diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/68697-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68697-0.txt | 13816 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 13816 deletions
diff --git a/old/68697-0.txt b/old/68697-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8d33a85..0000000 --- a/old/68697-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13816 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Toying with fate, by Nicholas Carter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Toying with fate - or, Nick Carter's narrow shave - -Author: Nicholas Carter - -Release Date: August 5, 2022 [eBook #68697] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOYING WITH FATE *** - - - - - - TOYING WITH FATE; - OR, - Nick Carter’s Narrow Shave - - BY - NICHOLAS CARTER - - Author of the celebrated stories of Nick Carter’s adventures, which - are published exclusively in the NEW MAGNET LIBRARY, conceded - to be among the best detective tales ever written. - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS - 79-89 SEVENTH AVENUE - - - - - Copyright, 1903 - By STREET & SMITH - - Toying With Fate - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, - including the Scandinavian. - - - - -_The Best of Everything!_ - - -Our experience with the American reading public has taught us that -it expects better reading than readers of any other nationality. -Why? Because Americans, as a rule, are better educated and more -intelligent. We make it a point to cater to all classes of readers -with our paper-covered novels. If a man likes adventure or detective -stories, he can find more and better ones in the S. & S. novel list -than he can among the cloth books. If a woman wants love, society, or -mystery stories, the S. & S. catalogue again contains just what she -wants at the lowest possible price. If a boy wants up-to-date baseball, -athletic, or treasure-hunt stories, he cannot get anything that will -please him so much as the books in the MEDAL and NEW MEDAL LIBRARIES, -no matter how much he has to spend for his reading matter. - -Here are a few suggestions: - - - BOOKS FOR MEN. - - The Nick Carter stories in the NEW MAGNET LIBRARY. - - The Howard W. Erwin stories in the FAR WEST LIBRARY. - - The William Wallace Cook stories in the NEW FICTION LIBRARY. - - The Dumas stories in the SELECT LIBRARY. - - - BOOKS FOR WOMEN. - - The Mrs. Georgie Sheldon stories in the NEW EAGLE SERIES. - - The Charles Garvice stories in the NEW EAGLE SERIES. - - The Bertha Clay stories in the BERTHA CLAY LIBRARY. - - The Southworth stories in the SOUTHWORTH LIBRARY. - - The Mrs. Mary J. Holmes stories in the EAGLE and SELECT LIBRARIES. - - - BOOKS FOR BOYS. - - The Burt L. Standish stories in the NEW MEDAL LIBRARY. - - The Horatio Alger stories in the MEDAL and NEW MEDAL LIBRARIES. - - The Oliver Optic stories in the MEDAL and NEW MEDAL LIBRARIES. - - The Edward C. Taylor stories in the NEW MEDAL LIBRARY. - -Send for our complete catalogue and look these stories up. It will pay -you. - - - STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_, NEW YORK - - - - -Why Take a Chance? - - -Most everybody thinks that the public library is a mighty fine -institution--teaches people to read, and all that. Well, so it does, -but does any one ever think of the great risk that a person, who takes -a book out of a public library, runs of catching some contagious -disease? - -Every time a bacteriological examination is made of the public-library -book, germs of every known disease are found among its pages. Probably, -from your own experience, you know that lots of people never think of -taking a book from the public library, until some one in their family -is sick and wants something to read. - -As records prove that ninety per cent of the demand for books at the -public libraries is for works of fiction, it strikes us that the -reading public would do better to patronize the S. & S. novel list -which contains hundreds of books to be found in the public libraries, -and many hundreds of others just as good and interesting. - -The price of the S. & S. novels is a low one indeed to pay for -protection from disease-laden literature. Why run the risk, then, when -you can get a fresh, clean book for little money and thus insure your -health? - - STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_ - NEW YORK - - - - -TOYING WITH FATE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE MYSTERIOUS OLD MAN. - - -“Move on, old man, and go home!” - -It was the stern voice of one of New York’s finest policemen that -uttered these words. - -“Home! I wonder where it is?” muttered the old man to whom the -policeman had spoken, and a shudder ran through his frame, as he slowly -moved down the street. - -As he reached the corner near old St. John’s Church, on Varick Street, -he paused, rubbed his eyes and gazed dreamily around him. - -For some time before the policeman had addressed him he had been -standing inside the church, looking through the railings into the -churchyard. - -His form was bent by decrepitude and sorrow, and his hair was as white -as the flaky snow that clung to the steeple of the old church, the -bells of which had just sounded the knell of the dying year. - -The old man only halted on the corner for a minute, and then, crossing -Beach Street, he shuffled along until he reached the center of the -block, where he came to a standstill in front of an old-fashioned -house, which was unoccupied. - -Then, as if a faintness had come over him, he grasped the rusty iron -railing to prevent himself falling to the ground, and he closed his -eyes, as though the sight of the snow-covered houses was too much for -him. - -The policeman had followed him at a distance, and was watching him from -where he was standing on the corner. - -“Poor devil!” muttered the guardian of the peace, as he swung his -nightstick back and forth. “I wonder who he is! He seems weak! Perhaps -at one time he amounted to something. God save me from ever coming to -his condition. I wonder why he stands so long in front of that old -empty house, which has been closed for twenty years, to my knowledge! -I’ll watch him a while, but I won’t molest him, poor devil!” - -As the policeman concluded his soliloquy the old man straightened up -and walked up to the door of the house, the old knocker on which he -caught hold of and gave it a rap. - -But suddenly, as if struck by some painful recollection, his hand fell -to his side and he staggered back to the middle of the sidewalk. - -“Strange,” the policeman ejaculated, noting this action. “Perhaps he -lived there at one time.” - -The old man looked up at the house, at which he gazed long and intently. - -Then, suddenly arousing himself, he ambled back to the corner, stopping -near the policeman. He looked confusedly around him, from the left to -the right, and the policeman gazed at him closely, but spoke not a -word. On his part, he did not seem to see the man in uniform. He stood -bewildered, appearing not to know which way to turn. - -“Why don’t you go home, old man?” the policeman asked, this time in a -softened tone of voice. - -“Home!” the old fellow ejaculated--his voice was like a wail, a -heartbroken sob. “Home! where is it?” - -“The Lord bless you, man, how can I tell you, if you can’t tell -yourself?” - -“Twenty years ago--twenty years behind darkened walls--and this----” He -muttered the words in such a forlorn tone that the policeman stared at -him. - -“Your brain is turned, old gentleman.” - -The old man laughed and looked up into his questioner’s face with a -quizzical expression. - -“My brain is clear, my friend,” he replied, in a clear, harsh tone. “I -have come from a prison--the world is strangely altered since I was in -it before.” - -“In it before? Why, what do you mean? I suppose you will try and -persuade me that you have been dead and have risen from the grave.” - -“Figuratively speaking, I have--I have been dead to the world--in -prison at Sing Sing. Mark me well--Sing Sing Prison--for twenty -years--to-day I was released. See me now. I am old, decrepit, hardly -able to walk. Once I stood erect, my hair was as black as the raven’s -wing, and now--look at me, a wreck without home or friends. Wife, -children, all gone! I have never seen nor heard of them since the day -I was taken out of yonder house a prisoner, by the unjust, hard, and -cruel decree of a so-called court of justice. Twenty years! A prisoner, -buried alive, as it were.” - -“You had committed a crime?” - -“No. I was innocent, but powerful conspirators plotted against me--the -evidence was perjured--and I--I--was entombed.” - -“You say you lived in yonder house twenty years ago?” - -“Yes, and no man carried his head higher than I did. I was rich--but -bah! what is the use of rehearsing those things to a stranger! Hardened -as you are by association with crime, you would not believe my story. -You would think that I was romancing. Things have sadly changed in this -neighborhood.” - -“You may bet they have.” - -“Once all these houses were occupied by rich people, but to-day they -are the abodes of the poor and the outcast.” - -“What is your name?” - -“My name! It matters not. Good night.” - -“Well, well, keep your secret, old man. God bless you, and may this new -year bring you happiness.” - -“Happiness! I shall never know that again. Good night, again.” - -He moved off slowly, and the policeman watched him until he turned the -corner into West Broadway, when he proceeded to patrol his beat. - -As the policeman moved away, a dark form came out of a near-by doorway -and hurried around the corner. - -The man was tall, he wore a long ulster with the collar turned up -around his neck, and a slouch hat was pulled down over his eyes. He -followed closely in the old man’s trail. - -The old man halted several times, and as he did so his form seemed to -lose its decrepitude. As the light from the street lamps shone upon his -face it could be seen that his eyes glared like two living coals; he -threw his hand aloft, and so fierce and startling was the action that -the man who was following him halted and shrank back for an instant, as -if he had been struck. - -“Vengeance!” the old man hissed, and then he started on again. - -The street was deserted, save by the old man and the man who was -following him. - -The former walked on, looking up at the tall warehouses and store -buildings, muttering to himself. - -More than once he put his hand up to his head and gazed about in a -bewildered manner. - -His limbs shook under him, for a long time had passed since they had -been used to such exertion. - -The fresh air came so strangely upon him that he panted for breath. - -Suddenly he halted in front of an old-fashioned three-story brick -building near Chambers Street. A beacon-shaped red lamp was burning -over the doorway, and upon the front pane of glass was painted: - - THE RED DRAGON INN. - Established by William Sill--1776. - -It was an old landmark in the neighborhood, and it had always been -a hostelry. In revolutionary times it was a post roadhouse, and was -famous as the headquarters of many of the British officers. During -later days it became the resort, at the noonday hour, of many of New -York’s most staid and solid merchants, whose places of business were in -the vicinity. - -At this time the ground floor was occupied by a man who ran a saloon -and restaurant, and who rented out the upstairs rooms to transient -lodgers. No improvements had been made about the place, and it stood -just as it did when it was conducted by its original owner. - -As the old man paused in front of the inn the sound of voices and the -clinking of glasses came from within. He walked up to the door and -opened it. Then he stepped into the saloon, staggered up to the bar -and, in a low tone, ordered a glass of toddy, which was supplied to him. - -A number of men were seated at the tables, drinking, and none of them -paid any attention to the newcomer, who drank his toddy while standing -and leaning against the bar. - -The old man placed his empty glass back upon the counter, and facing -the bartender, said: - -“I want a room for the night.” - -“There is only one empty,” the bartender replied. “It is in the attic.” - -“That will answer my purpose.” - -“It will cost you one dollar.” - -The old man drew a purse out of his pocket, took out the amount, and -handed it to the bartender, who asked: - -“Do you want to retire now?” - -“I do,” the old man answered. - -“I will show you the way up.” - -“It won’t be necessary. I am familiar with every room in the house. -Many a time I have stopped here in other days. If you will tell me -which room I am to occupy, I will go up to it.” - -“The second room in the back part of the attic on the left of the -stairway is the one. You will find a lamp on a table in the hall on the -second floor.” - -“All right.” - -The old man left the room, while the bartender gazed after him with -curiosity. He climbed the stairway and reached the second floor, where -he found the lamp, and then proceeded upstairs to the attic room. - -An hour after he retired, the house was silent, all the midnight -revelers having gone home, and the bartender having closed up the -saloon. - -New Year’s Day dawned bright and clear. - -The proprietor of the Red Dragon Inn opened the barroom, and at nine -o’clock the bartender came downstairs. - -For a time the two men stood talking. - -There were no customers in the place. - -At last the bartender asked the proprietor if he had seen anything of -the strange old man who had come in after midnight. - -The proprietor said that the old man had not appeared. - -“Did he request you to call him?” he inquired. - -“No,” the bartender answered. “Shall I go up and ask him if he wants -breakfast?” - -“Yes.” - -The bartender ascended to the attic. - -The door of the room which the old man had been assigned to stood ajar. - -The man knocked, but there was no answer. He pounded again and shouted. -Still no answer. Finally the man pushed the door open. A terrible -sight met his gaze. Stretched out upon the bed he beheld the old man, -with his throat cut from ear to ear. His hands were folded across his -breast, and he was covered by the coverlet of the bed. Evidently there -had been no struggle. - -The bartender uttered a cry of alarm, but he did not enter the room. - -As soon as he recovered from his surprise he dashed off downstairs, -crying “Murder!” at the top of his voice. - -Instantly the house was aroused, and in a short time a great crowd -congregated in the street in front of the door. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -SEARCHING FOR CLEWS. - - -Early on New Year’s morning Nicholas Carter, the famous detective, -arrived in Jersey City on a train from Chicago, where he had been -investigating a diamond case, which he had closed up successfully. - -Danny, his chauffeur, met him at the station, with his powerful touring -car; and in a few minutes they were crossing the Hudson River on the -downtown ferry over to Chambers Street. - -They had just landed and were beginning to get headway along that -thoroughfare, when their attention was attracted by a loud commotion in -the street. - -Leaning over, Carter beheld the crowd congregating in front of the Red -Dragon Inn, which was almost opposite. He heard the cries of murder. - -Instantly the veteran’s energies were aroused. He forgot all about his -not having had breakfast, and springing out, he pushed his way through -the crowd and entered the barroom of the Red Dragon Inn. - -There he found the proprietor pacing up and down in a state of nervous -excitement. - -A policeman was also there, and to him Nick applied for information. - -“I can’t make head nor tail of it,” the policeman replied to Carter’s -inquiry. “I’ve sent word to the police station, Mr. Carter, and I am -expecting the captain every minute.” - -“Have you been upstairs?” - -“No, sir. I thought it best to wait until the captain arrived.” - -“Where is the bartender?” - -“Standing over there,” and the policeman pointed to the man, who was -leaning against the bar. - -Carter stepped up to the bartender and asked: - -“What is your name?” - -“George Terry,” the bartender answered. - -“How long have you been employed here?” - -“Three years.” - -“I believe you discovered the murder?” - -“I did, sir.” - -“At what time?” - -“About twenty minutes ago.” - -“Do you know the man?” - -“No, sir, he is a stranger to me.” - -“What is his name?” - -“I forgot to ask him.” - -“Don’t you keep a register?” - -“No, sir.” - -“What time did the man arrive?” - -“Shortly after midnight.” - -“Did he have any luggage?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Tell me all about your conversation with him.” - -“As I said, he came in here shortly after midnight. He seemed weak and -exhausted as he slipped up to the bar. He requested me to make him a -hot toddy, which I did. - -“After he had finished his drink he asked me if I could let him have a -room for the night, and I told him that the attic room was vacant and -he could have that. He paid the price out of a well-filled purse. - -“I offered to conduct him up to the room, Mr. Carter, but he said it -would not be necessary, because he was familiar with the house, he -having stopped here on various occasions twenty years ago. He left -the room, and that was the last I saw of him until I discovered his -murdered body, when I went up to the attic to call him and opened the -door of the room he occupied.” - -“You heard him say he had stopped here on various occasions twenty -years ago?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“What is the proprietor’s name?” - -“Henry Lancaster.” - -“How long has he conducted this place?” - -“Ten years.” - -“Do you know the name of the man from whom he purchased it?” - -“I do not.” - -“Has any one been upstairs to the murdered man’s room since you made -the discovery?” - -“No one has been near it. Everything is undisturbed. I did not enter.” - -“I will speak to the proprietor.” - -Carter approached Mr. Lancaster, who was a middle-aged man of affable -manners. - -“The bartender informs me that you have conducted this place for about -ten years,” the detective said, as he came up to Mr. Lancaster. - -“I have owned it for nearly eleven years,” Mr. Lancaster replied. - -“From whom did you purchase it?” - -“A man named Peter Wright, who had been the proprietor for nearly a -quarter of a century.” - -“Is Mr. Wright alive?” - -“He is.” - -“Where does he reside?” - -“At the Cosmopolitan Hotel, across the street. He is a bachelor, and -entirely alone in the world, all of his relatives having died. He is -an Englishman by birth, and a courtly old gentleman. He has a moderate -income to live on, and he is enjoying himself in his declining years. -All of the merchants of old New York knew him, and when he conducted -the Red Dragon Inn it was famous as a chop house. - -“Mr. Wright’s acquaintance is extensive,” added Lancaster. “If you see -him, he may know something about the murdered man--if the man spoke the -truth when he said that he used to stop here twenty years ago. - -“I shall surely call upon Mr. Wright, and ask him to take a look at the -remains.” - -At this moment Carter felt a heavy hand laid upon his shoulder. He -turned around and beheld the captain of the precinct, who had just -arrived. - -“I am glad to see you, Mr. Carter,” the officer exclaimed. “You can -help us in this, and as usual I suppose you have gleaned considerable -information?” - -“I have found very little,” the detective replied. - -“Will you help us?” - -“Certainly.” - -“My mind is relieved. I hope you’ll take full charge of the case.” - -“What about headquarters?” - -“I will take care of that. While you have charge, the people at -headquarters will not interfere.” - -“Have you sent out an alarm?” - -“Yes.” - -“Let us go up to the attic room. Request your men to keep every one -downstairs.” - -“I will do that.” - -The police captain issued his instructions to his men, and then he and -Carter proceeded upstairs to the attic room in which the body of the -victim lay. - -The captain stood out in the hall on the threshold, while the detective -entered the room. - -Carter stepped up to the side of the bed and scrutinized the face of -the victim closely in silence. - -“His throat was cut while he slept,” Nick remarked, looking toward the -captain. - -“Do you see any sign of the weapon with which the crime was committed?” -the police official asked. - -“Not yet.” - -Carter turned around and commenced to inspect the room. - -For nearly fifteen minutes he was engaged in the work, without uttering -a word. - -The police captain watched him with close attention. - -The detective went over the ground with the avidity of a sleuthhound -scenting for a trail. - -Every nook and corner of the apartment was inspected, until the -detective stood by the window, the sash of which was raised. He looked -at the sill and then uttered an exclamation. - -“What is it?” the police captain asked, entering the room and stepping -up to Carter’s side. - -“See,” the detective replied, pointing with his forefinger to stains -upon the window sill and the lower part of the sash. “Here are imprints -of bloody fingers. The murderer, after he committed the crime, came -over to this window and raised the sash. And here are bloody tracks on -the outside. Look; there are imprints of shoes in the snow across the -roof--they lead from here to the edge. The murderer escaped this way. -Wait here.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“You’ll see.” - -Carter crawled out of the window onto the roof, and followed the tracks -in the snow, until he came to the edge of the roof, where he halted and -looked over. - -There, attached to the side of the house, he beheld an iron ladder -leading from the roof down to the yard. - -Still he saw nothing of the weapon with which the crime had been -committed. - -There was no doubt now in his mind about the assassin having escaped by -the roof. He returned to the room and gave the captain an accurate but -brief account of what he had discovered. - -“This leads me to think the murderer possessed some knowledge of this -house,” the police captain remarked, after he had listened to what the -detective had to say. - -“Probably,” Carter rejoined, and then for a time he lapsed into deep -thought. - -The captain was also silent. - -Nick’s eyes wandered around the room and he bit his lips. - -Upon his face there was a strained expression. - -One could tell that he was following some train of thought. - -The pupils of his eyes blazed brilliantly. - -Minute after minute passed and still he did not speak. - -Patiently his companion waited. - -Carter’s eyes rested upon the clothing of the victim, which was lying -on a chair near the bed in a corner of the room. - -It was in a confused heap. - -The detective stepped forward. - -“We have overlooked these!” he exclaimed, pointing to the clothes. - -“I was just looking at them,” the police captain remarked. “It seems to -me that they must have been disturbed by the murderer.” - -“They were,” Carter rejoined, holding up the dead man’s vest for the -police captain to inspect. “There are bloodstains upon this and the -other garments.” - -“Search the pockets.” - -For some minutes the detective was engaged in making the search. When -he finished he looked at the captain. - -“Nothing,” he said tersely. - -“The murderer secured everything,” the police captain rejoined, in a -tone of disappointment, “he has not left a scrap of paper by which the -dead man could be identified.” - -“Everything is gone.” - -“It is too bad.” - -“Yes--but I have made a discovery.” - -“What is it?” - -“These are prison clothes--they are new.” - -“What! Are you sure?” - -“I am positive. They were made in Sing Sing Prison.” - -“And what is your conclusion?” - -“This murdered man was recently released from State’s prison.” - -“Perhaps the motive for the crime was revenge.” - -“Maybe, and still he may have been murdered because he possessed -information which some one was afraid would be divulged.” - -“That may be it.” - -“In one way this discovery is important.” - -“And you really think this man was a convict?” - -“I do. If he were not a released convict he would not have worn -clothing made expressly for the convicts.” - -“He may have purchased them from some one.” - -“That is so--but still I think he did not.” - -“There is one clew anyway.” - -“Yes.” - -“Let us go downstairs.” - -They left the room. - -Carter closed and locked the door. - -On the way downstairs the detective inspected the steps, but he found -nothing which would throw any light upon the mystery. There were no -tracks, except those in the snow on the roof. The leading question in -his mind was how the murderer had entered the house. - -After he had returned to the barroom he called the bartender aside and -asked: - -“Do you remember if any one came in after the old man retired?” - -“Yes, I do, now that I come to think of it,” the bartender exclaimed, -with considerable animation. “A tall man entered just as the old man -left the room. He wore a long ulster and a slouch hat. - -“This man, sir, stepped up to the bar and called for whisky, which I -served to him. He took a seat at a table near the hall door. - -“I was busy supplying the orders to the other customers and I did not -pay any attention to him. - -“When I came to close up he was gone. - -“When he went out, I do not know; but he may have left while I was -serving drinks at some one of the tables.” - -“Would you know the man if you should see him again?” inquired the -detective. - -“I cannot tell whether I would or not.” - -“Are you able to describe him?” - -“I should think he was about forty-five or fifty years old. His face -was covered with a heavy brown beard. His eyes were black, restless -and penetrating. That is all I can remember about him. I didn’t pay -particular attention to him.” - -“Who occupied the room next to the one in which the man was murdered?” - -“I did.” - -“What time did you retire?” - -“It was probably about half past one o’clock. As I was about to enter -my room I noticed that a light was burning in the old man’s room. I -thought at the time that he had not yet retired, but I didn’t hear him -make any noise.” - -“You were not awakened during the night?” - -“No.” - -“Are you a sound sleeper?” - -“I am.” - -“What time did you get up?” - -“About half past eight o’clock.” - -Carter went out into the back yard. - -There he found footprints in the snow leading from the foot of the -ladder over to a gate in the fence, which opened to an alley running -along between the yards into Hudson Street. - -The trail was plain and distinct. - -The detective followed it until it ended on Hudson Street. - -Then he returned to the yard, where he made a search for the weapon, -thinking the assassin might have thrown it away. - -But there was no trace of it to be found. - -Carter went back into the barroom. - -The coroner had arrived and was preparing to take charge of the body. - -The detective hurried across the street to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and -asked to see Mr. Wright, the former proprietor of the Red Dragon Inn. - -Mr. Wright was a portly old gentleman with a large, florid, jovial -face, and he received the detective instantly. He listened attentively -to what Carter had to say, and he complied with his request to -accompany him over to the inn and view the remains of the victim. - -“If that man spoke the truth,” Mr. Wright remarked, as he and the -detective left the hotel, “I may be able to identify the body.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE IDENTIFICATION. - - -Carter conducted Peter Wright upstairs to the attic room in which the -body of the victim lay. - -The coroner was making an examination, but he stepped aside, so as to -allow Mr. Wright to see the face of the murdered man. - -The former proprietor of the Red Dragon Inn looked at the ghastly white -countenance long and intently. - -All of the persons in the room watched him in silence. - -Several times the old man shook his head back and forth and his brow -became contracted. - -Finally he looked at Carter and shook his head dolefully. - -“There is a certain familiar expression about that man’s features,” he -said, in a tone of awe, “but for the life of me I cannot recall who he -is. If he were a patron of the Red Dragon Inn while I was proprietor, -he has changed so that I cannot remember him.” - -“I am very sorry that you are not able to identify the body, Mr. -Wright,” the detective said. “Will you kindly accompany me downstairs. -I want to have a private talk with you.” - -“Lead on, and I will follow.” - -The detective led the way down to the parlor. - -As soon as they were inside the room he closed the door. Presently he -and Mr. Wright were ensconced in easy-chairs. - -“Permit your memory to wander back ten or twelve years to the time when -you owned this place, and see if you can recall the name of any one of -your patrons who was sent to State’s prison.” - -Mr. Wright started. - -“By Jove!” he exclaimed. - -Carter smiled and his eyes sparkled. - -“What startles you?” the detective asked, with an assumed air of -surprise. - -“Nothing startles me,” Mr. Wright rejoined. - -“Then what is it?” - -“That man is Alfred Lawrence--he has changed mightily--it is no wonder -I did not recognize him. But I know him now.” - -“Who was Alfred Lawrence?” - -“He was one of my old customers. He was sent to Sing Sing for fifteen -years for forgery. Don’t you remember the famous Lawrence will case?” - -“I have a slight recollection of it. The trial took place while I was -away in Europe, and I read very little about it.” - -“I will tell you about it.” - -“Do so.” - -“Alfred Lawrence was a well-to-do produce merchant, who had an office -on West Street and lived on Beach Street. - -“His uncle, after whom he was named, was the senior member of the firm. -Old Alfred Lawrence was a bachelor. - -“When he died a will was found, and in it he left all his estate to his -nephew. - -“Simeon Rich, another nephew, and his sister contested the will. They -claimed that it was a forgery and that Alfred Lawrence had forged his -uncle’s signature. - -“The case came up before the surrogate and the fight was a bitter one -on both sides. - -“Lawrence’s wife, with whom he had lived unhappily, went before the -referee and swore that she had seen her husband forge the will. Her -testimony was corroborated by Blanchard, the chief witness, who was -Lawrence’s butler. - -“It was hinted at, at the time, that Mrs. Lawrence and Simeon Rich were -very intimate. - -“The will was broken. Lawrence was arrested, tried, convicted, and sent -to State’s prison. - -“Then people forgot all about him.” - -“What became of Mrs. Lawrence?” asked Carter. - -“She lived for a time in the Beach Street house. A year after her -husband’s conviction the house was closed up and Mrs. Lawrence and her -child disappeared. The house has remained closed ever since.” - -“Then there was a child?” - -“Yes--a girl--she was about twelve years old at the time.” - -“What became of Simeon Rich?” - -“I do not know.” - -“How was the estate divided?” - -“That I do not remember.” - -“Lawrence, you say, was a customer of yours?” - -“He was, and he was a mighty fine fellow. I always believed he was -innocent, notwithstanding the fact that all the evidence was strong -against him.” - -“And you believe that the murdered man is this same Alfred Lawrence?” - -“I do.” - -“Is this all the information you can give me, Mr. Wright?” - -“It is.” - -“What was the number of the old house on Beach Street in which Lawrence -resided?” - -“I don’t remember, but you can find it easily. It is near Varick -Street, and it is the only house on the block that is closed.” - -“Ah!” - -“Some one is at the door,” said Peter Wright. - -Carter arose from his chair and opened the door. - -The police captain entered the room, followed by a policeman. - -“Mr. Carter,” he said, “here is one of my men, Officer Pat Maguire; he -saw the murdered man last night.” - -“Did he?” Carter queried, casting a searching glance at Maguire, who -replied: - -“That I did, sir.” - -“Sit down and tell me all about it.” - -Pat Maguire took a seat. - -“This morning,” he said, “I reported at the station house and I heard -about the murder. The instant I heard a description of the man read I -concluded it was the poor, forlorn, down-and-out old chap with whom I -had talked last night while on my beat. - -“I came around here, took a look at the body, and I saw that it was the -old man. Then I instantly told the captain about the conversation I had -with him, and he brought me here to see you.” - -“Tell me about that conversation, Maguire.” - -Policeman Maguire gave Carter a clear account of the conversation -which he had held with the old man and described how he had acted. - -When he concluded, Mr. Wright ejaculated: - -“You see, Mr. Carter, that corroborates what I told you. There are no -reasonable doubts now about the man being Alfred Lawrence.” - -“Why did he try to enter that house on Beach Street?” - -“I cannot tell.” - -“There is a deep mystery here,” remarked Carter, “one which I intend to -solve. Gentlemen, I must leave you. Please keep silent about what you -have told me.” - -Before any one could utter a word, he had slipped out of the room. - -“A strange man,” the police captain remarked, as soon as Carter was -gone. “Why has he left the room without giving any intimation of what -he was going to do?” - -The information which had been imparted to Carter by Mr. Wright and the -policeman was important. He was certain now that the murdered man was -the ex-convict, Alfred Lawrence. - -It was his intention to probe into that man’s history and learn more of -the details of the will case and the trial. - -In doing this, would he be able to discover the motive of the murder? - -After leaving the Red Dragon Inn the detective at once--without waiting -to go home--went to a near-by telephone exchange and called up the -keeper of Sing Sing Prison. - -From this man he learned that Lawrence had been released early the day -before, that he had been furnished with clothing and a small sum of -money, and that he started for New York. - -“What train did he leave on?” Carter asked of the keeper. - -“The eleven-ten,” the keeper replied. - -“Was he an exemplary prisoner?” - -“Yes.” - -“Did he have any visitors call on him?” - -“None.” - -“Are you sure?” - -“Yes.” - -“During his imprisonment, did he receive many letters?” - -“None.” - -“Did he ever talk to you about himself?” - -“No, he was always a taciturn man and he never talked to me or to -others about himself. When he left here yesterday he said that he -intended to be revenged on the persons who had wronged him, for, he -said, he had suffered for a crime of which he was not guilty.” - -“Did he mention any names?” - -“No.” - -“How much money did you give him?” - -“Ten dollars.” - -From the telephone office the detective went in his automobile to the -old house on Beach Street. He stood on the sidewalk and inspected it. -There was no sign on the house to indicate that the formerly handsome -residence was for rent or for sale. All the windows were boarded up -tight. - -A man, who lived next door, noticed Carter, and coming up to his side, -coughed nervously, to attract his attention. - -“Are you thinking of buying or renting this place?” - -“Is it for sale?” the detective asked, without answering the man’s -question. - -“I do not know. I thought from the manner in which you were looking at -it that you thought about renting or buying it. No sign has ever been -up on the house.” - -“How long have you lived in this neighborhood?” - -“About twenty years.” - -“Then you are pretty well acquainted with it?” - -“That I am.” - -“How long has this house been uninhabited?” - -“About ten years, I think.” - -“Were you acquainted with the last tenant?” - -“I was. Alfred Lawrence and his family lived there. Lawrence was sent -to State’s prison on a charge of forgery. His wife and child moved -away, and from that day to this I never heard what became of them.” - -“Have you ever seen any one visit the house?” - -“No one has ever come here.” - -“Was the furniture taken away?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then the house is evidently empty?” - -“It is.” - -“Were you acquainted with Lawrence enough to know anything about his -affairs?” - -“I was not.” - -“All I know is what I read in the newspapers at the time.” - -“Was he a man of considerable means?” - -“I always thought so.” - -“Did you know Simeon Rich?” - -“No.” - -Not being able to secure any further information from the man, the -detective walked away. - -Many thoughts crowded his mind and he asked himself innumerable -questions in regard to the case. - -The prison keeper had told him over the telephone that Lawrence had -only ten dollars in his possession when he left Sing Sing, and the -bartender at the Red Dragon Inn had informed him that the man who had -been murdered had displayed a large sum of money when he paid for the -night’s lodging. - -“From whom had Lawrence received money?” the detective asked himself as -he pondered over this. “He must have got money from some one.” - -That was clear. - -But the bartender might have been mistaken. - -Nick told Danny to drive to a restaurant, where he procured an -excellent breakfast; then he directed the chauffeur to make a dash up -to the Grand Central Station, where he hoped to find some one who had -seen Lawrence leave the train and had noted the direction in which he -went. - -What had Lawrence done from the time he left the depot until Pat -Maguire saw him standing in front of St. John’s Church looking into the -churchyard? - -Would the detective be able to follow his footsteps? - -Many would have looked upon such a task as Carter had set out to -perform as hopeless. - -The railroad detective who was stationed at the depot was unable to -furnish Nick with any information. - -Carter made inquiries of the porters and others, but none of them -remembered seeing any man who answered to Lawrence’s description. - -Finally, he left the depot and went outside to the cab stand. - -Here he commenced to question the drivers. - -At last he found a man who, in reply to his question, said: - -“I drove the old chap downtown in my cab.” - -“Do you think you would be able to identify him if you should see him -again?” Carter asked. - -“I do,” the cabman answered. - -“Will you come with me?” - -“What for?” - -“I want you to take a look at a man and see if he is the same person -whom you drove downtown.” - -“I can’t leave my cab.” - -“Drive me down to the Cosmopolitan Hotel.” - -“I’ll do that.” - -Nick sent Danny home, got into the cab, and was driven away. - -He had his reasons for not telling the cabman anything about the case. - -Before he questioned him further he wanted to see if the murdered man -was the same person whom the man had had for a fare the previous day. - -The cab stopped in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and the detective -alighted. He and the driver crossed the street and entered the Red -Dragon Inn. - -To the chamber of death the detective conducted his surprised companion. - -When they entered the room Carter pointed to the corpse and asked: - -“Is that the man?” - -“Dead!” the cabman ejaculated, as he started back, after having glanced -at the face of the murdered man. “Yes, sir, it is the man, all right. -He has been murdered!” - -“Yes.” - -“Did you fetch me down here to place me under arrest?” - -“No.” - -“I know nothing about this.” - -“Come with me.” - -“I’ll go with you, but I swear----” - -“There, there, my man, don’t get excited. You will not be -arrested--rest easy on that score.” - -“But----” - -“Wait until we get outside, and then I will tell you what I want you to -do.” - -They returned to the cab and stood on the sidewalk near it. - -Carter was silent for a short time. - -Suddenly he looked up into the pale face of the cabman and asked: - -“Where did you drive him?” - -“You mean----” the man stammered. The question had been asked so -suddenly that he was slightly confused. - -“I mean the man whose body lies over there in the Red Dragon Inn.” - -“I drove him down to the Manhattan Safe Deposit Company. He got out of -the cab, told me to wait for him, and then he went into the building, -where he remained for nearly half an hour. When he came out he paid and -dismissed me.” - -“When he paid you did he display any large amount of money?” - -“He had quite a large-sized roll of bills in his hand.” - -“Did you drive away immediately after you received the money for your -services?” - -“I did.” - -“And you did not notice in which direction the old man went?” - -“He went back into the building.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -A PECULIAR INTERVIEW. - - -Carter lapsed into silence after the cabman had answered his last -question. - -It was clear to him now that Lawrence had secured money at the -Manhattan Safe Deposit Company. - -Did he get the money out of a box, which he owned, or from some one -connected with the company? - -The detective proposed to find out. He happened to be acquainted with -the cashier of the safe deposit company, so he ordered the cabman to -drive him to the gentleman’s house. - -Fortunately, Carter found the cashier at home, and he was received by -him in his library. - -“Were you acquainted with an Alfred Lawrence?” the detective inquired -of the cashier as soon as he was seated. - -The gentleman started in surprise, and asked: - -“Why do you ask that question?” - -“I want information,” Carter replied, with a smile. He paused for a -moment, and then he continued: “I can see from the manner in which you -started that you knew Alfred Lawrence.” - -“Yes, I did know Alfred Lawrence, and I always regarded him as an -honest man. In spite of the fact that he was tried and found guilty of -forgery, I have always believed he was innocent. But why do you come -here asking about Lawrence?” - -“Lawrence was murdered at the Red Dragon Inn early this morning.” - -“No! It can’t be true!” - -The gentleman bounded out of his chair and, standing in the center of -the room, gazed at Carter with an expression of astonishment upon his -face. - -“It is true, nevertheless,” the detective replied. - -“I saw him yesterday. He had just been released from Sing Sing Prison.” - -“Please be seated and try to be calm. I want you to recall to your mind -all that occurred yesterday between you and Lawrence. It is important -that you should remember everything.” - -“I will try and do as you request.” - -The gentleman resumed his seat, and for some time he bowed his head, -resting it upon his hand. - -The detective remained quiet. - -Patiently he waited for the cashier of the safe deposit company to -speak. He desired to let him have plenty of time in which to recall to -his mind all that had happened between him and the murdered man on the -previous day. - -Finally the gentleman raised his head and gazed intently into Carter’s -face. - -“This is a great shock to me,” he remarked, as he passed his hand over -his forehead. “Lawrence came into my office about two o’clock. - -“At first I did not recognize him on account of the great change that -had been wrought in him. - -“When I learned who he was I was glad to see him. - -“He sat down and told me about his prison experience. - -“In years gone by we had been friends. - -“When he was tried I did what I could to help him. - -“The evidence was too strong against him, and he was convicted. - -“When he was sent to prison he left in my care some securities to -dispose of. I sold them and placed the money on deposit with the Bank -of North America. - -“I wrote to him about it, and he said that he desired me not to -communicate with him again until he should be free. Then he would call -upon me. If I were to die I was to provide in my will that the money -should be placed with some trust company for him. - -“Well, as I said, he called on me yesterday. He asked me for two -hundred dollars, and I gave it to him.” - -The gentleman paused. - -“How much was the full amount?” asked Nick, upon whom the cashier’s -information was making a clear impression of innocence on the part of -Alfred Lawrence. - -“About seven thousand dollars,” the cashier answered. - -“Did Lawrence talk about his family?” - -“He did not.” - -“Did he talk about any one?” - -“All he said was that he intended to prove that he was not a forger.” - -“Did he say how he was going to do it?” - -“No.” - -“Were you ever acquainted with Simeon Rich?” - -“No.” - -“Is he living in the city?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“And you don’t know what became of Lawrence’s wife and child?” - -“I do not.” - -“Did you know that Lawrence’s house on Beach Street has remained vacant -for years?” - -“No.” - -“When Lawrence left you did he say where he was going?” - -“He did not.” - -“Did he say that he would call on you again?” - -“He promised to call and see me to-morrow.” - -“Did Lawrence run a safe deposit box?” - -“He did. He had one with our company.” - -“Did he open it yesterday?” - -“No. He told me that he intended to open it to-morrow.” - -“Did he have the key?” - -“He did.” - -“Do you know the number of the box?” - -“I do not.” - -“To-morrow I will find out the number for you.” - -“Can’t you do so to-day?” - -“Why?” - -“I want to examine the contents of that box.” - -“You will have to wait until to-morrow, Mr. Carter. Then I will get -permission for you to open the box.” - -“I suppose I’ll have to wait.” - -“I am sorry that I can’t help you to-day.” - -“So am I.” - -Carter gave the cashier an account of the mysterious murder at the Red -Dragon Inn and then he departed, promising to call on him at his office -early the next morning. - -So far he had progressed fairly well with the case, though he had not -secured any information which would throw light on the mystery. - -The murdered man’s identity was established and Carter had learned -something about his history. - -But that was not much. - -Who could have committed the crime? - -Was Lawrence murdered by a common thief or by one who was afraid of him -and desired to put him out of the way? - -Carter asked himself these questions. - -He was not prepared to answer either one of them. - -He had discovered no clew. - -He had learned nothing upon which he could base a theory. - -Leaving the cashier’s house, he dismissed the cabman, and, hailing a -taxicab, rode home, where he went to his study and sat down to smoke -and think. - -It was now evening. He had not wasted a moment since early in the -morning, but he was not satisfied with his work. He had looked through -the directory and had not been able to find in it the name of the man -who had been instrumental in sending Lawrence to State’s prison. - -Did he have any suspicion that that man could have anything to do with -the murder? - -If he did not, then why was he so anxious to find out what had become -of that man? He wished he had a more accurate description of the man -who had entered the barroom of the Red Dragon Inn after Lawrence. - -“That man may know nothing,” he muttered as he thought about him, -“but, nevertheless, I should like to find him. - -“Who is he? - -“What was he doing in the inn? - -“Did he simply step in to get a drink, or did he follow Lawrence in? - -“I’m puzzled.” - -The detective arose from his chair and commenced to pace back and forth -across the room. - -All the time he puffed away vigorously on his cigar and blew the smoke -out in a long stream. Whenever he was annoyed about anything he always -smoked in this way. He was so deep in thought that he did not hear a -knock on the door until the person without had knocked several times. - -Carter halted in the center of the room and called out: - -“Come in.” - -The door was opened by Nick’s butler and Peter Wright entered the room. - -At a glance the detective saw he was excited. - -“I’m glad you are in, Mr. Carter,” Wright ejaculated, as he sank down -in a chair. - -He was puffing and blowing from exertion, and it was several minutes -before he became composed. He mopped his brow with a large red bandanna -and laid his hat down on the floor by the side of his chair. - -“It was a peculiar experience,” he ejaculated, looking at the -detective, “very peculiar--very peculiar----” - -Mr. Wright had a rapid way of speaking when he was excited, and he had -a habit of repeating certain words and phrases to emphasize what he -said. - -“It was deucedly peculiar,” he repeated, after a slight pause. - -Carter could not help smiling as he said: - -“Mr. Wright, you forget that I know nothing about it.” - -“That’s so--confound it! I am so excited I can hardly collect my -thoughts. But it was a deucedly peculiar experience, all the same,” he -replied. - -“Tell me all about it.” - -“Tell you all about it? So I will--yes--yes. Peculiar--it was very -peculiar----” - -“No doubt. Try and collect your thoughts.” - -“I will.” - -Mr. Wright mopped his brow for the twentieth time, blew his nose, and -then, rolling his bandanna up into a ball, threw it into his hat, -saying, as he rested his elbows upon the arms of the chair and leaned -forward: - -“Mr. Carter, I think I have important information for you.” - -“That is what I want,” the detective replied. - -Nick was perfectly calm. - -Not a muscle of his face moved. - -But those shrewd eyes of his sparkled like two gems. - -“It was this way,” Mr. Wright continued, after a momentary silence: -“After you left me I returned to my room in the hotel and sat down -to glance at the morning newspaper. I could not remain quiet for any -length of time, because my mind was dwelling continuously on the murder. - -“Well, an hour passed. I was pacing up and down the room trying to -recall to my mind everything I had known and had heard about Lawrence, -when there came a knock at my door. - -“I called out for the party to come in, and a tall, handsome, stylishly -dressed woman entered the room. - -“I was taken by surprise and was slightly confused. I thought at first -the woman had mistaken my room for some one else’s. But she looked at -me very calmly, and when I did not speak she said: - -“‘Are you not Mr. Wright?’ - -“Instantly I pulled myself together and acknowledged that I was the -individual. I invited her to be seated. - -“As far as I could remember, Mr. Carter, I had never seen the woman -before in all my life. - -“‘You are Mr. Peter Wright?’ she asked again, as soon as she was -seated, and she placed considerable emphasis upon ‘Peter,’ looking me -straight in the eyes with such intensity as if she were endeavoring to -read my most secret thoughts. - -“‘My name is Peter Wright,’ I said, and I commenced to experience a -creeping sensation all over me. - -“Never before had I been in such a position. - -“It may have been my imagination, but I thought that she was making an -effort to exert some influence over me. - -“Well, that is neither here nor there. It is a waste of time for me to -go into details about my feelings----” - -“Go on,” Carter interrupted, “tell your story your own way, and do not -make any attempt to abridge it. I am deeply interested.” - -“Let me see--oh, yes. As I said, I thought she was trying to hypnotize -me. - -“As soon as I said that I was Peter Wright she asked: - -“‘Were you the owner of the Red Dragon Inn at one time?’ - -“I replied in the affirmative, and I saw a smile encircle her lips. - -“‘You don’t remember me,’ she said, after a pause. - -“‘Indeed, I do not,’ I replied. ‘I cannot recall that I ever saw you -before.’ - -“‘No doubt, no doubt,’ she murmured. She glanced around the room and -ran her hand across her forehead. ‘I have changed wonderfully,’ she -went on. ‘Twenty years works wonderful changes in all of us,’ and she -smiled, with the sweetest smile I ever beheld upon the face of a woman. - -“‘We all change,’ I interpolated, and she replied: - -“‘You are right. I was a girl when you saw me last, and now I am a -woman. Mr. Wright, do you not remember Isabella Porter?’ - -“The instant she mentioned the name I remembered her. - -“Her parents used to live a few doors from the Red Dragon Inn. Her -father was a produce merchant. When she was a small girl I used to give -her pennies to spend. Her father died and her mother moved out of the -neighborhood. I lost track of them, and I had not seen nor heard of -Isabella until she appeared in my room. - -“To tell you the truth, Mr. Carter, even after she had told me who -she was, I studied her face, but could not see a line in it that was -familiar to me. I believed she was Isabella Porter, all the same. - -“I told her that I remembered her name, and then for a time she was -silent. She bowed her head, and seemed lost in deep thought. - -“Suddenly she glanced up at me. - -“‘I’ve called to see you on a peculiar errand,’ she informed me. - -“‘What is it?’ I asked. - -“‘One night about ten or eleven years ago,’ she said, ‘a man called on -you at the Red Dragon Inn and gave you a package to keep. - -“‘The man was a stranger to you. - -“‘On the package was written the name of Edward Peters. - -“‘You put the package in your safe and the man never called for it.’ - -“She paused and fastened her eyes upon me, Mr. Carter, with that -strange, uncanny, searching look--it was certainly peculiar, _very_ -peculiar! - -“I recalled the incident distinctly, but something within me seemed to -tell me to pretend ignorance about the package, to try and draw her out -and find out what she was aiming at, so I said: - -“‘I don’t remember any such incident.’ - -“Isabella Porter started and her face darkened. - -“‘You don’t?’ she ejaculated, in a tone of annoyance. - -“‘No,’ I replied. I was perfectly calm now, you see, and I had full -command of my senses. - -“Isabella eyed me closely, but I returned her gaze unflinchingly. - -“Why I acted in this way I cannot tell. An unseen force seemed to be -guiding me. - -“‘What did you do with the contents of your safe?’ Isabella asked. - -“‘When I sold the place,’ I replied, ‘I removed the contents of the -safe. I placed the paper in a box and locked it up in the safe deposit -vault. Since that time I have never looked at it,’ which was the truth. - -“‘Then the package must be in your box,’ Isabella ejaculated, and her -countenance brightened. ‘Mr. Wright, I want that package.’ - -“‘If it should be among my papers,’ I replied, ‘I can’t see why I -should deliver it to you. It does not belong to you.’ - -“She bit her lips with annoyance and exclaimed: - -“‘I must get possession of that package, Mr. Wright.’ - -“‘Why?’ I asked. - -“‘I can’t tell you the reason why,’ she answered. ‘You would not -understand if I were able to explain. But, Mr. Wright, please let me -have that package.’ - -“‘What is in it?’ I asked. - -“‘I can’t tell you,’ she replied. - -“‘Oh, well,’ I said, with a false laugh. ‘It is nothing to me. -To-morrow I will hunt through my papers at the safe deposit company and -I will see if the package is among them.’ - -“‘Can’t you look to-day?’ she asked, with great eagerness. - -“‘No,’ I replied; ‘to-day is a holiday and the vault is closed.’ - -“‘Then I suppose I must wait. What time shall I call upon you -to-morrow?’ - -“‘About eleven o’clock,’ I answered. - -“‘I will be here on time,’ she said, and she arose from her chair. - -“‘Where are you living?’ I inquired. - -“‘At No. -- West Nineteenth Street,’ she replied. - -“‘With your mother?’ - -“‘My mother has been dead five years. I reside in a flat alone.’ - -“‘Are you married?’ - -“‘No, no,’ she laughed. - -“I wanted to question her further, but I refrained. - -“Isabella departed. - -“As soon as she was out of the room I locked the door. - -“I had lied to her, Mr. Carter. The box with the contents of my old -safe in it was not in the vault of the safe deposit company, but it was -resting under my bed. - -“I pulled it out into the center of the room and unlocked it. I -examined the contents, and at last came across the package with the -name of Edward Peters written across the face. - -“It was sealed. - -“I broke the seals and tore off the wrapper. - -“Another wrapper was beneath, and upon it was writing. - -“I read the indorsement. - -“As the words appeared before my eyes I was so overcome with excitement -that I could not move or think for some time.” - -Mr. Wright paused, looked at Carter, put his hand into the breast -pocket of his coat, and pulled out a large package. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -AN IMPORTANT PACKAGE. - - -“This is the package,” Mr. Wright ejaculated, as he held up the bundle. -“I have not opened it.” - -“What is the indorsement?” Carter asked. - -“Listen and I will read.” - -“Read.” - -“‘Papers relating to the Lawrence will case.’” - -“The deuce you say!” - -“Read for yourself.” - -Mr. Wright handed the package to the detective. - -Carter took hold of it and read the indorsement. - -“The writing is bold and clear,” he said. “No name signed to it.” - -“It is peculiar,” Mr. Wright rejoined. “It seems strange that this -should turn up just at this time, and it is remarkable that I should -have been impelled to act as I did.” - -“Yes,” Carter remarked, and he became thoughtful, while he held the -package in his hand and gazed at it fixedly. - -“What do you suppose those papers contain?” - -“We will examine them.” - -“Why was Isabella Porter so anxious to get possession of them?” - -“That we will have to find out.” - -“Who was Edward Peters?” - -“I can’t answer the question.” - -Carter laughed as he glanced at Mr. Wright, who joined him, remarking: - -“If I were not so excited I would never have asked such a question, Mr. -Carter.” - -“I am aware of that.” - -“Let us examine those papers. There may be something in them which will -furnish you with a clew.” - -“Or they may deepen the mystery.” - -Carter broke the seals and tore off the wrapper. - -Five documents fell into his lap. - -Mr. Wright drew up his chair close to the detective’s side. - -Carter picked up one of the papers and read the indorsement: - -“‘Confession of George Blanchard, butler, employed by Alfred Lawrence, -Esq.’” - -“Phew!” Mr. Wright gave a prolonged whistle. - -His and the detective’s eyes met. - -For some time they did not speak. - -“Confession of George Blanchard,” repeated Mr. Wright. - -“We will read it,” the detective remarked, and he opened the paper. - -Mr. Wright leaned back in his chair. - -Carter cleared his throat and commenced to read: - - “‘I, George Blanchard, knowing that I am about to die and to be - called upon to face my Maker, desiring to make reparation for - grievous wrongs and sins which I have committed, do make the - following confession, hoping thereby to ease my conscience. May God - have mercy upon my soul! - - “‘I was born in Manchester, England, and at the age of twenty I came - to America. - - “‘Shortly after my arrival in New York I was engaged by Alfred - Lawrence, Esq., to act as his butler, and I went to work at his - house, No. -- Beach Street. - - “‘Mr. Lawrence was engaged in business with his uncle, after whom he - was named. - - “‘Old Mr. Lawrence died, and when the will was read it was found that - his nephew was left all of the property. - - “‘Simeon Rich, another nephew of the deceased, proceeded to contest - the will, and he claimed that Mr. Alfred Lawrence had forged the - document. - - “‘Previous to the death of old Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Alfred Lawrence and - his wife became estranged. - - “‘They used to quarrel frequently. - - “‘Mrs. Lawrence was a cold, willful, and heartless woman. - - “‘One day I discovered that she was meeting Simeon Rich - clandestinely. This was before the death of her husband’s uncle. - - “‘I saw that I had her in my power, and I made a demand upon her for - hush money, which she gave to me. - - “‘I threatened her with exposure, and I received from her several - hundred dollars. - - “‘One night shortly after the death of old Mr. Lawrence, Simeon Rich - came to me and told me that he was going to contest the will. He said - he would pay me ten thousand dollars if I would swear that I had seen - Mr. Alfred Lawrence forge the will. - - “‘Mrs. Lawrence, he told me, would be on his side. - - “‘He paid me one thousand dollars down, and the balance he promised - to give me as soon as the will was broken. - - “‘I entered into the plot. - - “‘Papers which would have cleared Mr. Alfred Lawrence of the charge - of forgery I stole from his safe. - - “‘These papers I have always kept in my possession, and they will be - found with this confession. - - “‘One of the papers was a statement of the lawyer who had drawn up - the will and who had died just before the contest. - - “‘From time to time Simeon Rich has tried to get possession of these - papers, but I would never give them to him. - - “‘Another paper was a letter written by Mrs. Lawrence to Rich, in - which she outlined the whole plot. - - “‘Mr. Alfred Lawrence in some way got hold of this letter. - - “‘He was sent to State’s prison a year ago to-day. - - “‘Mrs. Lawrence and Rich have gone abroad together. - - “‘Two weeks ago, while crossing Broadway, I was knocked down by a - runaway team and taken to this hospital. - - “‘I have suffered terrible agony, and the doctors have informed me - that I cannot live. - - “‘I intrust this confession and the stolen documents, which - will clear Mr. Alfred Lawrence, to my chum, Edward Peters, with - instructions to deliver them to the proper authorities. - - “‘(Signed) GEORGE BLANCHARD. - - “‘Witnessed by: - “‘EDWARD PETERS, - “‘LEONARD THOMPSON, M. D., House Physician, Bellevue Hospital. - - “‘Dated August 17, 19--’” - - -For some time after Carter finished reading he and Mr. Wright sat in -silence. - -Mr. Wright was the first to speak. - -“That confession shows that Lawrence was innocent,” he remarked. - -“Yes,” the detective rejoined, “but it throws no light on the murder.” - -“I wonder what became of Edward Peters and what induced him to leave -the package of documents with me? If I had only known the value of -those papers years ago, I would have had Lawrence out of Sing Sing in a -jiffy.” - -“I wonder if Doctor Leonard Thompson, whose signature is attached to -this confession, is the famous specialist who now resides on upper -Fifth Avenue?” - -“We can easily find out by calling on him.” - -“We will start for his house immediately.” - -Carter put the papers into the inside pocket of his coat, and then he -and Mr. Wright started for the house of the Fifth Avenue physician. - -When the detective and his companion arrived at the palatial mansion -they were shown into a small reception room in which a number of -patients were seated. - -Carter gave his card to the butler, requesting him to present it to -his master and state that he desired to see the doctor on important -business. - -In a few minutes the butler returned and said that the doctor would see -them. - -Doctor Thompson was a man of fine physique and aristocratic bearing. - -At first he acted rather coldly when the detective and Mr. Wright -entered his private office. However, he invited them to be seated and -asked what they desired. - -“Were you ever house physician at Bellevue Hospital?” Carter inquired. - -“I was,” Doctor Thompson replied. - -“Is this your signature?” - -The detective took the Blanchard confession out of his pocket and -showed the doctor the signature. - -“This is my signature,” the physician said, after he had glanced at it, -and instantly he thawed out and became interested. “What is that paper?” - -“A confession of a man named George Blanchard,” the detective answered. -“He was at one time a butler for a Mr. Alfred Lawrence.” - -“I remember the man. He died from injuries received in a runaway. I -never knew what the confession related to. - -“A man named Peters was with him all the afternoon before he died. I -came up to the cot just as he signed the paper, and Peters requested me -to witness the signature, which I did. - -“My mind was busy with other matters, and I never thought to ask what -was in the paper. - -“I signed the death certificate, and, if my memory does not play me -false, I think Peters claimed the body and buried it. - -“A month later Peters was brought to the hospital in a dying condition. -He had been stabbed, I think, in some dark street downtown. - -“I recognized him as the man who had been with Blanchard and who had -requested me to sign the paper. - -“He died without recovering consciousness. - -“I can’t tell whether any one claimed his body or not.” - -“The records at Bellevue will show that?” - -“Certainly.” - -“Doctor, we are greatly obliged to you for this information.” - -“Why are you so anxious----” - -“I can’t tell you anything just at present----” - -“I understand, Mr. Carter. Well, if I can be of any further service to -you, don’t hesitate to call on me.” - -“Thank you.” - -Carter and Wright departed. - -As soon as they were outside in the street, the latter turned to the -former and said: - -“What are you going to do next?” - -“We will go over to Bellevue,” the detective rejoined. - -At the hospital Carter proceeded to examine the record of deaths. - -After a long search, he found the name of Edward Peters. - -“Here it is,” he said, turning to Peter Wright and holding his finger -on the name. - -“Read what the record says,” said Wright. - -“‘Peters, Edward. Forty, unmarried, native of England. Cause of death: -stab wound in back, over left lobe of heart. Occupation: butler. Where -employed: No. -- Fifth Avenue. Name of employer: Mrs. Isabella Porter. -Body claimed by Mrs. Porter. Date, September 21.’” - -“Well!” Wright ejaculated, and he looked at Carter, with a quizzical -expression upon his face. - -“More mystery,” the detective rejoined. - -“Peters stopped at the Red Dragon Inn on the night of September 20.” - -“How do you know that?” - -“I put the date on the wrapper of the package.” - -“Did you leave that wrapper in your room?” - -“I did.” - -“From this record, it appears that the man was Mrs. Porter’s butler.” - -“Yes. She never had a butler when they lived on West Broadway, and I -was not aware that she had gone to reside on Fifth Avenue.” - -“Mrs. Porter’s daughter was named after her?” - -“Obviously!” - -“Let us go to your hotel. When Miss Isabella Porter calls on you -to-morrow, tell her that you could not find the package.” - -“I’d like to know how she learned about it.” - -“That we will find out all in good time.” - -“I will put these papers away in a safe place.” - -“Do so.” - -It was quite late when the detective and Wright reached the hotel. - -Carter recovered the wrapper which had been outside of the package. He -sealed the documents up in an envelope, and had the bundle locked up in -the hotel safe. - -When he reached his house, an hour later, he did not retire to rest. - -As soon as he locked the door of his sanctum, he proceeded to change -his clothing. - -In a quarter of an hour he had changed his appearance so completely -that his most intimate acquaintance could not have recognized him. - -What did he intend to do? - -From the manner in which he acted, it was quite clear that he did not -propose to remain in. He examined his notebook before leaving the room, -and as he went out he muttered: - -“We will see what kind of place Miss Porter lives in.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE THREAT. - - -Carter desired to learn something about Isabella Porter. - -Her appearance at this time and her anxiety to secure the papers which -had been left in Mr. Wright’s possession so many years before seemed -peculiar. - -As the detective reviewed the incidents, and recalled the record of -Peters’ death to his mind, he was almost certain that the man had been -attacked by some one who desired to put him out of the way. - -Was Peters’ death planned because he had in his possession these -damaging papers? - -Carter pondered over this question. - -The circumstance was puzzling. - -Why was no attempt ever made until now to get possession of the -documents? - -How did Isabella Porter come to know or suppose that they were in the -possession of Mr. Wright? - -Was it any wonder that Carter was in a quandary when these questions -were presented to his mind? - -He did not know what to think. - -He was in the dark. - -There was a veil before his eyes, figuratively speaking. - -He felt that Isabella Porter had some connection with the mystery of -the Red Dragon Inn, but what this connection was he could not determine. - -Presently he arrived at the address on West Nineteenth Street. - -It was an apartment house. He went into the vestibule and examined the -names on the letter boxes. - -The name of the woman was not among them. - -“It is as I supposed,” the detective muttered, “she does not live here, -and she gave Mr. Wright this address simply as a blind.” - -To make sure that he was not wrong in his surmise, Carter called on the -janitor and questioned him. - -The man did not know any woman by the name of Isabella Porter, and he -was sure that no woman answering to her description lived in the house. - -“She had some deep object in view when she gave that false address,” -the detective thought. “The discovery alone is sufficient to make one -suspect her.” - -Early the next morning the detective called at the address on Fifth -Avenue which he had found in the record of Peters’ death. - -No one knew anything about any person by the name of Porter. - -He returned to the hotel, and went to Mr. Wright’s room, intending to -remain there until the woman called. - -He sent a message to the cashier of the safe deposit company, stating -that he had important business on hand, and he would see him later in -the day. - -Noon arrived, and Isabella Porter did not appear. - -Carter was impatient. - -“I’ve wasted the whole morning,” he remarked to Wright. - -“That woman promised to call early,” Wright rejoined. “Do you think her -suspicions were aroused?” - -“That I cannot tell.” - -“It is curious.” - -“Very.” - -Carter strode over to the window and looked out into the street. He was -in a brown study. - -What should he do? - -Just then some one knocked on the door, and the detective opened it. - -A messenger boy stood before him. - -“I’ve got a note for Mr. Peter Wright,” the boy said. - -Mr. Wright took the note, and opened it. He glanced at it, and then -turning to the boy, asked: - -“From whom did you receive this?” - -“A man,” the boy replied. - -“Where was he when he gave it to you?” - -“In the barroom of the Humberland House.” - -“What kind of a looking man was he?” - -“He was tall, had a smooth face and black hair.” - -“What did he say when he gave you the note?” - -“He said simply to fetch it down to you.” - -“Was that all?” - -“That was all.” - -“Did he pay you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“You may go.” - -“Wait, sonny.” - -It was Carter who spoke. He had remained quiet during the time Peter -Wright was questioning the lad. - -“Let me see that note?” he asked, and Wright handed the message to him. -He read it, and a smile crossed his face. - -Then he looked at the boy, and asked: - -“Did you ever see the man before?” - -“No, sir,” the boy answered. - -“You may go.” - -When the messenger was out of the room, Carter turned to Mr. Wright, -and said: - -“This note shows that the woman suspected a trap.” - -“No doubt,” Mr. Wright rejoined. “Read the note to me. I just glanced -at it.” - - “‘_Mr. Peter Wright._ - - “‘DEAR SIR: I cannot call on you to-day. I thought you were a - gentleman, but I have discovered that I cannot trust you. After I - left you yesterday I learned that you held a conference with Nicholas - Carter, the detective, and he commenced to make inquiries about me. - That man had better beware of how he meddles with my affairs. I - know that you have that package in your possession, and if you turn - it over to that detective, you will live to regret it. Yours very - respectfully, - - “‘ISABELLA PORTER.’” - -“Humph!” Mr. Wright ejaculated, when the detective finished reading. -“_That_ for her threat!” and the old man snapped his fingers together, -while defiance shone in his eyes. - -“One thing is certain,” Carter remarked. - -“What is that?” - -“We’re watched.” - -“By whom?” - -“Probably by the man who gave the note to the messenger boy.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I am going to call on the cashier of the safe deposit company.” - -Half an hour later the detective was in the office of the safe deposit -company. He and the cashier visited the vault, and, after some -hesitation, the latter opened Lawrence’s box. - -It was empty. - -When this discovery was made, Carter uttered an exclamation of chagrin. - -“Who could have removed the contents?” the cashier ejaculated. -“Lawrence told me positively that he had valuable papers in this box.” - -“They have been removed, but whether recently; or years ago, we cannot -tell,” the detective said. - -“It is annoying.” - -Carter left the vault and started uptown. - -So far, he considered that he had made very little progress with the -investigation. - -He reached the Humberland House, and entered the café. - -It was four o’clock in the afternoon, and quite a number of men were -in the place. He thought that there might be a chance of learning -something here, and that was the reason why he had stopped. - -The man who had given Isabella Porter’s note to the messenger he -thought might come into the place. He sat down at one of the tables, -and proceeded to inspect the men around him. - -His attention was attracted toward a tall man who was seated at the -next table, with a short, stout man. - -The man was well dressed. - -There was something about his manner the detective did not like, and he -looked at him more closely than he otherwise would have done. - -All of a sudden it came to him that this man answered the description -of the man who had given the messenger boy Isabella Porter’s note. - -Carter acted cautiously, so that the man would not notice that he was -watching him. - -They spoke in low tones, and it was some time before the detective was -able to catch a word they said. - -He leaned back in his chair and listened. - -The men were drinking. - -After a time they commenced to talk louder, and the detective was able -to hear. - -A man of less experience would have started, and perhaps betrayed -himself when he heard the stout man address his companion as Rich. - -Not so Carter. He did not move in his chair, or show any sign that he -had heard a word. - -His eyes were fixed on a painting on the opposite wall, and apparently -he was examining it. - -“Well, Rich,” the detective heard the stout man ejaculate, “I think you -made a mistake.” - -For a while this was all he heard, for the man spoke in low tones again. - -But this was sufficient to make Carter more deeply interested in those -two men. - -“Can this be Simeon Rich who conspired against Lawrence?” he asked -himself. - -There was a chance that the man was in no way related to the murdered -man. - -After a time the detective heard the man Rich remark: - -“Isabella made a mistake.” - -“I don’t know about that,” the stout man rejoined, and at the same time -he lighted a fresh cigar, while he leaned back in his chair and blew -the smoke up in the air over his head. - -“Darwin,” replied Rich, in a low, clear, deep voice, “I think you are -unnecessarily alarmed.” - -“I am not. I have heard a great deal of that man’s ability.” - -“All such men are overestimated. When they are brought face to face -with shrewd men they fail.” - -“Make no mistake. That man has circumvented shrewder men than we.” - -“Bosh!” - -“Even at this moment he may be in possession of important evidence.” - -“How could he secure it?” - -“I do not know, and yet I do not feel safe.” - -“I tell you, we have nothing to fear.” - -“You should never have had that letter of Isabella’s delivered.” - -“The old fool will never dare to show it.” - -“That man has already been to Bellevue and examined the records.” - -“How do you know that?” - -“I made inquiries.” - -“When?” - -“This afternoon.” - -“Humph!” - -“It was well I had him watched.” - -“In one way it was.” - -“Yes, in many ways.” - -The men rested back in their chairs, and were silent. - -Carter had heard every word, and he was sure that the two men had -referred to him, although they had not mentioned any names. - -His heart beat violently, in spite of his stoicism. - -Outwardly he was composed, but inwardly he was excited. - -“Am I on the right trail at last?” he asked himself. - -“Have these men had anything to do with the mysterious murder at the -Red Dragon Inn? Ought I to suspect them?” - -Darwin arose from the table, paid the cashier for what they had had, -and then the two men strolled out of the café into the corridor of the -hotel, when they halted near the newspaper stand. - -Carter followed them openly but unobtrusively, and stood within a few -feet of them. - -The lobby was crowded with people, and it was easy to keep them under -surveillance without the fear of attracting their attention. - -“Well, Rich, what are you going to do?” Carter heard Darwin ask, after -they had stood silent for some time near the door. - -“I am going uptown,” Rich replied evasively. - -“To see Isabella?” - -“Yes.” - -“Try and induce her to take a trip to Philadelphia, and remain there -until things quiet down.” - -“She won’t listen to that.” - -“Confound these women, anyway! If you had let me manage that affair, -and kept her out of it, there would have been nothing to worry about. -As it is, you went ahead without asking my advice, and the result may -be that you have furnished that man with a clew which will lead up to -our downfall.” - -“Always croaking, Dick!” - -“No, I am not.” - -“What are _you_ going to do?” - -“I am going to take a trip down to Lem Samson’s joint, and see if -Brockey Gann has any report to make.” - -“What time to-morrow will you meet me?” - -“Eleven o’clock.” - -“Where?” - -“Here,” said Darwin. - -“If anything of importance has occurred, I will send you word.” - -“Then, good night.” - -They had walked out into the street, and now they separated, -one starting uptown and the other walking down to the corner of -Twenty-fourth Street, where he halted to wait for a car. - -For a moment or so Carter was in doubt about which one he ought to -follow. - -Richard Darwin had mentioned that he was going downtown to a place kept -by a man named Lem Samson. - -The detective was familiar with the place, which was one of the worst -crooks’ resorts on Houston Street, near Macdougal Street. - -He also knew that Brockey Gann was the leader of a gang of thugs. - -He had arrested Brockey several times, and once he succeeded in sending -him to State’s prison for a short term. - -Carter saw Darwin start out toward the center of the street as a -downtown car came along. - -In an instant his mind was made up. - -He ran out into the street and jumped aboard the car ahead of Darwin. - -On the way downtown the detective made a close study of the man. He -did not remember that he had ever seen him before. - -Darwin had the appearance of a man in prosperous circumstances. - -That he had been in the habit of associating with sporting men was -quite evident from certain phrases which Carter had heard him utter. - -At Houston Street Darwin jumped off the car. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EAVESDROPPING. - - -Carter did not act hastily. He waited until Darwin had turned the -corner before he alighted from the car. Then he started after his -quarry, whom he soon caught sight of hurrying along on the south side -of Houston Street. - -The detective kept on the north side of the street. - -As he walked along, he made a few changes in his disguise, so that -if he and Darwin were brought face to face again the man would not -recognize him as the same person who had stood on the platform of the -car with him. - -Darwin entered the crooks’ resort. - -Carter followed him inside. - -A number of men were leaning up against the bar. - -Lem Samson, a tall, burly, broad-shouldered, red-faced man, with an -ugly scar over his left temple, was serving out the drinks. - -Darwin stepped up to the bar and spoke to Samson. - -Carter got near them, and heard what was said. - -“Have you seen Brockey?” Darwin asked. - -“He hasn’t been in this evening,” Samson replied. “Did you expect to -meet him to-night?” - -“I did.” - -“Go into the back room and wait.” - -“Is any one in there?” - -“No.” - -Carter sat down in a chair near the door of that room, and feigned -intoxication. - -No one paid any attention to him. - -The minutes passed. - -Then the door of the room opened, and a man entered. He was dressed in -black. His coat was tightly buttoned up, so as nearly to hide the white -handkerchief that encompassed his scrawny throat. His hair--and it was -not very luxuriant--was of a foxy color, and combed straight down, -giving the observer the idea that it had been operated on by the prison -barber. Pitted pockmarks covered his colorless, lean face. - -At a glance the detective recognized Brockey Gann. - -The rascal cast his restless eyes around the room, as if he were in -fear of some danger, and, thus shuffling up to the bar, he asked of -Samson, in a hoarse tone of voice: - -“Have you seen him?” - -“He’s waiting inside,” Samson replied, pointing toward the back room -with his thumb. - -Brockey, as he passed Carter, looked at him. - -The detective’s head was bending forward, and, apparently, he was -asleep. - -“Jaggy,” Brockey muttered as he passed into the room. - -“I’m glad you have come at last, Brockey,” the detective heard Darwin -exclaim. “Sit down. Help yourself to the rosy.” - -“Thank you,” Brockey replied, and he seated himself at the table, -pouring out a glassful of liquor and swallowing it at a gulp. - -Darwin handed him a cigar, which he lighted and proceeded to smoke. - -“That’s the stuff!” he ejaculated. - -“What did you discover this afternoon?” Darwin asked, after a pause. - -“Nothing much.” - -“Tell me what you did learn.” - -“Well, the cove left the hotel and went downtown to the Manhattan Safe -Deposit Company. - -“Then he returned to the house. - -“I laid around the place for several hours, thinking he would come out. -He did not put in an appearance, and I proceeded to make inquiries. - -“Then I discovered that he was not in his room, and I knew he had left -the hotel. - -“I haven’t been able to get on his trail.” - -“The deuce!” - -“That cove is like an eel.” - -For a time the men were silent. - -Carter realized that Brockey had been tracking him, and saw that in the -future he would have to be more cautious. - -It was only by a mere stroke of good luck that he had slipped out of -the hotel unrecognized. - -Finally, Darwin looked across the table at his companion, and said: - -“I think I can trust you, Brockey.” - -“Think you can!” Brockey ejaculated. “You have done so, and never found -me unworthy of the trust. You remember----” - -The blood left Darwin’s face when thus addressed, for a moment, and a -paleness usurped its place. - -“Why, Mr. Darwin, I was in hopes----” - -“I think you are misunderstanding me. I know you--I can trust you, and -it is not everybody I would; let that suffice. I shall want you to do -something more for me.” - -“What is that?” - -“Carter must be put out of the way.” - -“I begin to comprehend. That man has been the bitterest enemy that I -ever had.” - -“You don’t love him?” - -“No.” - -“Then you will undertake the job?” - -“For a consideration--yes.” - -“Oh, I don’t expect you to do it for nothing. I will pay you liberally. -But, remember, there must be no failure.” - -“I’ll do my best.” - -“Your best!” - -“That’s what I said,” retorted Brockey. - -“You must not fail.” - -“There is a chance that I may.” - -“You must not.” - -“See here, Darwin, that cove is one of the worst terrors in the -business.” - -“I am aware of that----” - -“Well--it----” - -“Well----” - -The men were sitting with their elbows leaning upon the table, and they -stared into each other’s eyes for some time in silence. - -“Say, Darwin,” Brockey finally blurted out, “I don’t like to be spoken -to in that way. You talk as if you had a hold on me.” - -“I _have_ a hold on you!” Darwin fairly hissed, and his face darkened, -while his eyes shone like two coals of fire. - -“So you think. But I have also a hold on you, my bully boy, and don’t -you forget it!” - -Again a silence fell on them. - -Darwin scowled. - -Brockey smiled, showing a hideous gold tooth. - -“We won’t quarrel,” Darwin at last remarked. - -“I guess not,” Brockey replied, with a chuckle. - -“Will you do the work?” - -“I told you I would.” - -“Then start out to-night to run him down.” - -“The exchequer is very low.” - -“How much will you need?” - -“Five hundred down and five thousand when the cove is out of the way.” - -“That is too much.” - -“Don’t talk in that way. You know it is not too much. You and that -other chap are going to pull out a big stake.” - -“I am no fool, Darwin.” - -“One word from me, and----” - -“Hush! We are in a public barroom, and you ought to be more cautious.” - -“Are you going to come to time?” - -“I’ll give you three hundred to-night, and to-morrow we will talk about -the balance.” - -“Fork out the three hundred.” - -Darwin took a roll of bills out of his pocket, counted out the amount, -and passed it over to Brockey, who smiled again and shoved the money -into his trousers pocket. - -“How will you proceed?” Darwin asked. - -“I’ll make up my mind later,” Brockey replied. - -“To-morrow I shall expect to hear----” - -“Don’t count on hearing to-morrow.” - -“Why not?” - -“I may not be able to find him to-night.” - -“All right.” - -“I’ll meet you here to-morrow afternoon at four o’clock. Are you going?” - -“Yes.” - -“I guess I’ll go with you.” - -Darwin and Brockey left the room. - -They passed the detective, and Darwin said: - -“Did you notice that fellow?” pointing to Carter. - -“Certainly,” Brockey answered. “He’s got a jag on.” - -They halted in the center of the room, and looked back at the -detective, who did not stir. - -“Suppose he should be shamming?” Darwin remarked, in an undertone. - -“G’way,” Brockey retorted. - -“He may have heard what we were talking about.” - -“Not much.” - -“I have a sort of feeling that he is a spy.” - -Brockey gazed intently at Carter. - -Without uttering a word, he strode across the room and clutched hold of -the detective by the shoulder, shaking him vigorously. - -“Wosh de ma-asher!” Carter growled, making no attempt to resist. “Wosh -de ma-asher,” he mumbled, a second time, in a maudlin tone. “Lesh a -fel’ alone.” - -“Get up out of here!” Brockey exclaimed, and he jerked the detective -out of the chair. - -Carter struggled from side to side, and his acting was perfect. - -No one in the place paid any attention to him and Brockey except Darwin. - -“Shay, ain’t chue a-goin’ t’ lea’ up?” Carter mumbled, and he caught -hold of Brockey by the arms, to steady himself. - -“Where do you live?” Brockey asked. - -“Nowhere.” - -The rascal was entirely deceived. He firmly believed that the detective -was nothing more than a drunken “bum.” He let go his hold on him, and, -with a grunt of well-feigned disgust, Carter staggered out of the den. - -Brockey and Darwin followed. - -The detective disappeared around the corner. - -The instant he was out of sight he straightened up and darted into the -doorway of a house, where he made a change in his disguise. He was -anxious not to lose sight of Darwin, and he hastened back around into -Houston Street again. - -He almost ran into Brockey, who had separated from Darwin, who was -hurrying off up the street in the direction of Broadway. - -Brockey did not recognize the detective, and, with an oath, he passed -around the corner. - -Carter started after Darwin. He reached Broadway a few seconds later -than he, and by a lucky chance he was able to get on the same car with -him. - -Carter was sure that he had struck the right trail. Indeed, he was -firmly convinced now that Darwin and Rich were implicated in the -murder, that they had formed together some dastardly plot. - -The detective did not make any effort to surmise what that plot was. - -It was too early yet to start to theorize. - -By the detective’s side on the platform of the car Darwin stood, -entirely unconscious that the man whom he had paid Brockey to kill was -near him. - -When the car reached Thirty-first Street, Darwin jumped off, lighted a -cigar, and strolled leisurely down the block, turning into Sixth Avenue. - -Carter was not far behind him. - -“I’m going to find out more about you, my lad,” the detective thought, -as he followed Darwin into a crowded dance hall. - -It was nearly midnight, and the place was filled with men and women. -A band was playing a popular waltz, and the floor was crowded with -dancers. Loud laughter and shouts of maudlin mirth were heard on all -sides. - -Darwin halted near the entrance, and cast his eyes over the dancers. - -“He’s looking for some one,” Carter mentally commented, as he noted his -every action. - -Darwin, at that moment, started up the stairway leading to the gallery. - -The detective followed close behind him. - -In the gallery, ranged along the railing, were small tables, at which -merry parties of men about town and tenderloiners were seated, drinking. - -The women were flashily and expensively dressed, and many of them were -adorned with valuable jewelry. - -Darwin, as soon as he reached the gallery, looked searchingly around. - -Suddenly he started across the rear, and reached a table at the -opposite side of which a young woman was sitting alone. The woman -looked at him, and nodded coldly as he drew up a chair beside her. - -Carter had also crossed the gallery, and he stood within a few feet of -the table. - -“What is the matter with you, Dora?” asked Richard Darwin, as he sat -down and ordered a waiter to fetch a bottle of champagne. - -“You know well enough what is the matter,” Dora snappishly replied. -“What’s the use of you trying to feign ignorance?” - -“You look real sweet when you talk in that way.” - -“How dare you!” - -Dora’s fine eyes flashed. She turned around in her chair, faced Darwin, -and glared at him. - -One could see that she was not in an amiable mood. She was angry about -something. Her face was flushed, and she raised her hand, as if she -would have liked to have struck her companion in the face. - -“Here’s the wine,” Darwin exclaimed, with a forced laugh, as the waiter -placed the bottle and glasses on the table. “Drink some, and see if it -won’t put you in a good humor.” - -“I want none of your wine,” Dora retorted. “Keep it for your----” - -“Yes, you do.” - -“I won’t touch it. You and I are quits from this night forth.” - -“Phew!” - -“Probably you think I don’t mean it?” - -“You _don’t_ mean it, my dear girl. Drink your wine.” - -“I want no wine that you have paid for. I want nothing from a man who -will deceive me.” - -“I haven’t deceived you, Dora. Indeed, I haven’t. I don’t understand -what you mean.” - -“You scoundrel!” - -The conversation was carried on in low tones, but it was exciting and -intense. - -Dora leaned back in her chair, as she called Darwin a scoundrel, and -she looked him squarely in the eyes. - -Carter, who had heard all that was said, was deeply interested. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A WOMAN SCORNED. - - -Dora kept her eyes fastened on Darwin. - -There was a peculiar glitter in them. - -At first Darwin returned her gaze without flinching, but soon he -commenced to move about uneasily. - -For some time neither spoke. - -A cynical smile played around the corners of Dora’s lips. - -“You are contemptible,” she sneered. “Really, I should feel sorry for -you if I did not despise you so intensely!” - -“Really, Dora, I don’t understand you,” Darwin replied. - -“You don’t understand me? How can you sit there and say that? Where -were you to-day at eleven o’clock?” - -“Why--I--I----” - -“Don’t lie to me. Where were you?” - -“I was in O’Rourke’s restaurant.” - -“With whom?” - -“Sally Rich.” - -“What were you doing in her company?” - -“I met her by chance.” - -“You had an appointment with her.” - -“I did not.” - -“I was in O’Rourke’s at the time, and I saw both of you.” - -“Spying on me?” - -Darwin’s face darkened, and he bit the ends of his mustache. - -“I was _not_ spying on you,” Dora ejaculated. “I wouldn’t spy on any -one. But I am glad I’ve discovered your duplicity.” - -“You are jealous of Sally Rich,” Darwin retorted. - -“I am _not_! But I do hate her.” - -“I am aware of that. She hates _you_.” - -“She is a low----” - -“Hush!” - -“I will not hush! This is the third time that I have caught you with -her.” - -“You don’t understand. I have business with her brother----” - -“Do you expect me to believe that? Not much! I’m not green. As long as -you prefer that woman’s society to mine, you may go with her, and I -never want you to speak to me again.” - -“But, Dora----” - -“Dick Darwin, my mind is made up.” - -“Do listen to reason, Dora.” - -“Good night.” - -Dora arose from the table, cast a contemptuous glance at Darwin, and -walked into a side room. - -“Confound that woman!” Darwin muttered, as he gazed after her. “If she -turns against me, she may ruin me. I wish I hadn’t met Sally Rich--at -least, not for the present.” - -Carter heard what Darwin muttered, and he saw that the man was greatly -disturbed. - -“He’s afraid of Dora, for some reason,” the detective cogitated. “If -I could get her out of here, unseen by Darwin, while she is in her -present mood, I might be able to worm some information out of her. -Shall I make the attempt?” - -Carter looked into the next room, where he saw Dora putting on her -cloak. He glanced at Darwin, who was leaning back in his chair in a -brown study. - -“Shall I try?” the detective thought, and he gazed after Dora, who was -starting for the stairway. He saw that Darwin did not move, and he was -still thinking. - -In an instant his mind was made up, and he started after Dora. - -She went out into the street. - -Then the detective spoke to her. - -“You are a stranger to me,” she said coldly, with an air of affronted -dignity. - -“I am not such a stranger as you think, Miss Ferris. We have met -several times,” Carter rejoined. - -“I don’t seem to remember you.” - -“Perhaps not, in this rig. Will you come up to Sherton’s with me and -have some supper? I want to talk with you.” - -“Who are you?” - -“My name is Nicholas Carter.” - -“Why, I----” - -“You need not be afraid.” - -“I am not afraid.” - -“Will you accompany me?” - -“I don’t understand.” - -“I will explain when we get to Sherton’s. There we can secure a -secluded table, and no one will see us.” - -“It isn’t that----” - -“You will not regret it.” - -“I will go with you.” - -The detective and Dora had little to say until after the repast at -Sherton’s was placed upon the table, and they were alone. - -“Now we can talk,” the detective said, as soon as the waiter had left -the room. - -“You said you desired to secure some information from me?” Dora -remarked. - -“I do.” - -“I can’t imagine what it is about.” - -“You have been friendly with a man named Dick Darwin?” - -Dora started. She laid down her knife and fork, and looked at the -detective, with amazement depicted upon every line of her handsome face. - -“You heard what passed between us a while ago?” she ejaculated. - -“I did,” Carter calmly replied, and he smiled. - -“Then you know that I have thrown him over?” - -“Yes.” - -“I do not intend to have anything more to do with him.” - -“Do you really mean that?” - -“I do. I am serious. I have made many sacrifices for that man, and he -has treated me brutally.” - -“To-morrow you will change your mind.” - -“Mr. Carter, my mind is made up. Nothing will make me change it. I -possess my father’s nature. You were a friend of his, and you know how -bitter he could be against any one for whom he formed a dislike. It is -the same way with me.” - -“Then you will not hesitate to tell me all you know about Darwin?” - -“Has he committed a crime?” asked Dora. - -“Do _you_ think he has?” - -“I do not know.” - -“Neither do I,” asserted Carter, with a smile. - -“Then why are you so anxious to get information about him?” - -“I can’t tell you.” - -“Oh!” - -Dora gazed at the detective. She picked up the glass of wine and -commenced to sip the amber-colored liquid. - -Carter was silent, but he watched her closely. - -“Mr. Carter,” Dora said, as she set down the glass, “I will tell you -everything I know about that man.” - -“I thank you,” the detective rejoined. - -“I hate him.” - -Her eyes flashed. The hot blood mantled her brow, and she hissed out -the words between her clenched teeth. - -Now the detective saw that she was in earnest. He knew that she did -hate Dick Darwin, and no power could make her become friendly with him -again. - -“How long have you been acquainted with him?” Carter asked, after a -short silence. - -“About three years,” Dora answered. - -“Where did you first meet him?” - -“In London.” - -“What were you doing over there?” - -“I was in the chorus of ‘A Girl from New York.’ We were playing over -there at the Gayety.” - -“Were you introduced to him?” - -“I was.” - -“By whom?” - -“One of the other chorus girls, Sally Rich.” - -“Then you were acquainted with Miss Rich?” - -“Yes.” - -“And her brother?” - -“I know him.” - -“Well?” - -“Yes.” - -“How long have you known him?” - -“Four years.” - -“Where did you first meet him?” - -“At Koster & Bial’s, where his sister and I were singing together.” - -“Tell me all you know about Darwin.” - -“Give me time to collect my thoughts.” - -“Take all the time you desire.” - -Carter was succeeding better than he had calculated. - -At first he did not suspect that Dora felt so bitterly about the manner -in which she had been treated by Darwin. He congratulated himself on -the move he had made. - -As he watched Dora, and noted the fleeting shadows crossing her face, -he was able to read almost all her thoughts. He saw that she had no -compunctions of conscience, no tenderness for Darwin, and that she -would tell all she knew about the man. - -Did she know anything about the mysterious murder at the Red Dragon Inn? - -The detective was unable to surmise. - -Finally, Dora raised her eyes, and, gazing straight at Carter, she said: - -“Dick Darwin is a cousin of Simeon Rich. His mother was a sister of -Rich’s father. He was educated in England, and he resided there until -he was thirty years of age, when he came to New York to live. - -“When his father died he inherited a small fortune. He soon ran through -it. Then he became connected with several dramatic enterprises, and -made money. - -“Six months ago he took a company out on the road, and he became -stranded in Cincinnati. - -“I sent him money to return to New York. - -“When he got here he was broke. - -“For some time he and Rich did not speak, but after he got back to the -city they patched up their differences and became as thick as two peas -in a pod. Recently he got to going around with Sally Rich, unknown to -me, and when I found it out, and chided him for it, he insulted me. - -“Lately I have noticed that he was quite flush of money. He would not -let me know where he got it from. When I would ask him what he was -doing he would fly into a towering rage. - -“To-day when I saw him with Sally Rich I made up my mind to sever our -relationship.” - -Dora stopped talking and drank some wine. - -“You have not told me _all_ you know about Darwin,” Carter remarked. - -“How do you know that I have not?” - -“I can tell from the manner in which you spoke that you have kept -something back.” - -“What do you think I have kept back?” - -“Was Darwin ever guilty of any crime?” - -“Why?” - -“I want to know.” - -“In England he was arrested for forgery.” - -“Ah!” - -“He was released on bail, and he fled to this country.” - -“What did he forge?” - -“Checks.” - -“Then he was never tried?” - -“No. The charges are still pending against him.” - -“Is Dick Darwin his right name?” - -“Yes.” - -“Were you ever present when he and Rich were together?” - -“No.” - -“Don’t you know what business they are engaged in?” - -“I do not. I wish I did know.” - -“Did you ever hear Sally or her brother speak of a man named Lawrence?” - -“Sally Rich once told me that she had an uncle by that name.” - -“Did she ever speak about him?” - -“She only said that he died and left her and her brother a lot of -money. They had to fight for it in the courts.” - -“Was that all she told you?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter thought for some time before he asked another question. He -reviewed all that Dora had told him. He had gained some important -information, but not as much as he had expected. However, he was firmly -convinced that Dora had told him the truth, and that she had concealed -nothing. - -“Miss Ferris,” he said, after a time, “where was Dick Darwin on New -Year’s Eve?” - -“I don’t know where he was. He was with Rich. That I do know.” - -“How do you know?” - -“I saw them together, going down Sixth Avenue, about nine o’clock at -night. They did not see me.” - -“What time did you next see him?” - -“At two o’clock in the morning.” - -“Where?” - -“He came to my flat. He was greatly excited about something, and it -seemed to me that he was very nervous.” - -“Didn’t he say where he had been?” - -“No.” - -“Did you ask him?” - -“I did.” - -“And he would not tell you?” - -“He would not.” - -“You say he was very nervous?” - -“Very. His clothing was spattered with mud, and it seemed to me as if -he had been in some kind of a rumpus.” - -“Was he intoxicated?” - -“No.” - -“Is the clothing which he had on that night at your flat?” - -“It is in his room there. But, Mr. Carter, for what purpose are you -asking all these questions? What do you suspect?” - -“I can’t tell you now.” - -“You can trust me. I hate Dick Darwin so that I would help you to send -him to prison.” - -“Would you do that?” - -“I swear I would do it!” - -“I am afraid----” - -“Afraid I wouldn’t?” - -“Yes.” - -“Try me--trust me.” - -Carter looked at the woman intently for some time in silence. - -Over and over again he asked himself whether he dare to trust her or -not, and, at the same time, he was evolving a plan in his mind. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -MORE EVIDENCE. - - -Dora was the first to speak and break the silence. - -“Mr. Carter,” she said, “I can see that Rich and Darwin are implicated -in some affair which you are investigating. It may be a crime. It was -committed on New Year’s Eve, or you would not be so particular about -that date. I feel sure of that.” - -“You are a shrewd woman,” the detective remarked, with a smile. - -“I am not very shrewd, but I can read character, and I am able to form -conclusions by putting two and two together. - -“You asked about Dick Darwin’s clothing. If you desire to examine it, I -will take you to my flat, and you can inspect it.” - -“Darwin may be there now.” - -“No, he is not. He can’t get in. I have the key.” - -“I will go with you to your flat.” - -“Tell me first what case you are working on.” - -“That must remain a secret for the present.” - -“Ha, ha! I know!” - -“You know?” - -“Yes.” - -“What case am I working on?” - -“The mystery of the Red Dragon Inn.” - -Dora laughed heartily. - -Carter uttered an exclamation of annoyance. - -“When you mentioned the name of Lawrence, I remembered that a man by -that name had been murdered on New Year’s Eve at the Red Dragon Inn, -and I also remembered that it was stated that you were working on the -case. You see, I know.” - -“Humph!” - -“Now that I come to think of it, I remember reading that that man had -just been released from State’s prison. It was also stated that he was -the forger of the Lawrence will. If that be so, then he was a cousin of -Simeon and Sally Rich. Mr. Carter!” - -“What is the matter?” - -“A thought just occurred to me, and it startled me.” - -“What was it?” - -“Do you believe that Simeon Rich and Richard Darwin had a hand in that -murder?” - -“I can’t tell.” - -“Perhaps Rich was afraid of Lawrence----” - -“We will not talk any more about this matter. We will start for your -flat.” - -“I will help you.” - -“I believe you.” - -They arose from the table. - -Carter put on his facial disguise, and then they left the restaurant. - -Dora’s flat was situated on Thirty-ninth Street, next to a theater. -It was elaborately furnished in a style that evinced more money than -good taste, and Nick almost shuddered at the array of showy furniture, -useless bric-a-brac, draperies, and ornaments which crowded the little -parlor into which she ushered him. - -“Mr. Carter, I suppose you do not want to lose any time,” she said, -“so, if you will follow me, I will conduct you to Darwin’s room.” - -Carter followed Dora along a private hall. - -At last she opened a door, and led him into one of the bedrooms, -remarking: - -“This is the room.” - -After she had turned on the electric light, she looked around, and then -she uttered an exclamation of surprise. - -The room was in confusion. - -Carter looked at Dora. - -“He has been here and carted off all his things!” Dora ejaculated, as -soon as she recovered the use of her voice. - -“I thought you said he had no key?” Carter remarked. - -“He has none. He must have come here before the servant left.” - -“What time does she leave?” - -“Seven o’clock.” - -“Where does she live?” - -“On Twenty-seventh Street.” - -While Carter was asking these questions, his eyes were wandering about -the room. - -On the floor, in a corner, he spied several pieces of paper. - -He picked them up and smoothed them out. - -Two were blanks. - -The third had writing on it. - -The detective read it. - -His countenance brightened. - -Dora noticed the change. - -“What is it?” she asked. - -“A note,” replied the detective. - -“From whom?” - -“Rich.” - -“To Darwin?” - -“Yes.” - -“When was it written?” - -“On the afternoon of the day before New Year’s.” - -“Is it important?” - -“It may be.” - -“Will you read it?” - -Nick examined her face intently. - -“Do you still doubt me?” Dora asked. - -“No,” replied Carter, after a pause. - -Nick was satisfied. - -“You can rely on me to help you, Mr. Carter.” - -“I know it now.” - -“Will you read that note?” - -“Yes.” - -“Do so.” - - “‘December 31. - - “‘DEAR DICK: I was at the Grand Central this afternoon when he - arrived. Followed him downtown in a cab. He went to the safe deposit - company’s office. Have placed a party on his trail. Meet me at seven - o’clock to-night at the Knickerbocker Cottage. We will dine together. - Yours in haste, - - “‘SIMEON.’” - -“Then Darwin was with Rich that night?” - -“No doubt.” - -Carter folded the paper and placed it carefully away in his pocketbook. -He looked upon this note as an important piece of evidence. The “he” -mentioned in it, he felt confident, referred to the man who had been -murdered at the Red Dragon Inn. - -According to this note, Rich and Darwin had dined together at the -Knickerbocker Cottage. - -It would be an easy matter to find out what time they left that place. - -Another thing was clear, and that was that Darwin had taken fright -about something, or he never would have removed his things from the -flat in such haste. - -Was this move an indication of guilt? - -Carter turned to Dora, and asked: - -“Do you know where Rich and his sister reside?” - -“I do not,” Dora replied. - -“Did you ever hear Darwin speak of a woman named Isabella Porter?” - -“I know that woman.” - -“Where does she live?” - -“I do not know.” - -“Did you know that Darwin and Rich were acquainted with her?” - -“Rich has known her ever since she was a small girl.” - -“What about Darwin?” - -“He has only been acquainted with her a short time.” - -“When did you first meet her?” - -“She was in Rich’s company one night, and he introduced her to me.” - -“What do you know about her?” - -“She is the daughter of a rich merchant, I believe. Her mother and -father are dead. She has an income.” - -“Is that all you know?” - -“It is.” - -It was too late to continue the inquiries further that night, he -concluded, and he determined to go home, as long as he was uptown. - -Carter was in a very thoughtful mood. - -Many curious events had happened during the past twenty-four hours. - -He was walking along leisurely, with his head bowed, thinking of -plans for that day, and where he would go to make inquiries, when his -attention was attracted to two men, who were walking ahead of him. - -Instantly he raised his head and slackened his pace. - -One of the men he recognized as Darwin. - -The man’s companion he had never seen before. - -He could not get near enough to the men to hear their conversation. - -At the corner of Fifty-second Street, the men separated, and Darwin -started in an easterly direction. - -Carter decided to follow him, and he gave up the idea of going home. - -Darwin reached the east side of town, and turned into Second Avenue. - -“What business has he over here?” the detective asked himself, as he -kept on the trail of his quarry. - -Between Forty-first and Fortieth Streets Darwin halted under a street -lamp. - -From his pocket he took a slip of paper, consulted it, and then went -along examining the numbers of the houses. - -Carter stopped in the doorway of the corner store and watched him. - -At the same time he changed his disguise. He now looked as tough as any -of the night prowlers in the questionable neighborhood. - -Darwin entered a tall tenement. - -Carter hurried out of his place of concealment. - -He also went into the house and stood in the lower hall. - -On each floor lights were burning. - -As he looked up, he saw Darwin distinctly on the next floor, and he -heard him knock on the door of the back room. - -Darwin knocked a number of times, and no one opened the door. - -When he started to descend the stairs, Carter walked out, and took up a -position in a doorway of a house near the corner. - -Darwin came out of the tenement, walked to the corner, and halted. - -Back and forth he moved, and kept looking at the house. - -The detective saw that he was uneasy. He wondered whom Darwin had come -to see. - -Darwin, after a time, came back to the tenement, and entered again. - -Carter did not move from his hiding place. - -His quarry only remained inside a minute or so, and then came out, -going back to the corner and halting. - -Carter came out of the doorway. He strolled up to the corner, and -stopped within a few feet of Darwin, who saw and eyed him. - -Two or three times the man made a movement as if he were going to -address Carter. - -But he hesitated. - -The detective made no attempt to speak. He looked up and down the -street, and appeared unconcerned. - -Carter wanted to see if Darwin would speak to him. He judged that if he -waited long enough the man would do so. - -Darwin crossed the street, halted a moment, and then came back. He -glanced sharply, suspiciously, at Carter. - -“Excuse me,” he said, as he came to a standstill, “do you live around -here?” - -“Are you addressing me?” the detective asked, in a disguised tone of -voice. - -“I am.” - -“Oh, well, yes, I live in that house down there,” said Nick, pointing -to the tall tenement which Darwin had twice entered. - -“You do? What floor do you live on?” - -“The top. Why?” - -“I want some information about one of the tenants.” - -“Eh!” - -Carter bent forward and looked at Darwin. - -His acting was magnificent. - -“Say, are you a fly cop?” he asked, with suspicion. - -“No,” Darwin replied quickly, “I’m not a detective.” - -“You haven’t got the cut of one.” - -“No.” - -“What do you want to know?” - -“Are you acquainted with a woman named Lena Peters?” - -“You mean the woman who lives in the back room on the second floor?” - -“Yes, yes.” - -“I know her by sight.” - -“Have you seen her to-night?” - -“No.” - -“I’ve been to her room and knocked, but no one seems to be in.” - -“Did you have an appointment with her?” - -“Not exactly an appointment.” - -“Oh!” - -For a time they were silent. - -Then Carter said, in an offhand way: - -“What does Miss Peters do?” - -“She sings in a concert hall over on the West Side,” Darwin replied. - -“I often wondered what she worked at to keep her out so late at night.” - -“Will you see her when she comes in?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Are you going to remain here long?” - -“All night.” - -“What for?” - -“I watch stores on the block.” - -“Oh!” - -“Why did you ask that question?” - -“Will you deliver a message to Lena Peters when she comes home?” - -“Certainly.” - -“Tell her that a gentleman named Richard called to see her, and that he -wants her to come to his room the first thing after noon.” - -“Where are your rooms?” - -“She is familiar with the address.” - -“Then she has called on you before?” - -“Yes.” - -“At your rooms?” - -“Yes.” - -“Have you ever been down here before?” - -“No.” - -“I’ll be sure and see Miss Peters.” - -“Here’s a dollar for your trouble.” - -“Thanks.” - -Carter pocketed the money. - -“I can depend on you?” Darwin asked uneasily. - -“You can,” the detective replied, and he hardly was able to repress a -smile. - -“Good night.” - -Darwin hurried away. - -Carter did not budge from the corner. - -That he had formed some new plan in his mind was evident, or he would -have made a move to keep on the trail of his quarry. - -“He said the woman’s name was Peters--Lena Peters,” the detective -muttered, a few minutes after Darwin had disappeared around the corner. -“She has seen him a number of times. Can she be any relation to the man -who died in Bellevue Hospital? If she is----” - -Carter stopped musing, as he saw a woman, who had hurried around the -corner, enter the tenement. - -Instantly he started toward the house, and went in. - -The woman was halfway up the stairs. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -LENA’S STORY. - - -Carter had entered the lower hall of the house without making any noise. - -The woman’s attention was not attracted toward him, so he stood back in -the shadow and watched her. - -She reached the landing, and, stopping in front of the door of the back -room, she inserted a key in the lock, opened the door and went in. - -Nick knocked on the door of the room. - -The woman opened the door. - -“What do you want?” she demanded, in surprise. - -“Is your name Lena Peters?” the detective asked. - -“It is.” - -“I want to talk with you.” - -Carter pushed his way into the room without ceremony, and closed the -door. - -The woman’s face became flushed with anger. She stepped back from the -detective, and her eyes flashed. - -“What do you want?” she demanded, with a string of oaths, and she -pulled out of her pocket a small pistol. - -“Don’t get excited,” Carter quietly said, with a scornful smile. “Put -up your pistol, Lena. I’m not going to harm you.” - -“Who are you?” - -“I will tell you in a few moments.” - -“You are a stranger to me.” - -“I guess not.” - -As Carter said this, he pulled off his disguise. - -Lena uttered a scream, and sank down into a chair. - -“Nick Carter!” she gasped, and the pistol fell from her grasp into her -lap. - -“You recognize me now?” the detective said, with a smile, as he sat -down. - -From this it will be seen that he and the woman had met before. - -After a pause, Carter remarked: - -“Let me see, Lena, it is several years since we have had the pleasure -of meeting. You haven’t changed any since I last saw you.” - -“No,” Lena stammered. - -“At that time you were singing at the Empire, on the Bowery, if my -memory does not play me false.” - -“Yes.” - -“A Western divine was robbed in the place of a large sum of money, -and you were charged with the theft. It was a cowardly charge. I -investigated the case----” - -“And you found out that I was innocent.” - -“Right.” - -“Only for you, I might have been sent to prison.” - -“Correct.” - -“I----” - -“Lena?” - -Carter paused, and looked straight into the woman’s eyes. - -“What is it?” she asked. - -“I want you to give me some information.” - -“Mr. Carter, I have always declared that if I could ever do you a favor -for what you did for me I would do it.” - -“Now is your chance.” - -“What do you want to know?” - -“Are you acquainted with a man named Dick Darwin?” - -“Yes--why----” - -“You have called on him a number of times?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where?” - -“He has a room in the Studio Building, at the corner of Twenty-sixth -Street and Broadway.” - -“How long have you known him?” - -“Only a few weeks.” - -“How did you become acquainted with him?” - -“I----” - -Lena hesitated. She looked at the detective, and her face turned pale. - -Carter kept his eyes riveted upon her. - -“Lena,” he said, “you must not try to conceal anything from me.” - -“Mr. Carter, did Darwin employ you?” Lena asked. - -“No. Why?” - -“I just wanted to know.” - -“What if he had employed me?” - -“I am unable to say.” - -Lena moved about uneasily in her chair. - -Carter kept still. - -He was giving the woman plenty of time to think. - -There was no need to hurry, for he was confident that he would get out -of her all the information he desired. - -“Mr. Carter, what do you know about Dick Darwin?” Lena finally blurted -out. - -“Very little,” the detective replied. “I want to learn what you know -about him.” - -“You are as sphinxlike as ever.” - -“I have to be.” - -Another silence followed. - -Lena arose from her chair and walked back and forth across the room -several times. She resumed her seat again. - -“I will tell you everything!” she exclaimed. - -“That is right,” the detective said, in an encouraging tone. - -Lena leaned back in her chair, and for some moments she sat with head -bowed. - -At length she looked up at the detective, and said: - -“I had a brother, whose name was Edward Peters. - -“He was employed by a Mrs. Porter, who lived on Fifth Avenue. - -“About ten years ago he was stabbed in the back, and he died in -Bellevue Hospital. - -“I always believed that some one murdered him, although I could never -secure any evidence to prove it. - -“He had for a chum a man named George Blanchard. - -“Blanchard also died in the hospital. - -“Previous to his death he made some kind of a confession to my brother -in regard to a will case. - -“I tried to get out of my brother what the confession was about, but he -would not tell me. - -“Three months ago I was looking through a trunk which contained some -things belonging to my brother, and I found an old memorandum book. - -“I opened it, and I was surprised to find written in it a short account -of Blanchard’s confession. - -“I was interested. - -“At the end of the confession I found a note.” - -“What was it?” - -“I will get the book and read it to you.” - -“Do so.” - -Lena got up, walked over to a bureau, opened a drawer, took out a -small, leather-bound book, returned to her seat, opened the book and -commenced to read: - -“‘This night I stopped at the Red Dragon Inn. I gave the confession of -Blanchard to the proprietor to lock up in his safe. I have seen Simeon -Rich three times. I have told him that unless he pays me ten thousand -dollars I will take Blanchard’s confession to the district attorney. I -did not let him know where I had put the documents. No one knows about -the contents of the papers except myself. Doctor Thompson did not ask -to read the confession when he signed his name as a witness. - -“‘Rich has promised to raise the money in a few days.’” - -“Is that all?” Carter asked, when Lena stopped reading. - -“It is.” - -“Let me have that book.” - -“Here it is.” - -The detective glanced at some of the pages, and then placed the book in -his pocket. - -“What did you do after reading that memorandum?” he asked. - -“I knew Simeon Rich,” Lena replied. “I met him some years ago. As soon -as I read that memorandum I made up my mind that Rich would have to pay -me well to keep silent. - -“The thought came to me that perhaps he might have had a hand in my -brother’s death. - -“I knew that Rich was quite sweet on Isabella Porter, the daughter of -the woman for whom my brother had worked.” - -“She is dead now--I mean Mrs. Porter.” - -“Did you see Rich?” - -“Yes; I hunted him up.” - -“Where was he living?” - -“In the Studio Building, with Darwin, to whom he introduced me.” - -“How did you find that out?” - -“I called on Miss Porter, whom I knew was living at the Gerlach.” - -“What did you say to Rich?” - -“I told him that I knew about the confession, and I knew where it was.” - -“Was he frightened?” - -“Yes. He held a conference with Darwin, and he then told me that they -would let me know how much they would pay me. - -“I demanded ten thousand dollars. - -“We have had several conversations about the matter, and a few days ago -I called on Darwin, and he gave me five thousand dollars on account. - -“I then gave him a copy of the memorandum in regard to the papers -having been left with the proprietor of the Red Dragon Inn.” - -“Have you seen him since then?” - -“Once.” - -“Did he pay you any more money?” - -“No, but he promised to do so.” - -From what Lena said, Carter knew now how it was that Rich had learned -of the existence of the Blanchard confession. - -The case was becoming clearer to the detective. - -But, still, for all that, he had not secured any positive evidence to -prove that Rich had anything to do with the murder. - -“Lena,” he said, “you say that you believe your brother was murdered?” - -“I do,” the woman replied. - -“Do you think Rich had anything to do with it?” - -“I am not sure.” - -“Will you be guided by me?” - -“I will.” - -“I want you to put on your things and accompany me.” - -“Are you going to place me under arrest?” - -“No.” - -“Then, what?” - -“I am going to take you to my house. I want you to remain there until I -have finished the case upon which I am at work.” - -“What is that?” - -“The mystery of the Red Dragon Inn.” - -“And you suspect Rich?” - -“I do.” - -“I have been reading about that case.” - -“You have?” - -“Yes, and it has seemed strange to me that the detectives have not been -able to find a clew.” - -“Will you accompany me?” - -“Yes.” - -“I may need your assistance.” - -“I will help you, Mr. Carter, gladly.” - -“Let us start.” - -Lena put on her hat and coat, packed a few articles in a valise, and -then she and the detective left the tenement. - -Day was dawning when Carter reached his home. He conducted Lena to Mrs. -Peters, his housekeeper, who gave her a room, in which she promised to -remain. - -Nick gave her a few instructions, and then he retired to his own room, -where he threw himself down upon a couch and went to sleep. - -It was late in the morning when Carter awoke. He had an interview with -Lena, and then, after partaking of a light breakfast, he went downtown. -Chickering Carter and Patsy Garvan, his two chief assistants, were -engaged upon another case--in which, by the way, Nick was fated to play -a prominent part--so he did not see them that morning. - -Nick stepped into the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and saw Mr. Wright, who -informed him that his room had been entered during the night by some -one. - -“I think I know who it was,” the detective remarked, and then he -departed, feeling sure that the person who had entered the room was -Brockey Gann. - -It tickled him to think that the rascal had been disappointed. - -Carter called at police headquarters, and there he learned that other -detectives had not made a discovery. He informed the chief inspector -that he was following a promising clew, and that he might be able to -render a report in a few days. - -After leaving headquarters, he went uptown to the Knickerbocker -Cottage. There he questioned the waiters, and at last he found the man -who had served Rich and Darwin on New Year’s Eve. - -“Did you hear any of their conversation?” the detective asked the -waiter. - -“Only a little,” the man answered. “They talked about some man who had -just arrived in the city.” - -“Was any name mentioned?” - -“Yes.” - -“Can you recall it?” - -“I think it was Lawrence.” - -“What did they say about him?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“What time did they leave here?” - -“About half past ten o’clock.” - -“Did you hear them mention where they were going?” - -“A messenger boy brought Rich a note. He read it, and then I heard him -remark that they had better hurry down to McKeever’s saloon.” - -“Was that all?” - -“Yes.” - -“Did you notice the number of the messenger?” - -“It was seven-twenty-one.” - -“Do you know the boy?” - -“He is attached to the office on Broadway and Thirtieth Street.” - -The waiter was unable to give the detective any more information. - -Carter hurried to the office of the district messenger company. - -There he found the messenger boy. - -“Do you remember delivering a note on New Year’s Eve to a man who was -dining at the Knickerbocker Cottage?” the detective asked the messenger. - -“Was he a tall man?” the boy queried. - -“Yes.” - -“He was with a short, stout man?” - -“Yes.” - -“I gave him the note.” - -“From whom did you receive it?” - -“A man.” - -“Did you ever see him before?” - -“No.” - -“Can you describe him?” - -“He was pock-marked.” - -“Was he a tough?” - -“Yes.” - -“Would you be able to recognize him again?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter gave the boy a bill and told him not to mention their -conversation to a soul. - -From the boy’s description he recognized Brockey Gann. - -At McKeever’s saloon the detective was fortunate enough to find the -bartender who had been on duty on New Year’s Eve. He was acquainted -with the man, and as soon as he made himself known to him he readily -answered all his questions. - -They retired into a back room together, and as soon as they were seated -Carter asked: - -“Are you acquainted with a man named Simeon Rich?” - -“I know who he is,” the bartender replied. - -“Do you remember if he was in here on New Year’s Eve?” - -“He was here with two men.” - -“At what time?” - -“It was about eleven o’clock.” - -“Do you know the men who were with him?” - -“One of the men was Brockey Gann--the other man I do not know, although -I have seen him several times.” - -“How long did they remain here?” - -“Only a few minutes. They held a whispered conversation and then went -out.” - -“Did you hear anything they said?” - -“Not a word.” - -This information only established one fact, and that was that Rich, -Darwin, and Brockey were together on New Year’s Eve. - -Carter left the saloon. - -He stood on the corner some time trying to determine what he ought to -do next. He was almost positive that Brockey Gann was the scoundrel who -had tracked the murdered man. - -But how was he going to prove that? - -This was a conundrum. - -After a time Carter crossed the street and entered the establishment of -a costumer. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ACTING A PART. - - -Carter secured a disguise from the costumer. - -When he came out he looked like a typical tough. - -Nick had some plan in his mind. He was sure that he was on the right -trail, and that, such being the case, it would not be long before he -would have forged every link in the chain of evidence. - -While he was confident of success, still he did not know for a -certainty who had committed the dastardly crime at the Red Dragon Inn, -or what the real motive was. - -He had suspicions, and he had collected strong circumstantial evidence. - -But he wanted something more than this, and he was prepared to take -any risk to obtain it. On his way downtown he stopped at a telephone -station and called up Patsy, whose whereabouts he knew. - -“Meet me downtown at my den within two hours,” he said. - -At last he reached Lem Samson’s saloon, and entered. - -A bartender was on duty. - -Samson was not in the place. - -Only a few hangers-on were lolling about. - -Carter staggered up to the bar, and, calling for a drink, he cast his -eyes about the room. - -No one seemed to be paying any particular attention to him. - -Nearly all of the men had records, and were known to the police. - -The detective poured the liquor into a cuspidor when the bartender’s -back was turned. It was vile stuff, and he would not have drunk it -unless he had been forced to do so by dire expediency. - -After placing the glass back on the bar he walked into the back room -and sat down. He picked up a copy of a sporting weekly and pretended to -be deeply interested in examining the text and pictures. - -But while he seemed to be reading, his eyes were wandering about the -room, and every person who entered the barroom he scrutinized closely. - -He was waiting for some one. - -Was that some one Brockey? - -Half an hour passed. - -Carter had not stirred out of his chair. - -The side door opened. - -A man entered. - -The man was Brockey Gann. - -The detective saw him. - -Still he did not move. - -No change took place in his countenance. - -Not a muscle moved. - -Brockey looked around the back room. - -His eyes fell on Carter, whose eyes were bent on the paper. - -Brockey started, bent forward, and a change took place in the -expression of his evil face. He uttered an ugly oath and stepped up to -Carter, exclaiming: - -“Why, Mugsey Donovan, when did you get out?” - -Carter looked up, smiled inanely--a weak, silly, maudlin grin!--and -replied: - -“How are you, Brockey? Wot’s dot youse said? Sit down an’ have a ball -wid me?” - -“I asked you when you got out?” - -“Six weeks ago. Wot cher goin’ ter have? Name yer pisen?” - -“I’ll take some of the rosy.” - -“I’ve been on de tramp. I just dropped in here tinkin’ I’d run up agin’ -youse.” - -“Oh!” - -The bartender brought the liquor, and the two men were silent. - -It will be well to explain that Mugsey Donovan was an old pal of -Brockey’s, whom Carter had arrested and sent to prison for highway -robbery. - -The rascal was still in Sing Sing. - -It will be seen that the detective’s disguise must have been perfect to -have deceived Brockey as it did. - -The scoundrel actually believed that he was talking to his old pal. - -“How is it you got out so soon?” Brockey asked, after he had swallowed -his liquor. - -“Dey reduced me sentence,” the detective rejoined. - -“How was that?” - -“I saved one o’ de keepers’ life.” - -“Go way!” - -“I ain’t jollyin’ you.” - -“How did you do it?” - -“An insane mug tried to escape from his cell. De keeper catched him an’ -den he made an attempt to kill de keeper. I seed it an’ knocked ter mug -out, see? Den de jailer petitioned de guvnor ter lea’ me out.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“Dat’s what I wanted to see youse about.” - -“I’m not into anything.” - -“Youse are not?” asked Nick dubiously. - -“What do you mean by looking at me in that way?” - -“Brockey, dis isn’t a safe place ter talk.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Lea’ go some place where we kin talk wid safety.” - -“I don’t understand you.” - -“Brockey, don’ youse try ter gi’ an’ old pal like me any sich a bluff -as dat!” - -“Mugsey----” - -“Brockey, I’m on to yer game.” - -“You are on to my game?” - -“Sure.” - -“Come----” - -“Le’s go some place where we kin talk wid safety.” Brockey looked -intently at the detective. - -“I can’t see what’s in your nut,” he ejaculated. - -“Do youse want to talk over private matters here?” Carter asked, and -Brockey drawled: - -“No-o.” - -“Den le’s go down ter some quiet joint.” - -“I’ll be hanged!” - -“Brockey, I knows wot game youse is working?” - -“I am working no game. I’m on my uppers.” - -“Don’t try ter gi’ me eny game like dat, now, ’cause I’m on to de hull -layout.” - -“You----” - -“Wait.” - -“I----” - -“Brockey Gann, I tort youse’s never’d go back on an old pal in dis way.” - -“I’m not going back on you, Mugsey.” - -“Youse is when youse refuse to let me in on de game, so dat I kin git -some o’ de graft.” - -“You talk in riddles.” - -“I seed one t’ing.” - -“What’s that?” - -“I’ve got to speak more plain.” - -“You will.” - -“Den here goes--don’t youse blame me if eny one hears it an’ youse git -into a trap. Las’ winter youse was paid to----” - -“Wait, Mugsey.” - -Brockey bent forward. - -A strange expression was in his eyes. - -“I’m waitin’, Brockey,” Carter said, and he returned the rascal’s -searching gaze. - -“Where were you last night?” Brockey asked. - -Carter laughed. - -“Youse is comin’ to yer milk now, Brockey,” he remarked. - -“Were you in this place last night?” - -“Wot’s de use o’ talking here? It ain’t safe, Brockey. Le’ me gi’ you -a tip. Nick Carter may turn up here eny moment, an’ youse an’ me might -not be able to git on to him, see?” - -Brockey uttered an oath. His face turned pale. He glanced over his -shoulder and his eyes wandered about the room. - -“Ain’t my advice sensible?” the detective asked. - -“I guess it is,” Brockey replied. - -“Den le’s git out o’ here.” - -“All right. But I’ll be hanged if I can understand what----” - -“I’ll explain everything, Brockey.” - -“Where’ll we go?” - -“Ter a quiet crib dat I knows about.” - -“Is it far?” - -“No.” - -The two men arose from the table and hurried out of the saloon. - -Carter was playing a dangerous game. - -Would he be able to carry it through successfully to the end? - -At any moment he was liable to make a slip and Brockey would then be -able to penetrate his disguise. - -So far he had deceived the rascal. - -As they left the saloon the detective breathed easier. He had succeeded -in getting Brockey away from his friends. - -That was a great point gained. - -They turned into Macdougal Street. - -“Where are you goin’?” Brockey asked, after they had reached Fourth -Street. - -“Not far,” Carter replied. “I’ve got a room around here in Fo’rt’ -Street.” - -“When did you hire it?” - -“Ter-day.” - -“Oh!” - -“Here it is.” - -The detective led the way into a private house. - -Brockey’s suspicions were not aroused. - -If he had been aware that he was being led into a trap like a lamb to -slaughter he would have then and there made a desperate fight. - -Carter had rented a room in this house for years, and he had used it -frequently. He opened the door of the room with a key. - -The house was as quiet as a graveyard. - -“This is a quiet joint,” Brockey said, as he followed the detective -into the room and gazed around. - -There was nothing about the place to indicate for what purpose it -had been used by the detective. It was nothing more, to all outward -appearances, than a plainly furnished bedroom. - -“Take a seat, Brockey,” said Carter blandly, and at the same time he -turned the key in the lock, took it out, and put it into his pocket. - -“I wish you had some liquor about here,” Brockey remarked, as he sank -down into a chair. - -“I kin accommodate youse.” - -“Can you?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter opened a bureau drawer, took out a bottle and glasses and placed -them on the table. - -Brockey poured out a glassful of the liquor and drank it. - -A few minutes after it was down a look of surprise spread over his face. - -“Gosh!” he exclaimed. “Where did you get that, Mugsey?” - -“Ain’t it rich?” Carter asked, with a smile. - -“It’s more than rich.” - -“Where did you get it?” - -“I swiped it off a drunk.” - -“I thought you didn’t pay for it.” - -“Le’ us talk bizness now.” - -Brockey’s countenance changed. He leaned back in his chair, looked at -the detective, and made no reply. - -Carter was silent for a time, and then said: - -“Brockey, as I said down in Samson’s joint, I be on ter your game.” - -“And I’d like to know how you got on to it,” Brockey growled. - -“I’ll tell youse after a while.” - -“Go ahead.” - -“Youse is mixed up in de Red Dragon Inn murder!” - -“My Gawd!” - -Brockey bounded out of his chair as if he had received a shock of -electricity. His face was the color of ashes. He stood still and gasped -at Carter. - -“Youse needn’t t’row a fit,” the detective ejaculated. “Dere ain’t no -fly cop around here to hear me an’ pinch youse.” - -“I’m a fool,” Brockey exclaimed as he wiped the cold perspiration from -his brow and sat down in his chair again. - -“Rest easy, me covey.” - -“But, Mugsey, you puzzle me.” - -“Do I?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter laughed. - -“Fire ahead,” Brockey said. - -“Two rich blokes hired you to put Carter out o’ de way. - -“Un o’ dem’s named Darwin an’ de oder Rich----” - -“I----” - -“Wait.” - -“I----” - -“Es I said--dey hired youse, an’ las’ night youse broke into old -Wright’s room at de Cosmopolitan Hotel an’ youse got sold.” - -“Mugsey----” - -“Gi’ me a chance to git through.” - -“I will.” - -“Now, I knows all dese tings, an’ I know how much youse got--an’ want a -slice o’ de dough, see?” - -“And if I don’t agree to give up?” - -“Den I’ll go to yer friend, Carter.” - -“You wouldn’t do that?” - -“Jess youse try ter t’row me down an’ youse’ll see wot I’ll do.” - -“Mugsey----” - -“Brockey, youse’ve got to come ter time.” - -“I suppose I’ll have to.” - -“Youse kin gamble on dat.” - -“If I give up you’ll have to help me.” - -“All right.” - -“I’ll introduce you to Rich and Darwin.” - -“Tell me de full lay.” - -“Tell me how you got onto what you know.” - -“I piped youse.” - -“When?” - -“Las’ nite.” - -“Was that all?” - -“Yes.” - -“Humph!” - -“Doan git so disgusted.” - -“I’m not.” - -“Tell me de hull lay.” - -“I will.” - -Brockey became silent. - -Carter’s eyes sparkled as he watched his companion. - -His heart was beating rapidly, but outwardly he appeared composed. - -Patiently he waited for Brockey to commence to speak. - -“Would the rascal speak the truth?” he asked himself. - -Brockey was liable to tell a false story. - -“I know more dan youse t’ink, Brockey,” Carter remarked. “So if youse -go ter givin’ me any fairy tales I’ll be down on youse wid all me -force.” - -“I’m going to tell you all about the lay,” Brockey replied, as he -aroused himself out of his reverie. - -“Den fire ahead.” - -“Don’t get impatient.” - -“I’m not.” - -“Have you got anything to smoke?” - -“Cert.” - -“Then set it out.” - -Carter placed some cigars on the table. - -Brockey picked up one, lit it, and commenced to smoke. - -With a sigh, he settled himself back in the chair. - -Another silence followed, and it was nearly five minutes before he -commenced to talk. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -CAUGHT IN A TRAP. - - -“I want to tell you one thing, Mugsey,” Brockey exclaimed suddenly, -sitting bolt upright in his chair. “I’m not as deep in this affair of -the Red Dragon Inn as you suspect.” - -“Don’ gi’ me any o’ dat,” Carter rejoined, blowing a cloud of smoke up -in the air over his head. - -“Upon my honor, what I tell you is the truth.” - -Carter could not help smiling when Brockey spoke of his honor. - -Such a scoundrel as that does not know what honor is! - -The detective knew well that Brockey had no honor, that he would lie, -steal, and if he found himself in a tight place, he would not hesitate -to betray an accomplice, if by so doing he could save himself. - -Brockey noticed the smile, and he flared up instantly. - -“What are you smiling at, Mugsey?” he demanded. - -“Youse,” Carter replied, without moving a muscle, and he puffed away at -his cigar, unconcernedly. - -“You are laughing at me?” - -“Cert.” - -“I----” - -“Youse gi’ me a pain! Go on wid yer story.” - -“I want to know----” - -“Drop it.” - -“What were you laughing at?” - -“When _youse_ talk o’ honor it’s ’nuff ter make a dorg laff.” - -“Is----” - -“Come, Brockey--we’s understand each udder--speel ahead, neider of us -has got any honor, fur dat matter.” - -“All right.” - -Brockey quieted down. He took several pulls at his cigar, and then he -continued: - -“As I said, I’m not as deep in that Red Dragon Inn affair as you think.” - -“Let it go at dat.” - -“I’ll tell you all about the affair, Mugsey. - -“Then you and I can put our heads together and decide what to do.” - -“We’ll gi’ dem a good song and dance--make no mistake o’ dat.” - -“How shall I start?” - -“At de beginnin’.” - -“How else would I start?” - -“Youse might start at de tail.” - -“That will do.” - -“Youse is wastin’ time.” - -“Then keep quiet.” - -“I’m mum.” - -“Listen.” - -Brockey cleared his throat. - -“It was the day before New Year’s,” he said. - -“I was down on my luck and I hadn’t a cent in my pocket. - -“Not in a long time had I been in such a hole. - -“I tried to touch a dozen o’ the gang, but every one seemed to be in -the same boat. - -“No one could show me a cent. - -“I was at Samson’s saloon. - -“Along about four o’clock a bloke came in. - -“It was Sim Rich. - -“Darwin had given me a knockdown to him some time before. - -“At a glance I saw that he was excited about something. - -“He spied me, came up, caught hold of my arm, dragged me after him out -of the saloon, pushed me into a cab and ordered the cabby to hurry up -and not lose sight of another cab that was just turning into Broadway. - -“My breath was taken away. - -“I didn’t know what to make of Rich’s actions. - -“The cab started, and before I could utter a word, Rich said: - -“‘Brockey, I need your assistance.’ - -“‘You can have it, if you pay for it,’ I replied. - -“‘I’ll pay,’ Rich said. - -“‘Then what is it you want me to do?’ I asked. - -“‘I want you to track a man.’ - -“Well, Rich pulled out a roll of bills and staked me with a hundred. He -told me that in the cab which we were following was a man whom he hated -and whom he wanted to locate. - -“As soon as I found out where the man was going to put up I was to send -him word. - -“Rich got out of the cab. - -“Before he did so he told me he was going to dine that night at the -Knickerbocker Cottage, and I could send him word there.” - -“Why didn’t Rich keep in wid youse?” - -“He said he wanted to meet Darwin. He was in a very nervous condition, -and another thing I saw that he had been drinking heavily. - -“Well, he got out, and I kept on the bloke’s trail. - -“Finally the first cab stopped at the corner of Broadway and Sixteenth -Street. - -“My cab stopped on the next corner. - -“I got out in a hurry, and I saw an old man get out of the other cab.” - -“Wot was de number of de cab youse was in?” - -“Number one hundred and forty-seven.” - -“All right.” - -“As I said, an old man got out of the other cab. I got close up to him -when he was paying the driver, and I heard him tell the man that he -would not need him any longer. - -“As the old bloke walked off I noticed that he had the lock step.” - -“You don’t say!” interposed Nick. - -“I do. At first I was not sure, but as I followed him and noted every -action, I knew that he had been a guest at the big hotel up the river. -He looked respectable enough, but there was the stamp of the prison on -him. - -“I followed the old fellow around all evening. He stopped in at a -number of places and he seemed to be looking for some one. - -“About ten o’clock he entered a restaurant on Sixth Avenue, and sat -down at one of the tables. - -“I went to the office of the district messenger company, wrote a note, -and sent it to Rich, asking him to meet me at McKeever’s place. - -“In a short time he and Darwin met me in the saloon. - -“We all had a drink. - -“Then Rich listened to what I had to say about the old man. - -“When we got outside of the saloon Rich said that he wouldn’t need me -any more that night, but he might the next day.” - -“And youse went off to blow in de hundred plunks?” - -“Of course I did.” - -“Den youse don’ know wot Rich an’ Darwin did?” - -“I surmise.” - -“Wot?” - -“Rich and Darwin followed the old cove until they cornered him at the -Red Dragon Inn.” - -“Yes.” - -“Then Rich got into the place and--you can imagine the rest.” - -“Youse don’t know fer a certainty?” - -“I didn’t see it done.” - -“Was Rich familiar with the Red Dragon Inn?” - -“Darwin told me that he used to go there years ago.” - -Carter had stopped using the tough vernacular, but Brockey did not -notice it. - -The detective was slightly disappointed. He thought at first that -Brockey knew more about the crime. But still, the rascal’s evidence -would show that Rich and Darwin had said that they would follow the old -man. - -“Did Darwin tell you whether he or Rich followed the old man after you -left them?” Carter asked. - -“He did not,” Brockey replied. “But I guess Rich was the one.” - -“What makes you think so?” - -“Didn’t you read about what the bartender had to say?” - -“You mean about the tall man who entered the barroom after the old man?” - -“Yes.” - -“Is that all you know?” - -“It is, Mugsey.” - -“I think you know more.” - -“No.” - -Carter, while he was talking, rose from his chair, holding one of his -hands in the side pocket of his coat. - -Brockey did not move. - -Even when the detective drew up near to him he did not suspect that he -was in any danger. He poured out another glass full of liquor and drank -it. - -As he was in the act of placing the glass back on the table Carter -caught hold of him, and, before he could move or utter a word, the -detective had the handcuffs clasped around his wrists. - -“What does this mean?” Brockey ejaculated, with a fierce oath, and, as -he tried to jump to his feet, he faced the pistol which Carter pointed -at him. - -The detective pulled off his disguise. - -Brockey recognized him. He uttered a cry of terror, his face turned -pale with alarm, and he sank down into his chair. - -“Carter!” he gasped. - -“Yes, and you’re my prisoner,” the detective smilingly replied. - -“I’m done for.” - -“There is not the slightest room for doubt, my dear Brockey.” - -“I never thought I’d be taken in in such a way--curse the luck!” - -“There will be no chance for you to escape this time.” - -“If I had suspected----” - -“You would have tried to have killed me.” - -“I would.” - -From his pocket Nick pulled out a silk cord. - -With it he bound Brockey’s arms and legs so tight that there was no -chance for the rascal to escape. - -“What are you going to do with me?” Brockey asked, when Carter had -finished binding him. - -“I am going to let you remain here for the present,” the detective -answered. - -“Alone?” - -“Oh, no!” - -Brockey subsided into sullen silence, and glared fiercely at Carter. - -Inwardly he cursed him. - -The detective walked to the door and unlocked and opened it. Then he -stepped out into the hall and gave a peculiar whistle. - -In a few minutes Patsy bounded up the stairs from the floor below. - -“What do you want, Mr. Carter?” the young man asked as he confronted -his chief. - -“I have a prisoner in that room,” Carter replied, pointing toward the -room. “I want you to guard him.” - -“I’ll do it.” - -“See that you do, Patsy. If he should escape, my case might be ruined.” - -“He won’t get a chance to escape.” - -“I hope not.” - -“Who is it?” - -“Brockey Gann.” - -“Gee!” - -“You know him?” - -“I should say I do.” - -“He is a dangerous rascal.” - -“I’d like to have the honor of capturing him. I don’t see how you -accomplished it.” - -“I tricked him.” - -The young man entered the room and inspected Brockey. - -Carter loitered outside in the hall for a few minutes and then he -commenced to descend the stairs. He had considerable faith in his young -assistant, and he was confident that Patsy would guard the prisoner as -well as he would himself. - -In that respect his mind was easy. - -In the lower hall he made a few changes in his disguise and then he -left the house. - -He went up to the Grand Central Station and commenced to inspect the -cabmen. - -At last he found cab No. 147. - -“Hello! How are you?” - -The man looked at him for a moment and then exclaimed: - -“Hello! How are ye?” - -“Pretty well.” - -“Did you stick to the trail of that old bloke the other night?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter had made himself up in such a manner that he looked like -Brockey. He was delighted when the cabman recognized him as the thug. - -“Who was he?” the cabby asked, after a silence. - -“He was the man who was murdered at the Red Dragon Inn.” - -“You are joking!” - -“I am not,” protested Nick. - -“I wouldn’t like to stand in your shoes.” - -“Why not?” - -“The fly cops’ll get on to your following the old cove.” - -“They won’t if you don’t tell.” - -“I might make some money by telling.” - -“You won’t do that?” - -“Why shouldn’t I?” - -“You’ll get an innocent man into a hole.” - -“That’s so. But, I say, where’s the tall mug?” - -“Who do you mean?” - -“I mean the man who employed me.” - -“I thought you knew him?” - -“No, I don’t,” said the cabman. “He just picked me up here at the depot -and he ordered me to follow the other mug. - -“I thought he was a detective.” - -“You know who he is?” - -“Honestly, I do not.” - -“Would you call on him if I should give you his name and address?” - -“Of course, I would.” - -“What will you do?” - -“I’ll make him come down with the rocks.” - -“Will you whack up with me?” - -“Of course I will.” - -“You’ll play square?” - -“I swear it.” - -“His name is Simeon Rich, and he lives in the Studio Building, at the -corner of Broadway and Thirty-first Street.” - -“Gosh!” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I’m going to get some one to mind my rig and I’m going to call on Mr. -Rich.” - -“I’ll see you downtown.” - -Carter hurried away. He stopped at a saloon and made a change in his -disguise in the back room. - -When he came out he was just in time to see cabby No. 147 making a bee -line down Park Avenue. He started after him. - -What object had Carter in view when he gave Rich’s name and address to -the cabman? - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -BLACKMAIL. - - -The cabman did not allow the grass to grow under his feet. - -It did not take him long to reach the Studio Building. - -“He’s a rascal,” Carter commented, as he tracked the cabman; “I can -make use of him.” - -The detective was amused. - -That he had formulated some shrewd move was quite certain from the -manner in which he was acting. - -The cabman entered the Studio Building. - -Carter was close behind him. - -Not for an instant did the man suspect that he was the person who had -given Rich’s name and address to him. - -“Does Mr. Rich live here?” the cabman asked of the elevator boy. - -Carter was standing in the elevator, and he heard what was said. - -“Mr. Rich lives on the top floor,” the boy replied to the cabman. - -“Is he in?” the cabman inquired, getting into the elevator. - -“You can go up and see.” - -“All right.” - -When the top floor was reached the elevator boy pointed out Rich’s room. - -The cabman hurried up and knocked on the door. - -Carter walked leisurely down the hall. He halted halfway down and -looked out of the window. He stood in such a position that he was able -to see the cabby. - -Three times the driver pounded on the door without receiving a response. - -The fourth time he knocked as if he were going to break in a panel. - -Some one opened the door. - -Carter could not see who it was from where he was standing, but he -heard the cabman exclaim: - -“I want to see Mr. Simeon Rich.” - -“He isn’t in,” a female voice replied. - -Carter did not recognize it, but he surmised that it belonged to either -Sally Rich or Isabella Porter. - -“I want to see him, miss,” the cabby insolently said. “If he isn’t in -I’ll wait until he comes.” - -“Who are you?” the woman within the room asked. - -“It doesn’t matter who I am.” - -“It doesn’t, eh? Well, I guess it does.” - -“Is Rich in there? If he is, tell him that the cabman who drove him -about town on the day before New Year’s wants to see him.” - -“Let him come in,” a man’s voice called out from the interior of the -room. - -The coachman pushed by the woman and entered the apartment. - -Instantly the door was closed. - -Carter hurried up to the door. - -A transom was above it. - -It was halfway open. - -Reaching up, Carter caught hold of the edge of the sill under the -transom and pulled himself up until he was able to peer into the room. -He beheld Rich and Darwin seated on divans at the side, and two women -lolling back in steamer chairs. The cabman was standing in the center -of the apartment gazing boldly at Rich. - -“What do you want?” Rich demanded, in a stern tone, as he glared at the -cabby. - -“Do you want me to talk out before these people?” the cabby asked, -looking around the room at those present and waving his hand toward -them. - -“I have no secrets from them.” - -“You haven’t, eh?” - -“No.” - -“Then you must all be in the same boat. This is rich graft.” - -“What do you mean?” - -Rich uttered an oath and sprang up. He realized that the cabby knew -something. He was enough of a student of human nature to read the man’s -intentions in the expression of his face. - -The cabman did not flinch. - -“I guess you’ll come to time, Mr. Rich,” he insolently remarked, with a -sneer. - -Rich stood within a few feet of him. He raised his arm above his head, -as if he intended to strike the man, but thinking better of it, he -allowed it to drop to his side again, and he muttered an oath. - -Cabby was no fool. He knew what was in Rich’s mind. - -“If you had tried to strike me then I’d have floored you,” he growled. -“And it is well for you that you did not try it on.” - -Rich made no reply. He only glared at the cabby in silence. - -His face was as dark as night. - -Carter hung on to the sill. He had viewed the scene through the -transom, and he had heard every word that had been uttered. - -His arms were aching. He was forced to let go his hold. - -Without making a noise he dropped to the floor. - -Now he stood outside the door and listened. - -At last he heard Rich exclaim: - -“Speak out, sir, and tell me how you learned my name and address?” - -“I’m not giving my friends away,” the cabby replied. - -“What do you want?” - -“Money.” - -“Money!” - -“Yes.” - -“What for?” - -“To keep my tongue from wagging.” - -“I----” - -“You understand me, Mr. Rich. The man whom you tracked from the Grand -Central on the day before New Year’s was the man who was murdered at -the Red Dragon Inn.” - -Carter had raised himself up again so that he was peering through the -transom when the cabman uttered these words. - -Rich did not start. He displayed not the least sign of fear. He glanced -at the man with a sinister expression upon his darkly handsome face. - -“I am aware of that,” he replied, in cold, harsh tones. - -“You are a good bluffer, Rich,” the cabby remarked, and he smiled. - -It was as good as looking at a play to watch these two men. - -Both now had their tempers under command. - -“You call me a bluffer,” Rich retorted. - -“I do,” cabby rejoined. “I am not afraid of you. I will go to the -police and inform them that you tracked Lawrence on the day before New -Year’s, and you hired one of the worst thugs in the city to keep on his -trail. Carter would reward me liberally for this information.” - -“You are a scoundrelly blackmailer.” - -“I acknowledge the corn. I’ve got you in a corner and you will have to -pay----” - -“Not one cent will I give you.” - -“Think twice, Mr. Rich.” - -“Be careful, Sim.” - -It was one of the women who spoke. She had come up to Rich’s side and -laid her hand gently upon his arm. - -The man glanced at her and said: - -“I know what I am about, Sally.” - -Carter knew from this that the woman was Rich’s sister. The other woman -he surmised was Isabella Porter. - -A broad grin spread over the cabby’s face. - -“Yes, be careful, Mr. Rich,” he sneered. He was becoming more insolent -the longer he waited. - -Rich wheeled around. His large, black eyes were flashing, his face was -aflame with passion. - -“_You_ be careful,” he hissed between his clenched, white teeth, and he -drew his arm back. - -Sally threw herself between her brother and the cabman. - -“Sim,” she ejaculated, “calm yourself.” - -“Yes, calm yourself, my covey,” cabby repeated with a chuckle. - -Rich bit the ends of his mustache and glared. He was making a desperate -effort to keep calm. A silence followed. - -Cabby kept his eyes on Rich. - -When he saw that Simeon was not going to speak he said: - -“Let us get down to business, Rich. There is no use of trying to bluff -me. I’m too old a bird to stand any kind of a jolly. - -“I can read your character, and you ought to be able to read mine. - -“If I should go to the police with the information which I possess, you -know they would come down on you heavily.” - -“Wait one moment.” - -“Let me finish. - -“I have no desire to injure you if you treat me halfway decently. - -“Times have been very bad with me lately, and I need money. - -“I feel convinced that you and your friends have gained by the death of -old Lawrence. - -“In to-day’s paper was published an account of the Lawrence will case, -and it was suggested that a search be made for you and the wife and -daughter of the murdered man. - -“The police do not know where you are. - -“They have no evidence against you. - -“But I can furnish that evidence. - -“Now, how much is it worth to you for me to keep silent?” - -The cabby spoke calmly and deliberately. Rich followed him closely. -He frowned, and his fingers worked nervously, as if he were desiring -to spring upon the man and strangle him. He did not reply for some -moments. He looked around at Darwin and the women. - -“What shall I do?” was in his eyes. - -“Pay,” Darwin said, alarmed. - -Rich turned his eyes on the cabman. - -“How much do you want?” he asked. - -“One thousand dollars,” cabby coolly replied, without changing an -expression. - -“Absurd!” - -“No, it is not.” - -“It is.” - -“To keep me quiet one thousand dollars is a small sum.” - -“How do I know, if I do pay you this sum, that you will not give me -away, anyhow?” - -“I never go back on my word.” - -“I will give you five hundred.” - -“Not a cent less than a thousand.” - -“I can’t give you any such sum as that to-day.” - -“I won’t be hard on you.” - -“Thank you.” - -“You don’t mean that. I’ll take part on account.” - -“I’ll give you one hundred.” - -“Make it three.” - -“I can’t, I tell you.” - -“I’ll take the century.” - -“Here it is.” - -“Now, when will you pay the balance?” - -“To-morrow.” - -“Shall I call here?” - -“No; I will send the money to you.” - -“At my stand?” - -“Yes.” - -“What time?” - -“Noon.” - -“Very well.” - -“It’ll be on hand.” - -“See that it is.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Pete McCree.” - -“What is the number of your cab?” - -“Number one hundred and forty-seven.” - -Cabby started toward the door. - -Before he turned around, Carter dropped. He ran toward the elevator, -which he reached before the door of the room was opened. - -While standing with his back turned he changed his disguise. - -Then he got into the elevator. - -As soon as the detective reached the street he halted near the entrance. - -When McCree came out he walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. - -“Hello!” McCree ejaculated. - -“I’m on hand,” Carter remarked. - -“So I see.” - -“How much did you get?” - -“Not much.” - -“How much?” - -“One hundred bones.” - -“Why didn’t you make him pay more?” - -“He couldn’t produce to-day, but he will do so to-morrow.” - -“I get half.” - -“Certainly.” - -“You are square.” - -“I’ll get this note changed.” - -“I’ll change it.” - -“Have you got fifty?” - -“Yes.” - -“Here’s the century.” - -Carter took the bill and handed the cabby back fifty dollars. - -“Now let me give you a piece of advice,” he said. - -“What is it?” McCree asked. - -“Keep out of risky places to-night and be on your guard.” - -“Why?” - -“You are dealing with desperate men.” - -“I am aware of that, pard.” - -“Rich may employ some one to try and put you out of the way.” - -“You should have seen how he acted.” - -“I can imagine what he said.” - -“I’d like to know what kind of a game he and those others are playing?” - -“So would I.” - -“I’ve got to get back to the stand. I’ll see you to-morrow.” - -Carter shook hands with the rascally cabman, and they separated. The -detective hastened away. - -Half an hour later he was ushered into the presence of the cashier of -the safe deposit company. - -“Have you discovered a clew?” the cashier asked. - -“I’ll reply to that question as soon as you have answered a few queries -which I am going to put to you,” the detective said. - -“What is it?” - -“You said that you gave Mr. Lawrence new bills.” - -“I did.” - -“Do you remember the numbers?” - -“I can tell you in a moment.” - -The cashier walked over to a desk, picked up a slip of paper, referred -to it and said: - -“They were from 177865B to 177870B.” - -“Keno!” Carter shouted. He held in his hand the note which Rich had -given to the cabman. He was looking at it when the cashier read the -numbers. - -“What is the matter?” the cashier asked. - -“Do you see this bill?” Carter said, as he held the bill out for the -cashier to inspect. - -“Gracious! Captain, that note is numbered one hundred and seventy-seven -thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine B! That is one of the bills which -I gave to Mr. Lawrence!” - -“Will you swear to that?” - -“I will. That is one of the bills.” - -“Thank you.” - -The two men were silent. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -TIGHTENING THE COILS. - - -The cashier of the safe deposit company kept gazing in silence at -Carter with open-mouthed astonishment. - -Nick’s countenance was illumined with an expression of triumph. He held -in his hand damaging evidence against Simeon Rich. - -If Rich were innocent of the murder, how was it that he had in his -possession one of the bills which the cashier of the safe deposit -company had paid to the man who had been so cruelly murdered at the Red -Dragon Inn? - -“This is a valuable clew,” the detective said, when the silence was -becoming oppressive. - -“How did that bill come into your possession?” the cashier asked. - -“I think you can keep a secret?” - -“I can.” - -“Then I will tell you.” - -Then Carter gave the cashier a short account of the evidence which he -had collected. - -When the detective finished the cashier remarked: - -“Captain, you are gradually weaving the coils around Simeon Rich.” - -“Yes,” Carter replied, “I am weaving coils around him, but I have no -positive evidence that he committed the crime.” - -“That note?” - -“Not positive. If he has others of the series in his possession, then -the coil will be stronger around him.” - -“I understand. What move will you make next?” - -“I cannot determine just now.” - -Carter was elated over the discovery. - -After leaving the cashier’s office he went direct to the house on -Fourth Street. - -Here he found that Brockey was still a prisoner. - -His young assistant was on guard. - -“Brockey,” said the detective, as he stood in front of the prisoner, -“have you spent all the money that Darwin gave you?” - -“What’s that to you?” Brockey snarled, being in an ugly mood. - -And no wonder! - -Who could blame him? - -Brockey was by no means a stoic or a philosopher. His was a nature -which would brood on troubles. - -There was bitter hatred and malice in every flash of his eye. No love -there, no appreciation of the detective’s ability! - -Carter gazed down into that dark countenance. He read the man’s -thoughts. - -“If you have any of that money left,” Carter replied, in a serious -tone, “some of it may be bills which were stolen from the murdered man. - -“I have the numbers of those bills in my possession.” - -Instantly the expression on Brockey’s face changed. - -A look of terror came over it. - -It had not occurred to him before that the money might have belonged to -the man who was killed at the Red Dragon Inn. - -“Do you understand?” Carter asked at length, when Brockey made no -reply. - -“I understand,” the rascal said, with a gasp. - -“If you should have one of those bills on you, and if it should be -identified as belonging to Lawrence, then, if I were so inclined, I -could fix the murder on you.” - -“You would not do that?” - -“No, I would not.” - -“I have some of the money.” - -“Is it in your pocket?” - -“Yes.” - -Carter put his hand into Brockey’s trousers pocket and pulled out a -small roll of bills. He ran the money over and found one of the series. - -“This is one,” he remarked, holding the bill up for Brockey to inspect. - -“My God!” the rascal ejaculated. - -“You will have to tell now in court how this came into your possession.” - -“I’ll tell quick enough.” - -“I guess you will.” - -“Let me look at the number.” - -“See?” - -“I do.” - -The rest of the money the detective gave to Brockey. - -The bill he marked and put away in his pocketbook with the others. - -The evidence against Rich was stronger. - -But still more evidence was needed before a case could be proven. - -Carter left the house. - -Slowly he walked through to Broadway, and when he reached that -thoroughfare he halted on the corner and reviewed the events of the -past few days. He was forced to acknowledge in spite of himself that -the evidence against Simeon Rich was strong. - -But still he was not satisfied. - -Dora Ferris’ testimony and that of Lena Peters would be damaging. - -The testimony of the cashier, the cabman, and Brockey would be -sensational. - -And the note which he had found in Darwin’s room in Dora’s flat would -tighten the coil. - -But it was not enough. - -“Every link in the chain of evidence must be complete,” Carter -muttered. What move ought he to make? - -“Should he close in on Rich and his pals and take the chance of -discovering the needed evidence against them?” - -“No, I won’t do that,” the detective muttered, as this question flashed -through his mind. - -He turned and wended his way uptown. - -It was seven o’clock when he halted in front of the Studio Building. - -Some force seemed to impel him to enter. He did not go near the -elevator; but he walked upstairs to the top floor. He strolled along -the hall and stopped in front of the door of Rich’s room. - -No light shone through the transom. - -Were the conspirators out? - -Carter knocked. - -No one came to the door. - -“They must have gone out,” he muttered. - -At the same time he pulled a skeleton key out of his pocket and -inserted it in the lock of the door. - -Two quick turns of the key and the bolt of the lock slipped back. - -Carter entered the room, and struck a match. - -As the flame flickered up, and after he had looked around, he uttered -an exclamation of surprise. - -Around him were all the evidences of hasty flight. - -The birds had flown. - -Carter lit the gas. - -Then he was able to make an inspection. - -A look of chagrin rested upon his face as his eyes wandered around the -room. - -The furniture belonging to the room of the building was not disturbed. - -The floor was strewn with rubbish. - -After the detective recovered from his surprise he commenced to make -a search of the apartment. He rooted among the scraps of paper on the -floor in the hope that he would find something of value. - -He made no discovery. - -Every bureau drawer was gone through. - -Nothing. - -At last Carter made a search of the two closets. - -Result? - -Nothing. - -He stood in the center of the room thinking. - -His eyes wandered around. - -Was there any evidence in that room? He asked the question over and -over again. - -He was confident that his search had been most thorough. But had -it been? Was there not some place about that room which contained -evidence, and which had escaped the eagle eyes of the visitor? - -Carter suddenly started. - -“The fireplace!” he ejaculated, and he sprang forward. - -At that moment his eyes had fallen on some soot which covered the -carpet in front of the fireplace. - -What did this indicate? He had not examined the fireplace! - -Down upon his knees he fell in front of the grate. - -Up into the chimney he thrust his hand and arm. - -The next instant he pulled out a large bundle. - -A cloud of soot fell down, and the detective was covered with it. - -He paid no attention to it. - -All of his thoughts were on that bundle, which he carried over to the -center of the room. - -Slowly he unwound the wrapper. - -Then a long ulster was disclosed. - -Carter shook out the folds. - -A black slouch hat and a false beard fell to the floor. - -Was it any wonder that the detective’s hands shook as he gazed upon and -held this evidence? - -He examined the ulster. - -Down the front were a number of dark stains. - -Upon the right sleeve was a large dark splash as large as a man’s hand. - -“Blood!” Carter ejaculated, as he inspected these stains. - -He looked inside the ulster at the stamp on the strap. - -“Made by Delaney,” he read. - -“This was made to order,” he muttered. - -“For whom?” - -That was the question. - -“I’ll find out!” he ejaculated, after a moment’s thought. - -Down into the pockets of this ulster his hand was shoved. - -One after the other was turned inside out. - -Not a scrap of paper could he find. - -All the outside pockets had been gone through. - -Then Carter turned his attention to those inside. - -“Nothing!” he muttered. - -It was disappointing. - -But the detective was not downcast. He picked up the slouch hat and the -beard, and examined them. - -Inside the beard was stamped the word Dazian. - -“That’s the name of the costumer,” Carter muttered, as he read that -name. - -There were no marks inside the hat. - -The lining had been torn out. - -The ulster and the hat the detective tied up in a bundle, and the false -beard he put into his pocket. - -For a few minutes longer he remained in the room searching, but he made -no further discovery. - -Taking the evidence under his arm, he left the apartment. - -It was an important discovery. He felt sure that he had in his -possession the ulster worn by the murderer when he committed the crime. - -In going down in the elevator the detective questioned the boy in -charge. - -The boy said that Rich and Darwin had moved out just at dusk, and they -did not say where they were going. - -Carter stopped at the office, and the clerk was not able to give him -any information. - -When he left the Studio Building he was perfectly calm. He did not seem -to be disturbed about the sudden departure of the men. - -The thought that they might have left the city did not enter his mind. - -Carter crossed Broadway to the little park in front of the bank -building. - -Here he moved about among the cabmen making inquiries. - -All claimed that they had not taken any fares from the Studio Building. - -From Greeley Square the detective walked across to the opposite corner, -where a solitary express wagon was standing. - -The man in charge was partly intoxicated. - -“Did you cart away anything from the Studio Building this evening?” -Carter asked as he came up to the man. - -“You may bet I did,” the man blurted out in thick tones. “I made a good -stake.” - -“They were nice men?” - -“You may bet they were.” - -“Where did you leave the things?” - -“In a flat at number two hundred and forty-one West Thirty-sixth -Street.” - -“What name?” - -“Lawrence.” - -“Are you sure that was the name?” - -“Of course I am. The tall fellow wrote it down on a slip of paper for -me.” - -“Was he at the flat to receive the things?” - -“No. The two ladies were there, though.” - -“Only the two ladies?” - -“That was all.” - -Carter did not go direct to the address on West Thirty-sixth Street -after he left the expressman. He hurried down to Union Square and -entered Dazian’s musty-smelling establishment. - -To the clerk in charge he showed the false beard. - -“We made that,” the clerk said, after he had examined the disguise. - -“Do you remember selling a beard like that lately?” the detective asked. - -“I remember selling this.” - -“You do?” - -“Yes.” - -“When did you sell it?” - -“The morning of the day before New Year’s.” - -“To whom did you sell it?” - -“A tall man.” - -“Did you sell him anything else?” - -“Yes.” - -“What?” - -“A Moorish dagger.” - -“Anything else?” - -“No.” - -“Did he give you his name?” - -“No. He paid for the things and he took them away with him.” - -“What kind of a coat had he on?” - -“An ulster.” - -“What kind of a hat?” - -“An old slouch.” - -“Is this the color of the ulster?” - -Carter untied the bundle while he was talking, and now he displayed the -ulster in front of the clerk. - -“It was that color,” the young man ejaculated. “And that is the slouch -hat. I remember noticing that the rim was slightly torn.” - -“Would you be able to identify that man?” - -“I would.” - -“Was he alone?” - -“Yes.” - -The detective next went to the tailoring establishment conducted by -Delaney. He showed the ulster to the manager. - -“We made that garment six years ago,” the manager said, after he had -inspected the coat. - -“Can you tell for whom?” Carter asked. “If you can tell me, I shall be -greatly obliged.” - -“I can. Do you notice this number in indelible ink on the pocket flap? -Well, that is the number of the order. I will refer to our books.” - -He walked back into the office and examined a large ledger. - -In a few moments he returned to Carter and said: - -“That coat was made for a gentleman named Simeon Rich.” - -“Thank you,” Carter rejoined, and then he departed. - -The coils around Rich were tightening, but the detective had not found -that weapon with which the crime had been committed. - -Perhaps the murderer had thrown it away. - -That was likely. - -That the weapon was a Moorish dagger and the one purchased at Dazian’s -the detective was convinced. - -On a mere whim, Nick took all his evidence down to police headquarters -and made a report to the chief inspector. - -When he was through the chief said: - -“I will send out men to fetch in all the witnesses. - -“We will assemble them here in this room, and then, if we corral the -conspirators, we will bring them in. Mark my word. We will get a -confession from one of them.” - -“I’ll make out a list of the witnesses.” - -“Call them off and I’ll write them down.” - -“The bartender at the Red Dragon Inn, Doctor Thompson, Peter Wright, -Brockey Gann, Lena Peters, Lem Samson, Dora Ferris, Dazian’s clerk, the -cashier of the safe deposit company, Delaney’s manager, and the cabman, -number one hundred and forty-seven.” - -“I’ll send out men for them.” - -“Very well.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“Close in on Rich.” - -“Do you need assistance?” - -“Give me two men.” - -The chief inspector called in two men and they went out with Carter. - -They entered a taxicab and were driven to the address given to the -detective by the expressman. - -The name of Lawrence was on the letter box belonging to the first flat. - -Carter entered the hall with his men. - -One of them he sent back to guard the back door of the flat and prevent -escape by that exit. Then he knocked on the front door, which was -opened by a tall, comely, gray-haired woman. - -Within he heard voices. - -“What do you want?” the woman asked, as Carter and his aid shoved past -her. - -The detective made no reply. He and his companion darted into the -parlor. - -Rich and Darwin and three women were there. - -All sprang to their feet. - -The women screamed. - -Carter covered the men with his revolver and exclaimed: - -“Rich, there is no chance for you to escape. The house is surrounded by -my men. You may as well submit quietly.” - -“What does this intrusion mean?” Rich demanded. - -“It means that I arrest you for the murder of Alfred Lawrence, and -these others”--looking around the room at the others and pausing for a -moment--“I arrest them as your accomplices.” - -In a short time the two men were manacled. - -They offered no resistance, because they saw that it would be of no -avail. - -The two detectives guarded the prisoners while Carter made a search of -the flat. - -In a trunk belonging to Rich he found a Moorish dagger, the blade and -hilt of which were stained with blood. He also found an old pocketbook -with papers belonging to the murdered man in it. - -On this were marks of bloody fingers. - -The woman who admitted Carter was the wife of the murdered man, and the -third woman in the parlor was Lawrence’s daughter. She was a beautiful -young woman, but at a glance the detective saw that she had been -leading a life of dissipation. - -The prisoners were taken to police headquarters. - -When Rich was led into the chief inspector’s office and he beheld the -witnesses congregated there all his bravado fled. - -“The game is up!” he ejaculated, and he sank into a chair, his handsome -face the color of death. “You cornered me, Mr. Carter. I killed -Lawrence. There is no use for me to deny anything. When I learned that -he was about to be released from Sing Sing I made up my mind to kill -him. I feared him, and so did his wife. I knew there was evidence in -existence to prove that we had conspired against him. - -“I suppose you have received statements from all these people and there -is no use for me to make a long confession. - -“All I’ll say will be that I tracked Lawrence to the Red Dragon Inn, -and when the bartender’s back was turned I slipped upstairs and hid in -the parlor. - -“Then I waited until the house was quiet, when I stole up to Lawrence’s -room and killed him. - -“I escaped through the window and then down the ladder to the back yard. - -“I solemnly swear that Mrs. Lawrence and her daughter had nothing to do -with the crime.” - -The mystery of the Red Dragon Inn was solved at last, and when the -newspapers published the facts in regard to the work done by Carter -a sensation was created. Nick had little time to bask in the glow of -journalistic applause, even had he cared to do so. He was soon plunged -in the case to which his assistants had been paving his way by their -investigations. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -MURDER IN HELL’S KITCHEN. - - -To understand the preliminaries of the case on which Chick Carter and -Patsy had been working for their chief, we must go back to a time -before Simeon Rich was tried and executed, before Darwin was sent back -to England, where he afterward died in prison. - -To begin with, Old Mother Flintstone, well known in the neighborhood of -Hell’s Kitchen, was dead. - -All people have to die, and the old woman had to follow the written law -of all mankind; but, what was queer, her death was a subject for police -investigation. - -She had not lived the best of lives, this old hag, toothless and -decrepit in her hovel, where her couch was rags and the walls grimy and -almost black; she had been a fence and what not, and there were stories -about her that made people even in that delectable quarter of Gotham -shake their heads over them. - -She had died in the night. - -Death had come to the hovel in the wee sma’ hours of the darkness, when -the great city was supposed to sleep the sleep of the innocent and -righteous; but somehow or other there was a suspicion that a human hand -had helped Mother Flintstone out of the world. - -She lived alone, but now and then she was visited by a boy--a waif of -the streets, little, but shrewd and wiry. - -Mulberry Billy, as the boy was called, had a story to tell, and it was -his narrative which had set the police agog. - -The boy had gone to Mother Flintstone’s just before day, crawling into -the old place, where he knew there was always a bed for him, and had -found the old lady lying on her face on the floor. - -Billy tried to lift the body and bear it to the couch near by, but the -lot of bones slid from his hands. - -Then he saw the distorted face, the wide, staring eyes and the clenched -hands. - -Then he saw that his old benefactress was past all human aid, and he -stood stock-still and thought how kind she had been to him. - -But this was not all Billy saw. He was attracted to the right by a -noise in the direction of the only window in the room, and there he saw -the outlines of a face. - -It was not a rough face, as one would expect to see in that locality; -it was not the face of a hardened ruffian, seamed with sin and -desperate. It was a finely cut face, handsome, aristocratic, like those -Billy sometimes saw on Fifth Avenue or Broadway. It had good eyes, -white skin, a broad forehead, and well-chiseled lips. The mustache did -not entirely hide the latter, but it did not let the boy get a good -look at them. - -If the face at the window had been wicked-looking or desperate the boy -would not have been astonished, for he would have thought that the -desperate murderer had come back to see if the victim had yet been -discovered. - -Mother Flintstone was reputed rich; she was said to have accumulated by -her calling a good deal of wealth, which she had concealed somewhere, -but where even Billy, her one little confidant, did not know. - -The boy looked at the face till it seemed to be photographed on his -mind. He would know it among a thousand faces, he thought. - -It should not escape him, and he would give a certain person a full -description of it. - -In a moment, as it were, the face vanished. - -Billy turned again to the dead woman, but looked now and then toward -the window. He saw that the old woman had been killed, for the rent in -her throat told where the dagger had found her life and put an end to -her varied career. - -As yet the murder was his secret and the murderer’s. - -Mulberry Billy remained in the little room some time, or until he had -composed his nerves. - -One does not discover a terrible crime every day, not even in New York. -He wanted to think the matter over a little; he wanted to decide just -what to do. - -“I’ll see Patsy again, that’s best,” he said aloud, though addressing -himself. “Patsy Garvan once befriended me, and he’ll tell Mr. Carter -about this, and I know Mr. Carter’s the man to take charge of this -matter and avenge Mother Flintstone.” - -With this the street Arab slipped from the house and went out upon the -street again. - -In a few minutes he ran up a flight of steps leading to Nick’s downtown -den, where he had captured Brockey, and knocked at a door. - -Footsteps crossed the room beyond and the door was opened. - -“You, boy! Come in.” - -Billy entered, looking at the person who had opened the door, and who -now stood in the middle of the room looking at him with a smile on his -face. He had expected to find Chick Carter or Patsy there, and he was -surprised to meet the great detective himself already on the trail once -more. - -“What’s happened, boy?” asked Nick. - -“They’ve got Mother Flintstone at last, sir.” - -“Who have?” - -“That’s for you to find out, Mr. Carter.” - -“You don’t mean that the old lady’s dead, Billy?” - -“Don’t I?” - -“Where?” - -“In the crib.” - -“Do you know who saw her last?” - -“Yes, sir; the man who did it.” - -Carter smiled at the answer and took a seat at the table. - -“Give me the story,” he said. - -Billy did so. He omitted nothing, but he dwelt a long time on the face -at the window. - -The famous detective seemed to think that face an important matter, and -he made the boy describe it half a dozen times. - -Presently he arose and put on an overcoat, for the night was cold, and -perhaps he wanted to protect his face with the ample collar. - -The pair left the room together, and Billy piloted the detective to the -scene of the crime. - -“You can go now,” said Carter, when he had taken a survey of the -apartment. “I will need you to-morrow, Billy. Don’t go far. You can -take my lounge if you want a snooze till then.” - -The urchin went away, leaving Carter in the hovel where Mother -Flintstone lay. - -Nick went over the old place with his keen eyes and eager hands. - -If he found anything that let some light upon the mystery he did not -divulge the secret, and just as day was breaking over the spires of -Gotham he came out of the place and walked away. - -A few minutes later the police knew of the crime, and a sergeant took -possession of the old woman’s abode. - -Hell’s Kitchen had a new sensation, and its inhabitants stood about in -groups and discussed it. - -The sensation was too late for the morning papers, but it would do for -the afternoon journals; and as Mother Flintstone was a noted character, -half a dozen reporters came to the scene with ready pencils and -reportorial noses. - -The papers in the afternoon told all there was to tell. - -They dished up the past life of the old woman and colored it to suit -themselves. - -Some had her a woman once respected and wealthy, the wayward daughter -of a money king; others said she was related to royalty; none put her -down as plain Mother Flintstone--that, you know, being the unvarnished -truth, would never do! - -The wasted body was removed to the morgue and the surgeons brought -their skill to bear upon the case. All agreed that the old creature had -been foully killed by a dagger, and the coroner’s jury added “by some -person unknown,” and then turned the matter over to the police. - -The following night Carter, alone in his room, heard a rap on his door, -and he opened it to look into the face of a young woman. He held the -door open and the girl--she was no more than this in years--glided -into the room. - -“Lock the door, please,” she said, with an appealing look at the -detective. - -Carter did so and turned to her. - -His visitor had taken a chair, and in the light he saw how frightened -she was and how she trembled. - -“You haven’t any clew yet?” was her first question. - -“Clew to what?” - -“Why, to the murderer of Mother Flintstone.” - -“Oh, you’re interested in that, are you?” - -“I am.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Yes, I thought you’d want to know that and it’s no more than right -that I should tell you. You may call me Margie Marne.” - -“But that’s not your name.” - -The girl smiled. - -“Perhaps not; don’t, for Heaven’s sake, rob me of the only secret I -have--my true identity.” - -“I will not. You shall keep your name. That secret can belong to you as -long as you want it, or until you see best to disclose it.” - -“The time may come when I can speak,” was the reply. “But you haven’t -answered my question yet.” - -“About the clew? It’s a queer case.” - -“And a dark one?” - -“Yes.” - -“No reward has been offered?” - -“Not a dollar.” - -“But you want to find out who killed Mother Flintstone, and why.” - -“I do, and I will find out.” - -“Thank God!” cried Margie Marne, rising from her chair and seizing -Carter’s hands. “That’s the best thing I ever heard a man say.” - -“What was the old lady to you?” - -“Don’t ask me. Only find the hand that slew her.” - -“That’s my mission, as I’ve already told you.” - -“I’ll reward you,” and she seemed to smile again. “I don’t look like a -person of wealth, but I can reward the man who solves this mystery of -the tenements. I’m not as poor as I look, not a female Lazarus by any -means.” - -“You don’t look it, either.” - -The girl would have replied if footsteps had not approached the -detective’s door, and he crossed the room. - -Billy, the street Arab, bounded in the moment the door was opened. - -“I’ve located him!” he cried the moment he caught sight of Carter. “I -can show you the face I saw at the window last night. Come! Let the gal -stay. We don’t want her. No gals in the case for Mulberry Billy is my -motto,” and the boy darted toward the door again. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE MILLIONAIRE’S GUEST. - - -In another part of the city about the same time that witnessed these -events a scene was being enacted which is destined to have an important -bearing on Carter’s present case of mystery. - -This time it was not in the heart of that tough locality called Hell’s -Kitchen, but in the haunts of the better classes, indeed, in what might -be called the abode of wealth. - -Perry Lamont was a multimillionaire. He was a man of past fifty, but -with very few gray hairs and a florid complexion. He was not engaged in -any business, having retired from the “Street” some years prior to the -opening of our story, and now was resting at his ease. - -Surrounded with wealth of every description, this man was an envied -person and a man to be congratulated on the easy life he could lead in -his luxurious mansion. - -Blessed with wife and children, the latter grown to manhood and -womanhood, he passed his days in luxury, his only fad being fast -horses, with which his stables were filled. - -Perry Lamont sat in the splendid library of his home and smoked a prime -cigar. He was alone. His wife and daughter had gone to the opera and -his son was playing billiards at the club. - -Therefore Lamont had the whole house to himself, for it was the -servants’ night off, and he had resolved to take his ease. - -Suddenly the clear tones of the bell reverberated through the mansion, -but the millionaire did not rise. He did not want any visitors, and he -was not at all in the humor to be disturbed. - -Again the bell rang, a little sharper than before, and he laid down the -cigar. - -“Confound it all, why can’t a fellow get a little rest?” he growled, -crossing the room toward the hall. - -“It’s a pity some people haven’t the slightest notion about propriety, -but must come when a man wants to throw off the cares of the world and -enjoy himself.” - -For the third time the bell jangled, and the next moment Lamont reached -the door. He opened it with a growl on his lips, but all at once a man -rudely pushed past him into the hall. - -“Good evening,” said the stranger, who was tall and decidedly good -looking from what the millionaire could see of his face, for he kept -his collar up. “Don’t think I’m an intruder. Of course, I came here on -business, and that overleaps every other consideration, you know.” - -“Business? This way, then.” - -Lamont led the way to the library, where he waved his caller to a chair. - -“You have a son, I believe?” said the visitor. - -“I have. I guess that’s no disgrace,” smiled Perry Lamont, who was -inordinately proud of his son and heir. - -“He’s at the club just now?” - -“That’s his pleasure, I suppose.” - -“Certainly. Is he your only son?” - -“He is.” - -“And you look to him to keep up the honor of the house of Lamont?” - -“He’ll do that, never fear, Claude will.” - -“That is, he will if the law will let him.” - -The nabob started. - -“Have a care, sir!” he cried, coloring. “This is my house, and a man’s -house is his castle.” - -“That’s old, but good,” grinned the unwelcome and uncivil caller. “I’ve -often wondered where that saying originated, but never had time to look -it up.” - -Lamont looked at the man amazed, for he never saw such coolness in all -his life. - -“You’ve got a daughter, too,” continued the stranger. - -“What’s that to you?” - -“Not much, perhaps, but a good deal to you.” - -“There you’re right; but you shall not make sport of my child. My -affection for her is too sacred for that.” - -“She’s pretty and good. I know her.” - -“_You?_” almost roared the millionaire, falling back in his chair and -staring at the other. “This is carrying a joke too far.” - -“Just as you think; but let’s go back to Claude.” - -“No, I won’t have another thing to do with you. You remember you are -not an invited guest----” - -“That’s right--not an invited guest, but I don’t quit this house till I -care to go.” - -“By Jove----” - -“Come, come, keep your temper.” - -“You won’t let me,” said Lamont, with a faint smile. - -“Well, this boy of yours is a little wild. He’s the lion of the club, -but he don’t always keep within the bounds of the law.” - -“How?” - -“I don’t mean to insinuate anything, only to remind you that he is just -now harvesting his crop of wild oats.” - -“Just as far too as many boys do.” - -“But the yield is larger on some grounds than on others.” - -“You don’t mean----” - -“That your hopeful is reaping a gorgeous crop, eh? That’s it precisely.” - -“But he knows when to stop.” - -“The sheriff will do that.” - -Lamont started forward, and for the first time his face became really -pale. - -“That’s an insult!” - -“I thought you would consider it such.” - -“It is infamous!” - -“You’re good at words.” - -“Come, this interview is at an end.” - -“Not yet. What will you give to save your son?” - -“To save him? He’s committed no crime yet----” - -“Will you give ten thousand?” - -“Not a dollar! If Claude has committed some little indiscretion such as -young men will----” - -“He’s done more than that. It would be charity to designate it by -the name you have just mentioned, but the authorities would call it -something else.” - -“Where is Claude?” - -“At the club, just where you said he was.” - -“Then----” - -“I’ll take ten thousand and save the boy.” - -“From what?” - -“The electric chair!” - -Perry Lamont seemed to reel in his chair, and it was with difficulty -that he kept his seat. - -“It’s a lie!” he cried. - -“Just as you like. It’s all true, however.” - -“It’s false, I say, as false as perdition! My boy wouldn’t stoop to -crime.” - -“No; he’s an angel. And all he wants is a pair of wings which would -just fix him out.” - -Lamont reddened and then turned pale again. - -“I announce this interview terminated,” he said, but his voice was -agitated and his gaze wandered to the door across the room. - -“You can write out the check for the amount I have mentioned if you -have any regard for the honor of your house.” - -“Not a dollar!” - -“Then take the consequences!” - -So threatening, the man arose and coolly buttoned his coat. - -“You’re mad,” said the millionaire. - -“Perhaps. I’m money mad, but I want to save you and yours. I don’t want -to heap disgrace upon your wife and daughter. I don’t want to disgrace -you and see your boy go to the chair. I don’t want to do anything of -the kind, and I won’t if you pay me for the secret.” - -Perhaps something told Perry Lamont that he was dealing with a -desperate man, who, after all, might have the secret he spoke of, but -it was such a terrible thing to think of that it chilled his blood. - -“I’m a man of business. I want the check or your boy is exposed.” - -“What is the crime?” asked Lamont. - -“What did I say? They take life for murder only.” - -“My son!--a murderer!” - -“They will certainly lay hands on Claude if you don’t buy my silence.” - -“In Satan’s name, who are you?” - -“The man who knows!” - -In the drawer before the millionaire lay a self-cocking revolver, and -this flashed through his mind as he resolved upon desperate action. - -“All right,” he said, as nonchalantly as possible, and in a second he -had opened the drawer. - -The man near by stood in such a position that he could not look into -the place, and he did not see Lamont’s hand close about the black ivory -stock of the weapon. - -Suddenly the millionaire’s hand leaped from the drawer and the revolver -flashed in the stranger’s face. - -“I won’t be blackmailed,” hissed Lamont. “I’m as merciless as a tiger -when aroused, and I count your life as nothing as compared to the -welfare of my family. What is the lie you have made up for to-night’s -work? What is the infamous story you have planned about my son? Tell me -or I will kill you where you stand, and the world will lose your infamy -in this house.” - -The man on the carpet seemed to increase an inch in stature as he -looked down into the tensely drawn face of the man of many fortunes. - -“You’d do that, would you?” - -“As I live I will!” - -“You’re a fool, Perry Lamont.” - -“Why so?” - -“You might slay me here, but the net would be played out or drawn in -all the same. You don’t suppose I would place myself in your power the -sole custodian of this secret which, if let out, will send your son to -the electric chair? I’m no fool.” - -The tightly clutched weapon seemed about to fall from Lamont’s hand. - -“The secret is unloosed the moment I die at your hands,” continued the -cool stranger. “Come, treat me white, and I’ll treat you the same. I -want ten thousand for what I know. It saves your boy and rescues your -house from disgrace.” - -A singular cry welled from the millionaire’s throat, the revolver -slipped to the floor and he sank back in the chair in a dead faint. - -The stranger leaned forward and opened the drawer, and seeing something -there he transferred it to an inner pocket. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -BACK TO THE RED SPOT. - - -When Carter and Mulberry Billy reached the street at the foot of -Carter’s stairs the boy pointed toward a cab just driving away. - -“He must be in that,” said Billy. “I saw him talking to a man from the -cab window just now----” - -“The man whose face you saw at the window of Mother Flintstone’s den, -Billy?” - -“The same bloke.” - -The detective looked after the cab as it rounded a corner and then -turned again to the boy. - -“But the man who was spoken to from the cab?” queried the detective. - -“He’s gone, too.” - -In another instant there stepped from a doorway a few steps distant a -man at whom the boy pointed excitedly. - -“That’s him, Mr. Carter!” he exclaimed, as the man thus singled out -coolly lit a cigar. - -Carter eyed him for a moment and then looked away. - -The fellow walked off and the boy of the street watched him with much -curiosity. - -“Could you keep him in sight for me, Billy?” asked the detective. - -“Just as if I’d lose him on purpose!” - -Billy hurried away and watched the smoker with all the keenness he -could bring to bear upon the matter. - -For some time the boy was led a merry chase, for the man at first -seemed to suspect that he was watched, but at last he appeared to -think that he had baffled the young shadower, for he became bold and -sauntered along at his ease. - -Billy saw him walk up the steps of a noted clubhouse, and then stepped -back to wait for his reappearance. - -For this purpose the boy stationed himself in a doorway near at hand. - -An hour passed, and while many came out of the club this particular one -did not, and the street Arab grew a little impatient. - -“Seems to me he’s going ter roost there,” said Billy to himself. “I’m -booked for this doorway all night if he does, for I intend to keep my -agreement with Mr. Carter--to watch that man till doomsday.” - -All at once there sounded above the boy footsteps on the stairs, and as -he looked around he was pounced upon eaglelike by a hand that seemed to -sink into his bones. - -“Ouch!” cried the boy, as he drew back. - -“Not a chirp, you young imp,” hissed a voice, as he was pulled up over -the steps. - -Billy, of Mulberry Street, was dragged up the stairs and down a long -corridor, after which he was pulled into a room by his tormentor. He -heard the door locked behind him, and then the gas was quickly turned -on. Then he was jammed roughly into a chair, after which he got a look -at the man who had caught him. - -It was not the man he had watched, but quite another person, and Billy -wondered why he had caught him. - -“Spying, weren’t you?” said the man coolly. - -“Who are you?” demanded Billy. “And don’t you know you’ve no right to -treat me this way?” - -“I haven’t, eh? Just wait till I’m through with you before you crow -that way.” - -Then the man came forward and bent over Billy, who shrank into the -depths of the chair. - -“Who sent you after me?” he demanded. - -“No one.” - -“No falsehood! He did, didn’t he?” - -“Whom do you mean?” - -“You know.” - -“You must explain.” - -“Just as if you didn’t know anything, you little gutter rat! To be -plain, the man you were talking to to-night told you to dog my steps. I -know that much.” - -“Then that keeps me from explainin’,” smiled Billy, whereat the man’s -face grew dark. - -“No insolence! Little chicks get their necks wrung same as old ones.” - -Billy leaped from the chair and sprang forward, but he was arrested by -the hand of the fellow and held fast. - -“Tell me the truth. He sent you after me?” - -For once in his life at least Mulberry Billy was terrified. - -“Yes,” he said. - -“Nick Carter they call him, don’t they?” - -“Yes.” - -“Detective!” - -The boy said nothing. - -“Why am I to be watched?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“What has happened lately?” - -“Don’t you know? Don’t you ever read the papers?” - -“Sometimes.” - -“Then you must know that they’ve killed Mother Flintstone.” - -“Who’s she?” - -“My best friend, even if she didn’t have all the frills of society,” -said Billy, with a grin. - -“Where did she live?” - -“In Hell’s Kitchen.” - -“That’s a nice name!” - -“It fits the place.” - -“What was Mother Flintstone?” - -“She fenced some times.” - -“Oho!” The exclamation was followed by a prolonged whistle. “I see.” - -The man, dropping Billy suddenly, took several turns about the room. - -“Could you show me where she lived, boy?” he suddenly asked, coming -back to the boy. - -“I could----” - -“And you will? That’s good! Mother Flintstone, eh? Was that her right -name?” - -“Never heard any other for the old woman.” - -The countenance of the stranger seemed to soften and he told the boy to -guide him. - -They left the house together, the boy in advance, and Billy piloted the -man into Mulberry Bend and straight to Hell’s Kitchen. - -“It’s a tough place, I see,” was all the comment the stranger made as -they entered the locality. - -“No place tougher, but I’ve called it home for a long time.” - -Into the little old room--the place of sin and crime--Billy led the man -and a light was struck. - -“Where did she keep her valuables?” asked the man. - -“I don’t know.” - -“But she had papers, hadn’t she?” - -“I can’t say; but if she had the perlice must have found them.” - -“They searched the den, eh?” - -“They looked it over.” - -“Did Carter do it, too?” - -“Yes.” - -“What did he find?” - -The boy shook his head. - -“You’re not the custodian of his secrets, I see.” - -“I’m not.” - -“Let me see what I can find.” - -The man began to go through the place, watched by the boy with all -eyes. He was a good-looking fellow, only his beard seemed a little too -black and glossy to be natural, and the boy had an idea that it had -never grown on his face. - -All at once the man turned and looked at Billy. - -At the same time he put out one hand, and it fell upon a dusty shelf on -one side of the room. - -“Turn your back a moment, boy,” he commanded. - -Billy did so, and while he looked away he was certain that the stranger -did something. - -When again he looked around the man was standing at his ease and his -face was as calm as ever. - -“Look yonder,” suddenly cried the boy, pointing at the window. “There -it is again.” - -The stranger turned in an instant, and then looked at the street Arab. - -“I see nothing at the window,” he said. - -“It’s gone now. That’s the second time I saw it there.” - -“A face, was it, boy?” - -“Yes; the face of the man who killed Mother Flintstone!” - -“Then it’s not far off.” - -With this the stranger ran out of the place, and Billy heard him in the -narrow court beyond. - -“In the name of Satan, who is he?” ejaculated the boy, while he waited -for the man’s return. - -His question was followed by a sharp report, and in a second the boy -was outside. - -He smelled powder the moment he opened the door, and then a human -figure fell at his feet. - -Billy sprang back with a cry and heard a half-suppressed oath and -flying footsteps. - -“Say, boy,” said a voice, as the little fellow stooped over a prostrate -man on the bricks. - -“Did you see him?” - -“Only a glimpse.” - -“Well, he’s got me--just as I expected. But he didn’t get the -documents.” - -“What documents?” - -“Mother Flintstone’s. They’re here.” - -The wounded speaker laid one hand on his left breast. He tried to rise, -but sank again to the stones, and Billy could only look on, white-faced -and breathless. - -“You want a doctor and the perlice,” he said at last. - -“Neither one,” growled the man through set teeth. “I don’t want them, I -say. I’m not dead yet, though they gave me a close call to-night. Help -me up. There, you see I can stand all right. I feel better already. I’m -worth ten dead men, and in an hour I’ll be worth fifty. Come, let us -get out of this.” - -Billy was not loath to go, and they glided from the scene and struck -the street in a few seconds. - -“Great Cæsar!” cried the boy, falling back from the man the moment -he got a glimpse of him in the lamplight. “Be you the devil or Tom -Walker----” - -The man stopped the boy by throwing his hand to his face. - -The black beard was gone and the skin was smooth, and this was what had -called forth the street urchin’s exclamation. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE FATE OF A SPY. - - -Under the ground at last Mother Flintstone passed from the minds of -many. The hovel she had occupied in Hell’s Kitchen got other tenants -and the crime was forgotten. - -Not by everybody, however, for in the mind of more than one person the -old woman whose life no one seemed to know beyond a few years was of -some importance. - -Carter was on the trail, and he was destined to find it one of the -strangest if not the most exciting of his varied career. Nick had just -learned that Brockey Gann had been sent to Sing Sing for a short term, -and that Mrs. Lawrence and her daughter had gone abroad, never to -return to this country. - -It was the night after his last adventure--the one on the street with -Billy, of Mulberry Street--when the boy failed to point out the man he -had seen, that he stood in another part of the city. - -The famous detective was quite alone, and his gaze was riveted upon a -man who stood in front of a swell café lighting a cigar. - -This person was well dressed and looked as if he belonged to -uppertendom. - -His features were regular, though they showed some signs of fashionable -dissipation, and he carried a cane with an elaborate gold head. - -In short, this person was Claude Lamont, the son of the millionaire, -who had lately received the man who wanted ten thousand dollars to keep -a secret. - -Lamont was a favorite at the club because he spent his father’s money -freely, and at times gave swell suppers, which were the talk of the -town. - -Young Lamont appeared to be waiting for some one, and presently that -individual came out of the café. He looked a good deal like Claude, -only he seemed to be several years his junior, and when the two met -they walked away together. - -Carter followed. - -The men were talking earnestly, and at last Carter heard Lamont say: - -“You didn’t make it with the governor, eh?” - -“No; confound it all. He fainted just when I thought I had landed the -fish, and I came away with an empty hook.” - -“That’s bad.” - -“Couldn’t have been worse.” - -“Shall I try again?” - -“No, we must take another tack,” and then Claude laughed. - -This was all the detective heard, and the pair walked a little faster. - -After a while Carter let them go and turned his attention to another -part of the town. - -This time he pushed his way into an upper room in one of the most -disreputable localities and confronted a man who nearly leaped from a -chair at sight of him. - -“Never mind. Don’t get excited, Jack,” smiled the detective. “I’m not -after you this time.” - -The fellow, who was past thirty, with a slim face covered with a beard -of a week’s growth, seemed pleased, but at the same time he snarled -like a wild beast. - -“I’ve got work for you,” said the detective. - -“Not for me, no, sir! I won’t do any man’s work--not even yours,” he -growled. - -“Come, Jack. It won’t get you into trouble.” - -“I won’t, there!” - -The speaker settled back into his chair and looked ugly. - -“You remember Mother Flintstone?” - -“Yes, and I know she’s dead.” - -“And buried.” - -“I hope so, but I don’t care what they’ve done with her. I am out of -the business.” - -“You know Claude Lamont?” - -“The money king’s son? Of course I do, and I know nothing very good of -him, either.” - -“Well, Jack, I want you to get on with him.” - -“I say no.” - -The voice was determined, but this fact did not check the detective. - -“Listen to me, Jack.” - -“Not if you want to make a sleuth out of me.” - -“I don’t--in a sense.” - -“But you want me to get in with this young lion and get the worst of -the bargain.” - -Carter thought a moment. - -Was there not some other way of bringing this man to time? - -Nick had befriended him once, had saved him from a term up the river; -and now he needed him. - -Jack Redmond was a clever, all-around crook, and, at the same time, he -knew how to spy and do anything that required wits and cunning. - -Suddenly Nick turned again to the man and said: - -“You know Margie?” - -At this Redmond started and seemed to shiver. - -“Where is she?” he eagerly inquired. - -“Where she can be found at any time.” - -“Do you know?” - -“Will you help me?” - -Redmond sprang up and confronted the detective with a quick look. - -“Does she think of me yet?” - -“I can’t say that.” - -“Will you help me with Margie?” - -“So far as I can.” - -“Then I’m yours!” - -For a moment the detective watched the man and held out his hand; but -the crook refused it. - -“No, I’m yours. You’ve bought me,” he said. “Now, what am I to do?” - -For some time the detective talked, and was not interrupted. - -When he went away he seemed to smile to himself, and half an hour later -he was back in his own rooms. - -One hour later Claude Lamont was met in the club annex by a man, who -held out his hand. - -Lamont looked searchingly at this person and shook his head. - -“You have the best of me,” said he. - -“What, don’t you know me?” cried the other, as if surprised. “I’m -Belmont.” - -“The devil you are!” - -“That’s who I am, and I’m not surprised that you did not recognize me.” - -“I thought you were dead--in fact, three years ago I read about your -death at sea.” - -“So did thousands,” laughed the so-called Belmont, who was Jack -Redmond, the crook. “I thought at one time I was on the brink of -eternity. We had nine tough weeks on a tropical island, but were saved -by a liner.” - -This seemed to satisfy Lamont, for he fell to talking to Redmond, and -the two adjourned to the wine-room and opened several bottles. - -It was midnight before they parted, and then Redmond slunk away. - -He had broken the ice. - -“To-morrow,” said he, “I will go a little further, and before the -week’s out I’ll have my clutches on this man for Carter. He doesn’t -suspect, and I’ve completely hoodwinked him.” - -Jack went back to his little den, but did not lock the door. - -Ten minutes later he heard footsteps on the stair, and, thinking that -Carter was coming back, he watched the door with some curiosity. - -When the door opened he got pale, for instead of the detective another -man stood before him. - -“Spy and informer, your time has come!” cried this person, who seemed -as wiry as a tiger as he crossed the room. - -Jack Redmond started from his chair, but a revolver was thrust into his -face, and he fell back. - -“Silence! Not a word! That was a cool game you played to-night,” -continued the other. - -“What game?” stammered the crook. - -“You know, and it’s going to cost you your treacherous life.” - -“No.” - -“Yes, I say--your life!” - -Jack looked into the muzzle of the weapon and wondered if he could -cross the space between them and seize the man before he could press -the trigger. - -“You told a plausible tale, and he believed you. You passed yourself -off as Belmont, who lies in fifty fathoms of water, and he took it all -for gospel. You’ve got to die.” - -The crook said nothing. - -“Sit down,” commanded the stranger. - -Involuntarily Jack sat down and awaited the fellow’s next movement. - -“What have you to say before you die? Any word to send to any person?” - -“You don’t mean to take my life?” - -“I do. It isn’t worth the snuffing of a candle just now. All the money -in the world could not save you.” - -Suddenly Jack was pounced upon by the human wolf and crushed deeper -into the chair. - -A pair of demon hands seemed to meet behind his windpipe, and he tried, -but vainly, to rise. - -His eyes bulged from his head, his tongue protruded and he emitted a -groan. - -Three minutes later the demon arose and looked down at the dark face in -the chair. - -Then he went through the crook’s pockets and found nothing of value -even to him. - -Behind Jack was a wall tolerably white, and the murderer went toward -it. He took a pencil from his pocket and wrote in scrawling characters -across the surface a few words that seemed to please him. - -“That’s it. He’ll see it,” he hissed. “And he’ll know that it is a -death trail if he persists.” - -In another moment the little den was tenanted by no one but the silent -man in the chair. - -The gas burned over his head, sicklylike and blue, and the room seemed -filled with a noxious odor. - -It burned on till the first streaks of morning revealed the city, and -pedestrians reappeared on the sidewalks. - -No one came. - -Several hours passed and the streets swarmed again with their eager -thousands. - -Then the door was opened and Carter came in. - -He stood stock-still at sight of the dead man--his spy--in the chair, -and then he happened to glance at the wall. - -In another second he was there, and his bulging eyes had read: - -“The spy first, the master next! There is no escape for him!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE KNOCK-OUT DROPS. - - -The man of many trails read the inscription on the wall more than once -before he turned away. - -It meant him. - -There was not the least doubt of this, and for some time the detective -stood rooted to the spot, as it were, and looked at what appeared to be -a record of doom. - -At last he went over to the dead man in the chair, and, lifting the -body, he knew what had terminated Jack Redmond’s career. - -The hands of some fiend had strangled him, and Nick seemed to inspect -the marks on the throat for the time that had elapsed since the tragedy. - -Slowly and with deliberation the detective quitted the scene of crime -and went down the steps. - -At the bottom he nearly ran against a woman with a black shawl pulled -over her head in such a manner as to conceal her features. She tried to -escape the detective, but the detective’s hand shot out and drew her -toward him. - -With the other hand he removed the shawl and looked into a wan face -seamed with want and dissipation. - -“You know Jack?” he said. - -“Heavens! Jack! Yes.” - -“Will you go up and see him?” - -She fell back, but the hand stayed her. - -“He did it, then?” she cried. - -“You saw some one, then?” - -“Yes; but for Heaven’s sake don’t mix me up in anything like murder.” - -Carter watched the nervous twitching of the woman’s lips and waited for -her to calm herself. - -“When was he here?” he asked. - -“Last night.” - -“What was he like?” - -“He was rather tall, and had a step as stealthy as a tiger’s.” - -“You saw him come?” - -“Yes.” - -“And go?” - -“I did.” - -“How long was the man upstairs?” - -“Not over twenty minutes.” - -“Did you suspect a crime?” - -“I did; but I hadn’t the nerve to go up after he went away. I only -guessed his mission.” - -Nick at last released the creature, who had in the meantime called -herself Gutter Nan for identification, and went away. - -“It’s the second crime,” was all the remark he made to himself. - -The detective sent word to police headquarters, and as the crime, like -the murder of Mother Flintstone, came too late for the morning papers, -the afternoon journals got it. - -No one knew among the reporters that Jack Redmond had been Carter’s spy. - -None was told who was meant by “the master” in the sentence on the -wall; they only guessed at that, and some queer guesses they made, too. - -Carter found Margie Marne that same day, and the girl’s first question -was about his trail. - -“I’ve got a strange letter here,” said the girl, handing the detective -a note she had just received. - -The detective drew it from the envelope and read as follows: - - “MISS MARNE: If you want to hear of something to your advantage - please come to the Trocadero to-day at two and enter the first stall - on the right. Come alone, for this is business of importance, and - greatly concerns you. - - “BUSINESS.” - -After reading the message the detective looked up and found the eyes of -the girl riveted upon his face. - -“Well?” he asked. - -“Shall I go?” - -“Yes.” - -“I’ll do anything you tell me to,” was the reply, and a faint smile -flitted across the girl’s face. - -“Have you fears, Margie?” - -“Yes. I fear all the time ever since the death of Mother Flintstone.” - -“Who, think you, is ‘Business’?” - -“An enemy.” - -“Then, why go to the Trocadero?” - -“Because you say so.” - -Carter promised the girl that he would not be far off at the hour -mentioned in the letter, and Margie agreed to be on hand. He did not -see fit to tell her about Jack Redmond’s death, as it might unnerve -her, and, bidding her good-by, he left the house. - -It was near two that afternoon when a man, who would not have been -taken for Nick, entered the Trocadero on the Bowery, and seating -himself at a table called for a drink. - -The place was not very well filled at the time, and while he sipped his -wine the detective looked around the place. - -Presently he saw a man enter and go straight to the stall designated by -the letter to Margie, and the door was closed behind him. - -Now Carter began to wait for the girl, and ten minutes later she came -in. - -Glancing up and down the place as if looking for him Carter saw her -enter the same stall and heard a slight ejaculation when she found it -occupied. - -Just then the detective moved his seat to a table nearer the stall and -indulged again. - -After drinking a third glass a strange feeling of drowsiness seemed to -take possession of him, and he tried to shake it off. - -In vain, however, did he battle against the feeling, it only grew -stronger, till at last he became aware that he was sinking into -unconsciousness. - -His last recollection was of trying to rise and then sinking down upon -the chair, while everything became black about him. - -When the detective came to, a singular feeling racked his head and he -felt dizzy. - -With some effort he managed to stagger to his feet and then he went to -the suspected stall. - -The door now stood slightly ajar, and he pushed it open, but the place -was empty. - -Where was Margie, and what had taken place in that secluded spot where -perhaps more than one crime had been committed? - -After looking at the table and taking in the whole stall the detective -shut the door and started toward the walk. - -He knew the fame of the Trocadero. - -More than once a trail had led him across its precincts, and on several -occasions he had picked up important clews under its roof. - -But now he himself was the victim of trickery, the dupe of crime, for -he doubted not that the drinks had been drugged by some infamous hand -and for a purpose. - -Behind the bar stood the man who had carried the drinks to him, a -little man with one of the worst faces, and the detective thought he -looked at him with wonderment as if surprised that he--Carter--had -escaped death. - -Fixing his eyes upon this man he leaned over the bar and said: - -“What became of the girl?” - -The little wretch only grinned and turned away to wait on a new -customer. - -But he was not to get rid of the champion detective so easily, for the -hand of Carter darted over the counter and fastened on him like the -talons of a vulture. - -In Nick’s grip the man was a babe, and as the hand seemed to sink to -his bones he emitted a whimper that sounded like a whine and looked -blankly into the detective’s face. - -“I--I never saw the girl,” he cried. - -“No lies, sir. I want the truth. Who told you to drug me?” - -“No one. I--I drug nobody. I’m honest.” - -“So is Satan,” hissed the detective, and just then the little wretch -appealed to the owner of the establishment for protection. - -“No interference, Number Six,” said the detective, with a look at the -broad-shouldered owner of the Trocadero, and the man thus designated -winced. - -“Tell the gentleman the truth, Caddy,” he said to the little man; but -that person was still stubborn. - -“Caddy” hoped to be released without being forced to tell the truth, -but the detective had no idea of doing this. - -He actually pulled Caddy over the counter, to the amusement of the few -people in the place at the time, and, putting his ear close to the -barkeeper’s, he said: - -“The truth or Sing Sing. Take your choice!” - -This seemed to have a wonderful effect at once. - -The detective escorted Caddy down the sawdusted aisle and pushed him -into the first stall. - -“Where did they go?” he asked. - -Caddy was very meek now, and his voice trembled as he spoke. - -“They went out the back entrance,” he said. - -“Both of them?” - -“Yes.” - -“How was the girl?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Did she seem to go willingly with the man?” - -“I don’t think she did.” - -“Was there a cab in the alley out there?” - -“Yes.” - -For a moment Carter looked daggers at the little scoundrel, his -indignation fast rising, but he kept his temper as he said: - -“You were that man’s agent. You fixed my drinks at his suggestion or -command.” - -“He paid me for it.” - -“But how did he designate me?” - -“He told me to fix the gentleman at a certain table--that’s all I know.” - -“Look here! You’ve played a cool hand for a great villain, and if -anything happens to the girl I’ll hold you, in part, responsible. Who -was the man?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“You do know,” cried Carter, and again his hand fell upon Caddy’s -shoulder. “You didn’t do all this for a total stranger. They don’t do -such things in the Trocadero. You know that man! Now who was he?” - -The little man could not avoid the sharp eyes of the best detective in -New York, and he felt the hand on his shoulder grow more viselike as -the question was put. - -“Tell me. That or Sing Sing!” said Carter. - -“He’s a rich bloke’s son,” answered Caddy. - -“That’s not enough. Who is he? You know!” - -“They call him Claude Lamont.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -AN INCORRUPTIBLE DETECTIVE. - - -“Ha, ha,” laughed Nick to himself. “So Mr. Lamont is playing a nice -little hand. We’ll see about it,” and then he turned his attention -again to the man he had in tow. - -“He told you to dose me, did he?” - -Caddy nodded. - -“Did he say why?” - -“No.” - -“But he was anxious to have me drugged?” - -“He seemed so.” - -“Now, don’t you know where he took the girl?” - -The little barkeeper of the Trocadero shook his head in a solemn -manner, and Carter felt that he was in earnest. - -“He hasn’t been back since?” he asked. - -“No.” - -The detective went to the back entrance of the place and saw where a -cab had stood. - -Beyond doubt this was the vehicle in which Margie Marne had disappeared -with Claude Lamont, and after looking the ground over without finding -an additional clew, Carter went back. - -It might be hard to track the cab, as there were hundreds in the city, -and under the influence of Claude’s money the drivers would not like to -betray a good customer. - -The detective put this and that together, and in a short time he might -have been seen on the front steps of the Lamont mansion. - -It was his first visit to the place, and he did not disguise himself in -the least. - -It was not a very fashionable hour for a call, but his ring caused the -door to open and he was ushered in by a wondering maid. - -“Is Mr. Lamont in?” asked the detective. - -“Yes, sir, but he is indisposed.” - -Sick or well, the detective had come to see the millionaire, and he was -not to be cheated out of his game. - -Handing the servant his card he waited in the hall, and presently she -came back asking him to step into the library. - -This the detective did, and in a few moments he stood face to face with -Lamont. - -He had seen the nabob on several occasions, but he seemed to have -greatly aged in a short time and his face looked haggard and pale. - -Lamont looked up at his visitor and tried to place him, but failed. - -“I don’t know you,” said he, glancing down at the detective’s card, -which he held in his hand. - -Carter, who had taken a chair opposite the man, said in his peculiar -tones: - -“I am a detective. I have come here on a matter of business which may -concern you.” - -“I am at a loss to know how.” - -“In the first place, sir, are we alone?” - -“Entirely so.” - -The detective, in spite of this assurance, lowered his voice. - -“Whatever became of your sister, Mr. Lamont?” - -There was a quick start, and the face of the millionaire got white. - -“I never had a sister,” said he, with an effort. - -“Make sure of that. Whatever became of her, I ask?” - -Lamont looked around the room like a wild beast seeking a loophole of -escape, but seeing none he came back to the detective. - -“Pardon me for trying to deceive you,” said he. “That is the black spot -on our family history. I had a sister once. But she is dead now.” - -“Her name was----” - -“Hester.” - -“And you say she is dead?” - -“She is.” - -“When did her death take place?” - -“Some twenty years ago.” - -A faint smile came to the detective’s face, and for half a second he -looked searchingly into Lamont’s. - -“Why try to deceive me?” he said. “You know that this sister died -within the last few days.” - -“What’s that?” and the millionaire almost started from his chair, while -his hands clutched the sides of it like a madman. - -“She died by violence,” coolly continued the detective. “She was -murdered--not for her money, for she hadn’t much. But she was killed -all the same.” - -“I can’t believe that,” cried Lamont. - -“Nevertheless it is true. Mother Flintstone was your sister, Mr. -Lamont.” - -“That old hag? Impossible!” - -“It is the truth, and, what is more, you knew it.” - -“It is false!” - -“Shall I prove it?” asked the detective, not in the least abating his -coolness. “Shall I prove beyond cavil to you that Mother Flintstone was -your sister?” - -“Who are you, man or devil?” exclaimed the money king. “And what can -buy your silence?” - -“I have told you who I am, and nothing on earth can buy my silence.” - -“You don’t want to disgrace my family?” - -“I am serving justice just now, no matter who is disgraced.” - -“It will kill my wife and daughter.” - -“Even that event will not take me from my trail.” - -“You have no heart.” - -“Neither had the man who killed that old woman.” - -“Who did it? Tell me that!” - -“I am not quite prepared to answer, but in time I will be. I am here to -tell you that the death of your ostracized sister shall be avenged, no -matter whose neck the rope stretches, figuratively speaking.” - -“You don’t mean to insinuate that I had a hand in the crime?” - -“I make no charges. I merely called to ask if she was not your sister?” - -“I’ve answered that question.” - -“And you let her go to the potter’s field?” - -“I did, and I would do it again under the circumstances.” - -“Don’t talk to me about my having no heart, Mr. Lamont.” - -“I couldn’t think of acknowledging her and having the body in my house.” - -“That’s all.” - -Nick arose and was watched by the man with a look like that of a tiger. - -Perry Lamont seemed to bite his lips through and his eyes emitted -sparks of rage. - -As the detective stepped toward the door it opened and a tall and -distinguished-looking young lady entered the room. - -“My daughter,” said the millionaire, with a wave of his hand toward the -young lady, but she did not seem to hear the words. - -Already she had turned upon Carter and her hands were clenched till the -nails seemed to cut the fair flesh to the palms. - -“You want to disgrace us all!” she cried, as she appeared to increase -an inch in stature. “You are one of those blackmailers with whom honest -and wealthy people must be bothered. You want to make us trouble. But -you shall not! Father shall not pay you one dollar to keep the false -secret you think you have discovered. Attempt to carry out your plans -and your life will not be worth the snuffing of a candle.” - -Carter was astounded at these words, and he could not take his eyes -from the flushed face of the girl who was really beautiful and vixenish. - -“Be calm, miss,” said he. “I don’t intend to disgrace your family name. -The truth never hurt anybody. I am a detective on the trail, and if -that trail leads to your house, why, you should not find fault, for the -dogs of justice seldom miss the scent.” - -“But you just said the old creature murdered in her hovel a few nights -ago was my father’s sister.” - -“Ask him.” - -Carter waved his hand toward the motionless man in the chair. - -“Father has not been himself for some time, and to-night is not -accountable for the admissions he may have made.” - -Carter looked again at Perry Lamont, whose gaze had wandered to his -daughter, and his hands, clasped before, had fallen apart. - -At that moment he did look like a man half demented, but the detective -soon returned to the tall girl. - -“You shan’t ruin us,” she cried. “You shall not unite our name with -that of Mother Flintstone, whose life, I am told, was anything but -honest. It will be worth your life to do this.” - -The look which accompanied these words told him that they were meant -for a terrible threat, and the tightly shut hands of the speaker were -proof that she was a fitting sister for Claude Lamont. - -“We will meet again, perhaps,” said the detective. “I am going to run -the guilty down. That is my present mission.” - -At this moment Perry Lamont raised his head and looked at the detective. - -“I’m not to be trifled with,” said he. “I can make it hot for the man -who brings us down to Mother Flintstone’s level.” - -“Well, you may proceed to do your worst,” was the cool answer. “You may -be ‘disgraced,’ as you say, by the relationship, but this affair must -not stop there.” - -With this parting shot the detective put out his hand to open the door, -but the white fingers of the daughter closed about his wrist. - -“Beware,” she almost hissed. “I don’t know who took the old hag’s life, -but you must not connect her with our family.” - -The detective shook the grip off and looked again at Perry Lamont. - -His head had dropped upon his breast, and his face was deathly white. - -“He’s gone into one of his strange spells,” said the girl. “You see -that he is almost an imbecile. At times he seems his old self, but in -reality he is but a human wreck. I’ll give you ten thousand dollars to -quit this ‘trail,’ as you call it.” - -Ten thousand dollars! - -Nick was silent and the girl took it as a sign of hesitation. - -“I’ll write out the check now,” she went on. “It shall be paid any way -you want it.” - -The detective shook his head. - -“You won’t, eh?” cried Miss Lamont. - -“I’m simply Nick Carter, and he has never been in the market, miss,” -was the response. - -In an instant the girl’s countenance changed again from expectancy to -wrath. - -She opened the door and pointed into the hall. - -“Take what comes!” she hissed, and with this Carter walked out. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE CARD CLEW. - - -Jack Redmond’s death promised to give the police of New York another -job, but no one suspected that he was Carter’s spy. - -The woman who had seen the strange man go up to Redmond’s room had -given her information to the detective alone, and Nick kept it to -himself. - -He did not doubt that the crook had been put out of the way because he -was on the right trail in the matter of spying, and as he--Carter--had -set Jack to keep track of Claude Lamont, he resolved to turn his own -attention to that young man. - -Then, the disappearance of Margie from the Trocadero, whither she had -gone to meet a person discovered to be the millionaire’s son, was an -additional incentive for the detective, and he went from Lamont’s -mansion to a certain part of the city where he expected to find the -heir. - -Through it all he did not lose sight of the fact that he was Mother -Flintstone’s avenger. - -That he kept in mind all the time, and with all his foresight he went -back to the original trail. - -It was some time after the exciting interview we have just recorded as -taking place in the palatial home of the retired money king that the -figure of Carter might have been seen to enter one of the fashionable -clubrooms of the city. - -No one would have known him without an introduction, and no one did. - -Attired like a person well-to-do, with sleek garments and a glossy -beard over his smooth face, the detective sat down in the smoking room. - -The room was most brilliantly lit up and expensively furnished, but the -detective who had trailed men in every walk of life was not astonished. - -He drew a cigar from his pocket and puffed leisurely away, all the time -taking a good survey of the place. - -A number of rich young men lounged about the room, filling the plush -chairs, while on the floor above could be heard the noise of the -billiard balls. - -Presently a young man entered the smoking room and took a seat nearly -opposite the detective. - -It was Claude Lamont. - -Perry Lamont’s son showed signs of high living, for his face was florid -and his nerves a little unstrung. He was faultlessly attired, for he -had the best tailor money could procure, and the detective watched him -furtively while he appeared to enjoy his Havana. - -Claude Lamont seemed to have a good deal of time on his hands, and so -did Carter. - -All at once a messenger boy entered the smoking room and looked around. - -Spying Claude, he hastened to him and handed him a letter. - -“Ha!” thought the watchful detective. “He is not forgotten to-night, -and now we’ll see if it is an important message.” - -Claude tipped the boy and opened the letter. He started a little as his -eye fell upon the page and quickly glanced up as if to see if he were -watched. - -Then he settled down to a quiet perusal of the message, during which -time Carter got a good look at the workings of his countenance. - -“Hang it all. It comes just when I don’t want to be bothered with the -matter,” growled Claude, as he rammed the message hurriedly into his -pocket and then went toward the cloakroom. - -Carter watched him through the open door and saw the letter drop from -his pocket as he put on his overcoat. - -Lamont walked out without noticing his loss, and the moment he -vanished, the letter was in the detective’s hands. - -In another second Nick vanished, too, and as he came out upon the steps -in front of the club he spied Lamont flitting around the nearest corner. - -“Let him go. The quarry will not be missed just yet,” smiled the -detective, and then he went into a near café and in one of the private -stalls opened the letter. - -“Didn’t want this matter to come up just now,” he laughed, as he -glanced down the page. “Well, I should think not.” - -It did not take the man of many trails long to master the lost missive, -and when he finished he read what follows: - - “MR. CLAUDE LAMONT: I send you this for the last time. I will not - be put off another day, and you must take the consequences, if you - have the hardihood to do it. You know what I know, and if you do - not come down I will unseal my lips. You fly high, like a bird with - golden plumage, but I’ll clip your feathers and bring you to prison - if you don’t pay attention to this letter. When my lips are unsealed - there’ll be the biggest sensation New York has ever had, and you - know it. Don’t put me off another day. You know what this means. I’m - master of the field, and I can wreck your every hope and blight your - fashionable life. - - “IMOGENE.” - -Twice did the detective read this over, and every word seemed to -engrave itself upon his mind. - -Quietly he folded the letter and smiled. - -Who was “Imogene”? - -Looking for her would be like hunting for a needle in the gutters of -Gotham. - -That she was a desperate woman the letter told him, and he did not -wonder that it paled Claude Lamont’s cheeks. - -Perhaps if he had followed the young man he might have been guided by -him to Imogene’s home, but he had to be content for the present with -the letter. - -Nick, with the letter reposing in an inner pocket, came out of the café -and for a moment stood under the lights that revealed the sidewalk. - -“I’ll find the boy now,” he said. “Billy may have discovered something -since I last saw him.” - -Ten minutes later he entered a little room on Mulberry Street and -aroused a boy who was sleeping on a rude couch. - -It was not far from Mother Flintstone’s late hovel, and Billy looked -astonished to see the detective in the den. - -“Been dreamin’ erbout you, Mr. Carter,” cried the boy, as he rubbed his -eyes. - -“Well, I’ll listen to the dream, Billy.” - -“No, it wasn’t any good, but all the time I saw your face in it. You -know the man who dragged me from Mother Flintstone’s?” - -“Yes.” - -“I ran afoul of him to-night.” - -“Where, Billy?” - -“Back in the old place, but this time he didn’t get to handle me.” - -“No?” - -“See here. He lost this in the house. It fell from his pocket when he -pulled his handkerchief out,” and Billy handed the detective a card. - -“Did you follow him after he left the old house?” he asked the boy. - -“No. I just let him go, for I wanted to see what was on this card, for -you, Mr. Carter.” - -“Thanks, Billy.” - -The name on the card stood out in bold relief to Nick’s gaze, and he -saw there one he might have seen before. - -“You don’t know this George Richmond, do you, Billy?” he asked, looking -down at the boy on the edge of the bed. - -“I don’t.” - -“George Richmond is a well-known man in certain quarters, but of late -he hasn’t shown up often.” - -“Is he crooked, Mr. Carter?” - -“Yes, in a manner. How did he look to-night, Billy?” - -“He wore a brown beard and was well dressed.” - -“Did he limp a little?” - -“Bless me if he didn’t, but I wouldn’t have thought of that if you -hadn’t mentioned it.” - -The detective seemed satisfied. - -“What did he seem to want in Mother Flintstone’s old quarters?” - -“I hardly know. He sounded several of the walls, as if looking for a -secret door, but he didn’t appear to find one.” - -“Anything else?” - -“He went over the floor like a fox, with his nose close to the boards.” - -“Was that all?” - -“No, he even sounded the ceiling.” - -“Quite particular,” smiled the detective. - -“Wasn’t he, though? I never saw anything just like that. He didn’t let -an inch of space escape him.” - -“Did he seem excited?” - -“Not a bit of it. He was as cool as a cucumber, and not for a minute -did he get off his base. He seemed disappointed, though, that’s all--as -if he expected to find some hidden wealth and didn’t, you see.” - -“Maybe he overlooked it, Billy.” - -“I don’t think there was any to overlook,” said the boy. “But, really, -there’s no telling what that man was huntin’, but he wasn’t thar for -any good you can bet your neck, Mr. Carter.” - -“I’ll agree with you on that score, boy,” and the detective put the -card in his pocket. “George Richmond never goes out after small game. -That’s his record.” - -“Do you think he had anything to do with the murder of Mother -Flintstone?” eagerly questioned the boy. - -“Time will tell,” was the detective’s reply. “Do you think he had, -Billy?” - -“I do, I do,” cried the boy. “Bless me if I kin get the idea out o’ my -head. That man either killed Mother Flintstone or he knows who did.” - -To this the detective made no reply, and he told the boy to go back to -bed. - -“Have you struck any clew yet, Mr. Carter?” asked Billy. - -“A little one. There, go to bed and let me go to work again.” - -“I will, but keep an eye on the man I saw to-night in Mother -Flintstone’s house. He needs watchin’ day and night. Good night, Mr. -Carter.” - -Five minutes later the famous detective was far from Billy’s uncouth -abode, and in an entirely different part of the city. - -He stopped at last, and looked up at a tall building that seemed to -cleave the darkened sky far overhead. - -The brief inspection seemed to satisfy him, for he entered the main -hallway and began to climb the uncarpeted stair. - -He reached the third floor before he encountered any one, and there he -was suddenly brought to a halt by a voice that rang down the ghostly -corridor. - -“Another step on your life! I have you at my mercy and I never fail to -bring down my man. Stand where you are, for another step means a bullet -in your brain!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE BIRD IN THE DEATH TRAP. - - -Leaving Carter, the shadow, in the net of doom, let us go back a little -in our story of crime and see how fared one of our other characters. - -You will recollect Margie Marne’s visit to the Trocadero in answer -to the mysterious note which had reached her, and how the detective -discovered that the person whom she encountered vanished with her into -the alley back of the café while the detective himself was coolly and -cleverly drugged by Caddy. - -If the detective could have tracked the cab he would have seen it stop -in front of a frame building not far from the East River. - -He would have seen the door open and a man step out. - -This person looked cautiously around, as if he feared he had been -followed, but seeing that no one was on his track, he reached into the -dark depths of the vehicle and brought out a limp form. - -It was the form of the young girl, and he hastily carried her into the -house. - -Margie looked unconscious, as, indeed, she was, for she made no move of -any kind, and once in the old house the man laid his burden on a sofa. - -Then he went outside and spoke to the man on the box of the cab and the -vehicle rattled away. - -All this did not occupy much time, and had been accomplished as neatly -as ever a dastardly job was. - -Soon afterward there was a slight movement on the part of the girl on -the sofa, and Margie looked up. - -She seemed to have an indistinct recollection of what had taken -place, for she arose with difficulty and tottered across the darkened -apartment. - -“This is not home,” she exclaimed. “Neither is it the café where I met -the stranger. What has happened and how came I to this house? I will -not remain here. I must get out of this trap, for trap it must surely -be.” - -She found the door, but could not open it, and then, as a full sense of -the horror overtook her, she fell to the floor. - -The next second the door opened softly, and a man looked into the room. - -His face, which was rather handsome, was full of devilish triumph, and -for half a second he gloated over the body on the carpet. - -“Caught,” he said. “Caught like a fly in the spider’s web! You didn’t -give us much trouble, girl. We expected a little more than we met. But -it’s all right. Now the coast will soon be clear. I’ll just turn you -over to Nora.” - -He went away with the last word on his lips, and five minutes later a -woman entered the room. She looked like a typical jaileress, for she -was tall, lean, rawboned and dark-faced. - -She smiled when she saw Margie. - -“Another one!” she grinned. “This one won’t give me much trouble. Why, -she’s but a girl. And such hands, too! I wonder where he netted her?” - -She went to work restoring Margie to consciousness, and in a short time -succeeded. - -At sight of her the young girl put forth her hands in pleading -gesture, but when the light fell upon the woman’s face she shuddered -and turned away. - -“That’s right. I’m no beauty,” said the woman. “I’m no princess like -the one in the fairy tale. They call me Nora, if you want to get -acquainted with me. Call me Nora, nothing more.” - -“But you’ve got another name?” - -“Guess not! Nora’s good enough for me.” - -“Then Nora, where am I?” - -“In my house.” - -“Who brought me here?” - -“There, don’t ask too many questions,” smiled the dark jaileress. “You -are liable to get some lies if you do.” - -“What, are you in the plot, too?” - -“I know my business,” evasively answered the woman. “You don’t think I -live here for nothing, little one?” - -Margie felt hope almost desert her soul. - -“But you don’t intend to keep me here,” she cried. “You have no right -to do that.” - -“I obey orders, never asking any questions.” - -“Then it is a plot against me. I remember the visit to the café. It was -a decoy letter, after all. I went; I fell into the snare and here I -am--lost!” - -“Don’t take such a black view of matters and things,” was the reply. -“Mebbe they aren’t quite as dark as you paint them.” - -“They are dark enough,” said the despairing girl. “You shall not keep -me here.” - -“Very well. Then go.” - -Margie bounded across the room and caught the doorknob wildly. - -“Why don’t you open the door?” coolly asked Nora. - -“Heavens, I cannot!” - -“That’s the easiest way to find out. No, you can’t get out till I say -so.” - -Margie looked at the woman and then once more at the window between her -and the street. - -“I’ll call for help,” she exclaimed. - -“All right, miss.” - -In a moment the poor girl was at the window, but when she drew back the -curtain she saw inner shutters of iron. - -Truly she was in durance. - -“Why am I here? Surely you will tell me that? What have I done to -deserve this fate?” - -“Wait and see. You want some sleep, don’t you?” - -“In this terrible house? No!” - -“But you must take a little rest. Come.” - -Nora gripped Margie’s wrist and led her from the room. She escorted her -upstairs and into a smaller apartment on the floor, where she pointed -toward a bed. - -“Not a particle of sleep till you tell me why I am treated thus,” cried -the distracted girl. - -“Then you’ll remain a long while awake,” was the quick answer. “I’ll -tell you nothing.” - -Margie grew desperate. She darted forward and clutched the woman’s -sleeve and looking into her face saw it grow white. - -“Tell me!” cried Margie. “I am the victim of some awful plot. Is it -because I am the detective’s friend?” - -“The detective?” echoed Nora. “What detective?” - -“Nicholas Carter.” - -The name had a magical effect on the woman, for she shrank as far away -as Margie’s hand would let her, and for half a minute gazed into the -girl’s face. - -“Where is he?” she cried. - -“On the trail.” - -“On what trail?” - -“On the trail of the hand that stilled Mother Flintstone’s life.” - -“My God! Can this be true, girl?” - -“It is true, and because I am Nick’s friend I am here. You know him.” - -Nora did not speak, but her lips parted in a gasp and she looked away. - -“You don’t want that man to implicate you in the plot, do you?” asked -Margie. - -No answer. - -“You don’t want to hang with the balance?” - -“I won’t; the rope that hangs me isn’t made. The hemp has never grown -for that purpose.” - -“Then let me out of here.” - -“To tell on me--to go to Carter with the story of where you’ve been?” - -“I’ll shield you, Nora.” - -Margie thought she was making headway with her jaileress, but the next -moment dispelled her hopes. - -“Not for the world, girl,” said Nora. “I can’t afford to do that. It -would doom me.” - -“But this man will find out. He intends to discover the hand that took -the old woman’s life. The murderer never escapes Nick Carter. He is -doomed from the moment the trail is found.” - -“I know him.” - -“Then you don’t want to be dragged into his net. I am more than Margie -Marne. I have another name, as I verily believe, and the man who -brought me here knows that.” - -“I cannot say.” - -“It is the foulest plot ever hatched in this or any other city. Look -here: Mother Flintstone lived alone in squalor and apparent poverty. -One night she is killed--stabbed in the neck. Why was the life of the -old woman taken? Who was the man who came back to the window, back to -the scene of his crime to be discovered by little Billy, the street -rat? What was Mother Flintstone to that man?” - -“Was he the murderer?” asked Nora. - -“If not, why did he come there? As I live, I believe that man has -Mother Flintstone’s blood on his hands.” - -“I don’t know,” she said, dropping her voice almost to a whisper. “But -go to sleep, girl. I can’t let you out.” - -In another moment Margie was alone, for the woman had broken from her -grasp, and the girl heard her footsteps on the stairs beyond the room. - -“I see. This woman is merely the tool of the plotters,” thought the -detective’s fair friend. “She serves them, while she fears Mr. Carter. -Nora knows the detective, but she stands by the man who brought me to -this place.” - -The girl did not dream of going to bed. - -She went to the window, and found it shuttered like the one in the -lower room. - -The old house was a prison, which seemed as solid as the Bastille, and -at last Margie came away from the window. - -An hour passed. - -She heard footsteps come up the stairs and stop at the door. - -It was Nora coming back to see if she was asleep, and in a few seconds -the steps receded. - -At last she threw herself upon the bed, and, wearied out, fell into a -dreamless slumber. - -Suddenly, however, she opened her eyes, and then bounded from the couch. - -Smoke which seemed to pour into the room over the door almost -suffocated her. - -She shrieked for help, she beat the door with her hands, she was here, -there, everywhere. - -But no help came, and as the walls of the little room grew hot Margie -Marne fell senseless and hopeless to the floor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -CARTER AND HIS QUARRY. - - -It looked like a diabolical plot to make way with the girl who had -interested herself in the death of Mother Flintstone. - -Margie cried again for help, but none seemed to come. - -She heard the roar of flames just beyond the door, and knew that it was -locked. - -Seconds seemed hours to the doomed maiden, and she felt her strength -leave her. - -Suddenly there was a crash, and some one broke into the room. - -Margie tried to rise, but her powers could not stand the strain, and -she fell back once more. - -She felt some one lift her from the bed and carry her from the room. -She heard voices as in a dream, she felt smoke and flame in her face, -and then a rush of cold air. - -Was she saved? - -Had she been carried from the jaws of death and would she be able to -tell the story of her escape? - -She did not know. - -When she came to again she saw a woman standing over her, and a gentle -hand was laid upon her brow. - -“It was a narrow escape, child,” said the nurse, and Margie looked up -with a query in her eyes. - -“Tell me,” said the girl. - -“All I know is that a fireman saved you in the nick of time. He carried -you from the house, which was entirely consumed. It was a brave act, -and will get him a medal.” - -“But the woman?” - -“They saw no one but you in the house. Was there another?” - -“Yes; Nora.” - -The nurse shook her head. - -“The other one may have left the house in time,” she remarked. - -“She was my jaileress.” - -“You don’t mean to tell me that you were in that house against your -will?” - -“That’s it exactly.” - -“And you don’t know who Nora is?” - -“I do not.” - -Later in the day Margie, now fully recovered from the shock, was able -to sit up, and an officer came to see her. - -“The man I want to see is Mr. Carter, the detective. I will talk to -him,” said the girl, and they telephoned for the detective. - -In a short time the answer came back that the detective could not be -found, and Margie adhered to her declaration that she would talk to no -one but him. - -Meantime Carter, whom we left in the corridor of the tall building with -a revolver at his head, had had an adventure of his own. - -Eager to discover something about the man who had lost a card in Mother -Flintstone’s den, he had made his way to the building, only to reach -the third floor, where he was met by a man who covered him and told him -that another step would seal his doom. - -The detective had not bargained for an adventure of this kind, and the -threat took him unawares. He could see the well-built figure of the -speaker, though it was not too well revealed, but the man’s face seemed -to be half concealed by a mask. - -He stood but a few feet from the detective, and Nick noticed that the -hand which held the weapon did not quiver. - -There was a desperate man behind the six-shooter. - -“What do you want?” suddenly demanded the stranger. - -“I want to see you.” - -“Well, I’m here.” - -“George Richmond, we have not met for some time.” - -The stranger laughed. - -“George Richmond, eh? You don’t take me for that worthy, do you?” - -“You are that man and no one else,” was the reply. “I am here to tell -you this in spite of the menace of the revolver.” - -“Well, what do you want with George Richmond?” - -Nicholas Carter waved his hand toward a door near the man, and -continued: - -“You live in this building. We cannot talk in this hall.” - -“That’s right. Come this way, sir.” - -For the first time the weapon was lowered, and the man called George -Richmond by the detective opened the door. - -His action revealed a room scantily furnished, but Carter stepped -forward. - -The moment he crossed the threshold the door was shut, and the other -turned a key in the lock. - -“Now, sir, what is it?” he demanded. - -The detective turned and looked him in the face. - -“You have been to Hell’s Kitchen,” said the detective, as coolly as if -he addressed a man in the chief’s private room, instead of where he was. - -“That’s news to me,” laughed the listener, as his face seemed to lose -color. “What business would I have in that delectable locality?” - -“Never mind that. You went there.” - -“Who says so?” - -“The person who saw you.” - -“You?” - -“The person who saw you,” repeated the detective, with emphasis, as he -watched the man like a hawk. - -“Well, what of it?” - -“You sounded the walls.” - -“In Hell’s Kitchen?” - -“Yes, in Mother Flintstone’s den.” - -“Why, she’s dead.” - -“That’s true. You went to her house and sounded the walls. You examined -the floor and looked closely at the ceiling.” - -The fellow seemed to grow desperate. - -“What if I did?” he growled. - -“You lost something there.” - -The man started. - -“Don’t you know that a man bent on evil always leaves a clew behind?” - -“That’s an old story, but they don’t always do that. In the first -place, you have nothing to prove that I went to Mother Flintstone’s -den. I defy you.” - -One of Carter’s hands vanished into a pocket, and came out with a small -card between thumb and finger. - -“You left this there,” said he, coolly, displaying the bit of -pasteboard. - -The other fastened his eyes upon the card for a moment, and then glared -at Carter. - -“Supposing all this is true,” he said; “what are you going to make out -of it?” - -“You went there after something the old woman is supposed to have -concealed in the den. That is why you searched the walls, George -Richmond. Did you do it for your friend, or was it all done on your own -hook?” - -“For my friend?” - -“Yes, for the friend you serve--the money king’s heir.” - -At this there was a sudden start, and Richmond looked toward the door. - -“You are taking desperate chances in order to keep up your reputation -as a detective,” he said at last. “I never thought you would resort to -this. I know you. I know that you are Nick Carter, the detective, but -with all your shrewdness you can’t hoodwink me.” - -With this the speaker moved toward the door and laid his hand upon the -knob. - -Before Carter could cross the room he saw the door flung open, and the -man sprang out into the hall. - -The portal was slammed in Carter’s face, and a key turned in the lock. - -All this was the work of a second, and he heard the feet of the other -on the stairs without. - -As for himself, he was a prisoner in the room. - -The gas burning overhead revealed the place to him, and he went back -and stood for a little while at the table. - -He felt that Richmond was already on the street below and out of sight. - -“I must follow that villain,” said Nick, and again he was at the door. - -All his strength could not move the portal, and then he threw himself -against it, but still it would not yield. - -Other doors had fallen before his assaults, but this one seemed built -of adamant, and he drew back out of breath, but by no means discouraged. - -He knew he was in the third story of a building, and that the room -looked out upon a narrow alleyway between two houses. This he could -see from the window, and he saw, too, that he could not reach the fire -escape from where he was without great risk. - -But it was not his intention to remain in the room any longer than he -could help it. - -He raised the sash and measured the distance to the fire escape, upon -which he would be safe. - -The detective studied the situation for a short time, and then -dexterously leaped for the escape. - -His hands caught the irons, and he drew himself upon the platform. - -There he stopped a little while for breath and looked around. - -No one seemed to have witnessed his feat, and he congratulated himself -in silence that so far he had succeeded almost beyond his expectations. - -In another minute he was going down the iron rungs of the ladder with -the escaping villain in his mind. - -By that time George Richmond was far away, but the detective hoped -still to overhaul him. - -He gained the street, none the worse for his startling adventure, but, -of course, the quarry was gone. - -A few yards distant on a corner with the lamplight falling upon his -figure stood a policeman, and Carter went toward him. - -The copper had seen a man pass a short time before, and told Nick so. - -“He went that way a little fast,” said the policeman, pointing down the -street, and as Carter started off a carriage came around the corner. - -The light for a moment fell upon it, and the detective caught sight of -a man’s face at the window. - -He knew it at once--the face of Claude Lamont! - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS. - - -Just what the millionaire’s son was doing in that part of the city at -that hour Carter could not conceive, but that his mission was not of -the most honest kind he did not doubt. - -The carriage was out of sight in a few moments, and the detective was -alone with the patrolman. - -Seeing that it was not worth while trying to find Richmond in that -locality, the detective made his way to his own quarters near Broadway. - -The moment he opened the door he was surprised to see Billy, the street -waif, spring from a couch in one corner of the room and bound toward -him. - -“I’ve got him located now!” cried the boy. - -“You’ve got who located, Billy?” - -“The man who gave me the slip the other night on the street.” - -“Where is he?” - -Billy told the detective that if he would follow him he would show him -the man in question, and Nick obeyed. - -“Look at the gentleman over there at the table in the corner,” said the -boy, when he had taken Carter to a little theater and from a secluded -spot in the gallery pointed to a man at a table on the ground floor. - -“That’s Claude Lamont. This is luck, Billy! When did you see him come -here?” - -“Half an hour ago.” - -“Well, I’ll take care of him now.” - -The detective sat down and watched the man below. - -The place was a free-and-easy, and the resort of a good many shady -people, but on that particular night it did not seem to enjoy its usual -custom. - -The detective could easily believe that Claude Lamont could have been -driven to the free-and-easy after he saw his face in the cab, and now -he intended to keep the young fellow in sight. - -For an hour Carter kept his post, when Claude suddenly arose and looked -at his watch. - -In another moment he spoke to a man near the table and that person -nodded. - -Nick left his seat and kept an eye on the nabob’s son. - -Claude coolly lit a cigar at the counter and moved toward the street. - -On the sidewalk he looked both ways and then started off. - -Carter was at his heels. - -Lamont walked several squares and then turned up the steps of a -well-to-do house. - -The detective drew back. - -Soon after the door had been shut a light appeared in the front window. - -Almost at the same time the door of the adjoining house opened slightly -and a face peeped out. - -“Heavens! Bristol Clara!” cried the detective the moment he spied this -face. “Things are playing into my hands better than I deserve. I wonder -if she will serve me now.” - -The door had barely shut ere Carter was there and his ring caused it to -open again. - -There was a slight cry from the woman in the hall, and the detective -pushed in and faced her. - -“You?” cried the woman, falling back. “You said you would never bother -me again.” - -“That’s true, Clara, but this is for the last time. Who is your -neighbor?” - -“Ha! don’t you know?” - -“If I did I wouldn’t ask you, would I?” - -“Perhaps not. You want to find out something about them?” - -“There are two, eh?” - -“Yes; one just came home.” - -“Which one, woman?” - -“The one with the dust.” - -“The other is the featherless bird, is he?” - -“Yes, but he’s the coolest one, I’m thinking.” - -“You don’t live here for nothing, Clara. This is a sort of double -house.” - -“That’s just what it is.” - -“Then, you know how to see what is going on in the side over there. I -want to see, too.” - -The woman moved across the room and was followed by the detective. - -“What’s the case now? Tell me that first,” said Bristol Clara, stopping -suddenly and turning upon the detective. - -“Murder.” - -The woman started. - -“Is it that bad?” she exclaimed. “Who was the victim--man or woman?” - -“One of your sex.” - -“Old or young?” - -“An old woman--a ‘fence,’ Clara.” - -“Not----” - -Bristol Clara stopped and looked away. - -“I guess you’ve heard about the crime,” said the detective. “I am on -the trail of the murderer of Mother Flintstone.” - -“I thought so. Well, the secret may be in that house beyond this -partition. Those men have talked about that very crime. I’ve heard -them.” - -The woman led the detective upstairs and opened a small door in one of -the walls. - -A dark apartment was disclosed, and she entered, followed by the man at -her heels. - -“We are now in the other house,” said Clara, laying her hand on the -detective’s arm, which she found in the dark. “Here is a stairway which -I accidentally discovered last summer, and which I have used on several -occasions.” - -“It leads down to the room where I saw the light, doesn’t it?” - -“Not exactly. There is a hole in the ceiling. I made it with a knife. -You see, I didn’t know how soon I would be wanting to find out -something about my neighbors, so I haven’t been idle.” - -“You’re worth your weight in gold, Clara.” - -In a little while Carter found himself in another dark place, and Clara -pointed to a ray of light that seemed to come up from some place under -their feet, and the detective drew closer. - -“Put your eye down to it,” said the woman. - -This Nick did, and soon became accustomed to the scene beneath him. - -He was looking into a large and expensively furnished room. - -Pictures in large gilt frames were arranged on the walls, and thick -Brussels carpet covered the floor. - -The chandeliers were of expensive make, and everything betokened great -wealth. - -The room was inhabited at the time by a man who reclined in an armchair -under the main light. - -Carter knew him at once. - -It was Claude Lamont. - -The detective had a good chance to study the young man’s features, and -he could note how eager he seemed to greet some one. He was not kept -long in suspense when the door leading to the main hall opened and some -one entered. - -“George Richmond--my old friend,” smiled Nick, as he watched the other -one. “He gave me the slip in the tall building, and now greets his old -chum, Claude.” - -“You’re a little behind,” said Claude, looking at his friend. “You must -have had an adventure.” - -“That’s just what I’ve had,” laughed the other, taking a cigar from the -open box on the table at Lamont’s elbow. “Say I didn’t play it on the -shrewdest old ferret in the city, will you?” - -“On a detective? What, have you had a bout with one of those people?” - -“Haven’t I? I left him in durance, and it will be some time before he -gets out, I’m thinking.” - -“Come, tell the whole story. I’ve had a little adventure myself,” -exclaimed Lamont. “You don’t mean to say that you’ve had a little -episode with our friend Carter?” - -“With no one else.” - -“Why didn’t you silence him?” - -“I hardly know. But we’ll fix him later on.” - -“Did he know you?” - -“Yes.” - -“What gave you away?” - -“One of my old cards. I lost it in the den.” - -“Oh, you’ve been back there, eh?” - -“Yes. I went back to give the old place another inspection. I sounded -the walls and inspected the floor, but I couldn’t find the papers.” - -“Then they don’t exist.” - -“I’m beginning to think that way myself. But the old hag certainly knew -the truth, and don’t you think she made out just such papers intending -to leave them some day to the girl or to the street rat?” - -“To the girl perhaps, but never to the rat,” said Lamont. “Margie knows -a good deal, and would be a dangerous person for us to fight if she -had the cleverness of some women. But she’s caged for some time, and -Nora will see that she remains silent. But the papers? We must have -something of the kind. If Mother Flintstone did not leave such, we must -make them.” - -“Now, that’s it.” - -“The governor won’t knuckle down till he sees them, and then we’ll get -all we want.” - -For half a second Richmond smoked in silence, and then he threw away -his cigar. - -“We must make the papers!” he cried. “Your father, Perry Lamont, -must give you free use of his purse strings. When I called on him -and threatened to send you to the gallows unless he handed over ten -thousand dollars he laughed in my face, and I came away with no cash at -all. But I picked a check book from the desk, as you know, with one -good check filled out. That’s helped us some.” - -“Yes; but it’s a mere drop in the bucket. The governor must be -confronted with certain papers proving that Mother Flintstone was his -sister and my aunt. That will open the cash box, I guess!” - -And young Lamont laughed. - -“The infernal villains!” ejaculated Carter, as these details of infamy -fell upon his ears; “if that isn’t a gallows pair then I never saw -one in all my life. Claude Lamont can’t get his hands on the Lamont -cash box, and that’s what worries him. One of those men killed Mother -Flintstone; but which one?” - -In another moment Claude and Richmond arose and left the room, and -Bristol Clara said: - -“That ends the exhibition for the present,” and the detective answered -that he was satisfied. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -A TERRIBLE COMPACT. - - -Perry Lamont, the millionaire, stood underneath the brilliant -chandelier in his luxurious library, apparently waiting for some one. -He looked anxiously toward the door, and when it opened his eyes -glittered. - -The person who entered the room was his son. - -For half a second father and son stood face to face, and then the -former waved the other to a chair. - -Claude, looking a little worse for the night out, complied, and waited -for his father to speak. - -“Who is this man Richmond?” asked Lamont, senior. - -The young man started. - -“He is your friend, I believe?” - -“He is, and he is a nice gentleman,” said Claude. - -“I judge so,” and a smile came to the father’s lips. - -“What has happened? You speak sarcastically this morning.” - -“Do I? Well, I want you to give up this ‘nice gentleman.’” - -Claude looked away, but in a moment his gaze came back to his father’s -face. - -“This man is a rascal,” spoke up the millionaire. - -“That’s a pretty bold charge against a friend of mine.” - -“Bold or not, it’s true.” - -“Who is the accuser?” - -“Never mind that.” - -“I demand to know. Mr. Richmond has a right to face his accuser, and he -will do so.” - -“But you haven’t denied the charge of your friend.” - -“I do it now.” - -“Then he is a nice gentleman still, is he?” - -“He is, sir.” - -Claude flushed. - -“I am the accuser,” and the face of the millionaire grew white. “I call -him a rascal.” - -“Upon what grounds?” - -“He tried to blackmail me.” - -“Mr. Richmond?” - -“Yes, sir. That man came here but a few days ago and wanted to rob me -of ten thousand dollars.” - -“Impossible!” cried Claude, feigning astonishment. - -“It is true, and what is more, he hinted that you had committed a great -crime.” - -“Come, come; you must have been dreaming.” - -“I was as wide awake then as I am now.” - -Lamont, senior, smiled knowingly. - -“You must drop this black bird.” - -“I am of age and have the right to choose my friends,” was his son’s -answer. - -“Then keep him and yourself in the future.” - -The young man gazed at his father in wide-open astonishment. - -“You certainly don’t mean that,” he said. - -“I do. He is your friend, you say. Keep him and yourself. I guess -that’s plain.” - -Claude Lamont arose and crossed the room. - -“You don’t know what you do,” he cried. - -“I know what I do. It is either lose this friend, as you call him, or -lose your fortune.” - -“He never tried to blackmail you.” - -“He did!” thundered the nabob. “In this very room he wanted to sell -the so-called secret for ten thousand dollars. I drove him away. I -wouldn’t have anything to do with the scoundrel. But it seems you do. -You are with him night and day, and you are old enough to know that you -can’t play with pitch and not become defiled.” - -Claude smiled derisively at this, and for a moment was silent. - -“Look here,” he suddenly said, “I can’t give this man up. He knows too -much.” - -“What’s that?” cried Lamont, senior. “Do you admit that you are in his -power?” - -“I didn’t say so. I only remarked that I can’t throw him to one side. -He knows too much.” - -“Against whom?” - -“Against the house.” - -“It cannot be.” - -“I’m afraid it’s true. This man is my friend, and I have been keeping -near him for a purpose, and that purpose the salvation of the good name -of Lamont.” - -A strange and eager light seemed to come into the millionaire’s eyes, -and for half a second he did not continue. - -“Sit down,” he said. “Tell me what this man knows.” - -Claude went back to the chair. - -“He knows a good deal more than we can afford to let him tell,” he -said. “I don’t say that Richmond will tell the secret on the street -or anything of that kind, but we can’t afford to let him have the -opportunity.” - -“In God’s name, what is the secret?” - -“Of course he never told me, but I only guess at it from hints he -has dropped while in his cups. It’s a terrible thing, if it’s true--a -fearful secret, father.” - -“Out with it. I am strong, you see, and can listen to any recital you -make.” - -Claude crossed the room, and looked cautiously into the hall. - -No one was there. - -Coming back, he resumed his seat in the chair and looked at the -white-faced man opposite. - -“Whatever became of Aunt Hester?” he asked. - -The expression that came into Perry Lamont’s face was most startling. - -Every vestige of color left it, and it became as white as a marble -statue. - -“Who ever told you that I had a sister named Hester?” he asked. - -“Never mind that. I only asked the question.” - -“Is this some of your friend’s work?” - -“That is a part of his secret. He says he has certain papers that will -startle the world, that he has in his possession a certain confession -or a family history written out by an old woman who called herself----” - -Young Lamont paused, for his father was gasping like a man fighting for -his breath. - -“Go on. Tell me all. What did this woman call herself?” he cried. - -“Mother Flintstone,” coolly said the son. “She lived in Hell’s -Kitchen, and after being threatened a number of times--in spite of the -protection of Carter’s assistants--she was murdered a few nights ago.” - -“Yes, yes. I saw something of that in the newspapers.” - -“Well, from what I have heard Richmond say in a dark way when in his -cups he can prove that Mother Flintstone, the old fence, was your -sister.” - -“Great heavens!” cried Perry Lamont. “Has he got the documents left by -this woman?” - -“I fear he has.” - -“But he didn’t offer them to me.” - -“I can’t say as to that.” - -“He only offered to keep the knowledge of your doings from the world -for ten thousand dollars.” - -“But he has the papers now. I am confident of that.” - -“Will he sell them?” eagerly asked the millionaire. - -“He might.” - -“For how much?” - -“You must negotiate with him.” - -“Look here, Claude, my boy. Can’t you get possession of those papers?” - -“How?” - -“Any way, I don’t care how you get them.” - -“You wouldn’t want me to rob my friend?” - -“I say I don’t care how you get them.” - -“But he would still possess the secret.” - -“We’ll take care of him after the documents have been found. How did he -get them? Was he familiar with Mother Flintstone?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“Merciless villain! He holds the peace of our house in his hands. -The man is the quintessence of rascality. Talk about your polished -blackmailers. He stands at the head of the procession. I’ll hand him -over to the police at once.” - -“Try it, and the whole thing will come out.” - -Lamont, senior, gasped again. - -“Where does Richmond board?” - -“He changes his place often. I don’t believe he sleeps two nights in -the same place.” - -“Like the sultan. But, look here, my boy. You don’t want the good name -of our house destroyed?” - -“One of the last things I want to see,” said the young rake. - -“Then help me destroy this man. Help me to get those papers and silence -him.” - -“It is true, then?” - -“It is true.” - -“Mother Flintstone was your sister?” - -“Yes, yes. She was Hester, the sister who contracted a poor marriage -years ago and finally drifted into crime.” - -Claude Lamont seemed struck with a thunderbolt, and for some time he -sat in the presence of his father, dazed and speechless. - -“I had hoped the truth would never come out,” continued the -millionaire. “I accidentally discovered a year ago who Mother -Flintstone was, but I said nothing. I would have given her thousands -to have thrown herself from the bridge or to have left the city, but I -dared not approach her. And so she left a confession behind; she has -left the secret to a scoundrel like this George Richmond. Why, this man -has more names than one.” - -“A good many people have nowadays,” answered Claude. - -“Well, he must be silenced somehow.” - -“With money?” - -“Not if I can help it. I would like to know what sort of communication -Mother Flintstone left.” - -“It seems to me the best way to deal with the secret holder is to come -to his terms,” suggested Claude. - -“And be bled every now and then? I’ll defy him first!” - -“Come, come. You can’t afford to do that. Think of our station in -society. Sister is on the eve of marriage, and mother’s health is not -what it used to be. We must come to his terms to save the house of -Lamont.” - -The millionaire began to pace the floor like a wild beast. - -“What will you take to strangle the scoundrel, Claude?” he suddenly -exclaimed, halting before his son. “You have every opportunity. Name -your price.” - -“You don’t really mean that?” cried the young man. - -“I do, every word of it. What will you take to silence this man -forever?” - -“Two hundred thousand cash in hand.” - -“Done!” exclaimed the millionaire. “That’s a bargain!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE DARK JAILERESS AGAIN. - - -It was a cool compact. - -Perry Lamont made answer to his son with all the cleverness of a -practiced villain, and Claude accepted it in the same manner. - -“I want this man silenced,” continued the millionaire. “He must not -possess this secret.” - -“Just as you say,” said Claude, picking up a cigar and coolly lighting -it. - -“He must not, I say. You’ve agreed to finish him, and when you’ve done -so the money is yours.” - -“Couldn’t you give me a little check now?” asked the son. - -Perry Lamont took a check book from the desk and opened it as he looked -at his son. - -“How much?” - -“Say five thousand. I may need the money in the venture, you know.” - -Without more ado the nabob drew up a check for five thousand dollars, -and passed it across the table. - -“This business must not lag,” said he. “While that man lives he is -dangerous.” - -Five minutes later the young man stood on a corner in another part of -the city. He was smoking complacently and apparently waiting for some -one, for he watched the door of a well-known resort. - -Presently the door opened and George Richmond came out. - -Claude joined him at once, and the pair walked away together. - -In a little while they seated themselves at a table in a room not far -from the corner, and Claude threw the check upon the table. - -“Jehu! did you make it?” cried Richmond. - -“I did.” - -“How?” - -The young scamp smiled. - -“It’s blood money,” he said. - -“Blood money?” exclaimed Richmond. “In Heaven’s name, whose blood does -it mean?” - -“Yours!” - -“Come, what joke is this?” - -“It is no joke. I never joke on serious matters like this.” - -The eyes of the two men met. - -“This check is signed by your father, and yet you tell me that it is -blood money.” - -“That’s precisely what it is. He’s hired me to kill you.” - -George Richmond broke into a laugh and leaned back in his chair. - -“You don’t look like it, boy,” he cried. “Well, if I’m to be killed, -why don’t you do it now?” - -Claude reached forward and picked up the check. - -“I’m to have a cool two hundred thousand for the job,” said he. “Just -think of it! You’re an important person.” - -“Hang me if I ain’t. Why does the old man want me out of the way?” - -“You hold the secret, and he believes you have the papers left by -Mother Flintstone.” - -“You gave him that gaff, did you?” - -“Yes, in great shape.” - -“I hardly thought you’d do it. But since you have I suppose you’re to -furnish proofs that I’ve been killed.” - -“Of course.” - -“You are not expected to furnish the corpse, I hope?” - -“No; not quite that. But he’s to have some sort of proofs, and then -we’ll get the two hundred thousand.” - -For an hour these men kept their heads together and talked in low tones. - -They discussed first one plan and then another, and when they at last -adjourned and stepped out upon the street they seemed satisfied about -something. - -Not far from the place of meeting a hand was laid upon Claude Lamont’s -arm, and he looked into the face of a tall woman. - -“You?” he cried, for he was alone, having separated from Richmond a few -moments previous. - -“Yes? Why not?” - -“I thought I left you in the nest with Margie.” - -“So you did, but there isn’t any nest now.” - -“No nest? What’s happened?” - -“The old place is in ashes.” - -Lamont uttered a startled cry, and looked at the woman, who did not -speak. - -“You weren’t to hurt the girl, you know?” said he. - -“That’s true, but I couldn’t help it.” - -“But tell me. Come in here. No one will listen to us. Now, what has -taken place?” - -Nora took a long breath and began. - -“The girl got almost unruly. I got her up to bed, but she faced me and -threatened.” - -“Well, you shouldn’t have paid any attention to her words.” - -“I couldn’t help it. She mentioned a name that drove every vestige of -color from my face.” - -“An old enemy’s name, eh?” - -“Yes; she spoke of a detective whom I fear with all my soul. She spoke -of Carter.” - -“And made you chicken-hearted, eh? Pshaw, woman!” - -“I couldn’t help it, I say. It filled me with fear, and I broke away.” - -“Well?” - -“By and by the room became still, and I found that she was asleep at -last.” - -“That’s good.” - -“In the room below I upset the lamp.” - -“The devil you did, woman! You must have been badly frightened.” - -“I was. In an instant it seemed the fire was everywhere. I saw it mount -the stairs and dart toward the girl’s room. Fear almost paralyzed me. I -tried to get upstairs, but failed. The fire was everywhere. It filled -the whole house, it seemed. I could no more stop its progress than I -could stop the river yonder. I fled for my life.” - -“And left Margie to perish in the flames?” - -“Got help me, I did.” - -Lamont leaned back and looked at the woman, whose face was deathly -white. - -“Did she perish?” he asked at last. - -“She must have died in the old house. I did not stay to look after her. -Fear lent speed to my limbs, and I ran like a deer. Not for the world -would I have gone back.” - -“You’ve killed the girl!” hissed Claude Lamont. “You’ve made a -murderess out of yourself.” - -Nora did not speak, but looked into the young man’s face and exposed -anew the whiteness of her own. - -“I suppose you haven’t been there since?” he said. - -“What, go back to that spot? Never!” - -Claude Lamont drained the glass at his elbow and seemed to take a long -breath. - -“What makes you fear this man, Carter? What did he ever do that gives -you the chills?” - -“That’s my secret,” cried the woman, half defiantly. - -“What makes him your enemy, and, pray, what did you do that his name -terrifies you?” - -She did not answer him. - -“Look here!” suddenly said Claude. “If you’ve killed the girl by your -faint heart I’ll hold you responsible.” - -“Just as you please,” was the reply. - -Nora seemed to be getting her old nerve back, for she spoke with -spirit, and her cheeks flushed for the first time. - -“You never got such orders from me,” he went on. - -“I know it. I dropped the lamp----” - -“Come, no excuses,” interrupted the young man. “I shall hold you -responsible--guilty of murder.” - -“Just as if you never did anything that has a shady side,” hissed the -woman. “You’re a nice man to talk thus. What have you done that makes -an angel out of you, I should like to know?” - -“No accusations, woman.” - -“Very well. Will you hand me over to the police? Will you tell the -inspector that I am the last person who saw the girl alive? I guess -not!” - -“Don’t dare me.” - -“What if I tell them that Margie was Mother Flintstone’s -granddaughter----” - -“She wasn’t!” flashed Claude Lamont. - -“You take it up in a jiffy,” grinned Nora. “If she wasn’t why did you -resent my words so soon?” - -For half a second Lamont watched the dark face before him, and then he -said: - -“We’ll call it quits. After all, perhaps you couldn’t have helped it. -The lamp fell from your hand, did it?” - -“I told you once.” - -“And you couldn’t stop the flames?” - -“I couldn’t. I’d give my eyes if that girl was alive to-day. I did not -do it intentionally. My evil genius must have been on the watch.” - -“We’ll say so, at any rate, Nora.” - -It was the first time he had spoken her name during the interview, and -his voice was considerably softened. - -“The department may have reached the fire in time to save the girl,” he -went on. - -“No, no! she perished. The whole house was in flames by the time I got -away. I’m going now.” - -“Still afraid of the detective’s shadow?” - -“Never mind the detective. I’m going, I say.” - -“Do you mean that you’re going away?” - -“Yes--to put ten thousand miles between me and that infernal crime of -mine.” - -Lamont drew forth his pocketbook and began to count out some bills. - -“Put up your money. It’s blood money!” cried Nora. “I wouldn’t touch a -penny of your father’s wealth. I don’t want money. I’ve got all I shall -need.” - -“Then you’re going but a short distance?” - -“Yes; not far.” - -The last word seemed to come from between clenched teeth, and a -desperate look settled on the woman’s face. - -“Then here’s to you, Nora, and good luck go with you,” and Lamont held -out his hand. - -She pushed it away, with a look of disdain. - -“It’s like your money. There’s blood on it, too!” she exclaimed. “Some -day you’ll wish you had never had anything to do with this game of -crime. Good-by.” - -She sprang up, gave him another look and vanished. - -“She’s mad, but it’s all right. She will try the river,” he laughed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -FOUND IN THE TIDE. - - -After the scene the detective had witnessed through Bristol Clara’s -assistance he made his way to another part of the city and entered a -little house, where he was confronted by Billy, the street rat. - -The detective wanted to ascertain if the boy had picked up anything -new, and his first words startled him. - -“They didn’t burn her up, Mr. Carter.” - -“Didn’t burn who up, Billy?” - -“Margie, you know.” - -The detective as yet had heard nothing of the fire at which Margie -Marne nearly lost her life, and he lost no time questioning Billy. - -The boy had heard of the fire through a fireman, and had gone direct to -the hospital, where he had held an interview with the girl herself. - -“I’ll see her, too,” said Nick. “This is important, Billy, and Margie -must be seen.” - -Imagine the astonishment of the girl when she saw Carter walking up the -aisle toward her. - -A smile of pleasure overspread her face, and she held out her hand. - -“This is indeed a great pleasure,” cried Margie. “We’ve been sending -after you, and just when we give you up here you come. I’ve been within -the shadow of death.” - -“So Billy told me.” - -“I wonder if Nora, my jaileress, escaped?” - -“We will find that out by and by. Tell me the whole story, Margie, and -then we will see what can be done.” - -The girl proceeded, and gave the detective the entire story of her -adventures while in the hands of Claude Lamont and under Nora’s care, -and Nick listened attentively. - -“I think I can locate your jaileress,” said he, at the end of Margie’s -narrative. - -“Do so. She didn’t treat me badly, only she was true to her master. She -started at the mention of your name, though.” - -“Did she?” smiled Carter. - -“It drove every vestige of color from her face.” - -“She’s met me somewhere, then,” said the detective. “I want to see -Nora.” - -Half an hour later the detective reached the scene of the fire, and -looked upon the ruins of Margie’s prison. - -The house had been entirely destroyed, and some of the neighbors seemed -glad that it was so. - -“None of us liked the tall, dark-faced woman, with the little, red scar -over her left eye,” said a woman who lived near the place, and whom the -detective addressed. - -“What did you call her?” - -“Oh, we never called on her at all. She was very exclusive.” - -“Had no visitors, eh?” - -“Yes, sometimes. A man would drop in, generally after dark, and stay -about half an hour.” - -“You saw him, did you?” - -“I couldn’t help it, you see, from where I live.” - -“What was he like?” - -“He was younger than the woman. He was always well dressed, like a -swell nabob, and carried himself like a sport.” - -“Claude again,” thought Carter. “You never saw the woman go out?” - -His last question was addressed to the neighbor. - -“Not often. She remained at home, and seemed to attend to her own -business.” - -“You’re sure about that scar, are you?” - -“Bless you, yes. I saw it more than once, when we happened to meet in -the little grocery on the corner yonder. It was a real, red scar.” - -Carter handed the woman a piece of money, which she did not refuse, -and went away. He went direct to police headquarters and to the famous -rogues’ gallery. - -There he began to look through the large albums containing the faces -of criminals and suspects, and for nearly an hour he turned the thick -leaves industriously. - -At last he stopped and leaned over the page. - -His eyes seemed to become fastened upon a certain face, that of a -woman, angular and dark. - -Turning to the proper entry he read a description of the woman whose -photographed face was before him, and he seemed to smile when he noted -that she had a brilliant red scar over the left eye. - -“This must be our old friend,” said the detective. “This is Mag -Maginnis, the shoplifter, whom I sent up the river five years ago. I -didn’t see the scar then. She got it since, and the photograph is the -second one she’s had the honor of having in this collection. So Mag -started at mention of my name by Margie. No wonder. I filled her with -terror when I caught her in the dry-goods district in the very act of -plundering a counter. We’ll see.” - -He shut the album and walked away. - -The detective never let a trail get cold, and therefore he proceeded to -a part of the city where he hoped to strike Mag’s trail. - -“The Lord deliver us! Here’s Mr. Carter!” cried a woman’s shrill voice, -as the detective opened a door and confronted a female at a table. - -The woman had seen better days, for an air of refinement still lingered -about the place, the appointments of which were poor. - -She sat bolt upright, looking into the face she had instantly -recognized, and the detective stood for a moment at the door. - -“You don’t want me, I hope?” asked the woman. - -“Not at all, Sybil.” - -“That’s good, but I couldn’t see how you would, seeing that I’ve been -good for three years.” - -“I know that, and you’re to have all the credit, too.” - -“Thank you, Mr. Carter. But if you had come a little sooner you might -have seen an old friend,” and the woman laughed. - -“What old friend was here, Sybil?” - -“It was Mag. You remember her?” - -In spite of his coolness the detective started. - -“Yes,” continued the woman called Sybil, “Mag was here, and bade me -good-by. She’s going off. What’s happened, Mr. Carter? Mag wouldn’t -explain.” - -“Where did she go, Sybil?” asked the detective, paying no attention to -the woman’s query. - -“She did not tell me. But I never saw Mag in just the way she was. She -said she was tired of life, tired of pulling other people’s chestnuts -out of the fire, and now and then she acted like a person on the verge -of insanity. She may have gone to the river, for once or twice she -mentioned it in despairing tones.” - -“How long has she been gone?” eagerly questioned the detective. - -“Barely twenty minutes.” - -“I’ll see you later, Sybil,” cried the detective, turning to the door. -“I must find Mag, if possible.” - -“She’s Nora now, you know.” - -“Yes, yes.” - -“She dropped ‘Mag’ months ago, or soon after she came down the river.” - -“But she’s Mag yet,” smiled Carter, and in another second the woman was -left alone wondering why he wanted to see Nora so badly. - -There were many chances against Nick finding the woman he sought, but -he did not despair. - -The piers of New York are many and long. - -From them thousands have leaped to their death, or been thrown into the -waters after dark by those whose hands are red with crime. - -More than once the detective’s trail had taken him to the docks, and -there he had picked up more than one clew. - -Every dock in the city was known to Carter. - -While among them he was at home, and knew where they began and ended. - -The bare thought that this old criminal had gone to the river in a fit -of remorse, for he doubted not that she thought Margie had perished in -the fire, urged him on. - -Of course, if Nora intended to commit suicide she had had ample time to -carry out her plans, but still there was a chance that she had changed -her mind. - -The detective reached the river at a spot nearest the house he had just -left. - -He could see nothing of the hunted woman, and no crowd such as gathers -on the piers when the body of a suicide has been discovered greeted him. - -The detective walked along the river front for some distance with his -senses on the alert. - -All at once he caught sight of something floating in the water, and he -stopped suddenly and leaned forward. - -It did not take him long to see that the object was the body of a -woman, and Carter called a policeman who stood a short distance away. - -“That’s the same woman!” cried the patrolman the moment he caught sight -of the body. - -“What woman?” asked Carter. - -“Why, sir, the woman who came down here three hours ago and asked me -some fool questions about the river.” - -“Well?” - -“I didn’t notice which way she went. But that’s her.” - -Nick and the policeman managed to bring the body against the logs of -the pier, and the detective clambered down and hauled it up. - -The burden was a heavy one, but the detective’s hand did not lose its -grip, and in time the body lay on the wharf, which it drenched. - -The detective looked into the long face, and his gaze alighted upon a -little scar over the left eye. - -“This is Nora--Margie’s jaileress, but she’s Mag Maginnis, the old -offender. She’s not to blame entirely for this. The hand of her master -drove her to suicide, and he shall pay for it!” - -Carter seemed to speak the last words through clenched teeth, and his -voice told that he meant every word he said. - -The policeman in the meantime called the patrol, and Nick had extracted -from the woman’s bosom a little flat package like a memorandum, which -he hastily transferred to his own pocket. - -“That’s the end of one poor, storm-tossed soul,” muttered the detective -as he walked away. “I found Mag sooner than I expected, but we’ve not -heard the last of her.” - -Half a block from the river front the detective nearly ran against a -man who came out of a house with a reputation none of the best and -walked off. - -The walk and the well-known shoulders as revealed by the man caused -a light of recognition to leap up into Carter’s eyes, and his gaze -followed the fellow some distance. - -“What brought you to the scene of Nora’s death, Claude Lamont?” -mentally queried the man of clews. “Did you have to hound the poor -creature to the last terrible act of her life?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -A FAIR FOE. - - -The detective followed the young man until he lost him beyond the doors -of a well-known café, and then he turned away. - -Nora, alias Mag Maginnis, had ended her life in the cold waters of -the river, and the detective believed that Claude Lamont was morally -responsible. - -“Now for another visit to the lion’s den,” said Carter, as he made -his way to another part of the city and rang the bell attached to the -millionaire’s mansion. - -It was not the hour for a social call, but he found the money king at -home. He had not forgotten his former visit, when he was faced by the -daughter and warned not to carry his hunt too far. - -Carter still saw the fine figure of the girl before him and her -flashing eyes, but she had not deterred him. - -He was shown at once to the library, and Perry Lamont turned his chair -so as to face the detective. - -“What is it, sir?” he asked. - -Before Carter could reply the door opened and the daughter, Opal, came -in. - -Opal Lamont was handsome, with a fine figure and a bright face; but her -eyes seemed full of fire, and unnatural fire at that. - -Spying the detective, she advanced haughtily and faced him. - -“Are you going to hold an interview with this man?” she asked her -father. - -“I presume he is here to see me.” - -“I’ll remain,” answered Opal, and the next moment she dropped into a -chair and turned her face to the detective. - -Her manner was positive, if not insulting, and the detective swallowed -it mutely. - -Perry Lamont seemed rejoiced to have his daughter beside him. - -It made him look triumphantly at Carter, and for a moment a smile of -victory appeared at his mouth. - -“Now, sir, we’ll proceed,” he said. “Your mission here you can make -known and we will listen.” - -“You remember that I am on the trail of the person who killed Mother -Flintstone?” - -“I remember.” - -“You remember, too, begging the young lady’s pardon, that the old lady -was your near kin.” - -These words were like a spark to a magazine, and the next moment Opal -broke forth: - -“It’s the same old blackmailing scheme, father. You shall not listen to -it.” - -“Calm yourself, Miss Lamont----” - -“I am calm enough now. You shall not introduce such subjects in -this house. We do not recognize the old hag who was killed, perhaps -righteously, in the place called Hell’s Kitchen. You must talk about -another matter if you want to remain here.” - -Perry Lamont looked crushed and almost helpless in his chair. - -He glanced at his daughter, and then toward the door leading into the -hall. - -“Where’s Claude?” he asked. - -“He is not in just now,” answered Opal. - -“No, sir,” put in the detective. “Your son just now is not in; but I -could enlighten you as to his whereabouts.” - -“You’ve been playing spy, have you?” - -“I’ve been following the trail of one who has been your brother’s -friend, miss.” - -Opal Lamont colored and for half a second remained silent. - -“It is blackmail all the same,” she resumed at last. “In the first -place, whatever that old woman was to us we don’t intend to be bled.” - -“I believe you once offered me ten thousand dollars not to pursue this -trail, miss.” - -“I did it for his sake,” and she nodded toward her father. “I don’t -want his nerves shattered.” - -The detective glanced at Perry Lamont and pitied the abject old figure -in the chair. - -“They looked alike,” was all he said, with a glance at Miss Opal. - -The daughter curled her lip and looked away. - -“Never mind,” she said. “My day will come, Mr. Detective.” - -Carter turned once more to the millionaire and said: - -“I’ll state my business. I am here to ask you about that contract.” - -Lamont started. - -“What contract?” he asked. - -“The one you made with your son.” - -There was a cry and a sudden start, and the millionaire nearly fell -from his chair. - -“I made no contract!” he cried. - -“None whatever?” - -“None!” - -“You did not promise him a large sum if he would put a certain person -out of the way?” - -“I did not.” - -“That’s blackmail, pure and simple,” flashed Opal Lamont. “You cannot -succeed.” - -She arose and crossed the room. - -Perry Lamont seemed to grovel in his chair. - -“You deny the contract, do you?” queried the detective. - -“I do.” - -“He never lies!” exclaimed the girl. - -“And never forgets, eh?” - -“Never!” - -“Then his mind is greatly at fault this minute. Let me ask another -question.” - -“Not another one! He has been questioned enough. Don’t you see you have -excited him?” - -“Not so much but that he can answer intelligently. Perry Lamont, your -sister did not die heirless.” - -“My God!” - -“She left some of her blood behind. She did not pass out of the world -at the hand of the assassin without leaving behind some one who has a -right to her name!” - -The look of the millionaire became a stare, and his hand shook as he -laid it upon the desk before him. - -“Come!” cried Opal. “Must we really buy your silence?” - -“It is not in the market, miss, as I have once told you. I want to -reach the solution of this terrible crime. I shall not turn from the -trail till I am at the end of it. Mother Flintstone’s blood calls for -revenge, and----” - -Opal, who stood beside her father, leaned over him and whispered in his -ear. - -The old man’s face brightened. - -“Not another word till I come back,” continued the girl to her parent, -and with this she left the room. - -Two minutes later her steps were heard at the door across the room and -once more she stood before Nick. - -In that short time she had gowned herself for the street, and, stepping -to one side, she touched a button. - -“We are going out,” said she, looking at the detective. “I have just -ordered the carriage.” - -The detective looked amazed. - -Going out with that girl? - -The turn of affairs actually amused him. - -“I want you to accompany me to a certain place,” continued Opal Lamont. -“We shall not be there long; but you must go with me.” - -The detective consented, and in a few moments they entered the carriage -which had come to the front door. - -Opal had drawn a spotted veil over her face and had fallen back into -the depths of the vehicle saying nothing, although addressed by the -detective. - -The coachman seemed to know where to go. - -Carter had not heard the girl give him any orders, but he turned corner -after corner, as if his destination was plain to him. - -For at least ten minutes the vehicle bounced over the stones, and then -it halted in front of a two-story brick house in the lower part of -Gotham. - -The detective looked out, and took in the contour of the house, and -Opal opened the door of the cab. - -“We’re here,” she said, speaking for the first time since leaving -home, and in a moment she dismounted, to be followed by the nonplused -detective. - -The millionaire’s daughter led the way up the steps, and with a key -opened the front door. - -As she threw it back she motioned to the detective to enter, and Carter -soon stood in a fireless parlor darkened by heavy curtains at the -windows. - -“I’ll see you in a moment,” said Opal, rushing toward the door, and the -detective heard the sound of leather and silk on the stairs. - -“This is a queer adventure,” thought Carter. “This must be one of the -many houses Perry Lamont owns. The young woman is a cool-headed thing -and seems to have the nerves her father has lost. Why has she brought -me to this place? What new mystery is this? Ah! here she comes!” - -There were footsteps in the hall, and the detective watched the door. - -But the sounds did not seem to come all the way down the flight; they -appeared to stop midway, and the detective glanced up at the open -transom. - -The sight he saw there riveted him to the spot. - -Leaning over the banisters was Opal Lamont, but how changed. - -Her face was as white as a sheet, and her lips were welded like pieces -of steel. - -The hat had been discarded, and her long hair fell in uncombed masses -over her shoulder. - -The girl looked like an avenging spirit, and the detective thought he -had never seen a face just like hers. - -The whole thing appeared more visionary than real; it seemed some -hideous dream in which he was to be the victim, but that it was -terrible reality the detective soon discovered. - -The lips sprang apart suddenly, and Nick heard the voice of the -creature on the stairs. - -“I hardly expected to trap you so easily,” she said, in sharp, -triumphant tones. “You fell into the snare like a tenderfoot. Did you -think I was about to reveal something to you? Your time has come! I -hold death in my hand, and I haven’t practiced at the pistol galleries -for nothing.” - -Carter saw the revolver which Opal Lamont thrust forward; he tried to -spring to the door, but some unseen agency seemed to root him to the -carpet. Then came a flash, leaping tigerlike through the transom, as it -seemed--then darkness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE BACK TRAIL. - - -All this time the carriage which had carried Opal and Carter to the -house had waited for the girl just around the nearest corner. - -When Opal emerged from the place no excitement was noticed about her. - -She walked as gayly as if she had not sent a man to his doom, and when -she stepped into the carriage there was a smile on her lips. - -She knew what she had done, and the secret was hers. - -The vehicle went straight to the Lamont mansion, and the girl dismissed -it at the door. - -She entered the house and passed directly to her room on one of the -upper floors, where she changed her gown; then she descended to the -library, where she had left her father. - -She found him in the same position at the desk as if he had not stirred -since her departure. - -He met her eye the moment she entered the room, and she came forward, -saying nothing. - -“I’m glad to see you back, Opal. Did you get rid of that man?” - -“Yes.” - -“You did not let him blackmail you?” - -“I did not.” - -“You did not----” - -Perry Lamont stopped as if he was on dangerous ground, but Opal could -not avoid his gaze. - -Her eyes seemed to betray her. - -“You surely did not----” began the millionaire again, but stopped as -before. - -“Never mind where he is,” put in Opal. “I’m quite sure Nick Carter will -not give us any more trouble.” - -“That’s good. I’m glad to hear you say that, and your manner convinces -me that it is so. I trust he didn’t give you any trouble, child?” - -“None in the least. There, don’t bother about that man. He’s out of the -way; won’t trouble you any more.” - -Opal arose and swept from the room, the eyes of the nabob following her -with mute questioning. - -He heard her on the floor above, and closed his eyes as he leaned back -in the chair. - -Did he suspect the truth? - -Did the rich man dream that his child had handled a revolver within the -last hour, and that she had aimed at a man’s breast? - -If he thought of such things he made no sign. - -It was some hours after these events that the door of the library was -opened and Claude, his son, came in. - -Lamont was now fast asleep, and the young sport watched him for ten -minutes. - -Stealing over to the desk, Claude opened a drawer near his father’s -hand and extracted a large envelope therefrom. - -As he was transferring it to his pocket Opal looked into the room, and -then came forward. - -“Don’t awaken him,” she said. “I want to see you, Claude. Come across -the hall.” - -“Mother----” - -“Mother won’t hear us, for she is lying down overhead. Come with me. I -didn’t know you were in the house.” - -“I just came in.” - -“Good.” - -The pair left the library and crossed the hall to the darkened parlor, -where Opal turned suddenly on her brother. - -“Have you done it yet?” she asked. - -Claude started in spite of himself. - -“Done what?” - -“You know. I happened to overhear you and father. Have you finished -him?” - -“I don’t understand you?” - -“Oh, yes, you do. You know about the two hundred thousand. You were to -get the confession, besides silencing him.” - -“I’ve done nothing yet. I understand now,” said Claude, with a faint -smile. - -“When will you?” - -“Just as soon as I get a chance.” - -“Don’t you think you’re putting it off too long?” - -“I don’t know. I’m doing my best.” - -“But while he lives and keeps the confession written in Hell’s Kitchen -it will be against us.” - -“Yes.” - -“You’re his chum. You know where he nests, and you are the proper -person to silence this man with the terrible secret. You’re not afraid -of the law, are you?” - -Again Claude Lamont started and looked down into the flushed face of -his sister. - -“No, I’m not afraid of that, but you see I can’t strike till I have a -fair target.” - -“I know that.” - -“There is that bothersome detective,” suggested Claude. - -“Never mind him,” laughed Opal; “he’s silenced.” - -“Since when?” - -“Don’t ask too many questions. He’s silenced, I say.” - -“I guess not. I’ve seen him lately.” - -“When?” - -“Yesterday.” - -“I’ve got later news than that!” cried the young girl. “I’m right from -the seat of war, so to speak.” - -Claude wanted to ask further questions, but she stopped him by laying -her hand on his shoulder. - -“That man was an enemy of us all,” she said. “He was dangerous, Claude.” - -“Positively so,” was the reply. - -“He was a living menace to our future happiness; he was as dangerous -as this man Richmond, your friend, and his confession. I shuddered -whenever I thought of Nick Carter, who would not let me buy him off.” - -“He was incorruptible, was he?” laughed Claude. - -“Yes, but he’s fixed now.” - -“With whose money, Opal? Father’s?” - -“With something that silences better than gold,” was the startling -answer. “I would never face him the second time with a bribe. I know -what’s what.” - -“See here. You’ve got me on nettles. What’s become of this man? I -demand to know?” - -Opal thought a moment, and then turned her head away. - -“When have you been to the Cedar Street house?” she asked, without -looking at him. - -“Not in six months.” - -“Here’s the key. Go and look inside.” - -“Pshaw! there’s nothing there for me.” - -“You don’t know what’s there, since you confess that you haven’t -crossed its threshold in six months.” - -“If you tell me the secret I won’t have to make the trip.” - -“Go and find it.” Opal pushed her brother away. “I want to make sure of -a certain thing.” - -“I see. You’ve been to the Cedar Street house.” - -Opal gave him a knowing look, and again pushed him toward the door. - -“I’ll go, hang me if I don’t!” he exclaimed. “I say, sis, if you’ve -intrusted a secret to that house it ought to be safe, for it hasn’t -been tenanted for half a year. Into which part of it shall I look?” - -“In the first room to the right.” - -“The old-fashioned parlor, eh?” - -“Yes, there, there!” cried the millionaire’s child. “God forgive me, -Claude, I couldn’t help it. I had him in the snare.” - -Five minutes later Claude Lamont stood on the sidewalk in front of his -home. - -“In creation’s name, what does sis mean?” he asked himself. “What has -she been doing in that old house? Something desperate, I’ll bet my -head.” - -He walked to the first corner, where he took a passing car and rode -downtown. - -A few minutes later he left it, and proceeded to Cedar Street. - -The millionaire owned half a dozen houses there, but the one designated -by Opal was the best of all. - -With the key supplied by his sister, the city sport let himself into -the house and shut the door carefully behind him. - -Then he made his way to the first room on the right of the hall and -opened its portal. - -It was quite dark, all the curtains down--Lamont kept his untenanted -houses already furnished--and Claude had to strike a match. - -“Jehu! what did sis mean, anyhow?” he exclaimed, as the light flickered -up. “No one here.” - -He held the lucifer above his head and took a survey of the parlor. - -Everything seemed in place, and he looked everywhere as he moved about -the room. - -He noticed that the transom over the hall door was wide open, but he -thought nothing of this. - -The faintest odor of burned powder assailed his nostrils and he stood -in the middle of the room a few seconds and sniffed the air. - -“The girl’s mad!” he suddenly cried. “What is the fool’s errand she -wanted me to attend to, I’d like to know? There’s nothing in this -room, and yet she wanted me to look nowhere else but in this chamber. -There’s the smell of powder here. What does it mean? She was here, she -admitted. She can shoot like a professional. I’ve seen her at it in the -gallery. I’ll have to go back and laugh at her foolery.” - -Claude quitted the room, and, to make sure there was nothing out of the -way in the house, went all over it. - -“Sis is out of her head,” he again exclaimed, when he had inspected -the last room. “She may have thought she trapped the detective, but she -did nothing of the kind.” - -When he left the Cedar Street house it was to go straight home. - -He peeped into the library, but his father was no longer there. - -“You?” cried a person who came out of the shadows of the bookcases, and -Claude Lamont stood in the presence of Opal. - -Her look was a question, but her lips framed one. - -“You’ve been there?” she cried. - -“You sent me down there, didn’t you?” - -“I did. Well?” - -“I always obey you, don’t I, sis?” - -“You do, Claude. You are my best friend. But tell me--you looked into -the room on the right?” - -“Yes.” - -“And----” - -“It was empty!” - -“Empty? My God!” and Opal, the millionaire’s daughter, staggered back -and dropped into her father’s chair. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -THE MASTER DETECTIVE’S LITTLE GAME. - - -“Empty? That house?” again cried Opal, from the depths of the chair. “I -cannot believe it.” - -“It is true. I just came from the place,” answered Claude. “What did -you do there, sis?” - -“I shot him.” - -“Not the detective?” - -“Yes; Carter. I lured him to the place. He was here again, playing his -hand. I could not stand it. He was in our way. I wanted him removed. -Father was helpless, and the desperate scheme came into my head. I -lured him to the Cedar Street house and leaned over the banister, -shooting him through the transom while he stood in the parlor.” - -“And left him there?” - -“Yes, yes.” - -“Well, he wasn’t there when I looked into the room.” Opal Lamont looked -wildly around the library. - -“What could have become of him?” she asked. - -Claude shook his head. - -“Do you think he could not have been dead?” - -“I thought you went into the parlor afterward?” - -“I did. I bent over him.” - -“And he appeared at the end of the trail?” - -“He did.” - -“It’s a mystery to me.” - -“Why didn’t you look all over the house?” - -“That’s just what I did.” - -Opal sat silent for a moment longer, and then she sprang up with a -sharp cry. - -“If he lives he will try to get even. We must silence this man. It must -be done at once.” - -“Granted. You were a fool to decoy him to the old house.” - -“I knew of no other place,” was the reply. “I took the first plan that -entered my head. I never dreamed of failure.” - -“There, don’t think I’m finding fault, sis. You did the best you could; -I’m sure of that. The only wonder is that you didn’t make a sure shot -after what you’ve done at the galleries.” - -Half an hour after the interview with his sister Claude Lamont occupied -the armchair in the room in which he once showed himself to Carter and -Bristol Clara, the latter his near neighbor. - -This time he was alone. - -Presently he was startled by a rap on the front door, as if some one -outside had no use for a bell, and in a moment he had opened it. - -He found a well-dressed, dark-faced stranger on the step--a man with a -brownish beard and clear, gray eyes. - -Claude did not know just what to do with the man, but as he held the -door open the fellow entered and faced him in the hall. - -“Come this way if you have business with me,” said the city sport, and -he escorted his caller to the room he had just left. - -The man took a chair and laid his hat on his knees. - -“To whom am I indebted for this call?” asked Claude. - -“Call me Hugh Larkins,” answered the stranger, in a squeakish voice -that made a sound almost like a file. - -“I don’t know you, Mr. Larkins.” - -“Perhaps not. You don’t remember me. You have forgotten all about the -old place on the Bowery that flourished five or six years ago. You -don’t recall the barkeeper and the sometime pianist?” - -A smile flitted across Claude’s face. - -“Are you that person?” he asked. - -“I’m Hugh Larkins. Sometimes they call me ‘Rosy’ Larkins, you remember.” - -“I never recall nicknames.” - -“Mr. Lamont, you’ve got good quarters here.” - -Claude started a little at mention of his name. - -“You see, I know you. Why, you haven’t changed a great deal. You’ve -got a few more years on you, and you’ve grown a little stouter--good -living, I guess. The ‘Daisy Chain’ isn’t running now, I believe. I -dropped into the old place this morning, but the piano stopped four -years ago and the hole is a poor bucket shop at present.” - -“I don’t know,” said Claude. - -“Well, Mr. Lamont, let’s to business. I’m a little hard up--somewhat -desperate, to make use of a homely phrase.” - -“And you think I’m a nabob when it comes to cash, eh?” - -“I know you’re not Lazarus. I’ve got to have a little chink to keep the -proverbial wolf from the door, and----” - -“My dear sir, you’ve struck the wrong place,” broke in Claude. “I can’t -accommodate you.” - -Larkins fell back in his chair and seemed at his wits’ end. - -“That’s bad,” he suddenly squeaked. “It nearly puts me into the -river--a desperate man’s last resort, you see.” - -“I can’t help that,” said Claude coldly. “Every man can do as he -pleases with his anatomy, and if you see fit to immerse yours, why, I -can’t object.” - -“You can’t help Rosy Larkins, who used to play for you at the Daisy -Chain? You can’t give the old beau a lift?” - -“It wouldn’t stop with you,” was the reply. “It wouldn’t stop with you, -Rosy.” - -“I’m but the advance guard, eh?” - -“That’s it.” - -Rosy Larkins appeared to get upon his feet with difficulty. He looked -down at Claude Lamont and seemed to study him a minute. - -“Then I’ll have to sell it,” said he. - -In spite of himself the millionaire’s son lost a little color. - -“You’ll have to sell what?” he asked. - -“What I know!” - -“See here, that’s an old game,” cried Claude. “It’s a rascal’s last -resort. You can’t blackmail me.” - -“But I can sell what I know--to the police.” - -“You don’t know anything.” - -“Do you dare me?” - -“Yes.” - -“All right.” - -Larkins crossed the room, but stopped at the door, the knob of which he -held in his hand. - -“You wasn’t in the old place that night? Oh, no. You wasn’t in Hell’s -Kitchen a few nights ago? You never go to such a disreputable place? -Certainly not. The son of Perry Lamont never goes to such places. -Why, of course he doesn’t. Hell’s Kitchen? Why, there’s where Mother -Flintstone lived--and died, I believe.” - -Claude said nothing. - -He looked as if his tongue had become riveted to his palate; his eyes -seemed to bulge from his head, and his hand dropped from the table at -his right. - -“Of course you don’t go to Hell’s Kitchen, because you say you don’t,” -grinned Rosy Larkins in the same squeaky tones. - -“What are you driving at?” at last Claude made out to say. - -“At just what I’ve said. I’m pretty plain. My voice isn’t as sweet as -the notes of the oriole, but you understand my words all the same.” - -“You certainly don’t mean to say that you’ve got a secret about my -going to Hell’s Kitchen?” - -“Now you’ve hit it. You wasn’t there the night Mother Flintstone was -helped out of this world?” - -“I was not.” - -“But I know better.” - -“You do?” - -“Yes; you were there, and Rosy Larkins holds the secret so far all -alone.” - -Claude leaned forward and fastened his gaze upon the face before him. - -“Don’t you think silence is worth a thousand dollars?” queried his -caller. - -“Your silence?” - -“Mine! That’s not a large sum with you who has his hands upon the purse -strings of a millionaire. You don’t want the police to drag you forward -as being connected with the mystery of Hell’s Kitchen? I don’t want to -see one of my old patrons in such a fix.” - -“Did you see me there?” asked Claude, a little nervously. - -“I’ve got convincing proof.” - -“But I haven’t got the money, Larkins. You will have to come again.” - -“I won’t,” said Larkins, and the squeak seemed to get the snarl of a -wild beast. - -Claude looked at the table and then back at the man. - -Larkins was twirling his hat on one of his hands, and his face was -still immobile. - -“What if I can’t raise that amount, and then, what does a man of your -present standing want with a thousand dollars?” - -“What does a porcupine want with his quills?” flashed the young sport’s -visitor. “He uses them, that’s what. I can use a thousand dollars.” - -Lamont thought of his own account in bank. - -It would not do to give that man a check for the amount, for -identification might be followed with unpleasant recollections. - -Suddenly he thought of the five thousand he had lately received from -Lamont, senior. - -A part of it was still in his pocket. - -Biting his lips Claude produced the roll of bills and slowly counted -out the required amount. - -“There, don’t come again,” he said, looking up at Larkins, whose hand -reached out for the money. “But hold on. What assurance have I that you -won’t sell me out yet?” - -“My word.” - -“If it’s no better than your face I’m afraid it’s not worth a great -deal.” - -“That’s all right. I’m no seraph. Neither was Mother Flintstone, who -died that night--you know how,” and with this shaft Rosy Larkins opened -the door. - -As he stepped into the hall his face was for a moment turned from -Claude, and that moment the young man whipped a revolver from the table -drawer. - -As he started up there was a musical click, but the next instant the -bare hand of Larkins covered him. - -“Don’t be a fool,” he said. “The secret wouldn’t die with me, Mr. -Lamont.” - -The leveled weapon dropped and Claude went back again. - -“Aha, good-by. Thanks for the chink. It saves Rosy Larkins from the -river,” and the man with the squeaky voice was gone. - -He went from the scene of the interview almost straight to Mulberry -Street; he entered police headquarters and made his way to the -superintendent’s private office, where he handed the roll of money to a -young man. - -“Lock it up,” said he. “We’ll talk about it later. I’m rather tired of -this beard,” and Carter immediately stood revealed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -IN MOTHER FLINTSTONE’S DEN AGAIN. - - -The day following these exciting events George Richmond might have -been seen bending over a manuscript in a small room some distance from -Claude Lamont’s apartments. - -He had been diligently at work upon the document for some hours, now -and then refreshing himself from a bottle on the table. - -The chirography was not his own. - -It looked for all the world like the writing of an old person taken -with the palsy, and the man at work smiled every now and then as he -looked at his job. - -“It’s good for the two hundred thousand,” said he, half aloud. “That -was a cute bargain Claude made with the old nabob. I am to vanish, -of course; but I’ll see that I don’t lose any of my share. I am to -be killed off, and this paper is to fall into Lamont’s hands, to be -consigned of course to the flames. He’ll probably consider it cheap at -two hundred thousand, but I’ll take care that Claude doesn’t really -carry out the bargain.” - -The day had deepened into night, and still George Richmond worked. - -He did not stop till the nearest clock struck eight, and then he -finished his self-imposed task. - -Once more, like a good accountant, he glanced over his pages and -stuffed them into an old envelope prepared for the occasion. - -“That settles it,” he remarked. “Now for the proof of my demise, ha, -ha!” - -He thrust the whole into his pocket and buttoned his coat over it. - -After this he turned the gas low and filled the room with shadows, then -pulled his soft hat over his forehead and left the house. - -He did not know that he was seen to quit the place. - -He was not aware of the fact that during the last part of his work a -pair of foxlike eyes were watching him through a rent in the curtain, -thanks to a broken slat in the shutter. - -The owner of these eyes was on his trail. - -It was a boy, shrewd and wiry, and he kept George Richmond in sight, no -matter how many turns he made. - -Mulberry Billy had not played spy upon this man for nothing. - -While he could not see the writing, he felt that it was for no good, -and thus he slipped after the man as he crossed one street after -another, taking himself into a strange part of New York. - -George Richmond visited a well-known cheap café on the Bowery and had a -plain supper, after which, once more buttoning his coat to his chin, he -sauntered out under the lights. - -Billy was still his ferret. - -The boy tracked the man to the house occupied at times by Claude Lamont. - -He saw him mount the steps, but could not see beyond the door. - -George Richmond entered the library and turned on the light. - -There he looked around the room, but did not see any one. - -Claude was not at home. - -Richmond would have started if he could have seen the woman who all the -time was closely watching him. - -Bristol Clara, Carter’s friend, was on the alert, and, having seen him -come in, was looking at him through the secret crack. - -All at once Richmond started up. - -“What a fool I am,” he said. “Why didn’t I think of it before? I forgot -to look under the hearth--the very place an old woman like her would -hide precious papers.” - -He threw a hasty glance toward the door and was about to quit the house -when he heard a step. - -In another moment Claude Lamont stood before him. - -“I’ve been waiting for you,” said Richmond. - -“And I’ve been unavoidably detained. Couldn’t get here sooner. Well, -have you got the papers?” - -Richmond produced his work and threw the bundle upon the table. - -Claude pounced upon it and ran over the documents. - -“This is good. I didn’t know it was in you,” he cried, looking up at -Richmond. - -“I’ve been trained in more schools than one,” was the answer, and -Claude looked away. - -“Does it suit?” asked Richmond. - -“Perfectly.” - -“Will it deceive the governor?” - -“Of course it will. Now you must vanish.” - -“Yes, I’m to ‘die’ to his satisfaction. I believe you can’t draw -any more money till I’m out of the way and the ‘confession’ in your -father’s hands.” - -“That’s the bargain.” - -“Well, I thought of that and dashed off this.” - -Another bit of paper fell on the table and Claude read: - - - “FATAL ACCIDENT. - - “Last night at ten o’clock a man was seen to fall on the street near - the Brussel Block, on Broadway. His companion, apparently frightened - by his fall, hastened away, leaving his friend on the pavement. It - was discovered that the stricken man was a well-known character named - George Richmond, who of late has been subject to attacks of vertigo. - The unfortunate man was conveyed from the spot by others who happened - to know him, and taken to the rooms of a friend, where he died. - Richmond once did time, but of late has not done anything that called - for his arrest, though he was known as a shady character, liable to - embark on some scheme that promised to add to his wealth, no matter - how questionable the transaction.” - -“That’s good!” exclaimed Claude Lamont. “You’re dead--as dead as a -doornail, and please have the kindness to keep this in view. I don’t -think you could have done better. Now, what newspaper?” - -“I’ve made the proper arrangements. You can take it to the _Item_. It -will cost one hundred to get it inserted, but that’s all right. It’s -dirt cheap.” - -Claude placed the writing in his pocket and smiled. - -“It will hoodwink the old man nicely. He won’t want other ‘proof.’” - -“I thought not.” - -“I’ll see to that. Now I’ll attend to the matter. I understand that the -item is to appear in but the one paper, and in but one copy at that.” - -“That’s it. Too promiscuous publishing might spoil our plans.” The two -men arose and left the house. - -On the outside the same little figure saw them and again became -Carter’s spy. - -This time Billy tracked Claude Lamont, and saw him enter the office of -a morning newspaper with a limited circulation. - -He saw him in earnest conversation with a certain attaché of the -office, and some money changed hands. - -After this Claude Lamont, as Billy found out, seemed quite at ease, -for he followed him to a large café, where he ate heartily like a man -pleased with what he had done. - -Meantime George Richmond had gone to another part of the city. - -Once more he entered the locality known in the annals of the police -as Hell’s Kitchen, and slipped into the room once occupied by Mother -Flintstone. - -The people who had moved into the place were already gone, a few hours -sufficing, and he was alone in the old shell. - -Instead of sounding walls and ceiling, as he had done on a former -visit, he went straight to the old bricks on the hearth, and commenced -lifting them one by one. - -To accomplish his purpose the more readily he got down on his knees and -worked like a beaver. - -Each brick was carefully replaced, and he had gone over half the space -when he was interrupted. - -A door opened and shut behind him, and George Richmond started to his -feet. - -A man stood before him. - -“There, don’t draw,” said the person at the door. “It would do you no -good, George Richmond. Don’t let me disturb you. Go back to your work.” - -Richmond did not stir. - -“Go back to your work, I say. I’ll wait till you find it.” - -“Find what?” - -“You know. Your quest.” - -The ex-convict smiled grimly. - -“I was only seeing if the old woman placed anything under the bricks,” -said he. - -“Something valuable, eh?” - -“Perhaps.” - -“Not money, was it, George?” - -“Perhaps not.” - -“You’re a cool one. I thought your trip up the river reformed you. -Don’t you remember how the newspapers exploited your return, and said -you were quit of crime? It was a great fake, wasn’t it?” - -The speaker smiled, but Richmond did not. - -“Who are you?” he demanded. - -“That’s another matter. Don’t let me disturb you. You haven’t taken up -more than half the bricks. Go through the rest.” - -“I don’t care to. You’re playing spy, and, by heavens! that’s dangerous -work.” - -“You mean that the man who watches you may live to regret it?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well call me spy, then. Don’t you think you’re playing a pretty bold -hand just now, George?” - -“I?” - -“You. You are into it so deep that you don’t want to miss a good thing. -There’s nothing buried under those bricks; there never was. Mother -Flintstone hid it elsewhere.” - -“That’s false. She hid it in this house, and unless you----” - -“Come, George, don’t show your teeth like a tiger. It will do you no -good. You can’t find the confession, but the other one will do just as -well!” - -“What other one?” - -It was evident that the question had no sooner left Richmond’s lips -than he regretted the utterance. - -“You know; therefore I need not specify. I hope the work was well done.” - -“Devil! you’ve got to fight for your life,” and the next instant George -Richmond darted forward like a mad beast, and leaping clear of the -floor flung himself upon the stranger. - -That person braced himself for the ordeal, and warded off the initial -blow with the dexterity of a practiced pugilist. - -George found himself foiled, but he did not give up. - -Again he darted at his enemy, and the pair came together in a deadly -grapple. - -Back and forth over the floor they writhed like wrestlers before an -audience; now George obtaining a little advantage, now the other -getting the best of it. - -At last Richmond found himself held against the wall by a grip of iron. - -He panted in his adversary’s power. - -“But one man ever held me thus before this,” he cried. - -“Who was he?” - -“Nick Carter, and, by heavens! you must be that same man!” - -There was no reply. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -MULBERRY BILLY’S “FIND.” - - -Margie Marne came out of the hospital shortly after her terrible -experience in the house guarded by Nora. - -Her escape had bordered on the miraculous, and the girl was glad to get -back to the humble home she occupied. - -Her first thought was of the woman who had been her jaileress and she -wondered if Nora herself had escaped the flames. - -Having a fair acquaintance with Billy, the street Arab, she sought out -the boy, and fortunately found him. - -Billy had heard of Nora’s suicide, and he at once posted Margie. - -“By the way,” said the little fellow, “I’ve made a find.” - -“You? What have you discovered, Billy?” - -“Something that I am going to show to Mr. Carter just as soon as I find -him.” - -“It may amount to nothing.” - -“But you don’t know where I found it,” cried the boy. - -“Tell me.” - -Billy came closer, and dropped his voice to a whisper as he laid his -hand upon the girl’s arm. - -“I found it in Mother Flintstone’s den,” said he. “Look here, Margie.” - -He produced a flat package, which looked like it had been stored away -for years, but the moment the girl’s eyes alighted on it she uttered a -little scream. - -“It’s the will, Billy!” she exclaimed. - -“What had Mother Flintstone to will away, I’d like to know?” said the -boy. - -“More than you think. Let me see the packet.” - -Billy laid it on the table, and watched Margie closely. - -The girl seemed to be afraid to touch the package, but at last she -picked it up. - -Opening the envelope, which looked nearly ready to fall to pieces, she -drew forth a paper and opened it. - -The first line startled her. - -“What is it?” asked the boy. - -Margie said nothing, but her eyes dilated. - -“It’s a will, you said, Margie?” - -“It’s more than that, Billy. It’s the true story of Mother Flintstone’s -life.” - -“Then it is important, sure enough.” - -Margie read on, her face changing color, and at last she reached the -end of the page. - -“Mother Flintstone left behind her an important document,” she remarked. - -“That’s what the dark-faced man was looking for when he sounded the -walls.” - -“No doubt of that.” - -“P’r’aps that’s why they killed her.” - -“They, Billy? Do you think more than one hand was at work that night?” - -“I do, Miss Margie,” cried the boy, confidently. “There are two hands -in this mystery. Mr. Carter will trip them up in time, see if he don’t.” - -“Yes, Billy, there is more than a will,” and Margie held the package -up before the street boy. “As I’ve told you, it is also the story of -Mother Flintstone’s life. Where did you find it, boy?” - -“Under the hearth.” - -“The place was not examined by the dark-faced man?” - -“Exactly! He looked every place else. I found it there safe from him -and the rats. Keep it, Margie. No, hide it from that man. He’ll have it -or your life if he knows you have it.” - -Margie placed the packet in her bosom, and looked gratefully at the -street boy. - -“I’ll see that you’re paid for this find,” said she. - -“I don’t want a penny. I only want ter get ahead of George Richmond and -his chum, Claude Lamont, the young sport. They’re into the biggest game -of their lives, but we’ll balk ’em all the same, Margie.” - -The girl expressed the hope that it would turn out thus, and in a short -time she was in another part of the city. - -She wanted to avoid the man into whose hands she had fallen at the -Trocadero. She was now confident that this personage was Claude Lamont -himself, and she had seen enough of his villainy. - -Margie Marne carried the precious package home, where she hid it -carefully, believing that no human eye could find it, and was satisfied. - -Night was coming on, and she quitted her humble lodgings, with her hood -pulled over her face so as to hide it. - -She had a visit to make, and soon she reached the room occupied by -Carter. - -Her raps were not answered, and she looked disappointed. - -When she again reached the street the lamps had been lit, and the girl -looked all about her. - -Thinking of the package she started home, but on a corner not far from -Carter’s rooms a hand fell upon her arm. - -Margie started, and uttered a little cry. She looked around at the same -time and into the face of a man, who leered at her with a half-vicious -look. - -“Don’t fly so fast, my bird,” laughed the fellow. “I don’t intend to -soil your plumage. You’re Miss Margie Marne, aren’t you?” - -“What if I am?” - -“Then you’re the very person I want to see.” - -“But I don’t want to see any one.” - -“I suppose not. That’s the way with some girls. I’m Caddy.” - -“Who’s Caddy?” demanded Margie. - -“I’m the ‘mixer’ at the Trocadero.” - -The mention of that name sent a chill through the girl’s nerves, and -she fell back. - -“Don’t mention that horrid place!” she exclaimed. - -“I know you had a rather unpleasant experience there, but, you see, it -wasn’t my fault. I can tell you something that may give you a chance to -get even.” - -“Speak quick, if you can. What is it?” - -“Let’s drop in here,” and the little man pointed toward a -decent-looking restaurant. - -Eager to learn something more about the man who had decoyed her to the -Trocadero, Margie went with the fellow, and he guided her to a little -table in the darkest corner of the place. - -“Why don’t you bleed him?” were the first words when they had seated -themselves. - -“Is that your suggestion? Do you want to make a blackmailer out of me?” -exclaimed the girl. - -“No; it wouldn’t be blackmail in this case,” explained Caddy. “It would -simply be getting pay for the indignity.” - -“I’ll get even with him some other way,” said Margie. “You know him, do -you?” - -“Why, of course. Ha, ha, nobody comes to the Trocadero whom I don’t -catch on to. Beat Caddy out of the game, if you can! You don’t want to -make him pay the fiddler, then?” - -“Not in the manner you’ve suggested.” - -“You’re a fool!” cried the little man. “See here, I’ll help you all -I can. I’ll go halves with you, and you won’t have to take any risk. -He’ll milk.” - -“But I’m not in that business.” - -Caddy at once changed color. - -His round face became positively hideous. - -He leaned across the table like a thoroughbred villain and his teeth -seemed to snap together. - -“If you don’t bleed him you’ll get into the net again,” he suddenly -cried. - -“Which means, I suppose, that you’ll help get me there?” - -“I didn’t say I would, but I won’t help keep you out.” - -Margie flushed. - -“You miserable wretch, keep your distance!” she exclaimed, and would -have left the table but for the clutch of the little man’s hand. - -“When you can’t cajole you threaten. It won’t pay, sir.” - -“I’ll see that it does pay!” laughed the mixer of the Trocadero, -unabashed. “I know my business. Sit down.” - -Margie was thrust back into her chair, and the fellow leered at her -again. - -“If you don’t want to milk the young sport himself, bleed the old man. -He’s a bird with golden plumage.” - -“What’s his name?” - -“Gad, don’t you know? It’s Perry Lamont. Lives on one of the avenues -and has mints of wealth at his command. He’s a pigeon worth plucking, -girl.” - -“No, let others do that.” - -“Where did you get your scruples, I’d like to know?” sneered Caddy. -“You’re one in ten thousand. Why, you can feather your nest in fine -shape----” - -Margie broke loose from the fellow’s grasp and fell back. - -He arose at the same time and came around the table. - -“Don’t touch me, serpent!” cried the girl. “You can’t use me in any of -your schemes. I try to be honest.” - -“You do, eh? Oh, you’ll get over it in time. Get a few more years on -you and you’ll be as tough----” - -“Here, what’s that? That’s an honest girl, sir,” put in a man eating -quietly at another table. “Don’t touch her, you little sinner, or I’ll -break your neck.” - -The speaker arose and came forward, gazed at by Caddy with feelings of -fear, while Margie thanked him mutely for his interference. - -“I don’t know you, miss, but I’ve seen this man,” continued the -stranger, who was tall and broad-shouldered. “I guess it’s not the -first time for him. Get out.” - -He pushed Caddy down the aisle with his large hand, and the little -drink mixer went without much urging. - -“I’ll see you later!” he flashed at Margie. - -“No threats!” cried the other man. “Get out, I say, and the sooner the -better.” - -Then the tall man turned to Margie and said: - -“Pardon me, but I thought I heard him call you Margie. It cannot be -Miss Margie Marne whom I address?” - -“That’s my full name, sir,” said the girl, dropping her eyes. - -“My name is McDonald--Jerry McDonald. I own a little business property -in this city. The man who just left is a little rascal. I suppose he -decoyed you hither?” - -Margie told the story of her coming to the place, and McDonald said: - -“He’s revengeful, and you will do well to look after him. If you ever -need my assistance in any way don’t hesitate to command it,” and he -handed the girl his card. - -In another moment the still astonished girl was alone. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -THE COST OF A SECRET. - - -George Richmond found himself suddenly free from his antagonist in -Mother Flintstone’s den. - -The battle ended sooner than he thought, for his enemy gave a lurch -which disengaged them, and when George recovered he was the sole -occupant of the place. - -“Who was he?” the astonished man asked himself. - -The reply came from his imagination, and he sprang to the door and -looked out. - -No one there. - -“I accused him of being Carter, the detective, but he did not reply,” -he went on. “Years ago I was in Carter’s hands and the grip to-night -seemed the same. But I may have been mistaken. I mustn’t forget that -years have passed since Carter caught me red-handed. I cannot believe -that my foe to-night was the detective.” - -George did not resume his inspection of the old hearth, for he turned -away after replacing the last brick and slipped into the street. - -He was to vanish now. - -That was his bargain with Claude Lamont, and he knew that the -fictitious account of his death was even then in the hands of the -printers. - -He turned up later in another part of the city. - -He crossed the bridge and vanished in Brooklyn. - -Chuckling to himself, he thought of how he had played it on Perry -Lamont. - -In a small room he threw himself upon a couch to snatch a little sleep. - -He was to be pronounced dead by the newspaper to Perry Lamont. - -That was a part of the conspiracy. - -Claude, the blackmailer of his own father, was to attend to that part -of the work and he--George--was to get some of the blood money. - -Thinking how easily the game moved onward to success, he fell asleep, -nor waked till the next morning. - -Then he set about disguising himself most thoroughly. - -He changed his eyebrows, he darkened his hair and he gave his upper lip -a sweeping mustache. - -After his work no one would have called him George Richmond. - -Meantime, over in the larger city, Perry Lamont, entering the library -earlier than usual, as if he expected to hear some news, found Claude -there. - -Father and son looked at one another for a second, and Claude pointed -at a newspaper on the desk. - -The millionaire picked it up and his eager eyes discerned a pencil mark -at a certain paragraph. - -He devoured the falsehood eagerly and almost out of breath. - -The young sport watched him like a cat. - -“Thank Heaven!” cried Perry Lamont, as he shot a glance at Claude and -dropped into his chair. - -“It suits you, I see.” - -“Suits me?” was the reply. “You know it does.” - -A momentary silence followed between father and son, and then the elder -Lamont said: - -“Did you have any trouble?” - -“Not much.” - -“Did he suspect you?” - -“Yes, he did that; but I had to go on, you know.” - -“I know. He died for sure?” - -It was a singular question, as if the speaker half suspected the truth, -and Claude’s heart seemed to find a lodgment in his throat. - -“What does the paper say?” cried Claude, a little irritated. “It -records the death of the notorious George Richmond, doesn’t it?” - -“It does.” - -“That’s sufficient, I think. Do you want to see the--body?” - -“My God, no!” - -“Nor the burial certificate? They’ll probably hold a post mortem, but -we’re safe all the same. It’s all right, I assure you. There’s no -danger, but it took work.” - -“I’m proud of you, Claude. Now, what about the papers?” - -“I’ve got them, too.” - -“Here?” - -“Yes,” and Claude dived one hand into an inner pocket and drew forth a -package, at sight of which Lamont’s eyes seemed to bulge from his head. - -“There they are,” he resumed, throwing the packet upon the table. - -The millionaire snatched at it and opened the package. - -He found the documents forged by George Richmond, and opened the first -one. - -“Heavens! what have we escaped?” he ejaculated. “It was a very narrow -escape. Did you read these papers, Claude?” - -“No, never thought of that. I don’t care to know what the old hag was.” - -“Great Cæsar! these papers would have destroyed us,” and Perry Lamont -looked white. “She had it in her power to break me up, and I don’t see -why she didn’t exercise it. Why, they’re worth a million almost.” - -For some time Perry Lamont went over the papers in silence and did not -look up again till he had reached the end of the last sheet. - -Claude smiled inwardly all the time. - -He knew that George had done his work well. - -“Now, here they go,” said Lamont, senior, at last, as he moved toward -the grate where a fire burned. - -Claude saw his father hold the documents over the fire a few moments -and then drop them into it. - -As they caught fire the door opened and Opal came in. - -Her face was white and she was agitated. - -Perry Lamont pointed in silence at the hearth and looked toward his -daughter. - -Opal sprang to the fire and bent forward. - -“Did you get it?” she asked, looking at her brother. - -Claude said nothing. - -“Did you have any trouble?” - -“Some.” - -“You paid him well for that service, didn’t you?” she inquired of her -father. - -“We had an understanding.” - -“That’s good. It saved us. We are no longer in the toils of the -secret-keeper. Now no one can say that Mother Flintstone was our near -kin.” - -The tall, regal-looking girl seemed almost beside herself with joy. - -She would have embraced Claude had not his coldness repulsed her, and -in a few moments she withdrew. - -“I’ll take it now,” said Claude, addressing his parent. - -“Oh, yes. You’ll place it to your account, I suppose?” - -“Of course.” - -Perry Lamont filled out a check for two hundred thousand dollars, and -pushed it across the desk to his son. - -Claude looked at it a moment, and then transferred it to his pocket. - -It was the cost of a secret; it was also blood money, and the time was -near at hand when that deed was to return to plague the doers. - -“Safe at last!” exclaimed Perry Lamont, when he found himself alone. -“It’s in the fire and he’s out of the way. I would like to know if -Claude really had much trouble. The paper said it was vertigo, but we -know better. Claude is sure the post mortem will not reveal anything. -They won’t catch Claude!” - -He chuckled to himself and looked at the darkened ashes of the false -confession in the grate. - -By and by he returned to the desk and sat down, his head falling on his -breast like that of a weary man, and in a short time he was fast asleep. - -The house grew still. Outside Claude Lamont was hurrying downtown, -while Opal, in the parlor almost for the first time since her bout -with the detective, thrummed the piano. - -Some distance from the Lamont mansion Carter, the detective, was -watching the actions of a man who mixed drinks behind a bar. - -It was Caddy, the mixer at the Trocadero, and the detective, well -disguised, seemed to take more than a passing interest in his movements. - -By and by Caddy put on his coat and walked out, with Carter at his -heels. - -All at once the hand of the detective fell upon Caddy’s shoulder, and -the little man stopped at once. - -His face grew white when he looked up and saw the keen eyes that seemed -to read his inmost thoughts. - -“Don’t do it again,” said the detective. - -“What have I done?” - -“Don’t threaten Miss Marne again.” - -“But I--I--didn’t.” - -“You did. Please don’t try it any more. That’s all.” - -Caddy did not catch his breath till Carter was out of sight, and even -then he seemed to breathe hard. - -“Won’t I?” he hissed. “Just let me get another chance at the girl, and -I’ll make her think she isn’t anybody in particular. She refused to -play her part of the game I’ve made up, but I’ll bring her around in -spite of the two men, that I will.” - -But for all his braggadocio Caddy was ill at ease, for instead of -going on he retraced his steps to the Trocadero, took a “bracer,” and -remained indoors. - -Nick Carter proceeded on his way, and at last pulled up in front of -Bristol Clara’s house. - -The woman opened the door even before he knocked and led him into the -parlor. - -“George Richmond is dead,” she exclaimed, a smile coming to her lips. -“Not quite dead, but I heard the arrangements made. It’s a cool scheme, -isn’t it? Who are they going to beat out of two hundred thousand -dollars?” - -“Perry Lamont, the millionaire,” was the answer. “They’re all birds of -the same feather, even the girl. I had a narrow escape from her, but a -miss is just as good as a mile. She may know ere this that I don’t lie -dead in the parlor of the old mansion on Cedar Street. I want a place -at the peephole to-night, Clara.” - -“It’s at your service.” - -“I won’t need it after to-night.” - -“Are you going to close in on them?” - -The detective nodded. - -“Which one did it?” eagerly asked the girl. - -“Never mind, Clara. I won’t make any mistake.” - -“Of course not. You never do,” proudly answered the tenant of the house. - -Carter had set his time, but he could not prophesy what the coming -hours were to bring forth. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -BETWEEN THE WALLS OF DOOM. - - -Shrewd as the detective was, he was destined to meet one who was almost -his equal in dexterity and cunning before the hour set for closing in -on his quarry came around. - -When he quitted Bristol Clara’s abode he proceeded to his own quarters, -where he desired, for the time, to be alone. - -The secrets of the trail he kept to himself. - -If he knew the hand which struck Mother Flintstone down he did not -reveal it by word or deed, and, like the experienced tracker, he was -silent. - -Several hours later the detective left the rooms and reappeared on the -street. - -He was within a block of his place when a boy approached him. - -He extended a letter, which the detective at once took. - -“Who sent this, boy?” he asked, as he glanced at the superscription. - -“The leddy, sir.” - -“But who was the lady?” - -“Look inside. I guess that tells; ha, ha!” and the messenger whisked -around the nearest corner and disappeared. - -Already the hands of Carter had broken the seal of the missive thus -strangely delivered, and in a moment he had read: - - “Could you spare me five minutes of your valuable time, Mr. Carter? - I can make some dark places clear to you. I can enlighten you about - some important things. Come secretly, for it is ticklish business. - I will be there. Come to Number -- Hester Street. Don’t knock! just - open the door and come to the first room on the left of the hall. - - “SARA P----” - -Nick Carter read the letter twice before he looked up again. - -He did not know Sara P----. - -He had never heard of such a person, and he racked his brain in vain to -think who she might be. - -He did not know what “dark places” she referred to. - -She might mean some old trail which he had run down, or she might have -reference to Mother Flintstone’s taking off. - -The detective was puzzled. - -However, he decided to see if there was anything in the affair, to go -to the designated number and meet this woman-informer face to face. - -As no time was set by the strange writer, he took it for granted that -she was to be found in the house at any hour, and in a few minutes he -was on his way. - -The detective was always ready to investigate anything that promised to -assist him on a trail. - -More than once he had picked up some startling clews from anonymous -letters, and he thought that perhaps “Sara P----” might know something -of importance. - -Hester Street is not the finest street in Gotham. Neither is it a -high-toned thoroughfare. There is a mixture of poverty and wealth on -Hester Street, but society there in spots is not of the highest order. - -Carter entered the street with some misgivings, but not afraid. - -He walked leisurely up the street, looking for the number, and -wondering what sort of looking woman his correspondent was. - -He found the house at last--a plain, two-story affair, with shutters in -front and signs of age about the structure. - -No one appeared at the door to greet him, but he did not expect any one. - -He walked up the steps and turned the knob. - -The door opened easily, and he was in the hall. - -“The first door to the left,” he mentally said, and then he advanced -toward it. - -In another second he had pushed this portal open and stood in a -darkened room. - -He saw no one. - -Perhaps “Sara P----” was in another part of the house and had not heard -him enter. - -Suddenly, however, he was undeceived, and in a flash he knew he had -entered another trap. - -The floor gave way beneath his feet, as if his weight had suddenly -broken it in. - -The entire floor seemed to fall. - -The detective made an effort to recover his equilibrium, but the Fates -were against him. - -He fell down--down--and struck on his feet to pitch forward in Stygian -darkness. - -At the same time a strange noise overhead told him that the floor had -resumed its original position, and then for a few moments all was still. - -The trapped detective had to smile to himself in spite of his -surroundings. - -He could not help laughing at his situation, however dark and hopeless -it seemed to be; he had been cleverly caught, and the bait had secured -the prize. - -It did not take him long to recover from the fall, which had not -injured him; only jarred him up a little. - -He went forward and found a wall ahead. - -He followed the wall around, and came back to the same spot, as he -could tell by a little stone under his feet. - -The dungeon apparently had no outlet; it was like a sealed-up prison of -the olden time. - -Carter put up his hands, but could not touch the floor overhead. - -Of course he could not tell how far he had fallen, but he knew that the -trap was directly above him. - -Had “Sara P----” sprung the trap? - -Had she lured him to this place to destroy him, and thus get even for -some of his detective work? - -He did not doubt it. - -Nick Carter, in the underground prison, said nothing while he went -around the walls. - -He heard no noises in the house overhead, and no one seemed to walk the -floors there. - -At last the detective struck a match on the stone wall. - -It revealed the dimensions of the dungeon, and he surveyed it with -eager curiosity. It was a dungeon sure enough. He saw the stone walls -and the manner in which the stones were put together. There was no -escape. - -Holding the little light above his head Carter saw the underpinning of -the floor. - -He also found the strong iron hinges upon which the great trap had -worked at crime’s bidding. - -He was like a trapped fox. - -Hemmed in by walls of stone, with an impregnable ceiling overhead, -where could there be an avenue of escape? - -All at once, at the last flashing of the lucifer, the detective saw -some words on the wall. - -It reminded him of the words on the wall of the room where Jack, his -spy, had been strangled. - -Had the same hand written them there? - -He threw the match to the ground, struck another and sprang eagerly -forward. - -He held the little light against the wall and read as follows: - - “I am doomed to perish here. There is no escape from this hole of - death. I was decoyed here like a rabbit, and I die for my folly. Let - the next unfortunate person know that I, Lewis Newell, was the victim - of Opal Lamont’s cunning. The woman is a tigress. Farewell. - - “LEWIS NEWELL.” - -For a full half minute the detective seemed to hold his breath. - -He read the writing again and again, and at last threw the stump of the -match at his feet. - -Doomed to die! - -Another had been before him, and that person ascribed his end to Opal -Lamont. - -Was this accusation true? - -The old detective recalled his adventure in the house on Cedar Street -and how narrowly he had escaped death at the hands of this same girl. - -Perhaps this house belonged to the millionaire, like that one. - -Once more in darkness, Carter had time to study the situation. - -His curiosity got the better of him, and again he looked at the writing -on the wall. - -It looked plainer than ever now. - -Who was Lewis Newell, the former victim? - -He had never heard of such a person, but he did not doubt the truth of -the inscription. - -Suddenly the detective heard a sound that seemed to come from above. - -As he turned his face upward the floor seemed to lift, and his eyes -were blinded by an intense glare. - -It was as if an electric globe had suddenly been uncovered in his face, -and the light was so strong that he fell back, blinking his eyes like -an owl. - -The glare vanished as suddenly as it came into being, but when he -looked again he caught sight of a little ball burning in one corner of -the trap. - -It sent out a singular odor, not unpleasant, but enervating, and the -detective’s system seemed to yield to its influence from the first. - -“The accursed thing is the death agent which may have killed Newell!” -he cried, as he sprang forward and set his foot on the burning ball. - -At that moment an explosion occurred, the interior of the dungeon -seemed to collapse and Carter became unconscious. - -Perhaps the end had come. - -When the detective came out of the darkness of doom, as it were, he was -lying on his face. - -In a moment he staggered up and put out his hands. - -They touched a wall as hard and cold as the one they had touched last. - -Where was he and in what sort of trap? - -Slowly the adventures of the last few hours came back to his excited -brain. - -He recalled the note, the visit to the house on Hester Street, the fall -through the trapdoor and the burning ball. - -These thoughts came fast and thick; they seemed to contend for -supremacy in his brain and he breathed hard. - -“I must get out,” was his cry. “Woman or tigress, she shall not keep me -in this vile place!” - -But getting out was the puzzle. - -He circumnavigated his prison like a captive in the dungeons of Venice. - -He sounded every foot of space, stood on his tiptoes in a vain effort -to reach the ceiling, felt the walls again and again and at last gave -up. - -For once at least the famous detective seemed at the end of life. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -A COMPLETE KNOCK-OUT. - - -Meanwhile, Margie Marne was having an adventure of her own, to which we -will now recur. - -In another part of the city, and about the same hour that witnessed the -strange explosion in the dungeon where Carter was confined, the girl -sat in her little room. - -She was quite alone, but all the time she was watched by a pair of eyes -that did not lose sight of her. - -These eyes glittered in the head of a man on the floor above, and he -was enabled to watch the girl through a hole deftly cut in the floor. - -All unconscious of the espionage, the girl looked over a few papers -which she had taken from their hiding place in one corner of the room, -where they would baffle the lynx eyes of a keen man, and now and then a -smile came to her face. - -All at once she heard footsteps approach her door, and for the first -time in an hour she looked up. - -A rap sounded, but Margie hesitated. - -Should she open the door and admit her visitor? - -Perhaps it was Carter, whom she wanted to see just then, but a sudden -fear took possession of her. - -At last, however, Margie arose, and hiding the papers in her bosom, -crossed the room. - -Her hand was on the latch, but for all this she still hesitated. - -In another moment, as if beating down her last suspicion, Margie opened -the door. - -A man stood before her. It was not the person who had offered to -protect her from Caddy’s advances, nor was it Caddy himself. - -As she held the door open the stranger advanced into the apartment and -turned suddenly upon Margie. - -Her breath went fast, and she gazed at the man with half-stifled -feelings. - -“Miss Marne?” he asked in a peculiar voice. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Alone, I see.” - -“I am quite alone, but I cannot imagine to whom I owe the present call.” - -“Sit down, girl.” - -There was something commanding in the tones, which had suddenly -changed, but Margie did not stir. - -“I want to talk with you,” continued the man. “And I prefer to have you -seated.” - -Margie glanced at the door and then toward the window, the eyes of her -caller following her, and for half a second her heart seemed in her -throat. - -“I want those papers,” and the fellow, whose face was covered with a -heavy brown beard, held out his hand. - -“What papers?” demanded the girl. - -“The ones you have just been looking over.” - -No wonder Margie started. - -“Come, don’t mince matters with me. I won’t have it. Are they in your -bosom, girl?” - -Margie fell back, but the man advanced. - -“I am here for them,” he went on. “You can’t cheat me out of them. -Come, hand them over.” - -“But----” - -“Not a word unless you intend to comply with my demand! You know where -the papers are. You got them in Mother Flintstone’s den.” - -“My God----” - -“I hit the nail on the head, did I?” brutally laughed the man. “I -thought my arrow wouldn’t go far wide of the mark. Here, I’ll despoil -you of the papers by force if you don’t tamely submit.” - -Margie was nearly against the wall now, and she looked at the man like -a startled fawn. - -She now felt, yes, knew that the beard was but a mask, and she asked -herself whom she faced. - -Claude Lamont or George Richmond? - -She could retreat no farther, and remembering her adventure in the -house which had succumbed to the fire fiend, she nearly fainted. - -Already the powerful hands of the unknown almost touched her bosom; she -could feel his hot, wine-laden breath on her cheek and she expected any -minute to be hurled across the room and robbed. - -She made one last effort, but the movement was intercepted, and she -stood in his grasp! - -He held her at arms’ length and glared at her after the manner of a -wild beast. - -The poor girl was a child in the iron grip of the man, and all at once -he drew her toward him and began to look for the documents. - -“Don’t! For Heaven’s sake, have some respect for my sex!” gasped -Margie. “You can have them.” - -“I can, eh? Well, hand them over.” - -Margie, with trembling fingers, did so, and at sight of the papers he -uttered a gleeful cry. - -The next moment he released her, and she sank into the nearest chair. - -She saw him step back a pace and open the papers, over which he eagerly -ran his eye. - -“Is this all you had, girl?” he suddenly demanded. - -“Yes.” - -“It’s a lie!” - -Margie’s face colored. - -“I want the others.” - -“I have no others.” - -“These are but letters from a lover. Where are the papers that once -belonged to the old hag?” - -“That is not for me to tell.” - -“You defy me, eh?” - -“I defy no one.” - -“I’ll choke you to death but what I get the truth. I’ll have the right -papers or your life!” - -“You must take my life, then.” - -The girl had strangely recovered her self-possession. - -She could look at him now without flinching, and the terrible hand -dreaded a few moments before had no terrors for her now. - -Suddenly the man threw the letters upon the table and looked fiercely -at the girl. - -She withstood his look like a heroine. - -“Be quick about it!” he cried. - -“I have no other papers,” calmly said Margie. - -He laughed derisively and then glanced toward the door. - -“I’ll fix you,” he exclaimed. “You’ve been in our road long enough, and -the only sure way to get rid of you is to leave you here a fit subject -for the morgue.” - -The moment he came toward her Margie sprang up. - -She was strong again, and suddenly catching up a poker which stood -near the chair, she placed herself in an attitude of defiance. - -“You advance at your peril,” she said, in determined tones. “I shall -defend myself to the last extremity.” - -“Against me? Why, girl, you don’t know what you are saying.” - -“You shall find out if you advance, I say.” - -He laughed again, and came forward. - -In an instant the heavy rod was lifted above the girl’s head, and the -next second she brought it down with all her might. - -It was a blow such as a giantess might have delivered, for the man’s -lifted arms went down, and he received the full weight of the poker -upon his head. - -He gave one gasp and sank to the floor like one killed outright, and -Margie, with the novel weapon still clutched in her hands, looked at -him, while a deathly pallor overspread her face. - -Had she killed him? - -For a short time she stood there, barely realizing that the whole thing -was not a dream, and then she bent over the man. - -As she touched the beard it came off and fell to the floor beside the -face. - -Margie uttered a scream. - -She had seen that face before--seen it in company with Claude Lamont, -and she knew that the man was his associate in evil and one of the -chief men in the plot against Mother Flintstone and herself. - -She sprang up suddenly and ran from the room, shutting the door behind -her. - -Down on the street she saw no one, though she looked everywhere for a -policeman. - -Moments were flitting away, and she suddenly thought of Carter. - -She knew where he lodged, and she would tell him of her adventure. - -In a moment she was on her way, but she was doomed to disappointment; -the detective’s door was locked and she could not elicit a response. - -Baffled, Margie turned back again. - -She had taken up nearly twenty minutes on the streets, and when she -reached the vicinity of her humble home she thought of the man left on -the floor. - -She glided upstairs cautiously, just as if the dead could hear her, but -at the door she stopped and listened. - -All was still beyond it. - -Margie put on a bold front, and opened the portal. - -The first look seemed to root her to the spot. - -The room was untenanted. - -No one lay on the floor, and the little place, with this exception, -seemed just as she left it. - -The man, her victim, was gone. - -“Thank Heaven! his blood is not on my hands, rascal though he was!” -exclaimed Margie Marne, as she leaped across the threshold and shut the -door behind her. - -If she had returned a little sooner she might have caught sight of her -would-be robber. - -She might have seen a man come out of the house, with his hat drawn -over his brows and the brown beard awry. - -This individual hurried away, nor looked he back, as if he thought he -was not safe from molestation, and his gait told how eager he was to -get out of the neighborhood. - -A few minutes later he turned up in a certain house in another part of -the city, and dropped into a chair as the tenant of the room demanded -to know if he had been in a prize fight. - -“Not quite, but I struck an Amazon,” was the reply, and he of the brown -beard tried to smile. - -“Tell me; did you encounter Margie?” - -“No one else. What made you guess her?” - -“Her name popped into my head somehow or other. Guess I must have been -thinking of her when you came in. What did she hit you with?” - -“With a crowbar, from the way my head feels; but never mind. It’s a -long lane, you know.” - -Claude Lamont smiled. - -“You do pretty well for a ‘dead man,’” and then both men burst into a -laugh. - -“I’ll wring her neck for it yet!” suddenly cried George Richmond. “I’ll -have the blood of that girl for her blow!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -THE PARRICIDE. - - -“You’d better not try it.” - -“Why not?” snarled Richmond. - -“She may be dangerous.” - -“That chit? Pshaw!” - -“Just try it. See here. You don’t want to be too gay just now. Don’t -you know you’re a dead man?” - -“So I am.” - -“Well, be a little careful. What if Carter gets on to our game?” - -“Carter mustn’t do that.” - -“Of course not, but we must see that he cannot.” - -Ten minutes longer the two men, watched by Bristol Clara, the tenant -in the next house, remained in the room, and then Richmond bade Claude -good night. - -The moment the millionaire’s son found himself alone he struck the -table with his fist. - -“Why didn’t I really kill that man?” he exclaimed. “He is bound to be -my evil genius, after all. I can’t see my way clear to ultimate success -with him in the way. He’ll blackmail me, and what can I do? If he were -really dead----” - -He did not finish the sentence, but broke it off suddenly, and arose, -throwing his cigar away. - -“I’ll go home,” he said. - -A few minutes later he was met at the door of his home by his sister -Opal, whose face told him that she had something of importance to say. - -“Father is gone,” said the girl, with a gasp, and would have fallen if -Claude had not caught her around the waist. - -“Gone?” echoed the young sport. - -“It is true. You can see for yourself.” - -Opal led the way to the library, and mutely pointed at her father’s -chair. - -“When did you miss him?” asked Claude. - -“An hour ago.” - -“Did he leave any message behind?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where is it?” - -Opal handed her brother a crumpled note, and the young man leaned -toward the light to read its contents. - -“My God! you don’t believe that?” he exclaimed, turning upon his sister. - -“I don’t know what to believe,” was the answer. - -“What have you done?” - -“Nothing. I’ve been waiting for you. I sent to the club, but the -message came back that you had not been there.” - -“Something must be done. Certainly father did not mean this. He has not -gone to the police.” - -“I--don’t--know.” - -“I’ll see. He may have gone to the river in a fit of madness. He would -not tell all he knows about Mother Flintstone.” - -“I should think he would not.” - -Claude seized his hat and rushed from the house. - -For a little while his brain seemed to swim, and the lights blinded him. - -He did not ask what Opal would do now that she was again the sole -occupant of the house. - -He did not seem to care. - -Perry Lamont was a runaway, with a great secret at his tongue’s end and -millions at stake. - -For some time the old nabob had been subject to strange spells of -mania, and the worst was to be feared. - -It was this that urged Claude Lamont on and on. - -He could not wait till he got downtown, and minutes seemed hours to him. - -He thought of a thousand things. - -He wondered what had become of Carter, and more than once he looked -back, as if he expected to see Nick on his trail. - -At a fashionable saloon he stopped long enough to gulp down something -for his nerves, and then he hastened on again. - -Suddenly he stopped, and then dropped into the shadow of a large -building. - -A man was crossing the street--coming toward him. - -His heart took a great leap into his throat, for it was the very man he -was hunting for--his father. - -Claude stood in the shadows and watched him like a hawk. - -He could not take his eyes off the old man, and as he neared him he -debated in his mind what to do. - -As the millionaire stepped upon the sidewalk within a few feet of him -the son darted forward and clutched him by the arm. - -“Father!” he cried. - -With a powerful effort Perry Lamont shook the grip loose and looked -into Claude’s face. - -“My God! he’s mad!” ejaculated the young man. - -“It is Claude. Don’t you know me?” pleaded the son. - -“Let me go. I’ve been looking after my sister--little Sis, you know.” - -“Heavens! he means Mother Flintstone!” thought Claude. - -“I can’t find her. What’s become of Sis?” - -“I’ll find her for you.” - -“What; you’ll show me where she is?” cried the old man. - -“Yes, yes. Come with me.” - -In an instant Lamont’s mind changed, and he became as docile as a lamb. - -As Claude was near the house he occupied when not at home he guided his -father thither and let him inside. - -Conducting him to the library, where he had just had an interview with -George Richmond, he seated his parent and took a chair himself. - -“Is she here?” asked Lamont. - -“Yes; you’ll see her presently.” - -“But I can’t wait. I want to see Sis now. I haven’t seen her for years, -and I want to tell her about the money I have kept for her so long.” - -“What money?” - -“I’ve kept it for Sis. It belongs to her--the thousands which were left -to her, you know.” - -“What if Sis isn’t in need of money?” queried Claude. - -“Then I’ll throw it into the fire! No one shall have it but her. I will -see to that. Who are you?” - -Claude smiled grimly. - -His father had not recognized him. - -“Come, you don’t want Sis to have the money,” he cried, and before the -son could prevent, the other was on his feet, his eyes glaring like the -orbs of a wolf. - -“I’ll have your blood if you don’t tell me!” shrieked the mad -millionaire. - -“I’m your son.” - -“No, you’re not! My son? It’s a lie!” - -Claude saw his danger, and the madman advancing upon him made him throw -out his hand in self-defense. - -“My son is at home!” cried Lamont, senior. “You are not he. I won’t -believe it!” - -“But, father----” - -The sentence was not finished, for all at once Perry Lamont sprang at -his son, and grabbing him by the shoulders, threw him against the wall. - -There was a startled cry on the other side of it from the woman whose -eyes seemed glued to the paper there. - -“I’ll kill you like a dog if you don’t tell me where Sis is. I went to -her den--they called her Mother Flintstone, you know--but she wasn’t -there. Where is she?” - -“Let me loose first.” - -“And let you run off? Not much; ha! ha!” and the maniac laughed. “I -won’t do anything of the kind.” - -“But I can’t show you where Sis is unless you do that. I won’t run -away, father.” - -“It is false. You can’t fool me. I will hold you here till you tell the -truth.” - -“Well, Sis, is asleep in the room yonder.” - -“Is that true?” - -Claude Lamont wanted to gain time. If he could get rid of his father’s -maddened hands he might effect his escape, for just now he was in -danger. - -Perry Lamont glanced toward the door, and seemed disposed to believe -his desperate son. - -But suddenly he appeared to change his mind, for again his eyes shot -forth sparks of fire. - -“Call her out here,” he said. - -Claude’s heart seemed to sink within him. - -He knew he could not call back the dead. - -He wished for the door to open and admit some one; he would have -rejoiced then, with his father’s fingers buried in his throat, to have -seen Carter. - -“I’ll give you one second, or to hades you go!” suddenly cried Perry -Lamont. - -Claude’s blood seemed to run cold. - -One second to live! - -What had become of George Richmond? - -Why didn’t that worthy turn up to save him in the nick of time? - -Why had he guided his father to that house and not home, where he would -have had Opal for an ally? - -Fate was against him. - -“Quick! quick!” exclaimed the madman. “Tell me where Sis is or I will -tear your throat here!” - -Claude made one last effort. - -He summoned all his strength and dashed forward. - -His father’s feet tripped on the carpet, and, falling, he dragged him -down. - -Father and son fell in a heap on the carpet, and for half a second -seemed stunned by the tumble. - -Claude was the first to recover. - -He raised himself and tore himself loose from the maniacal fingers. - -As he did so his father sprang up with the roar of a baffled tiger, and -launched himself forward. - -It left Claude little time for reflection or action. - -He saw danger ahead, and his hands were bare of any weapon. - -But suddenly he snatched up a glass paper weight from the desk, and -launched it straight at his father’s face. - -An arrow never went straighter to the mark than did the paper weight. -It struck the millionaire fairly in the face, and he went down like a -stricken ox. - -On the carpet he gave a convulsive gasp and moved one arm; that was all. - -“He invited it,” said Claude. “He forced it upon himself. They can’t -blame me for this thing.” - -Five minutes later he stood on the street, with the house darkened -behind him and the glim of the lamps in his eyes. - -He looked like Cain; the brand was on his brow. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -CARTER’S ESCAPE. - - -We left Carter in durance in the dungeon where the strange explosion -had taken place. - -Truly the detective was in the direst straits, and he could not forget -the writing on the wall. - -He did not know who “Lewis Newell” was, and he did not stop to inquire. - -The sentence said that Opal Lamont, the fair daughter of the -millionaire, was responsible for the prisoner’s fate, and this set the -detective to thinking. - -Perhaps the house to which he had been decoyed belonged to Perry -Lamont, like another house he knew of. - -He recalled his visit to the nabob’s mansion, where he had confronted -Opal, and he recalled as well her demeanor. - -That she had revengeful blood he well knew. - -Her beauty was tigerish. - -But first of all the detective wanted to get out of the dark place, and -he resolved that it should not hold him long. - -How to get out was the question, but for all this he set about it with -all his wits at work. - -The singular odors arising from the bomb had not overcome him longer -than a few minutes, and now the dungeon seemed fairly free of them. - -Once more he went around the walls and sounded them again. He stooped -where he had seen the flash of light as the bomb burst, and found that -the wall had yielded. - -A stone was loosened, and this gave him hope. - -Beyond the wall must lie liberty. - -With an energy born of despair Carter toiled until he had made a hole -underneath the wall large enough to admit his body, and he did not -hesitate to squeeze through it. - -Beyond the wall sure enough lay freedom, for he felt the cool night air -on his cheeks and found himself in a cramped back yard. - -Out of durance at last, Carter breathed a prayer of thankfulness and -filled up the hole. - -He stood for some little time in the yard, and then cleared the fence -which stood between him and the street. - -Half an hour later he might have been seen to enter Bristol Clara’s -house. - -The woman uttered a cry as she saw him, and pulled him forward. - -“Thank Heaven!” she cried; “but why didn’t you come sooner?” - -“I couldn’t. Circumstances prevented,” said the detective, with a grim -smile, which Bristol Clara did not understand. - -“What’s happened, girl?” - -“Murder!” - -“Where?” - -“There!” - -The woman pointed across the room toward the next house and looked at -Carter. - -“Who committed it?” he asked. - -“Claude Lamont.” - -“Then they’re even,” was the detective’s answer. - -Clara did not reply, but led the detective to the peephole, and bade -him look. - -The room beyond the partition was dimly lighted, but he could see its -appointments and single tenant. - -A man was stretched on the floor, silent and still. - -“That’s the victim,” said the woman at his side. - -“Who is he?” - -“Perry Lamont.” - -“And you say Claude did it? His son?” - -“His son. I saw the whole affair.” - -“Tell me all about it, Clara.” - -Bristol Clara did so, and the detective listened without once -interrupting the woman. - -“I must see the man yonder,” said Nick. - -“That’s easy. The house is tenanted only by the dead. You can easily -get inside.” - -It did not take Carter long to reach the room where Perry Lamont lay. - -He raised the man’s head and saw the dark spot made by the murderous -paper weight; then he lowered it again to the floor. - -He searched the room thoroughly, and found more than one thing which -told him that it had been one of Claude Lamont’s nests. - -At last he rejoined Clara in the other house. - -“Now for the round-up,” said he. - -The woman looked at him, but did not speak. - -“You once asked me who killed Mother Flintstone,” said Nick. - -“Yes.” - -“I know.” - -“Of course you do. You find out all these things. I never doubted that -you would reach the end of this trail.” - -“Well, woman, I can tell you now.” - -Bristol Clara leaned forward, and Carter whispered a word into her ear. - -“My God! you don’t mean that?” cried the woman, as she recoiled, with -very little color in her face. - -“Every word of it.” - -“It cannot be.” - -“It is true.” - -“Then go and do your duty;” said she. “Don’t let the guilty escape, Mr. -Carter.” - -“I don’t intend to. I’ll see you later, Clara. Only keep a watch -over the man in yonder. The murderer may come back. Perhaps it was -self-defense, but he isn’t remorseful. It is murder all the same.” - -The detective made his way from the house and to another part of the -city. He had found in the desk a bit of paper, with a scrawled address -thereon. - -It was a certain number in Brooklyn, and inside the hour the detective -was across the river. - -It did not take him very long to reach the house, which he found -darkened and silent, but his ring brought footsteps downstairs and to -the door. - -As the portal opened Carter caught sight of an old man’s face, and he -addressed him. - -“I desire to see Mr. Holden, your roomer.” - -“He’s sound asleep, sir.” - -“I must see him all the same. Which room does he occupy?” - -The detective pushed forward, with one hand on the old man’s arm, and -the old fellow seemed to suspect the truth. - -“Don’t disturb my wife. She’s sick upstairs. You shall see Mr. Holden. -I hope he isn’t a fugitive from justice, sir?” - -There was no answer by the detective, for the old man opened a door and -motioned Nick across another threshold. - -As Carter entered the room a human figure sprang from a bed and stood -on the carpet before him. - -“How are you?” said the detective. - -The reply he got was a snort like a sound from a restive tiger, and -George Richmond, brought to bay, threw a swift glance toward the door. - -“What’s wanting?” he demanded. - -“I want you.” - -“What for?” - -“For conspiracy.” - -The man before Carter seemed to catch his breath. - -It was not so bad after all. - -In fact, a grim smile appeared at the corners of his mouth and his look -softened. - -“Who are you?” he next asked. - -“Come, you know me, George,” said the detective. “I’m not disguised.” - -“Well, here I am.” - -The half-dressed man stepped forward, but the moment Carter advanced a -step he picked up a chair and with the fury of a maniac threw it above -his head. - -The old landlord behind the detective uttered a terrified cry and -retreated, and as he held the only light there was, the room was -wrapped in darkness. - -Carter struck a match, and at the same time thrust forward his revolver. - -But the match revealed nothing. - -George Richmond was gone! - -For half a minute Carter stood like a person in a dream, but a sudden -cry from the old man aroused him. - -“He’s crept under the bed, sir,” was the cry. - -With a light laugh Carter sprang forward and caught hold of the foot he -found. - -The next moment a bullet whizzed past his head and then he dragged the -rascal forth. - -Lying on the floor, handcuffed, George Richmond looked up into Carter’s -face and grinned. - -“For conspiracy, eh?” he said. “That’s news to me.” - -“It’s better for that than murder,” was the answer, and then Carter -took his prisoner away. - -“Now for the other birds,” said the detective, as he turned from the -station house. - -He proceeded uptown and, late as it was, rang the bell of the Lamont -mansion. - -For some time no one answered him, and then he heard footsteps inside. - -“It’s Opal herself,” thought Carter, as he waited for the door to open. - -Yes, it was the handsome daughter of the dead millionaire, and she -maintained her composure as she looked into the detective’s face. - -“It’s a late call, miss,” said Carter, as he stepped inside. “But it is -a case of necessity. I’ve found your father.” - -“Indeed?” - -How terribly cool this girl was. - -“Yes; he’s been found and will be home shortly.” - -“That’s clever of you. I did not know you were looking for him. He -went off a little unexpectedly, you see----” - -“I understand. He is dead----” - -“Father dead?” - -It was a real start now, but in a moment Opal regained her composure. - -“Miss Lamont, did you ever know a man named Lewis Newell?” - -She fell back and seemed to gasp for breath. - -“Lewis Newell?” she echoed, trying to become calm again. “I don’t know -that I ever knew such a man.” - -“You did not decoy him to a dungeon? You did not coolly let him perish -there? I’ve read his last words on the wall, miss. I know that that is -not your only crime!” - -“It is false!” - -She looked defiant and her eyes flashed. - -“There’s another, miss,” continued Carter. - -“You dare not say that again.” - -“I say it again. There’s another crime. It is the greatest one of all.” - -“What is it, pray?” - -“The murder of Mother Flintstone!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - -JUSTICE’S ROUND-UP. - - -Opal Lamont seemed to grow into a statue before the detective. - -She did not move a muscle, but her face grew white, and the detective -thought she would sink to the floor. - -But suddenly she started up and calmly invited Carter into the parlor. - -The detective accepted and watched her like a hawk, for had not she -once faced him with a revolver, and was not this the woman named by -“Lewis Newell” on the wall of the dungeon? - -Opal Lamont seemed calm now. - -She faced the man of many trails and even smiled. - -“The murder of Mother Flintstone?” she said, recalling the detective’s -words in the hall. “You accuse me of that, do you?” - -“Yes.” - -“Let me see your proofs, please.” - -Carter dived one hand into his bosom and drew forth a little packet, -upon which the eyes of Opal Lamont were riveted from the first. - -He had never shown this to any one. - -No one knew that he found it in an obscure corner of Mother -Flintstone’s den the night he went thither with Mulberry Billy, the -street waif, and the old woman’s “chum.” - -Opal leaned forward and watched the hands of the detective open the -packet. - -She never took her eyes from the “find,” and when the last bit of -covering had been taken off she appeared to grow white. - -One-half of a ring lay in Carter’s hand, and he glanced from it to the -immobile face of the millionaire’s daughter. - -“You found that in the house, I suppose?” asked Opal. - -“Yes; in the darkest corner, not far from the spot where you struck the -blow.” - -“Is that all?” - -“Not quite.” - -“You need not go on. Look at me, Mr. Carter. It was for the honor of -this house. She was wicked.” - -“She was your father’s sister!” - -“She made a bad match. She was disowned, or, rather, she disinherited -herself.” - -“But that was no excuse for the crime.” - -“She might have paraded the relationship before the world,” cried Opal. -“She was positively dangerous. She was a perpetual menace. It was -dreadful.” - -“You took it upon yourself to put her out of the way. You went to the -house----” - -“To silence her tongue!” broke in Opal Lamont. “Murder was not in my -mind at first. But she taunted me; she laughed at me when I offered to -make her rich. She even threatened to appear in public and boast of the -kinship. That was more than I could stand.” - -“You struck her then?” - -“I did. I broke the ring with the blow. I did not miss it till I came -home. The other half strangely clung to my finger till I reached this -house. I thought I had lost the rest on the street.” - -“You nearly involved others in that crime.” - -“How’s that?” - -“Your brother was for a time suspected of the murder, and then his -chum, George Richmond.” - -“Did it deceive you?” - -“For a time. I traced out the ownership of the ring. I did it with the -utmost secrecy. But a short time ago I half believed that one of them -was the guilty person, but I am undeceived now.” - -A haughty smile came to the girl’s lips. - -She made an impatient gesture and then said: - -“Let us dismiss these things. We can come back to them, you know. You -said a while ago that father was dead.” - -“He is.” - -“Where is he?” - -“In one of the many houses he owned.” - -“I thought he would take his life in his madness. He would have given -his wealth for the keeping of the secret of the kinship. How did he do -it?” - -For a moment Carter was silent. - -“It was not suicide,” said he, looking at Opal. “It was the greater -crime--murder!” - -She started like one electrified. - -“Another murder? I want to see him avenged, even if I have hands that -are red! I want you to take the trail of his slayer. You will do this, -Mr. Carter? You won’t refuse to become the servant of your human -quarry?” - -“It is no mystery,” was the reply. “The murder of your father is not a -puzzle!” - -“Then you know----” - -“I know, for I have a living witness.” - -Opal was silent; but her deep eyes seemed to pierce the detective -through and through. - -“I’m calm now. Name him.” - -At this moment the front door opened and some one came in. - -“It is Claude, my brother,” said the girl, scarcely above a whisper. -“Wait a minute. He may go upstairs.” - -Carter looked toward the door and seemed to smile. - -“Call him in here. His coming will answer the question you have just -put.” - -Opal sprang across the carpet and opened the door, revealing the figure -of Claude in the main hall. - -“This way, Claude,” said she. “A gentleman wants to see you.” - -It was a lightning glance that passed from the hallway to the man in -the parlor. - -Claude Lamont knew the detective at once. - -He hesitated, but Opal clutched his sleeve and pulled him forward by -main force. - -“You know this man. It is the trailer,” she said. - -A dark scowl came to the young man’s face. - -“I know him!” he almost hissed. - -The next instant the daughter turned again to Carter and exclaimed: - -“Now, go on. You said you knew who killed father. Name the murderer.” - -The hand of the detective was raised as his figure straightened, and in -a second it covered the young man before him. - -“There’s the man!” was all he said. - -Though he spoke in low tones the words seemed to ring throughout the -handsome parlor. - -Claude Lamont grew white and Opal fell back. - -Suddenly, however, she started forward and paused in front of her -speechless brother. - -“Is it true?” she cried. - -There was no answer. - -“You must speak! You must tell the truth. My hands are red and yours -seem to be! You have heard this merciless trailer. He says you are a -parricide! Is it true? Before Heaven, answer me, Claude Lamont!” - -The lips of the young sport moved, but no words issued forth. - -He seemed to have been struck with palsy. - -“You heard me, murderer!” cried Opal, flinging herself upon her -brother. “You must not stand there like a log and say nothing. You -shall tell the truth. You did it.” - -Claude flung her off and she nearly toppled against the mahogany table. - -“I did it, and under the circumstances I would do it again!” he -exclaimed. “He was coming at me like a wild beast, and I had to fight -or perish.” - -“Swear this!” cried the girl. - -Claude raised one hand above his head. - -“Where did you find him?” - -“On the street.” - -“But you did not bring him home?” - -“I did not. I took him to one of our houses----” - -“And killed him there? Murderer!” - -That instant, with the fury of a madman, Claude turned upon his sister -and covered her white face with his quivering hand. - -“Murderer, eh? What are you? Don’t you know that the curse of blood has -been upon this house for years? The curse of blood and money! Nearly a -century ago one of your ancestors murdered his bride, and ever since -the stain has been upon the house. It has skipped a few generations, -but it is with us now. Richmond and I have kept your red secret. We -know who killed Mother Flintstone. Does the detective know?” - -“He knows,” calmly answered Opal. - -“And does he know that the girl called Margie Marne is the grandchild -of Mother Flintstone?” - -Nick nodded. - -“That’s all.” - -Claude Lamont turned and stalked coolly from the room. - -At the door he stopped and looked back. - -“I’ll be on hand when wanted,” he said. “It was self-defense. I had to -take the old man’s life.” - -Carter and Opal heard him on the stairs, and in a few moments they -heard a door shut overhead. - -Long before morning a policeman stood guard over the dead millionaire’s -mansion. - -The night passed slowly. - -New York was getting ready to awake to the solution of another murder -mystery and another crime. - -The detective was making the last move in the office of the chief of -police, who had listened to the story of his last trail. - -George Richmond lay in the station-house cell fast asleep, just as -if he had never been concerned in the plot to rob Perry Lamont, the -millionaire, with the aid of his scapegrace son. - -The morning broke. - -Carter went to the Lamont mansion. - -Upon parting the night before Opal had pledged her honor that she would -greet him when he came again. - -He entered the house, speaking first to the guardian at the door, who -assured him that all was well, and then he entered the parlor. - -He rang the silver call bell on the table, and a servant entered. - -“Your mistress?” said he. - -“She is upstairs.” - -Something in the servant’s tones attracted the detective, and he -bounded up the steps. - -Into the girl’s boudoir he burst, to stop just beyond the threshold. - -One glance was enough--one look at the form lying on the couch -satisfied the detective, and he did not remove the black-handled dagger -from the blood-flecked bosom. - -Claude was found fast asleep and was taken away, but the murderess was -left alone. - -The trail was ended. - -Opal, the murderer of Mother Flintstone, was past reach of judge or -jury, and the court acquitted Claude, for Bristol Clara, the only -living witness, had to testify in his favor. - -George Richmond was tried for conspiracy, and, as the law had long -wanted to get another hold on him, he was sent “up the river” for a -long term, which proved his last, for he died in Sing Sing. - -The outcome of the detective’s trail was a startling surprise to -Gothamites and became the talk of the town. - -Margie Marne received a goodly share of the Lamont wealth, and -afterward married, while Mulberry Billy, who played no insignificant -part in the Mother Flintstone affair, was placed beyond want by Margie, -who had formed an attachment for the boy. - -It afterward turned out that Lewis Newell was a man who once persecuted -Opal with his attentions, and the girl, with the coolness of a Borgia, -decoyed him to his doom and thus began her career of crime. - -Carter was highly complimented upon the result of his last trail, but -he will never forget his adventure in the dungeon to which he had been -decoyed by the daughter of the millionaire, nor the coolness with which -she met the terrible charge he brought home to her under her own roof. - - -THE END. - - -The title of the next volume of THE NEW MAGNET LIBRARY, No. 836, is -“The Heart of the Underworld,” by Nicholas Carter. The story leads you -through dark and devious ways of crime, through a labyrinth of mystery -and apparent defeat, out upon the broad highway of justice--where crime -is punished and wrongs are righted. The great detective is the guide -through this maze, and those who follow him in his perilous adventures -will find themselves thrilled from start to finish. - - - - - The S. & S. - Novels Have - No Rivals - - -Our books have a field entirely their own. They are the only novels to -which new, first-class titles are being added every week. - -No news dealer’s stock is complete without them. That’s why every -up-to-date dealer carries a good assortment of them on his shelves. - - - STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_ - NEW YORK - - - - - MASTERPIECES OF DETECTIVE LITERATURE - - ALL BOOKS COPYRIGHTED - - NEW MAGNET LIBRARY - - A New Book Issued Every Week in This Line - - -Our efforts to fill the enormous demand for scientific detective -literature at a reasonable price have been unceasing for the past eight -years. Any one who looks over the titles in the =New Magnet Library= -can hardly doubt that we have succeeded splendidly in giving American -readers the kind of mystery stories that is usually found between cloth -covers at $1.50. The price at which these books are sold seems very -insignificant in comparison to the amount and quality of reading. Our -watchword in connection with this line is “never be content,” and it -will be our earnest endeavor to not only maintain the high standard of -excellence that prevails in the stories that we have published, but -to improve upon it. Every lover of detective stories will rejoice in -having this line brought to his attention because it will place within -his reach just the sort of literature that he has been seeking. - - -ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT - - TO THE PUBLIC:--These books are sold by news dealers everywhere. If - your dealer does not keep them, and will not get them for you, send - direct to the publishers, in which case four cents must be added to - the price per copy to cover postage. - - 1--A Klondike Claim By Nicholas Carter - 2--The Great Enigma By Nicholas Carter - 3--A Titled Counterfeiter By Nicholas Carter - 4--Tracked Across the Atlantic By Nicholas Carter - 5--The Crime of a Countess By Nicholas Carter - 6--A Wall Street Haul By Nicholas Carter - 7--The American Marquis By Nicholas Carter - 8--An Australian Klondike By Nicholas Carter - 9--A Stolen Identity By Nicholas Carter - 10--The Old Detective’s Pupil By Nicholas Carter - 11--Fighting Against Millions By Nicholas Carter - 12--Playing a Bold Game By Nicholas Carter - 13--The Mysterious Mail Robbery By Nicholas Carter - 14--Caught in the Toils By Nicholas Carter - 16--A Woman’s Hand By Nicholas Carter - 17--The Piano Box Mystery By Nicholas Carter - 18--The Gamblers’ Syndicate By Nicholas Carter - 19--A Chance Discovery By Nicholas Carter - 21--A Deposit Vault Puzzle By Nicholas Carter - 23--Evidence by Telephone By Nicholas Carter - 39--Among the Counterfeiters By Nicholas Carter - 43--Among the Nihilists By Nicholas Carter - 46--Check No. 777 By Nicholas Carter - 49--At Odds with Scotland Yard By Nicholas Carter - 50--The Man from India By Nicholas Carter - 53--An Accidental Password By Nicholas Carter - 56--At Thompson’s Ranch By Nicholas Carter - 59--A Millionaire Partner By Nicholas Carter - 62--A Fair Criminal By Nicholas Carter - 65--Found on the Beach By Nicholas Carter - 68--The Double Shuffle Club By Nicholas Carter - 71--The Diamond Mine Case By Nicholas Carter - 73--Two Plus Two By Nicholas Carter - 75--The Clever Celestial By Nicholas Carter - 77--The Van Alstine Case By Nicholas Cartel - 79--The Sign of the Crossed Knives By Nicholas Carter - 81--Wanted by Two Clients By Nicholas Carter - 83--The Crescent Brotherhood By Nicholas Carter - 85--A Dead Man’s Grip By Nicholas Carter - 87--Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men By Nicholas Carter - 89--The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor By Nicholas Carter - 91--The Great Money Order Swindle By Nicholas Carter - 93--Harrison Keith, Detective By Nicholas Carter - 95--Sealed Orders; or, The Triple Mystery By Nicholas Carter - 97--The Puzzle of Five Pistols By Nicholas Carter - 99--Gideon Drexel’s Millions By Nicholas Carter - 101--The Stolen Pay Train By Nicholas Carter - 105--A Bite of an Apple By Nicholas Carter - 108--Nick Carter’s Clever Protégée By Nicholas Carter - 111--The Stolen Race Horse By Nicholas Carter - 114--The Man Who Vanished By Nicholas Carter - 117--A Herald Personal By Nicholas Carter - 120--The Twelve Tin Boxes By Nicholas Carter - 123--The Elevated Railroad Mystery By Nicholas Carter - 126--A Game of Craft By Nicholas Carter - 129--The Man Who Stole Millions By Nicholas Carter - 132--Nick Carter’s Girl Detective By Nicholas Carter - 135--The Crime of the French Café By Nicholas Carter - 138--Crossed Wires By Nicholas Carter - 141--Nick Carter Down East By the author of Nicholas Carter - 144--The Twelve Wise Men By Nicholas Carter - 147--Nick Carter’s Retainer By Nicholas Carter - 150--Lady Velvet By Nicholas Carter - 153--Nick Carter’s Clever Ruse By Nicholas Carter - 156--A Victim of Circumstances By Nicholas Carter - 159--A Framework of Fate By Nicholas Carter - 162--Nick Carter’s Star Pupils By Nicholas Carter - 165--Held for Trial By Nicholas Carter - 168--Brought to Bay By Nicholas Carter - 171--The Silent Passenger By Nicholas Carter - 174--A Princess of Crime By Nicholas Carter - 177--A Scrap of Black Lace By Nicholas Carter - 182--The Bottle with the Black Label By Nicholas Carter - 186--A Desperate Chance By Nicholas Carter - 189--The Man of Mystery By Nicholas Carter - 191--The Murray Hill Mystery By Nicholas Carter - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - -Italicized or underlined text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - -Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=. - -Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - -Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - -Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOYING WITH FATE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |