit grimly. “Is there any question, then, as to the theft of -the body?”</p> - -<p>Herman Fink threw up his pudgy hands and exclaimed, before Chief Hadley -could reply:</p> - -<p>“Mein Gott! Vot a question? Not der slightest, Mr. Carter, not der -slightest. How can there be any question, Der pody is gone, stolen from -my pack room, lugged out through der vindow. Come in and see for -yourself. Der plinds——”</p> - -<p>“One moment,” Nick interposed, detaining him. “I will presently make an -investigation. I understand, Doctor Nolan, that you were present when -Margate’s body was brought here last night.”</p> - -<p>The physician bowed, looking inexpressibly annoyed over what had -occurred and evidently feeling that he was in a measure responsible for -it.</p> - -<p>“I was here, Mr. Carter,” he replied. “I remained until after Fink and -his assistant had stripped the body and laid it out. It was nearly one -o’clock, mind you, which was the only reason why I deferred sending it -to the morgue until this morning. A thought of its being stolen did not -enter my mind. I would not have believed it possible.”</p> - -<p>“In view of what has occurred, can you believe it possible that the man -was not dead?” Nick asked, a bit dryly.</p> - -<p>“Not dead!” Doctor Nolan echoed, with a look of derision. “No, no, -certainly not. That is absurd, Mr. Carter. I know that he was dead.”</p> - -<p>“You feel absolutely sure of it, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly do, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Did you make any tests to verify your opinion?”</p> - -<p>“I did not,” Doctor Nolan declared, a bit brusquely.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span> “No test was -necessary. I can tell when a man is dead, Mr. Carter, without resorting -to tests.”</p> - -<p>“Mein gracious!” Fink exclaimed, starting with a sort of ludicrous -commiseration at the detective. “Vat an idea! Not tead—vy, vy, Mr. -Carter, dot is der vorst I ever heard. I know der man vas tead.”</p> - -<p>Nick did not resent these positive assertions of both the physician and -the undertaker. He knew much better than they, however, to what -consummate trickery knaves of Margate’s caliber sometimes resort, and he -was better informed than either of the ways and means that make it -possible.</p> - -<p>“I infer, Mr. Fink, that the body was not embalmed, or you would have -said so,” Nick replied.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, it was not,” Fink allowed.</p> - -<p>“At what time did you leave it laid out in your back room?”</p> - -<p>“It vas half past von when I vent up to ped.”</p> - -<p>“Do you reside over your business establishment?”</p> - -<p>“I do, Mr. Carter, mit my family and my assistant, Hans Grost. He came -down at half past seven this morning and found der pody vas stolen. -He——”</p> - -<p>“Who now has the vial, Chief Hadley, from which Margate took the -supposed poison?” Nick cut in, turning to the police chief.</p> - -<p>“Doctor Nolan has it, I believe.”</p> - -<p>“I have,” bowed the physician. “It is in a safe in my office.”</p> - -<p>“Does it still contain any of the liquid?”</p> - -<p>“A very little, Mr. Carter.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know of what it consists? Have you examined it?”</p> - -<p>“Not yet. I anticipated no such occasion as this.”</p> - -<p>“Hang on to it, doctor,” Nick directed. “A careful chemical analysis may -become necessary. Now, Mr. Fink, lead the way to your back room. I’ll -see what I make of this extraordinary robbery.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>A CURIOUS CLEW.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter lost no time in seeking evidence that would prove -conclusively that Margate’s body had really been stolen. He followed -Fink through an interior room in which numerous coffins and caskets were -displayed in casements of the walls, and adjoining which was the back -room in which the body had lain.</p> - -<p>It was about twelve feet square. Two windows overlooked a small back -yard, from which a narrow alley led out to a side street. The yard was -some six feet lower than the avenue on which the building fronted, and -below the back room was a basement used for a workroom and storage -purposes. A door led from the basement into the yard.</p> - -<p>The bare bier stood nearly in the middle of the room.</p> - -<p>The blinds of one of the windows was open, the others closed.</p> - -<p>A sheet with which the body had been covered was missing.</p> - -<p>The garments removed from the corpse the previous night hung on hooks in -one of the walls.</p> - -<p>Nick quickly took in these features of the scene, and he speedily -learned from Fink that both blinds had been closed the night before, -that one window was open a few inches, that a door leading to the -basement stairs<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span> was both locked and bolted, as was true of the lower -one leading into the yard. Neither of them appeared to have been opened -by the crooks.</p> - -<p>“Are these all of the garments removed from the body?” Nick inquired, -glancing at them.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, every piece,” Fink declared.</p> - -<p>“The remains were covered, you say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; with a sheet, but that is gone,” said the undertaker.</p> - -<p>“It certainly looks like a genuine case of body snatching,” Chick -remarked. “Assuming that your misgivings are warranted, Nick, and that -Margate tricked us with a drug and afterward revived, he surely would -have put on his clothing before departing. He would not have left here -unclad, or wrapped only in the missing sheet.”</p> - -<p>“Drug be hanged!” Doctor Nolan said derisively. “That’s nonsense. That -theory hasn’t feet to stand on.”</p> - -<p>“It does seem highly improbable,” added Chief Hadley, gravely shaking -his head. “I see no reasonable grounds for such a suspicion. It appears -dead open and shut that the corpse was stolen.”</p> - -<p>“We must, then, find positive evidence of it,” Nick replied. “The crooks -must have left their tracks. It won’t do to remain in any uncertainty -concerning the death of Margate. This matter must be positively -settled.”</p> - -<p>“Settled!” Doctor Nolan scornfully blurted. “It already is settled. -There’s no question about it.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter did not reply. He saw nothing to be gained by an argument in -support of his seemingly absurd suspicions.</p> - -<p>Taking a powerful lens from his pocket, Nick fell to inspecting the -floor, the sill of the open window, and the outside of the faded green -blinds.</p> - -<p>On the floor near the bier were particles of dry dirt, as if tracked in -on soiled shoes. The dust on the stone outside of the window had -recently been disturbed, while that on the slats of the blinds plainly -showed the marks of fingers, evidently thrust between them in order to -pull open the blinds.</p> - -<p>Glancing down into the unpaved yard, Nick then discovered two quite deep -holes in the damp ground, some three feet from the wall and directly -opposite the window. He called Chick’s attention to them, remarking -quietly:</p> - -<p>“There was a short ladder set up against this window.”</p> - -<p>“I see. Surely.”</p> - -<p>“The indications are, indeed, that Margate was really dead and that his -body was stolen. Either that, Chick, or he had confederates who removed -and afterward revived him.”</p> - -<p>“But how could they have learned that he was brought here?” Chick -questioned doubtfully. “It was nearly midnight when we rounded him up, -and he was brought directly here from the building in which we cornered -him. Who could have learned about it, and how, between half past one and -daylight, to say nothing of having framed up and pulled off such a job?”</p> - -<p>“That remains to be learned,” Nick replied. “Nor will that alone be -sufficient. His body must be traced and found. Go down with me to the -yard. We’ll have a look in the alley.”</p> - -<p>Fink led the way and unlocked the doors.</p> - -<p>“All of you except Chick remain in the basement,” Nick directed, when -the others followed him down the stairs. “If there are any footprints to -be found outside,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span> or evidence of any kind, I don’t want them -obliterated. They may prove to be of value.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” Doctor Nolan exclaimed. “I take it, Mr. Carter, that you are -coming to my way of thinking.”</p> - -<p>“There is evidence in support of your belief,” Nick frankly admitted, -disregarding the tinge of sarcasm with which the physician had spoken.</p> - -<p>“I thought you would find it.”</p> - -<p>“I may find something more, perhaps, before I end my work in this case.”</p> - -<p>Nick’s voice took on a more subtle ring when he replied, stepping out -into the yard with his chief assistant.</p> - -<p>There in the damp earth they found numerous hardly discernible -footprints, most of them near the two holes Nick had observed from the -window, or leading toward a gate opening into the alley. All of them -were so intermingled and partly effaced, however, that they were of -little value. After carefully inspecting them, nevertheless, Nick said -quietly:</p> - -<p>“Three men have been here. I think that was the number, judging from -these faint imprints. One of them held a short ladder while the others -entered that window. They brought out the body, whether dead or alive, -and got away with it.”</p> - -<p>“You still suspect trickery on Margate’s part?” questioned Chick.</p> - -<p>“I do,” said Nick. “I believe there is something more than a coincidence -in the theft of this man’s body so soon after his supposed suicide. We -must go deeper, however, before I can form a more definite opinion. -Let’s have a look in the alley.”</p> - -<p>Nick found the gate unbolted and called Chick’s attention to it.</p> - -<p>“They did not delay to fasten it,” he remarked. “Ah, here is something -of more significance! The body was taken away in a box.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, that’s as true as death and taxes,” Chick agreed, after -following Nick through the gate. “It also indicates, at least, that the -persons who stole the body supposed Margate to be dead.”</p> - -<p>“It does appear so.”</p> - -<p>The earth in the alley was more damp than in the yard, and was of a -grayish clay that readily retained an imprint.</p> - -<p>That which at once had caught Nick’s eye was that of a long box, such as -caskets are inclosed in for burial. It had been placed on the ground, -into which it had sunk just enough to leave a perfectly definite -impression of its outlines, presumably when a heavy body was placed in -it.</p> - -<p>Through the alley leading to the side street, moreover, were numerous -footprints; but these were so intermingled and partly obliterated, like -those in the yard, as to be of no great value.</p> - -<p>Crouching upon the ground, however, Nick made a discovery that would -have escaped the observation of most men. It was hardly perceptible, but -the keen eyes of the famous detective seldom missed anything out of the -ordinary.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, here’s a remarkable clew,” said he, suddenly looking up. “I -remember none like it.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Look closer.”</p> - -<p>Nick pointed to the rectangular surface contained within the plainly -discernible outlines of the box.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span></p> - -<p>“By gracious! there are some more faint marks on the damp clay,” said -Chick, bending nearer.</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” Nick nodded.</p> - -<p>“What do you make of them?”</p> - -<p>“That side of the box that came next to the ground was marked with the -ordinary ink and brush such as shippers use. There probably was an -address marked on the box.”</p> - -<p>“And transferred to the clay?”</p> - -<p>“Precisely. The damp clay moistened the ink and has retained parts of -some of the more heavily marked letters, chiefly the capital letters.”</p> - -<p>“I see.”</p> - -<p>“They are faint and much blurred, however, as well as reversed in -position; but—yes, I am right. Here are two at the end of an address -marked on the box.”</p> - -<p>“They look like two small letters, a ‘g’ and an ‘e,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> said Chick, -twisting so as to view them better.</p> - -<p>“That’s correct,” said Nick, using his lens. “They are the final letters -of the word college. Here is the loop of one ‘l’, also the larger curve -of the capital ‘C.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“By Jove, that’s very significant,” said Chick. “This may have been the -crime of medical students who wanted a body for dissection.”</p> - -<p>“I begin to think so.”</p> - -<p>“Can you determine any of the other letters?”</p> - -<p>“Only three capitals,” said Nick, still scrutinizing the blurred marks -with his lens. “There appears to be two quite long words preceding the -word ‘college’.”</p> - -<p>“That immediately preceding it begins with ‘M.’ It may be medical.” -Chick quickly suggested.</p> - -<p>“I am quite sure of that.”</p> - -<p>“What are the others?”</p> - -<p>“There seems to be two words preceding that, or one very long one,” said -Nick. “They are so blurred that I cannot read them. The first capital in -the address, however, is a ‘D.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“It evidently is the name of a medical college.”</p> - -<p>“I think so.”</p> - -<p>“The location is not legible?”</p> - -<p>“No. Only a capital ‘S,’ evidently that of the word ‘street.’ No -numerals are discernible.”</p> - -<p>“The box must originally have contained something that was shipped to a -local medical college,” said Chick. “With the initial to aid us, and the -fact that it is in one of the city streets, not an avenue, the directory -should enable us to identify it.”</p> - -<p>“We will see after going a step farther,” replied Nick, rising and -replacing his lens in his pocket. “I wish to inspect this side street.”</p> - -<p>He led the way while speaking, and paused on the curbing of the -sidewalk. The street was a narrow, unpaved one, flanked on both sides -with inferior stores with dwelling apartments above, a street that was -only dimly lighted after the early hours of the evening.</p> - -<p>The ground was somewhat muddy from recent rain, and near the curbing -were plainly discernible the tracks of a wagon and the footprints of the -horses attached to it.</p> - -<p>“A team stopped here last night,” said Nick, pointing. “There was a -fourth man in the gang.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you think so?”</p> - -<p>“Because here are four tracks of tires close to the curbing. There would -be only two, those of the front and rear wheels, if there had been only -one stop made.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“I am sure there were three men who took the body from the back room,” -Nick added. “No less could have accomplished it without being heard. -They would not have dared to leave their team standing here all the -while. The fourth man drove away and returned to get his confederates -and their burden. That’s why we find four tracks here, instead of only -two.”</p> - -<p>“Surely,” Chick agreed. “There’s no getting around it.”</p> - -<p>“The wagon had rubber tires, moreover, and—yes, by Jove, one of them -was patched, or mended. Here are the marks left in two places by a seam, -or where some new rubber was vulcanized to the old. This will help some, -I think.”</p> - -<p>“We can bank on that, Nick, all right.”</p> - -<p>“Say nothing about this to others,” Nick directed. “We will follow up -these clews and see to what they lead, Chick, before making any -disclosures.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good judgment.”</p> - -<p>“Come. We’ll return to the shop.”</p> - -<p>As they retraced their steps through the alley, Nick obliterated the -evidence found there, treading out the imprint of the box with his -boots.</p> - -<p>“Well, what have you learned?” Chief Hadley asked, when the two -detectives entered and rejoined the group in the basement. “You have -been gone long enough to have discovered something.”</p> - -<p>“Enough to further confirm Doctor Nolan’s opinion,” Nick replied, a bit -dryly. “The body was taken away by four men who came in a wagon.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” Doctor Nolan exclaimed. “I was reasonably sure of it.”</p> - -<p>“There is no other evidence worthy of mention,” Nick added. “It may be -well, chief, to have an officer inquire at the dwellings in the side -street. The crooks possibly were heard, or even seen, without the truth -being suspected.”</p> - -<p>“I will attend to it,” Hadley nodded, while they returned to the office -of the undertaker.</p> - -<p>“There is nothing more to be learned here,” said Nick. “I will look -deeper into the case, however, and will report to you later.”</p> - -<p>“Do so, Nick, by all means.”</p> - -<p>“Regarding that vial, Doctor Nolan. I want you to let Chick take it for -a few hours,” Nick added, turning to the physician. “I want an analysis -of its contents, or the nature of it to be positively determined. I will -be responsible for its safe return.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good enough for me, Carter,” Doctor Nolan readily assented.</p> - -<p>“Chick will call at your office for it later in the day.”</p> - -<p>“Very well.”</p> - -<p>Nick did not defer his departure to further discuss the matter. He left -Chief Hadley and the coroner to proceed as they saw fit, and Herman Fink -in quite abject consternation over the gruesome calamity that had -befallen him.</p> - -<p>“We now will hunt up a directory,” Nick remarked, walking up the street -with Chick and Patsy. “I decided not to consult the one in Fink’s -office.”</p> - -<p>“It would have led Hadley to suspect that we are wise to something,” -smiled Chick.</p> - -<p>“Surely.”</p> - -<p>“What have you picked up?” questioned Patsy, surprised.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span></p> - -<p>Chick informed him, ending just as they arrived at a corner drug store, -into which Nick led the way.</p> - -<p>A city directory supplied him with the information he was seeking.</p> - -<p>“Here we have it,” said he, while Chick and Patsy eagerly read the -address to which he pointed. “The Dabney Private Medical College.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove, there is no question about it,” Chick declared.</p> - -<p>“Private—that was the word that bothered me,” Nick added. “The first -two words looked like a single exceedingly long one. This certainly does -settle it. Come on. We’ll not wait for breakfast. We’ll find out what’s -doing in this Dabney Private Medical College. There shall be nothing too -private for us to butt into, Chick, take my word for that.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>THE EMPTY BOX.</small></h2> - -<p>Gifted with more than ordinary intuition, as well as a remarkably keen -perception resulting from years of trained experience, Nick Carter -already felt sure that the case engaging him had features that did not -yet appear on the surface, and that it might prove to be one of the -strangest cases on record.</p> - -<p>It still was comparatively early, only nine o’clock, when Nick arrived -with Chick and Patsy in the neighborhood of the Dabney Private Medical -College.</p> - -<p>From a policeman whom he met and whose beat was in that locality, Nick -learned that the institution was a small one, having usually only about -twenty students, and that it was conducted solely by one Doctor David -Dabney, a physician of good reputation, recognized ability, and a man of -considerable means.</p> - -<p>The last was manifest in the locality and appearance of the place -presently viewed from a near distance by the detectives. It occupied a -corner estate of considerable size, containing an attractive stone -residence and a near building of brick, to which an annex evidently had -been added, and beyond which were a stable and garage, the driveway to -which was entered from a side street. All were of a superior type, while -the well-kept grounds were adorned with numerous shade trees, the -branches of some of which mingled with those in the rear of a fine -estate forming on a fashionable avenue.</p> - -<p>The latter struck Nick as being somewhat familiar, but seeing only the -rear of the handsome wooden residence, which was almost hidden by the -intervening trees, and not having approached by the way of the avenue, -he did not then recall when he had previously seen it, or who dwelt -there.</p> - -<p>In view of what the policeman had told him, and which the appearance of -the Dabney place seemed to confirm, Nick quickly decided how he would -proceed.</p> - -<p>“If the physician is all that the officer stated, he would not -countenance the theft of a corpse, even that of a crook, and the job -must have been secretly done by some of his students, assuming that we -are in right,” said Nick, after sizing up the place.</p> - -<p>“That now seems reasonable,” Chick agreed.</p> - -<p>“Gee, we ought to be able to cinch it!” said Patsy. “The wagon and box -must be here, as well as the body, even though that may have been -concealed. We ought to be able to find them.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll find them, Patsy, if they are there,” Nick re<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span>plied. “I’ll enter -and have a talk with Dabney. You two saunter around to the side street -from which the driveway leads to the stable and garage. Keep your eyes -open and hold up any one who attempts to leave while I am getting in my -work. I think I can drive the game from cover.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” Chick nodded. “We’ll follow in a few moments.”</p> - -<p>Nick moved on, and presently entered a walk leading to the physician’s -residence. A man came out of a side door at the same moment and started -to cross the grounds toward the brick building mentioned. Upon seeing -Nick, however, he turned and approached him.</p> - -<p>He was a tall, spare man of about sixty, with smooth-shaved and rather -angular features, a prominent nose, deep-set eyes, and a high brow. He -was clad in a black suit with a long frock coat, which accentuated the -height of his somewhat attenuated figure. He bowed when the detective -drew nearer, saying, with an agreeable voice:</p> - -<p>“Good morning, sir.”</p> - -<p>Nick returned the greeting, then added:</p> - -<p>“I am looking for Doctor Dabney.”</p> - -<p>“You need look no farther,” smiled the physician. “I am Doctor Dabney. -What can I do for you? Will you walk into the house?”</p> - -<p>“I think not,” Nick replied, knowing that what he sought would not be -found in the house. “My name is Ryder. I have a nephew who wishes to -become a physician, and I am thinking of sending him here for tuition, -if agreeable to you.”</p> - -<p>Doctor Dabney brightened perceptibly.</p> - -<p>“It will be decidedly agreeable, Mr. Ryder,” he said, extending his hand -to shake that of the detective. “I am always glad to add to the list of -my students. How old is your nephew?”</p> - -<p>“He has just turned twenty.”</p> - -<p>“A very good age at which to begin a course of medical study. Do you -reside in Washington?”</p> - -<p>Nick replied that he did not, and he then proceeded to make a few -consistent inquiries as to terms and accommodations for students, and he -wound up with remarking:</p> - -<p>“If you can spare the time, Doctor Dabney, or will have some one conduct -me, I would like to inspect your college building and its various -departments. I infer that you have no objection.”</p> - -<p>“Quite the contrary,” Doctor Dabney said quickly. “I will be more than -pleased to show you around. I am to give a lecture in the dissecting -room in half an hour, but I shall have ample time to accompany you.”</p> - -<p>“The dissecting room—that is one place I would specially like to -visit,” said Nick, with manifest interest.</p> - -<p>“We can conveniently begin with that, for it is in the annex,” said -Doctor Dabney, pointing toward the rear of the brick building. “Come -with me. Some of my students are beginning to arrive, you see. They are -the ones whose homes are in or near the city. I at present have only -twenty students who are quartered in the college, though we have -accommodations for twice that number.”</p> - -<p>Nick had already observed that several young men were entering from the -side street, while others were gathered near a door leading into the -annex. He was quick to detect, moreover, that a group of three in front -of the garage and stable were betraying a much more serious interest in -him while he approached with the physician. They were talking earnestly -and viewing him with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span> furtive, apprehensive scrutiny which, with their -noticeable paleness, at once convinced him that they were the culprits -he was seeking.</p> - -<p>Nick evinced no special interest in them, however, but remarked to the -physician, following up the topic under discussion:</p> - -<p>“I suppose you find it difficult at times to obtain subjects for -dissection?”</p> - -<p>Doctor Dabney heard him without a change of countenance.</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, at times,” he admitted. “They can be obtained only through -the proper authorities and by paying a fixed price. That is to say, of -course, unless one resorts to felonious methods to get them,” he added, -smiling significantly. “But I would not sanction anything of that kind.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose not.”</p> - -<p>“No, not for a moment,” Doctor Dabney declared.</p> - -<p>Nick believed him. He saw plainly enough that the physician was not only -a man of character, but also that he had too much at stake to have -connived at such a crime as had been committed the previous night.</p> - -<p>They had been following a driveway passing the garage and stable. In the -latter a hostler was washing a covered wagon, and Nick glanced in and -noted that the wheels had rubber tires.</p> - -<p>A few more steps brought them to the annex of the brick building. A door -leading into a broad corridor with a cement floor was wide open.</p> - -<p>Instead of immediately entering, however, Doctor Dabney turned to -another door some twelve feet to the right, remarking, while he opened -it:</p> - -<p>“Speaking of subjects for dissection, Mr. Ryder, I will begin with -showing you where they are kept until wanted. The door in the rear leads -directly into the dissecting room, where I give many of my lectures.”</p> - -<p>Nick peered into the cold basement room which the physician disclosed. -It was lighted with only a single narrow window, high in one of the -walls. The door in the rear wall was closed.</p> - -<p>On a low stone shelf at one side a covered figure was lying, gruesome in -its suggestiveness, but the size of which at once convinced Nick that it -could not be the body of Andy Margate.</p> - -<p>Near the opposite wall, nevertheless, and equally convincing to the -detective, stood a long, narrow box, somewhat faded and defaced, which -Nick saw at a glance was about the size of the imprint found in the -alley back of Fink’s undertaking rooms.</p> - -<p>“It’s not a very agreeable sight, Mr. Ryder, but I thought you might -wish to omit nothing in connection with my establishment,” said Doctor -Dabney, in apologetic tones.</p> - -<p>“Quite right,” Nick replied. “Do you mind if I step in?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not,” said the physician, with a look of surprise.</p> - -<p>“Such things do not affect me seriously,” Nick added. “The room appears -well adapted to what is required of it. May I ask, Doctor Dabney, what -this box contains?”</p> - -<p>Nick touched it with his foot.</p> - -<p>“Nothing whatever. It is empty.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure of it?”</p> - -<p>“Sure of it—certainly,” exclaimed the physician. “It was put here only -temporarily. It contained the casement in which a skeleton was recently -shipped to me from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> New York. The skeleton has been removed and is now -in the dissecting room.”</p> - -<p>Nick turned and regarded him more sharply.</p> - -<p>“Would you be surprised, Doctor Dabney, if I were to tell you that the -box now contains a corpse?” he inquired.</p> - -<p>“Surprised would hardly express it,” Doctor Dabney replied, with a -shrug. “I would not call you a liar, of course, but I would say that you -never were more mistaken in your life.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, doctor, you’re the one who would be mistaken,” said Nick -pointedly.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! You don’t mean——”</p> - -<p>“I mean just what I say, Doctor Dabney. This box now contains a corpse.”</p> - -<p>“Absurd! How could——”</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment,” Nick again interrupted. “Let’s see whether I am right. -It is a matter that can be easily and quickly settled. See for yourself, -Doctor Dabney.”</p> - -<p>Nick had previously noticed that the screws had been removed from the -cover of the box, though it still remained in position. He bent over -while speaking and seized one side of it, then tipped it over on the -floor.</p> - -<p>No cry of amazement came from the physician.</p> - -<p>The detective was the one who drew back with surprise.</p> - -<p>Quite naturally, of course, Doctor Dabney now began to suspect some -ulterior motive for the detective’s conduct. He straightened up with a -frown, saying a bit brusquely:</p> - -<p>“This is no place for a jest, Mr. Ryder, as you should know without -being told. If you are not what you pretend, and have any reason for -thinking that this box contained a body, I beg to inform you——”</p> - -<p>“One moment, doctor, if you please,” Nick interposed. “I will presently -explain to your entire satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>Nick turned over the box while he was speaking. He found on the lower -side a blurred black address printed with a shipper’s marking brush. The -wood still was damp and soiled with grayish clay, moreover, which alone -would have convinced him that he had made no mistake.</p> - -<p>Nick did not immediately explain to the physician, however, who stood -watching him with a darker frown on his thin face. He saw that about a -dozen of the students had gathered in the driveway near by, all of them -men in the twenties, and among them the three whom he had seen talking -so earnestly near the stable.</p> - -<p>Nick stepped out and approached the group, apparently with no aggressive -intentions, until, turning abruptly to one of the three, he said -sternly:</p> - -<p>“Well, what have you done with it?”</p> - -<p>The man addressed was about twenty-five, and quite a powerful fellow, -set up like an athlete, with dark features and somewhat sinister eyes.</p> - -<p>“Done with what?” he demanded. “You appear to be addressing me.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” Nick nodded. “I am addressing you and your two -companions, and your faces alone warrant what I am saying. What have you -done with it?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean,” snapped the other. “If you think——”</p> - -<p>“Stop one moment,” Nick sternly interrupted. “I know, young man, which -is much more than to merely think. You three men, with a fourth to aid -you, stole a corpse last night from the back room of Herman Fink, the -under<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span>taker. You used the rubber-tired wagon in yonder stable. You -stopped in the side street, entered through an alley, and, with a short -ladder, you took the body through the undertaker’s back window. You put -it in that box, which you already had placed in the alley, and afterward -brought it here.”</p> - -<p>“I guess not,” cried the same man defiantly. “You’re talking through -your hat, Mr.——”</p> - -<p>“Carter is my name—Nick Carter,” the detective again cut in. “You may -have heard of me. Whether you have, or not, is immaterial. I can prove -all that I have said, and only the truth, if you chose to make a clean -breast of the whole business, will save you fellows from—ah, here is -additional evidence, if that were needed. It appears that your -confederate, the fourth man, was about to bolt.”</p> - -<p>Nick had caught sight of Chick and Patsy approaching from the side -street, each grasping the arm of a tall, pale young man, who appeared to -be on the verge of fainting.</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>MARKED IN DUST.</small></h2> - -<p>The mention of Nick Carter’s name, following close upon his positive -accusations, produced an immediate change in the attitude of the three -recreant medical students. Defiance vanished like a flash from the face -of the one who had been talking, and whom Nick now suspected of being -the leader in the crime of the previous night.</p> - -<p>Another was trembling visibly, while the third impulsively blurted, as -if impelled by the detective’s advice:</p> - -<p>“There’s nothing to it, Oakley, but to confess the whole business. -Neither bluff nor bluster will cut any ice against Nick Carter. Good -heavens! what possessed me to do such a thing?”</p> - -<p>“That’s not the question,” said Oakley, a bit sullenly. “You now have -confessed the whole business, barring the outcome. Only the devil -himself can explain that. The question is—what became of the body?”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter heard the last with no great surprise. It was in line with -his earlier suspicions. He saw, too, with what consternation Doctor -Dabney and the other students began to realize what had been done the -night before, and he checked with a gesture the censure that was rising -to the lips of the astounded physician.</p> - -<p>“You hold your horses, Doctor Dabney, and let me handle the ribbons,” he -said impressively. “The reputation of your college is at stake, and I am -much better able to save it than you, providing the remorse of these -young men is genuine and they follow my advice. The good name of your -institution should not be ruined by the foolishness of a few of your -students, if it can possibly be prevented. I think they now will see it -in the same light and do all in their power to rectify their folly. What -do you say, Mr. Oakley?”</p> - -<p>Oakley threw up his hands and met the detective better than halfway.</p> - -<p>“I say that you’re all wool and a yard wide, Mr. Carter,” he cried, with -genuine feeling. “I’ll speak for the others and tell you the whole -story. Not only that, sir, but we’ll do all we can to repair the wrong.”</p> - -<p>“Spoken like a man,” Nick replied. “I learned long ago that a manly man -can be brought out flat-footed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span> with proper handling. What is the whole -story, Mr. Oakley?”</p> - -<p>“It can be told with a breath, Mr. Carter, and I’ll hand it to you -straight,” said Oakley. “We were out late last night, I and these three -companions, and we drank a bit more than we should have done. When wine -goes in, wisdom and discretion go out, sir, and that was the beginning -of it.”</p> - -<p>“Continue, Mr. Oakley,” said Nick.</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, we came to Fink’s place along about one o’clock, and we saw -that a corpse had been taken in there. We learned from a chap who had -overheard the facts, that it was the corpse of a notorious criminal, and -that it was to remain in Fink’s place till this morning, instead of -being sent to the morgue.”</p> - -<p>“That was correct.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, in the heat of wine, I suggested to my companions that we -ought to have that criminal’s brain for examination, in the interests of -medical science and the possible benefit to society. It was a mad -suggestion, but not too mad for my companions. We were just right to do -what, if in our sober senses, we would not have done for the world.”</p> - -<p>“In brief, Mr. Oakley, you went there and stole the body,” said Nick.</p> - -<p>“That’s just what we did, sir, and precisely as you have stated,” Oakley -admitted. “We came here and quietly got out the wagon, also a short -ladder with which to reach the undertaker’s back window, which we had -located before going away. We brought the body here about four o’clock -this morning. We did not dare to leave it in the box, however, which we -had taken from the room you have just inspected. We replaced the box in -the room, but hid the body in the basement under the dissecting room.”</p> - -<p>“It then was about four o’clock?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Continue.”</p> - -<p>“We already had begun to realize, of course, the gravity of the crime we -had committed,” Oakley proceeded. “We went to my apartments in the -street below, but not to go to bed, for we were much too nervous to -sleep. We held a long discussion of the matter and the situation in -which we had placed ourselves, and we finally determined to replace the -corpse in the wagon and to return it to Fink’s place, making a frank -confession of our guilt and relying upon his mercy. But we found, upon -returning to the basement, that we could not do so.”</p> - -<p>“Could not, Mr. Oakley?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” cried Oakley, with augmented feeling. “It was impossible for -us to do so. Imagine our surprise, our consternation, our utterly -inexpressible dismay.”</p> - -<p>“You mean——”</p> - -<p>“I mean, sir, that the body was gone.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true, Mr. Carter,” groaned another of the culprits. “Every word -of it is true as gospel. The corpse had vanished as if the earth had -swallowed it. We searched in vain. Good heavens, what a mess! I thought, -sir, I was going daffy.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was less surprised than the other hearers. He had begun to -suspect what had really occurred and how it was possible. He paused to -briefly consider the matter from every standpoint, aiming to act for the -best, while Doctor David Dabney relieved his pent-up feelings in terms -that would read even worse than they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span> sounded, and while the half score -of students who had gathered near by stared in mute amazement over the -bewildering affair.</p> - -<p>Nick presently took the ribbons again, however, saying with an -impressiveness that never failed to prove effective:</p> - -<p>“There is nothing in harsh words, Doctor Dabney, at this stage of the -game. We must meet the situation in the best way and attempt to remedy -it without too much publicity. I am not going to arrest these young men -at present, nor later if it can be avoided.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, sir,” cried Oakley gratefully.</p> - -<p>“I shall bind them on their honor to remain here, as usual, and these -other students, as well as yourself, to say nothing about this matter,” -Nick added. “Upon your silence and theirs may depend the effect of all -this upon your institution. I happen to know all about the criminal -whose body seems to have disappeared so mysteriously, and the recovery -of which is of much more importance to me, as well as to the community, -than the immediate censure and punishment of these four students. You -must do what I have directed, therefore, while I shall take immediate -steps to trace the missing body.”</p> - -<p>Nick’s consideration and advice had the effect he anticipated. Doctor -Dabney subdued his anger and eagerly seized the opportunity to avoid -publicity. The relief of the four culprits was beyond description, and -one and all who were present pledged themselves to strictly follow the -detective’s instructions.</p> - -<p>Thus the matter was adjusted temporarily, at least, and Nick then turned -to Oakley and said:</p> - -<p>“Conduct me to the basement, now, and show me where you left the body. -In the meantime, Doctor Dabney, that there may appear to be nothing -unusual going on here, have all of your other students attend the -lecture you had planned to deliver. There is, in fact, no occasion to -postpone it. I will undertake with my two assistants to do all that the -case now requires. Lead the way, Oakley, that no time may be lost.”</p> - -<p>The last was said with a significant glance at Chick and Patsy, and the -three detectives followed Oakley toward the basement door, while Doctor -Dabney and the gathering students trooped toward the entrance to the -annex in accord with Nick Carter’s instructions.</p> - -<p>“I happen to have a key that will open this door, Mr. Carter, or we must -have found some other hiding place for the body,” Oakley explained, -while unlocking the basement door. “How it was discovered and removed by -others—well, sir, that beats me to a frazzle. I was literally knocked -stiff when I found it missing.”</p> - -<p>“Had you detected any sign of life, Oakley, while handling it?” Nick -inquired. “I infer, of course, that you had not.”</p> - -<p>“Not the slightest, Mr. Carter,” said Oakley, with a look of surprise. -“You surely do not suspect——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind what I suspect,” Nick interrupted, while descending to the -basement. “Show me just where you placed the body.”</p> - -<p>Oakley led the way to a corner back of some coal bins and pointed to the -floor.</p> - -<p>“We left it there, sir,” he said simply.</p> - -<p>“With a covering over it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; the sheet brought from Fink’s place.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing else?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Did you lock the door after going out with your companions?”</p> - -<p>“That was not necessary,” Oakley explained. “It has an automatic spring -lock, like many of the doors in this building, which can be opened from -within, though a key is required by one entering from outside. They were -equipped with locks of that kind because students frequently are the -last to leave the building, and it obviated providing keys for all.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Nick remarked. “One can leave this basement without a key, -then?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; easily.”</p> - -<p>Nick took out his electric searchlight and began a close inspection of -the cement floor. It was covered with a thin, almost imperceptible layer -of dust, mingled with which were particles of coal dust, quite plainly -visible with the aid of a powerful lens.</p> - -<p>“You have given it to me straight, Oakley, all right,” Nick remarked, -after a moment, looking up. “My lens shows where the dust has been -disturbed, and I can determine part of the outline of the body. There -appears to have been considerable moving about, however, either by——”</p> - -<p>“Surely not by the body!” Oakley exclaimed, staring.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be so sure of that,” Nick said dryly. “Things aren’t always what -they seem. We may find that—ah, I find it even sooner than I expected. -Here is one—yes, a second and third. This tells the story.”</p> - -<p>“What is it?” cried Oakley impulsively.</p> - -<p>“Have a look, Chick,” said Nick. “Use my lens.”</p> - -<p>Chick hastened to comply, viewing one of several faint bits of evidence -on the dusty floor.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” Oakley repeated, quivering with excitement.</p> - -<p>Chick looked up and replied:</p> - -<p>“It’s a faint print in the dust—the print of a naked foot.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>WHERE THE TRAIL LED.</small></h2> - -<p>“Subdue your surprise. This is no more than I was expecting to find,” -said Nick Carter, glancing at Oakley’s amazed face. “I have picked up a -trail which I felt sure I must seek, sooner or later, and to find where -it leads now is of paramount importance.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! that’s right, chief, for fair,” said Patsy. “This man hunt now -opens in earnest.”</p> - -<p>“I shall need you no longer, Oakley,” Nick added. “You had better join -the other students at the lecture. I will do what I can to pull you -fellows out of this scrape, but much will depend upon what already has -been published, and upon my success in finding the missing man. No, no, -don’t demur over going, nor stop to thank me. Time now is of double -value. Go at once.”</p> - -<p>Oakley appeared anxious to remain to follow farther the detective’s -investigations, but the expression in Nick’s eyes warned him against -objecting, and he turned with a nod and a mere word of thanks and -hurried from the basement.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, this is a most extraordinary case,” Chick then said, a bit -grimly. “Have you now any doubt, Nick, that Margate still is alive?”</p> - -<p>“Not the slightest,” Nick replied. “I have felt from the first that that -was the case.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“But how could he have accomplished——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the circumstances admit of only one explanation,” Nick interposed. -“Margate had, when we cornered him, some kind of a drug or compound -which, when swallowed, instantly produced a physical condition so -closely resembling death that it deceived not only us, but also Doctor -Nolan and the undertaker.”</p> - -<p>“It did, indeed.”</p> - -<p>“The condition, which was probably a form of catalepsy, evidently lasts -a definite number of hours, depending in a measure upon the health and -strength of the subject, and concerning which Margate must have been -perfectly informed.”</p> - -<p>“Surely.”</p> - -<p>“He took the one chance that, if supposed to be dead, he would throw off -the effects of the drug and revive at such a time and in such -surroundings as would permit of immediate flight.”</p> - -<p>“The drug evidently ceased to be effective between four o’clock and -daylight.”</p> - -<p>“Undoubtedly,” said Nick. “That would have served him admirably if he -had remained in Fink’s back room. He could have arisen and quietly -dressed himself, his garments having been left in the room, and he could -easily have made his escape.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, chief,” put in Patsy. “Like turning over in bed.”</p> - -<p>“The job done by the students, however, put him in bad,” Nick added. “He -must have revived in this basement, in a building in which he probably -could not obtain a rag of clothing, aside from the sheet with which he -was covered. Immediate flight, however, was imperative. He luckily had -the advantage of darkness, and he probably fled at once, wrapped only in -the sheet. His first move, of course, was to find garments by some hook -or crook and in some near quarter, and I think we can learn where he got -them.”</p> - -<p>“He did not break into Dabney’s house, nor the rooms of any of the -students, or the fact would have been reported,” said Chick.</p> - -<p>“He would have been less likely to do that, Chick, than to have sought -some near residence occupied by fewer persons and presenting less danger -of detection and arrest.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true.”</p> - -<p>“I will try with Patsy to follow up the trail,” said Nick, turning to -the door. “You go to Doctor Nolan’s office in the meantime and get the -vial still containing some of the drug, or compound, used by Margate. -Take it to Professor George Arden, whose address you will find in the -directory. He is one of the leading chemists in the country, and he -probably will be able to tell us of what the stuff consists.”</p> - -<p>“Most likely,” Chick agreed. “Where will I see you later?”</p> - -<p>“At the Willard. We will return about noon for lunch.”</p> - -<p>“Very good. I’ll be there,” Chick nodded, turning to go.</p> - -<p>They had emerged from the basement while speaking, and Nick and Patsy -now began seeking the trail of the missing man. Neither in the driveway, -nor on the surrounding lawns, could they discover any sign of a bare -footprint, however, and Nick paused after a few moments and said:</p> - -<p>“We must use our heads and determine what direc<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span>tion he naturally would -have taken. He would not have ventured to the lighted streets. He would -have known he might be seen and arrested.”</p> - -<p>“That would have been very probable, chief, for fair,” said Patsy.</p> - -<p>“He may have crossed the rear grounds, therefore, and perhaps saw that -house which fronts on the avenue. The roof could have been seen above -the trees, even in the darkness.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right, too.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll go that way, Patsy, and see what we can learn. Keep your eyes -open for footprints.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you!” said Patsy sententiously.</p> - -<p>It took them only a few minutes to cross the Dabney grounds, when they -brought up at a low wall flanking the rear of the estate Nick had -noticed when he first arrived in that locality. It now struck him even -more familiarly, though he never had seen the rear grounds, nor that -side of the imposing wooden residence.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” he said, leaping over the wall. “The direct course, if -Margate had his head and really came this way, would have been around -the garage and across the side lawn.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, chief, if he was heading for the house,” said Patsy.</p> - -<p>“A dwelling is where he most likely would have sought clothing,” Nick -replied. “A knave as desperate as he and as sorely in need of garments -would not have shrunk from breaking in and——”</p> - -<p>“Gee! half a minute, chief,” Patsy now cried, interrupting. “Yes, I’m -right. Here’s the print of a bare foot.”</p> - -<p>Patsy had discovered it in some loose earth near the garage and hastened -to inspect it. There was no mistaking it, for it was distinctly outlined -in the damp soil, and it showed plainly in which direction the man was -going.</p> - -<p>“He was heading for the house, chief, just as you have suspected,” Patsy -added, turning to look for another.</p> - -<p>“I was sure he would seek some dwelling,” Nick replied. “Which one was -the only question. It naturally would be the one most safely and quickly -approached, and that was why I came this way. We’ll inquire whether -anything has been stolen, or—hello! some one is calling my name. By -Jove, it’s Senator Barclay. That explains it. I thought I recognized -this place, though I have called here only twice.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! he’s some excited, chief,” said Patsy. “I guess you have hit the -nail on the head, all right.”</p> - -<p>Senator Barclay, who had emerged from a side door of the house, had been -hurrying toward them while they were speaking. He was hatless and wore a -loose velvet smoking jacket, and he looked pale and excited, indeed, in -the morning sunlight.</p> - -<p>“I saw you from the library window, Nick,” he cried, upon drawing -nearer. “What brought you here? I’ve been trying vainly to get you by -telephone. I was told that you left the Willard before breakfast.”</p> - -<p>“So I did,” Nick replied, shaking hands with him. “I was called out on a -rather curious case. But what do you want of me, Senator Barclay, and -why are you so disturbed?” he added tentatively.</p> - -<p>“I have cause to be disturbed, most serious cause,” Senator Barclay -answered, with an effort to govern his feelings. “I will tell you of -that a little later. My house has been robbed—a most amazing robbery.”</p> - -<p>“Why amazing, senator?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Judge for yourself. Every piece of my clothing, removed when I went to -bed last night, was carried away by the thief. Shoes, stockings, -underwear, shirt, and outside garments—not a piece was left behind by -the rascal. Why he took such articles is more than I can fathom. Why -he——”</p> - -<p>“One moment,” Nick interposed, with a furtive glance at Patsy. “Did he -take anything else of value?”</p> - -<p>“I should say he did,” Senator Barclay cried impetuously. “My pocketbook -containing several hundred dollars, my diamond pin worth nearly a -thousand, my watch and chain—all of them went with the garments.”</p> - -<p>“H’m, I see.”</p> - -<p>“Not content with them, moreover, the rascal robbed the sleeping room of -my daughter Estella, and got away with considerable money and a quantity -of costly jewelry, which unfortunately had not been put in the library -safe.”</p> - -<p>“Your loss will aggregate, then——”</p> - -<p>“Ten thousand dollars, at least, as far as the plunder goes. But that is -nothing, absolutely nothing, Nick, compared with the loss of one other -article,” Senator Barclay said, with a groan.</p> - -<p>“One other article?” Nick echoed, gazing at his white face. “What is -that?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot tell you—not here,” was the reply. “I must talk with you -privately. Come to the house. Stella is nearly prostrated, but she does -not dream of my distress and anxiety. I have hidden the truth from her, -even, and can confide only in you, Nick. For you are the one man on whom -I can depend, who may be able to successfully meet the situation. Come -to the house. I then will inform you.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” Nick consented. “I understand, now, why you were so anxious -to reach me.”</p> - -<p>“I was more than anxious, more than anxious,” Senator Barclay repeated, -while Nick and Patsy accompanied him toward the house. “There is another -mysterious feature in connection with this robbery, Nick; one that seems -utterly inexplicable.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?” Nick inquired.</p> - -<p>“The thief, or thieves, as the case may be, left a soiled sheet in the -butler’s pantry, which they entered by breaking the window and unlocking -it. The pantry is so shut in that the noise was not heard. The robbery -was not discovered until Estella awoke early this morning and found that -her room had been entered. Why the burglars had a soiled sheet, which -looks as if it had been through a war, puzzled me even more than——”</p> - -<p>“It does not puzzle me, Senator Barclay,” Nick interposed.</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p>The statesman gazed at Nick with a look of amazement.</p> - -<p>“Not at all,” Nick added. “There was only one burglar, senator, and I -happen to know why he had a soiled sheet.”</p> - -<p>“Good heavens! is it possible?” Senator Barclay replied, with -countenance beginning to brighten. “There are hundreds of brilliant and -discerning men in the circle of my acquaintance, Carter, but you -certainly have something on all of them. What do you mean? How do you -know there was only one burglar, and why he left a soiled sheet in my -house? By gracious, I begin to feel that you may yet avert the calamity -that threatens me.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s wait until we are seated in our library, senator,” Nick replied, -smiling. “I then will answer your<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> questions and learn what you require -of me. It goes without saying, of course, that I will do all in my power -to avert any calamity that threatens you.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>A THREATENING SITUATION.</small></h2> - -<p>Nick Carter did not visit the butler’s pantry to examine the broken -window, nor did he care to inspect the soiled sheet left there by Andy -Margate, who had provided for him with unexpected outside help one of -the strangest cases in the career of the celebrated detective.</p> - -<p>Nick already had formed a correct theory in regard to the burglary. He -now wanted to learn only what gave Senator Barclay so much more anxiety -and distress than his pecuniary loss.</p> - -<p>Nick accompanied him into the library, therefore, leaving Patsy to wait -in the reception room, and he began with informing the statesman of the -circumstances which, beyond any reasonable doubt, explained the crime -committed in his residence early that morning.</p> - -<p>“Good heavens!” Senator Barclay exclaimed, after hearing Nick’s -statements. “Are we never to be rid of this man Margate? I never heard -of such a case. If he——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind him, Senator Barclay,” Nick interposed. “I will put him away -for keeps sooner or later.”</p> - -<p>“Well, well, I hope so.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me without delay, for time may be valuable, how you are threatened -with something more serious than the loss of your money and jewels.”</p> - -<p>“It is infinitely more serious, Carter, for it not only involves a -matter of international importance, but also the reputation, welfare, -and social standing of a very prominent and very beautiful woman,” said -Senator Barclay, in tones tremulous again with profound feeling.</p> - -<p>“How so?” Nick inquired. “Was something else stolen?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. In the pocket of the coat stolen by Margate was a document -confided to me temporarily by the woman in question.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, I see.”</p> - -<p>“With it in the pocket, moreover, was a letter written to me by the -woman when she sent me the document for inspection,” Senator Barclay -continued. “I received it only early last evening. I was to have -returned it this morning. It was most important that I should have done -so. The gravity of the situation, Carter, can hardly be imagined.”</p> - -<p>“Because of the nature of the document?” Nick questioned.</p> - -<p>“That is one reason,” was the reply. “The document relates to a secret -compact between several European powers and in a measure has a bearing -upon their relations with this country.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Nick nodded.</p> - -<p>“It bears the signatures of no less than five foreign ambassadors now in -Washington, all of whom are pledged to secrecy in regard to the matter. -None would believe for a moment that this compact is even suspected by -any American statesman or diplomat, and much less that the existence of -the document mentioned is positively known.”</p> - -<p>“I follow you.”</p> - -<p>“The discovery of the fact might precipitate complications of a very -grave and threatening nature,” Senator Barclay added. “I can safely -assert, however, that I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span> am the only American who, with one exception, -knows anything about the document—aside from the knave into whose hands -it has fallen.”</p> - -<p>“Let me know the exact facts,” said Nick. “Who is the one exception who -knows about the document?”</p> - -<p>“The woman I have mentioned.”</p> - -<p>“How did you learn about it?”</p> - -<p>“The woman informed me.”</p> - -<p>“How did she become informed?”</p> - -<p>Senator Barclay hesitated for a moment, gazing intently at the earnest -face of the famous detective.</p> - -<p>“I am going to confide in you, Nick, as I would in no other man on -earth,” he said impressively. “The woman whose name I will presently -mention is the wife of one of the European ambassadors whose signatures -are on the document. He is without exception the most influential and -illustrious diplomat now in this country.”</p> - -<p>“You must refer, then, to Sir Edward Deland.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“I have met him,” said Nick. “He was married here only a year ago. His -wife, who is many years younger than he, was a wealthy American girl.”</p> - -<p>“From which,” said Senator Barclay; “has evolved the terrible situation -in which we now are placed.”</p> - -<p>“You and Lady Deland?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Explain,” said Nick. “I don’t quite get you.”</p> - -<p>Senator Barclay proceeded to do so. Drawing forward in his chair, he -said, even more gravely:</p> - -<p>“Something like ten days ago, Nick, for no other reason than that I had -apprehended something of the kind, I began to suspect the frame-up of -the secret compact mentioned, and that a document to that effect already -existed. Naturally, of course, I knew that Sir Edward Deland would be -one of the chief figures in it.”</p> - -<p>“Quite likely, of course,” bowed Nick.</p> - -<p>“I had occasion three days ago to visit the Deland residence in company -with my daughter, who long has been an intimate friend of Lady Deland. I -found an opportunity to hint to the latter that she perhaps knew -something of the matter I had on my mind, and that it would become a -true-blue American girl to confidentially inform me of anything that -might possibly be a menace to our country.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” Nick remarked, suppressing an inclination to criticize. “What -did she say to that?”</p> - -<p>“Somewhat to my surprise, though I have always been very friendly with -Lady Deland and her parents, a fact which perhaps led me to make such a -suggestion to her—somewhat to my surprise, I repeat, she immediately -admitted that such a compact had been made, that she had overheard her -husband discussing it with other diplomats, and that the document -bearing upon the matter then was in the library safe.”</p> - -<p>“What followed?”</p> - -<p>“Lady Deland hastened to add that the compact, of the nature of which -she was partly informed, was in no sense a menace to this country,” -Senator Barclay continued. “I told her I could not believe that, and -that she really must be mistaken. We discussed the matter very earnestly -for some time, and she then declared, with much feeling, that the very -best service she could do me and her country would be to let me read the -document, in order to convince me of my error and so avert the troubles -that might otherwise result from it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“That was hardly loyal to her husband,” said Nick.</p> - -<p>“Lady Deland did not so regard it,” replied Senator Barclay. “She argued -that she could not serve him better than to dispel my suspicions and set -him right in my opinion. Bear in mind that she has known me from -childhood, with absolute confidence in me. She would have no greater -faith in her own father.”</p> - -<p>“I can appreciate that, senator, as far as it goes.”</p> - -<p>“I do not feel that it was quite right to sanction her suggestion,” -Senator Barclay allowed. “I knew, in fact, that it was quite wrong. I -reasoned, on the other hand, however, that it would be of vast relief -and advantage to me to positively verify her assertions. The temptation -was one I really could not resist.”</p> - -<p>“You allowed her to show you the document?” said Nick inquiringly.</p> - -<p>“Not at that time,” Senator Barclay replied. “It then was impossible for -her to have done so secretly. Sir Edward Deland was at home, talking -with my daughter and another lady in the conservatory.”</p> - -<p>“And you alone with Lady Deland, of course, during your discussion.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, on the side veranda.”</p> - -<p>“What did you decide to do?”</p> - -<p>“Lady Deland decided for me. She said that Sir Edward was going to New -York yesterday morning for two or three days, also that she knew the -combination of the safe and in what compartment the document had been -placed.”</p> - -<p>“H’m, I see.”</p> - -<p>“She said she would send it to me yesterday evening, which she did, with -an understanding that I would surely return it to her this morning. That -now is impossible, utterly impossible,” Senator Barclay added, with -increasing agitation. “Unless I soon can do so, however—good heavens, -Carter, think of the position in which we are placed. Unless the -document can be recovered and returned to the safe before Sir Edward -Deland arrives home——”</p> - -<p>“There is no need to picture the situation,” Nick interposed. “If is -about as bad as it could be, senator, for you and Lady Deland.”</p> - -<p>“Bad doesn’t express it,” groaned the statesman. “It is -horrible—horrible!”</p> - -<p>“I will do all in my power to pull you out of the affair,” Nick assured -him. “Tell me, now, whether the document is of the nature you had -feared. Is this secret compact in any way a menace to this country?”</p> - -<p>“No, thank God, it is not,” Senator Barclay said fervently. “I am -relieved to that extent, at least.”</p> - -<p>“All that really is involved in the lost document, then, is the exposure -that threatens you and Lady Deland.”</p> - -<p>“Is that not enough?”</p> - -<p>“Quite enough, Senator Barclay, and then some,” Nick admitted. “You -said, I think, that she sent you a letter with the document.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“By mail?”</p> - -<p>“No, indeed. Both were brought here by her butler, Hawley, who was -entirety ignorant of what the package contained.”</p> - -<p>“What did she say in the letter?”</p> - -<p>“Only a few lines, directing me to take the utmost care of the document, -and reminding me of the terrible consequences in event of its loss.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“That would be quite enough for any knavish person into whose hands it -might fall,” Nick said, with grim dryness. “I know of no person who -would be more quick to take advantage of it than Andy Margate. Did Lady -Deland sign her full name to the letter?”</p> - -<p>“She did.”</p> - -<p>“Have you communicated with her this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Not yet,” groaned Senator Barclay, nervously wringing his hands. “I -have been trying to get hold of you. How can I tell her? How can I -inform her, Carter, that——”</p> - -<p>“You’re not going to inform her, Senator Barclay. You must keep -perfectly quiet and leave this matter to me. It now is eleven o’clock. I -will see Lady Deland as quickly as possible. Write me a letter of -introduction, senator, and I’ll be off at once.”</p> - -<p>“But what do you intend——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t ask me what I intend doing,” Nick interrupted. “I don’t know -myself, at present, save that I must see Lady Deland without needless -delay.”</p> - -<p>Senator Barclay hastened to write the desired note, saying while he gave -it to the detective:</p> - -<p>“Do you really mean, Nick, that I must do nothing more in this matter?”</p> - -<p>“Absolutely nothing until you have heard from me,” Nick said -impressively. “I now know positively that Andy Margate lives, and I’m -out to get him. In getting him, Senator Barclay, I shall probably get -the letter and document that are of such vast importance to you. Whether -it can be done in time to avert the peril that threatens you and Lady -Deland remains to be seen. It certainly cannot be accomplished by -prolonging this discussion. I must hasten to see Lady Deland.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>SUSPICIONS VERIFIED.</small></h2> - -<p>Chick Carter, following the instructions Nick had given him, readily -obtained from Doctor Nolan the vial from which Andy Margate had -swallowed most of the supposed poison with which he was thought to have -committed suicide when cornered by the detectives, yet which evidently -had resulted in the extraordinary case brought to Nick’s notice early -the following morning, and the true inwardness of which he had been so -quick to suspect.</p> - -<p>To prove it, however, despite the surrounding circumstances, and to -locate and corner Margate again, to say nothing of doing so in time to -save the reputations of Senator Barclay and the impulsive American girl -who had put herself in a position that threatened to ruin the remaining -years of her life—all this was an entirely different proposition.</p> - -<p>The discernment of Nick Carter, nevertheless, as well as the wisdom of -the course he had shaped, appeared in part in the visit of Chick Carter -to the laboratory of the eminent Washington chemist, and in what -immediately followed his departure.</p> - -<p>It was nearly noon when Chick introduced himself to Professor Arden and -stated his mission. He met with a cordial reception, and the chemist -soon began an examination of the small quantity of fluid still remaining -in the vial.</p> - -<p>Chick waited in an adjoining room for more than an hour. Most of this -time was passed in reading a magazine found on the table. Ending an -article in which he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> had become interested, Chick replaced the book on -the table and glanced incidentially through one of the screened windows -overlooking the grounds without and an adjoining side street.</p> - -<p>A man who was passing at that moment caught the detective’s eye, and his -sinister appearance and somewhat stealthy movements quickly aroused -Chick’s suspicions.</p> - -<p>He was a slender, cheaply clad fellow in the twenties, wearing a baggy -brown suit and a woolen cap, the latter pulled suggestively low over his -brow. He peered from under it while passing a boxwood hedge flanking one -side of the grounds, and once he paused nearly back of a clump of -shrubbery to gaze intently toward the laboratory windows, though the -wire screen prevented any view of the interior.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, he is sizing up this place,” thought Chick, after intently -watching the fellow. “What’s his motive? If it corresponds with his -looks, by gracious, it’s sinister enough. What motive can he have in -which I do not figure, since he appears to have turned up since I -arrived here? If I’m right, and I’d stake a trifle on it, that fellow is -a rat that needs watching.”</p> - -<p>The man had moved on, crossing the side street and turning an opposite -corner. He scarce had turned it, however, when Chick, still watching, -saw his bullet-shaped head thrust cautiously around the corner building. -It was obvious, too, that his ratty eyes were directed toward the -taxicab in front of the chemist’s residence, that in which Chick had -come there and for whom the chauffeur was waiting.</p> - -<p>Presently the head vanished—but not the detective’s suspicions.</p> - -<p>When Professor Arden rejoined Chick a few moments later, he returned the -nearly empty vial, saying, with a smile:</p> - -<p>“I have retained enough of the fluid to make a thorough analysis, or -tests that may possibly reveal its precise nature and properties. I was -inclined to doubt, Mr. Carter, the existence of any substance or -compound that would have upon the human organism just such effects as -you have described in the case of Margate.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, professor, Nick feels very sure he is right,” said Chick.</p> - -<p>“I now think he may be,” replied the chemist. “I have been experimenting -with a guinea pig, using a minute quantity of the fluid, and the effect -upon the animal is very similar. He fell almost instantly into a rigid -state and appeared to be dead.”</p> - -<p>“That was precisely the case with Margate.”</p> - -<p>“While I was applying other tests to a drop of the fluid, however, which -required most of the time I have been absent, the animal began to -revive.”</p> - -<p>“So soon probably because of the small quantity of fluid used,” Chick -suggested.</p> - -<p>“I think so,” Professor Arden agreed. “I am more inclined, now, to -credit your suspicions concerning Margate. I cannot definitely determine -the ingredients of the fluid at this time, however, and I may not be -able to do so at all. I will try later, nevertheless, and will advise -you by letter.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you Nick’s home address,” said Chick, producing a card. -“It’s mighty strange and powerful stuff, all right, whatever it is.”</p> - -<p>“You may have heard, no doubt, of the poisons of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span> Exili,” Professor -Arden replied. “He was a notorious criminal of the seventeenth century, -who knew the art of making the most subtle and deadly poisons, as well -as compounds which are said to have had very similar effects upon -persons as those you have described. Some of the formulas of Exili are -said to have been handed down through generations to the present day, -moreover, the secret and sinister possessions of a very few persons. It -is not impossible that was the source of this fluid used by Margate.”</p> - -<p>“I am well informed concerning Exili and his poisons,” said Chick, -smiling a bit grimly. “We had a very extraordinary and sensational case -about three years ago, in which one of the Exili poisons figured. There -was no doubt about it in that case. You may be right as to this stuff.”</p> - -<p>“You shall hear from me later about it,” said Professor Arden, while he -accepted his fee and accompanied the detective to the door.</p> - -<p>Chick thanked him again and departed. The man in a baggy brown suit had -not reappeared, but Chick still had him in mind. He walked briskly out -to the taxicab, then paused briefly and said to the chauffeur:</p> - -<p>“Has any man spoken to you while waiting?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Follow my instructions,” Chick directed, apprehending that he might be -covertly watched. “Drive straight down this avenue and turn the first -corner to the left. After having turned it to a point out of view from -here, stop at once and drop me. Then drive on quickly and go about your -business. Understand?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. That don’t take a very long head.”</p> - -<p>Chick sprang into the taxicab, and without looking back he was whirled -speedily around the corner, a block from the chemist’s residence. He -then sprang out—and the chauffeur uttered an exclamation of surprise.</p> - -<p>He did not recognize his passenger.</p> - -<p>Chick had put on a disguise and knocked his soft felt hat into an -entirely different shape.</p> - -<p>“Drive on,” he commanded, giving the chauffeur a bank note. “Move lively -and forget the quick change.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you!” grinned the driver, speeding away.</p> - -<p>Chick returned to the corner and peered cautiously around it.</p> - -<p>The man in baggy brown was just descending the steps of Professor -Arden’s residence.</p> - -<p>“Aha! That does settle it,” thought Chick. “He wanted to know who had -called on the chemist, and he went to inquire, probably offering some -plausible reason. He evidently found out, too, judging from the celerity -with which he is departing. You shall also find, young man, that there -are longer heads than yours.”</p> - -<p>The seedy young man then was hastening down the avenue in Chick’s -direction, but on the opposite side of the broad thoroughfare.</p> - -<p>Chick stepped into the side entrance of a near store and watched him -from one of the front windows.</p> - -<p>The suspect stopped short on the opposite corner and gazed sharply in -the direction the taxicab had taken. It then had disappeared. The street -was deserted, with the exception of a solitary nurse girl wheeling a -baby in a carriage. The man pushed the cap from over his brow and -hurried on.</p> - -<p>Chick left the store a moment later and followed him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span></p> - -<p>His quarry turned the next corner east and soon brought up at a trolley -line running out of the city. At a stand near by he bought two -newspapers, and then waited on the corner for a car.</p> - -<p>Chick noticed in which direction he was looking for it to approach, -which told him in which direction the man intended going. He then -crossed the avenue, mingling with other pedestrians, and waited on the -next corner beyond his quarry. Five minutes later he saw the man board -an open car, taking one of the front seats, and Chick presently seated -himself on a rear one.</p> - -<p>The suspect then was absorbed in one of his newspapers. More than half -an hour had passed, when, looking up, he quickly folded it and thrust it -into his pocket.</p> - -<p>The car then had left the outskirts of the city far behind. It was -passing through a rural country, quite thickly wooded in sections, and -Chick could see in the near distance a road diverging at a slight angle -to the right from that of the trolley line.</p> - -<p>“He’s going to drop off at that road,” he said to himself, “It’s -favorable for me, all right, in that the woods and shrubbery will afford -me some shelter.”</p> - -<p>Chick had rightly interpreted the man’s movements, for the latter -presently signaled the conductor and alighted from the car at the -juncture of two roads, at once walking briskly up that to the right.</p> - -<p>Chick rode on about thirty yards, then sprang from the moving car and -stepped quickly toward the scrubby trees and shrubbery filling the apex -of the angle formed by the two roads. Flanking the opposite side of that -which the car was following, scattered dwellings could be seen in the -distance, but the road to the right appeared to be unsettled.</p> - -<p>Somewhat to Chick’s surprise, after stealing in among the low trees to a -point enabling him to see the latter road, he discovered his quarry -seated on a rock at one side and gazing up the deserted way.</p> - -<p>“He has an appointment with some one,” Chick reasoned, noting the man’s -expectant expression. “He is going to wait, and it’s up to me to do the -same, also to crawl near enough to overhear what may be said. That ought -to be easily accomplished, if I can avoid snapping a twig.”</p> - -<p>The suspect had unfolded his second newspaper and was beginning to read -it.</p> - -<p>Chick dropped upon his hands and knees and crept within thirty feet of -the man, then settled himself in a thicket that effectively concealed -him, though through the twigs and foliage he could plainly see the -waiting man.</p> - -<p>He could see, too, that he was much amused by what he was reading, and -Chick was not slow in suspecting the nature of it.</p> - -<p>Twenty minutes passed, also several motor cars, at each of which the -suspect gazed sharply when he heard it approaching. He sprang up at -length, hearing and seeing another, and Chick felt a thrill of -satisfaction, when an inferior, two-seated runabout containing a man and -a woman came to a stop near his quarry.</p> - -<p>“All three cannot ride away in that trap,” he said to himself. “I can -keep an eye on one of them, at least.”</p> - -<p>Even before a word came from one of them, moreover, confirming his -immediate suspicions, Chick had sized up the couple in the car.</p> - -<p>The woman was somewhat showily clad, about thirty<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> years old, and quite -attractive, barring her rouged cheeks and indications of dissipation in -her sharp gray eyes.</p> - -<p>Her companion was a bearded man in an ill-fitting black suit with a -frock coat, and with a gray slouch hat on his head. The instant Chick -saw him and his garments, he was sure of the man’s identity, despite his -facial disguise.</p> - -<p>“Margate himself!” flashed up in his mind. “Andy Margate, as sure as I’m -a foot high.”</p> - -<p>This was confirmed almost immediately by the intercourse that began as -soon as the woman, who was driving the runabout, brought it to a stop at -one side of the road.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” she exclaimed. “You’re here ahead of us, Tony.”</p> - -<p>“Sure I’m here,” said the man in baggy brown. “I’ve been waiting twenty -minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what have you learned, Selig?” Margate demanded, with manifest -interest. “You keep quiet, Nance, and let me do the talking.”</p> - -<p>“Tony Selig,” thought Chick; then, he rightly inferred: “By their -resemblance, too, this woman should be his sister. Nance Selig, eh?”</p> - -<p>The man in the road drew nearer the car, replying, with a laugh:</p> - -<p>“Oh, I have not been idle, Andy, you can bet on that. You’re in right in -one way, but wrong in another.”</p> - -<p>“Wrong, eh?” queried Margate, with a snarl. “Tell me the worst first. -Wrong in what way?”</p> - -<p>“Nick Carter suspects you have fooled him.”</p> - -<p>“The deuce he does!”</p> - -<p>“But he only suspects, mind you,” Tony Selig quickly added. “He isn’t -sure of it.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know? How did you learn that?”</p> - -<p>“After watching the Deland woman’s house until nearly noon, as you -directed, and seeing no one show up, I started out here to report. As I -was passing the residence of Professor Arden, the chemist, I saw a -taxicab waiting in front of it. I suspected right off the reel that a -detective on your case might be there. You know for what, Andy, and I -was right.”</p> - -<p>“How did you make sure of it?”</p> - -<p>“I watched until a man came out and hurried away in the taxi,” Selig -explained, with a sly grin. “I reckoned from your description that he -was Chick Carter. I made sure of it by ringing Arden to his door and -asking him if Mr. Carter had been there. He was a fall guy, Andy, all -right. He said that Mr. Carter had just left there.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” Margate ejaculated, scowling. “That did settle it. I feared -that the Carters were on to the case.”</p> - -<p>“But they only suspect,” Tony Selig repeated. “They are sure of nothing, -Andy, nor any of the guns, except that the stiff was stolen. There is no -clew to the thieves, nor any doubt of its having been a genuine stiff, -as you can see from this newspaper story. Have a look. Here’s the latest -edition.”</p> - -<p>Margate seized the newspaper and eagerly read the story mentioned. It -told only of the theft of the supposed corpse from Fink’s back room, of -the ignorance of the police and detectives concerning the identity of -the perpetrators of the outrage, and of the deep mystery enshrouding the -entire gruesome case.</p> - -<p>Margate read it aloud for the benefit of Nancy Selig, and Chick heard -every word of it, as well as all of what passed between the three -crooks.</p> - -<p>“Nick was right, by Jove, in saying nothing about<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span> our discoveries in -the alley,” he said to himself. “This rascal now will think, indeed, -that we are all in the dark.”</p> - -<p>This already was apparent in the look of relief that had arisen to -Margate’s bearded face. He banged the newspaper with his fist, uttering -an oath, and exultantly adding:</p> - -<p>“You’re right, Selig, dead right. The infernal dicks know nothing -definite. They believe I was dead, they surely believe it, and know only -that my body was stolen. They have no idea who stole it, however, not -even a shadow of suspicion, or the reporters would have got wise to it.”</p> - -<p>“Surest thing you know, Andy,” Selig nodded.</p> - -<p>“It’s a safe gamble, too, that the cursed students who queered my game -will keep their traps closed,” Margate forcibly argued. “They’ll not -dare to confess. Even though mystified by its disappearance, they’ll -think themselves well rid of the body. It’s a cinch that the Carters -have not tracked them, nor more than suspect the truth, and we still -have time to bleed the woman out of a big wad of money.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true, Andy, if we waste no time,” put in Nance Selig -suggestively.</p> - -<p>“Right you are, Nance,” declared Margate, with eyes glowing.</p> - -<p>“Get a move on, then.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get the coin. We’ll drive her to the wall. Home with you, Tony, -and wait till I return. I’ll be gone only long enough to put Nance in -right. She can turn the trick before evening. In the meantime, Tony, -we’ll make ready to receive her ladyship—and her boodle. Home with you, -Tony, and wait till I show up.”</p> - -<p>The runabout, guided, by the woman, was moving rapidly away before the -last was said, shouted over his shoulder by the daring and designing -criminal.</p> - -<p>Chick Carter had more than one reason for lying low and letting the -rascal go.</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>CHICK CARTER’S MISHAP.</small></h2> - -<p>Knowing nothing about the discoveries made by Nick Carter since parting -from him at the medical college, ignorant as to the identity of the -woman mentioned by Margate, but knowing at least that the rascal was -engaged in another felonious scheme, said to reach its culmination that -very evening, and that he might accomplish even more by following Tony -Selig than by attempting to arrest the three crooks then and there, -which might have been difficult when undertaken; single-handed—these -were Chick Carter’s reasons, for letting Margate and the woman depart, -and for resuming his pursuit of Tony Selig.</p> - -<p>The latter immediately started up the road in the direction from which -Margate had come, and his actions plainly denoted that he had no thought -of being followed.</p> - -<p>Chick found it comparatively easy, therefore, to shadow him without -being detected. He followed him for nearly a mile through the woodland -road, passing only a solitary house on the way, despite that the road -appeared to be one that was frequently traveled by motorists.</p> - -<p>Twenty minutes brought Tony Selig to his destination. It proved to be an -old wooden house back from the road, with a stable and outbuildings in -the rear, all in a clearing dotted with numerous hencoops and countless -hens<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> and chickens, which denoted from what the occupants of the -inferior place derived their living, perhaps in connection with other -and more profitable ventures.</p> - -<p>Chick stole to a point in the surrounding woods from which he could view -the place. He saw two men and a large, rawboned woman emerge from the -back door, toward which Tony had turned his steps, and all four then sat -down on a platform outside and began an earnest discussion of the news -Tony Selig evidently had brought them.</p> - -<p>Chick rightly inferred that they were all of one family, but he was too -far away to hear what passed between them during the next hour. He -continues to watch them until four o’clock, however, when Margate -returned alone in the runabout. All sprang up to greet him, to which he -put a speedy end by saying, so forcibly that Chick heard him distinctly:</p> - -<p>“Cut that out for something more important. I’ve set the ball rolling, -and Nance knows just what to do. It’s up to us to do the rest. Get the -lanterns, Zeke, you and Angus, and we’ll head for the Poplars. It will -be dark in an hour, or a trifle more. The game might show up even -earlier. We must be ready for her. I’ll get the documents, but we’ll -leave the other plunder here. Be ready when I come out.”</p> - -<p>Margate hurried into the house with the last, not waiting for an answer.</p> - -<p>The two men addressed by name, evidently the father and brother of Tony -Selig, hastened to the stable, from which they quickly emerged with -three oil lanterns. They then returned to the house, from which the -woman had in the meantime brought their coats and hats.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, this does look like something doing,” thought Chick, stealing -into a thicket some fifty yards back of the house. “The Poplars, eh? I -wonder where that is, or they, if it refers only to trees. I’ll come -pretty near finding out, by gracious, also to what documents that rascal -refers. I wonder which way they’ll head.”</p> - -<p>Chick had not long to wait, and it was not without misgivings that he -saw the four men shape a course through the woods that took them within -twenty feet of his concealment.</p> - -<p>They passed without seeing him, however, and he then proceeded to -cautiously keep them in view.</p> - -<p>A tramp of half a mile through the woods brought into view another -section of the road, also a large, old wooden house some fifty yards -from the highway, with a stable and a long, open shed adjoining it, the -whole shut in somewhat by a park of huge, old silver-leaf poplars, from -which the house evidently derived its name.</p> - -<p>Chick saw at a glance, nevertheless, that, the house was unoccupied. The -curtains or blinds of most of the windows were closely drawn. The stable -doors were closed and padlocked, while the ground in the driveway and -shed was running to rank grass.</p> - -<p>The character of the place also was apparent, and it afterward appeared -that it had been closed by the authorities nearly a year before, and -since had been unoccupied.</p> - -<p>“An old road house,” thought Chick, sizing it up. “It has been vacant -for some time. But why have these rascals come here? Why is he taking a -chance of breaking into the house? By Jove, I think I have it.”</p> - -<p>Margate, leading the way, was skillfully forcing open the back door of -the deserted old road house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span></p> - -<p>“They want the expected interview in a house with which they are not -identified, yet in which it can be safely held,” Chick rightly reasoned. -“This isolated old place just serves them, and they feel sure of not -being traced from it. I reckon that won’t be necessary, by Jove, if I -can get in my work without a hitch.”</p> - -<p>Margate had led the way into the house, followed by his three -confederates.</p> - -<p>Chick could see that they had left the door ajar, however, and it was -obvious that not one of them feared having been watched, for not a -curtain stirred at any of the windows, denoting the precaution of -stealthily looking out.</p> - -<p>“I’ll wait a few minutes and then take a chance,” Chick muttered. “I can -slip in there unheard. I’ll wager I can thwart any knavery they have up -their sleeves. It’s only twenty yards from the end of the open shed to -that side of the house. It would be child’s play to reach the back door -from that place.”</p> - -<p>The sun had set and the dusk of the November afternoon was beginning to -gather.</p> - -<p>Chick looked around for another dwelling, or signs of persons traveling -the road, but none met his searching gaze. He felt that he must tackle -the task single-handed, and that a step taken at that time might be of -later advantage.</p> - -<p>Not a sound came from within the house, nor a sign of the men who had -entered it.</p> - -<p>Starting abruptly when the dusk, began to deepen, Chick crept back of -the long shed, quickly picking his way to that end of it nearest the -house. He then waited and listened briefly, and he could hear the -intermittent blows of a hammer.</p> - -<p>“That does settle it,” he said to himself. “They evidently are busy, so -here’s my chance.”</p> - -<p>Darting quickly to the back steps, Chick crouched and listened again, -still hearing the hammer, and he then pushed the door open a few inches. -The dim hall was deserted. It ran straight through the house to the -front door.</p> - -<p>Chick now could hear the four men in one of the side rooms. He stepped -noiselessly into the hall, leaving the door as he had found it, and he -then sought concealment on a bare back stairway leading to the second -floor.</p> - -<p>“I may find it of advantage to steal up there,” he said to himself. “I -must overhear just what comes off in this crib, and also learn how many -I am finally up against.”</p> - -<p>The hammer ceased at that moment, and he heard Margate say gruffly, -addressing the elder Selig:</p> - -<p>“That’s good enough, Zeke. Good enough.”</p> - -<p>“It strikes me so, Andy.”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Not a ray of light can get through the blankets, to say nothing -of the curtains and blinds. We’ll be safe enough from detection.”</p> - -<p>“They have been tacking blankets over the windows,” thought Chick.</p> - -<p>“Light the lanterns, Angus,” Margate now commanded. “It’s getting -infernally dark here, but not as dark as I found it last night, nor -anything like as cold. That was a close call, if ever a man had one.”</p> - -<p>“Close call is right, Andy,” Tony Selig vouchsafed.</p> - -<p>“But the meds did me a good turn, at that,” Margate added. “They forced -me into seeking other garments than my own, and put me in a way to pull -off this job. We’ll clean up handsomely from the whole business, you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span> -can bank on that, and there’ll be no clew left to show who turned the -trick, after I have bolted with Nance for South America.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be bolted in other quarters, you rascal, unless I am much -mistaken,” thought Chick, still on the stairway. “By Jove, I don’t quite -fathom this business.”</p> - -<p>The conversation that followed shed a ray of light upon it, but only a -ray, as far as the listening detective was concerned.</p> - -<p>“You feel sure the woman will pay, do you?” Zeke Selig inquired.</p> - -<p>“Pay—you bet she’ll pay,” said Margate confidently. “Her letter to -Barclay shows that. What else can she do? She’s got to have the document -before her husband shows up, or—well, she knows what the finish would -be.”</p> - -<p>“When will he show up?”</p> - -<p>“The letter don’t say. It says only that she must have the document -to-day. I would nail Barclay, too, only he’s likely to call on Nick -Carter for aid after informing the woman of his loss. I’ll take a chance -that we can bleed her before Carter gets to work there. Just now, you -know, he must have his hands full looking after my body.”</p> - -<p>“But what in thunder is the document?” asked Tony, after lighting the -lanterns.</p> - -<p>“I cannot just make it out,” replied Margate. “It’s a foreign agreement -of some kind and is signed by a bunch of diplomats.</p> - -<p>“H’m, I see,” thought Chick, listening intently. “Senator Barclay -evidently is in wrong with some woman.”</p> - -<p>“I know enough, however, to be sure we could nail no one else for -anything,” Margate added. “The woman is the only one in our clutches, -since the trick must be turned immediately. She’ll come across with the -coin, all right, and may show up here with Nance at any moment. I’ll fix -the front door so we can let her in. By the way, one of you lock and -bolt the back door.”</p> - -<p>Both Zeke and Angus Selig started to do so, striding out of the room at -Margate’s heels, and all three appeared almost immediately in the hall, -then lighted by the rays from the lanterns.</p> - -<p>Chick heard them coming and knew that he must be seen if he remained on -the stairway, about half of which he had ascended. He drew back quickly -from the plain wooden rail on the outer side, intending to steal quietly -up to the second floor.</p> - -<p>When he trod on the next bare stair, however, the projecting edge of the -footboard, weakened with age and dampness in the closed house, broke -under his weight.</p> - -<p>Chick lost his footing and his balance.</p> - -<p>He fell heavily against the rail, seizing it to prevent falling backward -down the stairs.</p> - -<p>The startling noise brought a roar from Margate:</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>The question was instantly answered—but not verbally.</p> - -<p>The stairway rail snapped and broke under the detective’s weight.</p> - -<p>Instead of falling backward down the stairway, Chick pitched headlong -over the side of it, straight down six feet to the hall floor, on which -he landed with a crash that seemed to shake the house.</p> - -<p>The three men saw him as plainly as they had heard him, and another roar -came from Andy Margate.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span></p> - -<p>“A spy! One of the Carters, boys, or I’m a liar. Get him! Lend me a -hand.”</p> - -<p>Chick heard them, though severely shaken and stunned, and he tried to -rise.</p> - -<p>Margate leaped upon him like a wolf on a lamb, however, forcing him back -upon the floor and dealing him a blow on the head, at the same time -shouting:</p> - -<p>“Out with a gun! Shoot him, Zeke, if he stirs. Bring a rope, Tony, and -be quick about it. Cut one of the window cords.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>THE WOMAN INVOLVED.</small></h2> - -<p>It was close upon noon when Nick Carter, after his interview with -Senator Barclay, rejoined Patsy Garvan and hastened from the statesman’s -residence. None could have appreciated more keenly the gravity of the -situation, the delicate nature of what had been confided to him, and the -quick and clever work that must be done to avert the impending calamity, -if indeed it were possible.</p> - -<p>Nick thought he already saw his way clearly, however, and he began with -informing Patsy of as many of the circumstances as the case required.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got a look in, Patsy, at least,” he added, pausing on a corner to -hail a taxicab. “If Margate sizes up the letter and document as I think -he will, he may undertake to blackmail Lady Deland before I can be seen -by Senator Barclay and put on the case. He will reason, of course, that -I cannot have yet discovered that he is alive, much less have tracked -him to the medical college and to the Barclay residence.”</p> - -<p>“Gee whiz!” exclaimed Patsy. “You’re the only man on earth, chief, who -could have accomplished all that in so short a time. Margate will not -believe it possible.”</p> - -<p>“I am banking on that, Patsy, and that he will attempt to take advantage -of my supposed ignorance. He will know, too, that any move to blackmail -Lady Deland must be made immediately, both on my account and the fact -that the document must be restored to her before to-morrow, when it will -become useless as a lever to blackmail her.”</p> - -<p>“I see both points, chief,” nodded Patsy.</p> - -<p>“I have a countermove framed up in my mind,” Nick added.</p> - -<p>“What’s that, chief?”</p> - -<p>“I will inform you a little later. You go to the Willard as quickly as -possible, now, and bring our make-up box to the Deland residence, -wearing a disguise. I have one in my pocket that will enable me to go -there without being recognized, assuming that the house is being -watched, which I hardly think is probable. We’ll take no chances, -however. Rejoin me there as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p>“You can bank on that, chief,” declared Patsy, as he turned and hurried -away.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later, and precisely ten minutes after Tony Selig ceased -watching the Deland residence, Nick alighted in the disguise of an -elderly man from his taxicab and rang the doorbell of the imposing stone -mansion. The summons was answered by the butler, Hawley, to whom Nick -said tentatively:</p> - -<p>“Is Sir Edward Deland at home?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” Hawley politely informed him. “He is in New York to-day. He -is expected here to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Lady Deland, then?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“She is at home, sir. I will take in your card, sir, if——”</p> - -<p>“Take this note to her, instead, and say that I would like to see her -immediately,” Nick directed, interrupting.</p> - -<p>“Walk in, sir.”</p> - -<p>Nick had waited only a few moments in the reception hall, when the -butler returned and conducted him to the library, where he found Lady -Deland awaiting him—a stately, beautiful woman still in the twenties, -whose pale cheeks and apprehensive eyes denoted with what misgivings she -had read Senator Barclay’s note introducing the famous detective.</p> - -<p>“Close the door when you go out,” she directed, with a glance at the -butler.</p> - -<p>“Yes, your ladyship.”</p> - -<p>Hawley bowed himself from the room.</p> - -<p>“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Carter, and long have known you by name,” -said Lady Deland, then shaking hands with the detective. “Tell me—what -is the meaning of this visit? Has anything happened to Sir Edward -Deland, or to——”</p> - -<p>She hesitated, turning deathly white when Nick, removing his disguise, -said gravely:</p> - -<p>“You have anticipated what has happened, Lady Deland.”</p> - -<p>“You know?” she gasped.</p> - -<p>“Senator Barclay was forced to confide in me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my God!”</p> - -<p>The woman reeled as if about to faint, and Nick helped her to a chair, -saying quickly:</p> - -<p>“Do not be alarmed. Nothing confided to me, Lady Deland, ever goes -farther. I know all of the circumstances and appreciate your position. I -hope to accomplish all that is necessary to set you right. I really -expect to do so, in fact, so try to be calm and give me your assistance. -Both are imperative to what I have in view.”</p> - -<p>Nick’s encouraging words were not without effect upon her. Lady Deland -drew up in her chair, composing herself with an effort and replying -gratefully:</p> - -<p>“Thank you, thank you, Mr. Carter; but, oh, this is terrible. How could -I have done such a thing? Tell me the worst. Let me know the worst.”</p> - -<p>Nick then informed her as briefly as possible of the strange combination -of circumstances resulting in the loss of the fateful document and her -letter relating to it, adding, with convincing earnestness:</p> - -<p>“Senator Barclay is in no sense to blame for the misfortune. He thought -the safest place for the document during the single night he was to -retain it was in the pocket of the coat in his own room.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I do not blame him, Mr. Carter,” said Lady Deland, who now had -nerved herself to meet the trying situation. “Senator Barclay is a very -dear friend, and a man in whom I have absolute confidence. Otherwise I -never could have taken such a step, which I truly felt would be the best -for all concerned.”</p> - -<p>“I appreciate that, I assure you.”</p> - -<p>“But what can be done? How can——”</p> - -<p>“That is what I now wish to discuss with you, Lady Deland, and to point -out what I require of you,” Nick interposed. “I think that we may yet -thwart Andy Margate and recover the document in time to save you from -exposure.”</p> - -<p>“But that dreadful man! He must know——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind what he knows about it,” Nick again interrupted. “If I can -land him and recover the docu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span>ment, I will make very sure that neither -he nor any of his confederates will afterward reveal anything. I will -put them where they can accomplish nothing. Besides, Lady Deland, -revelations on their part would fall flat when opposed with denials from -persons of your character and that of Senator Barclay.”</p> - -<p>“But what can be done, Mr. Carter?” she anxiously inquired.</p> - -<p>Nick then proceeded to tell her of his suspicions, of the only way by -which advantage of the document would probably be taken, and that it -must be attempted that very day in order to be effective.</p> - -<p>“I understand,” she bowed, after hearing him.</p> - -<p>“There is only one way by which it could be done, Lady Deland, and only -one method that really appears feasible,” Nick continued. “One is by the -use of the telephone, which presents too many difficulties and -contingencies for me to think that method will be adopted.”</p> - -<p>“And the other?”</p> - -<p>“The other is with a personal interview with you, possibly by Margate -himself, though much more probably by one of his confederates,” Nick -continued to explain. “Though a daring and desperate man, I doubt that -Margate will venture here in person.”</p> - -<p>“But what am I to do?”</p> - -<p>“These rascals will have only one object in view, that of forcing you to -pay them a large sum of money, or perhaps turn over your jewels to them. -Just how they will attempt it remains to be seen, and I wish to be in a -position to direct what occurs here. That must be accomplished without -incurring the suspicions of the person whom Margate may send.”</p> - -<p>“But how can you do that, Mr. Carter?” Lady Deland doubtfully inquired. -“It will be necessary for me to see the person.”</p> - -<p>“Very true,” Nick admitted, glancing around the room. “I think, however, -that we can arrange it. Where does that door lead?” he added, pointing -to one across which a portière was partly drawn.</p> - -<p>“To Sir Edward’s private study,” said Lady Deland.</p> - -<p>“Is there another door leading out of the room?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Where?”</p> - -<p>“Into the side hall.”</p> - -<p>“Capital!” said Nick, with manifest satisfaction. “From where you sit, -Lady Deland, by glancing into the mirror over the fireplace, I think you -can see into the study.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I can.”</p> - -<p>“You can do so, I observe by merely turning your eyes in the direction -of the mirror.”</p> - -<p>“I can, Mr. Carter.”</p> - -<p>“If you were to do so merely casually, a person seated here would have -no idea that you were in communication with a person in the study,” said -Nick. “By turning my chair in this direction, I can see the mirror, but -not the study door, nor any reflection of it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I now see what you mean,” Lady Deland exclaimed. “You wish to -signal me from the study, by means of the mirror, while I am talking -with the person you suspect will come here.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” Nick replied. “I will stand so that you can see a reflection -of me, and I will signify with a nod, or with a negative shake of my -head, what course you must shape.”</p> - -<p>“I understand you perfectly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“It will be necessary for you to yield to whatever design may be -attempted.”</p> - -<p>“Have you any idea of what it will consist?”</p> - -<p>“I think you will be required to go somewhere, both to get and deliver a -price for the document, and also in order to receive the letter.”</p> - -<p>“I will go,” said Lady Deland quickly. “I shall not fear. I would dare -anything, Mr. Carter, to recover it.”</p> - -<p>“Something more will be necessary,” Nick replied. “I wish to go with you -with one of my assistants, who will presently arrive here.”</p> - -<p>“But will that be allowed?”</p> - -<p>“We must fool whoever comes here into allowing it,” smiled Nick.</p> - -<p>“Will that be possible?”</p> - -<p>“I think so, in view of the fact that much is at stake, and that there -is no time for other arrangements. You must insist upon going in your -touring car, and taking your chauffeur and your maid.”</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“You can state that they know nothing about the business engaging you, -and that the crooks will incur no danger from your having these -uninformed companions. They will have guarded against danger, all right, -as a matter of fact. I know such rascals root and branch.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t understand,” Lady Deland said doubtfully. “What can my maid -and chauffeur accomplish?”</p> - -<p>“Leave that to me,” Nick replied, smiling again. “I shall be your -chauffeur, Lady Deland, and your maid will be Patsy Garvan, my -assistant, who can make up very cleverly as a girl in the twenties.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I now see at what you are driving,” cried Lady Deland, with -countenance lighting.</p> - -<p>“You must provide him with the necessary garments, however,” Nick added. -“We have all else that will be required.”</p> - -<p>“I will do so, Mr. Carter.”</p> - -<p>“I also wish to take your butler’s place for a time, that I may -determine whether any visitor warrants suspicion, and also take steps -consistent with our design.”</p> - -<p>“You may do so,” Lady Deland said readily. “I will give you all the -assistance in my power.”</p> - -<p>“We will make all of the necessary arrangements after my assistant -arrives,” Nick rejoined. “I shall want a coat, cap, and gloves belonging -to your chauffeur. We will put them in an adjoining room, where I can -easily and quickly get them. I will wear a different disguise in the two -characters I shall assume, and—ah, there is the doorbell. That should -be Patsy. In half an hour, Lady Deland, we shall have completed our -arrangements.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER X.<br /><br /> -<small>IN THE NICK OF TIME.</small></h2> - -<p>It was after two o’clock that afternoon when Nancy Selig, following -instructions received from Andy Margate, rang the bell at the Deland -residence and prepared, with all the nerve and effrontery of one of her -class, to carry out the coercive design of her knavish confederate.</p> - -<p>A butler answered the bell—but not the usual butler.</p> - -<p>“I would like an interview with Lady Deland,” said Nancy, bowing and -smiling with affected gentility.</p> - -<p>“I will take in your card, madame,” Nick replied, with blank -countenance. “Or if you will state what your business is, I will inform -her of your request.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“She does not know me by name,” Nancy coolly announced. “I am soliciting -contributions to a very worthy cause, and I was sent here by a friend of -Lady Deland. Will you kindly tell her so, and say,” she added, quite -pointedly, “that she may hear something greatly to her advantage.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter needed to hear no more than that. He bowed and vanished.</p> - -<p>Two minutes later he returned, saying a bit stiffly:</p> - -<p>“Lady Deland will see you.”</p> - -<p>“I thought she would,” remarked Nancy, with covert dryness.</p> - -<p>Nick conducted her to the library and ushered her into the room.</p> - -<p>Lady Deland arose to receive her and pointed to a chair.</p> - -<p>Nancy Selig took it without the ghost of a suspicion.</p> - -<p>Nick withdrew and closed the door, then stepped noiselessly through the -side hall and into the diplomat’s study.</p> - -<p>The first words that fell upon his ears from the library told him that -Nancy Selig had lost no time in approaching the business engaging her.</p> - -<p>“You can safely admit it to me, since you say there is no one to hear -us,” she was adding to what already had passed between them. “There is -nothing in mincing matters. The question is—do you want to recover it?”</p> - -<p>“Assuming that you really know what you have stated, and that I have -lost such an article as you suggest, I naturally would be anxious to -recover it,” Lady Deland replied.</p> - -<p>“There’s just one way you can do it,” said Nancy.</p> - -<p>“How is that?”</p> - -<p>“By paying for it.”</p> - -<p>“Pay whom? Are you the person who has it?”</p> - -<p>“No. A man has it who——”</p> - -<p>“Send him here, then,” Lady Deland interrupted. “I will talk with him.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a fool,” Nancy said curtly. “And don’t pretend that the paper -is of no great value to you. We know better than that, we who have it. -You listen to me for half a minute and I’ll tell you just where you -stand and what you must do.”</p> - -<p>Lady Deland’s eyes drifted toward the mirror for an instant and she -received from the listening detective a signal of assent.</p> - -<p>“Well, I will hear you,” she replied, gazing at the crafty, determined -face of her visitor.</p> - -<p>What Nancy Selig had to say may easily be imagined, and she wound up her -threatening remarks with the announcement that Lady Deland must pay ten -thousand dollars for the return of the document and her letter to -Senator Barclay, or that both would be sent to her husband the moment he -returned to Washington.</p> - -<p>Lady Deland played her part consistently, now and then receiving a -signal from Nick, and evincing apprehensions that soon convinced Nancy -Selig of her own ultimate success.</p> - -<p>“All you need do is go with me and pay down the money,” she announced, -at length. “When you return home, you’ll have the two papers.”</p> - -<p>“But I haven’t so much money in the house,” Lady Deland protested.</p> - -<p>“Draw it from the bank,” said Nance curtly. “There still is time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Where am I to go with you?”</p> - -<p>“To a house a few miles from the city.”</p> - -<p>Lady Deland demurred over that, pretending that she feared to do so, and -she wound up with insisting that she would go only in her own touring -car, in company with her maid and chauffeur.</p> - -<p>Nancy Selig objected strongly to that, and for several minutes the -argument between the two women continued, but the outlook for success -finally overcame Nancy’s objections.</p> - -<p>“Well, I agree to that, then,” she said, with a threatening frown. “But -you’re not to leave me, or have any talk with them that I cannot hear. -I’ll ride with you and go into the bank with you. I’ll not stand for any -monkey business, you can bet on that.”</p> - -<p>“There will be no monkey business, whatever that is,” said Lady Deland -coldly.</p> - -<p>“Call your maid here, then, and give her your directions,” snapped -Nancy. “Send for the chauffeur, too, so we can make a quick get-away.”</p> - -<p>Lady Deland touched a bell on the library table.</p> - -<p>Nick entered from the hall half a minute later.</p> - -<p>“Send my maid, Hawley,” said Lady Deland; Nance constantly watching her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, your ladyship,” bowed Nick.</p> - -<p>Another half minute brought Patsy Garvan into the room, so cleverly made -up as a girl as to have deceived the most discerning observer.</p> - -<p>“Put on your outside garments, Lucy, and bring mine to the front hall,” -said Lady Deland.</p> - -<p>“Yes, madame,” said Patsy demurely.</p> - -<p>“Also tell Hawley to send James to the front door with the touring car,” -added Lady Deland. “I want both of you to go with me for a few hours.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, madame.”</p> - -<p>Patsy bowed and withdrew.</p> - -<p>Nick already was on his way to the garage.</p> - -<p>Lady Deland opened her desk in the library and removed a bank book.</p> - -<p>“Now, woman, I am ready,” she said coldly.</p> - -<p>She was not more ready than Nancy Selig, who now felt sure that she was -not being tricked.</p> - -<p>Five minutes later the touring car, driven by Nick, with Patsy on the -seat beside him and with Lady Deland and Nance in the tonneau, sped away -from the house and turned toward the business section of the city.</p> - -<p>Nick had been quietly informed as to the bank and its location, at which -they arrived twenty minutes later, and into which Nancy accompanied Lady -Deland, leaving the supposed chauffeur and maid in the car.</p> - -<p>“Gee! this looks like soft walking, chief, now,” remarked Patsy, while -they waited.</p> - -<p>“Quite so,” Nick replied. “I think we shall land the goods and arrest -the gang. That woman hasn’t even the ghost of a suspicion.”</p> - -<p>Nick was right.</p> - -<p>With crafty foresight, bent upon not arriving at the road house until -just after dark, Nancy Selig directed the supposed chauffeur over a -roundabout course that thus served her purpose.</p> - -<p>It was between five and six when the light from the touring car swerved -quickly from the woodland road, and the car itself ran noiselessly in -toward the shed and stable back of the road house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Come!” Nance said quietly, quickly alighting and addressing Lady -Deland. “You two servants stay here.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter bowed, standing at the door he had alighted to open.</p> - -<p>Lady Deland started to get out of the car.</p> - -<p>Then came a crash from within the house, the thud of a fallen body, and -then the fierce and furious shouts of Andy Margate, every word of which -reached the detective’s ears.</p> - -<p>Nick turned like a flash and seized Nancy Selig by the throat.</p> - -<p>“Handcuffs, Patsy,” he muttered. “Be quick. Chick is here before us.”</p> - -<p>Patsy was out and at work before the last was said, and in thirty -seconds Nancy Selig was lying on the ground, manacled hand and foot.</p> - -<p>Lady Deland was nearly fainting, but neither detective noticed her.</p> - -<p>Both rushed to the back door, still ajar and showing a beam of light.</p> - -<p>Nick was the first to reach and open it, dashing into the hall, revolver -in hand. He saw Chick on the floor, the four men above him, and the hand -of Andy Margate raised with a revolver to beat out the fallen -detective’s brains.</p> - -<p>Nick fired on the instant, and the bullet went true.</p> - -<p>Margate pitched forward in a heap, with an ounce of lead in his brain, -and instant consternation and dismay fell upon his three confederates.</p> - -<p>“Hands up, you fellows, or there’ll be another corpse here,” Nick cried -sternly, with the rascals effectively covered. “Look after Chick, Patsy. -I can attend to these rats.”</p> - -<p>The “rats” did not dare to show fight. They yielded with curses and -imprecations, and within ten more minutes the case was practically -ended. All were secured, followed later by Zeke Selig’s wife, and the -entire family went to prison for a term of years for their work of that -night.</p> - -<p>Andy Margate did not revive from the dose Nick Carter had given him, as -he had from that taken from his own hand. This time, indeed, he was as -dead as a doornail.</p> - -<p>The document, as well as the property stolen from Senator Barclay, were -easily found and restored to proper hands, and the circumstances were -never even dreamed of by Sir Edward Deland, much to the relief and -gratitude of the beautiful girl whom Nick had served so cleverly.</p> - -<p>He went even farther than that, moreover, interceding with a local judge -for the medical students, with the result that their transgression was -never made public, and the Dabney Medical College escaped without a -smirch on its reputation.</p> - -<p>So the strange case ended to the satisfaction of all—save the knaves -responsible for it.</p> - -<p class="fint">THE END.</p> - -<p>“The Mark of Cain; or, Nick Carter’s Air-line Case,” will be the title -of the long, complete story which you will find in the next issue, No. -148, of the <span class="smcap">Nick Carter Stories</span>, out July 10th. You will also find -several other articles of interest, together with the usual installment -of the serial now running.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="Sheridan_of_the_U_S_Mail" id="Sheridan_of_the_U_S_Mail"></a>Sheridan of the U. S. Mail.<br /><br /> -<small>By RALPH BOSTON.</small></h2> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>THE BOSS DEFIED.</small></h2> - -<p>The man in the gray uniform of Uncle Sam’s postal service laughed -lightly. “Don’t talk like a boob,” he said. “I’m not defying any -organization, and I have no desire to make an enemy of Mr. Samuel J. -Coggswell or anybody else. If he’s petty and narrow-minded enough to get -sore on me just because I refuse to give up five dollars for a picnic -ticket for which I have no earthly use, well, I can’t help it.”</p> - -<p>The smile upon his good-humored face suddenly gave place to a sterner -expression. “And let me tell you,” he went on, “I don’t like your method -of selling tickets. The way you go about it looks to me very much like -blackmail. I never had the pleasure of meeting your friend, Mr. -Coggswell, but if he instructed you to hold up strangers on the street, -and hand them that line of talk, I haven’t any use for him; and you can -tell him I said so.”</p> - -<p>The stout, red-faced, flashily dressed young man who had accosted the -letter carrier on the street corner just as the latter was about to -enter Branch Post Office X Y, scowled at this utterance.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll tell him, all right,” he retorted. “You can bet he’s goin’ to -hear about your freshness. What’s your name, anyway?”</p> - -<p>“Owen Sheridan,” was the prompt reply.</p> - -<p>The other produced a pencil and memorandum book from his vest pocket and -ostentatiously made a note of the name.</p> - -<p>“Very well, Mr. Sheridan,” he sneered, “we’ll see how you’ll feel when -you’re on Boss Coggswell’s black list. Guess he’ll make you lose that -cocky air before long.”</p> - -<p>He turned on his heel and sauntered off up the street. Carrier Sheridan, -who had just returned from his delivery route, entered the post office -and went upstairs to the “swing room”—the place in which the carriers -lounge between tours—and joined a dozen of his gray-coated comrades who -were indulging in a few minutes of idle chatter.</p> - -<p>“I had a funny experience just now,” he said; “a chap buttonholed me on -the corner and tried to sell me a ticket to the Samuel J. Coggswell -Association’s annual chowder and outing. When I refused to come across -with five dollars, and told him I had no desire to go to the outing, he -got sore and began to threaten me with the wrath of Mr. Coggswell. He -said it meant my finish in the postal service if I wouldn’t give up. Can -you beat that for cast-iron nerve?”</p> - -<p>Instead of the loud laugh which he expected, some of the carriers smiled -sheepishly, and others looked grave.</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean to say that you refused to take the ticket, son?” -exclaimed “Pop” Andrews, a grizzled carrier, whose coat sleeve bore two -gold stars, signifying that he had seen forty years’ service in the -department.</p> - -<p>“I certainly did refuse,” replied young Sheridan indignantly. “Do you -suppose for a minute that I’d let any man blackmail me into giving up -money for something I don’t want?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Pop Andrews shook his head deprecatingly. “That was foolish of you, very -foolish. If you want to get along in this business, you can’t afford to -antagonize ‘Boss’ Coggswell. You haven’t been in New York long, so -perhaps you don’t know who and what he is?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I do,” replied Sheridan, with a smile. “I’ve heard of him, of -course. He’s a politician, and the leader of this assembly district; but -I don’t see what reason I’ve got to be afraid of him as long as I do my -duty. This is a civil-service job, and——”</p> - -<p>Several of the men interrupted him with bitter laughter. Pop Andrews -undertook to explain the reason for their mirth.</p> - -<p>“Civil service is all right as far as it goes, son,” he said gravely, -“but the trouble is, it don’t go very far—not nearly as far as the pull -of Samuel J. Coggswell.</p> - -<p>“You see,” he went on, “the boss has got so much influence at Washington -that he can get pretty near anything he wants. If he wishes to boost a -postal employee’s salary, or land him a soft berth, he can do it with a -few strokes of his pen, or a few words on the long-distance wire. But if -he wishes to keep a man down, he only has to put in a knock at -headquarters, and the poor fellow’s goose is cooked. You can slave, and -study, and take all the civil-service exams you want, but you’ll never -get promotion while you’re on Samuel J. Coggswell’s black list.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean it?” exclaimed Sheridan in astonishment. “Then that -fellow spoke the truth? I thought he was only trying to bluff me into -buying a ticket for the outing.”</p> - -<p>“He gave it to you straight,” replied the veteran postman. “You -shouldn’t have refused to buy the ticket. I guess you’re the only -employee in this branch that hasn’t got one.”</p> - -<p>“Is that right, boys?” demanded the astonished carrier, turning -incredulously to his comrades. “You don’t mean to say that you are all -going to the outing?”</p> - -<p>The other carriers laughed. “I reckon there’s mighty few of us that’ll -be there,” said one. “I gave my ticket to a feller that keeps a -delicatessen shop on my route, this morning. It wasn’t any use to me.”</p> - -<p>“Then why on earth did you buy it?” demanded Sheridan indignantly.</p> - -<p>“For the reason that Pop has just given you—because I want to stand in -right with Coggswell,” was the candid reply. “That’s why we all buy ’em -each year. It’s Coggswell’s little graft. He knows that we haven’t any -use for the tickets, but it’s his pleasant little way of collecting five -dollars a year from each of us. Considerin’ the pull he’s got at -headquarters, we think it’s a mighty good investment.”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s a dirty piece of blackmail,” declared Sheridan, his eyes -flashing. “Before I’d submit to it, I’d——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be rash, son,” broke in Pop Andrews. “That kind of talk sounds -good behind the footlights at a theater, but, take it from me, it won’t -carry you very far in the service. You’re young and ambitious, you want -to get ’way up in the department; take my advice, and win the friendship -of the man whose pull can put you there. You might begin by joining his -organization. That’s what a good many of the fellows in this branch are -doing. They’re wise enough to see the advantage of being a member of the -Samuel J. Coggswell Association.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“But I’m on the other side of the fence,” protested Sheridan. “My -politics——”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care what your politics are,” interrupted the grizzled carrier, -with a sly wink. “When Election Day comes you can vote whatever way you -want. We all do that. Coggswell has no way of telling in which column -you put the cross. But in between elections, belong to the organization -and whoop it up for Coggswell all you can. In that way you’re sure to -bring yourself to the boss’ attention.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ve brought myself to his attention already,” said Sheridan, -with a whimsical smile. “You see, Pop, in addition to refusing to buy a -ticket, I sent him a message, telling him just what I think of him and -his blackmailing methods.”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” exclaimed several of the carriers, looking at their comrade -commiseratingly. Owen Sheridan was very popular with the employees of -Branch X Y, and they would have been sorry to see him come to grief.</p> - -<p>“What sort of a man was this fellow you were up against?” inquired Pop -Andrews gravely.</p> - -<p>“A chap about my own age, I should judge; rather stout, with a red, -beefy face, and dressed to kill,” replied Owen. “He had a diamond in his -necktie so big that it almost blinded me, and he was smoking a big black -cigar that I guess only a politician could afford to buy.”</p> - -<p>“That was Jake Hines,” declared one of the men. “He’s Coggswell’s -right-hand man.”</p> - -<p>“Jake’s not a bad sort, if he’s handled right,” said Pop Andrews. “If I -were you, Owen, I’d go and see him this evening. You’ll find him at the -clubhouse. He hangs round there nearly every night.”</p> - -<p>“Go and see him? What for?” demanded Sheridan in astonishment.</p> - -<p>“To have a talk with him and straighten things out, of course. You don’t -want to lose any time rectifying the blunder you’ve made. Tell Jake that -you’ve been thinking things over, and you’ve decided that you’d like one -of those tickets, after all. If you can afford it, it would be a good -scheme to take two, to help smooth things over, you know.”</p> - -<p>Owen Sheridan laughed heartily at this suggestion. “Say, if I could get -the job of postmaster general to-morrow merely by buying one of those -tickets, I wouldn’t buy one!” he declared resolutely.</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>SUMMONED BY THE BOSS.</small></h2> - -<p>Owen Sheridan’s comrades had not been guilty of exaggeration in warning -the young man of the danger he ran in antagonizing Boss Coggswell. Great -reforms have been effected in the United States postal service since the -time when Sheridan entered the department, and politicians of Samuel J. -Coggswell’s ilk are no longer able to terrorize and corrupt the -employees by means of a “pull” at Washington.</p> - -<p>A certain famous post-office investigation resulted in the indictment of -many big and little postal officials, and the laying bare of a startling -system of fraud, corruption, and official misconduct; and made it, -happily, a thing of the past; but before that big house-cleaning -occurred, the power of the political boss was a thing to be feared by -every carrier and clerk in the department.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span></p> - -<p>Owen was not greatly disturbed by the warnings. Young, optimistic, -self-confident, he could scarcely bring himself to believe that the big -career he had mapped out for himself in the department could be checked -or affected merely by his refusal to buy a ticket to a political picnic.</p> - -<p>The idea appeared preposterous. He would succeed, he told himself -confidently, in spite of the antagonism of Samuel J. Coggswell and his -lieutenant, Jake Hines. He was painstaking, a hustler, and keen of mind; -these qualities, he felt sure, were bound to win his promotion in -time—even without any politician’s pull.</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not worrying much about Mr. Coggswell,” he said to himself, -with a smile, as he stood at his “case” in the post office, sorting the -mail for his delivery route, the morning after his encounter with Jake -Hines. “But what is worrying me a lot more,” he went on, with a frown, -“is this confounded—— By Jove! Here’s another one of ’em now!”</p> - -<p>The cause of his emotion was an envelope which had just turned up in the -pile of mail he was sorting. For several minutes his long, nimble -fingers had been going through the heap of letters with such speed and -dexterity that it seemed impossible that he could be separating and -arranging them in rotation, according to the house numbers on his -delivery route. He seemed scarcely to glance at the addresses on the -envelopes; it appeared to be a purely mechanical operation.</p> - -<p>Although there was nothing about this particular white envelope to make -it conspicuous, Owen recognized it as soon as it turned up. With a look -of deep disgust on his face he withdrew it from the pile.</p> - -<p>“This is the fifth he has sent her in the past week,” he muttered. “I -wonder who the fellow is, and what he is to her. I wish I knew.</p> - -<p>“But, of course, I wouldn’t do anything like that,” he added hastily, -ashamed of the unspoken thought. “It is mighty tough, though, to have to -deliver your rival’s letters to the girl you love. To suspect that there -is a rival is bad enough; but to have to be the bearer of his confounded -letters is certainly rubbing it in.”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam’s men in gray are supposed to be mere automatons when it comes -to delivering mail. One of the rules of the department is to the effect -that carriers must not indulge in any unnecessary conversation while -covering their routes; and, of course, they are not supposed to ask any -questions or betray any curiosity concerning the letters they carry.</p> - -<p>Owen Sheridan was well up on the rules and regulations, but he vowed, as -he stepped out of the office to cover his route, that he was going to -find out the significance of that letter before another hour had passed.</p> - -<p>For thirty minutes he went briskly from house to house, stuffing mail -into letter boxes, ringing each bell, blowing his whistle in every -vestibule he visited; then, having finished his row of flat houses and -private dwellings on the side street, he swung into the avenue and -stopped outside a store, on the window of which was the sign, in gilt -lettering: “Walter K. Sammis, Real Estate and Insurance.”</p> - -<p>For a second he stood on the sidewalk as though afraid to go in. Then he -drew a long breath and entered, a half dozen letters in his hand, among -them the envelope which was causing him so much concern.</p> - -<p>A young woman who sat at a typewriter behind the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span> barrier which divided -the office in two, looked up from her machine, and greeted him with a -cordial smile.</p> - -<p>“Good morning,” she said. “You’re a little late to-day, aren’t you? I’ve -been waiting impatiently for you—I mean the mail, for the past ten -minutes.”</p> - -<p>She was a very pretty girl. Her hair was dark, her eyes were brown and -very large and bright, her cheeks bewitchingly pink. The young carrier -thrilled as he looked at her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, the mail is kind of late this morning, Miss Worthington,” he said -awkwardly. “I’ve got an unusually big delivery to-day.” He held out the -bunch of letters in his hand. “Here are five for the boss and one for -you.”</p> - -<p>He watched her face anxiously as she extended her hand for the mail. His -own grew dark as he saw her eyes light up at the sight of the -handwriting on the envelope addressed to her.</p> - -<p>“You—you seem to be getting an awful lot of mail from Chicago lately,” -he remarked gloomily.</p> - -<p>She nodded and smiled brightly. “Yes, I am very fortunate. This is the -fifth this week.”</p> - -<p>“And all from the same fellow!” he exclaimed, with a bitter laugh.</p> - -<p>“Why, how do you know that?” she demanded, looking at him quizzically -from under her long lashes.</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t you suppose I can recognize the handwriting?” was his sullen -reply.</p> - -<p>“Really?” She laughed. “I didn’t think you letter carriers were so -smart. Considering the thousands of letters you must handle in the -course of a week, I should think it would be impossible for you to -remember the handwriting of each——”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know who he is!” Owen broke in impulsively.</p> - -<p>“Why, really, Mr. Sheridan!” she exclaimed. “I think you are rather -impertinent. Unless I am greatly mistaken, the contents of the letters -you handle do not concern you at all. Your duty is to deliver mail, and -it ends there.”</p> - -<p>Her tone was one of great indignation, but there was a merry twinkle in -her eye. He was so dejected, however, that he did not notice the -twinkle.</p> - -<p>“The contents of that particular letter do concern me very much, Miss -Worthington,” he returned doggedly. “As a letter carrier, I admit I have -no right to ask you any questions; but as a man—well, I’ve got to know -what that fellow is to you. I’ve got to know what chance I stand against -him. I’ve been suffering the whole week—ever since the first of those -confounded letters made its appearance, and I can’t stand it any -longer.”</p> - -<p>Then, before he realized what he was doing, Owen Sheridan was blurting -out a proposal of marriage. The words came impulsively from his lips. -When he entered the real-estate office five minutes previously, he -hadn’t the slightest intention of taking such a decisive step.</p> - -<p>He was in love with the girl, to be sure, and for several weeks past had -been telling himself that some day he would ask her to be his wife. But -he had also told himself that the day was far off. He was not in a -position to think of marrying as yet. He had been in the postal service -for less than a year, and consequently was receiving only six hundred -dollars per year.</p> - -<p>To marry on six hundred a year—less than twelve<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span> dollars per -week—looked much too difficult. And out of this modest wage, too, he -had to buy his uniforms—complete outfits for both summer and winter -wear. He would have to work for at least five years more before he -attained the rank of fifth-grade carrier and a salary of eleven hundred -dollars, on which he could support a wife.</p> - -<p>For this reason he had hesitated to speak out before; but now jealousy, -aroused by those letters from Chicago, forced the words from his lips.</p> - -<p>The blood rushed to Dallas Worthington’s cheeks as she listened to him. -“You—you want me to marry you?” she gasped. “You can’t mean it. Why, -you scarcely know me at all!”</p> - -<p>“Scarcely know you?” he protested. “Haven’t I been seeing you every day -for the past six months?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but only when you’ve come in here to bring the mail. You can’t -learn enough about a girl to make up your mind that——”</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t my fault that I haven’t seen you after office hours,” he -protested. “I’ve asked you often enough to let me take you out or call -at your boarding house, but you’ve always turned me down.</p> - -<p>“But, anyway,” he went on earnestly, “I know you well enough to feel -sure that you’re the only girl for me. Why, I’m so crazy about you, that -on deliveries when there hasn’t been any mail for this address, I’ve -delivered the wrong letters here on purpose, just so as to have an -excuse for dropping in and seeing you.”</p> - -<p>The girl laughed. “Oh! So that’s why this office is always getting other -people’s mail. I’ve often wondered how you could be so careless.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t there any chance for me, Miss Worthington?” the young carrier -asked pleadingly, as he glanced at the clock on the wall of the -real-estate office, and suddenly realized that if he dallied there much -longer there would be complaints all along his route; for the bag -suspended from his shoulder was still half full of undelivered mail, and -people in New York City are very particular about getting their letters -on time.</p> - -<p>“I don’t ask you to marry me now,” he went on hastily. “I couldn’t do it -even if you were willing, for I’m not making enough money. The United -States government pays its postal employees poorly at the start. I guess -there isn’t another branch of the Federal civil service where a fellow -has to do so much for so little pay.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you get out and go into something else?” she asked. “I’ve -often wondered why a bright fellow like you should be satisfied with -such a small job.”</p> - -<p>“I want to be a post-office inspector,” he answered. “That’s the goal -which tempted me into entering the service. Those fellows earn good -money, and I’ve always had a liking for detective work. You can rest -assured that I don’t intend to remain a carrier very long. To be -promoted to the secret-service branch of the department is my ambition, -and I feel confident that I’ll be able to realize it.”</p> - -<p>“I feel sure you will,” the girl said softly, with a quick glance at his -earnest face. “And—and I’ll wait for you, Owen—until you’re in a -position to get married.”</p> - -<p>“You will?” he exclaimed joyously. “I didn’t expect such luck. Then, -those letters from Chicago——”</p> - -<p>“Were from my brother,” she answered, with a laugh. “He’s two years -younger than I, and he’s always getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span> into scrapes. He’s in another -one now, and he needs money; that’s why he’s been writing so frequently -the past week.”</p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>THE WIGGLING EAR.</small></h2> - -<p>Owen finished his deliveries and returned to the post office with a much -lighter heart than when he had started out.</p> - -<p>“She’s promised to wait for me, and I’m the happiest man in the world,” -he said to himself with a smile. “And she won’t have to wait so very -long, either. I’m going after that post-office inspector job hammer and -tongs—and nothing can stop me from getting it.”</p> - -<p>“Are you Carrier Owen Sheridan?” inquired a voice, suddenly breaking in -upon his happy meditations.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Owen to the young man who addressed him.</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re to come around to the club at nine-thirty this evening,” -went on the latter, in a peremptory manner.</p> - -<p>“The club! What club?” demanded Owen, staring hard at the speaker, whom -he had never seen before.</p> - -<p>“The district organization, of course,” replied the young man -impatiently. “You didn’t suppose I meant the Elks or the Knights of -Pythias, did you? You’re to come around to the headquarters of the -Samuel J. Coggswell Association at nine-thirty sharp. The boss wants to -see you.”</p> - -<p>Having delivered this laconic message, the young man hurried away, and -Owen stood on the threshold of the post-office entrance looking after -him in great astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Boss Coggswell wants to see me!” he muttered to himself. “I wonder what -on earth for.”</p> - -<p>Then a ray of enlightenment came to him, and he grinned broadly. “I -guess Jake Hines has reported to him what I said about those tickets, -and his majesty has sent for me to demand an explanation and an -apology.”</p> - -<p>A frown displaced the grin upon his countenance. “I’d like to see myself -going,” he muttered. “If Coggswell wants any explanation, he’ll have to -come to me; and, at that, I guess he won’t get a lot of satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>But, after a half hour’s reflection, he changed his mind and decided -that it might be just as well for him to heed the summons, insultingly -peremptory as its delivery had been.</p> - -<p>“If I don’t go he may think I’m afraid to face him,” he told himself; -“and, besides, I’m mighty anxious to hear what he has to say.”</p> - -<p>So, at nine-thirty that evening, Owen, being through with his day’s -work, proceeded to the headquarters of the Samuel J. Coggswell -Association, a four-story brownstone structure on a quiet residence -street.</p> - -<p>The quarters of the district organization were luxurious for a political -club. Handsome oil paintings in big gilt frames lined the walls of the -reception hall into which the letter carrier stepped.</p> - -<p>One painting, which hung on the wall opposite the entrance, so that a -visitor’s eye was bound to strike it as soon as he stepped through the -door, was the full-length portrait of a dark, rather stout gentleman, -who stood with his arms folded and his chin sunk upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span> his chest—a pose -made famous by the late Napoleon Bonaparte, and since copied by many -others.</p> - -<p>A brass plate attached to the massive gilt frame of this portrait in -oils bore the legend: “Honorable Samuel J. Coggswell.” By this token -Owen knew that he was gazing upon the likeness of the man whom he had -come to see. He had never before met or seen Boss Coggswell, and had no -idea what he looked like; so, while he waited to be announced, he -studied the picture with great interest.</p> - -<p>He was greatly astonished at what he saw. From what he had heard and -read of political bosses in general, he had formed the impression that -they were all rough, thick-necked, illiterate men of a rough type.</p> - -<p>He had imagined that Coggswell would be like this; but the face which -looked at him from the painting was one of refinement; the forehead was -broad and high, the features were regular, the mouth was curved in a -kind, almost benevolent, smile. Unless the artist had unduly flattered -him, Boss Coggswell looked very much like a gentleman, and a very -pleasant sort of gentleman at that.</p> - -<p>The young man who had gone to announce Owen’s arrival to the boss soon -returned and beckoned to the letter carrier to follow him. He led the -way through a billiard room, and among the men playing at the tables -Owen recognized Jake Hines, the man who had tried in vain to intimidate -him into buying a ticket to the club outing.</p> - -<p>Although the carrier was not now wearing his gray uniform, the -recognition was mutual. Owen could tell that by the scowl which came to -Hines’ face at the sight of him, and, as he passed the table at which -the politician was playing, he heard him mutter something under his -breath which sounded like “fresh young Aleck.”</p> - -<p>Up a flight of stairs which led to a door marked “Director’s -Office—Private.” Owen’s guide conducted him.</p> - -<p>In response to a knock on this door, a deep, pleasant voice cried, “Come -in!” and Owen found himself in a luxuriously furnished room, facing a -rotund, smiling, middle-aged man who sat at a mahogany roll-top desk.</p> - -<p>One glance at Boss Coggswell convinced the letter carrier that the oil -painting downstairs was an excellent portrait. The district leader -certainly appeared to be a very pleasant man. It seemed hard to believe -that he could be the kind of fellow who would persecute a humble -post-office employee for refusing to give up five dollars for a ticket -to a club outing.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, young man,” said Mr. Coggswell, motioning to a chair beside -his desk. “You are Carrier Sheridan, I believe, and you have route -number forty-eight?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered Owen, inwardly wondering why the political leader should -have taken the trouble to familiarize himself with the number of his -delivery route.</p> - -<p>“I am informed,” went on Mr. Coggswell, with a gentle smile, “that you -refused to buy a ticket to the annual chowder and outing of our -association.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Owen, meeting his questioner’s gaze boldly. To himself he -thought: “He certainly isn’t losing any time in getting down to -business.”</p> - -<p>“And I am informed, also,” Boss Coggswell went on, still with the same -gentle smile, “that you expressed an opinion that my method of selling -tickets was closely akin to blackmail?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say exactly that,” returned Owen. “I don’t know what <i>your</i> -method of selling tickets may be; but I did say that if you instructed -or sanctioned your followers to hold up government employees and -threaten them with all sorts of dire disaster if they refused to buy -those tickets, you were a blackmailer, and I had no use for you.”</p> - -<p>He looked Coggswell squarely in the eye. “And, moreover, I am still of -the same opinion,” he added quietly.</p> - -<p>For a few seconds the two men sat eyeing each other; then the political -boss suddenly leaned forward in his chair and placed his plump hand upon -Owen’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Young man,” he said, “I like you for that. You make a hit with me. A -fellow who is not afraid to speak out always has my admiration. I -despise a man who will submit to injustice and tyranny for fear of -losing his job, or the hope of getting a better one.”</p> - -<p>To say that Owen was astonished by this unlooked-for treatment would be -to put it mildly. He looked at the speaker incredulously. The suspicion -entered his head that, perhaps, Coggswell was merely playing with him as -a cat plays with a mouse—handing him these verbal bouquets first of all -in order to give the more force to the abuse and threats which were -about to follow.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” the boss went on, “as soon as I heard that there was a young man -at Branch X Y who had the courage to defy me, I made up my mind to send -for him. I wanted to see what you looked like. I wished to find out -whether you would have backbone enough to stand by what you had said to -Jake Hines, or whether you would cringe and back water as soon as I put -it up to you.”</p> - -<p>Owen, not knowing what answer to make to these amazing words, smiled -lightly and remained silent.</p> - -<p>After a slight pause Boss Coggswell went on:</p> - -<p>“I am pretty good at sizing up men, Mr. Sheridan, and I like your style. -I should be pleased to have you join my organization. We need young men -of your caliber in this district.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” replied Owen, “but I don’t care to go into politics. And, -besides, I am of the opposite party.”</p> - -<p>“I like you for saying that, too,” declared the district leader warmly. -“It is refreshing to meet a young man who is so loyal to his party that -he won’t desert it even to advance himself. I am sorry that we can’t -have you in our organization, Mr. Sheridan, but I am going to help you, -nevertheless; I have taken a great fancy to you, and I am going to see -that you get ahead.</p> - -<p>“Tell me a little about yourself,” he went on. “How long have you been -in the postal service?”</p> - -<p>“Nine months,” answered Owen.</p> - -<p>“And what is your ambition? Surely, a bright young chap like you doesn’t -intend to remain a carrier all his life?”</p> - -<p>“Not if I can help it,” replied Owen, with a smile. “I am looking for -the job of post-office inspector. That’s what caused me to enter the -service.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” murmured Coggswell; “a post-office inspector, eh? You know a good -thing when you see it, don’t you? Got any pull?”</p> - -<p>“No, I haven’t. But I’m studying hard, and I think I shall soon be able -to take the examinations, and——”</p> - -<p>A loud laugh from Boss Coggswell interrupted him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> “The examinations? -Pshaw! They won’t get you very far unless you’ve got a pretty strong -pull, besides.”</p> - -<p>He looked keenly at the young man, and lowered his voice a trifle as he -went on:</p> - -<p>“Now, as I presume you are aware, I have considerable influence at -Washington. I think I shall use that influence to get you what you want, -Mr. Sheridan.”</p> - -<p>Owen stared at him incredulously. “Are you joking with me?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“Not at all. I am perfectly serious. As I said before, you have made a -big hit with me, and I want to help you. To get you the post you are -looking for will not be difficult. You may have to wait a little while, -for there are no vacancies at present, but I give you my word that as -soon as one occurs you shall be made an inspector.”</p> - -<p>He rose from his chair and held out his hand to Owen to indicate that -the interview was at an end.</p> - -<p>“Well, good-by. I am very glad to have met you,” he said heartily. -“Stick to your job as carrier for the present, and rest assured that it -won’t be very long before you will be in the department’s secret -service.”</p> - -<p>Feeling as if he were in a dream, Owen rose and walked toward the door; -but just as he was about to turn the handle, Coggswell’s voice halted -him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, by the way,” said the politician, in a careless tone, “there is one -little point that I had almost forgotten. I think you cover route number -forty-eight, do you not?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is my regular route.”</p> - -<p>Coggswell drew nearer to Owen and lowered his voice almost to a whisper. -“Well, Sheridan, suppose there was somebody residing on your route whose -mail I happened to be interested in? Suppose I had good reasons for -wishing to examine this man’s letters, without his knowledge, of course. -Suppose I asked you not to deliver anything to him until after it had -first passed through my hands, or the hands of a trusted agent? What -would you say to that, Sheridan?”</p> - -<p>“I would tell you to go to blazes!” replied Owen promptly. “I am not a -crook, Mr. Coggswell.”</p> - -<p>So here was the nigger in the woodpile, at last. This was the meaning of -all the soft words that had gone before, and the glittering promise -which the politician had made to him.</p> - -<p>“You are quite sure that you wouldn’t do me a little favor like that?” -the boss went on, looking searchingly into the young man’s face.</p> - -<p>“Quite,” answered Owen shortly.</p> - -<p>“Not even if your promotion to the job of post-office inspector depended -upon it? One good turn deserves another, you know.”</p> - -<p>“I would rather remain a carrier all my life than stoop to such dirty -work,” declared the carrier hotly.</p> - -<p>“Better think it over, Sheridan. Don’t be rash. It would be a pity for a -bright young fellow like you to have his career ruined for a little -thing like this. You understand, of course, that there wouldn’t be the -slightest danger of this man finding out that his mail had been tampered -with? He would receive every letter in perfect shape. You wouldn’t be -running any possible risk of discovery.”</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t make any difference,” retorted Owen. “Whether it’s safe to -do so or not, nobody is going to tamper with any mail that’s in my -charge.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“You really mean that? You’re not making any grandstand play, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I never meant anything more in my life, Mr. Coggswell.”</p> - -<p>For several seconds the two men stood staring fixedly into each other’s -eyes. Then, suddenly, Boss Coggswell once more placed his hand upon the -carrier’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“It was only a joke, my boy. Or, rather, I should say, it was a little -test. I wanted to determine your strength of character, and I must say -that you have met the test remarkably well. I know now, for sure, that -you are honest, and not to be tempted. Good-by.”</p> - -<p>With a paternal pat on the shoulder the politician dismissed his -visitor.</p> - -<p>Owen was very thoughtful as he walked out of the clubhouse. He was not -by any means convinced that the sinister proposition which had been made -to him was nothing more than a harmless ruse to test his character.</p> - -<p>In spite of the politician’s reassuring words, he felt sure that -Coggswell had been very much in earnest about wanting him to hand over -the mail of somebody on his route—that was the real reason he had been -summoned to the clubhouse.</p> - -<p>Owen recalled something which he had once heard somebody say regarding -Samuel J. Coggswell—a very queer remark which had been made in his -presence one day by a man who knew the boss well: “When you are talking -with Sammy,” this man had said, “watch his ears carefully. If they begin -to wiggle, look out for a crooked deal. Most men can’t move their ears -without moving the rest of their heads besides, but Boss Coggswell can -wiggle either ear at will. And, whenever he’s up to to some low trick, -those ears of his always begin to move. He can keep the rest of his face -as straight as a poker player; he can smile on you as sweetly as if he -loved you like a brother, when all the time he hates you like poison; he -can keep his voice as smooth as velvet; but he can’t make his ears -behave when there’s anything crooked going on inside his head.”</p> - -<p>Owen recalled these words now, as he stepped out of the clubhouse. And -he recalled, too, that all the while Samuel J. Coggswell had been -talking to him about that scheme to tamper with the United States mail, -his ears had been moving up and down as if on springs. Therefore, Owen -felt sure that there was mischief brewing.</p> - -<p class="fint">TO BE CONTINUED.</p> - -<h3>UNEXPECTED.</h3> - -<p>He had been trying to impress upon the children in the school, in the -capacity of a temperance lecturer, that though it was right and proper -to relieve suffering and poverty, it was much better to find out the -cause of it all—drink, of course—and remove that; and so with -everything.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said, “suppose your father some morning came downstairs, and, -on going to the cellar, found it flooded; what would he do first? Would -he begin bailing the water out?”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Now, what would be the first thing he’d do?”</p> - -<p>After a short silence, a shrill, piping voice cried out:</p> - -<p>“Why, he’d carry on awful!”</p> - -<h2><a name="SUMMERTIME_IN_THE_COUNTRY" id="SUMMERTIME_IN_THE_COUNTRY"></a>SUMMERTIME IN THE COUNTRY.<br /><br /> -<small>By MAX ADELER.</small></h2> - -<p>We have moved into the country to stay for a few weeks with some of our -relations. They gave us such very warm and repeated invitations that we -concluded to make some sacrifice to go, to oblige them, and I had no -idea how much they appreciated our company until the end of the first -week, when they handed me a bill for fifty dollars for board for three -of us.</p> - -<p>Life in the country is very charming in summertime. We sleep in the -spare room in the garret, where the temperature gets up to one hundred -and four degrees. The roof has not been repaired since Columbus landed, -and consequently it is full of apertures. For any one who wants to study -astronomy while lying in bed, our garret offers phenomenal advantages; -but whenever it rains at night there is nothing to be done but to make a -raft out of the clothes horse and some bed slats, and float the family -until daylight. It is sometimes an exciting apartment. A few nights ago, -while hitting at a mosquito with a shuck pillow, I knocked a wasps’ nest -off of one of the rafters, and in the morning we had knobs as big as -hickory nuts all over our faces and legs.</p> - -<p>It is a good thing to live out here in the country, because the -early-morning air is so healthful. We get our morning air very early. -The family is routed out at four o’clock, so that the men may go to the -harvest field, and if we lie abed, there will be nothing to eat until -dinnertime. To be sure, that would not make any very great difference, -if we could live without food, for country diet is not as attractive as -I hoped it would be.</p> - -<p>We always have salt ham and fried potatoes for breakfast; then we have -boiled ham and potatoes for dinner, and cold potatoes and sliced ham for -supper. On Sundays we have two kinds of ham and stewed potatoes, and -potato pudding for dessert. When I asked for milk for the children, they -said they were using all the milk to fatten the calves.</p> - -<p>They apologized for not having butter because the hucksters who supplied -it hadn’t come. I threw out a hint about raspberries, but they said the -man at the store was expecting them every day from the city, and I would -have to wait. They get their potatoes from the city, too, and the ham -was cured in Cincinnati.</p> - -<p>The only vegetable that grows here is cabbage, but we are not allowed to -eat it, because they trade it off at the store for potatoes, and they -swap their chickens to the huckster for butter—that is, their young -chickens. We had for dinner one day a hen that cackled during the War of -1812. She ate like a piece of india-rubber boot.</p> - -<p>One of the finest things about living in the country is that you can -wander off to some shady spot and lie in luxurious ease upon the grass, -dreaming away the hours. And while you are dreaming away the hours, -straddle bugs will probably crawl up your pantaloons and bite you, and -caterpillars will insert themselves between your shirt collar and neck. -When you get home you find that you have caught a frightful cold from -lying on the damp grass, and while you are sneezing, you learn that one -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> the children has fallen out of the haymow and run a pitchfork -through his calf, and that the other one has been pitched over the fence -by the Durham bull.</p> - -<p>Then, we like to sit out in the cool of the evening and enjoy the calm, -quiet solitude of the place. There is a canal at the end of the lawn, -and when we get enough of the quiet solitude, the <i>Mary Jane, of -Pencader</i>, will come along, and we will be entertained by the captain, -who swears violently at the boy because he does not stimulate the mules -to sufficient activity. As he wakes the echoes with his abnormal -profanity, we suddenly put the children to bed to protect them from -demoralization; and then, when the hind mule has kicked at the boy three -or four times, the boat passes upstream, and silence once more returns.</p> - -<p>We sit there until bedtime, beating off the mosquitoes with one hand and -scratching the bites with the other. And as soon as we get into our -garret with a candle the atmosphere is filled with bugs, which dance -around the room and beat against the walls until we go to sleep.</p> - -<p>It is a good thing to live in the country, because the children have -such a chance to obtain vigorous health. They begin the summer in the -country with prickly heat. Before that is cured they get cholera morbus -from eating green apples.</p> - -<p>Afterward they catch mumps from the children on the next farm, and at -intermediate periods they get bitten by the dog, they come near drowning -in the creek, they are sunstruck, they rub against poison vine in the -woods and swell up, they are tangled in the mower and lose fingers in -the feed cutter, they are run over by the ox cart and ground up in the -threshing machine.</p> - -<p>Then they cry all night in our garret, and eat so much at meals that the -owner of the house looks sour at them and growls out something about -raising the price of board; and they wear out clothes enough to run an -orphan asylum for a couple of years.</p> - -<p>One of the best things about the country is that it gives you a chance -to go a-fishing. We fish in the creek. After digging for a couple of -hours in search of worms, we go to the water and throw in. I get a bite -and pull up, and the line winds tightly around the limb of a tree. Then -I shin up the tree and undo it, and throw in again. After several more -ineffectual bites, I pull up an eel, and find that he has swallowed the -hook.</p> - -<p>Everybody knows how it is with an eel. You might as well try to hold a -streak of lightning. When he has covered your boots with slime, he bites -the line off and wriggles back into the water. When you have put on a -new hook, you get a bite, and jerk out a muddy snag, and then you catch -one small minnow and find that you have been sitting in a puddle of -water, waiting for him to nibble.</p> - -<p>As your bait is exhausted, you conclude to go home, where you can put -some ointment on your blistered hands and face, and pick the ticks out -of your skin and have sewed up the rents made in your trousers by the -blackberry bushes, and get ready for the mosquitoes in the evening.</p> - -<p>There are some very peculiar charms about rural life, and the farmer is -the noblest man on earth. But as for me, I believe I prefer existence in -an alley in the city to even temporary residence among the agricultural -population.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_NEWS_OF_ALL_NATIONS" id="THE_NEWS_OF_ALL_NATIONS"></a>THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS.</h2> - -<h3>Failed to Get Guinea Eggs.</h3> - -<p>Last autumn Clinton B. Struble, of Penn Yan, N. Y., bought one hundred -guinea fowls of a dealer in North Carolina, with the intention of -raising guineas on his Esperanza estate for the Rochester market. The -flock has had the best of care and has been fed with every variety of -supposedly egg-producing concoctions known to Yates County poultrymen. -Notwithstanding this treatment, which has been kept up for over six -months, not one egg was received.</p> - -<p>Recently Mr. Struble took a poultry expert home with him in the hope -that he might find out what the trouble has been. The expert found the -flock in a splendidly healthy condition, but all male birds.</p> - -<h3>“Dead Man” High, Not Dry.</h3> - -<p>“There is a dead man on the roof of City Hall,” was the telephone -message to Mayor Mitchel’s office, in New York City, the other -afternoon. Like alarms followed from tenants of skyscrapers around City -Hall Park. Peter Chieffo, the janitor, was sent aloft to investigate.</p> - -<p>The janitor found a man stretched out asleep on the sunny side of the -clock tower. There was an aroma of rum about him and a spirit of -rebellion in his heart. He protested volubly at being awakened.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Snice’n’ warm up here,” he said; “lemme ’lone.”</p> - -<p>Chieffo helped him down, first by the ladder which leads from the attic -to the skylight on the roof, then down two flights of spiral stairs, and -lastly down the three remaining marble flights to City Hall Park. How he -got up there with the bundle he was carrying is a question which puzzles -the members of the board of estimate. The visitor was unable to explain -or even to give his name.</p> - -<h3>Sudden Finish of a “Bad Man’s” Reign.</h3> - -<p>In the early spring of 1877 the then wild-and-woolly little mining city -of Joplin, Mo., began to hear rumors of a great find of shallow lead on -the banks of Creek, just across the State line in Kansas. Short is a -little stream that rises in the western part of Jasper County, Missouri, -and, after meandering around a few miles, empties into Spring River, in -the eastern part of Cherokee County, Kansas.</p> - -<p>The new discovery of lead was on this stream some nine miles from -Joplin. At that time zinc mining was still in its infancy. In fact, -there were thousands of tons of high-grade zinc ore, which, under the -name of “black jack,” had been thrown out from the lead with which it -mingled and lay in the old dumps of the region. But the new strike was -of lead only, and shallow lead was the one thing sought after by the -miners of those days.</p> - -<p>Then there followed a “stampede” worthy to be classed with those we have -read about as occurring in the gold fields. One year from that day there -was on that ground a thriving little city that claimed a population of -5,000 people.</p> - -<p>There flocked in every blackleg and professional “bad<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> man” from a wide -section of country. Gambling of all grades flourished unchecked in the -broad light of day. Half the buildings were saloons, and a large share -of the other half were brothels. The crooked little trail along which -the buildings of the place were scattered was very appropriately dubbed -“Red-hot Street” by the miners, and it played fully up to its name for -many weeks.</p> - -<p>Naturally, such surroundings and conditions bred crime. There was -quarreling, fighting, and bloodshed. One or two men dropped out of -sight, but their disappearance caused hardly a ripple of inquiry. They -were mostly of that sort who “die with their boots on,” and no one -mourned their loss. Gradually the evil elements grew bolder, and under -the lead of the bolder spirits among them, took advantage of the general -disorder to rob and plunder at every opportunity.</p> - -<p>At the head of these plunderers was one of those characters of whom we -read in stories of wild Western life, and whose likeness we may still -see exploited upon the screen of the moving pictures. He was a typical -“bad man” of the Western mining country. A tall, finely formed fellow, -with a handsome, dare-devil face. He wore his hair well down onto his -shoulders, sported high-heeled, red-topped boots, “toted” a pair of big -revolvers, and when under the influence of liquor, which was practically -all the time, he was a dangerous man. The respectable element feared him -and the coterie which followed his lead. But there was no organized -authority to appeal to for protection, and nothing was done, while the -gang went on their way unchecked and grew in insolence and outrage day -by day.</p> - -<p>This wild leader of a wild band called himself “Tiger Bill” and boasted -loudly of the men he had killed in other places and as to the valiant -things he proposed to do on Short Creek. But the men of the place were -mostly too busy to pay any attention to the vaporings of Tiger Bill, and -as time went on he waxed more truculent and boastful than ever.</p> - -<p>But he was destined to meet disaster at the moment when his prestige was -greatest, and from a source the very last that either the desperado -himself or any one else would have thought capable of resistance to his -will. Among the dozen or so plank sheds along Red-hot Street, that had -up the name of “Restaurant,” was a rough box of a place presided over by -a little German.</p> - -<p>He was a meek-looking, pink-and-white little man, with weak eyes -sheltered behind a pair of large spectacles. He was an industrious -fellow, who attended strictly to his business, and whose only name, so -far as we knew, was Gus.</p> - -<p>One morning Tiger Bill rose in an unusually ferocious frame of mind. The -luck had been against him at cards the night before, and his morning -potations had not sufficed to soothe his ruffled spirits. Walking along -Red-hot Street, he spied little Gus hard at work in his shed. The sight -seemed to fire Bill’s soul with a desire to exploit his fame in the -place. He felt assured that the inoffensive little German was a -tenderfoot ready to his hand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> on whom he could demonstrate his valor -and satisfy his desire for blood and fame in perfect safety to himself.</p> - -<p>“It’s a long time,” he remarked to the henchman at his side; “it’s a -long time since I had a man for breakfast. Watch me get the little -Dutchman.”</p> - -<p>So saying, he strode into the place, with his revolver held -ostentatiously in his right hand. Walking up to the rough board counter, -he said:</p> - -<p>“Here, you little, sore-eyed cuss, give me half a dozen raw oysters. Do -it pretty quick, too, if you know what is good for yourself.”</p> - -<p>Gus hastened to fill the order. Not a sign did he show of fear, but some -remarked later that he served the oysters with his left hand.</p> - -<p>“Here,” shouted Bill. “What do you mean sticking such oysters as them -under my nose?”</p> - -<p>And at the word he dashed the contents of the dish full in the face of -the German. As he did so, he threw up his hand holding the revolver. -Beyond question he meant to kill Gus.</p> - -<p>But Tiger Bill never fired that shot. Quicker than even his trained and -murderous hand, quick as a flash, indeed, the little German’s hand came -up, and it held a big, old-fashioned Colt revolver, and in an instant -the desperado was as dead as he could reasonably expect to be, with a -bullet hole drilled neatly through his head.</p> - -<p>A great crowd instantly rushed in. Bill lay dead upon the floor, his -right hand still holding the revolver; behind the counter stood Gus, -quietly wiping off the mess of oysters from his face and the counter.</p> - -<p>“Good Lord, Gus, what have you done?” shouted one.</p> - -<p>“Mine Gott,” replied Gus. “Vat must I do? He vas schlapped me mit der -oysters of der face already, und he vas his gun have ready to shoot. -Next time maybe he takes a tenderfoot, maybe! Eh?”</p> - -<p>There was nothing further to be said. Gus had stated the question -perfectly. So they picked up what was left of Tiger Bill, and, clad as -he was, and “with his boots on,” they thrust him into a hole in the -woods. Then the decent element, always in a large majority, rallied, and -elected men to serve as a committee to control the town until such time -as a regular government could be established.</p> - -<p>One of the first duties that committee discharged was to send forth -notice that if any of the Tiger Bill crowd or their sympathizers were -caught in Short Creek that night there would be one of the largest and -liveliest hangings in history. That notice was enough; without Tiger -Bill, the courage of the bunch was wholly a minus quantity, and they -stayed not upon the order of their going, but went.</p> - -<h3>Silent Workers of the “Black Cabinet.”</h3> - -<p>“Headwork and legwork are more important than green goggles and false -whiskers” for the modern sleuth, according to William J. Flynn, chief of -the United States Secret Service, better known as Uncle Sam’s “Black -Cabinet.”</p> - -<p>As a rule, disguises are not used by those in the service. If the matter -in hand, for instance, requires the collection of information from -workmen, a man is chosen who looks the part without a disguise. He -simply wears such clothes as workmen wear and affects the manners and -speech of the men with whom he mingles. On the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> other hand, if the work -requires contact with people in a better-dressed walk of life, or with -foreigners or negroes, an operative of the same class is chosen.</p> - -<p>The United States Secret Service is under the direct supervision of the -secretary of the treasury. The only thing that can land a man in its -employ is passing the preliminary examination, submitting to a personal -interview with Chief Flynn, and showing one’s nerve and ability during a -month of testing out in the real business of detective work for Uncle -Sam. If a man makes good after this preliminary test, he goes on the -roll permanently.</p> - -<p>The men are gathered from greatly different sources. There are college -graduates, mostly sons of criminal lawyers; musicians, stenographers, -linguists, bank clerks, identification experts, telegraph operators, -commissioned and noncommissioned officers of the army or navy, newspaper -men, a couple of sheriffs, one or two wardens, and an ex-mayor.</p> - -<p>Some of the best work of secret-service operatives in recent years has -been accomplished by men formerly in the claims department of a railroad -or life-insurance companies.</p> - -<p>The secret-service headquarters in Washington occupies a very -unpretentious suite of offices on the first floor of the treasury -department. Here are the private offices of Chief Flynn, whose salary is -$4,000 a year, and the assistant chief, William Moran, regarded as the -greatest expert in the detection of counterfeits and counterfeiters.</p> - -<p>There is a clerical division employing not more than a dozen persons; an -identification bureau, where are kept on file the records of all known -counterfeiters and other undesirable citizens, and a large storeroom, -where confiscated counterfeiting outfits seized in raids are allowed to -accumulate pending their destruction according to law. There is a saying -in the service that “once a counterfeiter always a counterfeiter.”</p> - -<p>The secret service was created primarily to catch counterfeiters and -protect the person of the president. In 1861 there was carried in one of -the appropriation acts $10,000 for suppressing the counterfeiting of -coin. Annually thereafter provision was made for the same purpose, and -embracing the counterfeiting of paper currency.</p> - -<p>The United States is divided into secret-service districts, each -district having headquarters conveniently located in charge of a skilled -operative, who has under his direction from time to time as many -assistants as the criminal activities in his locality demand.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the most picturesque work of the secret service is performed by -its “flying squadron”—the free-lance field workers, who may be sent to -any place at any time. Most of these men are not much above thirty years -of age; the average age of all secret-service men is under thirty-five. -They are alert, energetic, resourceful, and capable of assuming almost -any part of a sleuth demanded.</p> - -<p>A new recruit in the service starts in as an assistant operative at -three dollars a day—if he proves worthy, he is promoted to the rank of -operative at five dollars a day. As an operative his pay may increase to -seven dollars a day, but before he can obtain the top-notch salary, he -must have made good and have acquired a considerable fund of practical -experience valuable to the service.</p> - -<p>One of the most mysterious phases of the secret-service work concerns -the maintenance of communication between the central office in -Washington and its field opera<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span>tives. A message, even in cipher is never -dispatched openly to his chief, but to some private individual, -previously agreed upon, who in turn places the message in the hands of -Chief Flynn.</p> - -<p>Secret-service men are at work all the time. When there is no particular -case on hand, they are getting a line on the habits, haunts, and byways -of certain people who seem to be living without apparent effort. The -shadowed party does not suspect it, and he may never know.</p> - -<p>Some years ago there was a notorious counterfeiter named Emanuel Ninger, -who for seventeen years kept the secret-service men of the whole country -chasing him. When they finally landed him, they had enough evidence -against him to convict him on a dozen counts.</p> - -<p>Ninger was a manufacturer of hand-painted paper money. Being a skillful -artist, he was able to paint on white paper an all-but-perfect -reproduction of a ten or twenty-dollar bill. But the wet finger of a -bartender coming in contact with one of Ninger’s hand-painted bills -caused the color to “run.” Ninger had passed this particular bill -himself, and through it he was traced, arrested, and convicted.</p> - -<p>At the time of his arrest the Washington bureau had on hand a large -collection of “Ninger notes,” but Ninger, until apprehended, had been -unknown to the secret service, and the notes were credited to “Jim the -Penman.”</p> - -<p>An Indiana preacher, William K. Wade, turned counterfeiter, but confined -himself to twenty-five-cent pieces. The secret-service men were never -able to discover the location of his factory nor find his apparatus, but -the evidence against him was conclusive, and he was convicted. He served -his term in the penitentiary.</p> - -<p>During the fiscal year ended June 30th last, there were 368 arrests by -the secret service, with seizure of $44,412 of counterfeit and altered -notes, $22,319 of counterfeit coins, 154 plates, four dies, and 162 -molds.</p> - -<h3>This Goose Lays Big Eggs.</h3> - -<p>George Motter, of Nova, Ohio, reports that he has a remarkable goose. -This goose doesn’t lay golden eggs, but it does lay eggs which are five -inches long, two and seven-eighths inches in diameter, and which weigh -three-quarters of a pound each. And Mr. Motter’s goose continues to lay -in spite of the fact that she has passed her thirteenth birthday.</p> - -<h3>“Rings in Noses and Bells on Their Toes.”</h3> - -<p>Fashions of men and women frequently jump from one extreme to another, -but, according to a general all-around prophet, America is soon to -witness a series of transformations that will make plain, old-fashioned -people simply gasp with amazement. Society maids are to wear rings in -their noses and bells on their toes; the fair sex will become entirely -bald, and perhaps have cute little landscape scenes done in oil here and -there on their shining pates; men may adopt skirts, wear bracelets and -earrings, and possibly carry fans instead of canes, the walking sticks -being permissible to women alone.</p> - -<p>This old world is fast approaching its great upheaval stage, this -wonderful prognostigator tells us. The great war of nations shows -it—the Scriptures show it, he declares. We have been in preparation for -this upheaval for nearly eighty years. He gets this from Peter’s saying<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> -that an hour of God’s time is a thousand years. An hour of our time -would be eighty-three and one-third years of the Lord’s. This is our -eleventh hour of dispensation. It began in 1829 or thereabouts. He also -figures it out that the European war will end one year, one month, one -day, and one hour from the date of its inception—that—that—oh, well, -that lots of things are about to happen, including the customary rise in -beef prices.</p> - -<p>James Henry Tate is fifty years old, is a pleasant little man, with a -great deal of personality and knowledge of events, past, present, -and—possibly—the future. Born in America of wealthy parents, educated -in the East, and possessing the “gift of tongues” and the power of -healing, he went to Denver five years ago after a revelation that Denver -is to be the central city of the great upheaval, religious and -otherwise.</p> - -<p>“Present-day fashions are bearing out the Scriptures. In a very few -years women will be wearing bells on their shoes,” he predicts. “Skirts -will become tighter, and women will become old at early ages. Then women -will wear rings in their noses and will become bald, totally bald. For -the Scriptures read in the third chapter of Isaiah, 16th, 17th, and 18th -verses:</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Moreover, the Lord said because the daughters of Zion are haughty and -walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as -they go and making a tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will -smite with a scab the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion.’</p> - -<p>“I was called by the spirit when I was but seven years old. I have -received many calls since. I have the power of healing by the laying on -of hands. I carry a bottle of olive oil with me with which I anoint any -one who wishes to be healed, after the devils are cast out of the body. -I have a good constitution and have never had a doctor.</p> - -<p>“My father is eighty-five years old, has served as a State senator in -Wisconsin, and he is rugged and strong. I eat no pork or fish that do -not have scales. I bar catfish, for catfish are scavengers and unclean. -I eat coarse bread and drink pure water.</p> - -<p>“Latter-day churches are ignorant in their evils, and that is what is -causing so much backsliding. I have telegraphed President Wilson and -Secretary of State Bryan many times, and they have always followed my -advice, especially in the maintaining of strict neutrality. I have -received personal notes from our president, thanking me for my advice -and prayers.”</p> - -<h3>Interesting New Inventions.</h3> - -<p>J. B. Deidrich, of Streator, Ill., has invented a bread slicer which he -believes will be especially valuable for restaurants and boarding -houses. The knife is not much different from the ordinary bread knife, -but it is suspended from a frame which causes it to come down in the -same place each time it is swung for a cut. There is also a gauge which -insures every slice being of the same thickness. With its use there is -no danger of bread more than an eighth of an inch thick getting by the -censor.</p> - -<p>Two Wisconsin inventors have patented a kerosene lamp that is -automatically extinguished if upset or even lifted from a support.</p> - -<p>A screen has been patented that is raised and low<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span>ered with a window so -as not to interfere with the light when the window is shut.</p> - -<p>The latest aëroplane invention is the use of a recording phonograph by -which the operator may make notes of his observations.</p> - -<p>A conveyer belt has been recently made for an Ohio stone quarry which -cost $6,000, weighs 12,000 pounds, is 839 feet long, and 26 inches in -width—one of the largest ever made, if not the record breaker itself.</p> - -<p>For carrying baskets that lack handles of their own, a folding wire -handle has been invented.</p> - -<p>A cane that can be taken apart and converted into a stool is a French -invention.</p> - -<h3>Odd Texas Chicken Prodigy.</h3> - -<p>A four-legged chicken is the latest poultry prodigy to appear in Sulphur -Springs, Texas. Mrs. Neal Stribbling found this odd chicken in a brood -of twelve Rhode Island Reds. The baby chicken has two legs on its back, -directly above its two lower legs. It seems to be able to get about -quite as easily as the others of the hatch.</p> - -<p>While sitting down it looks as if it were lying on its back, especially -when it stretches its upper legs, but generally they lie flat. When -walking the upper legs keep in motion, as if they helped the little -chick to get over the ground. It is now five days old, seems healthy, -and there is every indication that it will live.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Stribbling thinks that possibly, later on, the chicken will be able -to flop over and use its upper legs for walking. Should this prove true, -she will try to sell it to a circus.</p> - -<h3>Egg in Contribution Plate.</h3> - -<p>When Reverend J. George Betzle, pastor of the First Baptist Church, in -Fremont, Neb., entered the church on a mission, he was surprised to see -a hen flutter out from under the pulpit. In his chase after the startled -biddy Mr. Betzle found an egg in the collection plate. The hen entered -the church through an open window and evidently wanted to contribute her -mite to the cause by laying an egg.</p> - -<h3>Stayed in One Room Thirty-seven Years.</h3> - -<p>After spending thirty-seven years in solitary confinement in a -dungeonlike room that knew no ray of sunshine, Monroe Eoff, sixty-eight -years old, Confederate veteran, died in Union, Ark. Thirty-seven years -ago he became blind, and immediately shut himself in his room, from -which he never left alive. His wife and daughter were the only persons -permitted to enter the room.</p> - -<h3>Gopher-trail Swindle Mulcts the Country.</h3> - -<p>Following the discovery that Teodoro Rosas, a Mexican youth, of Phoenix, -Ariz., had been conducting a gopher farm and mulcting the county out of -fifty to one hundred dollars a month, the supervisors abolished the -bounty of five cents which they had long paid on each gopher tail.</p> - -<p>Farmers regard gophers as pests, and at their request the bounty was -made. Bounty claimants were required only to present the tails of -rodents, it being presumed that the animals the tails had belonged to -were killed. Young Rosas presented several hundred tails a month.</p> - -<p>One of the supervisors chanced to pass by the Rosas farm and saw that it -was honeycombed with gophers’ bur<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span>rows. He saw a number of gophers -without tails, and questioned Fosas, who admitted that he had never -killed a gopher, but, after removing their tails, turned them loose for -breeding purposes.</p> - -<h3>Centipedes Moving North.</h3> - -<p>The department of agriculture has made a study of the house centipede -which of late has spread from the Southern States to a number of -Northern States, and has issued a bulletin in which some of its -characteristics are set forth. It thrives in most places and devours -various house pests, such as moths, roaches, flies, probably even -bedbugs, and others. It does not injure household goods, woolens, et -cetera, as is commonly supposed. Its bite is somewhat poisonous, but it -seldom bites human beings except in self-defense. Prompt dressing with -ammonia is recommended as the best remedy for the bites.</p> - -<h3>Biggest Lemon Is in Jersey.</h3> - -<p>Mrs. Henry H. Bull, of Sparta, N. J., is exhibiting a lemon said to be -the largest ever raised in a hothouse in this section of the country. -The lemon measures thirteen inches in circumference, is eight inches in -length, and weighs four pounds. It took one year from the time the tree -blossomed until the lemon was ripe. The trees is five years old.</p> - -<h3>Fat Girl Passenger Stops Railway Traffic.</h3> - -<p>Traffic on the New York Central line was delayed twenty minutes when -Anna Chelton, Oil City’s fat girl, weighing more than 700 pounds, -departed to join a circus.</p> - -<p>Half a dozen men transported her in a specially made wheel chair to the -baggage car, and when a transfer was made at Andover, Pa., the car was -detached and shifted to the freight depot. Later the baggage car of the -second train was shifted to the depot, and the weighty damsel placed in -it. The train was held until the crew made the transfer.</p> - -<h3>Carnegie Medal Is Well Won by Boy.</h3> - -<p>The stuff they mold heroes of cropped out at Dothan, Ala., one spring -morning. Now Henry T. Matthews, a youngster of that city, is wearing a -bronze medal presented by Andrew Carnegie for a remarkable deed of valor -committed with such modesty as would almost suggest indifference. -Newspapers throughout the State are now presenting the youth’s name as a -new representative of Alabama in the select few the Carnegie commission -chooses to call heroes. It all came about something like this:</p> - -<p>Little Benjamin Grant, son of B. J. Grant, Dothan banker, and several -other playmates, whose ages averaged about the three-year mark, had -slipped from their nurses who chatted in the sunshine and were enjoying -the fine spring morning away up under the Grant residence, digging -trenches, making frog houses, tunnels, and such things and getting their -fresh linen just as dirty as they shouldn’t. Suddenly Benjamin -disappeared, right before the eyes of his mystified young friends. It -was as if the earth had swallowed him up.</p> - -<p>The fair-haired tot had slipped into a deserted bored well, hid up under -the house for so long that no one ever remembered when it had been dug, -when it had been used, or when it had been deserted and covered<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> up by -the building. Moreover, no one happened to know how deep it was, as was -later learned, and with these thoughts rushing through her frightened -brain the nurse girl in charge of little Ben prepared to inform the -child’s mother that her son was somewhere below earth, in a darkened, -unknown hole.</p> - -<p>The alarm spread with a swiftness hardly believable. Within a few -minutes every woman in the neighborhood and every man who might be -located sitting about home during the busy part of the morning had -rushed to the scene.</p> - -<p>The hole into which the boy had fallen was not large enough to carry -light more than a few feet; no man in a thousand could squeeze his -shoulders into the opening. To be exact, it measured thirteen inches in -diameter, as a later measurement showed.</p> - -<p>Several men gazed into the blackness of the hole and gazed back again, -their faces pale, their eyes wide with a helplessness that brought on an -uncanny fright, even in the hearts of the strongest.</p> - -<p>Some suggested a rope, others thought of hooks, and some said dig a -tunnel. All soon agreed, however, that none of the plans of rescue could -be carried out, for a three-year-old boy would never be expected to grab -a rope to be pulled through yards and yards of a bored well; iron hooks -might tear the baby to pieces while rescuers knelt and heard his cries -in vain, and a tunnel to the distance where his cries indicated he had -fallen would certainly mean a fatal cave-in.</p> - -<p>Suggestions that some person be lowered had, of course, been advanced -long before, but had proven useless, for not one person in the great -crowd could enter the small opening.</p> - -<p>“Send out and get some boys,” shouted one of the directors of the work. -The schools and their numerous offerings of all sizes and ages of lads -came first into the minds of the volunteer hunters. Two automobiles -rushed to a school less than three blocks away.</p> - -<p>“We want the nerviest, bravest kids you’ve got in the building,” said a -member of the party to the superintendent. “Give us some small ones, who -are not afraid.”</p> - -<p>The boys arrived. One by one they crept under the house; one by one they -looked into the blackness of the hole, and one by one they drew back -again. Their eyes glared and they soon became members of the back row of -spectators.</p> - -<p>Then Henry Matthews came up. He rode into the edge of the crowd on his -bicycle, upon which he carried clothes for a tailor, to support his -widowed mother.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” he inquired meekly. Some one broke the uncanny -quietness for a moment and told him.</p> - -<p>“Here’s another kid; try him,” whispered a man to the would-be rescuers -who had grown despondent. Henry walked forward. They told him what it -meant to go headfirst for perhaps twenty or thirty feet downward.</p> - -<p>“Let me down,” said the frail boy quietly.</p> - -<p>His feet were securely tied with a heavy rope. An electric light with an -extension cord was placed in his hand. The boy gazed slowly about the -peering faces and shoved his pale face into the blackness. Down he went, -inch by inch, and then foot by foot. The rope disappeared, behind him -for one yard, two yards, then<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span> three, four, five, and six yards. He was -still going down, and the light had disappeared in the blackness. The -rope must have gone forty feet, thought the men at the other end of the -line. Then:</p> - -<p>“Pull,” came the faint command from down in the ground. The men at the -other end smiled with eagerness as they carefully drew on the line. Then -they looked at each other in excited expectation, for the load on the -rope was heavier than when Harry descended.</p> - -<p>Ten feet of the rope had been pulled to the surface, when the men’s -faces changed. Their eyes again filled with fright. Quickly they drew on -the line, and soon Henry, his body covered with mud, sticks, and -rubbish, appeared alone. They gave him water, fanned him for a second, -and his pale face began to show faint color again. Then he spoke.</p> - -<p>“I pulled him about ten feet,” he panted, “but his hands—his -hands—were so slick—the mud came off and he dropped back. He was on -some sticks—sticks caught in the well—when I found him—I’m afraid he -fell back through them. If he did, we can’t get him.”</p> - -<p>Bennie’s mother fainted and was carried away. Other women, screamed and -rushed about blindly. Bennie’s voice was getting fainter. Old men -cried—men whose hearts had faced everything from the trials of the -Civil War to modern troubles.</p> - -<p>“Let me down again,” said the brave young rescuer, as he rubbed his -face, as if to awaken to his undertaking.</p> - -<p>Again his face disappeared, then his body, and then his feet. On and on -he went down. Thirty-five feet of the grass rope had disappeared when -the order to “pull” was heard far off. Anxiously, and with, less hope -than before, the men pulled. The line was heavier as they pulled, foot -after foot, above the surface.</p> - -<p>The crying of a baby was heard down in the ground. The larger boy’s feet -appeared at the top; then his body, and then his face.</p> - -<p>Then—little Bennie, clasped by each wrist by a pair of muddy hands, -appeared on earth again.</p> - -<p>The women screamed and cried for the hundredth time that morning. The -men, or rather, most of them, wept and then cheered. Now everybody -cheered, and hundreds of voices let everybody within a block know that -the romper-clad boy was in his mother’s arms. They also let those about -know that Henry had emerged from beneath the house with eyes, hair, -hands, and clothing covered with mud. They grabbed him; women kissed -him, and men crowded about the boy.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t got time to stop now,” said Henry. “Got to get back to the -shop.” And he hurriedly washed the dirt from his face. But they wouldn’t -let him go. They surged about the wondering lad and held him for a -while, or at least until the praising crowds could press fifty dollars -into his bread-earning little hands. Then he turned, jumped upon his -bicycle, and rode speedily away, to deliver the clothes for the tailor, -for the support of himself and his widowed mother.</p> - -<h3>Two Years on Their Honeymoon Walk.</h3> - -<p>Journeys across the continent twice on foot within a period of two years -marked the unique honeymoon trip taken by Mr. and Mrs. John Broxman, of -near Harris<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span>burg, Pa., who arrived in Baltimore, Md., a few days ago, -and who, for just two hours, were the guests of Mrs. C. C. Webber, wife -of the pastor of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Greene Street, near -Lombard.</p> - -<p>In the twenty-four months that they have been away the young married -couple have traversed the parched sands of the semitropical countries of -the South, the fertile valleys of the Middle West, and the rugged -mountain paths of the Far Western States. They are happy, and have -returned to their homes without reporting a mishap.</p> - -<p>In making their long journey on foot, Mr. and Mrs. Broxman have won both -fame and fortune, for not only were they cordially welcomed in all the -towns and cities through which they passed, but as the result of their -long hike they have been presented with a huge sum of money by a -brother-in-law of Mrs. Broxman in California, and henceforth they will -make their home on a farm which has been purchased by the bridegroom -near Harrisburg.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Broxman strolled into Baltimore unnoticed, and sought -acquaintances whom they had known years ago. In their search for their -friends they drifted into the neighborhood of Greene and Lombard Streets -and dropped into the parsonage of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church in -order to get directions as to streets and house numbers. Mrs. Webber -happened to be at home, and invited the strangers in. She could not aid -them in their quest for the Baltimore friends, but she did entertain -them the greater part of the afternoon, and while enjoying the -hospitality of her home, the young people told of their unique honeymoon -trip.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Broxman were married two years ago, and had planned to -spend their honeymoon quietly in the East. But Mrs. Broxman’s -brother-in-law in Santa Ana, Cal., told them that he would present them -with a substantial sum of money if they would take as their honeymoon -trip a “stroll” from Harrisburg to California and back again. They -decided to try and win the prize held out to them, so immediately after -the wedding ceremony was performed, they started on their long hike.</p> - -<p>From Baltimore the young couple went to Harrisburg.</p> - -<h3>Dogs Have Acquired the Art of Speech.</h3> - -<p>In a previous issue we briefly described a dog named Woodrow Wilson that -was said to be able to utter sounds which distinctly resemble words. The -dog is a bull terrier and was named Woodrow Wilson because on the day of -President Wilson’s inauguration he wandered into the home of Miss Rose -Bonn, of Scottsdale, Pa., his present owner.</p> - -<p>He does such feats in “talking” that he is the wonder of the town. He -answers questions promptly and correctly. For instance, when he is asked -“Whom do you love?” he promptly replies, “My mamma.”</p> - -<p>Woodrow Wilson may be a remarkable dog, but there have been other -talking dogs brought to the attention of the public during the last -decade, says a writer who has made note of them. There was Cutey! Did -you ever hear of her? Well, her owner was positive she could speak, and -many of his friends were willing to corroborate his enthusiastic -statements.</p> - -<p>Cutey’s ability as a talking dog was brought to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> attention of the -public in a peculiar way. A small boy was playing with a ball in East -Fourteenth Street, New York, one afternoon when a fox terrier strolled -along and stopped to watch the boy. Greatly to the boy’s astonishment -the dog suddenly said: “I want my rights.”</p> - -<p>It did not take long for the boy to spread the news about the talking -dog, and finally it reached the newspapers. A reporter was sent to see -the owner of the dog, Fred Jackson, of 241 East Fourteenth Street. -Although the reporter was skeptical when he entered Cutey’s home, he -emerged convinced that if the dog did not speak, she made a pretty good -attempt.</p> - -<p>It took Cutey’s owner three months to teach her how to say “I want my -rights.” He got the idea from observing the dog trying to repeat things -that were said to her. It was also asserted by neighbors that Cutey was -able to say “I will not” and “Good night, everybody.”</p> - -<p>A dog named Rolf attracted much attention in Berlin because of his power -to utter sounds which could be distinguished as words. This dog not only -could speak, but he could spell. In fact, he attracted so much attention -that Professor Claparede, of the department of experimental psychology -of the University of Geneva examined the dog and pronounced him a -wonder.</p> - -<p>The professor, in order to avoid collusion between the dog and his -mistress, brought a set of pictures along with him which the dog had -never seen. One of the pictures showed four mice nibbling at cheese. -Without any hesitation the dog spelled out words which convinced -Professor Claparede that Rolf knew what the picture was.</p> - -<p>Not long ago the police of Philadelphia made what they considered an -important capture in the form of a dog who was in league with a band of -thieves. While this animal did some petty thieving on his own account, -he was valuable to the thieves because of his ability to “talk” to them -whenever he saw policemen approaching. His “talk” consisted of short -barks, which the thieves understood perfectly.</p> - -<p>Although the police were suspicious of the owners of the dog, they could -never catch them in the act. Finally it dawned on them that the dog had -been trained to run up and down before places which were being robbed. -The police then decided to watch the dog, and, swooping down suddenly -one night on the four-footed “lookout,” they caught the thieves at work.</p> - -<p>There lived in Cranford, N. J., a dog which could not only “talk” but -read a newspaper as well. The dog, whose name was Throgs, was the -property of Miss Alice Lakey, of the New Jersey State Food Commission, -and had the regular job of going to the newspaper store every morning -for the family paper. He carried the coin wrapped up in a paper, gave it -to the news dealer, got his paper, and returned home with it in his -mouth.</p> - -<p>One morning the regular news dealer was not present at the stand, but -another person in the store slipped a paper into Throgs’ mouth. The dog -walked slowly out of the store to the other side of the street, where he -dropped the paper and then thoroughly scrutinized it. Convinced that it -was not the paper he was in the habit of getting, he sat down and waited -until the news dealer returned. Then he walked back to the store, got -his regular paper, and trotted home with it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span>  </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span>  </p> - -<h2><a name="The_Nick_Carter_Stories" id="The_Nick_Carter_Stories"></a>The Nick Carter Stories</h2> - -<p class="c"> -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY <span style="margin-left: 10%;">BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>When it comes to detective stories worth while, the <b>Nick Carter Stories</b> -contain the only ones that should be considered. They are not overdrawn -tales of bloodshed. They rather show the working of one of the finest -minds ever conceived by a writer. The name of Nick Carter is familiar -all over the world, for the stories of his adventures may be read in -twenty languages. No other stories have withstood the severe test of -time so well as those contained in the <b>Nick Carter Stories</b>. It proves -conclusively that they are the best. We give herewith a list of some of -the back numbers in print. You can have your news dealer order them, or -they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt -of the price in money or postage stamps.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind"> -704—Written in Red.<br /> -707—Rogues of the Air.<br /> -709—The Bolt from the Blue.<br /> -710—The Stockbridge Affair.<br /> -711—A Secret from the Past.<br /> -712—Playing the Last Hand.<br /> -713—A Slick Article.<br /> -714—The Taxicab Riddle.<br /> -717—The Master Rogue’s Alibi.<br /> -719—The Dead Letter.<br /> -720—The Allerton Millions.<br /> -728—The Mummy’s Head.<br /> -729—The Statue Clue.<br /> -730—The Torn Card.<br /> -731—Under Desperation’s Spur.<br /> -732—The Connecting Link.<br /> -733—The Abduction Syndicate.<br /> -736—The Toils of a Siren.<br /> -738—A Plot Within a Plot.<br /> -739—The Dead Accomplice.<br /> -741—The Green Scarab.<br /> -746—The Secret Entrance.<br /> -747—The Cavern Mystery.<br /> -748—The Disappearing Fortune.<br /> -749—A Voice from the Past.<br /> -752—The Spider’s Web.<br /> -753—The Man With a Crutch.<br /> -754—The Rajah’s Regalia.<br /> -755—Saved from Death.<br /> -756—The Man Inside.<br /> -757—Out for Vengeance.<br /> -758—The Poisons of Exili.<br /> -759—The Antique Vial.<br /> -760—The House of Slumber.<br /> -761—A Double Identity.<br /> -762—“The Mocker’s” Stratagem.<br /> -763—The Man that Came Back.<br /> -764—The Tracks in the Snow.<br /> -765—The Babbington Case.<br /> -766—The Masters of Millions.<br /> -767—The Blue Stain.<br /> -768—The Lost Clew.<br /> -770—The Turn of a Card.<br /> -771—A Message in the Dust.<br /> -772—A Royal Flush.<br /> -774—The Great Buddha Beryl.<br /> -775—The Vanishing Heiress.<br /> -776—The Unfinished Letter.<br /> -777—A Difficult Trail.<br /> -782—A Woman’s Stratagem.<br /> -783—The Cliff Castle Affair.<br /> -784—A Prisoner of the Tomb.<br /> -785—A Resourceful Foe.<br /> -789—The Great Hotel Tragedies.<br /> -795—Zanoni, the Transfigured.<br /> -796—The Lure of Gold.<br /> -797—The Man With a Chest.<br /> -798—A Shadowed Life.<br /> -799—The Secret Agent.<br /> -800—A Plot for a Crown.<br /> -801—The Red Button.<br /> -802—Up Against It.<br /> -803—The Gold Certificate.<br /> -804—Jack Wise’s Hurry Call.<br /> -805—Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase.<br /> -807—Nick Carter’s Advertisement.<br /> -808—The Kregoff Necklace.<br /> -811—Nick Carter and the Nihilists.<br /> -812—Nick Carter and the Convict Gang.<br /> -813—Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor.<br /> -814—The Triangled Coin.<br /> -815—Ninety-nine—and One.<br /> -816—Coin Number 77.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span></p> - -<p class="c">NEW SERIES</p> - -<p class="c">NICK CARTER STORIES</p> - -<p class="nind"> -1—The Man from Nowhere.<br /> -2—The Face at the Window.<br /> -3—A Fight for a Million.<br /> -4—Nick Carter’s Land Office.<br /> -5—Nick Carter and the Professor.<br /> -6—Nick Carter as a Mill Hand.<br /> -7—A Single Clew.<br /> -8—The Emerald Snake.<br /> -9—The Currie Outfit.<br /> -10—Nick Carter and the Kidnaped Heiress.<br /> -11—Nick Carter Strikes Oil.<br /> -12—Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure.<br /> -13—A Mystery of the Highway.<br /> -14—The Silent Passenger.<br /> -15—Jack Dreen’s Secret.<br /> -16—Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case.<br /> -17—Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves.<br /> -18—Nick Carter’s Auto Chase.<br /> -19—The Corrigan Inheritance.<br /> -20—The Keen Eye of Denton.<br /> -21—The Spider’s Parlor.<br /> -22—Nick Carter’s Quick Guess.<br /> -23—Nick Carter and the Murderess.<br /> -24—Nick Carter and the Pay Car.<br /> -25—The Stolen Antique.<br /> -26—The Crook League.<br /> -27—An English Cracksman.<br /> -28—Nick Carter’s Still Hunt.<br /> -29—Nick Carter’s Electric Shock.<br /> -30—Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess.<br /> -31—The Purple Spot.<br /> -32—The Stolen Groom.<br /> -33—The Inverted Cross.<br /> -34—Nick Carter and Keno McCall.<br /> -35—Nick Carter’s Death Trap.<br /> -36—Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle.<br /> -37—The Man Outside.<br /> -38—The Death Chamber.<br /> -39—The Wind and the Wire.<br /> -40—Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase.<br /> -41—Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend.<br /> -42—The Queen of the Seven.<br /> -43—Crossed Wires.<br /> -44—A Crimson Clew.<br /> -45—The Third Man.<br /> -46—The Sign of the Dagger.<br /> -47—The Devil Worshipers.<br /> -48—The Cross of Daggers.<br /> -49—At Risk of Life.<br /> -50—The Deeper Game.<br /> -51—The Code Message.<br /> -52—The Last of the Seven.<br /> -53—Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful.<br /> -54—The Secret Order of Associated Crooks.<br /> -55—The Golden Hair Clew.<br /> -56—Back From the Dead.<br /> -57—Through Dark Ways.<br /> -58—When Aces Were Trumps.<br /> -59—The Gambler’s Last Hand.<br /> -60—The Murder at Linden Fells.<br /> -61—A Game for Millions.<br /> -62—Under Cover.<br /> -63—The Last Call.<br /> -64—Mercedes Danton’s Double.<br /> -65—The Millionaire’s Nemesis.<br /> -66—A Princess of the Underworld.<br /> -67—The Crook’s Blind.<br /> -68—The Fatal Hour.<br /> -69—Blood Money.<br /> -70—A Queen of Her Kind.<br /> -71—Isabel Benton’s Trump Card.<br /> -72—A Princess of Hades.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span>73—A Prince of Plotters.<br /> -74—The Crook’s Double.<br /> -75—For Life and Honor.<br /> -76—A Compact With Dazaar.<br /> -77—In the Shadow of Dazaar.<br /> -78—The Crime of a Money King.<br /> -79—Birds of Prey.<br /> -80—The Unknown Dead.<br /> -81—The Severed Hand.<br /> -82—The Terrible Game of Millions.<br /> -83—A Dead Man’s Power.<br /> -84—The Secrets of an Old House.<br /> -85—The Wolf Within.<br /> -86—The Yellow Coupon.<br /> -87—In the Toils.<br /> -88—The Stolen Radium.<br /> -89—A Crime in Paradise.<br /> -90—Behind Prison Bars.<br /> -91—The Blind Man’s Daughter.<br /> -92—On the Brink of Ruin.<br /> -93—Letter of Fire.<br /> -94—The $100,000 Kiss.<br /> -95—Outlaws of the Militia.<br /> -96—The Opium-Runners.<br /> -97—In Record Time.<br /> -98—The Wag-Nuk Clew.<br /> -99—The Middle Link.<br /> -100—The Crystal Maze.<br /> -101—A New Serpent in Eden.<br /> -102—The Auburn Sensation.<br /> -103—A Dying Chance.<br /> -104—The Gargoni Girdle.<br /> -105—Twice in Jeopardy.<br /> -106—The Ghost Launch.<br /> -107—Up in the Air.<br /> -108—The Girl Prisoner.<br /> -109—The Red Plague.<br /> -110—The Arson Trust.<br /> -111—The King of the Firebugs.<br /> -112—“Lifter’s” of the Lofts.<br /> -113—French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves.<br /> -114—Death Plot.<br /> -115—Evil Formula.<br /> -116—Blue Button.<br /> -117—Deadly Parallel.<br /> -118—The Vivisectionists.<br /> -119—The Stolen Brain.<br /> -120—An Uncanny Revenge.<br /> -121—The Call of Death.<br /> -122—The Suicide.<br /> -123—Half a Million Ransom.<br /> -124—The Girl Kidnaper.<br /> -125—The Pirate Yacht.<br /> -126—The Crime of the White Hand.<br /> -127—Found in the Jungle.<br /> -128—Six Men in a Loop.<br /> -129—The Jewels of Wat Chang.<br /> -130—The Crime in the Tower.<br /> -131—The Fatal Message.<br /> -132—Broken Bars.<br /> -133—Won by Magic.<br /> -134—The Secret of Shangore.<br /> -135—Straight to the Goal.<br /> -136—The Man They Held Back.<br /> -137—The Seal of Gijon.<br /> -138—The Traitors of the Tropics.<br /> -139—The Pressing Peril.<br /> -140—The Melting-Pot.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dated May 22d, 1915.</span><br /> -141—The Duplicate Night.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dated May 29th. 1915.</span><br /> -142—The Edge of a Crime.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dated June 5th, 1915.</span><br /> -143—The Sultan’s Pearls.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dated June 12th, 1915.</span><br /> -144—The Clew of the White Collar.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span></p> - -<p class="c"> -<b>PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY.</b> If you want any back numbers of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your news<br /> -dealer, they can be obtained direct from this office. 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