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ENTERED AT THE Pos'r Omcx AT NEW Ynnx. N. Y.. n SECOND Cuss Man. RATES.

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 pubushed Every CJﬁIc‘ui/(J. q”- yﬂdaJns. 9’11 [#1572 PPS, Ten Cent” Copy.
- o Week. 98 WILLIAM STREET. N. Y., August 10. 1881. s5_oo a You,

TEE—Tm DETEEﬁVE ;

on,

THE MYSTERY OF THE GOLDEN COFFIN.

A STRANGE STORY OF HIDDEN, INNER LIFE OF NEW YORK’S GREAT CITY.

BY GEORGE LEMUEL.

 
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"KN m GOLDEN OOHIN YOU WILL Bl BURIED ALIVE THIN-II” EXPLAan THE lASTEB-SI‘XRIT, POIN‘I'ING WITH OCTBLRETCEL‘D
FINGER IN‘IO m HORRIBLE VOID.

 
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The DOOtor Detective.

 
The Docthr Detective:

a,

The Mystery of the Golden 00511.“

BY GEORGE LEMU'EL.

CHAPTER I.
DOCTOR DIAMOND.
“ Our acts our angels are."

“ SLY, boss, be you the doctor?”

The hour was ten of the ni ht: the city, New
York; the locality, that ol ~fashioned section
of the great metropolis situated on the west
side of the t0wn, the district which extends
from Sgt-ing street to Fourteenth, once the
chosen onle of the fashionables of Gotham,
but now devoted to second-rate boarding-
houscs, modest homes of thriving tradesmen,
and, in some parts, to that hideous excrescence
which di ﬁgures New York above all other cities
in Arn- -ica-—-the tenement-house, which con-
tains \v lthin its narrow limits enough people to
form a small villa e, or, as some one of the
Health Oﬁcers wis - y and conciselﬂ stated the
other da in a public journal—“ ore peeple
live in t 056 unhealthy habitations than can
ﬁnd graves in the earth that the house and yard
cover.”

We will not name the exact street, for in our
narrative such painful truths must be told, that
it would not do to tear the vail away altogether
:23 expose the hideous thing in all its wretch—

ess.

But let him of the imiiiring mind stand upon
the latform of the road at Fourteenth
stree and a common old-fashioned musket
would ca a ball right into the locality.

The 3 )ea or was a stout little urchin, a. dozen
years 0 d, rhaps, with a sharp, shrewd fac
Old beyond is years, as all the street boys 0
large cities naturally are, for the life they lead
is a forcing one and develops them rapidly.
The boy was habited in a ragged suit, a deal
too big for him, and it was so tattered and
torn that it really was wonderful how it came
to stay on the body at all.

The man to whom the remark was addressed
was just descending the steps of a modest two-
storied brick house, of which the street was
mainl composed, and which bore upon its front
a amaﬁ tin sign, which read:

“ DOCTOR DIAMOND."

And the man was the doctor in person, a
rather tall, peculiar-looking rsonage, with one
of those remarkable faces w ich, once seen, are
not easily forgotten; the long, oval face, com-
mon to the men of the south-west, the.bi -
boned settlers of the banks of the lower Oh o
and Mimissippi; high cheek-bones, something
afterthe Scotch pattern; full blue e es, with an
habitual sad 100 to them; a pale see
with 10 , dark-brown hair, which he wore
“elu " over his ears, after the western
fashion. He was dressed plainlhy, almost poorly,
in a complete suit of black, w ch, from its 90-.
ouliar cut, gave him quite a clerical look.

" Yes, I am the doctor: does any one re
on services?” he demanded, surveying the y,
w only attire consisted of a big pair of gen-

s and an enormous cost, which, ti tly
buttoned at the neck, descended to his hes s.

‘ “You bet, boss-ﬂy!" sun out the lad, after
we manner of his guild. Come along, walk
your chalks, for day’s a-breakin’ !”

The boy started off on a dog-trot down the
street, and the doctor, who, thanks to his
ﬁgure, was a rapid walker, easily kept up with

x “ Where are you taking me!”

“ Hell’s Kitchen !"

The doctor knew the locality well enough; a
miserable little court, close to the water-side
inhabited by the poorest of the ﬂoor and
which, in some way, had received t e a ve-
given expressive title. Low indeed in the so-
cial scale must be the poor wretch forced by
cruel fortune to dwell within its gloomy pre-
cincts. The houses were so close, together that
the blamed li ht of the health- iving sun never
rowed upon t e pavementh t e court. It was
ahnost as dark and desolate as some of the
great Western canyons that adventuring ex-
plorers tell us about, with wallsof regular rocks
a mile high on either side, and where, in the
middle even of the hottest summer, ice may be

“Whatisthe matter with the party?” The

doctorexpected that his services were needed

' to patch the wounds received in some
drunken brawl, such as were only too common
within the limits of this court.

“Gain to make a die of it, I guess,” the boy
answered, with that rscklem dkregard for pain
and death which the savage life of the street
so soon implants in the of youth.

“ Hurt in some uarrell"

allot muph! I s a gal.”

r
“ acid and I guess that she’s
toolimgl’the 3015:; stairs' I don’t think the:
you kin do her much good, anyway,” the boy

frinsod‘

continued, with the generous conﬁdence of
youth, “but I thoughtas how it might do the
young one some good to kinder see you fooling
roun —make her feel better, you know.”

“ An old woman and her daughter?”

“Keno, cOrrect! Set ’em 11 ag’inl”

“ And the old lady is very i i”

“ Another ten-strike!” exclaimed the boy, ad-
mirinﬁly. “I tell you, a feller don’t have to
beat t ings into your head with a club.”

“The young lady'is the daughter of the old
lady, I presume?” '

“ ‘ I presume,’ ” re ted the boy, whose
fanc was tickled by t e phrase; “ spi em out!
Swa owed a dictionary some time, I reckon.
Well, to get right down to business, the young

al is the darier of the old ’un, and she ts a
ady, too, you can bet your boot; on that, every
time: but they‘re drefrul poor; old al sick,
young gal takes care on her and don’ ut In
much time to Work, but the old lady w11 ull
for the silver shore to-night, I guess, and t. on
what in blazes is tO'become of the little one is a
conundrum that any man kin break his back
over. ‘

The be was evidently a character, and the
doctor’s a ways-sad face grew sadder still as-he
listened tohis talk—the strange jumble of child
ish prattle, innocent ignorance and Vile slang—
the argot of the street, that hideous modern
monster who defiles all the young lives intrusted
to its care. . .

“Say, Doc, you can’t get rich outen this Job,
you know l” ejaculated the boy, abruptly as
they neared the entrance of the court. “You
won’t have to hire an express-wagon to carry

our ducats awa ,. The fact is—honest now,
or I ain’t on the heat—I ’spect that I’ll have to
‘hang you up’ for this little racket, for I am
about clean bu’sted, jest now, and I ess the
little gal ain't got money enough in the ouse to
start a bank With. You see, she ain’t got nary
an idee that I’ve gone arter you, but when I
saw that the old ’un had got a 00d, square
knockdown, and that it was Wal street to a
Florida orange that she wouldn’t be able to toe
the scratch and come to time a ’in, I made up
my mind, as a friend of the amll ,that we
ought to have a saw-bones est for t e looks of
the thing, anyway. and as allers heered of on
as being a good sort of a cha w’at didn’t s in
r people of their hide an taller, I thought
‘d gi n you the job. Make it light though boa,
and I’ll uare it with you some time, honor
blight! ou kin ask anybody in the court
’bout me. I’ve lived here ever since I was a
little shaver, knee-high to a bull-frog; they all
know me; jest ask for Hoppergrass.”

“Ho rgrass? Isthat your name?” .

“ We , it does for me: I s’pect that I used to
have a ’lar name once, but it’s so long ago
that every my has forgotten.” ,

And the li e fellow shook his head mourn-
full as then 11 thinking of a dead and gone

that exp red years and ears ago.

“Don’t trouble yourself a ut my fee; I am
rich enough to give an hour or two to the suf-
fering poor and I shall not count the time

w

“ Bully for on! You will do in a- crowd!
Se Doc !” c ed the boy, conﬂdentiall , as he
1 e way into a most miserable a 9, “?es’
bulldose the gal inter eating something. B est
if I believe she has taken anything all ay l”

The boy knocked at a door at the rear end of
the entry: a low sweet voice within bade them
enter, and they did so.

The apartment was a small one, barely twelve
feet square and almost destitute of furniture,
containing onlya bed, a small table, upon which

a tallow candle, and a single chair.

ﬂick
Luggn the bed lay an aged woman, evidently

last stages of life, with her e es closed

rienced eyes of the medical man behaved

that death had set .in, but a second 'glance
showed him that the dark angel had not ﬁt
claimed his prise, although he had placed
seal upon the victim.

Two glances at the invalid and then one at
the daughter. '

Oh, rapture! Never had Alcenor Diamond
looked upon afairer creature. In a moment the
actualid apartment, the dying woman, the a
1i e bo ,all were forgotten in the contem -
tion 0 as fair a creature as Heaven ever
permi to exist upon earth.

She was about the medium size and with a

form as perfectas the h Nature, jealous of the
sculptors . had reso ved to create a human
form so rfect that imitating mortals would

give up heir calling in despair of ever being
able to uce its ike. Her face was purely
Greekin tsoutliue, a type of the lineage that
gave a Helen of Troy to earth to set the world
at arms. Brown was her hair and brown her
eyes—both perfect. both inexpressibly lovely. ,
lawman“ "3“ “"1"” illdi'ihmﬁima“
ores are, or e m n
Mia‘ng thousand, f * theworﬂgvpeﬁ
yno sages. on
needs timeyzo ; t is  of
ages proves t t love, heaven-born, often
spri into bein in n astanti .
Agd'the girl, oo—Dura Eldon—whose life

 
had been one long struggle against a cruel

d breathing so feebly that at firs even the.

_ will improve.

 
tyrant—who had ﬂed into these miserable qmr-
ters to seen him for the ﬂrsttime since the
breath of a had dwelt. within her perfect
form, understood what it was to feel the thrill
of passion’s ﬁresgwithin her veins. Here was a
man whom she could love!

Oh, if he had onlycrossed her th one short
half~hour ago, what a difference it would have
made in her life! But now, she Was ted
as fully and completely from him~tge only
man upon whose face she had ever cared for a
second time to look-es if an ocean rolled be-
tween theml -

It was too late, and she was bound in a chain
scemingly of silk, but in reality of iron, which
would surely gall her to the grave.

The girl, stronger than the man, as women in
affairs of the heart are always stronger than
men, was the first to wake from the dangerous
spell which was stealing over them.

“My mother!” she exclaimed, lowering her
eyes and castin them toward the wasted form
of her parent; ‘ she can be saved, can she not,
dpctgr, if she has proper care, food and medi-
cme

Diamond approached the bed and made a
rapid examination of the sufferer.

‘ Miss. to tell you a falsehood now would he
cruel,” he said, slowly, “and I cannot bring
myself to do it. Your mother is already dying;
w1‘tlgrt: one h3g3 she  breathe lher las .” t

‘ , my 2” cri the gir , s rin i 0
her feet in anguish. “ It cannot be ptrueﬁ ngee,
I have lenty of money,” and she tore a large
roll of ank-bills from her bosom, “I can buy
her everything.”

“ But alas! all the gold in this world will not
save her!”

“Then I have sold myself for naught!” she
cried, despairingly, and fainted dead away.

The doctor at once rocoeded to attend to one
stricken ’rl, and an or his care the irl soon
revived, ut she seemed transform into a
living statue: her face was like marble; she
looked around her vacantly for a moment;
then, catching sight of the pale face of the
doctor, the memory of what he had said came
back to her. and she shivered like one exposed
to a sudden, chilling blast. A sigh came from
her li s; with slow and feeble footsteps as
thong shod with lead, she took her chair
and moved it still closer to the bed; then, seat-
ing herself, she fixed her eyes, starineg upon
12:“‘ faceed t2; the d who-mean,  s 9 re-

ng no w vero pesence
of any One else in the room.

The doctor and the street lad—the strong man
and the merry carelem boy—were both awed
by this exhibition of silent despair, more ter-
rible b far than the wildest of; and almost
as mo onless as statues they, , watched.

Ten twenty, thirty minutes passed; then the
experienced eyes of the medical man detected
that the end was at hand.

The sick woman opened her eyesand
up in the eager face of the anxious da ter,
ﬁrst with a vacant look as th h she -
nized her iltliot, but1 13h: sﬁreed ﬂ mninto a smi e
o recogn on, w c p y t u the
wan thin, bloodless lips. y M

“ Dara, I am better nowbl think that I shall
soon-soon o to sleep—sleep,” she murmured
faintyly, an wearily closed her eyes.

“ on were wron , doctor!” exclainud the
girl, softly; “man’s
the workin of Providence. Oh, , A
that the God who rules this world so wimlyand
well would not take from me the only friend I
have in this wide world! For her sake I can
bear the burden which I this night have taken
u n my shoulders and which almost makes
lie unsupportable, but I will bear it and bear
it bravely, if only for her. From this sleep she
will wake refreshed, will she not, doctor? She
will be stronger and then, under» your care,
and with my  aid, day y dfy she

h to “k Egank  dthat had
mgt m e e sacrl an new mono
is no object to me; gold will be but as a feathesr
in the balance when compared to the restora-
tion of this dear mother to health !”

“Miss Du repare yourself for the worst!”
the doctor rep ed solemnly and sadly.

“The worst! n Heaven's name what is it
{on mean?" cried the girl, her eyes handed and

er breath coming (“lick and hard.

“Your mother w never wake again. She
sleeps—sleeps in death.”

A look of utter despair came over the beauti-
ful face of the orphan. for such truth she
now was; the doctor advanced to aid, for
he feared that she was about to fain but With
a slow motion of her hand she waved back.
Then, bending over the bed, she in: a
kislaupon the ips which were already
co . e

“have me,”shem 'n'red,ssdls'pl'ssssdi
herselfolosetoths  at W
yhomhewusum ’ well, ’ some
ﬂmWiOhmyapdl”   .

Therewunbgalnsayingsh'ehareghmd
withnoiselsssstspsshemanand ﬁle wi -
drewfromths .

“'Iwill cometarhosrow: if Iamwantsdbe.
fore come for me,” Diamond aid, as he do-
pamd e

--—-

’ i.
l

 
A“
..-., .i :. ,

 
CHAPTER II.
momma muons.

The Doctor Detective.

3

 
but, what could he do against two such assail- sageway the opening suddenly closed again,

ants and taken as he was completely by sur- \and

Tan doctor returned at once to his home and . prise?
sated himself in his little parlor, his f we ‘

gloomy with thought.

Again he was alone— ‘ 0V0

Bravely~he struggled, but soon the ruﬂans 
wered him and bound him tightly, hand ‘

alone, and with wild ideas whirling through . and 001?, With the rope.

his brain.

For a good twent minutes he sat, never stir-
ring, his gaze iixm vacantly on the ﬂoor, his
head droo ing upon his breast.

It won] have bailied the keenest reader. of
the human face to have  from his im-

ive features the thong ts w ch were pass-
n through his mind. .

g. sharp ring of the door-bell disturbed his
meditations.

Vu'ith a sigh he rose to his feet; he was in no
mood to go out into the world; he had no heart
to mingle with busy life; rather would he have

cined quiet and communed with the dead,
in thought and s irit, if not in reality.

But from the s a ness of the rin he eased
it was a professiona call; some erer esired
his Services, and in haste, too.

A rough-looking man was at the door—a big,
brawny fellow, who looked like a ’longshoro—

man.

“Are you the doctor?” he asked, hurriedly,
when Diamond answered the summons.

H Yes. 7,

“Well, you’re wanted, right away; there's a
mateof mine took mi hty sick; acts jestas if
he had been p‘isoned. e 8 been cruising along
the shore, and come out to the 3100 chock ful ;
we put him in his bunk all right, ut now he’s

est howlin’ in agony, and me and the ca ti’n
inder got it into our heads that some 0 the
land-sharks have been a-dosing him, jest to go
through him, you know.”

0‘ is  3”

“In the sloop out in the stream. We came
down from Albany with a load of lumber this
afternoon, and we hauled up for sup lies. We’re
bound for Port Jefferson, Long sland; the
Sarah Jane Hammond is the name of our craft."

“ Very well; I will go at once.”

“ An’ fetch some medicine alon , Cap, for I
tell yer, he’s jest sweating away 11 e a steam-

he.
I have a small medicine-case in my pocket,
I never go out without it.”

“ Come along, then; the boat is right down at
the dock, foot of the street; Jim is in it, wait
ing for me, while the capt’in is taking care of
the cuss. Oh, I tell you he is p0werful bad!”

The doctor took his hat and departed with the
sailor, hurrying alo with him as. if it was a
case of life and dea h, although, in his own
min he did Blot believe thlelra was ilnugl:k of
an n r. a stranger simp y on
some woﬁ liquor than hehad been accustomed
to'rand it had made him sick. ' .

here was no moon; the bright, twmkling
stars alone lit up the sky; the dock at the foot
of the street was very dark and gloomy when
the two left the light of the river street behind
them and walked out on the pier.

The waves rose and fell with that reglar
awash against the es of the wharf, whi al-
wa

sounck holyb night.

"That’s tlaosloopl” said the sailor, pointing
to where a light out the darkness ou in the
gram. 31‘”.....°°°t‘~”.i°

i 30 w . y 0
side of the pier, ending down to the water.

h the dense gloom of the night, Dia-
mond could distinguis that there was a boat,
containin 1single man, rock: in the water
a. the 00 of the steps. 6 followed the
mill! down, was warned to “mind your eye!"
an NW into the frail craft; then the man
who accompanied him took the tiller, the
other meloOsenedthe “fainter ” from the steps,
and sent to the cars. he doctor had b9en di-
rected ooseat himself calf-way between the oars-
man and the sailor at the helm.

Pro lied b th: vi oxous strokes of the cars-
man, he dgh craft 3 ct out into the stream.
1% when they left the pier behind, the gloom
sh around them like a sable curtain.

The ice, at half-ﬂood, set strongly up the
river. so the oarsm'an was compell to make
tﬂowanos tor this, instead of pulling straight
tor the vessel,the light of which acted as a
guide for mu.

At .irst the doctor had gazed curiousl at the
mango scene which the riVer presen at this
hour of the night but soon gloom tho ht.
maian to take .poaaamlon of h m, an he

owed hisneaato sink upon his breast. “he
.yieldec so their inﬂuence.

'l‘hi. aﬂorded the man behind him—the one
who was at the tiller—the opportunity which he
desired.

Diamond’s back was toward him; the doctor
facedus oarsman. in the bottom of the boat
was a haav blanket. lettln
go at the
unfolded it. and then, with a dextrous motion,
cast it over one needh of the no doctor;
the moment alter e clasmd atrcnz arms
around Diamond's body, p minghis bands to
w oarsman. too dropping the sculis
' were secured in the locks, sprung to the
“use. at his companion.
’ diamond was pretty powerful, as men go,

/

 
The , 8i
,tooknp the b nket carefully, .

l

Then, lacing him on the bottom of the boat, :
each man took an oar and they set to work to
row in earnest, changing however the
direction of the boat entirely.

For about an hour Diamond, almost smothered
by the blanket, had leisure to reﬂect upon the
meaning of this strange assault.

it was not probable that his assailants were 1‘
after plunder, for he carried nothi upon his ,
Wu that would repay them for su trouble. ;

at was the motive t on!

Still onward went the boat, and still the busy
thoughts chased each other through the brain ‘
of the captive man.

At len h the grating of the boat’s keel upon ;
a shore an ed the current of his thoughts. ‘
He was Ii bodily from the bottom of the
craft and carried along by the two men. The 1

th was rough and uneven; he could detect 1

his from their irregular motions, and then, 
when the way became smoother, from the sud- :
den closeness and dampness of the air, the doctor ?
guessed that he was in some subterranean pas—
sage. The airwas as damp and dense as the
reeking: of a chamel-house.

At last his bearers sto pod and laid him down
at full length, and from he feel of the substance
upon;1 which he rested, he knew that it was
sort

“ We are going to take 03 the blanket and .
release your hands so as to prepare you for
what is to come," said one of the men, and by the
voice Diamond reco ised that it was the mes.
sen or who had pre nded to be a sailor—the
doc r was pretty certain now that it had been
a tense—who s ke.

he plot was pain to be seen; it was all a
device to entra him, but for what purpose!
Ah, there was t e m ste

“ Sa ,"continued t 6 speaker, “ when we take
the las ings 03 don’t on go to cutting up ugly,
for we are armed to t e teeth and we shall not
genitat’e to use our weapons if you force us to

0 so.

By this time the blanket wm removed and

the doctor had a chance to look around him.
‘ He was in a low which seemed like a
tunnel, for there was h below, above and on
all sides. A lantern, which swung from a long
spike, stuck in the wall, afforded ght.

Two men were with him—he essed they
were the two who had been in - e boat, but
they had covered their faces with masks so that
the could not be ised; in truth, Diamond
h taken so little no es of the face of the pre-
tended sailor when he had had a chance to see
it, that, when he thought over the matter he
felt retty certain he could not identify the
man he should happen to see him n.

One of the men commenced to un o the cord
which bound his arms, while the other kept
over him with a cooked revolver.

Of course even when his arms were freed, ,
any nttom to resist the will of his captors
would be utter folly. His ankles were still
tightly bound, sure precaution against an eﬂeo-
tive resistance.

The lahing which conﬁned his arms being re-
moved the informed the doctor that he
would be oh god to place a. fasteniu upon his
wrists, but then the rope around is ankles
would be removed, sothat he could walk.

“ As on please ” the doctor remarked,
calmly, {net as if this outrageous proceed-
i was a mere commonplace matter.

e wrists were securer tied, then the rope
around the ankles was removed and the ruman
assisted the doctor v *se.

Diamond had ham” any use of his limbs at
ﬁrst and itwas as much as he could do to ate
for the cord had been wound very tightly aro
Malina my" :1 ed the guard hen

an you w use on , w
the prisoner ﬁnally agood alone.

“ think so,” and to try, he took a few steps
forward.

“ 0h, ou're all right now. Go ahead "the
other an d to his comrade. “Give the 
knock that a captive waits.”

CHAPTER III.
. run wnxrn nann.

Tm was more and 'more mysterious; and
with keen attention Diamond looked uponthe
movements of the ruﬁians. ’

Oneof them a proached the wall and with the
metal-mounted tt of his revolver struck on it:
She clang oift a distant til lamiiswered, and «a;

enl a cav yappeared w twasa
soli earth. There was no sound as  a door
had opened, but the as it were, melted
away. In truth it looked e magic.

Beyond the opening a long, narrow, dark pas-

 
sa ea sred.

‘Foi’ow him and I will bring up the rat,”
said the ruman,who all along had acted as
spokesman.

Into the ay went roman No. 1; ﬁts:-
him the doctor: en No. 2.

 
The moment they were fairly within the pas-

M tianhdarknes; privaiiodtén '
' t on an w on you stop,
the roman rdig‘dered. '
Impelled by curiosity the doctor counted the

ate .

Tie wa seemed long enough, and yet Dia-
mond h only measured twenty steps when
the harsh voice of the leader called out for him
to halt.

“ Now, count twenty-ﬁve,” continued the
man, “then walk ten steps forward and step.
Count out loud,.so that I kin hear on.”

All this seemed like child’s play at Diamond
did as he was toldz—he counted twenty-ﬁve,
then ste ped forward ten paces and halted.

The kness was intense—so dense it re-
minded one of the old saying that it could be
cut with a knife.

But hard) had the doctor ﬁnished the per-
formanon the task which had been set for
him than it seemed as if it was growing lighter.
At first he thought it only appeared so because
his eyes were getting used to the darkness, but
soon he became convinced that the darkness
reallywas vanishing, and with considerable
curiosity he watched this new development of
the strange affair.

Less and less dense grew the darknem, and
the gloom was melting away so slowly that the
change was almost imperceptible; it was like
the breaking of the dawn.

Gradually the gloom became so transparent
that the doctor was able to distin h the sur-
rounding objects; and as near as e could make
out he was standing in the middle of an in).
mense burial vault; in the walls were niches
where rotting cofﬁns lay, and the peculiar smell
which had so forcibly struck him upon his ﬁrst
entry into this mysterious place was now ex-
plained; it was reeking with the foul
which arise from the mortal remains the
once nick and living, slowly returning to the
dust as whence man comes.

The place reminded the doctor, who was a
great student, ofthe vast vaults such as are
usuall found under the great Europea I
churc es, and the dim, uncertain ' ht was
finch: woulfd coime from“?l o ﬂicker-
ng pets, or t wave an aneed, as it,
like an artful girl, it was netting with the
dark shadows which lurked n the corners of
this gloomy receptacle of the dead. ,

The doctor had just about manered this
knowled whena voice broke the solemn ai- '
lance wh ch reigned therein:

“ Prisoner, tumnd look u our judgm.”

The voice was singularly e and s-
iiant, although the command was y de-

vered.

The doctor wheeled around, impatient for a
solution of the mystery, and a strange sight in-
deed met his eyes. ,

Inthecenterofthevault weregronpedthree
ﬁgures, all robed in white shrouds, but tl-s
shrouds were so that the covered the
head as well as the , but part that
went over the faces was n some peculiar way
so am that it was partly transparent, and
the contour of the faces beneath could plainl
bediscerned andthefaceswere white ,
ghastly like the features of the dead.

Thecenter wasaeatedupona longob-
ject covered th a black cloth, which from its
shape was evidently a coﬁln; the other tw0
were standing leaning upon great naked cross-
hilted sochaswereusedbythebead-
men in the o d feudal days. On each side of
the two, leaning upon the ewe stood a
gin skeleton, one bony hand up ﬂed end

in its stony clutch a taper of black
virahxt w h burned with a quivering, WI
twasascene calculatedtotrythenerves of
the strongest man, and yet in the face of too
doctor neither curiosity nor fear was pg.
ceptible; it was as if he wore a ﬂeshy mask.
‘ Diamond» on are very near to
death.” said the center re.

“ theallowedto askwhat crimeth
committed!" the doctor replied.

“ You know before whom you stand!" <

:' Indeed I; do not." an r,

‘ Does no your own knowledge on that

“ It does not.” y

“Nor the crime that you have committed!”

“ I do not.”

“. liveordiedcpendaux your.
self alone. on stand bef0re the mail of
Three, the Headwaters of the White Band:

now you know who we are. and you know, too
whyNyou have been brought here.” ,

‘ o, anymore wrong: I do not know—.
an utterly and entirely in the dark.” .

“Thu pretended ignorance will not suit
you!” them in the shroud exclaiwr
tisntly. “We know that you are p <1
our secret. and we must be wasted in regard
totheusethatywilntcndwmakaofthat
knovivledge.” . .

“ assure ou,sir,youare nndera
great mistaze. I know aim nothing
whatever about on, or dour orphation,
mm m 23.2% no. h  "
answe , , 0 an idea
that the assertion would not b! lieved.

A

 
i
l .
l
l

   
Ill,
i

,'r
y
b

a “a... < 

4

“ We how better!” exclaimed the chief,
sternly. “You attended the death-bed of a
member of our band latel , and he, poor,
craven wretch, horriﬁed at t 0 near approach
of death, and terriﬁed at the prospects of- the
Hereafter which 'he was so near, thought to
make his peace with Heaven by betra 'ng the
secrets of his associates. He selects you as
the medium to communicate the facts to the
authorities, but we are better served than is
the superintendent of the police of New York.
“’e knew that we had been betrayed in twenty
minutes after the tale was told to you. At six
to-night the secret was conﬁded to your care,
at seven the traitor breathed his last, and by
that time we were fully prepared to meet the
consequences of his treachery. A watch was
placed upon you, and if you had attempted to
go directly to head-quarters to lay your infor-
mation before the police authorities—as no
doubt the traitor counseled you to do, for he as
well as any man living knew how far-reaching
are our arms and how extended our information
—you would never have been allowed to reach
Mulberry street alive. A desperate hand had
been selected. You would have been stricken
dead in the street with one well-directed blow,
and the newspapers would have had another
mysterious murder to chronicle. But on
doubtless thought that the morning woul do
as well as the night and that to—morrow you
would make the revelation which would destroy
the 'White Band, root and branch. You did
not act romptly, but we did, and the result is
that we old you a prisoner, and with death so
near that if you do not feel the cold breath of
the tin of Terr it is a wonder. ”

“ Wil ou pe it me a few words of expla-
nation?” t e doctor asked, slowly.

“Go on; when a man has so little time to talk
in this world, as you have, it would be a shame
to deny him speech.”

“Your information is not correct; I know
absolutely nothing in regard to your hand. I
did attend a dying man this afternoon and re-
mained with him until death placed a seal upon
his lips, and just before he died, he did conﬁde
a secret to me, but he never mentioned a sin le
word in regard to any secret organization. e
canmunication was made in a whisper, for he
had not strength to speak aloud; no ear but
mine could possibl have heard the words.
Your'my was dece ved; he imagined that the
dying man was conﬁding your secrets to me,
but it was not so. I swear to you that it is the
truth upon my honor as a man.”

“A very reasonable explanation,” observed
the shrouded chief with a nod; “ you will ex-
cuse me, though, if I ask for proof that this

is true?”

“ hat f can I give you!”

“ Re what the (1 ing man did say.”

The octor hesita for a few moments.

“ I cannot,” he said, at last, slowly but ﬁrmly.
“ It is aseeret, and I am bound by oath not to
deIMikiw,j i l h f hli

moo 'ng, eer ng aug came romt e
of the chief of the band. p“

I“ Oh, what a set of idiots you must take us
for!” he exclaimed. “ Do you think that for a
single instant we will believe this tale? Why,
man it is your life that is at stake l”

“ ad on the other hand my honor also.”

“ Bah! lost honor can be regained, but a life,
never!” '

~‘ A man without honor might as well bewith-
out life.”

All three of the disguised men shook their
heads in evident disap roval of this sentiment;
they did not a ree Wit it at all.

, “ You are sit or a very remarkable man or else
you are tr ing to play a huge ame of bluff
u n us,” the chief observed. “ at I tell you
w at it is, Doctor Diamond, take us how you
will, at any game, or in any wa , and you will
ﬁnd that we are a terrible har gang to beat.
We are not satisﬁed with your explanation and
do not believe that it is the truth. It is a 0 ever
dodge on your part, and the only thing that
you can do to convince us to the contrary is to
reveal to us this important secret which the
dying man conﬁded to you. Remember! it is a
question of life and death I” .

“I am bound by oath, and that oath I will
not break even to save my life!” answered Dia-

mond, ﬁring;
This her resolve did not imprem the three
very much, for they thought it was only a
or me on the part of the captive to escape.
e man on the right hand of the seated chief

‘now k0.

“ ost worshipr Lord of the Light,” he
said, with a low obsisanoe to the man in the
cantor, “ t not the prisoner avail himself
of the artic e in our charter which permits a
stra undsroertainoonditions to save him-
self rom any penalty that he may have in-
curred, either knowingly or unknowingly l"

“WelI thought Sword of Van nce,” said
the chief, appmvingly; “you will his spon-
‘ ’80:}; Wm.» .

“ He nesdss ssoondone; what cam Sword
(1th will you join your b in this
no ’

“1 viii,” responded the shrouded ﬁgure on

 
The Doctor Detective.

the left hand, with a most unmistakably ewish
accent, and as the doctor heard the voice be
compressed hiin s to avoid betraying himself,
for he was sure that he recognized the speaker.

The chief then again addressed the prisoner:

.“ As you have doubtless surmised, if you do
not know our secret as you assert, and as ou
surely are aware if you are in possession o it,
our society, which is known as the White
Band because, when we meet in council, we re—
semble
“‘A bailnd of spirits bright, all robed in spotless

w ite,

And conquering palms we bear,’
is essentially a benevolent organization, and
formed, primarily, to right the wrongs under
which the world at large really suffers. As you
are probably aware, being a student, the state
of things at present is radicall wrong. One
man hasan income of a thousan dollars a day,
and another man has absolutely nothing. Now,
as far as the members of our society are con-
cerned, we intend to right this really gigantic
wrongw Our process is an extremely simple
one. eﬁnd out some man who has 9. eat
deal more money than he is entitled to an we
relieve him of some of his surplus funds, dis-
tributing the money among our brotherhood.
You wil perceive that we strike at the very
root of the evil, without any foolish ﬁummery;
no noise—no publicity.”

“ But some trouble, sometimes,” observed the
doctor, very dryly.

“Oh yes; that is the history of all attempts
to radically change the course of existing af-
fairs: individuals must suffer, so that the pub-
lic atlarge may be beneﬁted. And now that
you know about our organization, you will be
prepared to decide in regard to this matter sug-
gested by my esteemed friends here. They
think that a man like your-elf would be a de-
sirable addition to our ranks, and that is my
opinion, too, for in your capacity as a medical
man you will be able to obtain information
which will be of great value to us. Not as you
are situated at present, though; you must come
out of your obscure quarters and take a resi-
dence up-town where you can obtain tients
worth having. It will require money, 0 course
to set you up in the proper style, but we will
attend to that. How does the idea strike you?”

“In plain words you wish me to join your
band, which, I take it, is an or nization of rob-
bers felons and possibly mu erers.”

“ We never use violence if we can help it,
but if we happen to be so unfortunate as to be
cornered, why then, of course self-cgeservation
is the ﬁrst law of nature,” {he of replied,

cooll . .

“Iy am afraid I shall have to decline. I am
not of a covetous nature; I am content with my
present position and the income which it pro-
duces, and I do not care to become connected
with your scheme which, to my mind offers
more chances for the State Prison and the hal-
ter than an thing else.” .

“Do not ecide rashly,” cautioned the other;
“it is life that you are refusing.” .

“I am a fatalist,” the doctor replied, With
cold disdain. “ What is to be will be. If I am
fated to die by your hands, why, it is my des—
tiny and I cannot avoid it.’

“Two chances for life you have; make us
certain that you do not know our secret, by re-
vealing the one which y,you say was intrusted to
you, ‘or join our band.

“Neither the one nor the other.”

“ Then death waits for you-a horrid, linger-
ing death, ten tunes worse than the rope of the
hangman can give.”

The chief arose from his seat and lucked of!
the black cloth which covered the o ject upon
which he had sat, and, as the doctor had sus-
pected, it was a coffin—bu- "-:ch 9. comn, it was
safe to say, as the eye of . .ml had never looked
upon before. It was no common stuff, no rose—
wood casket, but made of solid old, and
richl ornamented with precious nes. In
itsel it represented a fortune, and even the
calm and immobile doctor stared as the cloth
was pulled aside and the wonderful thing re-
vealed in all its richness.

“ Well, how does this strike you?” questioned
the shrouded chief. “You see in one res .t
we intend to usher you into the other wor d in
aﬁrst-classmanner. Your funeral won’t amount
to much, but when it comes to the coffin, we
challenge the world to produce its who

ptian king, no monarch of golden- .ng
A rica, or jewel-laden Asia everhsd its like,
even countin back to the days of Prester John
with all its abulous wealth. And yo tomb,
too, will be on the same magniﬁcent e. Oh,
lwelders going to ‘plant’ you splendidly. Be-

0 i’

The :peaker stamped his foot and, right in
front 0 the spot where the cofﬁn _ , in the
dark. damp ground, a circular cavity, about
ten feet in diameter, up It seemed like
a gigantic. well-hole.

‘ in the golden cofﬁn you will be buried alive,
there l” exclaimed the master-spirit of thisse-
cret band. pointin with
into the horrible vo that seemed like the en-

 
outstretched ﬁnger ,

 
“And on will doom me, astran rto you,
a man w 0 never harmed you in t 0 least, to
this awful death!” the doctor asked, signs of"
stron emotion appearing on his countenance.

“ es, and our vengeance will pursue you be—
yond the grave, for, after on are dead, we will
sell your body to the s r'eons to be backed
with sharp knives, as you oubtless have hacked
others’ bodies many a. time.”

“ Will you grant me one last nest!”

“ Yes, so lon as you do not as for life, or
forius”n0t to se your body after the life is out
of t.

CHAPTER IV.
'1‘ n E R E Q U E s 'r .

OH, have no fear on that score. I am not
likely to waste words in asking for that which I
am sure on will not grant, and as for this poor
mortal s ell what care I what becomes of it
after the life is gone? As well may it be used
to enli hten my fellow-men as to rest in the
earth, ood for worms.

The chief of the mysterious White Band was
about as cool a hand as could readily be found,
but now, for the ﬁrst time in his life—and that
life embraced a career which the n of ﬁction-
could not hope to rival in wild venture—he
was forced to admit that, in the doctor he had-
met a man who was more than his equal in
nerve. If he had been placed in the captive’s
position, he knew that he would not have faced
peath so coolly, for life was ver sweet indeed
to him, and he would have strugg ed desperately
to have preserved it.

And yet, great as was the doctor’s courage, it.
did not inspire any sentiment of pity in the
breast of the masked man. On the contrary,'he
felt a powerful desire to put the other out of
the way; some subtle instinct seemed to warn
the chief of the league that the helpless captive
in the future might do him much harm if he was-
permitted to live.

The feelin was only a. sort of vague presenti—
ment, but t e man was a ﬁrm believer in that
sort of thing, and would not go contrary to
these m sterious warnings.

“ We , what is your reguest?”

“ You desire my death.

“ You must die for our safety.”

“B’s that as it may, the statement is cor-

“ It is.” '

“And so long as Iam laced in the lden
comn and lowered into t is well-hole w ich I
presume it is. you do not care how Icometo
my death whether suddenly or in long and line
gerin ering?”

“ o, I do not see as it does make much of
any difference; I suppose you" want us to
you outright?”

“No, but I desires less gainful death than
the one which you propose 've me. I have
in my medicine-case a small a] of an almost
unknown poison. Itisfrom India and is only
known to the natives of that Ian . Its action
is speedy and the sensation not unpleasant, so it
is said. It produces sleep, and from the sleep
the 'prta ker wakes in death. It was given me
by an old sea-captain whose life I was fortn-
nate enough to save in a severe attack of yellow
fever: He had come straight from India, and
apative doctor. whom he had befriended, gave
him this potent stuﬂ, sa ing that if he evar
had an enemy whom he esired to kill without
detection. the contents of the vial would enable
him to accom lish it, and that, how the deed
was commit would never be discovered by
any Christian doctor; and that when the potion
was once administered there was absolutely no
cure, and that death must ensue. The captain
took it to please the man, and got rid of it at the
ﬁrst opportunity, for he had no use for such
dangerous stuff. He gave it to me to experi-
ment ugon. ”

,“ An now you propose to try it upon your—

self?

“Yes, with your permimion.”

A sudden suspicion ﬂashed into the brain of
the arch-plotter. The coolness bf the captive
seemed unnatural' was this poison businem a
device to escape eathi It might bea sim le,

werful narcotic which would throw Kim
nto a stupor so closely resemblin death that
it would pass for death itself, an then when
he came into the hands of the medical men the
cheat would be detected, restoratives ap lied
atnd they ven eancle3 frustrated. If this wigs so
i won exp 'n t e coolness of the
but at the same time it showed them
wonderful nerve. ’

“ Where is this vial!”

“ In my medicine-case, in the breast-pocket of
m coat. ’

e chief at once himmlf of the
case. Inordertodo is,ofoourse he had to
game ingtcetetgose to the capthiuve. i'he doctor

en e a ve swee t peculiar r-
hime which seemedryto comet, tram the ot er.
Immediately the idea presented itself that. if by

any lucky accident he should to 08mm
from his present peril. and should it into his
head to hunt down the men who composed the

secret hand, this peculiar perfume would has.

trance to the lower world where Satan reigns very good clew by which to identify this an,

supreme.

who, it was clear, was no common rufﬁan.

 
Mr...

*0

Q»

 
The Doctor Detective.

5

 
The leather medicine-case contained a quan-
tity_of little vials, more or less ﬁlled with
m

“ Which one of these is iti'

“ The square one.”

The masked man had selected this as contain-
ing the d . becauseit was such a e, odd-
ihaped bout e, and so entirely different rom all
the others in the case.

“ This is the one i” and he held it up.

“It is.”

The chief then examined the contents of the
bottle with a great deal of curiosity, as did also
the other two.

Apparently it .only contained a small quan-
tity of salt, about as much as would he on the
small blade of a common n-kmfe.

The chief ancorked the ttle and smelt of it,
but there was absoluwa no scent to it.

“ This is a humbng—nothing but salt.”

“ It  to be dissolved in water and then

“ All of it dissolved?”

“I cannot tell that, although the captain told
me that the native who ve it to him said
there was enough poison 1n the vial to kill a
dozen men.”

“I doubt it!" exclaimed the chief. “It is a

humb !” Then he poured a little of the stud
out in is hand and applied his tongue to it
much to the wonder of his associates, who would

not have risked the test for a good sum of

mono .

“ ltyis not salt.” he said, taking t care to
spit out the stuﬂ after tasting it; “it has an
acrid, bitter taste, but I doubt very much if
there is any virtue in it. I have heard these
tales of the India poisons before, but I never
met anybody who really knew anything about
them. But, if you wantto experimant on your-
self, I don’t see an objection, do you, gentle-
men?” a he edtothe two othershrouded

men.
They shook their heads in the negative.
h‘e‘nA’glase of water for our esteemed friend,
t _ .

The water was brought.

“ Shall I pour the whole of this precious mix-
ture into the lass?”

“ If you be so kind.” The prisoner could
not be more polite if the masked man had been
his bosom friend instead of his exemtioner.

The salt~like substance dissolved almost in-
stantly and left no trace whatever of its being:
the water was as pure as though it had not been
tam red with. .

“ yJove!" the white chief muttered, “ if this
stuﬁ' is good for anything what a terrible wea-
pon it would be; but I do not credit it. If there
was anything in it, the Europeans won d have
wrung the secret from the natives long ago.
Well, are you ready 1” he asked, turning to the
captive.

‘ Quite ready."

The chief held the e(glass to the lips of the
prisoner and he drain it dry.

“ Any taste?” curiously queried the mask.

" None in the least.”

“ And the effect?”

“ I do not feel an .”

“Bahl I knew tlZat it was a humbugl” but
for all the repeated declaration the disguised
man looked at the captive in a way which
seemed to imply that he was not so certain of
this int as he pretended tobe.

“ lpgegin to feel a slight sensation of drowsi-
ness now,” the prisoner remarked.

“ If it is like other isons, and there was .en.
ough in the vial to k' l a dozen men, you have
an over-dose and it may not produce the desired
eﬂeet ” the chief su .

“That holds with certain dru
with others the greater the quantity ta
quicker and more certain the death.”

“ Well, this is certainly not a very quick
one.

“ No, so it is said, and therefore is it so dan
gerous—so desirable a weapon in the hands of
one who desires to strike down a foe and yet
does not wish to have his agency in the matter
suspected It produces sleep, temporary in-
aensi lity, followed by total, and it leaves ab-
solute y no trace behind by the aid of which
science can detect the cause of death. "

“ How you will bother the medical men,
then, when they commenceto operate on you!
the chief observed, with a chuckle. “The will
slice you open, examine your interior a then
throw up their hands with wonder. ‘Of what
dm did this man diel’ they will cry. ‘ He is
in gerfect health; no si s of violence, and
oug t, in the course of stars to have lived
thirt or forty years more.’ Why, it will be a,
ten ys’ wonder!”

The captive surveyed the speaker with calm
attentionas he uttered this brutal speech; was
this man a demon thus to gloat over his victim?
andthen. inthe heart of the doctor swelled a
wild desire: heprayed that the hand of Provi-
dance might interpose and m sine miraculous
way aid him to escape from the seemingly cer~
tain death that threatened, so that be m t

on];
nte

hksupon himself the role of an avenger. e
wowed that, if Heaven answered the yer, he
would devotealltherestof his life bun

dawn and exterminating every member of

l

 
mysterious White Band from the tent, pow-
erful chief down to the humblest f0 lower.

“ We must put you in your little bed,” the
shrouded man continued. “ We can’t wait
here all night for the drug to operate, but down
in the pit you will be all quiet and sung; no one
will disturb you and you will be able to watch
the workings of this mysterious stuff from ‘ far-
ther Ind’ with care and attention—that is, if it
does work, which I doubt. You are ing
down some distance. This hole was dug or a
well but after going down ﬁft feet without
striking water the parties got sic of their work
and vs it up, so on see you will have a tomb
whic ’ cannot ﬁnd its fellow. To work, gentle-
men.’

Unresistingly the doctor suﬂered himself to
be placed in the lden cofﬁn, the lid, which
was so heavy that t took the combined strength
of the three men to lift it, was put in its place.
No need to fasten it down, for no person con-
ﬁned within the narrow limits could have
budged.

Then by means of a skillful arrangement of
pulleys and ropes, the massive weight was low-
ered into the deep well—hole. Down—down it
went into the region of eternal night.

The man was buried alive, and the task was
as completely performed as though so many
feet of solid earth, instead of air, rested upon
the golden comn.

CHAPTER V.

nornnouss 15 rum.

in with the doctor the boy had
for a ew minutes over the situation.
I better go to roost,” he said, after
thinking about the matter. “I can’t do the
any good b loaﬁn’ around the entry all nig t,
and if she s ould bagpen to want me she knows
where to ﬁnd me. at where in thunder did
she raise all that money? Why, she had a
hunk of bills as bi as m ﬁst—must have been
most a hundred do lars t ere, and I know that
she give me the last ten cents that she had for
medicine jest afore I went after the Doc.
Well, it jest beats me, that’s what it does.”

The boy shook his head in a solemn manner
as he marched off to his “ roost.”

In the great city are many strange habita-
tions—many odd sleeping-places, but is is safe
to assert that, search the metropolis over, from
the Battery to Harlem river, a more singular
bedchamber than that Occupied by the boy
could not have been found.

The old rookery in which the mother and
dau hter resided was no modern-built tene-
men -house; on the contrary it was a dilapi-
dated old wooden building, two story and an
attic high, which, in all probability, was a. hun-
dred years old; at any rate, so old that no one

in the neighborhood could tell when it had been ‘

erected.

Under the house was a cavity, about six feet
deep which had once been a cellar, but that
was long ago. The stairs leading down into it
had been appropriated by poverty-stricken
tenants for ﬁrewood, and the agent then had the
cellar entrance boarded up, and so the cellar,
like the history of the house, vanished into the
darkness of obscurity. '

But the street rat, resembling his prototype
of the sewer, was keen on the scent, and in
some mysterious way he 0t an idea that there
was a sort of cellar under e building, and when
winter came on and the nights e too cold
'to allow him to sleep with comfort in his usual
resorts, the old wagons standing in the streets—

the empty coal box of the Dutch oceryman
at the corner—the rear entryway 0 some tene-
ment-house, where he was not 1 kel to be dis-

turbed by inquisitive ‘and med ng “ cops,”
the youn gamin set outto ﬁnd some more com-
fortable bunking” lace.

e, there was e ﬁve-cent lodging-house
down-town expressly for the accommodation
of all such homeless lads, but ﬁve cents to Hep-
ger rass was quite a large sum of money mu -

plied b seven it made thirty-ﬁve, and thirty-
ﬁve m tiplied by ﬁfty-two was eighteen dol-
lars and twenty cents; and so, in one ear’s
time, by saving the price of a lodging, an put-
ting the money in the bank, he would have
enough to buy a stationary news-stand, one of
those crosses between a small house and a b
box, which, by the kindness of a storekeeper,
permitted to occupy an eligible position on the
sidewalk. In such a shanty there could be a
small stove, a bunk under the counter, and thus
real, solid comfort could be enjoyed. To begs
sole proprietor of such an elaborate establ' -
ment was the great desire of the boy’s heart,
and, young as he was, he had alread learned
the truth, which the majorit of 111 'nd live
and die without knowing—t t it is not what
you ct, but the sum you save, that makes
wealigi in this world.

The idea of the “ dog-house,” as the boy com-
monly termed the newspaper shanty aforesaid,
realized. a newsgaper route and an assortment
of candies fort 0 young patrons, and tobacco
and, cigars fer the older ones, could easily be
gilded,  then the high road to fortune would

reac .
Smile. not, reader, at the da '-dream of the
lad, norlooku'ponitasanidledzeamﬂor many

 
a man who now counts his gains by thousands
commenced in just such a small way.

So, to gain his object the boy knew of but one
course to follow, and that was to save eve
cent be possibly could until he had enough ca -
tal to purchase the dog-house.

He must have some comfortable place to 31
ixio the winteil‘1 time.“1 In the summela; he con1f told t
a an ere; t to expose 'mse
likeulﬁiootrzrf freezing to death would upset his
golden dream altogether.

In the rear of the old building was a diminu-
tive yard a small window there, low down in
the side of the house had once admitted light to
the cellar, but the glass had vanished long ago,
and a board had been roughly nailed u toclose
the hole; as the cellar was not used, ht was
noglwanted. had f rcedth board d

oppergrass o e away an

had explored the cellar. As it had happened
the shed which had been built for the innate
of the house to store their wood and coal

was placed almost directly in front of this

window, and there was a narrow way, left by
the carelessness of the ters who con-
structed the shed between it and the fence
which separated this ard from the next one
3ndthispassage, whic led directlyto thawin-

ow. -

After makin the discovery that there was a
cellarfundeiiotl e househ, anall tuba;y it woule an;
swer or a ging-p ce, t e rep
board carefully and was very 'cnlar never
to go near the in the dayt . The secret
wastoovalualetoshareit th anyone.
There were always lenty of " bummers hang-
ing around the co worthleu, drunken, home-
less wretches who would have been only too
glad to get into such a capital sleeping-place.
and the boy well know that, if the existence of
the lace was discovered some one of these
glrunkenruﬁlanswould besuretodisposam

m.
The secret, though, was not betrayed, for no
one was likelv to squeeze between the shed and
the fence to examine the side of the house unless
he, Hoppergrass, was noticed ta that road;
hence the boy was very careful on t is score.
In the cellar he had arranged a most excellent
“ roosting- lace.” There was a break in the
tone foun ation in the rear of the cellar, evi-

dentiy left at the time when the house was -

built for the purpose of affording a rar pas~
sage, but the design had never been carried out
Into the solid wall of dirt that ﬁlled up the
opening the boy had tunneled, working at night
by Candle-light, and taking particular care to
be as uiet asa mouse in the operation. He dig:
out a 'ttle sort of cave, the bottom of wbi
was about a yard higher than the level of the
cellar, which in the time of heavy rains might
become wet, and therefore very unpleasant or
high once in awhile; h bout  bi
e , w 1c was a a ya

and will): by Ewo yards long, he ﬁlled completeaﬁ
with straw, carrying it in by night in em ‘
quantities, and when the winter blasts bler
keen the boy would crawl into his snug hole,
curl himself up in his strawend sleep as warm
.as toast.

The idea was a great success, and the lad
envied no one on earth when it came to sleeping
accommodations; as a general mlegten minutes
after he was in his cubby-hole, he was in the
arms of Morpheus, but on this 111 ht he did not
fall asleap as usual. The—to h —enormons
roll of b s which the girl took from her bosom
astonished him, and he could not undersund in
the least where she could have obtained the
money, knowing as he did that,- since h-‘r
mother’s illness, and her inability to do much
work on account of attending to her er.
she had pawned everythlugdslzed had upon

which the wnbroker won vanes any
moneyino erto rocurefood Amedidne.
“ A hundred do " he muttered, dreamily,

asheclosed hiseyesatlast; "mehbe mose’n a
Em, mebbe a thousand. Gosh! what a

At last sleep came, and in his sleep be dreamed
of the weaalth which the girl had so unexpectedly
3y
ewas u bri ht and earl inthe morning
f" in mimic. 13:", “3° has: a.“
e t e as !
ird catches the worm  -
He hadmade up his mind thatit wastoo
earl fol- himto call upon Miss Eldon,asshe
o d not probably like to be after
gwgtand tfil which she hag giggly encoun-
as e passed throng enn-ywa
ofthehousehe was so risedto seethedooroyf

e apartment, which 0 land her mother
occuped.wideo‘penand Mulcarth ,the
Celtic lad who ved , standing the
center of e room, loo. around herwith a
great deal of satufaction, but the living girl
and the dead mother were gone!

“ Hello, where’s the gal and the wow!” the
boygechged. astonishment. ‘

‘ 3’ zone.

“Gonewheref”

“How should I knowt Do yethink that the
likes of me would be after inquirin into" the
pix-{vats basins. of me no boat ’11: a lady

‘ heveyetok'ncw,an’l ers demauem

\

 
W .g..._._._._..

.6 '  ' ,._T_héP<>9t<'>LI‘>9te°tirs-‘ '

 
.‘.

-" arr-us, :ﬁtxwmyn a; «Anna—4.:

ﬁdu‘a.  2.-

ns sich, an’ axes no impetent questions, do ye I

mind 5"

"h at the old woman was dead—she died last 
t!

nig .. ,

‘Is it possible! Well, now, e r’ally astonish 5
me; but, now that I put me synind to it, I re- ‘
mimber that I didn’t see her this morning. It
was about ten minutes ago that the young lady
came and knock at me dure. ‘ The top of the
morning to ye,’ she sed, whin I answered the
knock; I do be afther goin’ away an’ I’m not
coming back ag’in, an’ as ye have been very
kind to me mother an’ meself would ye be after
not feelin oﬂended if I made ye a risent of
the few t i s in the roomsl’ ‘Go knows I
wouldn’t,’s I, glad enough to get the laste
taste of anything these hard times, ‘but I’ll
take .them an’ thank ye kindly, too.’ ‘Ye’r
quite -welkim,’ she sed, ‘an’ I wish that they
was more for yees.’ ‘Don’t sa a wourd,’ sed
I. ‘the smallest favors thank w received.’
‘ Good-by.’ sed she. “Good-by,’ I, an’, away
she Wint.”

“ Crackey! I wish that I had a-seen her I” the
boy exclaimed, evidently disappointed.

“ Oh, musha!” cried the woman suddenly.
“ Share me head is upside down an’ I’ve lost me
mimory intirelyl Here’s a letther that she was
afther Paving for yees, Master Hoppergrass,”
and with a great deal of di ity she produced
the letter from the pocket of er own.

Tue boy opened it eagerly, an a ten-dollar
bill dropped on and ﬂat red to the floor.

“Oh tare an ’oundsl will ye look at that!”
Mrs. ulcarthy cried. . .

The boy picked up the money and then read
the brief note that accompaniedit:

“Pay the doctor and keep the change for {gur-
self as a alight reward for your many acts of ad-
ness. Your friend, Duns Ewes.”

He read it aloud, and. great was Mrs. Mul-
carth ’s astonishment.

“T dollars to yees an’ the things to me!
Has she come inter a fortune, do e think i”

“ Gosh] if I ain’t a-going to fin her!” and the
boy raced madly out into the court.

 
CHAPTER VI.
was naLIvnaY.

For. ﬁve do a the golden cofﬁn, like the fa-
mous one of omet, renowned in story, hung
between heaven and earth.

Five days of lingeringhtorture, if the sus-

icion that the disguised c ief of the league en-
liertained was true that is, that the drug was
worthless. I And, oh, what pen could do ict the
agony that a helpless human being woul suffer
s at 11 What mattered it that

when the lid was lowered upon the coma to

l thrust the ends of the rope with which his

wrists were tied in between the cover and the
box so that the lid could not come down uare
and tight. By this maneuver a fair supp y of
air was assured. _

The chief, ever sus icious, was alarmed when
he discovered this, w ich he did before the lid
was removed, but when with great exertions,
the heavy weight was lifted off, there, in the
golden coﬂln lay the victim safe enough; cold
and still, and, et his death had not, apparentl ,
beenapainfu one, for his face was not in t e
least distorted, as it surely would have been if
he had died in dreadful agony. Indeed, as he
lay in the coﬂln he did not 00 like one cold in
the embrace of death, but rather like a may en-
joying a pleasant sleep whom a touch would
waken in an instant.

So perfect was the illusion that the chief
reached out his hand and touched his cheek,
but no warm‘ ﬂush of life did he feel; only the
cold clamminess that told of death.

Iron-nervod as he was, the touch made him
shudder, for the sensation he experienced was

entirely unex : the bod was as cold as ‘
thou h it had mept u on 

“ e’s dead, sure enoug , eh, captain?” quoth
one of the band.

“Oh, yes: there isn’t much doubt about it,
although he may be in a trance,” and the
speaker looked at the cofﬁn and its contents
ver suspiciously.I

or reasons w ch he could not explain the
man had taken a great dislike to the stranger
whom'he made his victim. Dislike was
hardl the word for it either, for he not only
expe enced aversion ut fear; some instinct
seemed to warn him that the doctor’s star was
destined to exert an evil inﬂuence over his own,
and even now that the man lay before him,
motionless in death’s clutches, powerlem for
either or evil, still the sentiment of fear
lin ere in the mind of, the executioner. The
lifeﬁike appearance of the victim puzzled him,
and he knew not how to account for it. He
had seen a great man dead men in his time,
but never one that loo ed like this.

Then to his mind came the memory of the
drug which he had permitted the man to take,
and he was half-inclined to curse his folly at
yielding to the request. Instead of a'poison it
might be that it was a werful narcotic which
would produce a dea h-like sleep, and from
which, after a la of time, the partaker would
wake to life again, unharmed.

“I have read of such a th a hundred
times,” he muttered to himself, as e gased with
doubtful eyes upon the strongly-marked and

on our hands, and the police hounded the men
who did the job so that they couldn’t pick up
a decent livinghdrcve them on to the country,
and in ‘crackmg ’ that house down on the share
the got a belly ul of shot instead of plunder,
an so we lost the best two men in our band.
Then there was the scheme to flood Euro with
forged notes: the whole thing goes right to
smash at the very beginning, before our agents
could get a chance to do a-atroke of work, and
the result will be that instead of pullibgg ina
bushel of money our men will be nab , and
we shall be obliged to raise five or ten thousand
dollars for their trial, and to get them out of
jail afterward, for they are certain to be con-
victed.”

A general chorus of exclamations of regret
came from the members of the band at this an»
nouncement, for all understood that this meant
short commons for them for some time, unless
they ha Seized to strike in on some rich lead,
which i not seem to be very probable just at
present.

From the foregoin remarks the reader will
understand that the hite Band was about as

werful an association of ruﬁlans as had ever

u banded together. Headed by a man who
really had a wonderful genius for organizing
and directing such a league, and comprising
about all the rascals of note in the country,
most of the great crimes of the past few years
could be traced directly to them.

Body-snatching for a ransom; kidnap
children and beautiful girls for the same 0 act;
threatening the latter with a fateworae than
death if their friends did not come do with
the money demanded as the price of elrre—
lease. Hence it can be understood wh such
men, with so many crimes upon their eada
should be so eager to take vengeance upon the
man whom the believad to be in on of
the secret of eir league, why they should be
determined at any cost to stop his mouth so that
he should not reveal the knowledge which he
had ined to the world. They believed that
their ’ves depended upon their speedy and de-'
cisive action.

 
About ten o’clock that night an exﬁres
wagon drove u to the door of a pretty 'ttle
cottage situa closeto the banks of the Bar-
lem riuver in one of the upper wards of the me-
tro s. ‘

he plate attached to the door of the house
bore the name of Daniel Doramus.

The drmpgg the we tara‘rgigegis tlwo com-
perilous out a a 0 box

rom the wagon, then rung the hell. '1‘

The owner appeared.

in such a l
a u it waspmade of gollli Leador iron. would not resolute-lookin face of Diamon “But it is . C O. D. two hundred dollars,” said the
I have been worse. not possible! have asked medical men and driver.

1v." 

' the ﬁve da s at fr uent interv ‘
Wyhi ‘k'

they all say that no such drug exists, but it
thou , eastern

“All right; carry the box u so, I can

 
. the man rs of the to Ban had stolen into may, for all that, for these far see the contents,” replied the owner of the cot-
. the damp vault and had peered curiously down climes, wit all their apparent. barbarism, pos- 

_, . to the well-hole. They had an idea that they seas some secrets that we, With 'our boasted nd so the body was delivered.

39, ht hear shrieka, pra ers and curses rising knowl ehave never succeededinpenetrating. _

 mthe depths of the my abyss, so that a Shall I e my knife and with one vigorous

. , er, not knowin source of the noise blow make sure that he will never waken to life CHAPTER VII.

 
lusty:

a v»;

a.
I:
la

if
if:

- hastened to remove th

e
wou be apt to imagﬁie that the pit led 
to the infernal ons and that the despai
criescamefromt e unhappysoula con smalls
to everlasting torments.

But not a sound rose free: the hole during the
whole of In five days—that is, as far as any
member of the band knew, and they kept

,canfal water:1 too; not even a groan of
ortheﬂn or asthebodyparted
its soul mate to the hearigg.

The chief, however, explain the matter
mamably enough. Be it noted that one and

of the band scented the idea of the poison;
thatale wasaltogethar too to h for their be-
lief. He reasoned that the weig t of the cofﬁn-
Iid. I’m uare and true upon the box he-
neath, moat entirely cut oi! the su ly of
air, and than what air di reach the imp ned
man must be full of the foul vapors that were
in the depths of the pit, and whose existence
could be distinctly discerned by any one who
took the trouble to lean over the and sniff
at the air which rose from it. I the risoner
had had free acce- to the air—all that e could
breathe—in a Very short time, indeed, the me-
phitic vapors must have exerted their unwhole-
meinﬂuenceu nhim. So the leader of the
White Band exp ained to his followers that it
was not strange no sound ascended from the
hole, insanuch as the man had, in all proba-
bility, been allocated in a very short time af-
ter being lowered into the gloomy depths.

At the end of ﬁve days the chief, satisﬁed
that the spy, who had b accident learned the
terrible secret which brOught him into the

latches of the masked mm, was powerlem now
for either 00d or evil, gave orders to have the
eoﬂn he up again.

Once more he ddmcaMmetoearth and
was deposited in ts former position.

With eager hands the members of the band

. 0 id, anxious to look
upon their victim.

But when they came to 5 this work they
nmis a discovery that greatly alarmed them

 
in?”
or cite a while he pondered over the ques-
tion. 0 use the knife would be to make sure
of the victim, but then he would lose the sum
which he was to receive for the bod ,and it
was a pretty large one, too, for he be secured
a ilrstclass customer—«an odd, eccentric old
physician, who for such a “subject” as this
one, had agreed to y a really extraordinary
price. No respectab e hysician would accept
the body of a murdere man.
But, while he was debatin this weighty sub-
ﬁct in his mind, aaudden dea came to him.
ven if the man was in a trance, it was so much
like death that the doctor would be retty cer-
tain in his eagerness to examine e case, to
use his knife, and so death would come, any-

wa .

'this thoughtgecided the chief at once. Two
hundred do was the sum which had been
agreed u n. and that, even to the powerful
leader 0 the White Band, was an acceptable

sum.

“Get the  ready and dump him in,” he
commanded. We will get our ucats for this
one, although we did miss it on the old ‘ stif!’
that we went to so much trouble about.”

“Yes, curse the luck l” growled one of the
gan , a b , burly fellow, who was pla ing a
mos pro nent part in the operation 0 stow-
ing the body away in the bag which had been
brought. ‘ Who would have thought that
rich coves like them with all their millions,
would squeal at forkl over a hundred thou-
sand or so for the ‘sti ’of the old man, and
then they could have stuck it in the gay old
tomb that they fixed for him down in the
country.”

“Yes, it seemed asurething. If Ihada’t
thought so, I wouldn‘t have run the risk and
gone to the trouble we did. But, these rich

uffers are a set of hogs' all they care for is
their money-bags,” the ch ef remarked, sourly.
‘ If you have noticed, boys, all these big schemes
of ours have turned out . There was the

 
THE SAVANTi.

Docron Damn Donna's was about as well-
known as any man in New York. In his day he
had had one of the best practices in the city
had amassed a large fortune, then had retired
from active busine- to enjoy himself in his fle
vorite pursuits. '

The doctor was a remarkable-looking man,
beingfullysixfem nut in dgure,more
bones than ﬂesh, aspac and having

rominent features, large

nes, but small y
enormously rotruﬁrnline ebrows, and the face
being fri with an (Lipeudent pair of iron-
grayw' era, each particular hairof which
seemed to assert its individuality. above the
others by detaching itself from its fellows and

straith out, it gave him a close resent-
blance to an enormous gray monks .

For some five years—in fact ever since re»
tirement, Mr. Doramus had devoted himself to
a number of ex ‘menta, for he could not con-
tent himself With a life of idleness; finally he
had concentrated all his efforts upon (in-algo-
ticular object. Day and ni ht he had led
and toiled, and now, at last, fancied that he
was on the eve of success. All he lacked was a
“ subject " to experiment upon. Now, to a med—
ical man who knew the “ropes” as well 88 the
old doctor, to procure a “subject” was not a
difllcult matter, for medical colleges must be
supplied and, although the law is supHoeed to
be strict upon this matter, yet it is awe known
fact that students of the ‘ saw-bone trade ” do
not suffer for want of opportunities to experi»
ment “ on the human form divine.”

The doctor knew exactly where to , but to
procure the article he wanted was d cult, for
no common subiect, such as usually gave satia-
faction to the ‘trade,” would do for him: he
wanted an A No. 1 article, and to procure Itch
he was obliged to y the rather sail figure
which the “ghouls demanded.

The washisatlast,thou ;itwasssfely

l. - i at ﬁrst. The prisoner. whether by amident or boy business that we calcula would pan out deposi on the marble to in his sissy
z, u. 2; .  mum.» no on: could say with any do ten to twenty thousand do and n‘ary adime stretched out on its back, ready for the expert--
,-. ’ pm of out... ts'  inch is me), had-contrived did we ever get out of it. he youngstardied meat. .

cum...
-9, .. .

£313.

‘~

'

nose cheek- .
eyes, hid underneath

“.4.

yi‘ﬁ

7

 
\‘

The old gentleman had cast only a casual
glance at the body—dust enough to assure him-
self that the “ m ’ were up to the mark, and
exactly as had re resented, before he paid ,
over the money to the ‘ expressman,” and now,'
after the men had departed, be buried up-
stairs, ea er to take a. good look at his cadaver.

Everyt ing was in readiness; the glittering
knives, upon which the bright beams of the gas—
light danced, were upon the marble-top table
by the side of the bod , ﬂanked on eac side b
large and curiously-s ped bottles ﬁlled wit
colored 1i uids.

he was covered by a dark cloth; all
that could lie distin uished of it was the out-
lineshof the mortal remains that repoaed be
neat . A

In a great hurry the old gentleman stripped
of! his coat and rolled his shirt sleeves up to the
elbow, barin both arms.

Then, wit really feverish impatien he
stripped the cloth from the body and p ed
to examine his rise with critical eyes.

“S lendid!” e exclaimed, with true profes-
siona ardor. “Magniﬁcent! The fellows did
not lie, after all! It is well worth the money
It is really a shame, though, that I am to have
all thisto myself By rights I should have a.
colleague here. Let me see! Who is there that I
can get at to-night who would be apt to enjoy
such an opportunity as this i” And the old sur-
geon meditatod over the matter, and deliberated
as an e icure would deliberate before sending
out inv1tations for a feast which promised to be
ﬁt for an emperor’s en 'oyment.

“ I can’t think of a single soul I would care to
have. I must go on by myself, then, but it is
really almost as bad as for a man to sit down
and get drunk in solitude.”

Then there came a quick ring at the door-bell.

“Hallo hallo l” cried the old gentleman, be-

coming a ittle alarmed immediately. “I hope
that isn’t the lice! It would be awkward if
the scoundrels ve blundered and brought the
omcers down upon me 3”

Such a thin had he once and a deal
of money it cost the octor to hush up the
matter.

He stole cautiously to the front room-.the
study was a back room on the second ﬂoor—and
raising the window cautiously peered out.

The alarm was a groundless one; a sin le old
gentleman, with snow-white hair, that railed

own upon his shoulders, and a very long white
heard, with a valise in his hand stood on the
stoo .

Tlllre was something about him that seemed
familiar—somethin in the face and re, and
yet the doctor coul not place him. e called
out:

“ What is it, sir! What do on require!"

“ Ah, is that you, Daniel ’ asked the old
man, looking up so that the doctor could get a
good view of his face.

The voice the doctor recognised immediately,
for voices do not change like faces and ﬁgures.
The huge beard and long hair had disguised the
one—an acquired stoutness the other.

But, now that he had spoken, the doctor
knew him at once. It was his old chum at
college his partner when he had ﬁrst com-
mon to practice, his warm and steadfast
friend of later years. Gayaway Philcard, a
student and a scholar a man who had both the
theory and the practice of medicine at his 11,.
gers’ ends.

“ Bless my soul! is that you. Gayawayr' the
doctor exclaimed in astonishment. For over
ten ears the old ntleman had neither not
nor card of his ol friend, but now, at the very
moment when he was wishing for a chum to en-

oy with him the rich professional treat which
was before him, u springs the man, above
all men, who d enjoy such a thing. It
reall seemedasif hehadcomeinobedienceto
the r‘s wish.

The d r hurried down-stairs and admitted
his visitor, whom he greeted in the warmest
manner.

' ‘_‘ Where on earth have you kept yourself for
this a of” he exclaimed, as he conducted the
guest nto the sitting-room, and amisted him to
remove his outward wra ings.

“gen, cIlhave made '13.. tour around the
wor , an on my way, ofcourse, I came
through India, and b the favor of one of the
native rinces whom succeeded in curing of a
s ht luess, I was put in the way of ﬁnding
ou some things that few mm ever
kno u.”

“ ell—well—well!” exclaimed the old doc-
tor his professional feelings at once aroused.
and he s ook his head as he looked down with
envious eyes at his old friend. ’

“ Yes, nothing would this prince be mugged
with but for me to o with him as his court

hysician, and as e kingdom over which
lie ruled was awa iu/the interior, in a district
l"‘.!'(‘l v visited by urppeans—all white men are
Europeans there, you know—I accepted the
pcst, I was anxious to see this almost unknown
enuntry with its many wonderful plank pos-
sessing fa virtues, after the o d story of
the Peruvian hark youvknow; and then, too, I
wanted to see the of the region on their

 
I native heaths, and see how they compared with

The Doctor Detective.

 
us outside barbarians. Well, tobe brief,‘I spent
eight years with this rince; I learnt the lan-
guage so that I coul speak it like a native
wore the dress common to the clime, and

for a native with one and all, except a few who
knew my secret.”

“And you encountered the native doctors—
you learnt all about these marvelous plants, eh?
and did you make any valuable discoveries?" ex~
claimed the old doctor, on the tip-toe of expec-
tation.

“ I’Vell, no, nothing to speak of. I have a few
decoctions that will be useful in the same line
as the Peruvian bark, for malarial fevers.
That being a country where malaria rages, of
course, all the native doctors pay more atten-
tion to that than to anything e se.”

“ But their skill, my dear Grayaway, does it
amount to anything?”

“ In the fever line yes; outside of that they
are all a set of wretc ed botches; but, as a race.
the Hindoos have the most wonderful patience
and a. rent knowled e of the virtues of the
many p ants their Ian boasts, but I must say
that as far as I could discover, and remember,
nearly all their efforts are devoted to discover—
ing subtle poisons and the remedies for the
same. That probably comes from the old state
of affairs when there was almost always a war
goingo between some of the native princes,
and in t ese wars the poison-cup and the assas-
sin’s dagger always play a more prominent part
than the sword and gun.”

“ Ah! then you probably have some rare tales
to tell of these mysterious poisons?”

“ Yes, for want of better occupation I studied
them thorou hly, and I ﬁatter myself that there
isn’ta man ‘ving to-day, E n or native,
who knows more about them, although of
course the knowledge is useless: but I became
interested in the subject, and so I mastered it
thoroughly.”

“ It was like you; I am not surprised. If you
remember, ou and I were the scholars of our
class. We , my dear old friend, I too have
been studying in my old age. At a time when
other men are beginning to lay down their bur—
dens, you and I, with yo hearts, although
old heads, take up new ones.

The other wagged his head and the cheerful
sparkle that camein his eyes made them look
asbrightasthee esofaboy.

“It is extreme y lucky t en, my coming at
this opportune time. In what direction have
your researches extended l”

“ A preserving ﬂuid i” replied the old doctor,
lowering his voice, as though he feared that
some one might overhear the words.

“ The secret of the Egyptian mummies!”

“Oh, no!” exclaimed the other, disdainfully.
“What ob' t to preserve a bod in that dried-
u state! e idea of that score is mere child’s
g y compared to what I am after. My object

to take the body and b injecting a certain
ﬂuid into the yeins cause i to retain a life-like
appearance, and at the same time preserve it
from decn y.”

“ But is there not a process of embalming af-
ter that idea already in Use! It occurs to me
that l have heard something in regard to it, in
England 24”

“Oh, yes, it was used here durin the last
war. finite a number of our prom out so!-
diers, w fell on the ﬁeld, were embalmed and
their bodies brou t on to the North so that
their funerals mig t the place here amid their
friends, but that is a verycostly-procem,and
merely a temporary one. It is not expected
norintended tostand the testof years.
is where the novelty of my idea comes in. y

is cheap; a quart of fluid, costing per-

haps ﬁve dollars, with a syringe and a knife to
uncmre a vein, will be all that is required.
he operation is perfectly sim le—a child, ten
years old, can perform t. t will do away
with all these expensive funerals; undertaken:
and sextons will find eir occupations gone;
graveyards will be at a discount, and the tomb-
stone men will cut their throats in despair. A
hundred ears hence, if this thing is the success
which I t nk it will be, the man of position and
standin when he wants to make a visitor ac-
quainte with his ancestors, instead of taking
him into aﬂcture gallery and showing a lot of
wretched ubs, by courtesy termed ﬁrtraits.
not one of which g ves you the least i of the

person for whom it is intended, will take the ‘

guest into a room where, in glass cases, every
one of his ancestors sits reserved, exactl as
he was in life! What 0 you think 0 it?
WonLt it be a superb thing—a perfect revolu-
tion’

“ Yes, if it can be done,” replied the other, a
little doubtfully.

“It can! _Iwill show you this very night.
Come up-stairs. I’ve a subject up there all
ready for the experiment now i”

The doctor conducted his visitor into the study
and threw back the cloth from the upper part
of the body—he had been careful to replace it
when the bell rung—and, at the same time,
catching up one oft e large kniv pointed in
griumph toward the victim of the White Band’s

esrfu plot.
“There!” he cried, “ what do you think of
thati Isn’t it grand f”

 
CHAPTER VIII.
1. errm or THE rasr.

Aim now, in order that the reader may have
a full understanding and be able to hold ﬁrmly
in his mimfl the threads of our  be
necessary or us to retrace our steps ate
a certain incident which occurmd to Doctor
Diamond just after his visit to the wretched
quarter where Mrs. Eldon died.

The doctor had- proceeded straight to his
home, his mind busy with thoughts of the
strange scene in which he had been an actor.

Like an angel of light the young girl had
ap before him, and for t eﬁrst time in
his life he felt that he had something worth
living for.

He was not willing to believe that it was
sible fate would throw such a glorious crea
in his way only to tear them asunder after t
had learned to love each other, for this
sober man, noted from early 1youth for being
beyond his years, was as w‘ d with his passion
as a hot-headed boy of eighteen, and nothing
doubted that he could secure the love .of the
woman whom he had only seen once in hislife.

He ascended the ste of his house, applied
the latch-key to the cor, opened it, entered
and turned to close it, but was prevented, be-
cause a woman, who had followed him with
noiseless steps, stood right in the doorway.

She wasa tall lady, muﬁled in a dark cloak
which covered her from head to heel, and her
face was hidden by a heavy black vail: but,
dark and dense as was this cove ' , it did not.
hidehthe brilliant pair of eyes the ﬂashed be-A
neat .

“ You are Doctor Diamond, sir?” the lady
questioned, in a rich and well-modulated
which, to the acute ears of the man, betray
thatthespeaker wasalady by birthandbreed-

mg Yes, madam.”

Hedidnotcallher misa,forhar ﬁgure made
him believe that she was no school-girl.

“Will ou nt me a ’vate interview,
lease?” e ed. “1 w not detain you
ong.

Doctors and lawyers are the father-confemors
of about one-half the world, and so Diamond
was not surprised at the request.

“ Certainly,” he replied, altho h convinced,
notwithstanding her cloak an vail which
acted as a complete disguise, that she was no
patient of his. "I'his wa , if yang-locus."

He conducted her into e little at parlor,
turned up the gas, which was burnin diml ,
sincedachair for his caller, then oaedtge

oor.

Boating himself and removing his hat he said:

“Now, I am at your service.

With a hand that evidently trembled, much
to the doctor’s astonishment, the woman re-
moved her vail.

Aproud and beautiful face was revealed-«a
patrician beaut . She was a brunette with the:
most brilliant b eyes imaginable—a woman
who might be ' ,lperhaps ﬁve yous old.-
than that, and b y ten—evidently round
inthelaiiof luxuryand used to powerand
comman

The veil rrlsed she ﬁxed her brillian‘tnﬁyes
inquirin 1y upon the face of the doctor to
Dia ’s fancy there was anger in the look.

“Well,” said the lady, after suite a long
pause, ﬁnding that the gentleman duct
The doctor was in ; she eviden yex-

pected him to begin t conversation, al
lvivnhat the 00mg possih blypeﬂimagiecse that he

ve say er, a was a
pumle to the am. W’

“What is the nature of your basin-m, ma-
d‘mé'i "° “"“y “Mn .31}. t r

“ you are inc n tree me an
fect stranger, then!” she exc .
sarcastic accent, her beautiful eyes '

“How else should I treat you!” the
returned, .

“ But we are not strangers.”

“‘glw’h bef although

‘ e ave met 0 cars ve
ela since then.” re, y b.

‘ It ispossible, madam, but I must say that I
do not remember to have ever had the pleasure
of meeting you, and I feel sure that ifwe have
met I should remember on, no matter how
many years had interv , for such a flu. is
yours is not easily forgotten.”

“Now, you speak as you did in the old ﬂme
when you more so solemnly tint I was the
most beautiful woman in the world, and hat
earth not a creature who could ever
cause you to forget me!” the woman cried, .3.
3e;- plalnly apparent in both face and voha'

The doctor stared, and then, bending for-
:‘h‘?’ "° “it? “ﬁnd? mum "' h“

a scru w c e

“bit, you wish me to think 
lam outof mysenses,ehl butlknow_ ;
you know who I am, and this 
rance will not avail you in the t. in
metaceandthen mythat I am msy,if you

i”

a nod lon heshookh
l‘xuimagamk’u far as mylimitedskillcui

 
Thedoctoraccepted the challengHeJMIM ' I V
ishea ‘ .

 . -r~:<‘-~vur

hug: me;

war—r?-

..'. ,.- nf’ﬂg .«

x

 "mama 2.4- AH~7--3~€ia
is“ ‘~ .‘ , -, ‘ '

J gar.

’4-

 
8,

 
....._—-—_—.—_

 
judge you are in full possession of all our
senses, although I must admit that i am utterly
at a loss to account for your strange language,
or to explain it except under the supposition
that ion are laboring under a hallucination.”

“ nou h of this trickery i” cried the visitor,
im tieut y “Let us not fence with words;
an ,in tee rst place, let me set your mind at
rest. I do not come to do you auy~damage.
.Heaven knows I have suffered erngs enough
tomake me seek for revenge, but I do not; I
am content to bt the dead st bury its dead.
You ruined all‘m young its; on could not
make reparation for that evon i on were so
inclined' but I, who know your vi a nature so
well, understand only too well that it would be
but the ﬁght of folly to eipect you to do what
was right when you co d just as easil do
wrong, so perverse is your nature. on
plunged me down into a perfect hell, taking
advantage of the love which in my fond ig-
norance, I imagined would, raise me to heaven.
Theonl good deed you ever did, as far as my

knowl extends was when you deserted me
and ﬂed ke a thief in the night. You left me
to rui despair and death, but the Great God

thatru as our destinies did not design that for
my love I should suffer the torments of the
damned. With His broad band He raised me
from low estate and gave me back in to
the life m which our destro 'ng touc had

lucked me. And t on when was once more

‘ n the sunshine, when I had means to enable

me to use the machinery of the law, which is
an to move for justice, but which in
re ity seldom stirs except when impelled by
gold, I searched for you. But not for ven-
ce, althou h I had cause enough. With
t edevilish ski , which is so great in you that
at times it really seems like genius, you evaded
the search, until at last I gave up the effort,
trustingto the chance of accident to bring us
together again. And I did not trust in vain.
Accident id favor me after an elapse of ten
years. I met you in the street, recognised you
mmediaiely a though you have changed some
what and actually look younger than when
on insnared me some thirteen years ago.
caused you to be tracked, and now that you
are fairly hunted down, I come in person to
make my demand. Your disguise was skillfully
chosen. In the humble, obscure doctor, Alco-
nor Diamond, who would recognize the once
dashtn favorite of fortune, who was wont to
carry with so high a handl But the chase is
ended; I am here, either as a friend or a foe, as
on choose to have it. First, I will plead;
hen, if you think it wise to brave me, will
demand. John Frenier, give me back my
child !"

If the doctor was aﬂecting the ignorance
which his face expressed, then in truth he was
a most wonderful actor, for he was doing it to
the life.

“Madam, it does not seem possible to me
that you are in any way disordered in your
mind, for, apart from your stery, I cannot dis-
cover any evidence of mental disorder; there4
fore the only explanation of your singular con-

' duct is that you are laboring under a terrible

mistake, ”Diamond said with slow and measured
accent, his old calm, half-sorrowful way return-
in to him.

I el shook her head energetically, and
holly compressed her rich red lpl together;
she was not to be put of! in this way.

“Have tience and let your own judgment
decide," doctor continued. “ I am not the
person you take me to be; I have never seen
you beforein my life, and thirteen veers ago,
the date you ﬁx upon as the time of our meet-
ing, I was nothing but a boy, barely eighteen;

I am just thirty-one now; and in this very.

house and neighborhood I; have lived for the
‘ ten years.

" And that is the reason why I have not been
ableto ﬁnd you!” she exclaimed. “I did not
for a moment dream that lyou would be con-
tent with a meek and low station; I looked
to see you daunting it with t e best of the land,
as was always your custom—a vulture tricked
out in eagle plumes.” _

“ Madam, will on not listen to reason?” the
doctor plead, l tient; “examine the evi-
dence I produce the I am notthe man you take
me to be.”

“ What evidence?”

“ The testimon of the neighbors hereabouts
that I have readied here for the time I have
mentioned.”
~ “ There isn’t an doubt in my mind in regard
to that," I am WII ing to accept that statement
for truth. It was twelve years since we
-—since the night when you ﬂed—dose ins—-
left me to strai ht to the bottomless pit, as
you doubt eel dos I should, for I was with-
out mom or friends. and what door 0 us in
NW] for the unfortunate girl with he sus-
picion of a taint upon her name exce t the
‘ ed portals that bolt the gates of hell .

“The facts in regard to In life before that
tiﬁecsa be easilyascertain ,"the doctor de-
ans-ed, still endeavoring to reason calmly with

e wanan. '

"Speak: I will listen!" And the simple sen-
tence carried with it the implication, ‘ Go on,

 
The Doctor Detective.

and see how quick I will rend the lie to pieces,

that you are concoctin ”

“ I commenced practice as a physician in this
house, ten years ago, just after my graduation”

“ And where di you study l”

“At a private medical college in St. John’s,
New Brunswick.”

“And by writing thither I can easily ascer-
tain whether your story is true or not)”

The doctor was silent for a moment; for the
ﬁrst time a peculiarity of his position occurred
to him. T e institution to which he referred
hadbeen destroyed durin the great fire which
a few years ago nearly evastated the city of
St. J ohn’s; it had never been reestablished, and
the chances were that not a single soul connected
with it could be readily found.

Brieﬂy he explained these facts, adding that
his diploma would show that his statement was
true.

“Oh, you are the arch-fiend of docs tion him-
self!” she cried, in contempt. “ ow niCely
events occurto suit your purpose! You have
the diploma, as if such a thing was not easily
forged! But, there is one proof of your identity
which on cannot destroy. Remove your coat
and r0 1 u the shirt-sleeve of our right arm!”

The doc or started, surp —amazed, and a
hot flush came over his pale face.

“ Why do you wish me to do that?” he at
length demanded—the words falling slowly
from his lips.

“You do not dare to do it and than attempt
to don ‘that you are the man I as you are, for

n t e inner part of your arm, ust below the
el w, pricked in with India-ink, is the symbol
of two serpents twined together, with uplifted
heaélis” and threatening jaws. Come, sir, pro-
cee

“ It is useless; there is such a mark upon my
arm,” the doctor replied, with icy calmness,
“ and yer, I am not the man you say: My name
is Alcenor Diamoud; I have never borne any
other, and. I know you not.”

“ It is to be war then?” the woman exclaimed,
risin in heat.

“ f what avail is it for me to own to a lie?”

“It is my child I want, John Frenier!” she
cried, impu sively, suddenly changing her tone
and extendin her arms imploringly—“ the
helpless little t ing that you stole from me, and
for whom I have vainly searched for twelve
long years! Oh, are on so utterly bad as to
attempt to keep a mot er from her young? I
am rich now; I can give my darling every-
thing. I am
of the land are hi friends, and they will back
my uarrel. Re use to listen to my appeal,
and y the Heaven that made me, I vow that
I will crush you to the dust though you were
ten times the cunning devil that you are!”

“Woman, will you not behave my words?”
Diamond cried, springing to his feet, greatly
agitated. “I know you not, I tell you know
you not i" I
“Ten days, ten days to yield my darhlgg, and
if ou refuse,"then look to yoursel l” A with
thL threat the woman departed.

—-——

CHAPTER IX.
A LIBERAL' osssn.

OUT into the court Ho pergrass rushed, much
to the astonishment of istress Muicarth .

“ Heaven be good to us!” she cried; “tare bye
is crazy! The tin dollars has put him clean out

of his mind !”
But Hopper 83 still retained full control of
his series. an shrewdly suspected that some

deep mystery lay at the bottom of this strange
affair.

Why should the
nor and what had of the body of the
mother?

The more he  over the question the
greater his rp xity.

If the ir had on ‘ybeen gone ten minutes.
as theI shwoman eclared, it might be pos-
sible that she was somewhere in sight down the
street, but when he emerged from the court, to
his great disappointment she was not to be

u

see .

Denn Stump the one-legged be r‘ who
had anyapartmeht in the corner hogs“: whose
front door was on the street, was sitting on the

 
powerful, too, for the great ones , I
‘ at this untoward event, the thought entered his

rl hurry off in this man-'

 
stoopeujoyinga pipe before proceeding to his *
usua evocation, and, noticin the boy, natural- 

ly askedhim what he was loo
as a Igoose with two heads.”

“ or Miss Eldon; you know that handsome
gal wot lives with her mother up the court?”

“ Faixl 1”“ look a long time afore ye see her
ag’in, I’m hinkingi”

“ Did you see er when she went away?”
asked the boy, anxiously.

“I didthat same, an the old woman, too, I
belave.”

“ Wh , she's dead."

“An who sed that she wasn’t?”

“ How could you see her then!"

“ I saw the box she was in.”

“Did the funeral men comet”

“They did! Berra a taste of lie is there in
that; a nice hearse, too, as if she had been wan
of the quality.”

gfor, “as wild:

 
“This morning!” cried the boy. bewildered
and unable to understand what it all meant.

“ Yis, sur, and there was a tome carriage,
too, for the gurl, and an illigant gintleman.
They brought the old woman out in a foine cof-
ﬁn, good enough for the Prisident. then the gurl
got into the carriage with the gintleman, and

awe they wint.”
“ id gent, or youn gent?" asked the boy,

more for the sake of as 'ng questions than any-
thin else.

“, ell, he might be older, and then ag’in he
might be younger,” was the rather unsatisfac-
tory repl , “ but he was wan of the nobs, I tell
ye! Meb it’s a brother, or somethin' of that
'ind, come back from £11an parts wid lashing:
of money ”

“ Meb e so,” muttered the boy, and then he
walked slowly up the street.

“Something wrong in all this,” he concluded;
“ ’tain’t right; I know that it ain’t!” The re-
membrance of the wild words of the young
girl was yet fresh in his memory; she spoke of
a sacriﬁce she had made and how it had come
too late! .

It certainly was very mysterious, and the
boy, whose street-life had made him old be-
VOnd his years, puzzled over it, earnestl .
The girl evidently had departed early in t 9
morning, for the express purpose of avoiding
all comments upon the action, and her giving
the few triﬂing articles in the room to Mrs.
Mulc'irthy, was proof that she did not intend to
return.

Hoppergrass had very few friends, and it was
but natural he should grieve over the loss of the
one whom he prized the most- and then, too,
the boy had some “ wild andwhirling ” tho hts
in his mind in regard to the *1, which be ad
never dared to translate into words. He was
looking to the time when he should be the happy
and prosperous proprietor of a do -house, and
the income from the “plant ” shoul run about
ten or fifteen dollars a week, Then he had
made up his mind that he would extehd a son
and abrother’s protecting arm tothe old woman
and the young ‘ al,” and when he got a little
big er, why, if t e maid, who appeared tohim
to he full as beautiful as an - of the a els
whom he ad heard people tal about, h n’t
seen a “ feller ” to suit her fancy, he would try
his luck. '

Of course the idea was absurd, but it did not
so appear to the gamin; so the-vision gave him
courage to toil and to suffer.

As he trudged up the street, utterly disgusted

head that it would bea good idea to consult
Doctor Diamond. He had, up rently, taken
quite an interest in the girl, an the boy had a
very high opinion of the doctor’s skill and sa—
gac1ty. Soho proceeded directly to the phy-
sician’s house and rung the bell.

A pleasant-faced, middle-aged woman an-
swered the summons; this was Mrs. Converton,
the doctor’s housekeeper.

“The doctor is not in "she replied, who; the
boy had made known his business. “He did
not come home last night at all. I suppose he
has been detained by some urgent case of sick-
new.

The boy pondered over the matter for a min- '

ute; his newspa r business required his atten-
tion; but, as he d fallen heir to the unexpected
windfall of eight dollars—for he did not sup-
pose that the doctor would charge over two
dollars for his visit, and might not require any
fee at all, as he had not been of any service,
he concluded that he could afford to play the
idler for a part of the day at least;-so he told
the lady that, as he wanted to see the doctor on
very particular business, be guessed he would
wmt. -

The housekeeper, amused b er caller’s odd
manner, talkng as he did wit a l the delibera-
tion of an old man, asked him tow in and
wait, but the boy declined the oﬂer said that
he would prefer to wait outside, so the woman
closed the door and left him in possedon of the

“310p. H thinking that h t
ow o rgrass, ' e m

have some ﬁxings to wait, pre red to make 13:-
self comfortable. He wengnacroes the wa to
the baker’s and invested in a penn roll, en
from the rocer’s next door he bough two cents’
worth 0 cheese, returning to the to he sat

down and munched away at his break est with.

all the relish due to outh and health. but kept
a keen watch around him to seewhat was 80‘38

on.

A lady, well~dressed, “Fifth avenue style,
clear through,” as the boy observed to himself,
on the other side of the street attracted his aL
tention by the liar manner in which she

lnneed over at he doctor’s house, and then at
 as she passed down the street.

“ guess she will know me ag’in when she
sees me," the boy muttered. not over~and-above
pleased at the scrutiny, and began to suspect
somethin wrong.

“ I ain’ done nothin’ nohow." he continued;
“ she needn’t look at a f’eller that way as if she
was tryin to ‘ t’ him. 'Inevar seed her
afore, and ’11 bet igh on it too!"

The lady. who was dressed in black and with
a heavy vail over her face, walked slowly down

u

The Pests Passive-

9

 
the street to the next corner, thenshecrossed
the avenue and came beckon thesame side that
m WWW“ humuorim n ht r h r

H n 0 or or a
moment.and when he saw hergcoming up the
street directly toward him, he began to get
frightened; a vague suspicion haunted his m nd
that he was about to be aroused of some wrou .
doing and his ﬁrst impulse was to take to his
lecls and run, but he resolved to stand his
around.
‘ “So help me Bob! I ain’t done numntono-
body!” he muttered: “ I ain’t a-goin’ to skoot
when I ain’t done nufﬂn, nohow.”

The boy’s suspicion was correct; the lady had
returned for the express purpose of speaking to

him.

She halted in front of the ste , and Hopper-
grass looked curiously up into or face; about
:.11 thathe could distinguish through the thick
vailwhich concealed it was a most brilliant 'r
of black eyes, and such a pair of diamond- ike
eyes he thought that he had never seen before:
they seemed to fairly look one through and
throu h. _
Umfer that piercing gate the boy felt decid-
edly uneas- .

“ This is {Motor Diamond’s house?” the lad
said, s king in a deep, musical voice whic
seemed): the gamin sweeter—sweeter than any
voice he had ever heard, even than the bell-like
tones of Dura Eldon.

The si afﬁxed beside the door of course an-
swered t e uestion, so the lad very naturally
inferred the the inquiry was merely for the
pur toes of opening a conversation with him.
hfh'es me. am,” replied Hopper-grass, ducking

is es

“ Do you know the doctor!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“ Is he in!”

“No, ma’am; I am a-waitin’ for him now."

“ Are you well acquainted with him!"

“Known him a long time, ever since I was so
high,” and the gamin with his hand indicated
the; altitude of about tWO feet, from which it
was to be inferred that the acquaintanceship
co , nmencedst a very early age.

’i'ne lady hesitated for a moment, cast a tarp-id
glance up and down the street as if debs
some question in her mind, and then, in an evi-
deutly repressed voice, said:

“As you know the doctor rhapls you can
give me some information a ut im. Will

ou come-with me? I will y you well,” and
{he lady held up a silver do r.

T

he boy’s eyes! ; evidently he had got

*-

CHAPT-ER X.
as asrommmo nrsoovsnv.

“Now, then, old fellow, come! Your judg-
ment upon this case!” Doramus continued, n
upturn, without gi the other a chance to
speak. “ Isn’t it i Did you ever see a

finerspecimeni”

'lhe ookiutheeyescf theguestshowedthat
he shared the profedoual order of his friend;
r. better “subject” than the insemthe form
lyingso still upon the marble slab had never
fallen into a doctor’s heads.

The mvant from Indra coming close to the
table on ed the body With reat interest.
The clothes been removed, or the captain
of theWhite Band had been careful that his
men should remove everything that mi ht lead
toadiscover astowhothemanwas;t eybad
(-ven c the ﬂowing locks of the victim
close to M. heed, thus in atogrealtd measure
chum appearancesoas re er recog-
nition more uncertain. The body was fully ex-
posed from the head to the waist—the upper
part of the sheet, which had complete] cov-
(I‘Pd it, having been threwn back b t e old
gentleman upon introducing his fri

" You are right, Daniel; it is really so ,”
the savantobserved—‘i‘na h iilcfa‘e‘lnathsut t;ha

0 man, ﬂint t e rat 0 yout .
{thhe ought” to ave had fort yearn of life
beforehla‘.) g‘fwhatdisfsase did 0 die! Isee
noindies n any: as arsssppearauees
he who perfectly healthv - in fact in a conditssoori
to a , run or work for his life."

“ ccidwtcsusedh'sdealh—hemdmned.
You have no idea. l-ow much trout-lo I had to

et him-00st two hundred dollars! Of course

or such an experiment as the anal am about
to make I wanted a first-clam abject."

“Drowned, chi” and the white-bearded doo-

tora hedstillnearerandpokedthebod
with finger, examining it in a very 
“my so the y said with whom I made

the bar uin an from whethe stated I got me
ideathft it was a friend of his, probably a mom.
ber of the gang. for of course. here must he a
gang of t have body-snatchi rascals."
“Daniel, do you know I have a sus-
n‘aiou um this affair!” the old ssvast oo-

served.

“ whatdo asses!”

“nth thinkygat this manwss drowned;
have you examined the body at all!”

 
“ No, it had just arrived when you came—not
ﬁve minutes before you.” And then Doramus
came Quite close to the table, took out his spec-
tacles and adjusted than.

“The bod doesn’t present the slig‘llilgest ap-

ceof he man having come to ' death
in that way. In fact, Daniel, to give you my
honest opinion, I don’t believe the man is dead
at all!”

“Not dead?” cried Doramus. “ B Jove! if
that is so, I am out two hundred do rs, for I
didn’t bargain for a live maul” Then bending
over the body he examined it carefully.

“ Well, what do you think?” the other asked,
when the doctor raised his head and shook it
slowly, a sure sign that he was greatly per-
plexed.

“’You are right; this man was never drewn-
ed ’

“ My own thought exactly; but do you think
that he is really dead i”

“Well, as to that I confess I am puzzled,
but if it is not death, what is itll A trance,
think you—merely a case of suspended anima-
tion? Although the si of death are here,
yet from the peculiar agprgearance of the bod
otrgglyguld be led to think it not really deat
l .

“As a professional man, would you be will-
ing to give your sanction to the burial of such
a body as this?” \

“No, I would not—decidedly I would not.
In such a case I would recommend dela . I
would advise that the bodybe kept unt the
state of it rendered it certain that death had
ensued. I am quite sure that a great many
pecgde have been buried alive, sim ly from
un ue haste. Cases of this death-1i e trance
are much more common than the world at large
have any idea of, or ever will have.”

“But there are some peculiar things about
this body which lead me to think that it is not
a trance either,” remarked the old savant, seri-

ous] . I

“ hut if it is neither death nor a trance, what
is it?” asked Doramus, amazed.

“ A case of suspended animation produced by
artiﬁcial means.

“Ahal yoususpect that there has been foul
play then!” '

“Either thator an attempt at suicide. No~
ties the rigidit of the muscles of the mouth:
that is not no ural. How long has this man
been in this state?”

“ The fellow said that be was drowned five
days  He explained that he was a ‘ l’ of
his an that they were on the riVer at n ght, a
‘pleasure excursion,’ on know for the ipurpose
of stealing whatever hey could get the r hands
on. I presume this man accidentally fell over-
board; he was rescued, but too late; he was
taken on board in an insenaible condition and
never revived. And as the man had no rela~
tives or friends, this fellow who told the story
added, mm a grin, that he thought he mig i
as rivell”make an honest penny by selling the re-
ma ne.

“ The story is a lie; the man hasn’t been in
the water at all. A state of coma like this
might be produced by the inhaling of bad air—-
the gas in a coal-pit, or the foul veg: at the
bottom of a deep and neglected well, t in such
cases, death would surely follow suspended
animagign, if the exposure m continued long
en . .

“ dear colleague, how then do you think
that ﬁle has bison produced—by the use of a

" oyou knowofany that would produce such
an eﬂectl—I am assuming of course that the
man is not dead, only in a state of insensibility
and that the natural functions of nature can be
restored to their normal condition.”

For a few moment Doramus dered over
the estion ' then at last he shoo his head.

“ o, sir, I do not; i speak of my own knowl-
edge, of course, and am not basing my opinion
at all on the vague traditions, i I may term
them, common to our profession that there are,
or have been certain thin drawn from the
vegetable world chiefly, whﬁh, administered to
man would produce a stupor greatly resembling
death, and from which after a lapse of time,
long or short accordinﬁdte the strea h of the
dose, the patient wou wake to to again.
These drugsarenot known to us medical men
of the present age, and I confess for mypart
that I am much inclined to believe them stu-
pendous lies, put forward by the ancients to
gull a credulous and i orant W ’-’

“Then from' the fund of yuour e as you
doubt the poet’s tale of liet rinking the
sleepinghdrsugbt so that, in a state of
dea h, e mﬁpt becouveyed to thetombof
the Ca ts, t ere towake and ' her lover?”

“ A autiful ﬁction, but a do u only.”

“You mustn’t tell that to one of the learned
barefooted savans of indie." -

“ And why not?" The doctor understood
tmthh was the prelude to an important dis»
e rs.

“Because he would immediately entertain
a very poor 0 iuion of our knowledge and be
quite certain at our maria medic-a was not
accompletessit oughtto be.” '

“Now comes one of the secrets that you

Eminister.

 
wrested from the native sages, eh?” exclaimed
Doramus, greatly interested.

“ Yes, and the most important one that the
whole land of India posseswes in a medical
wa . As I have told you, the most persistent
an important researches of the native doctors
have been in the poison line. A subtle '-
son, that could be easil administered in eit er
food or drink without t e danger of detection——
without the fear of excitin the suspicious of
the partaker, and which won d leave very little
trace afterward, and would be certain to cause‘
death, was what the native physicians were all ;
searching after. And it Was found, too—how
many ears ago, of course, it is impossible to
tell. he secret was handed down with scru-
pulous care from father to son and to-day,
even, after the lapse of years, there are not,
probably, ten men in the country who are able
to prepare the drug, or have any knowledge in
regar to it, and yet it is derived from one of
the most common families of plants known to
man—a wide order thou h which gives to man
the ﬁg, the mulberry an the ho to the tropics,
the famous bread-fruit, and in uth America
the milk—tree of the caroscus, whose bland juice
feeds the natives; some of the species furnish
caoutchouc, india-rubber, and yet the almost
fabulous upas tree of Java, whose poisonous ex-
halationsare death to all Who dare to penetrate
into its valley is amember of this same family;
glam one rig] this£ Ermftzleest of the order was t

emate' w ,a rbemg' repared' y u-
man skill, we use for strangling‘l‘ascala”

“I understand; you refer to the order Urtica-
ceae; a very interesting family indeed, and it is
a well-known fact that some of the members
are provided with a poisonous nice, and in
others a” highly narcotic princip can be de-
ve o .

“ ctly; well, from one of the humblest
members of this family, a. low-growling shmb,
found only in almost inaccessible jungles, grow-
ing always iua morass, near the water, some of
the native doctors have procured a won-
derfullfv powerful in its action. After a great
deal 0 trouble I learned the secret The plant
is plucked, roots and all, placed in a closely-
covered crucible, such as chemists use, catered
with water and criposed to an intense heat until
the contents are uced toalmost nothing; than
the etc! is taken heart and exposed to the rays of
the sun on a me 'plate until the liquid-the
plant is entirely dissolved in the boiling
non—crystallizes into a mam like common salt,
without either smell or taste. This is carefully
bottled. A placed in water dissolves in-
stantly, leaving not the slightest trace behind,
or it can be reduced to a ﬁne powder andbe
sprinkledon a dish of food like common salt,
but the action when taken within the system is
as certain as death itself. In its operation it
varies of course according to the quantit
taken; a small amount produces drowsinem fol:
lowed by sleep, and if t e dose is repeated often
enough, ﬁnal] a sleep is induced which bécomes
a trance, or ' a sumcient number of the ins
be taken the trance-like sleep is produced 
immediately, all functions are suspended.”

“And the patient dies!”

“ Yes, if the trance cannot be broken, and in
nine cases out of ten the unluck individual
w whom the drug is tried is dull".

eissupposodtobe ead, ofcourse,as he dose,
not show any s of life. The native d
believed that t e drug did cause death;
had not the skill to distinguish between a trance
and actual death. I thi that I may claim for
myself the honor of bein the discoverer of the
fact that the drug did no cause death but only
insensibility—apparent death. Of course it an-
swered then- purpose for they buried the man
all the same.”

“And you believe that this man has been
drugged this strange medicine!” and he '
pointed to e body.

“I do, most ilrml ,im beble as it seems;
and, what is more, I can wake him to‘

life again.”

 
CHAPTER XI.
an unnansusmrw.

I! was a very quiet funeral and the men who
had charge of the affair really wondered.

Everything had been done in good style the
remains interned at Greenwood, the great, si-
lent city of the country, the hills not 2213 paid
prom ﬂy, but id in advance, w was
somet ingthat ad never happened to anon

them before.
But, there were only two mourners and the
The clerical gentleman was well;
knowntotlh‘egmfeedonal men, the occupantof
ope of h . wmzn churches: it moot
0 tea a e a an i w
no Melamine“ ..y  
I wasa . The twom ' a
“$33. “"‘"°""“i “$1.33” 15”" ‘w’- ‘
ev
glee of m y . will

“ The funeral  were ﬁnished at last and the
melt?! remains‘oof‘m‘;Marthat goon, km 50,”
we mm care 0 e dung earth,
the miuhtsr slieokhandswith and u erui a
few consoling remarh to the bereaved daugL—
ter, after the fashion of his cloth, affecting as

her hand

 
duals regret for the d woman as though
he (1 known her all h s life and the world had
not held for him a nearer or dearer friend; then
he ot in his brou ham which was in waiting
an went home to 'nner, oppressed all the way
with the fear that he was late and that the joint
would be overdone.

Dura Eldon looked more beautiful than ever
in her mourning robes, althou h her face was
very pale, but no tears ﬂow from her eyes
even when she heard the heavy clods of earth
falling with a dull thud u on the coffin, and
each sound seemed like a low struck at her
very heart; but, she had suffered so long, had
weﬁit so much that the fountain was dry and
du despair had taken the place of active sor-
ro .

W.

The gentleman who accompanied her was a
remarkable-lookin man; he was tall, ﬁnely
proportioned, an e egant ﬁgure and an ex res-
sive face. He was dark in complexion, loo ing
like a foreigner, had jet-black eyes and hair, a
silky mustache and imperial of the same hue, a
1'1: ther fl.” face, with that peculiar expression
upon it which seems to indicate that the owner
is a cod liver and addicted to the leasures of
the ble. In brief, he was one 0 those rare
men who had the faculty of makin friends out
of strangers without any partic ar trouble.
As we have said he was elegantly dressed, and
it was not so much the richness of his garb as
the style in which the articles were chosen,
fashioned and worn. His jewelry, too, was su-
perb without being gaudy; in ﬁne, he was not
overdressed in an particular.

After the min ster had departed the girl
stood motionless by the grave, watching the
men ﬁll up the cavity in a dazed, stupid man-

ner.

The gentleman looked at her for a moment;
then apeculiar expression came into his eyes,
and he slightly compressed the corners of the
extremely resolute mouth that the drooping
mustache almost complete! hid. Evidently he
did not like the look 11 n t e rl’s face.

He touched her on t e shoul er.

“ Miss Eldon, had we not better withdraw?”
he asked, in a voice which was very low, very
musical and which possessed a slight foreign ac-
cent. “This isa painful scene and the longer
you linger the more unpleasant it will become.”

“As you please,” the girl replied, turning,
mechan Cally, away from be grave and placing

thin his offered arm.

He led her to the brougham which was in
waiting; no hired carria c this, but an elegant
private establishment—t 6 vehicle, an imported
one b a Parisian maker, the harness from Lon—
don, t 6 horse a Kentucky thoroughbred, and
the coachman, a digniﬁed young man in a rich
livery, who, with his smooth, sanctimonious
face, looked much more like a theolo cal stu-
dent than a coachman. Certainly t e owner
of this establishment was a man of exquisite

taste.

“ Home,” ordered the gentleman to the coach-
man after he had assisted the lady to enter;
then he got into the brougham, the man
mounted to the box and away hey went.

The home of this gentleman was on a par
with the rest of his surroundings, although not
very imposing-looking on the outside, being
only a small two-storied brick, but it was in a
ﬁrst-class neighborhood on one of the side
streets tip-town, one of the old cotta esbuilt
before the up-town march of fashion an brown-
stone fronts.

There was a small en in front, something
rare in that part of t e city, and a narrow -
sageway by the side of the house led to a little
stable in the rear.

Alighting from the carriage the gentleman
conducted Miss Eldon into the house. The
butler, a rather large man with a thin, gray
beard, and the same peculiar expression upon
his face that the Coachman wore, met them with
the intelligence that dinner was ready to be

served.

At ﬁrst, Miss Eldon begged to be excused,
saying that she had no appetite, but upon her
com nion representi to her that she was
real y not doigﬁ {ust cc to herself without
takings mouth 0 somethin after her ion
ride, and a glass of wine, at east, to no
her, she consented to eat.

Dura was like wax in the hands of this
stranger, and she yielded at once to his desire;
she went up to her room, where the French
maid who had been em 10 ed to wait upon her,
speedily prepared her or he dining-room.

The woman was a large, buxom person, very
quiet and well—trained, as all the people con—
nected with the house seemed to be, performmg
her duties almost without words, a very miracle
of a servant.

The meal was eaten in almost utter silence
for the gentleman understood of course that
the lady was not in a mood for conversation.
and therefore he did not trouble her merely
calling her attention to the diﬂerent dishes as
ﬁle were served as if to coax her to eat.

Hit the terrible inﬂiction which had fallen

n the 1 had utterly destroyed her am-

te, and n fact, the blow was so heavy t

l seemed to have dazed her.

 
est attention, while apparently not noticin her
at all and although his face was one 7: ich,
from long training, had acquired the diﬂlcult
art of concealing what was passing within the
mind of its owner, yet, in spite of t is, One used
to the man would have readily detected that
he was not only perplexed but annoyed by the
girl’s manner.

.When the meal was ended he addressed the

girl.

“ You must take good care of yourself; on
must not give way to grief, you know. on
have received a heavy blow, certainly, but it is
the course of nature. We cannot live always
and few of us would want to, I am thinking, i
we could. You must bear up, and when the
violence of the shock has passed away, and you
have sufficient] y recovered to talk on business,
we will discuss some matters that may be of in-
terest to you in the future.”

“Why delay?” observed the girl; “let us dis-
cuss them now.”

“ But do you think you are in a proper con-
dition ust n0w? You will pardon me for say-
ing it, am sure, but you really seem as if your
head was affected by this heavy misfortune that
has befallen ou.”

“ Do not ear in re ard to that: if I could
have become insane would most certainly
have been affected on the ni ht when my mo-
ther died. I survived that s ock with reason
unclouded, and there cannot be any greater one
for main this world.”

‘illf’ you are willing, perhaps it would be as
we .

“ Act your own pleasure, but as far as I am
concerned, I am quite agreeable.”

“ We will discuss the matter at once then;
possibly it will relieve your mind, turn it upon
other subi'ects than your sad afﬂiction.”

The ir silently bowed her head in assent.

The wo rose from the table and the gentle-
man led the way to the library which was a
cosily-furnished little room on the ﬁrst ﬂoor in
an extension of the house.

The gentleman was very particular to close
the door after the girl entered.

“ To such a convorsation as ours is likely to
be it is important there should be no lis-

teners.”
A in the girl nodded assent, alth h from
0 took

her istless manner it was plain that
but small interest in the matter.

“There!” he said, after closing the door;
“there isn’t an danger of an one overbearing
what we sa ; have as we -trained and as
good semn I am certain, as there are in the
city, but servants will be servants, you know,
and it is but human nature to be more or less
curious.”

Then he drew a chair u to where the girl
had seated herself and sat own.

“ The blow which fell so suddenly upon you
wassohm, and your sorrow was so great,
thata p ting your grief I refrained from
spea ng to on until you had time to recover
from the stro e, and I am afraid that even now
I am rather hasty.”

The man was exerting himself to his very ut-
most—usin all the power in his nature to con-
ciliate to ease, tomagnetize the girl, for al-
ready he an to be afraid that this silent,
wax-like gir , so superb in her glorious beauty,
was oneto uire all his arts to conquer her.
She still rem ed cold, impassive, a woman of
ice rather than warm and living ﬂesh.

“ Oh, it matters not. I may as well hear
what you have to say now as at any other
time. ”

“But I fear I will fatigue you; it will take
some time and you have not had an op r-
tunity of recovering from the weakening e ect
of you long vigils by the bedside of your dying
parent,” he ur d.

“As you peace; but I am ready to listen,
and I assure you I feel moody strong.”

“Now, in the first p , in regard to your
position in this house,” he said, drawing his
chair still closer, and speaking in the most con-
ﬁd ential manner. _

For the ﬁrst time an expression different from
the one of blank indifference which had rested
so constant] upon the girl’s face passed over it.
It was as the near proximity of the gentle-
man was distasteful to her.

His quick eyes caught the expression, and in
an instant guessed its meaning.

CHAPTER XII.
wno m: was.

“Mr tion in this house?” she repeated,
and as i she did not uite understand.

“ Yes; I am a bache or, living here alone and
without any lady relatives in the house; in fact,
the only two women on the premises are the
housemaid and the cook. Naturally to bring
Lo: here, a youn lady of your remarkable

uty, without 0 ering a reasonable ex lana-
tion, would at once have excited gossip. rom
the servants it would soon have spread around
ainon the neighbors, but, right in the begin-
ning, took measures to prevent any idle sur-
mises as towho and what you were. Of course
I was ob ed to have recourse to ﬁction, but a
ﬁction w i'ch does not harm any one, and is

 
Her companion watched her with the great- used purely for a good purpose cannot be so

The, 999’993173F90W97_

 
very wrong. I announced that you were a
relative, a cousin, whom I had not seen since
you were a child, and that misfortune having
come upon you, inasmuch as both your parents
had been rudely torn from on by death, I had
determined that hencefortg you should make
your home with me.”

The girl simply bowed her head; the state-
ment was a plausible one and she was content,
although from the way she felt it did not mat-
ter much to her what any one said.

“You must remember, you know,” be con-
tinued, “that in reality I know almost abso-
lutely nothing whatever about you, and there
fore in puttin forth any statement I was
venturin on angerous ground. I knew, of
course, t at your name was Dura Eldon; that

our mother’s name was Martha Eldon, and

t your father was dead; furthermore, that
you were the most beautiful girl I had ever set
eyes upon, and now that I have had a chance to
make your acquaintance, I have learned that
a): are as good and accomplished as you are

utiful.”

But, not the slightest effect did this compli-
ment produce upon the girl; her eyes were cast
down upon the ﬂoor, and she really did not
seem to notice what was being said. That he
could not look into her lovely face, and watch in
her glorious eyes the effect of his words, an-
noyed the man, decidedly. ‘

‘My family history is soon told,” she said,
after quite a long pause, raising her eyes from
the carpet, but not ﬁxing them upon his face,
as he Wished she would, but upon his long white
hand, which rested upon the armof the cushioned
chair in which he sat as if there was a sort
of a fascination in the costly diamond ring
which blazed upon the little ﬁnger. “I was

born in Virginia; my father was the only son

of an only son, and my mother was unfortunate
enough to loseall her relatives b death, so that
I grew up absolutely without kin red, my father
and mot er excepted. M father was in busi-
ness in Richmond, Vir is; he was unfor-
tunate, failed and his or 'tors took all. Broken
down b hard work and by great mental labor
brough on by his long stru gleégainst adverse
circumstances, he came to ew ork, hoping in
this t city to get a fresh start, but on the
way ere he took cold. and not being inany
condition to resist disease, died soon after we
arrived. Thrown thus u n our own resources
in a strange city my mot er and myself had a
terrible task to secure the here means of living.
Both of us were expert with the needle, and
just as we were reduced to our last crust we
succeeded in obtaining work, but the st 19
had been too severe for my poor mother: s e
sickened and died. The rest on know. You
see the story is an extremely simple one.”

“And then you really have not a living rela-
tive in the world?”

“ Not one. ”

“ How strange! It is my own case exactly.”

‘tYe'177

“Not a soul in the world to claim kindred
with me as far as I know. Now, ifIwerea
believer in the science of attraction, I might
think that the fact that we were both so situ-
ated was what attracted me to you.”

The girl did not reply; she was still staring at
the hand as if there were some fascination in
the lustrous diamond, the light from which was
not half as brilliant as that which sparkled
from her eyes.

“ Now that I know who you are it is onl ﬁt
that I should return the compliment an let
you know who I am,” he continued, ﬁnding
that she was not inclined to speak. “ My name
you know, Adolph Lescant, and that am a
gentleman of fortune and ition, as I named
you when I ﬁrst had the onor of addressin
you, by this time you are probably convinc
since you have become acquainted with my
surroundings. I own, frankly, that I am rather
inclined to be a little odd and eccentric in my
ways; if I were not so, I, in all human probabi -
ity would never have had the pleasure of be-
coming acquainted with you. Just b chance I
met on in that obscure uarter of t e city in
whic you resided—I wi not say in which you

found our home, for the place from which I
rescu ou was certainly not a home in any
sense of t sometimes much abused word. You

are a beautiful ' l; I do not say it to ﬂatter
you, for to simp speak the truth ought not to
utter any one; besides, you know it, for you
are a sensible woman. Although you Were
poorly clad and lacked all the aids which go to
make even beauty attractive, you attracted me.
I was seized with a whim to follow you; I am
and always was a slave to impulse, and :01
obeﬁed the whim. From your neighbors I
eas y learned who you were and how you were
situated and then I determined to act—as I have
acted. I came to on, frankly told on that
you were the most c armin woman t I had
ever encountered, and that would gladly pay
my addresses to you if you would rmit t. ’

“ And I, rendered desperate by condition
of my mother and not caring what became of
myself, to sell my‘self to you! You see,
I, too, speak frankly. or the money to ur-
chase medicine and necessities for my mot er,
whereby I imagined her life might be pro

11

 
The Doctor Detective.

 
longed, I agreed to give myself to you when-
ever on should claim my hand. I was mad—
utterI out of my senses! I thought not of my-
self; I thought only of my sulfering dear one,
and for her sake I was willing to sacriﬁce my-
self l” the girl exclaimed, with rapid utter-
ance, evidently waking from her dreamy state
of sorrow.

“It was a noble act, Dura!” the man cried
warmly, just as if his very soul was kindled
into enthusiasm by the girl’s behavior, but,
somehow, she fancied that there was a hollow
ring to the speech and that the admiration so
openly expressed was not true, but merely lip
praise, that came not from the heart.

“ Yes, my dear Miss Eldon,” Mr. Lescant con-
tinued “ ou have no idea how much I was de-
lighted w en I discovered that in addition to
possessing a most lovely face and form you also
owned a heart capable of so noble an action!
It was a sacriﬁce, of course; I was an entire
stranger to you; but, now that we have become
ac uamted, I hope you will consider that being
united in marriage to a man like myself, who
even in this brief interval which has ela
since we became acquainted, has learn to
love you for the many noble qualities which

on possess, it is not real! such a sacriﬁce, un-
ess indeed our heart is iven unto another.”

The s was skillful y framed to learn the
truth, or a suspicion had entered his mind that
perha thevgir was in love with some one and
now t at she had had time to reﬂect upon the
matter repented of the decision which she had

made.

“No; if I had given my love to another I
should not have accepted your offer. My eyes
had never rested on the face of any man in
whom I took the slightest interest when I ﬁrst
met you.”

This assurance took quite a weight from the
mind of the gentleman, for he knew enough of
womankind to understand that he would have
a most diﬂlcult task in winning the girl if her
affections had been given to any other man.

“I am delighted to hear it,” he remarked.
“I real! feared that there might be some
previous ove alfair in the way which would in-
terfere with my suit; but, now that you assure
me you are heart-whole, I can see no reason
why in time I cannot succeed in winnin the
priceless jewel of our love. I am odd an ec-
centric as I have ld you—the result robany
of the ife I have led, for my career as been
as wild as the wildest romance. As on have
doubtless guessed from my name, am of
'French descent, although born and reared in
this country, in the city of New Orleans. My
father was a wealthy sugar-planter, and when
was quite a lad he took me to France where he
had rich and powerful kindred. His ambition
was to repare me for a great career. I was
educated) at a military school and when I was
old enough through the inﬂuence of my fa-
ther’s friends, I secured a position in the arm ,
and then, when he had thus seen me fair y
started on the road to fortune, he died. I had
neglected to mention that m mother left this
busy world when I was an nfant. After my.
father’s death, lacking his restraining hand and
counsel, I became quite wild, as was only
natural for a youth of my age. Being one of
the best swordsmen in the French army it was
not to be wondered at that I should sometimes
become involved inquarrels, as hot-blooded boys
are apt to give and resent aﬂronts, real or sup-

“The fatal issue of a duel with an emcer of
far su rior rank to my own compelled me to
seek t 0 safety of another ciime, and so I be-
came a soldier of fortune, just like the adven-
turers in the olden time, selling my sword to
the highest bidder, and in time it happened that
I came again to this country and threw in
sword into the scale of war on the Mexican si e
at the time of Maximilian’s invasion of that
land. Being a trained soldier and well-versed
in the art of war, I speedily rose in rank, and
at the time of the r’s downfall I com-
manded one of the rincipal corps in the Mexi-
mn arm , and was onored with the title of the
Duke of urango.

“ But Mexico, you know, m dear Miss Eldon
is a land of revolution—of an den changes, and
although she owes her victory over the invaders
almost entirely to the foreign swords and skill
enlisted on her side, yet among the natives there
is a Widespread dislike—I may say hatred—to
all foreigners, and so it ha nod that mme ﬁve
year-sage I was accused of ing engaged in a
conspiracy net the Government, and I was
really oblig to ﬂy for my life, for I realized
that I would receive scant justice and less
mercy at the hands of _my foes. Knowing the
country and its inhabitants so well, though, I
was repared for this disaster.

“lphad been engaged in mining speculations
which had paid me remarkabl well, but had
taken the prev-union to send 1 my money to
this country ; therefore, when my enemies came
down on me like wolves on the fold, an-l I was
Obliged to ﬂy like a thief in the ni ht, owing my
safe y 301er to the speed of my arse, instead
of stripping me of eve thing I_ had in the
world, as was their amiab e intention, they got
comparatively nothing. Thanks to my pre-

 
cautions I arrived in this city a rich man, and
here I have remained, waiting and watching for
the chance to return to Mexico, when my friends
et the upper hand, as they will be sure to do
gefore lon to resume my former power and
ition.
in a novel, and, probably, because I have led
such a life is why I am different from the ordi—
nary run of men. Now you can account for my
strange freak in taking such a fanc to you, an
utter stran er. I have explain how I am
situated an what I have been, so that on will
know all about me, just as if you b known
me for years.”

The girl lifted up her head abruptly, and for
the ﬁrst time looked the man ful in the face
and in her 6 es he read that his endeavor ha
failed, and t at he had not made the least im-
pression upon her.

“You have been very kind, indeed, to me,
and now I beg you to perform another set of
kindness; release me from the promise that I
gave you! The sacriﬁce was a fruitless one;
my mother died before a single penny could be
spent to save her and now that I am all alone
in the world and I contemplate what I have
done, the thought appalls me i” and as she
gpoke a shudder shook her frame. “ I fear that

can never learn to love you, and oh, to what
a life of misery then you will condemn both of
us! Be generous, be merciful, and release me
from the terrible consequences that must follow
the fulﬁllment of my word. The money that
you have ex nded I will pay back, every
penny of it, or I am expertw th my needle
and now that I know where I can et work, I
can easin support myself and pay 0 the debt
bed les!’

The appeal was an affecting one, and Lescant
was visib! moved by it. e shook his head
slowly1 an a mournful expression appeared
upon is face.

“ Have you reﬂected upon the hardshi , toil
and rivations of such a life!” he asked. ‘Just
t of what on will have to suffer; think of
the ease and uxury you ﬂy from, the only
drawback to which is the society of the man
who fairly adores the very ground you walk
1: n.

The girl dropped her e esto the ﬂoor in
with a irin  ‘8‘

“ You w 11 not release me?” she murmured.

“Not at present,” he replied, soothingly;
“you really must take time to consider; ou
must give me time to win your love; if I 1,
then, rhaps, I may a .”

A gh came from the girl’s li Her words
were true; the silken chain had ome an iron
one.

——

CHAPTER XIII.
a nan-nous OPERATION.

“Do {in really think, then, my dear old
friend, t t youcanrestorethis man to life?”
Doramus asked, with excited earnestneu. “I
say restore him to life,” he continued, “for if
he is not dead now, he is so near it that it is but
a spark that is left.”

‘ You are quite right, it is but a spark," the
other responded, gravely, “and what readers
the mean: more  is atJhe prplbability
that un ortunate e -w, -
ently as destitute of life as if hemimi
a twelvemonth, reall comprehends all that has
been going on aroun him.

“I see, I see!” Doramus exclaimed. “The
dru alects the animal powers only; the mind
wor on unimpaired, even while apimation is

ab‘e‘olutelyl suspended and dormant.

y.

“By the memory of Galen! my dear ool-‘
league, I was wishin for some such man as
yourself so that I mig t have a witness to my
experiment: you come; and now, behold! in—
stead of my astonishing you it is you who will
astoiiishme.” t weed '

‘ may no su ', my p ostication
ma be wrong: the man mag mm laboring
an or the inﬂuence of this In ian drug, but this
result ma have been produced b natural
causes. 0 course upon t e face of matter
it appears to be the most unlikely thing in the
world that the man could have been affected by
a drug which it is extremely difﬁcult to pro-
cure even in India, bei worth many times its
weight in gold; in factﬁ feel almost certain, as
I have already stated, that there are not ten
men in that land who know the secret of its
preparation. But, whether it is the Indian
drug or something else which has caused this, I
will try to resuscitate him.”

“ And the process?” demanded Doctor Dora-
mus, as anxious as a school-boy over a new

game.

“ About the same as the modeof reviving life
in the drowned. I shall merely use the gal-
vanic battery. y a series of shocks of in~
creasing intensity, if life is not wholly extinct,
it can be aroused to reaction; once make an
artiﬁcial nerve circulation and the natural will
follow: then the functions of the heart and
Inn s, by gentle friction and movement, can be
ma e to reassert themselves. Minute quanti-
ties of brandy must then be forced into the

on see, my life reads like a chapter .

 
stomach and warmth given the body by heated
wool’en blankets, if there is the least sign of
life.

“ To it at once, then! Here is a galvanic bat-
tery,” and the old doctor hastened to pro-
duce the batte from the instrument closet.
“There’sa ﬁnerbrand of brandy in that clear
bottle, yonder, the one with the death’s head
and cross—bones upon it, labeled poison—a de-
vice of mine to kee the servants from helping
themselves to it. randy at twentv dollars a
gallon is too expensive to feed servants upon.”

“But stop, my dear doctor! In the ﬁrst
place. had we not better ascertain whether the
man is merely comatose, or actually dead l”

“ What test do you prefer?” ,
“The cut is the simplest; with the lancet
make a slight incision anywhere—the ﬂeshy

rt of the forearm is as good a place as any.

f the man is dead, the cut remains closed but
if, on the contrary, there is life in the body, it
gapes open, as a wound naturally does.”

“ Yes, yes 1" and immediately the old gentle-
man whipped out his lancet, and made a slight
wound upon the powerful right arm of the man
who was lying so motionless and still. The old
doctor was feverish with impatience. To raise a
man from the dead was even better than em-
balming his body.

The savant also drew near; he was deeply,
anxiously interested.

The sharp blade of the lancet pierced the
white skin, and slowly the wound opened.

“ Aha! there is life in the fellow, yet!” Dora—
mus cried, in exultation.

“ Yes it appears so.”

“ An ou think ou can revive him?”

“Ith' lean—t at is, I am basing mybe-
lief on my success with a somewhat similar case
in India although, of course, this prostration
ma not have been produced by the same cause ”

‘ My advice is to go ahead exactly as you did
in India.”

“ I will.” And without more words the two
men set to work.

The galvanic battery was appgsd; the rub-
bing and the kneading of the , inducing
artiﬁcial res iration, ware pursued; randy was
passed into e stomach by means of a threat-
pi and after twenty minutes of labor the re-
su t was—

Snocass!

Little by little the warmth of life came back,
and the inﬂuence of the powerful drug which
the man, apparentl doomed to certain death,
had taken in order mitigate the agony of his
fate, was passing away.

As the physician had surmised, it was the
subtile eat for secret destruction which the
patient ndoo sages had created from the ay
parently harmless weed that the victim had
taken, and the reader will probably remember
by what combination of circumstances it had
come into his possession. If it had been a po-
tent poison nothing on earth could have saved
the partaker from death; it was not a poison
but a somnolent that simulated death: so the
draught that was intended to destroy proved
AJcenor Diamond’s salvation; and a good
Providence willed that he dionld fall into the
hands of, robably, the on] man in the world
z‘ho couEl revive him the deathlike

nee

his es, very slowl
though, and up into ta anxious faceys
hovering over '

“Are you conscious of what is going on
around you?’ Doramus asked.

The man opened his mouth as if to reply, thus
cleadigyﬂindmtgat he was conscious, but
on n w 

_  to speak! admonished Doramua,
quick! . “ see that you understand, so it is

t.” Then he turned to h'm :
“I guemyou were right; Ithink his mind
beenwor ingallthroﬂthis suspense and he
mcpmprehended all t has occurred around

“ No doubt, no doubt; the native prince whom
Inved assured me that itwas aoinhlscaae;
the bodyis inert, but themind remainsalive
and active.”

“ Well nothing more remains to be done but
to nurse him into strength again.”

“ And you will have to play the host for at
leastYa week.”bu Pu k

“es,es; t aneyeunhim.
The rasca I who broughtwliim here aside he was
a pal of theirs, so we may, after all, have on]
restored a great rogue to the world again. ’
This in a low voice.

“ Oh, don’t Lou believe that. That face is
the bond of an nest, upright character, or I’m
no judge of physiognomy. _ The wretches, more
like, have made him a Victim to their infernal
diabolism, as you’ll soon learn,” stoutly averred
the sagacions veteran in medicine.

"‘Perhaps so; and I’ll help him along to ve
him a chance to get even with the soon if
thevhave done this,” returned Doramus.

ith t carefulness the M doctors re-
moved 0 helpless form from the operating-
table to a bedm one of theglildph sician’upare
rooms. and after they had e man com-
fortable they sot down at the other and .u the
room for a chat.

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The, Doctor Detective.

 
“ By Jovel I never thought of it i” Doramus
exclaimed, suddenly.

“ Never thought of what!”

“My embalmi process; wheream I to get
anothexv'”body an how about my two hundred

 
CHAPTER XIV.
m PROPOSAL.
_ Imall the street boys Hoppergrass was a
'drm believer in luck; there were lucky days—
da swken be disposed of all his newspapers
‘wl hout any trouble—and unlucky days when
he was “ stuck ” with ten or twelve copies, thus
tactically eatin up all his proﬁts, and there—
ore, when in dition to the windfall which
had come to him through Miss Eldou’s ne-
rosity the stran lady held up a silver ollar
as an inducemen for him to tell what he knew
about Do. tor Diamond, he was quite sure that
this day aboveall other days was oing to be a
lucky one for him; so he gladly ollowed the
is? up the street.
hen she came to the next corner she turned
it and the b0 trotted on after her.

In the mid e of the block, close to the curb
of the sidewalk, a small, noat brougham was
standing with a coachman in plain clothes on
the box.

“You need not get down, John,” the lady
said, as she came up to the carriage and the
coachman rose in his seat with the evident in-
tention of dismounting and opening the door

or her. “ And I will ve you warning when
. wish you to start, w ch will not be for some
little time, as I want to talk with this boy
first.” Then the lady opened the door of the
vehicle and motiOned for the boy to get in, but
he hung back, not knowing exactly what to
think about this proceeding. He was sus-

' , naturally enough, for all through his

of life he had found people much more ready
to do him harm than ood. And he had ten
dollars, too, in his poc t—-a fortune to him,
and the idea ﬂashed upon him that “mebbe ”
some one had heard of his wealth and this was
aplot to wrest it from- him. Therefore very
doumully indeed he looked at the carnage' and
the y.

The lady saw at once that the boy was sus~
pic-ions.

“Do not be afraid; no one will harm you,”
a”  "1H  n d, with hak

“ nno, oppergrass rep e as e
oft-he head; “ you might on a feller off, ar-
ter you got him inside of that cares.”

“And why should I carry you off, my little
man!” she inked, really attracted to the boy by
his shrewd face and honest way.

, “ Idunno.” .

“ And what would I do with you after I got

on ’ .

y If the boy had spoken what was in his mind
he would have ansWered, " Take myten dollars
away from me:” he contented himself with an-
other “Dunno.” . '- '

“There is.not the least cause for alarm. .I
merely want on to enter. the carriage so that
’1 can talk wit on without exciting attention,
.which we woul do if we remained in the street.
Believe me, I have uowish to do on harm: on
the contrary I will befriend you if you will do
as I wish.”

. The boy hesitated no longer; be was con-
quered; t ere was something in her voice that
went straight to his heart; so into the carriage
he got and the lady followed .him.

I was an odd contrast, the poor, miserable
little boy with the ragged greatrcoat coverixn.r
himall up from neck to heels, and the elegantly-
dressed lady sitting opposite to each other in
the vehicle.

After entering and closing the door careful]
behind her the lad threw ugathe thick v 1
which shewore, a the boy d a good view
of her face. To his notion he had never looked
you a more beautiful one, not even excepting

iss Eldon’s lovely features. An alto ether
diﬂerent style of beauty of course. Miss ldon
was the ikindmof giig who: he would Ilake tho
marry w en t an was pe

the world, but this la —-why, 3 e was tg be

ted and worshi like a sort of a queen.

“ What is your name?” asked the lady, ziug
onribusiy upon the intelligent face of the y.

“ Hoppergrasa, ma’am. ’

“ That is your nickname, I presume, but what

3 your right namel”
Never had any other that I knows on.”

“Oh, but you must have
name; that is no name at all.”

“It’s the best I’ve got.”

“ It means grasshopper I .

bly given to you when you were quite
ttle because you were livel and smart.” '

“ Mebbe; never was call anything else.”

“ But what is the name of your parents?”

“ Ain’t ut none.”

“ But wnat was their name?" the lad
silted. “ You have had a father and mot
sonic time, you know."

- “.Kehbe did,

mil
“ V0 ma’am; I never heered tell on ’em at all;

had some other

suppose, and was

"I;

“ ”req)ondadtheboy,butvery
.“Batcka’tyouknowanythhigaboutyour

sometimes I think that mebbe I am like the
gel in the theater play wot never had
no ther or mother, and never was born, but
est wed. ” observed the boy, with a humorous
win e in his bright eyes.
' “Who brought you u i” she asked, dee 1y
interested in the story of he lad, for a page ke
this from real life was something that she had
never before encountered.

“ Oh, an old Irishwoman named Bidd
Murphy, who had three more children, 1
bigger’n me, and she said that I was her son,
too, but I know that I wasn’t; there ain’t no
Padd -whack ’bout me! And the rest on ’em,
too, - lhad real red hair and blue es, and I’ve
got brown hair and eyes; ’sides, wasn’t like

be other boys at all.”

“ Where are the others now?” she questioned.

“ Oh, I don‘t know much about them; I don’t
travel with the same ganﬁ at all; they ain’t
good he s, ma’am; they e and swear, and

an the ‘co s’ have h ’em up afore the
‘beaks’ two or hree times, and they were
h’isted up to the ‘ Island’ for the good of their
health. I staid with Mrs. Murph until I was
about ten years old; used to se pers with
the rest on ’em, you know, and vs her the
money, and got mighty little to eat, too, ’cos
she spent all the cash for rum as fast as she got
it, and then, ’cos I didn’t make money fast
enough, she tried to get me to learn to ick
packets from an old bhnd beg r who liv on
he same ﬂoor with us in the o d barracks down
on Cherry street; he used to be on that lay, and
’cos I wouldn’t do it she took to walloping me
so I {rest cleared out and set 11 on my own book. ’
“‘ "ouareasmartboyan I hope an honest
one.

“ Well, ma’am, I tries to be, ’cos I know that
them that lies and steals never prospers, for
they are sure to get nabbed some time; and
then, somehow, when I’ve seen agood chance to
make a grab and run and nobody near to catch
me. I couldn’t bri myself to do it.”

“ Thatis right; a ways bea good boy and you
will at on; and now, in regard to the doctor;
you ow him?”

“Oh yes; mighty good man too, I ess; all
the folks down in the court where I ang out
a well of him; they say that he is a urst-
c ass saw-bones; and he don’t pinch uarters
till the eagle squeals, either; some of t e doc-
tors, you know, when they come to see poor
folks want their money in advancs; no money,
no doc.”

“ He is liberal then?”

“Yes, he trusts—gets skinned mighty often,
too, but it ain’t the fault of the r coves;
when they ain’t got the ducats, they can't pony

) n

“ Do you know anything about the doctor,
more than that his name is Diamond, and that
he is a doctor!” I .

“ Well,” replied the ho , debating the subject
ovor invhis mind, “I don t know much of any-
thingh’ebout h1m,’cept that he is a doctor, and
that is a pretty square man, and that he ain’t
been home since 1st night, and that the lady
wot takes care of his house, says that she guesses
that he will be home this morning, ’cos he didn’t
leavenany word that he was going away for any

“ Ah!” exclaimed the lady, evidently excited
by the intelligence, “he has not been home
since last ni htl Now, what does that mean?”

The quest on was addressed much more to
herself than to the boy, but he took occasion to
answer it.

“Guess he is attendin’ to some sick people,
ma’am.” .

“ Or has he proceeded to put himself at once

rugm the defensivs, anticipating, my action?”
I w

Hmurmmed‘ ed f h did
pergrass star ,- or e not under-
stan what she meant.

“ Would you like to earn quite a little sum of
money 3” she asked, ﬁxing her brilliant eyes
upon the boy’s face.

“Jest you try me I”

“Here is a dollar to commence o ” and she
placed in his hand the coin with whic she had
dazzled his eyes when she had acceded him as
he sat on the stoop.

i. ;;Muchrpbliged, ma’am. What am I to do—
easy v

°‘ It is not very difficult, but you must keep
silent in regard to the matter, and you must
not let any one know anything about it.”

“Oh I’m jest as close as an oyster, ma’m.
when ’m told to be."

“I take a great interest in this Doctor Dia-
mond and for certain reasons I desire to know
all about him, where he oes and who he sees,
either by night or day; I want you to follow
him as closely as his shadow, and, above all,
be careful not to let him discover that he is be-
ing watched. If he should make thatdisoovery
it would ruin everything. Then on are to
come to me and report all that on vs 9001‘-
tained. Do you think you do this!”

The boy, it was easy to see, was very much

ed. a stared at the coin in
and, thenhe looked up grew“ in the
’I face and than down at the dollar again.

 
‘ What is the matted—why do on hesitate?
Do youthink youwouldnotbea to accom-

 
gghmmr’ she asked, finding that the boy
tated speak.

to

“Oh, yes. ma’am; I reckon I kin do it; it
ain’tsoorfulhardforasnipe likemeto dod
a man;.I guessIcould doit and notgetketch ,
but I ain’t got it into my wool wot you want it
done for st,” and ashe looked her square in
the face t e e remion of gravity upon his fear
“33% 1‘21???” 33”“ n h 1

u a my usiness, s e as slow]
and not unkindly—“ that is, if I 
what you say aright.”

“ A I want to know is wot you want me to
foller him for, that’s all.”

“ But that hasn’t anything to do with it; on
are paid to do the servics, and it is naugh! to
you why I wish the service performed.”

“ Oh, yes, it is, ma’aml” with a shake of the

“ How can it be?”

“ Mebbe on want to find out about the doc
so as to fetc him a lick somehow.”

“ Do him a mischief, eh?”

“ Yes, ma’am.” ’

“ Well, sup that is the truth, what of it?”

“I ess hen, you will have to get some
other Egy; I don’t keer for the ob.”

“ Why—why can’t you do it ’

“ ’00s I don’t think it would be right for me
to go back on the doc. He’s a real square man
ma am I come arter him last ni ht to attend
to a poor sick woman who was a ying, and she
didn t have any money, either to pay doctors,
and I didn’t have any too, and I dldn t think it
was right to fool the oc, so I up and told him
what kind of a lay-out it was, but it didn’t bluff
him 0! a bit. No, ma’am' he came ri ht along
down to our miserable old court- ell’s Kit
chen ma’am, is what they call it—jest as if he
had been goin inter the Fifth Avenue Hotel
and I was the 'd of the Proprietor. He didn’t
ask a cent, and, ma’am, couldn’t o and spy
one white man like that, and meb get him
into trouble; so take back your dollar; it ain‘t
no ood to me, now.”

e lady looked at the lad for a momen and
then she clasped both her hands over his ttle
palm pressing the dollar.

“ gee the money, mylboy, for your honest ,_”
she exc aimed, “and . eaven grant that t is
man has not man friends as devoted to his ser-
vice as you are, or if hehas, I never shall be
able to accomplish my purpose. Go, now; I
will not forget you, and, at some future time,
I will see if something cannot be d0ne for you.”

She opened the carriagedoor and Ho er—

ss got out, the most astonished boy in ew
grk.
CHAPTER XV.
THE BIG JUDGE.

Tne chief of police of the great city of New
York satin his private ofﬁce; with him was one
of the most prominent of the police judges of
the metropolis.

The person of the superintendent is so well
known that it is not worth while to describe
him, but of the “Big Judge,” as he was com-
monly Called, it may be as well to give a brief
description, for he is to play quite a prominent
part 111 our narrative. .

He was a tall, portly man, reall very lm-
peeing-looking, with carefully oiled b onde hair.
and a long board of the same bar the beard
lent an air of dignity to the face, which would
have been lacking that quality without the lur‘
sute appendage. .

Aswell known as anyman in the city was
this gentleman, Alexander McQuencher by
name, since he was one of the most successful
politicians of the day.

A jud , yet no lawyer; judge of only a
lice it is true, yet, somehow, it seems t
the judge who daily disposes of the liberty of
his fellow-beings ought to be as well informed
in regard to legal mattersashis learned brother

who sim 1y decides in regard to dollars and
cents, bu as a rule, any tician is thought
to be goog enough for a po ce justice.

To use the lan go of the pave, McQueneher
was a- “corker o a judge; small more did
the unhappy wretch receive who was un ortu-
nate enough to be brought before the tribunal
over whic_ he presided. The press spoke of
him as be! severe et just, and When the
solid men 0 the meg-apolis—men who
something to lose. and who dreaded the arts of

thee iler, read in the journalsot the dayof the
mp1 way in which the ' Judas ' of
the criminals brought ore him, ey ex—

claimed—“ That is the kind of man to have on
the bench; he doesn’t let the rascals escape 1”
And no more did he——tbe small ones, although
enemies of the Big Judge, compared his court
of ustice to a net whose meshes were am ly,
an em to hold the little ﬁsh, while the gig
ones easily broke through; but the tongue of
der spares no one; and the higher the '-
tion of the emailed, the more, bitter the k.
These iminuationsdid not rufﬂe the udge in
the least' the community at large ed in
and app him; his political power was
great, and it was that he
“feathered his nest” metty well during
pasttenyearahavmgsnjoyed the aim of
some ﬁne, fat canes.

#69

, under ball: but that dodge wou’tlvimrk ‘ ,_

' he has to say for himself."

_ The Doctor. Detective.

 
The ' and e lice superintendent be-

'   the politician had

edu f ’theohiefinbehalfofoueofhiscon-
stitu  got hin‘iself into ttr‘oubl‘i:t 1for
not being" 4  n'regard an or
 as e might have been.

B ”' ‘ k this manwas called,so termed
 his name was Jackson and because he
was 'almost‘as darkvskinned as a negro: and
perhaps, too, on account of his reputation, which
was unsavory in the estimation of all decent
citizens.

“ How about this Black Jack aﬂairi” the
judge asked, as the usqu salutations were over. ,

“ Oh, we have got him this time,” the chief
responded evidently with satisfaction.

‘ Well, I am realy sorry, for I was in hopes
the case against him was not a clear one. ”

“ Ah, yes; I forgot that the man was in your

riot—one of (our ‘ heelers,’ eh!”

“Y the fol ow has always worked like a.
beaver me, to give the devil his due; and
my fello say he is worth a dozen ordinary
men on el tion day.”

“Well, judge the way the thing looks now,
I reckon he wil not do much wor around the

Us for some time, for the chances arethat

ing Sing will take care of him for two orthree
y I is '” hadscrapeth 1"

H t u  e

“Yes,  house-breaking with an at-
tempt to kill. ﬁe, witha pal, ‘ cracked a crib ’
up on the a‘ven‘ue, but the noise they made in

gettin in woke up one of the servants who
alarm the house; there ware plan of people
in it, and being armed they attemp to ca )-

ture the burglars, but Jack and his gal fgxl t
their way to the street, and that t ey ’t
kill some of the folks was no fault of theirs. On
the street t encountered a policeman; his at-
tention had attracted by the row inside,
and he had rapped for assistance' he tried to
force the fellows to surrender, but .Iack made a
dash at him, and although the ofﬁcer fired, the
bullet only wounded Jack in the arm and the
omoerwas floored with a lick that made him see
stars!!!“ m1. of minutes. But thewhole
neighborhood was alarmed, and after a hot
chase $0: night or nine blocks the two were cap~

“Well, I am. really sorry for it,” the Bi
Jud declared. “ A gang of the boys were a
my case this mornln about the matter. Of
course they declared t at it was all a mistake
—that the police were down u Jack, and had
accused him of this crime n order to get a
chance to railroad him to State prison. In
fact, they were so earnest that I had to tell
them I would come to bead-quarters and see
yen in order to get rid of them.”

“'l‘asmase ‘stands just as I have told you.
The proof is conclusive and nothingr but death
can save him from going up the rivor.”

“Wel!,~you understand my position. Of
course, when the boys got after me I had to
tell them that I would do all I mold for the

’1

n.
“Oh, certainly; it would not do to get the
boys down on you, and election coming on, too. ,
In such adistrict as yours a man must stand
well‘with.tbe gang or there would be a mighty

show for him. If it was any little com- :
mon case of assault and battery or an thing of
that'kihd, why,‘something could be- _ ne: the
case could be pestponed, and~the fellow got of!

Black J ark is booked for Sing 8
won’t sxve him.” I , .,

The entrance of the ofﬁcial messenger at that
moment interrupted the conversation,

“A gentleman wants to see you, sir, on par-
tiei‘iialﬁpri'uterhusinesa.” .

“ No, sir henmerely asked for the chief of the

“'I‘hhkltamounts toan ing!"

“No, all" he’s a queerv coking chap—looks
like a , and I kinder got the notion
that hoainlt exactly right in his mind. I tried
toﬂnd out whathisbuslneeswas but he

w

“Just  the screen (yonder, judge;
tahpyour an'with youand sit cwnfor a few 1
mlnntqmntil I get rid of this chap. You,
would really be astonished at the number of
the. queer customers that come bothering me
and no one but the chief will do for them.’
The judge took his chair and retired behind
the screen. ' - .
“Nowshow the fellow up and I’ll seewhat

The messenger retired.

.—

CHAPTER XVI.
a cuw.
Tan applicant was a well-built man, rather

Orleans—(waiter at the St. Charles Hotel—a
fellow who looked enough like a white man to
becne, and-yetwasnct, forin his veinsran a
strong current of African blood; therefore the
moment the ofﬁcer got a look at the man
be suspected that he was rom the South.

“ You are the superintendent of police?” asked
the caller, when the door closed behind the mes-
senger.

h I an1.”

“I have taken the liberty to call upon you
because I have Some verieim rtant informa—
tion which I think will 0 great value to
you.’

“Glad to see you, sir; take a chair.”

The stranger, seatin himself, seemed to re-
ﬂect for a moment an then spoke:

“ I think, sir, I have a clew, which. if care~
fully followed may lead to the detection of a
powerful band of law-breakers.”

The chief was all ears in an instant.

“ That is important information indeed!” he
exclaimed. “ Mr.-—Mr.-— How may I call
your name?”

“My name?” and the man appeared to be
perplexed by the simple question.

“ Yes,” and the chief drew a sheet of paper
to him and seized a pen ready to take notes.

“ Is_m name necessary?”

“ W e] , no; not particularly, at present, al-
though it would be as well that I should know
it—tuatis, unlem you have a good reason for
wishing to remain unknown.” .

" No, I do not know why I should endeavor
to remain unknown. My name is Clarke—Mar-
vm Clarke.” -

“ Exm-tly,” and the oﬁicial wrote the name
d iwn with a ﬂourish. “And now, Mr. Clarke,
you say that you have im rtant information

regard to an organﬁd band of law-
breakers!”

“ Yes, of experts in all kinds of crime, from
the highest to the lOWest degree.”

“Proceed, sir."

“My Information in r rd to the band is
not as complete as Iwo d like it to be, but,
probably, when ‘my store of knowledge nms
out you can an ply the deﬁciency.” ,

The chief n cod and looked wise; the was a
part of his stock in trade; whenever he was ig-
norant of any matter and wished not only to
conceal the fact but to convey the im ression
that he knew all about it, he simply eld his
ton and put on a knowing look, and by this
devtce had often succeeded in etting criminals
to make a full confession ofg their misdeeds,-
actuated by'the belief that the chief had a com-
plete knowledge of their affairs and that it
would be useless for them toattempt to disguise
the truth. .

“ This band is composed of leading rascals of
all grades, bound together, I presume, b oaths
after the style of a secret society, and think
he). 0nd a doubt that most of the t crimes,
which have plunder for the object, can be
traced directly to the members of this band.”

“i haven’t the least doubt, sir, that your in-
formation is correct in that particular. I have
been aware for some time that such a band ex-
isted, but the rascals have managed matters so
shrewdly that it has been impossible to get at
them in any way.” '

"I think I can give you a clew to one of their
mooring-places.”

“AM! If you can—just the ‘slightest'clew
~y’t’m can depend upon my men tollowing it

1' up: ‘ - 1 ‘ .

“The hav a rendezvous in the vaults un-
derneath an o (1 church, somewhere in the sub'
urbs of how York, The church is a very old
one dating back, probably to the Revolution
an the chances that ith now deserted—
not used, and is ittle better than a heap of
ruins. It is only a short distance from the wa-
ter, and from the shore an underground passage
leads to the vaults.” '

“Your description is a very indeﬁnite one,”
the chief observed. “The city is entirely sur-
rounded b water. Can‘t you ﬁx the locality
more close y?”

“The probabilities are that the church is
near the Hudson river and about two hours
from the city by boat.”

“ Stemnboet. you mean a”

“ No, by cars.
 ling” or ten miles, then, according to tide?”
ea. -

The otilriul reﬂected for a moment. He was
well pasted in regard to the city and its sur-
roundings but no church could he think of that
answered the description. He shook his head.

“ I am at fault," he remarked: “ I do not re-
call any building that would ﬁll the bill on
either bank of the Hudson within fifteen miles
of the city.”

“It may be possible that it is on Staten Isl-

 
poorl dressed in dark clothes with an olive-

tin com xion, and yet with light hair, and i

it was thh act that ave the st .33.”. ,
xi the

ancete'ﬂieface, for th suchacom
havebeendark. h “d
chief was a keen observer thong
had-abhveledagreatdea. casein his’
life husnccmtendamaanm thh
tionhrreumbled the visitor. It was in ew

and or the Jersey shore, or on Long Island.”

“I know about ever foot of the rcund,I
think, around New ork in all
within twenty miles, but your old church
stumps me.” , .

“It exists, though, superintendent, and it is
the principal head- uarters of this band of bold
and lawless men., know that such a ad is
in existence; I know the have their d.
quarters in just such a p as I have de-

irections i

scribed, and in this vault is ‘a golden ccﬁn
worth a fortune.” . .

The police chief started in sin-prise, demite
his iron-like nerves.

“A golden cdﬁin! By Jovsl I have heard of
that before!” _

“ It is in the vault; and now, chief, will you
not put your men on the scent, care, of '
course, not to reveal the purpose! .
seek for the old church with a large vault under
it, a hundred yearsold, at the least.”

“ oz do you not t3 your hand!”

“ Su is my inten on, and I will report to
you my progress, say three days hence,” said
the stran er,

“ All right, and n the mean time I will set my
men at work,” and the chief pulled out his ‘
handkerchief to remove a speck of dust whicl
had got into his eye.

The stranger, standin with his hand on “I!
back of the chair, ccul hardly repress a start
of astonis-ment.

From the handkerchief of the chief came the
same perfume that had clun around the form
of the ca tain of the White nd when he hit!
doomed t e prisoner in the vault!

CHAPTER XVII.
a Plasma Visrrcn.

HI: was an odd-looking, roughly-dressed fal-
low—asort cfamixtureofasailorandalande-
man, and in the darkness of the night he came
slouchinmn up the street toward the house
of the re yslcian, Doctor Doramus. '

Decidedly un was the man in
every t—one of the d of follows that
the pro 1-9815thng 3 split tol avoid when
encountc nig t a one
from the peculiar manner in wmzhwdéﬁ
up to the door, and the suspicious way in which
he looked around as if afraid some one wu
watching him, a observer would have
‘33“ w “‘1” £23” ﬂ” i311"! dictum”
e ' purpose t ore e n
evil ways so lon that fear of being apprehend-
ed had on togbe a second nature.

The ousemald who answered the bell sum~
mons, a comely young Irish girl, was not

 
naturall very acute, but, dull of comprehen-
sion as s a usually was, somethin in the man’s
face warned her hat hewssno‘ rthmi he

should be, and when he asked if Doctor Dora-
mus was in. and said that he wanted tc-see him
if he was, the housemaid cast just a si e‘
glance at the two overcoats hanging 'on' a
rack in ’the ii, and remarking, curdy,thht
she woulfd tell he doctor, shuth tlﬁe the
visitor’s ace—a roceedmg' w ic

excited his ire. D“ W ‘

“You blasted fool, I ain’t on the ovsf'ooat-
sneak-thieflay !” he ejaculated, shaking his ﬁst
at the closed door. “I’m a entlem‘an, I am!
and when I ‘crack a. crib’ I cit in a gentle
Ill:le manner, and no sneaking about it, ci-
t er. ‘ -

The a pearance of the doctor, who came im-
mediate yin answer to the summons, cut short
the fellow’s reﬂections.

“How are you?” saluted the stranger, with a
clumsy attempt ata bow; “ kin I have a few
words with you in private on some very ’ticnlar
business?"

The doctor cast a searching glance at the
man; he fancied that he had seen him before,
although for the moment he could-not rean
her where cr‘when. ' ' ‘

“Whatis the nature of your busineuPthe
doctor asked, unfavorany impremed by'the’ his
looks of the fellow.

“Oh, well, governor, I can’t tell that‘out
here on the stoop, you know. on can bet
your lie that I am on business eves-y Cline,
and i you ain‘t willin’ to ex me [later yer' pr-
lor, I can’t make you, and will have to gio‘vg8
in course, butl take it that a gentlanan
you are ain’t a-goin’ to be hard on a  cove
wot only wants to have a leetle private ccnfab
with you on very ’ticular business.” '

“ Business that concerns me?‘ Doramus ques-
tioned, sharply.

“ Well, yes, governor; itccnsams you a lit-
tle, but not so much as it does me." ‘

“ It occurs to me that I have seen you betas,
me’bmiii: 1 likel my 9 the

“ 'ery e —-we ,
fellow answered, Vita grin.”

“ When was it and where?”

“’Deed, governor, you’re too much for me,” p
the man res nded, with a dubious shake of
the head. “ ain’t got no memory at all to
speak on.”. .

“ Well, come in and e ain your business,”
said the doctor, leading t e way to the
ticn-room, satisﬁed that there was very little g
be got out of the caller unless allowed "to go on
in his own way. ‘

Doramus plach‘ﬂ a chair for the man so that
when he set In it the full 1‘ ht of the gas would
fall Egon his face; then e sat down in his
rig-:1 air and signiﬁed for the strangest?) pro-
c .

“I‘m a ’lcngshoreman, I am,” the mlu'hé‘
gmi, “ and my me is Jerry Crank; and! m
a- brother. and hat brother was”-atgthigg$m’
l he aused, abruptly, and looked around in

a ery suspicious sort of way; then in a can.

 
13 .c

 
l
i.
l.
l;

’14

The Doctor Detective.

 
tious tone, barely above a whisper, he asked—
“I say, governor, there ain’t any danger, is
there, that anybody kin overhear a cuss—wot
he as s, bu know?’

“ 0t he slightest danger of any one over-
hearing if you are carefu to speak in a mod-
erate tone of voice.”

“All right; I will try wot I kin do in that
line, but I’ve got a woice like a bassoon, ’cos
I’ve been used to yelling on the Water; mebbe
you kin see that I am a seafaring man?’

The doctor nodded; there was a ﬂavor of the
sea. about the fellow. '

“ My brother and me allers used to travel to-
gether,” continued the visitor, siukin his voice
to a hoarse whisper. “ We follered t e sea fur

ears, but lately we have bin loaﬂn’ round New

ork, picking up odd jobs in ’lougshoxeline,
and we were out on the river one night, and the
furst thing I knows, Bill—that’s my brother,
governor—he had been h’isting in the ‘ blue
ruin’ prett freely and had got more cargo
on board t n he could stow—well, he went
to catch an orange that was ﬁoatin’ past and
over he went, and, governor, he couldn’t swim
a lick, either. I dro ped the oars and went for
him with a boat-boo , and I got him, too, yer
honor. I pulled him into the boat, but it was
too late; the salt water on top of the rum had
finished him; poor Bill had slipped his cable and
made a port in another world.

Here the man halted and rubbed his eyes with
his bi , pawlike hands as though troubled by
tears, ut the keen-eyed doctor couldn’t dis-
cover any trace of emotion in the fellow’s stone-
like face.

“ Yes, sir,” the man continued, “poor brother
Bill was done for when I got him into the boat.
I did the best I could to fetch him up ag’in but
it was no—go. Well, governor, not to worry
you with too long a yarn, when I got on shore,

fell in with a bad gang, reg’lar rounders, you
know, up to all sorts 0’ things; not that I ever
had a hand in their tricks, ’cos that ain’t the
kind of man I am. In course feeling all cut up
by Bill’s slipping his cable, warn’t sorr to
h ist a little rum on board, and when I got ’ t
halfdseas over some of the g said as how I
could make a triﬂe out of B land save the ex-
pense of plantin himin the cold und. Well,

ain’t got muc l’arning, yer onor, and not
being in a right kind of wa for thinking an -
how, I consented, but now at I am sober, t e
thing kinder goes ag’in’ me and I reckon that I
would feel better if I took Bill’s body and had
it planted like a Christian.” p

‘ It would be natural for you (0 do so, and I
haven’t any doubt that on would feel better.”

“That is what I have in a-thinkin’; so, ov-
ernor, if you will be so kind as to tell me w en
I kin have Bill I’ll come arter him and plant
him as ood asif he had bin a lord.”

The octor stared in amazement at his visitor
for a moment; then he put on his glasses as if
:10 delsired to examm‘ e t e face of the man more

ose .

“O , you needn’t be afraid, governor,” the
man remarked in a very mysterious way. “ I’ll
ﬁx it so that there won’t anybod know any-
thin about it at all. In course I
un ' you get through with it, ’cos on paid
your money like a tleman for it, ut arter

on get through, way you In tas well let me
have it as anybody else, ’cos t will save you
trouble, of course, as you will have to get some
one to take it away.”

“ M good man do not understand you at
all!” doctor exclaimed. “What on earth
are you talking about?”

“ he stiﬁ’,’ re lied the fellow, in a hoarse
whiQer, “the still wot you bou ht the other
night and gave two hundred do ars for, you
know—wot you ordered. ”

“ You have made some mistake; this is not a
medical college!”

“ Do you s’posa I don’t know that? But I
say, governor,” and here the fellow’s tone
changed to one of entreaty, “ wot is the use of
yer tryin to play this here rig on a cove? You
got the at if and id for it, and now all I axes
is a chance to ta 8 it of yer hands.”

“There is no body in this house,” observed
the doctor, rising, “and if there ever was one
it has been d' ed of, long ago.”

“You have in in a mig ty hurry to get rid
of it, and who got it anyhow?” growled the
i'ellow, rising an skullsing to the door.

“ I’ve a very bad memory, and I couldn’t
really tell you. ’

“ t’s rough on a poor cove, governor, but
mebbe you will change our mind and tell some-
body, sometime,” and t on the fellow departed.

In the speech a threat seemed hidden.

on’t want it

 
CHAPTER XVIII.
'rnn nocron srnsxs.

Domums was careful to see that the door
was securely fastened after his disre utable-
looking visitor had retreated; then he jo ned the
nvunt in the study upstairs and to him re—
lated the tioulars of the 0d interview.

“ It is range, Daniel, and I must say I don’t
\ xnctl y pnderstantl what it means,” the savant
Admit!“ .

“ Neither do I. Of course the story about the

 
subject being the body of his brother I do not
credit for a moment; and there isn’t the least
doubt in my mind that there is some dee mo-
tive at the bottom of the aﬂair. Why 3 ould
the fellow be so anxious to get hold of the re-
mains?”

“ From your description I should say that he
was not the kind of man to take it very much
to heart whether the remains had decent burial
or not. ”

“ Oh, no, not at all; a bad egg, Gayaway: as
bad a one as I have ever encountered and I
have had dealing, in a strictly professional way,
of course, with some of the biggest rascals in
the body-snatching business.”

“ There is only one reason why any one
should wish to get hold of the remains,” the
savant observed.

“Well, if you can see any reason, you are
wiser than I am.”

“The fell0ws who sold you the body might
be tormented b a suspicion that life was not
extinct in it w on they delivered the body to

ou. Perhaps something has happened to make

hem believe that the victim was not silenced as
completely as the% had hoped: a visit to you
they thought won reveal the truth. If the
man was cad and you had used him to experi-
ment upon, an inspection of the remains would
satisf them that they had no cause for fear;
but on the contrary, the man had been re-
stored by you to life, of course you would natu-
ral] state the fact.”

“ ery true—very true, indeed; it is more
than probable that you have hit upon the
truth.

“ But, cunning as the rascals think themselves
they did not succeed in their little game this
time,” Philcard observed, with a great deal of
satisfaction.

“Oh, no; I am no child to be handled by
these scoundrels at their will,” and the old phy-
sician shook his head knowingly.

The visit afforded the two friends food for
conversation for some time, and it was quite
late before they retired to rest. The last words
of Doramus as he bade his friend good-ni ht
referred to the suspicious-looking and acting
stranger.

The doctor slept in the front room over the
lor and the windows looked upon the street.

e looked to the fastenings of the easements as
was his usual custom before retiring, for a lit-
tle piazza ran along the front of the house and
it would not have been a difficult task for a
nimble man to climb up the pillars and then an-
ter the room through t 6 windows if they were
not fastened. These recautionstaken thedoctor
retired to rest, and ing, in spite of his age, of
a robust and healthy nature he fell at once into
a sound sleep.

The gas was burning dimly, so that there was
li ht enough to distinguish objects in the room.

he old gentleman had slept soundly for
some time, a ipeaceful, dreamless sleep, as was
usual with h m when he was rudely and ab-
ruptly disturbed. Strong hands were laid upon
him, and, with a startling presentiment that
somethin was wrong, he awoke.

And th were not right. B his bedside
stood three ll ﬁgures, all robed n white, and
skim; and ’every one held a gleaming km a in his

n ,

The doctor sat bolt upright in the bed, his
eyes dilating with astonishment.

The masked robbers, against whom he had so
pften turned keys and shoved bars, had come at
astl

And the way by which they had managed to
enter the room, without disturbin the inmate,
was plain. One of the windowsl ng upon the
piazza was wide open. In the new r, that
very morning Doramus inanaccoun o arecent
case of house-breakin , had read how easily the
common style of sash- astenings could be opened
by inserting a thin-bladed knife between the
two halves of the sash, and he said to himself,
when he had read the article. that he would re-
place the old fastenings b new burglar-proof
ones immediately, but be ad neglected so to
do, and the result was that the masked marau-
ders found an easy entrance.

“ Do not attempt to give an alarm, or we
shall be com ‘lied to use violence,” warned one
of the disguised men, pointing his knife in a
threatening manner at the breast of the old
man. “ Keep quiet, and no harm will be done
you,” the man continued. “ We want to use
you Well but, if ’you compel us, we can use you
ve ill indeed.

e doctor was amazed by the speech; the
man no (ionimon ruﬂian. g1
‘ y, s r, am not disposed to ve you
trouble, but I am afraid you will not proﬁt
much by your visit, for I do not think there are
many portable articles in the house worth tak-

' ing awe, ,” the doctor declared.

“We 0 not come after your valuables, sir,”
replied the mask. “We only want the body
that was brought here the other night.”

Doramus, completely astounded, only stared
as the man continued:

“ Do not attempt to deny that you received
it, as you did to the agent whom we sent in
quest of it this evening.” ‘

The doctrr silJ was speechless.

 
“ Come, the body; where is it! We want it,
no matter what condition the remains are in.”

As Doramus couldn’t accede to this request,
for the best of all reasons, he was at a loss to
know how he could explain the matter without
betraying the secret that was conﬁded to his

care.

“ Why do on hesitate? Of what value is the
bod to you Or haven’t you got it?”

T e question suggested a way to the doctor to
get out of the difﬁculty.

“ No, it is not now in my pom-ion.”

“ Where is it?”

“I do not know.”

“ Is it not in the house?”

“It is not.”

“ Who took it away?”

“Sir, I hope that you will not press that ques-
tion, for I have promised to keep the matter a
secret.”

“M dear doctor, I would not be the means
of m ing such a man as yourself break his
word for the world,” the intruder replied, with
extreme politeness, “but I think I can solve the
mystery. The corpse was not a corpse; in fact,
the man was not dead, and you restored him to
life. Is this not the truth i”

The old gentleman, not a master of the art of
deception, falsehood did not come natural to
him, even if he had been disposed to equivocate
about the matter.

“ No need to speak, sir!” exclaimed the dis-
uised man, abruptly, rea ' the truth in the
ace and hesitation of the octor. “ We are

very much obliged to you for your informa-
tion. And now, if you will give us your word
not to create an , we will depart.”

Doramus readily promised, and, in a twink-
ling,,the mysterious visitors took themselves off.

 
CHAPTER XIX.
m srsanonn.

SEVEN days had elapsed since Doctor Dia-
mond had departed from his home, and he had
neither returned nor sent word to the anxious
housekeeper in regard to his whereabouts, and
Mrs. Converton began to get anxious. She
had never known the doctor to act in this w
before, and now apprehended that some evil
mi ht have befallen him. In fact, so anxious
an worried had she become that she had se-
riously thought of goingto the superintendent
of 'cean askin h advice upon the sub
’ech She would to the tale of another “ miss-
ng man,” “lost in New York,” the great whirl-

], which often in lfs its victim, leavin no
racebehindtotelltestoryoftheﬁnal g

011'.

The conduct of the little boy, too, was
a source of mystery to the ousekeeper. He
had called eight or ten times to see the doctor,
and whemuestioned by her in regard to his
business , in the most obstinate manner de-
clined to disclose it putting her oi! with the
declaration which she felt sure was not the
exact truth, that his business “ didn’t amount.
to much anyhow ;” the doctor had been kind to
a poor, sick woman, and he wanted to thank
him for it.

Bu?» 0'7an to the prolonged absence of the
physician, an idea came into the little fellow’s

ead that it was ble the m sterious de-
parture of Miss E1 on and the a nce of the
medical man had some connectio and this
thought determined him to stick to is notion
of seelin thei1 idot-tor until he succeeded in ac-
com 11 s 

0d) the egening o the seventh day Mrs. Con-
verton came to a determmaiion in regard to the
best course to rsne.

“I will wai until tomorrow mornin ,” she
said, “and if the doctor is not here gy ten
o’clock I will and consult the police.”

The lady sa in the parlor, for she had grown
so anxious that she s nt nearl all her time at
one of the front w ndows i ng out on the
street, and hardly had she ﬁnished the sentence
when there came a rin at the door-bell.

At once she jum to her feet, for every
time that any one came to the door she ed
that it was the doctor.

"No, it is not him,” she murmured, as she
proceeded to the door. “He has a key and
would not ring.”

She Opened the door; the man that stood
there_was the same one who had visited the
su nntendent of lice, that morning, and
add the story of t e existence of the secret

n .

The moment the housekeeper looked upon the
face. of the stranger she became impressed with
the idea that she had seen him before, and yet.
she could not recall the time or place.

“ Mrs. Converton 7” asked the man.

The housekeeper almost started, for the voice
was as familiar as the face.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, extremely puzzled.

“I bring you a m e from Doctor Din—
mond. He has been call away on-unexpected
business and may not be able to return for
some time,” and he man tendered a letter to
the housekeeper, which she opened and read
immediately.

 
The DoctormDetectiye.

15

 
The note was brief, and read as follows:

“ MY DEAR Mas. Consumes:

“ I shall be obliged to remain away from home for
some time, to attend to important business, and I
cannot now exactly say when Lwill be able to re-
turn. The bearer of this, a distant relative, Mr.
Marvin Clarke, will represent me in in absence; he
will occupy my room, attend to al my affairs,
which be thoroughly understands, and on will take
orders from him exactly as you wo d from my-
self.“

And then, at the bottom,.a peas-ed 'the bold,
plain signature of “Alcenor and.”

The housekeeper was well acquainted with
the doctor‘s handwriting and she knew at once
that no other hand but his could have penned
the letter.

The mystery of the voice, race and ﬁgure was
at once explained. The stranger was a relative
of the doctor, and there was astrong family
likenem between the two, although when she
had been puzzled by the man’s likeness to some
one whom she had seen before, she had never
thou ht of her master.

“ 6h, sir, you don’t know what a weight you
have taken 08 my mind 1” she exclaimed, in
honest thankfulness. “The doctor’s absence
has alarmed me dreadfully and 1 had made up
my mind that if he did not return tomorrow
would go to the police-ofﬁce and give the au-
thorities warning about the aﬂair.’

“You have no cause to no alarmed; the doc-
tor is perfectly safe and well.”

The note had really taken a great load oﬂ the
mind of the woman, for she was sincerel at«
tached to the physician, who was one o the

kindest of masters, and so for the "stranger, as ‘

the representativo of the doctor, she could not
do enough.

After Mr= Clarke was comfortably seated in
the reception-room, the housekeeper proceeded
to relate about the visits of the ragged little

boy.

“He musthavehadsomeobjectin coming so
persistently,” the gentleman suggested. “ I will
see him the next time be com .

“ There he is on the step: nowl” exclaimed
Mrs. Converton. She was y the window and
happened to glance into the street, where she
saw the: b0 slowly saunter-lug along, casting
very Wishfu glances at the house.

“ Cali him in, please.”

The housekeeper hastened to comply with the
request.

“ Here, little boy 1” she cried.

Hoppergrass, for it was our little hero in rags,
at once advanced eagerly.

“ Has the doctor 1” he asked, as he

mounted the steps. e prolonged absence of
the physician ha been a source of great won-
derto im.

“Not yet, but here is a gentleman who has

come directly from him who would like to see
on.”
y The boy rather hesitated.

“ What does he want with me?” he asked, sus-
piciously half inclined to retreat.

"The actor may have intrusted him with a
message for you. The housekeeper did not
real-iv believe that this was so; it was only a
lizirmlemdctiou on hex-part to induce the boy
to enter the house.

“ hfebbe he did,” observed Hopper-gram,
doubalully.

" Will you come in, then!”

“ Yea, ma’am, I s’poseso,” and with consider-
able reluctaphce the1 gamm followed the house-
ltee into e par or.

“and the boy who has been inquiring for
Le doctor,” Mrs. Converton said, introducing
am.

Mr. Chrke sat right in front of the ﬁreplace
mthatthefulllight of the gas shone upon his
lulple, _aitigtgoppergr:m,“;hohhad c‘ggie shleep-
is yin eroom _wi g ismg apo
for a cap between ﬁll! ll rs, looked decidéﬁ;
astonished when his eyes ell upon the face of
the gentleman. Dike the Woman the impression
at once cameto him that he had seen the gen-
tleman before, but for the life of him he couldn’t
tell whether it was so or. not.

“ Do not let me detain you, madam, if you
have any household duties to take up your
time."

The housekeeper, a woman of sense, im-
n. diately understood that Mr. Clarke wished
tn boulonemhfthe boya an .

"If ouw orme, sir, you havetodo
is: to tzuch the bell,” she said, inning to the
(‘ .ll-bell upon the table; then s e retired, clos-
ing the door carefully behind her.

“Sit down, my lad,” Mr. Clark ested,
:- :inting to a chair, upon the edge of which the
l ..y immediately proceeded to perch. The lady
\ no has just left us tells me that you have been
here three or four times to see the doctor. ”

“ Yes, sir, ten or a dosen times.”

“ The doctor is engaged u important busi-
ness and the chances are t at you will not be
able to see him for some time—a month or
more haps. He has sent me here toattend
to all mbusiness: I am a distant relative and
Well informed in regard wall his all '
vou will tell me your business, per
be able to attend to it as well as the
person.”

so if
may
octor in

- awoke bathed

 
The explanation relieved the boy’s mind
’ust exactly as it had the housekeeper, and the
00k of icion which had dwelt upon his face
ever-i. since 0 entered the room gradually van-
isbe

He could not remember that he had ever met
this man before and et his face and voice
were familiar; be co (1 not understand this
mystery, and anythiu that he could not under-
stand terriﬁed him. ut now it was all lain
to him; the gentleman was a relative o the
doctor and looked like him, and from the way
in which the stranger ke, Hoppergrasa be-
came inspired with conii ence.

“ I dunno, sir, as I’ve got much to say. Meb-
be the doctor wouldn’t have keered much to
hear it,” the boy remarked, slowly.

“ Let me hear what it is and I will be able to
tell Wu in regard to that.”

“ ell, sir, it was ’bout the gal whose mother
died down in our court.”

“ Dura Eldon?”

“ Yes, sir,” and the b0 opened his eyes at
the promptness with whic the stranger under-
stood his meaning.

“I know; Mrs. Eldon died; the doctor was
called in to attend to her, but it was too late.”

“ Yes sir: well next morning, sir, bright
and early almost before anybody was up, the
young gal, sir, went away.”

“Leaving her dead mother behind?”

“ Oh no, sir; a hearse came and captured the
old woman, and a carriage with a reg’lar blood
in it—so one of the neighbors said—came for
the gal- and she left ten dollars behind, sir, for
me, an she said in the letter that I was to pay
the dpfctpr and keep the rest of the money for
in se .

‘y‘ Have you the letter?” asked Mr. Clarke,
evidently not exactly understanding what to
make of the boy ’8 statement.

“Yes, sir; here it is,” and the lad roduced
the letter from the capacious pocket 0 his tat-
tered coat.

The gentleman read the missive carefully;
while t e keen-eyed bo , who was watching as
a cat watches a mouse; ncied that a faint si h
escaped from the mans lips as he ﬁnished t e
brief note. -

“Here’s the money, sir," observed the boy,
producing the bill from a secret hiding-place
which he had cunnineg contrived in the hning
of his coat. '

“Keep the money, my boy; the doctor does
not ' any fee. You have some safe place
to put t1”

‘ Yes, sir, in the Five-cent Bank!” replied

Hop proudly.
“few of that; the doctor has thought

of on and has determined to aid you if it is
wit in his giwer, and if lyou will call here to—
morrow af rnoon we wi have a talk together
and on shall tell me what I can do for you.”

“ h thank you, sirl” the lad exclaimed, his
heart full to overﬂowin at this unexpected
piece of good fortune, an then, with rare ood
sense for one so little tutored in the ways 0 the
world, he comprehended that the interview was
over and withdrew.

After the departure of the gamin, the house-
keeper returned and conducted Mr. Clarke to
the doctor’s sleepin apartment, be having in-
formed her it was t e doctor’s wish he should
occupy that room until the master’s return.

Diamond’s sleeping-chamber was a large rear
room on the second oor. It was bedroom and
library combined, and the doctor’s sanctum,
where he kept his tools and professional rub-
bish, was a small room right in the rear of the
other apartment.

After the housekeeper had left the room Mr.
Clarke sat down b the side of the bed and
gage himself up to tense thought for quite a

e.

The ﬁrst movement in the attack upon the
White Band had been made, and by this time
it was probable the detectives were on the
scent, unless—and the supposition seemed ab-
surd—the chief of police was in l e with the
midnight marauders but the l perfume
that came from his handkerc ief bothered the
informer considerably.

At last he retired to rest, but it was some
time before he fell asleep and then his dreams
were troubled and disturbed. The dreaded de.
mon of darkness, the horrid nightmare, was
rampant.

Suddenly, with a great start, the sleeper
in perspiration, and glared
around him.

There was some foundation for the d
for terrible white—robed ﬁgures were clue
about the bed.

CHAPTER XX.
a DESPERATE 13mm.

UPON retirin to rest the stranger had not
extin ished t e gaslight but had merely
turnedu it down, but, dim as was tuo ﬂame it
gave ample light to distinguish all objects in

be room.

His sudden awakening was a surprise to the .

men and it interfered materially with

 
the r plans, for they had but just entered the ‘
romn when, with a start, Clarke awoke and sat ‘

bolt upright upon the couch.

The intruders were all clustered at the foot of
the bed and as the sleeper arose to a sitting po
sition, with a common impulse they lacked
from their breasts ugly knives that ghatened'
ominously in the dim light; but not not one of
the band displayed a ﬁrearm; pistols were too
noisy for these gentlemen who worked in the
silence of the night.

Steadfasz for a moment the masked ruﬂans
and the man, upon whose privacy they had in~
truded, looked u 11 each other, and it was a
difﬁcult thing to ecide which was the most dir
concerted.

“ c‘peak a single word and you die upon the
instant!” cried one of the disguised men, evi—
dently the leader of the party, in a voice that
the other recognized only too well, and in order
to give due effect to the threat he brandished
his nife in the air.

“ Who are you and what do on want?”

“ You know who we are we] enough, and we
know who you are, although you have d' '
{fumelf in a very clever manner in or er to

he upon your hands the difﬁcult task of hunt
in us down. You did succeed in reachin the
chief of lice without your disguise 
penetra , but the moment you made known
to him what your errand was you stood re-
vealed in yep; trig! colors, {lor only one plan
possesses the ow ge whic you

“And who may he be?” inquimd in
the calmest manner pomible.

“ Yourself: Doctor Diamond 1”

Clarke shook his head, but the disguised chief
caug)ht him up on the instant.

“ h, it isn’t of any use for vyou to attempt to
deny it!” he exclaimed. “ e ins you
in spite of your disguise, although it is a very
clever one. We thought that we had given

on your ticket to the other world when we
owered you down into the pit, shut up in the
golden coma, but you were evidently born un-

er a lucky star for you escaped from the tra
that no man ever escaped from before. An
we know how it was don too. That liquid
which you swallowed, and w ich you pretended
was a poison, was only a sleeping potion and it
threw you into a trance that seemed like death
itself; in fact, so much like death, that even the
members of the White Band, who are up to a
trick or two in that line, were deceived and all
believed you were settled for this world.
The in order to turn an honest penny, we sold
your y to a doctor exactly as we told you
we would, but in our smartness we over—
reached ourselves. If we had suﬂered you to
remain in the well-hole no wer on earth

could have saved on but by  of your
body we put you 1%! the hands 0 the man who
the knowl to restore

you to life. There is where we made a mis-
take, but you, when brought back again to the
world, committed a still greater error. Most
men after having experienced our war would
have been glad to cry uits—wo d have been
content toskulk thro the world in disguise
and under an assum name, but you—mad-
man that you arel—you thought that you
would brave the power of the White Band; you
pauted for vengeance and assayed to hunt us
down; you made (your spring and in the recoil
we clutch you. noe again we hold you safely
in our wer.”

“You will not believe me, then, if I an
deavor to convince you that I am not the
mg? for whom you take me?” the other

“Oh, we know you, despite the skillful way
in which you have managed to disgise your-
self, and we are going to take on ck again
and put you in the golden co n from whence
you escaped; that glittering casket is hungry

or its prey.’

“ You will not take me anywhere,” nded
the threatened man, in the coolest poesi man-
ner.

The members of the band stared at each
Either; the calm courage of the man astounded

em.

“Do you prefer that we should murder you
on the spot then ?” the leader exclaimed, fero-
ciously, and he made a movement as if to spring

upon the other.
Both of the hands of the who had called
himself Clarke, were concealed neath the bed-

clothes, but with the threatening ture of the
outlaw they came quickly up an the manu-
ders started in alarm, for they thought, as they
beheld the motion, that the intended victim
was about to ﬂash a pair of revolvers at them,
but, on the contrary, all that he held in his
hands were two sma l glass balls, hollow appa-
rently, and ﬁlled with a dark liquid.

The chief of the band at once scented danger
when he saw these, seemingl , harmless toys.
He was sure that the man was octor Diiimon:E
and already he  come to the conclusion
the doctor was hkely to prove a pretty trouble-
some customer.

And the others were much more alarmed
than the.chief; tho. almost miraculous escape.
of their victim had roduced a great effect upon
their gross and bru natures. It reall seemed
as if the man was more than morta,else he
could not have succeeded in the undertaking.
Therefore when the little glass balls were pro

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16

duced their superstitious (cars were at once ex-
cited. '

“Do notadvanceaste or'eise your deaths
be om: own'heeds!” larke exclaimed.

“ is do you meant” growled the White
Band chief, uncertain how to act.

“In these little crystal globes death lies con-
cealed. If I crush them within my hand, and
they are as fragile as an eg -shell, it will be a
miracle in’dced if any one 0 you escapes with
life from this room.”

“But On compass your own death at the
same time i” the chief outlaw ex’claimeri.

" Oh, no; you forgot that I am learned in the
dark" secrets .of chemistry; all my life have I
de oi'ad to wresting from the Itol'e-IlOUnGS of
no the wonderful things that lie entombed
therein. I can escape. I am Alcenor Diamond
—I ans the man whom ou consigned to a living
to“, but it did not ho d me; from the shadows
of the ve I have escaped, and henceforth I
have one mission in life, and that is to hunt
down and give to justice every member of your
acoursed band from the highest to the lowest:
not one shall escape my just vengeance unless
in the grave he seeks refuge from the hang-
men’s rope. This is the oath which I have
sworn and I have an reme conﬁdence that a
just gonna will enab e me to accomplish my
“8 v

Like the knell of doom the stern w0rds fell
upon the ears of the ruﬁians, and for the mo—
ment he seemed to their eyes the very personi-
fication of the spirit of vengeance. V

The chief was the ﬁrst to break the spell;

even if death was confined within the narrow
compass of the glass balls he was resolved not
to be balked of his prey; with one slash of his
keen knife would he end the career of the
av r. '
Bu before he could put his purpose into
execution, Diamond, by t e glitter in his eyes,
guessed what he was about to do, and was as
)rompt to act as the other.

Asmgle motion of his strong hands and the
glass balls were shattered. Then, out on the
:ir of the apartment ﬂoated the most terrible
smell that the nostrils of man had ever known'
 was the savage device of the almond-eyed
sonsof the'Eaet the stink-pots of the Chinese,
.‘hich cause suffocation and death unless the
‘ 'fferer is speedily removed from the dreaded

".luence'. -

But the masked ruﬂlans did not tarry to learn
whether death lurked in the dense vapor, which
came rolling from the shattered balls or not,

I, but the moment the doctor closed his hands,
withloud cries of horror they ﬂed, all cxcopt

the chief, and he, in his mad rage pressing'for-
ward to assail Diamond with his knife, encoun-
tered the full force of the vapor which came in
such a douse, "cloud-like mass from the tiny
crystal balls, that one could not help wondering
how it was that the art of man could compress
$0 “:- a substance within so small a place.

ell as was the purpose of the masked chief,
desperate and determined as was his action, yet
it was not in the power of nature to encounter
the terrible agent of destruction which the doc-
torn had let loosedand ris; su rior to it.f rd

e_ ggedan game as e s rung orwa ,
the vaga r enterin hiIs'lungs: thigh he reeled like
ad enman; t e knife fell from his news-
less hand; wildly he beat the air and then sunk
down, senseless, in a heap on the ﬂoor.

CHAPTER XXI.
UNMAHKED.
'l‘lll' (let-tor had purpose! overrated the
tower of the novel instrumen of war which he
ad employed. In a close room, from whence
no once of escape could be had, no doubt in a
ve short time i would have stiﬂed any one
un nate enough to be exposed to its er~
ful , but as the door of the octor’s
a was wide n, so that the fumes
could easily escape, yond throwing the
masked chief into a state of insensibility it
harmed himnot and if his followers had only
had sense enou hto have remained outside, in
the entryf an 1 the fume of the va r had
.spentitse on the air, then the could ave re-
turned with perfect safety an resumed their
attack; but, as it was, the ruﬂlans had only one
thought, and that was to get out of the room
and out of the house as soon as possible. ,
Careful reparation had been made in antici-
pationof hearing the prisoner away, and the
scolmthels were not sl w to avail themselves of
the means which had provided.

 
‘ In thestreet, at the door of the house, a coach

a the

stood, the dobr next to the curbstone o
y for a

driver on the box, reins in hand, all re
start. .
The fellows stripped of! their dis ises as
the ran through t e house and rolled hem up
~un or their arms.

Into the street they hurried, and without
ceremon sprung into the reach.

The driver understood that the plot had mic

carried.

“ Where's the captain?” he cried.

“Taken, blames!” the last man replied,
.as he ha into the coach.

.\
V _..- .. .....______.. had” ...;_ -..

horses at once.

 
The Dow: Detecting

 
This was startliu information and the dri-
ver, now thorough alarmed, 17de up his
own they went, one
thought only in' their to (k, and that was to
get away from the dangerous as soon as
possible. Little did these in erers care for
he fate'of their leader: eolong as they saved
their own skins they were content. .

The doctor had easily avoided being over-
come b the noxious vapor. The moment he
smashe the crystal lobes he closed his nostrils
and his mouth with is hand and lea ing from
the bed, had thrown himself face ownward
upon the ﬂoor.

When the vapor had spent its force he
arose and proCeeded to look after his cap—
the

The man lay on his side, almost suffocated by
the fumes.

Silently, and in deep thought, for a few min-
utes, he looked down upon the prostrate man,
attired in so strange a disguise.

The clew to the mystcr which had for so long
a time puzzled‘the detect ves and the police au-
thorities of New York, was at last in his hands. I

This senseless man, as feeble now for either

ood or ill as a new-born infant, was the
gremde leader of the terrible fraternit which
had forso long a. time made the chic city of
the New World pay tribute to his ruthless cun-
mus.

Diamond knelt b his side; his intention was
to strip off the od disguise so that he might
learn who the outlaw c ief really was, and, as
be bent over the man from the person of the
captive came the tar perfume which the
doctor had noti when the rascals were about
to entomb him alive in the golden coﬂiu: the
same perfume, too, which he had detected upon
the handkerchief of the superintendent of the
police when he had called upon that important
ofﬁcer in regard to hunting down and destroy-
ing the secret band! '

)iumond paused irresolutely; was it possible
that when he removed the disguise he would be-
hold the featuros of the officer, whose sworn
duty it was to 100k after the safety of the great
city and its people? It really seemed almost be-
yond belief.

“Such things have been, though,” Diamond
murmured, communing with himsclf, “and if
it is not so—if it is not be, but another, is not
this other in lea he with the superintendent? If
he is not, how c )uld the band have penetrated
my disguise, or ghessed that I had resolved to
disclose their secrets and give them up to jus-
ticc! Tm re Were no witnesses to the interview
between the chief and myself; who, then, but
the chin-f could have given the information to
the band 3”

Ho hesitated no longer, thou h; determined
to SolVe the mystery if he could. to removed the
white hood from the face of the senseless man,
and eagerly looked do“ it upon the features.

It was not the police ofﬁcial, as ho had feared:
the face of a straner met his eyes—~the face of
a stranger, and yet a face that was not strange
to him, though for the life of' him he could not
remember that he had ever seen it before.

The man was no boy, nor could he be called
Well on in years; he was a gentleman born, evi-
dently, for he had a proud, imperious-looking
face, with a sort of foreign look to it; no com'»
mon man, but one likely “to excite attention
anywhere.

Diamond puzzled over the face for a few mo-
ments with great attention.

“ Where lnivo I even thismanl" he murmured,
deepin thought. “Ills face is familiar tome,
and yet I cannot recall the time nor lace of
our meeting. It serum away back in t 0 Ion
ago, so lon that I have forgotten, and yet
thought I ﬁnd such a memory that anything
011:3 imprinted upon it would nevur be obliter-
at ."

Diamond rose to his feet rplexed—more than
he had ever been in his life, but a new direction
was given to his thoughts by a faint moan com-
ing from the man’s lips, indicating that he was
be using to recover his senses.

iamond understood that there was no time
to spare if he would secure his man. and re:
membering that there wasastout cod'line in
his drawar of odds and ends, lie-produced it and
then roceoded to bind the motionless limbs.

A onen turns of the line he took around the
ankles of the outlaw chief: then cut the line
and secured his wrists, taking particularcare to
tie the cord with knots the even a man with
full freedom of his limbs would have found it
diﬂlcult to untie.

The risoncr thus made secure, Diamond
lifted him up in his arms and placed him upon
the bed, so that he might be comparatively
com fortith c.

The shock of theremoval seemed to act as a
stimulant to tho waking senses of the prisoner,
and hardly was he comfortably placed 11

the bed before he opened his eyes and 100
with a duzvd and wandering expression

bun.

The ﬁrst thing his so encountered was the
cord that coutined‘h s wrists and the'look of
wonder which came over his. face as he saw

Amazed and confused his eyes rated upon
Dbond’sfaeeendwenrewlleosion served him.
He remembered what had happened.

F

camaa xx'n.
A PM.

Fume: wasthe look which swept over the
face of the captured ruﬂan as he gazed upon
the man whose cunning wit had beaten open,
brutal force.

Never before had the chief been so thor-
ou hly vanquished.

glaring at the doctor for amoment the out-
law exerted all his strength to free his wrists
from the griping cord.

But though he strained until the fine line cut
into the ﬂesh of his delicate wrists, white and
soft sea woman’s, it was only to ascertain that
he was a helpless risoner; his bonds were not
to be severed by h own strength.

At last he ceased hiseﬂorte, while ashort,
hysterical laugh escaped from his lips.

“ This is the best joke I think I have ever ex-
pcrienced l” he exclaimed. “ I have heard of a
man going for wool and getting shorn, but I
cannot recall any such event ever happening to
me before.”

“There must be a first time for everything,
you know.” -

“ Very true; but it is mortifying though, all
the same.” _ ‘
“Those that take the sword, by the sword
musg rish.”ﬂI ’ . I
“ , yes; ate Gospel truth; but, ea ,
now that on have got me what are you goiny
to do wit me? Curse those craven hounds!
he cried, ab 1y, breaking forth in rage
again. ‘May be hot ﬁres of the hereafter
roast their miserable carcasses! If they had
not taken to their heels and ﬂed like a pack of

cowardly rabbits—”
“They, too, would be risoners as you are.”
interrupted Diamond. “ t is not in the power

of human nature to resist the effects of the
weagm I used.”

“ on are an infernally dan rous man!” the
captain of the White Band h to confess. “ I
knew that thevery ﬁrst time I laid eyes on
you, and that was the reason why I took so
much trouble to secure you.” ' .
“ As events have proved. it would have been
much better if you had believed the statement
which I made to you and had uttered me to go
in way in peace. ’ y

‘ Oh, yes, I see that now.- I own up it was a
mistake, but all men are liable to error, you
know,” the other replied, with an a pearance
of great frankness, although he coul not sup-
press the cunning lurking in his e es—en ex-
pression which did not escap: the octor’s no-
tice, and whose nieanin he fancied, even be-
fore the other had Opene his mouth, be under-

' sand

( . -

“ I did not believe you at the time ” the cap-
tivn. continued. “Thereis a great cal of the
bull-dog about me. When I get a notion into
my head I am pretty apt to stick to it. I knew
that you were a dangerous man: I was sure
that you knew the secret of our white brother.
hood, and putting the two beliefs tagetber you
can hardl blame me if I yielded to a third be,
lief, whic 1 was that, if we did not put on out
of the way, you would bring us to grie .”

doctor, quietly, and c oeel ecrutin .atl‘
captive’s face, for the more ,hw of in man
—the longer he heard him tell, the members-
came convinced that he had met him how.

The soner detected this scrutiny, and it
madeh nervousnalthough this was not. per-
ceptible in his beann‘g.

‘ Most probable th ug in the world, you lee,
but if-l had known you then as well as I know
you now I should not have made such a nu).

take.” ‘

h Do you mean that you would have believed
me when I assured you I knew absolutely
noth'ipg whatever about your secret org-ain-
tion
“Exactly, and I should have thought twice
before I provoked the anger of such a-man as

on are. . v .

“ Perhaps it would have been better for you.”
the doctor remarked, in a way that alarmed
'the other, for it seemed to bode danger.

“ Decidedly, for you have got me in a tight
place here,’ the prisoner observed, making a
great effort to conceal his anxiety and to put a
good face on the matter. I

“ Yes, almost as bad a one as all had me in
when you placed me in the g den coffin e» 'l
lowered me d0wn into the well-hole.” Tim-u

wasa haleful glitter now in the eyes of La.-
mond and an ominous rin in his voice.

“ Well, I own up beat,” e White Band chief
said, after quite a long pause. "and it 0'18“ I“
be rathera feather in your ca , for there are
not many men in this world w can boast of
ever having ot the best of me. But, I my.
thisisadeuce uncomfortableposiﬂouthat on
have got me in here, trussed up like a ey
ready for roasting; how long are you god-(to
ks; mo in this sort of ﬁx?” t

 
“ Start yer boots i” cried another, “ or they
will have us all in jail, fuet thing you know 2”

that he was bound showed hedid not remember
what had occurred.

in doctor came astep nearer and fixed his
eyes still more intentlyupon the face of the

“ A vory probable su position,” observed the ’

 
a,"

 
a“?

The Doctor Detective.

17

 
.-

 
bound and clplees man, much to the wonder of
the dos 0.

“Where have I ever met you before?" the
doctor asked, abru y.

“ We never met 0 my knowledge until the
beginning of this aﬂair.’

Oh, ya, we have; I am sure of it. but it
was a long—long time ago, perha when I was
a child. ow o d a man are you ’

The captive winced at the question; evidently
it annoyed him.

“ Why do you ask such a question as that?”

“ You are not as young a man as you appear
to be. ”

“I am not an old man by any manner of
means.”

“ You and I have met, and in the past Klou
have deeply wronged me i” cried Diamond a
tone of conviction.

The look of amazement which appeared upon
the face of the outlaw at’ this declaration was
too real to be assumed.

“ I cannot say when or where,” continued the
doctor, “ nor the nature of the oﬂense, yet a
presentiment tells me that it is the truth."

“ It is utter nonsense!” growle l the other.
“ I never saw you in my life until you Were
bro ht into our secret haunt the other night
and have a good memory for faces, too, an
seldom forget one that I have ever seen.”

“ And you never have seen me?”

“ Never!”

And the doctor felt satisﬁed the man believed
that he was speaking the truth.

“ But you haven’t answered my question yet
--what are you going to do with me?” the des-

rado again demanded.

“ What should I do with you i” and there was
that in the calm voice which made the blood of
the/listener run cold with horror.

“ Well, that is for you to decide, of course,
but I own up vanquished; the game is yours,
and if we were laying for any stake you would
have the ri ht rake in the spoils."

“The sta e you sought was my life—was it

not?”
Cold and pitiless was the tone, and the help-
less man realized that he could ex ect no mercv
from the man whose life he hal sought with
such savage cruelty.

“I su )pOse it was." he answered, sullenly.

“ An'i against that stake did you place your
own life ?”

 
For a moment the two men glared at each i

other, the eyes of the doctor, cold and calm,
but as ﬁxed  the eyes of the snake when it lll~
snares the bird, while angry, impotent i'ngc

gleamed in the orbs of the other, and he ground ,

his teeth together.

“You do notnnswer;—is not the question a
fair onci"

The vanquished chief dropped his eyes slowly
until they rested upOn the strong cords which
fettcred his wrists; then he spoke:

“ I suppose I did," he replied. “ then a man
enters a house in the dead of night with a
weapon in his hand, he certainly does it at the
rhika his life.”

“ And I would be. ustiﬁed now in taking
vours!” Diamond criec , quickly,.uud with such

erocious fervor that even the iron-nei‘Ved dos-
perado was startled.

“ No, on Would not: I am a helpless prisoner
in your hands, and to take my life would be the
act Of a coward.”

“ Bah! After all. there would be more satis-
faction in givingr you up to the. publlc hang—
man," Diamond suggested, consihngly.

CHAPTER XXIII.
. a" MARVELOL'S sc'r. .

Tandoctor spoke as it he was debating the
matter in hls mind—whether it was better _to
 the prisoner on the spot or to deliver him

p to the authorities.

A thrill of rage went through the frame of
tho Priionel'. but With a great eﬁ'ort he choked
back the passion which was swelling in every
vein.

“ Are you going to give me up?”

“ What elsecan I do with you? I know that
by rivhts I ought toscttle the matter with my
own and. just as if we were out on the fur
Western u-airies beyond the reach of the law
It would be the easiest thing in the world to

at on to death; a single well~directed blew 1
" r3

wou
world. _ '

“ But you forget the law which would ham
you accountable!”_cried the threatened man,
the cold perspiration beginning to start out
upon his forehead. _

“ Did you not With your. own lips as that,
when a man enters a house in the d. ad 0 night
with arms in his hands, he does so at the  of
his life?”

“ Yes, and l‘ on had struck me then the law
would have hel you justified but the situation
is changed now; I am a he pless prisoner in
your hands. and it is our duty to give me up
to the police, not to hi 1 me in cold b cod.”

“And so, merciless wolf that you are you
er tulle!" cried Diamond. in a tone 0 con-

tom 1:.
“ Elle is worth something, and I am not fool
, enough to ﬂing it away

in

give you your passport to the other ‘

 
"IfIchoosetokill 36:: couldlnot say that
it was done when you came into the room!

Who would dis to my statement? Your oom-
panions will no dare to, for by so do they
risk their cwu liberty, and, Judging y the

haste with which the ran away, they are not
of the stuff of which eroes are made.

“Why kill me or give me up? I will make it
worth your while to let me go free: I Will pay
you any sum of money you chooee to name, in
reason, of course—any sum that I can raise—if
you  ill allow me to go.”

" And then take the first opportunity after—
ward that came in your way, to murder me in
cold blood in reward for my clemency,” the
doctor responded, sarcastically.

“ N0 upon my soul! no! I will 've my
word t at, as far as I and the White and are
concerned, the thing shall end right here. Give
us our promise not to hunt us down, and we
wil swear never to molest you in any way
whatsoever.”

“ It is impossible.”

“ Why impossible i”

“Because it conﬂicts with an oath that I
have sworn and which I will not break.”

“ And what is that oath ?"

“To hunt down and bring to justice every
man of your accnrsed ban ; to unravel the
mystery of the iolden cofﬁn, for I know that
there is some dar m stery connected with that
gorgeous receptacle or the dead.”

An anxious look came over the face of the
other as he listened.

“Why do you want to mix yourself up in
our affairs at all!” he demanded. “ Why can’t

ou let us alone if We are w to cry quits?

e will make it worth your wh e and we will
not harbor any malice either. As Heaven is
my witness, if we had had any idea that you
were the kind of man you are, we would never
have troubled you in the ﬁrst place.”

“ What mercy did you show me?” Diamond
retorted, sternly. ‘_‘ I had never ing'ured you or
any member of your brotherhood ii any we ,
but you condemned me to a most hom’b e
death, and from which I escaped 'only by a
miracle which makes it plain that Heaven or-
dained I should esca in order that your se—
crct band might be estroycd and the mystery
of the golden cofﬁn revealed.”

“(‘an I not offer you sufﬁcient inducements
to turn you from this purpose?” the oapLiVe
ask-Kl. (lcspairingly. ’ _

" What would you have accepted from me when
you lowered me into ,the well—hole?” Diamond
cried. “And yet, there is no comparison be-
tween the two cases, for my death seemed sure,
while I am only turnin you over to the au—
thorities, and between t e Tombs prison and
the scaffold the distance is great, particularly
in the case of such a man as you are, Well pro-
vided with money to buy skillful lawyers to
block the wheels of justice. By delivering you
into the hands of the police I do not assure your
death; I am well aware of that, even if I suc-
ceed in proving that you attempted my ife' but
Ido strip the mask from your face and hold
you up to the world in your true character
and in the mean time, your White Band will
be deprived of your servxces as a leader and I
fancy I will not have a very difﬁcult task to
hunt them down, as I have an idea that you are
the brains of the gang; lackiugyour assistance,
the rest will fall an easy prey.

“If on do not fall your'slf by some des-
perate nd in the mean time!” the boned man
exclaimed, in 'a voice full of menace.

” Be that my risk,” Diamond replied. “ There
is an old adage which saysi threatened men
live long, and after the scale have given our
bravos tonight I fancy not many in the and
will be anxious toundertake the job of attempt-
ing to silence me. Now I will go for a hack
and carry you at once to the police head-
quarters.’

“ Ten thousand dollars if you will let me go!”
cried the desperate man, as the doctor opened
the door.

“Ten millions would not bu you from me
my,” replied Diamond, implaca le as death it
so .

The door closed behind him and the prisoner
was loft alone to his reﬂections.

But, not Ion did he muse over the situation:
he knew that e had not many minutes before
him and that he must make 00d use of what
few there were.‘ At once, t en, he wriggled
from the bed to the ﬂoor, taking care to de-
scend feet ﬁrst“ The cord around his ankles did
not preveut_him from standing up, and, al-
though walking was impossible, yet it was easy
enough for him to hop over to where the gas
still was burning.

Deliberately, regardless of the pain, he thrust
his wrsts near enough to the ﬂame to burn the
stout ﬁsh-line which was wound so tightly
around them. I

Cord and ﬂesh alike suffered, for it was im-

sible to burn the one without the other. but
he, man never winc' d, although the pain was
intense for a few moments.

At last the line parted under the strain ap-
plied by the wrists.

“There curse you! You are of at lastl" he
cried, as he dashid the bonds away, then he

 
w ped out a knits from
“ELAN which conﬁned his

Atlast swasencemoreinfull pomedonof
his limbs! Then, with no loss of time, be
stripped of! the white dis ' which' thcdoc-
tor ad not taken the le remove. Un-
derneath he had on a plain suit of dark clothes,
and from a secret et of the coat be pro—
duced a soft, dark 8 uch hat, and a. false beard,
black in color, like his hair. These two artii {vs
adjusted in their lace, the change they made
mogesful. t i?“ (1110;11:1th if evgid  e
s octor wo ve recogni 23
fee, theydreaded captain of the White Band, 24-»
cciompletely was he transmogriﬂed by the simple

ﬁe made his way hurriedly to the street. No
one 0 his passage, and, in the street, he
turn downward toward the river, knowing
that Diamond would take the other direction.
Not a single soul did he encounter until he turned
the corner of the next street; then he posed a

hispeebetandcut
ankles.

policeman, who merely glanced at him as be'

walked by, for there was nothing suspicious in
his appearance.

The doctor with the back was back in ten
minutesl, but to his surprise, found that the bird
had ﬂown!

“It is life for life, now," he murmured.
“Either the White Band kills me, or I must
hunt them down, and in this desperate game I
cannot afford to lose a single trick. I will see
the superintendent as soon as pcsiblc. Perhaps
he can identify the man. ”

CHAPTER XXIV.
rm: mom'oamamr.

Duncan sat down and fell to meditating
uﬁon the situation. Matters had developed
i y 'ithin the last few hours, and an on y
new face had been‘put upon the aﬂair.

The doctor’s game had been to keep his mar-
velous escape a secret from all the world, aadw
pecially from the members of the White Band,
and this was the reason why hehad appeared in
a  Alcenor Diamond was I) be seen no
more, and in his d' who as Clarke he thought
he would be able to unt the rascals down With-
out their heviug any sus icion that afoe was
on their track. But, the part of the scheme
would have to be abandoned now. The brother-
hood knew that he was alive, and, what was
worse, the captain of the baud understood that
neither he nor his followers could hope for
mercy at the hands of the man whom the had
doomed to such a barbarous death. All uh
vantag s of working in secret and in the dark.
which e had counted upon, were gone; the
band knew that he wasalive and on their mack,
and the odds “ere rest that they would be
able to deal him a b ow before he would eta.
chance at them, and the only way to foil Sum
would be for him, since he had embarked in the
detective business, to, Proteuelike, assume an-
other disguise. so that, while they would be on
the look out for him as Claike. under an m-
tirer different up aranCe, be niigbtsucceed in
eluding their vigi once.

The eak in the ofﬁce of the superintendent of

lice puzzled him though; (row the words of
he desperado leadcr it was plain that, from
some one in the lice department, the men of
the White Band d learned that a fee was on

\

their track. In such a desperate life and death ~

struggle as this, it was not easy to carry on act-
ive Operations. embarrassed b a doubt of one‘s
allies. But. the doctor had evoted his whole
heart and soul to the task, and was resolved
while his remained to pursue the warto the
bitter end.

And so, in a very short time. he came toa con-
clusion in regard to the best course for him to
take.

As speedil as possible Clarke must vanish,
and a new diysguise be aesumed. And he saw,
too, that it was not advisable to use the home
for a head quarters any longer. No matter
what  he wore, nor how careful or com-
plete it was, he surely would be suspected if
seen comin from the house by an member of
the secret d, and the doctor did not doubt
that the rascals would cause the house to be
close] watched. wee opportunity
thoué for him to act before the espionx‘ea
wou commence, for it would certain y
some time for the routed and demoralined rogues
to recover from the severesth which they had

.rienced.
ﬁe wrote a brief note to the housekeeper ex-
plainin that he had been called away by busi.
uses an that he would not probably return for

a week or so, and then, just as the ﬁrst gray
eastern

light of the morning was lining the
skies, he quitted the p .

Of course at such an our very little could he
done, but he did not dare to remain in thevi-
cinity until an hour when business cmld be
transacted. for then he felt sure his movements
would be watched, and his idea was to have
“Clarke” disappear as mystcn'oualy as Dia—

no

So he whiled the hours away about he could
until about eight o’clock, than nought one of tie
fashionable wig-making cuts on
Broadway and enommtering the proprietor in

 
18

person explained to him that, having been in-
vited to a private masquerade, he was desirous
of going in such a disguise that his most inti-
mate friend would not know him, and yet the
disguise to he apparently no disguise at all.
The wig-maker, who was a Frenchman,
charmed with the idea, which be pronounced to
be novel, immediate] declared that he could
furnish such a disguise that the most careful
observer Would not be able to detect that it was

a disguise at all, and it should be so perfect that I

the wearer might be introduced to his own mo-
tlicr and he would pledge his professional repu-
tation that the cheat would not be detected.

The disguise was an extremely simple one,
merely a wi of long light hair, curling at the
ends after t ie Germain student fashion, and a
small heard of the same hue as the hair.

The “artist” ﬁtted the articles on and then
with a stick of pomatum colored Diamond’s
eyebrows to match the hue of the wig and
beard.

The transformation was in truth a marvelous
one and the doctor upon surveying himself in
the glass was astonished at the complete change
which the disguise made in his appearance.

The wig and board imparted a sort of
dreamy expression to his features, and he
looked exactl like a German rofessor of
thirty-ﬁve or orty, but not the slightest trace
of his old self appeared.

“There, is it not magniﬁcent!” the artist de-
manded.

Diamond admitted that it was, but expressed
some doubt in regard to the deception not being
detected.

“Try it! walk down Broadway and see if
any one will pay you any particular attention.
That is a severe test.”

Diamond paid the bill, which was no triﬂe,
for the wig and heard were really master-
pieces of the hair-worker’s art and de .

“if any one detects the disguise, without
your revealin the secret, even your nearest
and dearest friend bring them back and I will
return the money i” the mercurial Frenchman
cried, as Diamond left the sho .

And to a pretty severe test ndeed the doctor
proceeded to put the disguise. He went straight
to the olice sad-quarters on Mulberry street
and as ed to see the chief. and after the usual
amount of red-tapism with which all public
officials are hed ed about, he was admittedto
the resence of t e superintendent.

t gentleman was en ged with one of the
mornin iJournals when t e disguised man was
ushe nto the apartment, and having been
informed that the visitor desired to see him on
important business, cast a searching glance at
him in order to see if it was any one whom he
had ever met before. The doctor bore the look
unﬂinchingly, and so perfect was the di ise
that even the agglu-eg'ed superintendent 0 pc-
lice was deceiv an took the visitor to be a
stranger whom he had never seen.

A more satisfactory tost could not have been
devised.

And when Diamond ived from the ex-
pression upon the face 0 the official that he was
not reco nised a sudden idea came into his
head. 8 nee-the chief looked upon him as a
stranger why not keep u the elusion? The
mysterious manner in wh ch the nature of his
business with the police omcial had been re-
vealed to the.White Band still rplexed him.

That the great head of the ew York Police
Department could be in lea o with the rascals,
who so openly and unblushingly deﬁed the law,
seemed almost incredible, but, assuming that
he was not, the only rational solution of the
mystery was that to some of his subordinates
the chief had related the particulars of the in-
terview.

Diamond's new idea was to introduce him-
self as the friend of the ﬁrst caller, and relate
the ticulars of what had occurred to him,
whic he proceeded to do, much to the aston-
ishment of the superintendent, who listened
with the utmost attention.

“Upon my word, air, this sounds like a ro-
mance,” the official averred.

“ It is tnith itself.”

“ I cannot understand how the leak occurred,”
the superintendent assured, extremely puzzled.
“ If I remember rightly there was no one pres-
ent at the interview but your friend and my-
self.”

“No one, but possibly you mentioned the
natterto some one.”

“Not to a sin is soul!” the chief declared,
emphatically. “ intended to look into the af-
fair myself and so I had no occasion to k
about the matter. No one could have to! the
fellow, excepting your friend or myself. Of
course he did not, so the blame rests on my
shoulders, and, by Jove, sir, I shall not rest
satisfied until I probe the matter to the bottom.
You say that you saw the face of the man?”

“ Yes. sir.” The doctor had told the story as
though he had been called in to help secure the
interlopcr.

“And do you think you could recognize the
man if you saw his picture?”

“ F»  Olld a doubt: for his is no common face.”

“I. : is t: he a look at the Ro-ruc‘s Gallery
tn :.. ’ 1‘. "i l .e chief conducted his visitor to

 
..,..._. r... .xgh . .,.. ....,..~.-

The Doctor Detective.

? the apartment where this notorious collectiOn
of ictures was kept.
be Rogues’ Gallery is a vastly overrated
‘: means of identifying rascals. The moment a
re e is can ht in some wrong—doing, he is
en to a p otographic gallery and his pic-
? ture taken. Some submit to the operation as
quietly as lambs, so that a really good likeness
i is obtained; others on the contrar , resist with
1 all their might, and are compelle
camera by main force, so they distort their faces
; in every conceivable manner and the result is
that the picture is perfectly frightful.

The portraits used to be kept in acouple of
albums, and on the back of each picture was
the name of the party with a description of the
 particular line 0 crime favored by the original

of the picture.

Therefore when one called at Police Head-
quarters with a complaint straightway they
were invited to inspect the Rogue’s Gallery and
pick out, if possible, the party to blame.

Naturally in nine cases out of ten the attem t
was a most decided failure, for, out of a. coup e
of hundred of ill-lookin scoundrels—as nearly
all of them were—and aJ bearing a great family
likeness, to pick out one indivi ua ro e was
a good deal like the traditional searc
needle in a bundle of hay.

But latel a reform has been instituted in the
R0 es’ Ga lery; the pictures are much lar er
an are contained in a couple of frames so t at
if a citizen is robbed by any of the wolf-known
rascals and succeeds in tting a good glim se
of the man it is not an impossible task to pick
him out by his portrait.

Diamond did not succeed, though, for, as he
declared to the chief, not a Single picture in the
galleiry at all resembled the leader of the White

an .

for a

 
CHAPTER XXV.
THE TRUTH AT LAST.

Tim two returned again to the ofﬁce' the su-

rintendent was somewhat annoyed at the

ailure, and unbosomed himself to the doctor.

“ ltis very plain to me that such a man as
you describe this fellow to be is no common
criminal—no new band at the business, but a
wary old bird. It is possible, though, that he
is comparatively, a stranger. He may be one
of the ending lights from across the water and
has been lucky enough so far to keep out of the
hands of the police.

“ The man does look like a foreigner.”

“ By Jove! I’ll have him in time, smart as he
is l” rotested the chief, brin ing his heavy
handp down with force upon t e desk before
which he sat.

The jar tumbled over some photographs
which were carelessly piled u on one corner of
the desk, and one of them fa ing face upward,
was exposed to the doctor 3 gaze.

With acry of amazement he seized the pic
ture, while the official looked on in astonish-
ment.

“ Do you know this man?” Diamond ex-
claimed.

“ Oh, yes, very well indeed.”

“ Who and what is be?”

“A mighty ﬁne man, about as nice a one as I
have ever met; just rolling in money, too, I
should judge.”

“ A stranger?”

“ Well, yes; he hasn’t lived here long.”

“ This is the man I”

“ What?” and the su rintendent stared in as-
tonishment. He coul hardly believe that he
had heard night.

“This is the man, I tell you—the captain of
the White Band i”

“Oh, nol impossible! The idea is absurd! I
assure you, in dear sir, you are laboring under
a mistake. his man is as high-toned a gentle-
man as can be found in the cit .”

” He is the captain of the ite Band,” Dia-
mond repeated, in the most decided manner.
“ And I am not an rised to learn that he occu-
piesa position whic amures him of being be—
yond the reach of suspicion. What do you
really know of this man? Have you been long
acquainted with him?”

“Well, no I have not,” the chief admitted.
“But his social position is very high. I was in-
troduced to him by one of the most rominent
politicians in the city—one of our ju gee."

“ Either a confederate or a dupe of this arch-
plotter. I tell ou,’ chief he is no common
man. He must arrested at once, before he
has an opportunity to place himself .beyond
the reach of detection. 1f the blow is dealt
guickly we ma be able to secure some eVi-

ence which w l prove his guilt and lead at
once to the destruction and conviction of the
rest of the hand.”

“But hold on a hit, my good man! What
grounds have I got to proceed upon? I cenfess

don’t see my way clear in the matter, at all.
If this idea should turn out to be an error on

our part, there would be a deuce of 9 WW.

ou can’t haul up a gentleman of this kind as
you can some poor devil of a workingman.
l‘his customer has got (plenty of money and a
l host of inﬂuential frien s. I should at myself

into a w-k of trouble if you coul n’t prove
‘ your allegation.”

 
to face the ‘

 
“ But I can prove it beyond the shadow of a
doubt!” Diamond replied, earnestly. “I know
that I cannot be mistaken about the matter.
This man’s face is no common one; you can see
that for yourself,” and he held up the picture.
“It is not a face liable to be forgotten when
once seen; nor is it of a kind to be easily con-
founded with another. I_am not surprised at
the station and standing of the man. It is ex~
actly as I expected. I thOught, when I huntcd
him down, I would ﬁnd him intrenched within
the walls of society, allied with the great ones:
of the city, the men who make and execute the
laws. This man is a genius, no common rascal,
and that is the reason why he and his band
have so long defied the pow er of the law, and
so cunnineg has he contrived to screen himself
from all suspicion that, but for the accident of
this picture, it is doubtful if I could have suc—
ceeded in hunting him dewn, for now that he
knows a foe is on his track, the chances are a
hundred to one that he will take himself out of
the way for a short time. I am willing, under
oath, to swear that this man”—and he held up
the ictnre—“ is the captain of the White
Ban ; what more do you want? Is not that
sufficient to induce you to take a decided
ste ?’

he superintendent was irresolute, and hesi—
tated to re 1y. The visitor seemed positive
enough, but e was a stranger, and perhaps not
quite right in the upper story; the official had
a serious doubt in his mind in regard to this,
for the accusation seemed so ve improbable
that he could not bring himself to lieve there
was any truth in it.

“You see, my dear sir,” he said, at last,
“ there is not the slightest particle of evidence
to support this accusation—there isn’t anything
but your belief to go upon, and that rests, not
u n the man himself, but upon his picture.

e are all liable to be mistaken, ou know; no
man is infallible; you will admitt at, of course,
as a sensible man; now, supposing on are mis-
taken, and this man turns out to perfectly
innocent—another party altogether and not the
game on want, just see what a terrible mess
you Wi 1 get me into. I should be the laughing-
stock of the whole city and in all probability
ha ye ,to stand a law-suit for damages in the bar-
gain.

“ Then you do not care to make the arrest on
my evidence alone?”

‘M dear sir, I do not dare to risk itl” the
offic' responded, “but, give me the least testi—
mon to support your assertion—the merest
sh of corroborating evidence—and I will
jump at the chance to put my clutches on the
captain of the White Band as eagerly as a
chicken after a grasshopper! Just try me and
see

Apparently the game was blocked, but For-
tune was smilin at day on the bloodhounil
so relentlessl fo lowing the scent.

“ Just a bi of evidence?” Diamond asked.

“ Only a scrap is all I seek, and PH nab the
bird in a jiffy, ’ and the chief drew out his
handkerchief to wipe his forehead.

The peculiar perfume with which it was im-
pregnated ﬂoated on the air; it came plainly to

he nostrils of the doctor and, remembrance
servmg him well, he seized instantly upon the
chance.

“ l have just a little bit of evidence to oﬂer,
which I think will sup rt myd tion. The
captain of the White Blind uses a peculiar kind
of scent, something entirely different from any—
thing I ever smelt before, 311d. did I not know
to the contrary, I should suspect that you were
the chief of the band, for our handkerchief is
scented with the same pe time.”

The ofﬁcial laid back in his chair and stared
at the doctor for a moment, an expression of the
most profound astomshment u n his face.

The doctor surveyed the c ief, and saw at
once that the shot had struck home.

H n my word, this is a most remarkable
thing " the superintendent exclaimed, as soon
as he could recover from his astonishment.

“ Is it evidence i”

“ Yes, slight enough, it is true, but, a thread
has been known to hang a man. The party you

k of ave me the perfume.”

“ And t at fact was not known to me i”

“No, nor to any one else, for there wasn t any
one present when he gave it to me, and I never
mentioned it ' to any one. It was a perfume
which he said he brought with him from
Menco.”

“Stran e that so clever a scoundrel should
be so care ess in this one particular!”

_“ N 0t. at. all, and you are not well acquainted
With criminal matters, or you would not say so.
It isn’t the detectives who catch criminals, but
the stupid carelessness of the parties in ques-
tion w ich leads to detection. Great rogues
are always careless about some minor matter,
and that is the way they are tripped up.”

“ You will IrSUO the warrant, then?”

“ Yes: it will be a ﬁshing excursion. anywa .
'We will try the net, and perhaps we may
able to cute something in the cast.”

“ At once?” '

“No, that would not be wise; we want the
shadows of the nig lit for such Work. I begin to
believe that y( u are rith about this thing,

 
The Doctor Detective.

19

 
~.

now, and the chaaees are it we will catch
some big iii if we do the thizg u brown.”

“ The man is already alarm ; e knows that
there are spies upon his track, and will he not
seek to evade the danger b instant ﬂight?”

“ No; he is not likely to y. In the ﬁrst place,
he will not be apt to think he is known, even
though his disguise w as removed and his features
revealed and thin, if he contemplates ﬂight,
he would be almost certain to wait until dark-
ness set in, so that if police spies were in wait-
ing for him in some disguise he mi ht escape
scrutiny. The chances are great hat there
will be a meeting of the head ones of the gang
to deliberate over the situation at the house, to—
night, and by surroundin the place With a suf-
ﬁcient force, we may be a le to capture all the
leading lights of the ng at one fell swoop.”

There was, in all this, reason born of long ex-
perience, and although he was as anxious to
spring upon his rey as a hungry bloodhound
held bac by the eashz yet Diamond knew that
his impulse ought to yield to the cool judgment
of the old ofﬁcer.

“No doubt you are correct, sir,” he remarked.

“You will see by the result that I am, and
while I am just as anxious as you to get my
hands on the rogue yet I know that a hasty
movement would throw all the fat into the ﬁre.
I owe the fellowa grudge, the scoundrell to
dare to make in acquaintance and hob-nob
with me like an o d friend, juat to pull the wool
over my eyes! You come here at eight, to-
night, and then we will see what we will see,
and mind! not a word to a soul in regard to
this affair.”

Diamond promised secrecy and withdrew,
well pleased at the result of the interview. The
and seemed in sight at last.

CHAPTER XXVI.
rm: uoosn-mr.
Pnom to the minute at eight that evening
the doctor entered the police headquarters.
He had found the task of killing time all da
long somewhat dimcult, burning as he was wit

tience.

wice, during the day, he had amused him-
self by promenading slowly through the street
where his house was situated and, in order to
test his (1 iso, on the second occasion he had
walkoawbo yhup til; mugs an: rung thw-
bell; n, w on 9 use eeper ap ,
he had in uired for Doctor Diamond.

Taking im for an utter stranger, the woman
.zave him all the infermﬁon s e pouessed in
re ird xtrithgudoctabj , wgich  not  in“

s ci 0 ec t e nven u n

at p on full; accomplishecf, and
that was to ascertain whether the house was
watched or not. And he very soon discovered
that it was, not only by one, but by two gangs
of spies, and, what made the alair more mys‘
terious, was that when the second gan made
their apﬁarance, which they happen to do

at e time the doctor was proceeding
hrough the street, the ﬁrst lot seemed to be-
come alarmed and instantly retired, so it was
plaintothe doctor that the We parti'uwere
not acting in concert.
Theﬁrstlot, from their

pecul dinpuﬁble
a pearance, be judged to helon to the White

d but the second set of sp es, acouple of

well-dressed, renarkabl yed men fag

ared like detective o cers. .e spies of e

ite Band were alarmed by theira pearance,

for they su their praenoe that 10-
cality meant mischief.

“ Now, who the deuce are these fellows?” the
doctor muttered, as he stood on the earner of
the street, and attentively observed the pro
oeedings.

The solution of the mystery soon came; 8 08"
rings drove past the house, turned the corner
an halted in the next street. In the most in-
nocent manner the two men sauntered up to It,
the door opened, and the occupant of the car-

' held a brief conversation with them.
in his tion upon the corner Diamond
got a good View of the occupant of the carriage.
t was the mysterious woman who had held so
strange an interview with him which, as the
reader will doubtless remember, we detailed at
the beginnin of our tale.

“1 remem r, now," the doctor murmured,
walking slowly up the street, “she gave me a
certain time to comply with her demand then
threatened vengeance if I refused. Well we
will see; ﬁrst to settle this White Band matter;
then I will attend to the woman.”

Arriving at police head-quarters in. the

evenin , upon asking for the chief he was
condu nto his premnce, orders having been
left to that effect.

The superintendent was alone, dressed as if he
was booked for an evening party, instead of an
expedition moditatingmthe capture of a despe-
rate and dangerous c inal.

“You are punctual, sir; are you all prepared
to set out!"

“ Yes, sir."

“That will do- the chances are that these
Eﬂemen will show c, and, if they do, un-
we pounce upon hem in overwhelming

 
I force it will not be a picnic. I have made all

ueedful preparations, and, having bestowed
a deal of thought upon the mat-
ter, I think I will succeed in bag ing the
game in a very complete manner. put a
watch on the house right after you left
here, this morning—no common police-spy, for
it wouldn’t answer to do anything to alarm
them, as the rascals would be sure to take
ﬂight; but, accident has been favoring us in this
affair from the beginning. Right opposite is a
boarding-house—a ﬁrst—class place, you know,
and I sent the newest ﬂy on the force to secure
a front room there. e spy is a woman, and
as she sits sewin b the window it is only natu-
ral that she shou (1 00k out; and so she is able to
keep a watch upon the place across the way
wit out exciting any suspicion. It would have
been better, in one respect, if she had been an
old hand, for then she would have been able to
recognize some of the gang, if as I sus cct, it is
made up of big fellows: but then, on be other
hand, there was dan r that some of them
might recognize her. he has managed to send
me three reports since she has been there, and
from the description which she gives 1 think I
know two or three of the parties. He keeps up
a big household, lots of servants, male and fe-
male, the rascall I noticed the st is of the
house when I was there once, and thought,
then, that he must be as rich as a prince to
stand the expense of such an establishment, but
I never dreamed that the fellow was a fraud,
and that all his servants were on the ‘cross;
and, now I think of it, I never did get a good
look at any of his peo le. They were always
careful to keep out o my way, althou h of
course I never thought anything strange u re-

ard to it. A man traine to hunt rascals can

ave the wool ulled over his eyes sometimes,
you see. I wil be even with him for it, this
night. The house up there is like a louse-trap;
al can go in, but the pull will be when they
want to come out. I have taken a great deal of
pains with the affair, and as these fellows
seemedtobe pretty well informed about mat-
ters and things here at head-quarters I have
tried to make sure that there sha’n’t be any leak
this time to ‘ give away ’ the trick.”

The chief, after the fashion of -the times,

coliliilld not resist dropping into slang once in a
w e.
“ I have picked out ten of the best men on
the force,” be continued, “and have directed
each and every one to be at a certain point at
eight to-night, and have been careful not to lay
any great stress upon the thllig, but have
spokenaaiflhad madeu mymnd to take a
gamble with each 1'. y plan
ll to surround the house completely so that not
a single soul within it will be able to empe af-
ter I draw the line around the remises. The
more I have reflected about t e matter the
more I feel inclined to believe that you are
on the right track, and that tonight I shall
make a eat haul and put the bracelets on
some of t e biggest rascals in the country.”

“ I can answer for one, the chief of the band,
and I presume his associates are equally able in
their respective lines.”

“But, how the leak occurred in the ﬁrst
place is what puzzles me,” the chief observed.

‘ Was there any one in the room when your in-
terview with me took place? I cannot remem-
ber that there was. "

“ No one."

“And I am sure that I did not speak of it to
a soul, and that is what bothers me, but I have
taken particular care this time that there shall
not be aﬂeak.”

As he hed the speech he glanced up at the
clock on the wall.

“ Time we were 06!” he exclaimed.

The two descended into the street. A hack
stood in front of the building.

“Get in! Iwill take you round and show
you some of the sights of New York b gas-
i ht," the superintendent said, so that t
p e loungin on the steps of the police head-
quarters cou d hear.

Into the coach the two got. The driver had
apparently received his instructions for he
drove away without asking for any.

At the corner of the street a second coach,
which was in waiting b ’ the curbstone, fell. in
behind the other, bu care to keep quite
a distance in the rear.

At four diﬂerent points the hack stopped and
at each place the chief beckoned to a man
lounging upon the sidewalk, a detective ofﬁcer
in plain clothes, who immediately ot in or on
the coach. At the fourth swag ng-place the
chief alighted and bade the cor take his

lace.
p “I have a coach in the rear here which I
shall occupy,” he said. “The driver under-
stands where to go and when he stops you get

out.”

The so rintendent then got into the second
coach, w ich at diﬂerent points sto to take
insixmore ngers, much to t e astonish-
ment of the etectives, who began now to un-
derstand from these precautions that some im-
portant move was on foot.

And the chief, who had been terribly aa-
noyed at the fact that the ﬁrst information

 
which he had received in regard to the secret
band had in some unaccountable manner
reached the rascals’ ears, now chuckled with
satisfaction, for he felt convinced that he had
planned the raid with such care that the ﬁrst
intimation of danger the White Band received
would be when the police descended upon
them.

One person on] bad the superintendent at all
trusted, and tha was the Irish coachman who
drove the coach, but he was the chief’s own
man—had been with him for years and was as
honest as the day, and all that he knew, too,
was that he was to stop at a certain street cor-
nor.

This corner was just half a block awe. from
the house, and when the hacks stop e. there
and the men got out, the chief in a ew words

explained the situation.
‘ We are after big me to-night, gentle—
men. This entleman,’ and he indicatid the

doctor “an myself will go on in the advance;
you follow after, h twos and threes, so as not
to excite notice. will go to the front door
and you surround the house front and rear, but
keep out of sight. The moment the door is
opened, Jim, and you, Bill, be prepared to go
in after me if everythin is all right, or to
break our way in if they ow any signs of be-
ing ugly. Get your revolvers ready and don’t
hesitate to use t em if the birds should attempt
to break through the line, for it is no common
game that we trap to-night. They are des-
. teen and they’ll make a bold strike for
y.

After this brief tion the chief, ac-
companied by Diamou , led the way down the
street, the rest f0110win according to the di-
rections of the master spirit.

The house was reached; it was in a rather
dark spot in the street, and havin a little yard
front and rear, and being detach , too, on one
side from the rest of the block, it was easily
surrounded.

 
CHAPTER XXVII.
m aim. AGAIN.

In our anxiety to trace the footsteps of the
doctor in his campaign against one of the most

werful bandsc desperadoes that had ever in-

ested the great metropolis, we have somewhat
neglected to follow the strange fortunes of the
orphan girl, Dura Eldon, but now we will take
upthet reqdofherhisto .

She had much food for t on ht when she re-
ﬁected over the particulars 0 her stran e in-
terview with the stranger who had steppe into
her life-path in such an Odd and unaccountable

manna.

He had fallen in love with her at ﬁrst sight,
so he had said and real] , as the world goes, he
was proving the truth 0 the statement in the
most thorough manner, for what better evi-
dence can a man give of his sincerit than
when he backs his words b deeds? II'e was
lavishing money upon her as l as though it
cost no more than water and eoul be as easily
got. As he said, in his peculiarl soft and in—
sinuating way, it was a case 0 love at ﬁrst
sight, and e , despite all her efforts to do so,
the girl could not warm to him at all.

She had accepted his money withoutathought
of the consequences, as a drowning sailor in a
stom‘yaaea will cling gladly to the ﬁrst articles
that angry waves vouchsafe to bring with-
in his reach.

In the agony that she had e rienced in
witnessin er mother’s struggle With the grim
King of errors, she had ted the stranger’s
aid which had been so freely proffered without
asin le thoughtin regardtothe rice to pa
for e service for she had lived ong eno h
to understand that very few things in is
world are to be had without payment. But in
her eagernemtosave her mother she had for-

otienall else. She had failed in her endeavor,
ut now she was called upon to pay for the ser-
vice all the same.

At the ﬁrst glance for a l situated as Dura
Eldon was, heart-free, unp ed ed to any lover,
and what was really wonder ill in a girl as old
as e, and as cultivated and beautiful, totally
free from the trammels of an lovcaﬂ‘air what-
soever, to be able to gain the cart and hand of
such aman as Inscant seemed a piece of good
fortune almost too great to be rea

True, she was very beautiful, very ladylike
and very accomplished, but for a gir to be
sessed of these gifts is not alwa sa sign mt
she will make a good match. auty, grace
and virtue do not always buy gold and station.

No doubt that most girls in Dura’s position
would have jumped at 8 chance to call such
a mm as the ex-Mexican duke, husband, but
the more she reflected upon the position the
more distasteful the idea of the union became
to her and yet, when she tried to reason with
he .—to question why it was that she could
not bring herself, if not to love, at least to re-
spect an accept the protection of the man who
was, doing so much tfaiilher, she 358:2: al‘illgito
gi any reason a exce t e on
was distasteful to be: p

She struggled with he idea—she strove with
all her power to conquer the feeling, but she
could not; and ever and anon, too, the has of

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20

 
The Doctor Detective.

 
: she did not love him

moment, another handsome equipage drew up

in doctor whom she had seen but once, I horse, and as Lescant’s carriage halted for a
ﬂange up bolero her

ow could she love the stranger whom she
had seen but oncet yet she felt that while he

along-side. In it were a portly, imposingl-llook-
ing gentleman and a handsome woman of

lived she could never bring herself to agree to , ﬁve or forty, magniﬁcently dressed.

become the wife of the man in whose house she
dwelt and whose bread she ate.
The courtly

secute her With his addresses. If he had been

Lescant on his part did not per- 

an elder brother he could not have boon more ,
attentive, or less like a lover. He seemed to ,

strive to anticipate her every wish and to gra-

tif it ere she could express it in words, but he ,

di not speak of love or of marriage, and the
girl was grateful to him that he did not.

In a very considerate way indeed he had said
that he presumed after her recent aﬂiiction she
would not feel inclined to mingle much in
societv. and although he would be delighted to
have her introduced to the vergr large, yet
select, circle of acquaintances w ich e os-
sessed, under the circumstances, if she felt ‘ke
kee in to the privacy of her own apartments,
he s on d not attempt to dissuade her.

She was very ateful for this kind conv
sidsration, and, a or all, what was the use of
her making the uaintance of these rich and
cultured\peoplel be was but an interloper in
their sphere. Her protector would soon grow
tired of the ungrateful girl for whom he had
done so much, and who could not bring herself
to repay'the debt in the manner that he wished,
no matter how hard she tried.

She had acce ted his mono and so really had
pledged hersel to abide by h s will, but she was
crazy when she had so consented; now that she
had recovered her cause she Could not submit to
the sacriﬁce although she dishonored her word
by refusing.

Many were the bitter tears she shed but bet-
ter break the promise which she had given than
swear to a lie at the altar.

For fully a week she did not stir out of the
house, and the lack of exercise together with
the mental trouble which was preyin upon her
mind began to make sad havoc wit her per-
sonal appearance, and Lescant, whose keen
eyes saw everything, understood that the girl
was making herself Ill, and unless he took mea—
sures to rouse her from the at r into which
she had fallen it might result seriously.

To this end he suggested a daily afternoon
drive, and Dara assented with the passive indif-
ference which now characterized her. ‘

It was a triﬂing matter, and not {ever} Lescant
with all his cunmng could foresee what an im-
portant result was to follow, from so slight a
cause. If he had been gifted with the power to'
look into the future not shingle step'outside
of the house would Dura El n have one
while hiswlll controlled her actions; but ‘
cant was only man, and man cannot foretell
what is to come. ’

CHAPTER XXV'III.
a swan'rnmo nmcnosm.

Emr afternoon about three o’clock the car-
riage,“ ordered—a very elegant affair drawn
by 0 b horses, a cross-matched team,
resplenden in ld-mounted harness. .

As it was in e pleasant springtime when all
nature smiled, the carriage was transformed
into an,open barouche, so that the occupants
could sée an be seen.

Icecant’s ‘ turn-out ” was about as handsome
a one as the “ road ” boasted, which is not say-
ing alittle when the almost countless number
of ﬁne teamsof which the metropolis boasts is
considered, and the carriage and its occupants
excited a great deal of attention; and no won-
der, for a more beautiful rl than Dura had
never graced the drive. nd she was a new
face, too—o fact which the re lar drivers-out
were not slow to discover, an there was much
comment in regard to who and what she was.

Iescant wee prett well known, the “ Franco-
Mexiean fellow,” w o o a couple of gold
.-ines somewhere in our sister republic, as he
was generaltlgetermed by the I'young bloods who
frequented fashions. is d vs 0 New York.
‘ Lsscant, since his arrival in the cl , had
mingled a great deal in certain su -to-be
fash enable circles, where about t e only cre-
dential required of the applicant for admission
is plenth cash, and this the ntleman ap-

have even to shun ancei, conse-
quently the “distinguished foreiger could
boast of enty of acquaintances- and as he was
driven ong the road well ﬁlled with fashion-
able vehicles he was kept busy in g
and the salutations of his acquain-
tances. But each and ever one who bowed to
him paid for more atten on to the beautiful
girslhwho at by his side than to himself.

appeared listless and weary and vs
but mu. heed to the kg? scene of, whichEa she
was a Leocont to rouse her from her

abstraction by indicating to her the various
noted people who drove la them, and with a
great manyof the celebri es of the city the
gentleman was on he terms, if nothing
more although of cache every onehe s to
mil toasy.carelesswa that familiar
Lon".- llv use when mo ngofeoch other.

A“. Ice 1‘.‘ or end of Central Park there woes
slight him; in the road, caused by a fallen

 
,member an 'thing about the matter.

The new-comer took advantage of the slight
halt to exchange a few commonplace remarks
with Lescant, glancing the while with a great
deal of curiosity at the girl; and the lady, too,
examined Dura’s face with more than common
interest.

The horse ahead was got upon his legs and
again the procession—for suc in reality. the
great string of carriages formed—moved on.

“That is one of the most inﬂuential men in
the city,” Lescant remarked to his companion
as the other carria drove away at a rapid
rate. “A rest politician; he is on the bench
now, J udgeﬁchuencher—Alex, the Big Judge,
the boys“call aim. He is one of the rising
men of the day. They talk of sending him to
Congress when his term as judge expires. The
lady with him is his wife, a magniﬁcent-looking
woman. I never saw her but once before—in a
box at the opera. but I didn’t gIet a very good
look at her. And it is odd, too; cannot recall
that I ever met her before that time, yet, now
that I get a good look at her face, it seems ve
familiar to me.” The latter part of this rh
was addressed more to himself than to the girl,
and his head sunk slowly down upon his breast
as withearnest thought he endeavored to re-
member where he had before encountered the
beautiful Mrs. Judge McQuencher.

“ It must have been in the long 0,” he mur-
mured, this time not addressin his conversa-
tion to his companion, “for s e is no longer
young. Let me see, ﬁfteen to twentyI years ago
——that would be about the time;— ere was I
and was 1 involved in any trouble then? The
woman’s face seems to bring back recollections
of evil, and yet for the life of me I cannXt gel-

n
prided se i on my memory, tool Am I, then,
growingld, and are my mental faculties be-
ginning to desert/me and at a time, too, when I
need them all?”

This little incident produced a deep impres-
sion upon the man: the more so, because he was
one of thosmeiﬁeculiar natures that attach great
weight to es.

The next day the carriage of the judge was
again encountered, and this time the roceed-
ings of the preceding day were region .

he wife of the judge examine with all her
eyes the face of the young girl, while Lescant
paid rticuiar attention to her—so much so
that e attracted the lady’s notice, and, from
the expression u her face, it was clear that
she was puzzled y the stare.

“ If we have met it is clear that she does not
remember anything about it; else she is a most
consummate actress, and pretends not to re-
member,” the gentleman muttered after the
coach of the judge had passed. “ Twenty years
is not far enoug back; I must go further still,
say twenty-ﬁve or thirt , and that brings me to
tggdhot, ddy and rec less days of my boy-
h .” and earnestly he pondered, but
the willing slave that kept the keys to his
memory served him not 3 producing from
some secret corner the recor of the past wh'mh
he so earnestly sought.

Every afternoon for a week the carriages of
the two passed each other on the road. and each
meeting seemed to deepen the impression that
the man and the woman had received.

Lescant was so sure he had encountered the
lad before, and that the results of the meetin
ha not been leasant, that he had determined
to take the \ rst opportunityto question the
judge, in a quiet way, and ﬁnd out all that he
can d in regard to the politician’s wife.

The woman, on her part, felt a great desire
to speak to the girl, and the more she saw of
Eff, the more resolute she became to accomplish

a. .
In theachievement of the two urposes For-
tune smiled first upon the lady. $er opportu-
nigy came quickly.

he daily airing had done the girl a world of
good: the roses were beginnin
her ale cheeks; so that, on the set day of the
wee , when Lescant, as usual, urged her to
take of some refreshment at the hotel 
yond High Bridge, the Mecca of the cam
seekers. instead of refusing, as she always
done. she accepted.

They alighted, and the tleman cenducted
her into the parlor while e ordered therepast;
and a sumptuous one it was to be, too. _

Then, hap wing to lance out of the Wm—
dow he saw , e judge rive by, alone. .

“ The Big udge is going to have a brush with
Vanderb s team,” said a b stander. “Heo
ﬁrst beat im up the road an new they are to

t a milefor a basket 0 u ine, and they wind ‘

up here.”

Her was an opportunity, perha to get
hold 0 the judge. Hu had ordere such an
elaborate dinner that it would be full half an
hour before it could be got read so ere was
plenty. of time, as the race w be over in ten
wmlm‘t" th trepaired townie?

to an, on p -
also to await the judge‘s return.

to appear in ,

 
l

 
But the Fates were not pro b ﬁver him
ust then, for when the race was ended—the
udﬁe’s team, by the way, was beaten badl by
he eet steeds of the railroad king—he dic not

get the slightest chance to draw the judge into
a private conversation, [or the horsemen 1.: t s-
ent “ chuffed ” the politician most unmercil all y
on account of his defeat

But, in the interval which had elapsed. if Les-
cant had not succeeded in improving the time,
another had.

The hotel parlor was a double one—two rooms
thrown into one by means of a large pair of
sliding doors, and Lescant, when he conducted
Dura into the ﬁrst parlor and seated her in an
arm-chair by one of the windows, who she
could have a. full view of the pleasant scene
without, did not notice that, seated b the fur-
ther window in the other room, be] screened
by the curtains, wasafemaie form. Possibl
he would not have taken notice of her if be h ,
unless by ounce recoggizing her. But. if bk
e es had not served h , the lady had recog-
n zed both him and his charge we moment they
entered the apartment. ,

The woman was the wife of the Big Judge,
and she was quick to improve the opportunity,
knowing that she must act quickly or not at a 1.
So she advanced immediate y the moment Los-
cant left the room. ‘

“ You must excuse my freedom in speakin
to you without an introduction,” also aid, “ an
I know, when you understand the motive which
actuates me, on will on] be too glad diet I am
bold eno h overridet etrammelsof oocid .
My name 8 Elvira McQuencher; I am the
of Jute McQuencher, and m husband 5 '1
well acquainted with Mr. t. Vise
your nme?’ .

“ Dura Eldon,” replied the girl, somewht ’
tonished at the peculiar manner of be Cher,
for it was evident she was laboring ondw greet
excitement.

“ Ir. Incant b not your husband, then!”

“ No, madam.”

“And I cannot believe it to be possible that
one with a face so young and fair, so full 0:. in-
nocence and honesty can be this man’s willing
victim l”

“ Madam what do you mean?” cried the rl,
astonished beyond measure at the words I lch
hadcalledthe hot blood in a oil-son” op
into her face. _

“Exactlywhat I myuoouchoooosastbhoo
must use plain lsogm' the lady upended,
ﬁrmly. ‘ If you are not hisvicﬂm be htendo

tomake you so before he has he with yon. \

When I .w you for the Irst he the ask. of-
ternoon, your pure face so full of hoe-so eI-v
tracted me, and I asked my husband who yon
were, and he answered me plainly as h-halzdl
do sometim. to their wives: '?0
pretty little fool whom‘Lescant has pid i}
or a playghing.’ M heart revolted at too
a

speech. y she 11 be his wife, a- at any
rate his betrothed?’ I asked. ‘ Romeo-f be m
plied. ‘ The follow already has a wife in It'l-
100, some dusky old dame whom “not for
her money 3.8 ago. He has me so bl.-
self.’ Then the thought lashed ' 1'). “f:

you sink into the pit of she-o I my wo—
3 band could save you!”

CHAPTER XXIX. . -
a FRIEND mom.

ALI. color now had ﬂed from Dura‘s Oll’f-ks,
and her face was as ‘ e as the face of the u-nu;
there was a wild] in her eyes as she gazed
at the woman who had performed the hendxy, '
yet merciless act of tearing away he mil
which had obscured her Vision.

“ 0h, madamado not, I beseech you, holi: ve
me to be the guilt _wretch that circumstances
would seem to m lcstel I am as innocent of
all wrong-doing 83 the helpless babe in its mo-
ther’s arms 1” . ura exclaimed, pitemly,

“ I believe it—ﬂrmly believe it, and if I did
not, I should have hesitated in regard to inter—
feringin the matter, for I know my husband
will temny an if he learns whet I have,
done, for he and awaken on good
and he will say it was none of my business, an
that I had best attend to my Mani" Bu
I could not he

perh it was true, and I deter!
not 1:?
man’

speaki . I have a child

tender yearsan my me er’s heart would not .

be still. Perha my child may be exposed to
some such term le ril and would I not thank
the generous heart t would come forward to
the ﬁescuel” h “d

‘ oarmysto madatn,andten5 80
me " Dura exclaligd. As brieﬂy. than, as pos-
sibln the girl related how a was she came to be
in the company

When the tale was finished she spoke: '

“ I_see my dear child, on are perfectly inno-
cent in t e matter, and e a lamb you are be-
in led to the slaughter. Your sto been the
im ress of truth in every word. This man does
no mean to be honest with you_in spite of an
at: line words: he has on.

ppod on into , ' I . may
the morg sure accomplish

his so. , ,
French maid w om he has provlm you b

of Mr. Lescont, and the wife}.
: out the judge hstened with the greatest atten-
on. i

it

. Pr."

/

The Doctor Detective.

l

[‘3

 
but a tool whom he has placed to watch you so
that you will not be able to esuipe in case your
suspicio are excited and you endeavor to get
away. his Lescant is a bold, bad man. and
being provided with plenty of money, which I
am sure he never 01: in an honest way, he is
enabled to do muc mischie if he feels inclined,
for, let people talk as they will, money is the
most werful agent in this world... I have
often eard my husband speak of Lescant as be-
ing a dangerous man, utterly unscrupulous and
re less of what he did so long as he iii-coin-
hed the purpose which he had in view- in
act I have eard him an more than once that
he should not be  if Lescant got him-
.self ha at last; yet, so stran e are the
ways of world and of the men w o inhabit
it, that the judge and this man are supposed to
be the best of friends.” ‘

“ Oh, madam, you are so good to come to my
assistance l” Dura exclaimed, grateful tears
standing in her eyes.

“ It is in duty, and I should be false to my
sex if I di not interfere to save such an inno-
cent, tender lamb as you are from the jaws of
t ravening wolf.”

What shall I do? Advise me, for I am ut-
terl helplem,” she moaned.

“ 011 must manage to escape in some way
from this man’s power.”

“ But where shall I go, and what shall I do!
I am utterly friendless, you know; not a sin le
soul in all this wide world to whom I can y
for assistance. Even the very clothes I wear
are bought highs money of this man. "

“No, myc d, you are wrong; you are not
utterly friendlies,” the other replied, impres-
aively; “thereis a Providence, just and kind,
who rules the fates of us poor humans in this
busy world. although.  men, in their
wisdom, deride the belief and 'nk that we are
but the children of chance. This man, who so
cruelly would make you his victim, is one of
the kings of the world who thinks that cunning
force and accident alone rule the destinies 0
life. New I, a woman will teach him that his
doctrine .is not true. I am your friend; from
me you shall have all the assistance on re.
quire, and my home is open to you w never
you may need its shelter!” ~

“ Oh, madam, on are an angel indeed!”
cried Dura, fallin from the chair and kneeling
at the feet of the autiful matron whose gar-
ments she clasped. “ How can I ever re y this
kindness, or thank you for the service at you
have rendered i”

"' No thanks to me, child, but address your
acknowledgments to the Just Being, whose all-
seeing eye noteth even the sparrow’s fall.”

The girl bowed her face in her hands and
sobbed piteouslv for a few moments, while the
judge’s wife looked down upon her in tender
com on.

“ ry your tears, in child,” she said, after a
moment 8 pause. " on must summon your
best coura e, for you will probably need all the
strengtho will you posses. You must leave
this man’s house as soon as possible, and come
at once tome. Here is my card; I will encil
my residence upon it ” which she immediate!
did. Then, opening er pocketbook, she took
out a roll of bills and counted out ﬁft dollars
which she placed in Dora’s hand. ‘ Here is
money, for you may need it; money . is the
golden key which very few locks in this world
are strong enough to resist”.

“But, madam, to take this large sum. from
you and I a rfert stranger!” the girl ex-
claimed, in bro en tones, touched to the heart
by the generosity of the friend who had in such
an unex manner come to her aid.

“ You are In terrible peril, and I should be
unworthy the name of woman if I hesitated to
come to your assistance Take the money,
then, without hesitation—es freely as it is ten—
dered. You may need it and I can readily
spare the sum. It is my own money, not my
husband’s. I have property in my own right
and am not com lied to go to him when I re
quire funds. hen you are once in my house

on can laugh at the malioeof this man, and if
he shouldg‘e 'mad egough (towialtltempt to taillie
~oufrom ere,in usban v speedy
lead him awa wityh ‘ a lies in his  ”

“Madam, eaven surely is. watching over
my footsteps when it has sent such a friend as
yourself to aid me.”

“ Doubt not that the Lord is good and at,
and that all the powers of darkness she not
prevail against me. But come; put awa your
money and dry your eyes. What course 0 you
intend to pursue l"

“ I do not know; what course would you ad-

)

visef' '

“ A hold (me is always the best. .Say nothing
until you reach home; then ask him to grant
you an interview, and tell him frankly that
you have concluded not to remain undc ht
roefan longer It isidleto (1 ins the fact,
my child: t is unhlushlng rasca is trying to
make enry one believe that you are his victim;
I am sure of it from what my husband said,
although he did not seem to want to tall: about
the matter. No doubt he will try to persuade

, you to stop, and may attempt to blaster and

righten you; but, keep perfectly calm, and in-

 
sist upon leaving, and if he is anxious to know
where you intend going you are at liberty to
mention my mme. presume my husband,
the judge, will not like my interfering in the
matter, as this man. I behave, ‘ some
political inﬂuence which is value 19 about elec-
tion time; but, for once, politics must give way
to justice. At any rate, I have taken up your
cause and I will ﬁght for on to the best of my
ability. Remember, I wi 1 be on the watch for
you to-nighb. I do not think Lescant will dare use
force to prevent you quitting the house, because
such a course would bring him in contact with
the 18M, and I fancy he is one of that class of
men who are not anxious to ﬁgure in a police
court. Be ﬁrm and you surely will succeed in
escaping from this terrible trap into which you
have been so cunningly led.”

Then there was the sound of footsteps ascend-
ing the stairs without, and Mrs. McQuencher
glided away.

It was Lescant, as she had ted. He
was somewhat out of humor at his allure to in-
terview the jud ; but, how much greater
would have been is discomﬂture if he only had
known what had taken place in his absence.

He was so annoyed at not being able to get
hold of the judge that he was not observant as
usual, or else he surely would have detected
upon the girl’s face the traces of the emotional
excitement through which she had just passed,
but, busy with his own thoughts, he hardly
glanced at her as he announced that the repast
was ready.

They descended to the din -room, where a
most sumptuous lunch had on provided,
ﬂanked, too, by rare and costly wines.

Neither of he pair, though, were in a con-
dition to enjoy the meal.

The girl was so much agitated by the awful
disclosure which the judge’s wife had made
that she could hardly force herself to swallow
the delicious food, and Lescant. an epicure by
nature, was so occupied by gloomy thoughts
that he did not tells the dai .ty dishes which
had taxed all the powers of one of the best
French cooks in the country to prepare.

The man was a fatalist—a firm believer in
presentiments, and ever since he had caught
sight of the face of the 'udgle’s wife he had
been uneasy in his mind. he, ad no reason to
ex t that evil to him would come from her,
bu his inward monitor warned him that danger
was lurking in the future, and that the blow
would come from the hand of Mrs. Judge
McQuencher. The idea seemed ridiculous, yet
he could not shake it off.

 
CHAPTER XXX.
SPEAKING OUT.

SOME sage who had studied closely the lives
of the famous great men who have played
prominent parts in the world’s drama has re-
marked that at certain times when aﬁaiis of
great moment have been pending, these men of
iron will, quick brains and wonderful activity
have yielded to irresolution, when circumstances
demanded the full exercise of all their powers,
and this fatal want of action, like a paralysis,
brought about their ﬁnal overthrow.

And on this occasion, Leecant, usually the
man of active brain and quick purpose, al-
though fully convinced that evil was 'ng in
the future, could not for the life of im think
of any etc to take which might avert the evil.
All that could do was to brood over the
affair and wonder how soon and from what di-
mgicanttlhee blow wou'l'ddciome. zed

n gir , too, y in plannin
how she had best carry out e scheme in be?

 
mind was in no mood for conversation, there-
fore few words passed between the two on the ,
homeward road. l

Dura, havin decided to wait until after dark I
before she quitted the house, it was no 'until '
su'gper had ended and she and the gen eman
h sought the parlor that she finned her
thoughts in words.

Cool by habit and iron-faced by long practice
as he was, Lescant could not help betra mg con-
siderable annoyance when the girl in e known
to him that she had concluded it would be im-

ble for her to accept the proposition which
e had miade. ltd

‘ y ear ycnn y, are on not actin
rather hastily in this matterl’yhe dem
” Are you sure that you have given the affair

. knew

 
due consideration l"
“Oh, yes:_ I have weighed the matter ll I
and I am satisﬁed I cannot accept the life h i
you offer me. . K .

“ You do not think that you will ever learn
to love me?”

“I fear not.”

“Remember, I am willing take the risk of i
that,” he remarked. “W , my dear girl,
you have lived as many years as I have you
will understand that in nine cases out of ten a ‘
marria is not a love-match. Nine brides out l
of ten 0 net really love their husbands when
they marr them. A_few, perhaps, may think
they d y, romantic girls, you know, but, in
the majority of mwnman marries for a I
homes-desecth . Martialéemamnug,
is the end and aim of a woman’s 9; when t e

 
man appears who has the uisite social posi-
tion, and the woman feels that he is sucha man
as she can she marries,trusting that
love will come afterward, which, as a general
rule, proVes to be the case.”

Carefully as this view was presented, the wo-
manly instincts of the girl recoiled from it.

“ it is impossible!” she cried. " I could never
brin myself to consent to such a union. To
staa before the altar and swear to such a he
would surely bring down the wrath of an out-
ra Heaven.”

espite his efforts to conceal his feelings be-
neath the mask of indifference, the contempt re
felt for such school-girl ideas was plainly ap-

nt in his face, but he did not attempt to
debate the uestion with her.

‘zgrOUfVlﬁl, ' to abandon my protection, thenf’r

‘ es.

“Have you calculated the cost of such a pro»
ceeding?"

“ I have.”

“Going out all alone in the world to battle
for your daily bread, exposed to a thousand
perils and temptations?"

“ Where in this world can we go and not be
e to rils and temptations?”

quick g ' t of ﬁre shot from the steely orbs
of the man; for the ﬁrst time he began to have
an idea why the girl was so obstinate about
goin away. ‘

“ its your willfulness in this matter, I
still take a ﬁrst interest in your Welfara,"he
observed in smth and softest wa and
if the girl had known him well she wouil’inve
understood that he was inﬁnitely more danger-
ous than if he had displayed violent anger.
“And, under the circumstances, I trust you
will excuse a few questions. What do you pro-
pose to do? How can you thrust yourself out
into the 'bustling, heartless world without
money—without even a single friend? How can
you live while you are looking about for an oc-
cupation'l”

At first, Dura thought it would be best to
leave her questioner in ignorance in regard to
the friend who had so uncxpectedl come to
her; but deception was something oreigu, to
her nature; and she remembered, too, that the
judge‘s wife had given belt-agermission to men-
tion her name, so she repl to the question as
frankly as possible.

“I am not utterly friendless, and I am of.
fered a home until I can provide for myself.”

Lescant was amazed; t is was altogether un-
ex cted.

‘ You are fortunate,” be remarked; “may I
ask who is the friend?” a

“ Mrs. J ridge McQuencher.”

The name artled him, End for a moment his
face became hard and dar ,; ugly linesa ared
about the mouth and eyes. The blow h come
at last; his instincts had not deceived him.

Then, in reply to his question, Dura expl'lillall'
how she had chanced to become acquainted
with the lady, while Lcscnntmentally cursed
the evil luck which had led to the meeting.
His wits were in good Working order now, and

already he had thou ht of- a way to parry this

extremely effective low.

" Do you wish to go now?” he asked.

“ If you please," Dura replied, aetonishei
that she was tting away so easily. for, iron
what Mrs. Mo uencher had said, she had in:-
tdci ted havinga stormy time.

“ allow you to go without question—with-
out raising any objcctim. because I know am
you will return.”

The girl was amazed at the conﬁdent air with
which the words were uttered. but she did but
reply; she was content to escape so easily.

_ ‘Aml at liberty to departl"she asked, ris-
ing. '
“ Oh yes, if you like: but you will retun. I
am older than ou—have seen more of 1115
world and am he ter calculated to look into the
future. lam well act‘luainted with the judge
and only sli tly wit Mrs. McQueaeher. I
her to a brilliant, show woman, but .
nowl rceivesheis ‘ am meoneas
well. t does not ma r, though: go if you
like. When you meet judge, 'Ny yca
:gl’find thathe'uasafergulma‘n his

8.

The cool words, so calme spoken, ﬁlled the
mind of the girl with a certain almost undeﬁn-
able dread. She was free a ntly—free to
deﬁarti and yet this seemin y indifferent [nun
sti he d some eeaiet power over her. 'Cobwrb—
like, now, was bond, for  sadly brushed
it aide, et she had a presentimeat that. when
he , it would beeome steel-like '11 its tox-
tureandeffectuallyrestrainher,deqiiteherre—

dstanee.

The desire than to leave the house—to nape
£20m the ptmnie of mission—to test whether
t epreeen n was truth or only the
idle imaginalon of an ova-{nought brain-be- '

cameamania.
She hastened to t on her hat and dealt;

Leeeantsawhertot dooresdhadehes-good-
byinthemostfrlendl mannerpcseibleihe
evenoteredtogetoat earriagesothatae

might ride, but she dediaed.
“Well, as you please; but it is no trouble,
and the horses will have to be harnessed, any-

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 ‘DO'G'tOI' «Detective.

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way, to bring you home, for I shall send the
carriage after you in an hour or so.”

The cool assurance of the man intimidated
her, and she could only stammer out a broken
sentence of thanks, as she hurried away.

Liscant laughed as he watched the graceful
form proceed down the street.

‘Cc! Beat your wings against the bars of
your cage to your heart s content. When you
ﬁzid that you are safely entrapped, and that
neither man nor devil can take you from me,

on will be inclined to be more reasonable!

tht in the world made this woman interfere
in the matter? Who is she? where have I met
her? and is this all the evil that she has power
to work me?”

It was a question that time alone could an-
swer. -

.Dura went direct to the residence of the
judge, which was only a few blocks awa '. 0r-
ders had been given to admit her, and e was
immediame conducted to Mrs. McQuencher,
who sat in her boudoir, which was a cosey
front room on the sec'ond story.

The judge’s wife received her with open arms
and was all impatience to bar-'3 how she had
.got along with the man who b so cunningly
entrapped her.

Mrs. McQuencher was a clever, keen-witted
woman, but she was greatly puzzled by the
stor that Dura told.

“ on will return, eh?” she murmured.

“ Yes; and he seemed so positive about it.”

“My dear child, I must confess that I do not
understand it at all. This man is a ver ' fiend
in cunnin : I feel sure of it, from what have
heard in ﬁllledDd sa , and I feel satisﬁed that
if he he not some eep urpose in view—the
successful accomplishmen of which will return
you to his power, he would never have let you
go so easily.” .

“ Of my own free will never Will I return,”
Dun. dec.ared.

“And I do not see how he can compel you,
but, from such a man there is always danger to
be apprehended.”

Then there came a knock at the door: the
madam said “ come in,” and the judge himself

CHAPTER XXXI.
ran mun nxrmnts.

Tum: was a troubled look upon the judge’s
face as he entered the apartment, and his Wife,
well-used to his moods, understood that he was
bothgreatl perplexed and annoyed : angry, too,
and when t e judge was angry he was no easy
man to deal with. But, Mrs. udge McQuencher
was one woman picked out of ten thousand—-
and those who knew the couple well declared
list, in an emergency, she was the better man
of the two. .

To the experienced eyes of his wife, his de-
meanor lainly indicated mischief- the frown
upon his aw deepenedas he behe d the girl,
and then he turned and carefully closed the
door behind him.

Confrontin bk wife he abruptly asked:

“Elnra, w o is this lady!”

“ Mi. Eldon," the other replied, not evincing
the least astonishment at the abruptne- of the
question.

“Miss Dura Eldon,” Mrs. McQuencher con-
tinued, “ and she is to be my ﬁiiest for a short
time—with your permission. he sentence was
mootth spoken, but, despite the words, the

is understood well enough that his better-

I meant that the young lady was to stay
whether he liked it or not.

Thus confronted, the husband was in a {Liane
dary, but. a certain pressure being upon im,
he had no choice but to go on.

“ Well, really, m dear, I wish you had con-
mlted me about t is matter,” he remarked,
g ng in a nervous 'way with a folded legal—

n (paper which he held in his hand.

“ I not think it would interest you at all.”
the lad answered surprised, indeed, that the
gluing:1 agould trouble himself so about it.

“ are certain circumstances in regard
to Miss Eldon which, I fear, will render it im-
possible for us to receive her as a guest.”

Dura's face became pale: she essed from
whom came this blow, but the ma nwas fully
prepared to ive battle. I

“ I am we! acquainted with all the facts ap-
pertaining to Miss Eldon,” she replied, calmly,

land I am sure you are mistaken. There is no

reason why she should not remain with
us. I have long been in need of a companion,
and this young lady has kindly consented to
day with mo.’

‘ But, my dear Elvira, you do not under-
stand, and this young lady, in her ignorance of
business matters, probably imagines that she is
a free agent and can do as she pleases, but it is

 
,not so.”

Dara looked amused 'while the brow of the
judge's wife became knitted with dark lines.
“ And why is she not a free nt? She is all
slam in the world, no living re tive.”
“I am, aware of that, but her legal guardian
l

s.
'l-lvr legal guardian!” Mrs. HeQueucher ex-

CIBIIT H].

“ ii' Winn! I have no guardian!” Dura
W to declare. '

 
“My dear young lady, I haven’t the least
doubt that you believe such to be the case, but
it is not so,” the judge remarked, in seeming
kindness of manner. ‘ The gentleman is below
now, Mr. Lescant, and as he has legal rights in
this affair he is not disposed to allow this young
lady to have her own way.”

“ Alexander, why do you interfere in this
matter?” the lad demanded, abru tly. “ What
is it to you? W y do you take sides with this
man?”

“ My dear, pray don’t jump to hasty conclu-
sions. I am not taking any side at all. I do
not wish to be mixed up in the affair. It is

on, my dear, who is taking sides, not I. l

ave no rejudice against this young lady, nor
am I' bl nded by any friendship for Mr. Les-
cant, but as a public man I don’t wish to be in-
volved in any affair of a scandalous nature.
This young lady has been under Mr. Lescant’s
protection, living in his house. For some rea-
son, to me unkin0wn—and I don’t really wish
to be any better informed, since it is none of
my business—she has seen ﬁt to leave the shel-
ter of that gentleman’s roof and come here—”

“At mv invitation!” interposed the judge’s
wife ﬁrmly.

“I am sorry for it, Elvira,” he said sim ly.
“ But, that has nothing to do with what [Pam
about to say. She has come here and Mr. Les-
cant has come after her. Natural] I ques—
tioned him on the subject. I said: ‘ his lady
yaou say, is here with my wife: who is she? and

vs You any right to control her actions?’ ”

“He has not—none in the world!” the girl
exclaimed. '

" Against our mere assertion, miss, he puts
legal proof.’ Then the judge unfolded the
paper which he held in his hand. “ This docu-
ment, executed by your mother on the day
before her decease, so the gentleman informs
me. makes Mr. Lescant our legal guardian
until you corne of age, w ich event, believe,
will not occur until some ten months hence.”

The judge handed the paper to the girl, who
received it in utter amazement; this was an un-
expected blow, and even the strong minded
matron of the house was dismayed by it.

The document was correctly executed, and at
the bottom was the faint, iri'esolute-looking
signature of Dura’s mother. There was no
possibility of a mistake; the girl could have
picked the signature out from amid a thousand,

ut, despite this fact, Dura felt sure that her
mother’s hand had never traced the letters.

“ This is some horrid trick !” she cried, indig-
nantly. “ The day before my mother died she
was not strong enou h to have been able to
write her name and t is man did not visit the
house at all. I remember distinctly he came
two days before, and on the day of er death,
but not on the previous day.”

“ His statement is that he visited her in your
absence and that she wished the matter to be
kept concealed from you.” .

“It is an infamous falsehood!” Dura pro-
tested; “ my angel mother would never have
acted 20.”

“People do strange thin

0 death.

particularly at
the near approach

ut, as a judge,

my dear oung lady, it is my duty to inform
you that his per is l lly correct in every
particular, an that Mr. want has the right

to compel you to obey him until Ivou are of age.
If you refuse to go he can appea to the nearest
court and the law will force on to go.”

“ This is outrageous!" the y declared.

“It is the law, my dear Elvira; there is no

etting around it in any way. The young
dy had best go quietly and avoid the pub-
lic scandal of an a pearance in a police-court.”

“But, surely, t is man will not proceed to
such an extrenntyi” -

“ My dear, he certainly will, for he is very
much annoyed and determined about the mat-
ter.
“Oh, I had best go!” Dura cried, wildly.
“ It ism ' fate, seemingly, but let this man be-
ware! am a child no longer but a desperate
woman and he may rue the day when he
planned this cunning scheme!”

Mrs. McQuencher was in a quandary; she
knew enough of the law to be aware that the
judge had spoken correctly, and how to aid the
girl was a uzzle.

Dura q ckly dressed herself for the street,
and then. accompanied by the judge and his
wife, descended to the avenue.

Lescant was in the carriage at the door.
The coachman hastened to assist her to enter
thb vehicle.

Mrs. McQuencher kissed her good-by. and
took advantage of the occasion to say, loud en-
ough for the occupant of the carriage to bear,
as she intended he should:

“ Remember, myself ange‘purse are at your
command whenever you n them!” .

Dura entered the carria re and awe it went.

Again the lamb was in t e power 0 the wolf
but how long? Oh, Lord! how long?

CHAPTER. XXIII.
rnaowmo on run max.
Nor a word passed between the two in the
carriage during the short homeward drive.
When they arrived at the house, Lescant. in

 
the most llant manner, offered to assist Dura
to ht, ut she did not take the slightest no.
tics o the roffered hand, while he followed
her into the ouse, a threatening look upon his
dark face.

She went u ,-stairs to her room and still Les~
cant followe . After she entered the apart-
ment she turned to close the door and then for
aha ﬁrst time discovered that he was behind

er.

He anticipated her action and closed the door
himself.

“You will pardon my intrusion,” he said, in
l the smooth, oily way which had now become
‘ so hateful to her, “ but I thou ht it was bet—
! ter that we should have an un erstanding im—
mediately.”

“As you please,” responded Dura, removin
her hat and cloak, seating herself in a chair an
facing him with a stolid countenance.

He cast a quick, searchim: 'llziicc into her
face, and saw plainl there t e reﬂex of the
stubborn spirit whic dominated, but he had
made up his mind to conquer.

He imitated the girl’s action and helped him-
self to a chair. '

“I allowed you to leave the house this eve-
ning without throwing any obstacles in your
wa because I wished to show on how utterly
foo ish was this mad rebellion against my
power. The judge’s wife, who, I shrewdly sus-
pect, put on up to this trick, is (me of those
well-mean ng, shallow-brained women. invari-
ably at the bottom of all mischief in this world.
But. now that I have taken you from her pro~
tecting win 'I presume you are sensible en-
ough to un erstand that our future rests in
my hands. 1t is my inten on to make you my
Wife, and I assure you I shall not allow any
foolish, girlish fancy on your part to interfere
with that purpose.”

“ You are wasting your time, sir; I will not
marry you, nor can you compel me so to do.
At last, thank Heaven! my eyes are opened in
regardto your true character. You are a care-
fu , cunning, scheming villain; I am a helpless
woman, all alone in this vast world, with only a
single friend upon whom I can rely, and she is
a woman like myself; and yet, terrible as are
the odds in your favor, I tell on that in the
end you will not trium h. A ust Providence
will not rmit such vil iny as yours to go un-
punish ; the day of reckoning will come for
yo and when it does it will be a terrible one.”

“ y dear child, that sort of thing is all
very well on the stage, or in the ages of a
novel but in real life it is positivefy absurd.
The idea of calling down the vengeance of Hea-
ven upon my head, simply because I want to
make ou comfortable and ha p in spite of

curse f! You are a foolish cgiiyd who don’t

ow whatis good for you. A e and experi-
once have given me wisdom, an as I am your
legal guardian I shall exercise the right Which
the law gives me to control your actions. I
know tha , in time, you will get over thus no-
tions, and therefore I mean to make you my
wife, whether on like it or not.”

This cool dec aration infuriated the girl and
she rung to her feet.

“ ever!” she cried, “never! it is impos-
sibiel The law does not give you any such
power. 1 know very little of such matters, but
enough to be convinced that such a thing can-
not be. What law will compel me to answer

es, when I deliberate! and resolutely set my
{cart upon saying no Besides, how can you
marry me when you are already married '1”
This was a surprise—a startling one—but Les-
cant’s face did not betray how much he was af-
fected; the only signs of emotion were an ugly,
ominous glitter which shone from his es,
and a peculiar contraction of the muscles 0 the
mouth.

u .ed!” he exdaimed, after a moment’s

use, with a sort of a contemptuous laugh,

‘and who has been amusin themselves by re.

lating that fable to you? The wife of my es-
teemed friend, Judge Memencher, of course,
for she is_the only one whom mu have had an
opportunity of seeing, and i a woman
naturally given to gossi and mi ief-makin
she retails as truth all e scandalous lies the
ﬂoat around the world. My dell-T chlld. don’t
you know that if I am a married man, I should
render myself liable to the State prison by wod-
ding you and I trust that whatever else you
may think me you at least will give me credit
for not being a thorough idiot.”

“ I believe you to be villain enouzh to do and
dare anything l” the girl cried, with a sudden
outburst of passion. “The Signature of my
mother to that paper of guardianship is a base
forgery. You were not at the house on the
day stated in that document, you never hold
any conversation with my mother ncr came to

' any agreement with her in regard to myself.

,It was with me you dealt. and I agreed to Sell
myself to you in order that I might procure
money to prolong my mother’s life.

“But, now vou repudiate that agreement;

you are not willin to stand to your word I”

“ Wh should keep faith and link mv
oung re to a man whom now, stripped of an
isguise,Ilmow tobe a haseand my“,
' g?!

 
r...

J‘

~--

.m

The Doctor Detective.

23

 
“Youm&i that you believe the lies which
you have heard about me rather than my aa-
sertionsf” -

“The forged si ature to that paper! Ex-
plain that away i you can l”

Lescant was fair y caught, and be well knew
it was buta waste of words to attem t to per-
suade the girl to look upon him with a favor—
able eye, uni his anger, too, which had been
gradually rising could now be no longer re-
strsmed.

“Your voice is‘ all for war, then!” be ex-
claimed. 01.13in, rising as he spoke.
I \vi ! llw loni‘Pl‘ attempt to argue with you. 01‘

“ Be it so. ;

try to persuade you out of your foolish notions, i

as I would with a sensible woman,- but i will

treat you like a spoiled, willful child and use 3

force instead of persuasion.”

The bl‘e'lth came quick and hard from
Dura’s Ii )5; the mask was off, with a venge-
ance, and the man appeared in his true colors.

“ You will not dare?” she cried.

“Will I not?” he rotor-ted; “wait and see!
Hitherto I have tried to show you how pleasant
and amiable I could be, but now I shall take
the opposite course, and you shall see that there
are other wills as stubborn as your own. From
this time forth you are virtually a prisoner in
this house- not a foot outside the door shall you
stir until have made you mine!"

“ That will never be!” Dara declared, un-
dauntcdly. “I will die ﬁrst!”

“ No, not before the ceremony is over; you
me die afterward if you like. But such talk
is all nonsense.”

" Where will you ﬁnd a minister to wed me
to you ainst my protest! for protest I will to
my lates breath: ’ '

‘The man Will. be found, and if, by any
chance, such a thing should happen that one
could not be procured, why, we will have to do
without. I will wed on after the fashion of
some of the so can tribes where the
anxious lover lies in wait for his sweetheart,
stuns her with a blow on the head with a heavy
club, drags her to his cabin,-and when she re-
00vcrs she ﬁnds she is a wife.”

Dara i-ecoiled in horror. It did not seeme
sible to her pure mind that such a ﬂea ish
scheme could for asingle moment find a lad ’n
within the breast of man, but the tone in w
he spoke, and the expression n his face con-
vinced her that she was in t e power of one
who would not shrink from committing any
outrage, no mattor how great.

“ I have spoken plainly,” he continued, “ for

' it is better that you should know what you

have to expect if on attempt to brave me. I
have done with c ld’s play, and henceforth ev-
ery hour that you live you shall feel that you
are be! less in my power.”

“ Go. will save me!” asseverated the girl, al-
most frenzied by the fearful peril.

Then through the house rung the sound of a
pismlvshot.

nascent rushed to the door, opened it and put
his head out. There was a noise of scathing in
the entry below, and then a bell sounded.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
in run mar.
THE bell rung out loud and clear, and hardly
had the sounds swelled on the air when heavy
footsteps were heard ascending the stairs in

haste.

Ioscant shut the door quickly and drew the
heav bolt upon the outside—a bolt so
thatltwasevident it was not for more orna-
ment alone.

Dara in astonishment watched the move-
ments of the man, who was evidently laboring
under great excitement, for his face m -
ly paleand his eyes were snapping ner-
vousness. .

Lescant ranto one of the two windows which
were in the rear wall of the apartment, and
threw the sash up. but, as h. chum hi. head
out, having apparently made up his mind to
’ump Mom-gent, I groan came from his
lips. B chm the moonlight, which par-
tially unll the yard, he iscovered that
it wasfuIIof darka and that a struggle
he? mp5?“ pped trapped!” he exclaimed

‘ ra , . . ,
in a hoarse wmper, as he closed the window,
r. .1d faced about, irresolutely, trembling in ev-
er limbs

on there came aloud rap at the door,
it open it,” 1mm 011 in a hoarse
whisper, “ but take time about it; 0 not be in
a burr , and for Heaven’s sake do not say 3
\ "l‘d about my bein in_ the room. You are
Meta depart and will never trouble you
:. LJain, I swear!”

Amazed and confused by these strange pro.
ceilings. which were entirely beyond her com.
irohenaion. Dunes-a ed to carry out the in.
rtructions which she received, but in his
haste to bolt the door Lescant had shoved the
bolt in so far that it was no small trouble for
bartender fingers to release it. But the task
was accomplished at last, and, as she opened
the door three mlwart men with c re-
volurs in their hands met her eyes

The foremost man recognised hr at once.
while she did not remember ever meeting

 
him before, although his voice sounded fa-

miliar.

“ Miss Eldon, is it possible you are here!” the
stranger cried, in amazement. “ What are you
doin in this, den of thieves, and where is the
chic man of the band!”

The irl made way for them, and the three

entere the room. .
It was empty. Lescant had disappeared.
“By Jove! c has given us the slip!” cried

another one of the men, a big, burly fellow

with an unmistakable air of command about I

him.

"Where is the-man—was he not here with ,

you i” asked the one who had s ken ﬁrst, and
then rceivin that the girlha not recognized
him, IO remem red that he was disguised, and
proceeded to introduce himself. “I perceive
that you do not know me, Miss Eldon, ch ed
as I am. Do you not remember Doctor ' -
mondi I am he.”

“ Oh, yes; I knew you now, andI thought I
recognized the voice when you ﬁrst spoke.
Who i’sit that you are in search of—Mr. Les-
cantl'

“Yes, Ibelieve that is the name that he is
known under, in this neighborhood. One of
the ga down-stairs, hopin to curry favor
with us, trayed his chief an said that he was
in this room.”

“And so he was when you knocked, and he
himself told me to open the door.”

“And took advan e‘ of your back being
turned totake himself 0 !” ejaculated the burly
fellow, who was the superintendent of police in

rson.

“There must be a secret door here, some-
where!” cried Diamond, who had the blood-
hound’s eenness on the scent.

“He can’t get away; the house is entirely
gin-rounded,” remarked the other police 0 -

oer.

Eager in the search, the three immediately
proceeded to examine the walls, sounding them

with the butts of their istols, but no sign of a
secret door could the iscover.
Determined not to foiled, the doctor turned

his attention to the floor; a rug in one corner
of the swinent which tohis keen eyes, seemed
to have n recently displaced from its regu-
lar position, attracted his gene. He advanced
to it anxtilckf'ddittzway; underneath the carpel t
was pi e was, a parent to
conceal this fact. But, iamon guesseg’the
truth instantly. Under the carpet was a trap-

door.

“ bend a hand here!” the doctor cried. The
others at once came to his assistance; but,
though all believed a trap—door was concealed
by the carpet, yet they were not able to budge
it in the least.

“I’ll go down-stairs and see if I can’t hunt up
an ax, and at the same time give the boys
warningto be on the look out for this fellow.
There is either a hidi place or a pair of stairs
under this trap; if “:13 stairs they lead to the
md ﬂoor of course, and when I am down

I will look for the door. The follow don’t
stand any chance to get away, for the entry is
guarded, and there’sa line around the house on

be outside, too.”

Then the superintendent hurried away, while
the other oﬂlcer amused himself by thrusting
the blade ofa bowie—knife through the cracks
in the carpet. Diamond and Mia Eldon were
left free for a few minutoe’ conversation.

as possible Dura explained to the doc-

had occurred since their last meet-

ing the bedside of the dead woman, and
Diamond listened with the test attention.

Acquainted as bewas th the secret of the
man whose protection she had accepted, he
found no diﬂlcult in accounting for the myste-
rious conduct of e apparently generous bene-

ac r.

f‘ He is the leader of a desperate band of vil-
lains who for a long time have lau bed to scorn
the p0wer of the law,” Diamon explained.
“The band isin all probability the most dan-
gerous one that ever had an existence in
this cit , for it is no common association of
low kin ruﬁiaeaas, but inclutlies within its
ran man , so-call respectabe men, mer-
chants, baniers, lawyers, Ltdgee on the bench
maybe; but, now that we ve coined the prin-
cipal members in their head-quarters, it will
not he a very hardtask to ferret out the secret
allies who have for so long rendered the rascals
valuable aid in assistin them to escape from
the consequences of th crime. You were all
alone in the world, with no friends or relatives
and this master-thief thought that if he could
bend Eyou to his purpose you would be a most
value is ally, and t at is the reason why he
took so much trouble to secure you. I must
look after this Judge McQuencher; the interest
he manifests in this fellow is something out of
the common run. It would be odd if, through
your adventures with the rascal, I should man-
age to et hold of one of the big birds, who are
so he to trace and track."

By this time the superintendent was back,
and in his hand he bore an ax. ‘

“ below, an -

No‘ trace of a secret
where,” he said, “but the allow must be in

building, unless this passage leads into the next

P
K glide that he is cornered.” '

 
house, andif itdoeshewillgive us the slipin
spite of all our recantions.’

“ It is a tra oorl" remarked the oﬂcer who
had been experimentin with the knife on the
cracks “ and thereis a lthere, I think, which
holds the door on the under side.”

“ I will smash it right in with the ax.”

And the chief was as 00d as his word. With
a couple of powerful ows he shattered the
frail boards, which had never been framed to
resist such a n assault. Beneath the opening was
a narrow stairway leading down into utter
darkness. Its passage was so small that the
burly chief looked at it a little doulltfully, un—
certain whether he would be able to pass
through it or not. ,

The detectivo drew a dark-lantern from his,
pocket, lit it, and ﬂashed the light down into
the darkness. ~

“It leads to the cellar, evidently,” the doctor
observed.

“It’s tento one that we will trap our bird,
after all !" the superintendent exclaimed exalt-
ingly. “ It would be a rough joke on us to have
the king-pin slip through our hands, after all our
trouble. You go ahead, Jim, and kee your

ready. He may show ﬁght w ho

Down into the darkness then went the three,
Diamond bringing up the rear.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Panamanian amnion).

Tm: cellar in which the three man-hunters
found themselves, after descending the stairs,
did not differ materially from an 0111'
cellar, excepting that it was care y ﬁnish
T ﬂoor was cemented and the walls and ceil-
l
a

 
he
n5 plastered as carefuliy as though it had been
welling-room.
Standin in the center of the a meat the
ofﬁcer ﬂashed the light of the bull s eye lantern
around.

In the front wall was a coal-shoot, and the
ﬁrst thought of the police chief was that the
prisoner might have managed to escape through

he hole covered by the iron plate to the street
without, but a second thoug t told him that,
even if the fa the had succeeded in so doing
he would sure y have fallen into the handso
the ofﬁcers stationed upon the watch without
the house. .

But the man of whom the were in chase
was nowhere in sight, and ere was, at the
ﬁrst glance, apparently no place where he could

i a.

By the side wall a staircaseled up to the next
ﬂoor. but it was notan inclosed one and a door
at the to opened into the hall. The fugitive
could not ve succeeded in escaping that way,
for the entry above was full of ofﬁcers.

Where, then, was the man? The detectives
w about them, punled. Within the cellar,

'des the bare walls, were only two things
upon which they could look—a large 
one of the patent refrigerators so popular an
so expensive, and a pile of lumber can of
quite wide boards, and about a foot h . The
boards were iledupinregular layers,de
the wall, wit out space enough betweento have
aﬂorded shelter to a rat.

But the refrigerator—it was a monis
e h fora good-sired hotel, and the t t
that  was plen of room imide of it tout-
ford sheltertoagos-sizedmanoocurmd toall
of the pursuers.

The chief nodded signiﬁcantly toward the ice-
box; the detective marched over and attempted
to own it, but it was locked.

“ ell, I never heard of one of these thing
being so constructed that it could be locked
from the inside ” the superintendent remarked;
he had followed close on the heels of the other,
as had also the doctor; “ but this machine may
have been so arran on purpose.”

“ l have a few ‘ eletons ’ in my ﬁocket," the

arm , and thereupon e immedi-
ately produced a bunch of skeleton-key as the
mail” “pick-lock ” tools of the burg are

The ofﬁcer squinted at the look by the aid of
the lantern, then Kicked out a he which he
thought would be kely to ﬁt, and Very ﬁrst
attempt was a success.

The key turned; the bolt leaped back and the

door swung open.

Eager] hey all forward, anxious to .
seize the prisoner, ut the chest was empty!

In astonishment the three looked in each

other’s faces for a moment. The puzzle was a
profound one. . '

“ Hang it!” cried the superintendent, an-
ntilyeedi,‘ the fellow must be around here some.
w re.

“ There may be a hiding-place in the w ”
Diamond suggested. an"

“ Very true.” the chief assented, “but if there
is we can easilv discover it by soundin .”

Then with the butts of their pistols Ibo three
men ta the walls of the cellar in the most.
the manner, nor did the cementcd ﬂoor
camps their research, but all in'vain; no secret
hidiw- laces could they ﬁnd. ‘

“ e , sir, thisbeats achicken dimte!” the
Tntendent exclaimed, in disgust. as he
h tedbythepileofboardsandsurveyedthem

 
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“ With all the ﬂuent, gesticulatin ener
‘ the Gallic race, Lescant had deiver

‘ " I never saw you before in my life i”

The ‘Doctor Detective.

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with a critical eye. “The man came down 
those and he in in this cellar somewhere, for i
there isn’t a hole here, as far as I can see, big .
enough for a mouse to get out. I say, suppose l
we all these boards over; he may have man- J
a to convert himself into a straw and cre t i
in between them,” and by way of [em basis t e 
ker lifted his muscular foot and rought it ,
own with considerable vigor on the boards, ‘
and the top board, to the astonishment of all, |
yielded perceptibly under the weight. 4

For the three to grab this and lift it up was ‘.
but the work of a moment, and, lo! the hunted |
man laid at full length was concealed beneath '
itl .

The pile was a sham; it was in realit a long ‘
box, the sides and ends so arrange , being
small strips of wood glued together that the
most careful inspection would not etcct the
trick. And, if the superintendent had not by
pure accident placed his foot upon the top the
chances are a thousand to one that the secret
hidinﬁflace would not have been discovered
and t t the searchers would have retired com-
pletely bafﬂed.

“I surrender, gentlemen!” exclaimed Les-
cant, rising to a sitting ture, “and I will
me u the bonds, although I rotest against

ile al and forcible entr into my house.
Remem r, gentlemen, New ork is not Mex-
ico, and the law will hold ydu to a strict ac-
count for this outrage.”

The listeners did not know exactly what to
make of this speech, and were somewhat uz-
zled to account for it, and as they looke at
each other questionin ly, Lescant got out of
the box. Rising to h 3 feet he came face to
face with the chief.

“Good heavens! superintendent, is it you?”
he cried, apparently recognizing the official for
the ﬁrst time. “ Well, well, you have taken a
weight oi! my mind. Why, do you know I
thou t that it was that villainous Mexican
rasc ,Colonel Guzman? Of course you are not
acquainted with my private affairs, but for
nearly ﬁve years now I have been persecuted
by that scoundrel. He has attempted my life
a dozen times and that is the reason why I was
forced to leave Mexico and take up my resi-
dence in this country. You see, superin-
tendent, it was all in regard to a railroad. Guz-
man and myself, then partners and warm ﬂor-
zonal friends, got a land-grant from the ex-
ican government for a railroad from the capi-
tal northward But when we came to issue
our bonds, in order to obtain capital to build
our road, the colonel claimed that be, being the
secretary, should negotiate the bonds; 1, as
president, of course laughed at the idea. In
my mind there was no doubt that if anybody
handled the funds accruing from the sale it
should be myself. When 1 made this known to
him he at once flow into a violent passion and
declared that it was in intention, when I got
the moneys in my hams, to levant with them
'—-to slope— skedaddlc—to use your expres=ive
Americanisms. And the moment he said this,
I understood at once that this was his inten-
tion. Then there was war. He had more in-
ﬁnance with certain ofﬁcials in high offices than
I, and so procured an order directing me to
given the bonds. I re lied to the decree by
min, at flight to the 'nitcd States bearing
the bonds with me. In the courts of t is coun-
try he knows that he would not be able to do
anything, and so he has resorted to all sorts of
devices to invei'vlo me into his owcr, that he
ml ht possess himself of the ham 3, and tonight
I red that he was about to succeed, and
therefore} ﬂed, having had this hiding-place
constructed eXpressly for use in such an
enter ency. Upon my word, chief, you can’t
no what a weight you have taken off my
l

of
the
speech, but now that the superintendent had
at his 0 es open, he was no‘ longer to be
ooled. e brushed the ﬂimsy explanation of
the headlong ﬂight aside without ceremony.

- “Mr. Leecant, I have come on a painful or—
rand; you are m prisoner,” he remarked.

The well-note surprise of the other~ was
real], wo'iderful. ' '

“goo arrest mel Impossible! Upon what
charge?”

“ Assault with intent to kill."

“ Who is the accuser?"

Diamond removed his disguise.

“ I am!” he said.

“ Be careful what you say: it Will be used as
evidence against you,” the chief continued.

“ An innocent man need not fear!” Lescant
answered, proudly. ‘

An hour ater he was safe in the Tombs.

CHAPTER xxxv.
AN ACCIDENT.

THANKS to the information ven by Doctor

Diamond, the lice authori es succeeded in
one of he ateet hauls of rascals on
Fifteen, a

ther, men and women
the supposed ch ef, were taken, and all of

 
besides
them, with the axes ion of the master-mind,
were well knewn to he officers. As the super-

I

intendent had expected, all the servants in the
house were welLknown criminals, and, as he
had shrede calculated, the rascals had called a
meeting of l the principal members of the band
that evening, in order to deliberate over the
situation, w ich they regarded as bein grave
in the extreme; and so it happened t at the
sudden swoop of the police was attended with
great results.

Indeed, it really looked as if the authorities,
with the one blow, had broken up the danger-

ous band which for so long deﬁed the power of _

the police.

There was only one weak point about the 1
matter, and that was the failure on the part of j

the officers to secure any proofs that would
place the guilt of the members of the angbe-
yond the shadow of a doubt. They ad ex-
pected to ﬁnd something in the house itself,
some stolen property. or something of that kind;
or, after they had got the prisoners locked up,
possiblysome one of them might be induced to
turn State’s evidence, and “ peach ” on the rest.

But, so str0u was the bond'of union which
held together t is remarkable organization of
outlaws, that neither threats nor persuasions
could induce one of the! to volunteer the least
information.

In fact, they all protested, indignant] , that
they knew nothing, whatever, about a secret
band, and althou h their past lives might be of
a kind that woul not bear inspection, yet they
had reformed, and were endeavoring towalk in
the narrow th of ri hteousuess when ar-
 Of t e ﬁfteen, t ree women and four'
men claimed to be servants in the house, and
really they were fulﬁlling such duties, as Miss
Eldon testiﬁed. The other eight said they came
to the house to see their former chums, now
leading honest lives, with the idea that they
might secure similar sitions, and so escape
from the unsavory sp ere in which they had
moved.

The White Band had been struck down by the
police, but, like a gigantic cattle-ﬁsh, each and
every member was wriggling vigorously en the
defensive.

Miss Eldon’s testimony, which the chief,
in a measure, thought he could depend upon,
after he had heard her story, when closely ex-
amined did not amount toenything. She could
not testify to a single thin implicating any one
in the house, of a crimina act.

All the authorities had to relylupon was the
evidence of Doctor Diamond. e had clearly
identiﬁed Lescant as the man who had twice at-
tempted his life—the noted leader of the White
B ind, but it was a serious charge to make
against a man occupying so good a social posi-
tion as Leséant and, unbacked, too, by any
other evidence. ﬁe and hislawyers would swear
of course, that it was a case ( :f mistaken identity
and the more the astute superintendent reflected
over the matter, the‘more he became puzzled
how to rocecd.

The hite Band was in his clutch, but, like
an eel, it seemed likely to slip out of the den er-
ous osition. In his own mind, the chief ha n’t
the east doubt but that he had got hold of the
right parties, but how to make that clear to
every one, beyond the shadow of a doubt, was
a puzzle. With the doctor detective be dis-
cussed the matter very carefully, and the result
the arrived at was that the secret haunt of the
re ans, the old vault wherein the doctor had
massed through such a perilous adventure, must
he discovere as soon as pessible. The rogues
had been too wary to, keep anything that might
implicate them in their cit head-quarters ut
the chances were great tha they had not been
so careful in regard to the old vault.

So it was agreed between the two that they
should take up the chase the ﬁrst thing in the
mornin siavin of! the examination of the
su ose crimlna in the mean time.

e doctor had abandoned his disguise, now.
for he had an idea that all the desperate men of
the ang were in limbo, and there ore he was in
no anger of furthpr assaults, but when he re-
ﬂected about the enterprise in which he was to
embark on the morrow, he concluded it was
better for him to again assume it, for there was
a great probablli that some members of the
band mi htbe lur rig in the neighborhood of
:heir hi in -place, an it Would endanger the
success of t eir mission if he was recognised by
any of them.

So, after leaving the police head-quarters he
went to his lodgings and again airefullv dis’
guised himself, and then, as he did not feel an
inclination to sleep, he Went forth for a strol
upon upper Broadway.

Upon the corner of Thirtieth street be en-
countered the newsbo who ﬁgured sopromi-
iientl in the early or of our tale.

Wi h that rare t rift with which he was so
eminently endmved, Hoppergrass had entered
into the ﬁcwer trade, as newspapers were now
out of season, the sale stopping about nine, and
was busily engaged in selling button-hole bou-

net

8.
Forgetful for the moment that be was in dis-
ise, and therefore not liable to be recognized
y the b0 , he accosted him. r
The lad, stared in amazement; gifted with
wonderfully sharp care he had recognized the

voice, but his eyes were not keen enough to
penetrate the complete disguise that Diamond
ad assumed.

“‘Well, Cap, you seem to know me all right,
but, blow me tight if I know you.”

Diamond had addressed the boy by name.

The doctor could not forbear smiling at the
puzzled look upon the shrewd little face.

“ Oh, I’ve heered you speak afore, I am sure
enough about that ’ the boy continued, " but
I’m jiggered if I kin remember where I sun
your figurehead.”

“You must not betray me if I reveal my
secret to you," the doctor said, conﬁdent that
the boy could be trusted.

“ Oh, no, honor bright!" The lad’s curiosity
was excited by the apparent mystery.

“I am Doctor Diamond.”

“You don’t say so!” cried Hoppergrass, in
wonder, his eyes big with amazement. “ Whv,
what are you up to, anyway f”

“Nothing wrong, you may rest assured of
that. I have been very busy since I first saw
you or I should have hunted you up, for I had
determined to see if something could not he
done for you. Will you call at my house next
Saturday in the afternoon, say about one
o’clock.’

“ Yes, sir, I will be on hand.”

“Dpn’t forget, for it will be to your advan-

ge.

“ All right, boss!”

Then the doctor passed on up the street, and
then a “swell,” on the opposite corner across
Broadway, who was rather the worse for liquor,
hallooed to the boy to bring his buckets over.

The lad ran across the street, but in endeav-
oring to avoid an omnibus, driving at a good
pace up the hi hway, ran in front of a carria e
which whirl around the corner from 0
cross street just at that moment.

The driver of the vehicle saw the boy too late
to save him, although he immediately pulled up
his horse, but the concomion knocked H per~
grass over and he was stunned by the shoc .

The doctor, who had witnessed the occur-
rence, was the ﬁrst to reach the lad’s side, but,
as he raised him in his arms, his experienced
eye perceived that he was not seriously injured.

The person, within the carria e, a woman,
was also prompt to act. She rew the door
open and cried:

“Is he dead, sir, or badly injurrd?”

“ Neither, madam, I think; only stunned.”

“Will you havo the kindness to put him in
the carriage, sir, and 1 will see that he is w .
tended to immediately. I will take him to in
home and send at once fora medical man. i
am Mrs. Judge McQuencher, and I reside at
No. — Madison avenue. ”

The woman was closely vailed, so that Dia-
mond could not see her face, but the tones of
her voice sounded so familiar that he was sure
she was no stranger to him.

He laced the boy in the ?rriage,receivcd
the la y's card and away the ehicle Went.

“Fortune is standing my friend this time,”
Diamond observed as he walked up the street,
glancing at the card. “Iwanted a chance to
ﬁnd outall about this Judge McQuencher and
now I have secured admission into the house.”

CHAPTER XXXVI.
A TRACE AT LAST.

BRIGHT and early upon the following morn~
in the doctor detective roceeded upon his
mfssion. He retained his isgulse, since, in in
probability, his features were well known 0
nearly all of the members of the White Band,
and although the greater part of the gang had
been captured, yet it was likely that their se-
cret haunt was not left unguarded; but, if he
was ized, the chances of discovering the
secret of which he was in quest were greatly
decreased. _

Diamond, having thought the matter over
carefull , had urgigeda plan which he thought
was like y to succ .

He went straight-down theetreet to the river,
inst as he had gone on the night when he had
ollowed in the ootsteps of the pretended sailor
who had decayed him, but when he arrived at
the wgtttar-teidehe did not] cross the street to the
or, u , urninga ru t totheri ht w k
gntoward thenorth. p y g ’ a] ed

The doctor had reasoned in this wa : he
could walk about as fast as a boat con d go,
propelled by two oarsmen, as had been the craft
in which he had been carried up the river. for
he had become convinced that the course of the
bolt was up‘the stream. As near as he could
calculate, t e trip had occu led about an hour.
Of course, bound and gs g as he had been, the
time seemed twice as ng, but he reasonw‘
that, if he walked straight on for a couple 0
hours, following the course of theriver and
then halted, he would not be far from the mys-
terious hiding place of the secret hand. But, as

 
he turned to carr out. this idea. another, and,

as it seemed to him, abetter scheme occurred

to him. He would hire a boat and. row up the

, river; then he would be enabled to examine
both shores. .,

i This plan he carried out at once. There were

iboatstoletatthedock. He procured one .34
pushed out into the stream.

’05.

r.”

 
The Doctor Detective.

25

 
.l...,. -.

The tide was on the ﬂood, and the doctor,
who had not forgotten the boating skill which
he had acquired during his college days, made
good procress up the river.

He pulled away lustin for an hour and a
half before he rested on his oars and began to
examine the surroundings.

He had kept to the western shore, for he sus-
pected that on that side the place he sought
would be found.

As he glanced around him the ﬁrst thing that
met his eyes was an old fisherman busi y en-
gaged in examining some nets near the western

shore. .

The doctor took a ood look at the weather-
beaten old man, and e idea. came to him that
if he were to enter into conversation with the,
old fellow he might possibly gain some infor-
mation worth knowing.

The ﬁsherman let the nets fall again into the
water anchored his boat, took out iis ipe and
settled himself down for a quiet smo e while
waiting for the ca ture of the ﬁnny prey.

Diamond rode a ongside.

“May I trouble you fora light!” he asked
producmg a pipe from his pocket, for Diamond
was an inveterate smoker.

“ Sartin,”responded the old man, with a keen
glance at the stran r.

“ Much luck to ay?” the doctor inquired,
after.he had got his pipe into working order.

“ None at all; ﬁsh is skecrce, worse luck.”

“ Is this generally a good spot?”

“None better for ten miles up or down, as I
knows on.”

“ Are you an old hand at this business? You
look like a veteran.”

“ Man and boy I have foilered this here river
for ﬁfty years. I reckon that I heaved a net
here afore you were born. ”

“Well, you should be ted then, and per-
haps you can give me a ittle bit of informa-
tion about this neighborhood. I suppose that
you are as well informed about the land as the
water. eh?”

“Well, I don’t ’actly know ’bout that ” the
old fellow responded, with a shake of the sad.

“ I ’ t if you were to cipher the thing down
to a ne p’int on would ﬁnd that since I was
ten years old I ve spent more time on the wa-

ter than on the land, but I ain’t to be fooled
much ’bout either of ’em in this here neighbor-
hood, mind ye! Take me on the land or take
me on the water for twenty miles round this
hers identical center, and I reckon I knows it
all.
“You are just the man I want, then. Do

on know of a very old church in this neighbor-
hood anywhere?”

The ﬁsherman took a long look at the
iiestioner from under his bushy eyebrows be-
ore he replied.

“ A werry old church,” he remarked at last,

slowl and with an air of deep meditation.

“ es, a hundred years old at least, probably
older than that, and with a vault underneat
it.

“I don’t know of no church standing round
here that ﬁlls the bill.”

There was a certain something in the old man’s
tone hthat Diamond’s quick ears did not fail to
rate .

“ ou know of no such building, standing!”
“That’s w’at I sed.”

“ Do you know of any such {lace that is not
standing—t t is in ruins, may_ i” .

The old fel ow chuckled at being thus admitly
caneht.

“Well, me! stranger, if you ain’hthe
first man the ever ‘ tumbled’ to that little
‘ racket ’ of mine. I’ve had a heap of. people in
the last fort years tried to pump me bout that
old church, cos it used to be pretty well kn0wn
that there was such a place. but for ten or ﬁt-
teen years now the thing seems to have clean

no out of folks’ hcails.’ '

“Then there is such a lace?”

“Oh, yes; but there ain’t been no church

' there for sixty odd 3 ears—not since I’ve known .

anythin about it, anywa . My father said
therew sachurch therew en he was a boy.
but it was all in ruins then; it is in a dre‘dful
lonesome spot, ’wuy up on top of the hill, and
it’s all grown 11 into a wood now, and all that
is left of the c urch is a pile of rocks. over-
grown with creepers, and it looks ust like na—
tur’ now, you know; no one woul ever think
that humans had anything to do with it.”

“ And is there a vault underneath that used
to be used as a burial-place?”

“Well, as to that, s , I reckon that

you have t me," hthei th or??? ni'epli‘eilié
scratchi s a so on u y.
seems toni‘ne that Wave heered tell when I was

a oungster ’bout some sich place under the old
mine, but whether it is so or not, or only a
story—a yarn like, you know, to make people
open their eyes and stare, is more than I can
tell. An haw, I never see’d an hing of the
kind, an once in a while when was a boy a
lot of us kids need to tram up there and take a
look at the thin . We dn’t very often,
tudonlywhent ere was a who gangof us,
for Tom said that the place was haunted—
gmm and all that sort of thing, you

0 o

i
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l
i
l
l

l
I

 
l

“Yes, I understand; the usual stories that 1 shakulif up. This informtiou be conveyed to

are always at bed to old ruins, but of course
you do not be] eve such tales.”
“ Well, I

don’t ’xactly know,” and the old ‘ not receiv

Mrs. cQuencher, in the adjoining room.
“I am ha py to say, madam, that the lad has
any material injury—a severe con-

fellbw show: his head again in a very sagacious , cuSSion that is all—a little bruised and shaken

manner. “I tell you what it is, stranger, I
don’t take much stock in ghosts or things of 1
that kind, but two or three times within the 1
last year, when I have been coming across the
river late at night, in my boat, I’ll be ’tarnally
smashed if I haven’t seen dark ffiiggers a-movin
on the shore ri ht under the cli where the ol
ruins are, and he furst time I see’d ’em I had
just li uor enough on board to make _me foolish,
so I pu led in to the shore for to see what they
was up to, and when I come close up, durned if
the ﬁgzers didn’t vanish right into the side of
the cliff!"

The doctor, with the knowledie which he
possessed, understood well enough ow this had
been effected, and realized that he was on the
ri ht scent.

rom the old man he received instructions
how to reach the ruins, and then, thanking him
for his information, bent to his oars and pulled
away. .

 
CHAPTER XXXV II.
A STRANGE DISCOVERY.

Mas. JUDGE McQuaNcana, looking out of the
carriage window, had recognized the boy when
he ran ’across the street, and when the driver
sto ped so abruptly she uessed that the little
felgw had been hurt. S e had taken a stran e
interest in the little gamin, for Mrs. 
Quencher was the mysterious woman who had
had the stran e interview with Doctor Dia-
mond, and had n so anxious to hire Ho per-
grass to lay the spy u on him, and the y’s
sturdy re usal only ten ed to make her respect
the lad the more. That a street urchin should
rise su rior to a bribe was wonderful.

The ady made up her mind not to lose sight
of him, but in her pursuit of the missing physi-
cian she hadno time to think of the boy.

Little did she alleged: that the man she sought,
was the one who p ced the boy in the carriage,
so well did the doctor’s disguise serve him;
while be, catching but a glance at her, in the
confusion of the moment, did not recognize in
the lady the unknown who had made such a
striatigge accusation against him. So the two

, unconscious that they had ever, met be-

ore.

“Stop at Doctor Dewe ’s house on the way
home,” was the lady’s or er to the driver.

The doctor, being t home, at once got into
the carriage, and as it went on to ‘the 'udge‘s
house, examined the boy. By this time, aving
recovered from the shock, he was able to under-
stand what was said to him.

“I guess that I am all right: but, crickey!
what an awful crack it was! was down under
the horses’ heels store I knew what hit me. I
tell you I don’t want to do it again in a hurry,”
and a grim smile came over his dirt face.

“Do on think that on can w , my little
man?” he doctor ask .

“ Oh, yes!” responded Hoppergrass, readily:
but when'he came to make the attempt to
slight he found that he had overestimated his
strength.

“John will carry you into the house!” the
lad hastened to say; so the driver took the lit—
tle allow in his strong arms and carried him
into the house.

Into a spare room adjoining Mrs. McQuench-
er’s own apartment she directed that the boy
should be carried.

“ Pray, make a careful examination, doctor,”
she said, when the servant had retired.

“Do not be alarmed, my dear madam,” he
replied; “ I do not think there is the least dan-
ger: no bones are broken, evidently.”

“ But may he not have sustained internal in-

uriesl”

“ I think not; about the only damage done is
that when he was knocked down by the horse
he at a smart rap on the head.”

he doctor then unbuttoned the t—coat
which the boy wore which covered im from
head to heels, and threw it open, and then, to
his astonishment, discovered that it was the
only garment the little fellow wore on the up
per part of his body.

The lady had re ired to the door when the
doctor commenced his examination, but his ex-
clamation of sur rise arrested her attention.

“ What is it, octor—is he badl hurt!”

“”Oh no; rather deﬁcient in cut; that is

i. .
“Don’t give it away, Doc,” murmured the

b0 .
X Perhaps he had better be undressed alto-
thgr; I will bring you a night garment for
im

And soon she returned with one of the Bi
Jud e’s ni tit-shirts: then discreetly retreated
unti the octor got his tient life in bed.i
Now. as the judge was a and l

night-shirt was a world toobig or t e lad,
and he lookedso ridiculous when incased in it

 
that the doctor couldnot help bughlng.
The examination showed that
had not sustained any damage beyon a severe

. up insi e; will require rest and nursing for a

few days; nothing more.”
“I am very glad to hear it,” she remarked.

‘ earnestly, “ for I take a great interest in the
little fel ow; he seemsto be uncommonly bright
—far su riorto the lads of his class. ltis w my.

strange ow things happen. I encountered ibc
boy about a week ago by accident, and I bc~
came intere~ted in him and made up in min-i
to inquire about and assist him if I coul but i
have,been busy and did not have time to attend
to it.

“ Fate, though, evidently intended that you
should and so threw the gamin in your home’s
wa to-night.” ,

‘ Yes, it does seem asif it was the act of a

ial Providence,” the woman observed,
t ou htfully.

“ 0 you know anything about him—bow he
is tsituated, whether he has any relatives or
no i I

“ Yes, he told me his story only a little while
ago. It is simple enough; he is all alone in the
world—no family or friends.”

“Fine chance for you to adopt him, then,”
suggested the doctor, jokingly. “ I sup the
judge wouldn’t object. You have no c ildren,
and although upon the face of it the idea does
seem absurd, yet I really think, from what lit-
tle I have seen of the boy, there is the making
of a ﬁne man in him.”

“I did have a child once, doctor,” the lady
said, and a teardrop giistened in her eye as she

spoke.

“ You did! Why, you really astonish mel I
never heard you say anything about it before.”

“ Possibly you are not aware that the judge
is in second husband?”

“ ndeed I was not; I never heard you or'any
one else of it.”

“All hves have their secrets, doctor, and
that is mine. I had a child who was stolen
from me when it was an infant. and if that
child still lives it would be about the same age
as the b0 in yonder room.”

“Was ta irlorbo l”

“A boy;t tisw y, Isuppose, Inmat-
tracted to this poor little fellow, and when I
look in his face it seems to me that if my boy
was living he would look as this child does.”

The doctor surveyed the face of Mrs. Mc-
Quencher closely for a few moments.

“ Madam,” he said at last, “it may be only a
foolish 11 ion, you know, or one of those
strange comcidences which are continually hap-
pening, but there really is a resemblance of
your face in the boy’s. Had your child any

irth-mark, or any other mar produced by
321ich means, by which he could be identi—

“None that I know 01'. Would that he had,
for it would render my search the easier.” _

“This boy has a mark upon his person—a
Very peculiar mark, which is the reason I asked
the uestion.”

“ y child had none; I am sure of it.”

“ This is not a birthmark, but one evidently
placed upon the person, by design.”

The woman was now deepl interested.

“ I discovered this mark w en I made m ex-
amination, and as it was such an odd airl
took articular notice of it,” the doctor con~
tinu : “ Upon the boy’s right arm, pricked in
in India ink. after the sailor fashion, is a device
of two snakes with uplifted heads and open jaws
threatening each other.”

The woman sunk back in the chair, gasping
for breath.

“My dear madam, what is the matter?" .
cried the doctor, in alarm, springing to her as—
sistance.

“That mark was upon my ﬁrst husband’s
arm!” she replied, as soon as she X‘CCUVCRd
from the state of agitation into which the intei-
ligence had thrown her.
stole the child from me.” ,

“ Possibly then he marked the child for some

purpose.

“Alas I fear that it is but accident, but to-
morrow 'I will uestion the boy.” V

And so the in rview ended.

On the morrow the judge’s wife attem ted to
learn the truth, but the task was a ho esson'e
as far as the boy’s knowledgewas concerned.
He knew nothing of his infancy beyond what’
he had related to her on their ﬁrst meeting.

80 the doubt continued. One person alone v
could solve the riddle; the man who had played
the villain years ago. John Frenier must be

 
found. no matter how great the cost or heard. --

therefore would ve been 3 keep the
matter get, in to gethis clutches onthe ,
my but is? m “if, imports ? 'h'
; soc an n me
from the know of the keen-scented new
porters was altoge er impomiblo, and so it was:

“And it was he who ,

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26

The Doctor Detective.

"Tum .---—. ~— 32; :_ we.

 
that the daily journals on the morning after  matter? What was he to Lescant, or Lescant
r

the successfu
the affair; in fact, the gentlemen of the. press

who “wrote u ” the narrative, had not hesita- 3 th

ted to enrich t 0 true record with the ﬂowers of ;

their imaginations, and by so doing succeeded
in making a really “ stunnin ” article.

All New York gnped wit wonder as they
read the account, marveled at the boldness of

l

the White Band, the sleuth-hound-like perse- ,

verance of the doctor detective and the genius
of the chief of police.

Black Jack sat in his cell in the Tombs. As
the reader will robably remember, this was
the desperate ru an, in whose behalf the Big
J urlgc had spoken so strongly.

Jackson had risen from is hard couch in
no very good humor that morning. He had
had an interview with his lawyer during the
previous afternoon, and that Entli man, had
significantly told him that if be ad any outside
friends who could do anything for him, he had
best a pl to them as soon as possible; other—
wise hg ciiance of going up the river for ten or
Wenty years was good.

Black Jack was one of the rominent mem.
bers of the White Band, an now since the
legal aid which their money had procured
could not save him some other way must be

ed.

It was this state of things hm rendered the
criminal decidedly blue; and his mind was not
reassured when, through the kindness of his
keeper, he got hold of a morning pa 1' and in
it read the account of the capture 0 about all
of the powerful band of criminals to which he
belonged. With the destruction of the hand
his last hope vanished. If the leaders were in
prison how could they help him?

As the felon ndered over the situation he
“ weakened.” 6 could see onl one chance of
esca in along term of earsa Sing Sing: he
we d urn State’s e dence, betray his com—
panions, if the authorities agreed to deal lightly
with him. ‘ .

And he was in a hurry, too to communicate
this to the 9301' oﬂicial, for the appalling
thou ht haun him that some one of the cap-
ture men in t think of the same thing and
thus forestall im.

And, just about the same time that the in-
former ﬁnished his recital, and the authorities
were chuckling over the roof which they had
secured, the Big Judge, w 0 was a late riser as
a general l".li0,'\'lhlie enjoying his elaborate
breakfast, glancing at the news in the mean-
while. read the account of the capture of the
White Band.

The judge was not in a ood humor that
morning; neither was his wi e, who sat on the
o posite side of the table. His surrender of the

rl to heifer-center, as the madam termed

ant, h terribly annoyed her, and there
had been some Very bitter words between the
mo hfor hilstzssertiion tlhatl the law wogldhcom-
egir go nteongrun,an tatit
was a t deal better to avOid a public scan-
dal an have her go quietly in the ﬁrst place
was not believod b the lady. In fact, she ha
asked him pointed yif the man essed any
amer over him, so that he had orced him to
he the course which he had taken.

The judge had ﬂown into a terrible rage at
this, and had quitted the house, declaring that
he would not sta to be insulted.

Smrcely had t 9 eyes of the judge fallen upon
the staring head-lines and be had mastered
their meaning when, with a hollow groan, he
aimkback in is chair.

The lad looked up in amasement; never be-
fore had s e seen her husband so overcome.

“ What is the matter!" she exclaimed, rising
in alarm and coming around the table.

“Oh, it is nothing; a sudden spasm of pain,
that’s all,” he replied, with a eat effort 0 re
cover his self- ion. ot for the world
would he have at this proud woman, whom he

married for her stately beauty, know the
truth. “I have not been very well of late, and
I an e I had better see the doctor.” He
crumpled the newspaper up{ in his hand and
rose from his chair as he spo e.

“ But, you havon’t eaten anything!"

“ I’ve nzt the least up tite.” And in truth
that newspaper article ad completely taken
away all desire for food. It seemed as if an-
other morsel would have choked him.

He dressed himself and got out of the house
as soon as possible, taking care to take the per
with him. After the quarrel on Lescant ac-
count, he did not wish his wife to learn that
that gentleman had been arrested and locked
up in the Tombs on the charge of being the
leader of a band of criminals, whose exploits
had caused a bowl of rage to resound through-
out the city.

By carrying 03 the {carnal he thought to
keep the news from her ut, her sus icions had
been excited in regard to this sud en illness.

She then ht it had been by something
which he 6 read in the mornin per; so the
moment her husband was out 0 he house she

antmrapagr,and,ofcourse,wassoonin
e .

possession of facts. r
-Bnt,on tobemore edthaubdon.

Why d the, judge be so excited about the

 
aid contained a full account of to him?

Leaving the woman to puzzle her brains over
9 problem, we will follow the ofﬁcial.
Straight down-town he went to‘the ofﬁce of
the superintendent of police. That gentleman
was “ at home,” and in exceedingly good spirits
over the brilliant piece of work performed by
his men on the previous night.

“ What is this report in the morning papers
about this fellow, Lescanti Is there any truth
in it?” he asked, abruptly.

“ 0h, es, the reporters have elaborated the
affair a ittlc, of Cilllrsi', as they always do; but,
in the main it is correct.”

“ But, by Jove! what a stu ndous game this
fellow has played I” the udge exclaimed.
“That is, I mean, if he has played any such
games as th) acrounts of the aii‘air make out,
about being captain of a gang, you know, and

layed it for all it was worth and
if it had no been for this Doctor Diamond get-

' all that.”

ting on his track, it might “have boon along ‘

time before we could have tripped him up, ”

“ But, have you secured legal proof suiiicient
for a conviction l”

“Yes, we have stron evidence; one of the
gun has ‘squealed,’ an' that will fix the whole
of t ism.”

“ That is a strong point.”

“You betl But, we have on];' Fast got hold
of the thread, and I intend to 0 low it up. I
have got some information out of this informer
which makes me think there are members of
the an in high places, and l‘m going to do

my eve best to ferret them out—every soul of ‘

them 1”

“You may rest assured that if an of them
come before me, I will put them ‘w ere they
won’t be a t to do any harm, for some time."

“ If all t e men on the bench were like you,
judge, we shouldn’t have so much trouble with
these rascals.”

The judge bowed at the compliment, and then
withdrew. For all his smooth words he was
wreatly disturbed in his mindfand uncertain

ow to act.

 
CHAPTER XXXIX.
. a car-mu m.

In all probability, not man readers have ex-

lored the gloomy recesses o the massive pile
ii Center street, New York. known far and
wide as the Tombs prison. But, those who have,
most certainly have been im ressed with the
idea that the unfortunates w 0 within
the rtals of the Egyptiamlike ediﬁce. might
exc aim with Dante, ‘ All ye that enter here,
leave hope behind i”

8.) strong the prison walls and bars, so care-
ful and com lete the watch, that for a prisoner
to escape w on once fairly within its conﬁnes,
seems we l-nigh impossible.

And yet, criminals have escaped from the
Tombs; some by ingenuit and skill, and others
by blribing the men pal to keep watch and
war . '

Lescant was regarded as an important ris-
oner, and the Tombs warden was warn to
keep a careful eye upon him. Not that the au-
thorities thought he would make a deaperate ef-
fort to 0.11:!) a, for they regarded him as the
head who p anned, rather than as one of the
bands who executed; and new that they had
got him safel y lodged in jail. toaetlier with the
greater 1part of the band, it seemed as if the de-
cisive b ow ought to paralyze the gang.

But, despite lts and bars, the watchful war-
den and ever-vigilant keepers, Icscant did es-
cape- but when, or by what means, no man
could tell. It was suspected that, having been
provided with false kevs by a confederate, be

ad contrived to unloc the door of his cell,

' then had slipped out into the corridor; a dis-

guise—probablya light overcoat, wig and whis-

ers, was in readiness, and thus eiguipped and
provided with a forged pass, he ha succeeded
in ing the door-keeper, and had got oi! with—
ou detection.

Of course there was a 7 eat outcry when this
escape was discovered, am the police authorities
were convinced that some one of the Tombs
officials must have been in league with the pris-
oner, for otherwise he could not possibly have

0t out.

8 A searchin examination followed, but
nothing of v ue resulted. The prisoner was
gone; no one knew how, and there was the end
of it. Not the slightest clew‘did he leave be-
hind him any more than if he had flown u into
the air like a bird, or sunk down throng the
earth like a specter.

But we, using the nova-list’s privile , can
ﬁssilyl-it‘race the ootsteps of the man ﬂee ng for

ear e.

Although Lescant had succeeded in obtaining
his libe the White Band was destroyed; too
many of ismembers had been caught in the
haul of the. police not; the evidence
them was too strong and conclusive for any
hope that they migh

We
Inscsnt’s ﬁrst idea was to brave‘the matter

1 out-~to swear that it was all a mistake, and that

he knew nothing of the characn-r of the people
i whom the police ca tured in his house: but,
, when he came to thin the matter over, quietl

and calmly in the solitude of his dungeon uni,
he saw that the position was not strong enough
to make a‘successi’ul ﬂ ht. Tue end had come,
and ﬂight alone was le . So he fled. He was
aided y an ofﬁcial inside the great prison.
What, to this venal creature, was ﬁdelity to his
duties compared to a thousand dollars, cash in
hand, paid down on the nail, for conniving at
the escu pet

Lescant made his way at once to the secret
hiding-place of the White Bzind, the old vault
under the ruins of the ancient chapel by the
banks of the Hudson only stopping on the way
to indite a letter to the judge.

The fugitive reached his hit ling-place without
difﬁculty; but an hour later, after his disap-
I {ﬁnance had been discovored, it would have

en a difﬁcult matter, for the chiei’ of police,
terribly annoyed that his prey should have
slippe through his ﬁngers So easily, took mea-
sures to “cover” ever avenue of escape lead-
ing from the cit . ut, the precaution was
taken too late; t e bird had already won its
freedom.

Lescant found the vault deserted; it was a
part of his policy not to have the secret hidin -
place occupied any more than could be helpe ,
' so as to lessen the danger of discovery. ‘

Very few of the band had escaped the police
. raid but, as luck would have it, two of the
1 most important members. although not very
3 active ones generally, had been fortunate
enough not to have been in the house when the
descent was made upon it, and one of these
two was the agent who effected the chief’s es-

ca .

if was the Jew, whose voice Doctor Diamond
had recognized when in the power of the band
on the memorable night when he had been
doomed to death. This man kept a large
second-hand store on the corner of the avenue
from which came the cross~street on which the
doctor lived. ‘ His brother was the man who
had died, attended by Diamond, and who was
supposed to have betrayed the secret of the
bandto him. The Hebrew, with all the cun-
ning of a Vidocq, had managed the escape. and
now was in the city. strivin to ﬁnd out what
steps were being taken for t e recapture of the

capvtain.
hen Lescant arrived at the vault. he ﬁrst
proceeded to light one of the torches and then
examined the place carefully in order to be
sure that no one of the band was lurking nigh.
Satisﬁed on this point, his next movement was
to pre are for the journey which he was about
to un ertake. The outlaw chief, in contempla—
tion of just such an untoward event as had hap-
ned, had made careful provision. In a secure
iding- lace he had laid away a goodly store of
gold: a so a most complete disguise. This he
assumed, and then care ally stowed the money
awn upon his person.
“There,” he muttered, when this was accom.
lished; “ now I am prepared to seek seclusion
hi some other land for a while, until this infer-
nal aﬂair blows over. I was right about that
Doctor Diamond; the very ﬁrst time I ever set
eyes u n him, I became impressed with the
convic ion that be was destined to cause me
trouble. It is strange how true these apprehen-
s'iogi are, “mite? pantie the fugi
ter com e as -
tive sat dow‘r): to wait: Eyexpected a visitor,
but was uncertain at what time he would u-
rive. Not until after dark, at any rate.

This surmise was correct, for it was about
eight o’clock when the little bell scun led which
was the signal that some one had hissed into
the underground passage which le irem the
vaulted chamber to the river. , '

A cunningly-coptrlvcd door was at the end of
this passage, and it was so arran ed that when
it was opened the bell within the nor chamber

rung.

Soon the new-comer stopped from the shad-
ows of the narrow passage into the little circle
3f dlight cast by the torch. It was the Big

u

cQuencher’s face wns deaill ale and it
was evident that he was in a greayt Erato, of ner-
vous excitement.

‘jSit down, sit down, judge!” Iescant ex-
claimed, in his c001, oiT-bsnd'wa motionin
him to one of the tombstones wine the ban
had utilized as seats. “Whatis the matter
With yc ui. You are asﬂpalc asa ghost!”

“ On, this infernal a sir!”groaned the judge,
plain] inhgreat agony of mind.

es 0
but, althoug the contrived toput a okeon
my neck, the biqu too sharp for , in
the long run." ’ ‘

“What do on intend to do nowif’ ‘

“Getouto the country as soon as Is

WWW"

and wait abroad until this aﬂair is
“Yes, it wimlna leoflearsnomwm

 
asap) the meshesof the , .
~ as one ﬂair to long

“ Oh, it will nevcr be forgotten i”
remember it at all. is ,
eventsoometoo  an  or

 
have bu'sted our bank this time, '

 
Y The Doctor Detective.

27

 
rey to piteous fear. " l tremble in every limb
: or fear my connection with the band may be
discovered. Just think, it would be utter ruin.
I should never survive the disclosure; most
surel I should take my own life."

“ ,what nonsense!” Lescant cried. “Wh ,
man-alive, this is not the only country in 0
world; there are others fair to live in. I
have made myself at home in in time in a
dozen diﬂerent lands, and under a ozen diﬂer-
ent names, too. And, as to this blowin over,
'why, twenty-five years ago I was mixe up in
one, right in this cit ,almost as bad, and was
com elledto ﬂy; an then about eleven years
a 0 was obliged to get out at in best speed or

so I should have had to do the tate some ser-
vice; and I was on the eve of making a fortune,
too. and should, if I could have persuaded a
to. lab woman to hold her ton e and play the
part which I had assigned to er: but, women
will be women, and there was no reasoning with

am Frenier.”

A shrill cry in a woman’s voice startled both
of the men to their feet, and from the narrow
Riassage into the great vault came Mrs. Judge

cQuencherl Her eyes were blazing and her
whole form quivering with excitement.

Lescant guessed the truth, at once, in regard
to the woman’s presence. In some way she had
ascertained that the judge was about to pay a
secret visit, and havin become suspicious had
followed him. The ugge in his nervous excite-
mom; had neglec to close the outside door
after him; so she had been able to gain admit-
tance to the passage without exciting alarm.

“You are John Frenier!" the woman cried,
never heedin her husband, but confronting the
chief of the hits Band.

He was astounded, for it was evident that
she knew him; and now for the ﬁrst time the
knowledge of who she was be to dawn upon
him. She had changed me in the la of
years, and from a slender, fragile gir had
grown into a tall and state] woman.

“ng you are Elvira ollender!” he an-

:swe
“ You are right i”
“ You are wonderfully changed.” ‘
“ But, not so much as  did not e
to see on looking so 0 d. There is hard y a
reeemb in our face to the man whom I
once knew. Bu , enough of this idle talk: you
know what I seek. W you repair the wron
you did years agol Wil you speak so that
ogﬁdcarry,” to the anxious mother tidings of her
e
“ No I will not,” Lescant or Frenier, what-
ever . name was, replied, in a dog and
determmekd rlrlranng. ‘ The Ivlvoman o whom
youspea cose setu or will inst
mine; I was on the point 0 graspin a fggt‘une;
she [ﬂavoured me from so domg, an in reve
I ate the child away. It was my child, an I
had as much right to it as an one.”
“But, on never cared fir the r little
lite: last “I ; you welrs cml, more or! You
a e ec awayso t cu ' twring
 megs maul... ’ 22" .d
r e me, fea my
plan andso revenged m .”
“ And where r- the chi] r'
“ Upon my word I cannot tell you.”
“I'gmnbgldreldw othi i
owa u yn ng nregardtoit.
I did not care what became of the cub: so I
gave it golangpggdlzioshwonaafn t5) lrearl as her
own an a ay ty 0 ars a year
for ears. The ﬁrst ﬁfty I paid, in ad-
vance, an then, havin got t e c ild of! my
my head about the

hands, I never trou
matter.”

“ Tell me the name of the woman and where
she lived. Even now it may not be too late to
asee‘ mi thef trutltrl” i

‘ ve orgo ten t ” Lescant answe
with a mocking smile, which belied his wordrzd’

“ h, you are adevil!” the woman cried, in
utter despair.

“You are not the ﬁrst woman in this world
who has told me that,” the other retorted in
the calmest manner possible. “I reniem 1'
one twenty odd years ago whom I was obliged
to leave, and for the same cause for whic I
left the woman of whom on have ken, but
to ﬁrst was keoner-wi than t e second,
and she did not allow me to steal her baby
away. She penetratedm desi and declared
she would rear the boy ores] and make an
honest man of him, and rhaps the time might
come when he u n the ad s seat would
sentence upon ty fat er. You see what

romantic fanci l creature she was in that
a
respect, and et she was a plain, simple little
woman—one ura Jewel by name.”

“Oh, have mercy upon the mother in
whose name a k!” the woman implored.

“ I tell you I ve forgotten all about it, and
I have such a peculiar memory that I am quite
ammoan would be apt to make me remem-

r

“Let me try my skill,” said a cold, stern
co.
started in surprbe, and then from the

dM'kmouth of the narrowpaﬂe out into the
,mtame! thetelldarkﬂgure theDoctorDe-
vs

V

no

 
CHAPTER XL.
JUSTICE.

A CRY of min led rage and despair came
from the lips of cant. He essed that he
was entrapped for he feared t e oﬂcers were
without. , .

In haste he drew a revolver from his pocket;
but Diamond, prepared for such an action, held
a cocked six-shooter in his right hand and by
sim ly raising it held the other at his mercy.

“ at -up your weapon 1” he exclaimed,
ster'tnly, “unless you Wish to die upon the
s .

Lescant, with all his coolness and courage,
was not the man to court death while a chance
for life remained, so he obeyed and replaced the
pistol in his pocket.

“The trick is yours again, I suppose,” he re-
marked, with bitter accent. “I presume the
police are within call.” ~

“You are right; they are. The belt which
Iyou aimed at me has fallen upon your own

If you had not attempted to compass
my death—1f you had not brought me into this
place and attempted to entomb me alive in the
golden coﬁin, you would not have placed me
upon your track, and even if the detectives
had by accident discovered your secret, this
glace would have afforded you a secure refuge.

on would not believe me when I declared to
you that 1 did not know your secret, and that
the one conﬁded to me by the d ing man had
nothin to do with your band. would not be-
tray w at had been confided to my care, for it
was a sacred trust: and then, too, I knew that
it would be useless, for I should not have been
believed. The dying man had wronged a
widow and her orphans, and he directed me
how to make restitution. That was all. But

on were determined in your purpose, and this
ﬂthe result. Both the entrances to this lace
are guarded, the tra -door leading throng the
ruins above and t is e to the river
through which I came. All I ave to do is to
fiall :nd you will be in the hands of the po-

ce

“And why do you not? Why do you hesi-
tate? Is it to play with me 'as a cat dose with a
mouse! Does that add to your triumph?" cried
Lescant, in impotent anger.

“ You said your memory was so bad that you
could not give this lad the information she
seeks. Iam adoctor an ‘it is my business to
curesuchthings. I think I can make you re-
member.”

“ How—what do you offer!” demanded the
otlr‘elrl',i catchli’ng eagerly at the chance.

Lescant started and his breath came hard and

“ For Heaven’s sake don’t jest with the man
whom on have crushed helpl beneath your
feet !" e exclaimed.

“ I do not jest. Give this lady the informa-
tion she wishes and on shall free. The po-
lice without will no enter un 11 signal them.
No one but myself known that you are here.
You are disguised and I will conduct you
t hthel e; aboatisontheshorezoncein
it in t e darkness of the night which overha
the river no one will see you and you can y

esca

“ hydo on do this?” asked Lescant, sus-
piciously. “ h should you favor me, the
man who attemp , your li e?”

“Am I not at gresent your judge? Is it not
my Brivllege to ispose of your fate!"

‘ ut, areyou honest—are you not tricking
me to my death!"

“I give yourn wordas an honest man you
shall go free, an , what is more, I will not in-
form any one that yoa w re here."

“It is a bargain° I accept!” Lescant cried, his
ﬁirits rising at  unexpected happening.
- en, from his memorandum-book which he
took from his breast— ket, he tore out a leaf
which he handed to amend. “ There is a ful
account of the matter. written down. I put it
on paper as I had an idea that it might be use-
ful some time.”

The doctor read the account carefully, then
folded it up and gave it to the judge's wrfe.

“ Now follow me." he commanded.

“ Ta, ta, jud ; I’ll see you a, some time,”
Lescant remar ed, all his old ht-heartedness
returning now that he seemed li ly to get 03,

soot-free.

The Big Judge only nod and covered his
face wrth his hands as to shut out the sight of
the man who had tern him to , me.

Lescant left the va t, following in the foot-
steps of the doctor without takin the slightest
notice of the woman whom he h once wrong-
ed so terribly, for. I presume the careful reader
has penetrated the thin disguise assumed by
Mrs. McQuencher, and understands that she
was the mother of the child and the victim of
this arch rogue.

Not a soul was visible when ﬁe two men
reached the open air. e police were near at
hand but carefully concealed, and warned not
toadvance until Diamond signaled them, for,
although the doctor had been sure that the fu-
gitive would seek the shelter of the cave, et,
when he arrived on the s t he had not 11
certain the chief of the ban was in the vault.

 
The doctor conducted Lescant to the boat
which was drawn up on the beach and existed
him to push it into the water.

Lescant got into the boat.

“One last question,” he said. as he stood u
in the boat, our in hand, ready to push 0!. “
am no fool: neither are you one. There is some
motive in this deed to-night; why do you let
me free 2” _

“ ura Jewel told you that yourwn whom
you, like the guilty coward that you are, de-
serted, might, when grown to manhood, srt in
judgment upon you, and she reared the boy
with that idea, but begged him to temper justice
with mercy. ‘ Give him one chance to reform,
but one chance only,’ she said. On In right
arm are blazoned the two serpents entwmed as
on ours. My right name is Alt'eIlOI‘ Jewel.”

‘ Great heavens, my son!” cried the felon, in
amazement.

“ The woman whom you so cruelly wronged
yearsa 0 has saved you this night. Fate de-
creed t at I should be your judge. I have
spared you: go, and sin no more.”

For a moment the other hesitated as if about
to reply, and then, without asingle word pushed
out into the stream, sat down and bentto the
oars.

The man was a thorough rascal; he was all
bad; no thoughts of repentance were in his
mfgd; he only chuckled at getting 011' so easily.

e rowed away lustily, and muttered to him-
self as he made his way out into the stream
thro h the inky darkness of the night. A
singlgglight shining like a star upon the opposite
shore was all he had to guide him.

“The mother lives 'n in him! No wonder
I hated him! No won I had a presentiment
that he was destinedto be dangerous. But, it
is all over now. I have enoug: money to give
meagmdstaﬂmwmeoth nd: but,toturn
honest! oh no! I am too ol for an such fool-
ishness. oney I must have, and can get it
far edsier by fool than b fair means. Justice!
bah! I laugh at such a t ing! Providence! It
is a trick to frighten simple men.” '

And then, as if Fate had heard‘theboastand
resented it with a buffet, a dark mass came
crashing into the frail craft wherein the fu-
gitive sat, crushing it as if it had been an egg-
shell.

A large scheoner heavily laden had run into
the boat, never noticing it in the deep darknem.

Lescant was hurled into the water; he was an
expert swimmer—this man was a master of al-

most e thing—but the large store of ﬁll:
which he upon his person weighted
down.

Vainly he struggled; it was not in the sinews
of mortal mantoswim with such a wei ht.

The old—his ill-gotten gains carri him be-
neath he wave; a few trembling air-bubbles
ascended and justice was done.

The chief o the White Band would never
trouble this world more.

But few more werds remain to be said. 'Ihe
secret of Lescant’s death the river kept secure-
ly, and all believed that he had to es-
cap?I from the country.

e Big Judge never recovered from the
shock which the capture of his criminal associ-
atesgave him. He tookto hisbed and within
three days was a dead man.

Our readers of course long ere this, have un- ‘
derstood that rm had chosen to bring together
the longseparated mother and son to a v
strange manner, and that, when the jud s
wife, im lled by her kind heart, gave she tar
to the injured little Hoppe she took with-
in her doors her own son. t e e of the
memorandum-book which Lescant surren-
dered were inscribed the full particulars at«
tending the bestowal of the boy to the old
Irishwoman’s care, her name and abode: also a
deecriptioh of the peculiar design which Les—
cant, in his ca rice, had pricked upon the right
arm of thei t—the two car uts coiled to-
gether with uplifted heads. there was a

right future in store for our honest and fear-
less little street vagabond. .\

And now that his task was ﬁnished, and the
secret band hunted down, the doctor turned his
attention to the girl who had won his heart at
the ﬁrst glance. It was a mutual passion, and
soon Dura became his wife.

The golden coﬂln alone remains. The odd .
casket was a crazy idea of a well-to-do man to
rob his heirs. No one knew of it, but all sup.

that it was lead, from its wa’ght, but .1.
tor the death and a vast sum of money was was
est, much wonder was excited as to what had
become of it. Lescant, always quick con-
cludedthatthe old man had secreted his 1a
in the cofﬁn, and so, with his ang, had
he graveyard one night. golden coma
was secured, but, after it was get, it puzzled
the robbers Wto turn it to account. In one
of hlsmedfreaksLescantdeter-mined tobury
the doctor  it, and from the chain of circum-
stances w aroee thereby, it metalsafel he
said that to the golden coﬂn the its
was indebted for its destruction by the Doctor
Detective.

 
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‘ THE SPIRIT LAKE AVENGERH.

AGENT or THE ROCKIES.

 
EADLE’S

 
LIBRARY.

/

 
32 Large Three-Column Pages.

1. A Hard Crowd. By P. S. Warne.
2. The Dare-Devil: OR, THE WINGED i
WITCH or THE SEA. By Col. Prentiss Ingrahnm.
3. Kit Carson, Jr., THE CRACK SHOT ()F
I'HEWERT. B BuckskinSam.
4. The hidnapper. By P. S. Warne.
5. The Fire-Fiends; OH, HERCULES, THE
HI‘NCHBACX. By A. P. Morris.
6. Wildcat Bob. THE Boss BRUISEB, ;
OR, THE BORDER BLOODHOIrNDs. By Ed. L. Wheeler.
7. Death-Notch, THE DEsTHOYEE; on,
By 011 Coomos.
. The Headless Horseman. A strange
story of Texas. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
9. Handy Andy. By Samuel LOVer.
.. 10. Vidocq, THE FRENCH POLICE SPY.
Written b himself.
1 1. idshipman Easy. By Capt. Mar-

'I'yat.
12. The Death-Shot; OR, TRACKED To

DEATH. By Capt. Mayne Reid.
13. Pathaw 30R,NICE Vi’HIEELEs, TIIE
OLD TRAPPER on THE ORTHWEsT. By Robinson.
14. Thayendane ea. By Ned Buntlinr‘.
15. The Ti er-S ayer; OE. EAGLE-
HEAD To THE R 'E. B Gustave Aimnrd.
16. The White Vina-d. Ned Buntline.
17. Nightshade, TIIE RODEER PRINCE
OF HorNsmw HEATH. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.
18. The Sea Bandit. By ch Buntline.
19. Red Cedar, THE PHAIILIE OUTLAW.
By Gustave AiInaI'd.
20. The Bandit at Bay. By Aimard.
21. The Trapper’s Daughter; OR,
THE OUTLAw‘s FATE. By Gustave A max-d.
22. Whitelaw: OR, NATTIE OF THE LAKE
SHORE B Dr. J. H. Robinson.

3. e Red Warrior. By Ned Buntlnc.
24. Prairie Flower. By G. Aimard.
25. The GoldoGuide; OR. STEEL ARM,

m REGULATOR. By Francis Johnson.
26. The Death-Track. By F. Johnson.
27. The Spotter-Detective. By Aiken.
28. Three-Fingered Jack. THE ROAD—
B Joseph E. Badger, Jr.
29. Tiger Dick, HE FARO KING; or,

' THE CAsHIER‘s CRIME. By Philip S. Wame.

30. Gospel Geor e. By J. E. Badger.
31. The New Yor ‘Sharp :’ OR, THE
FLASH 0F LIGHTNING. By Albert W. Aiken.

32. B'hoys of Yale; on, THE SrrnArEs
OVA HARD SET or (‘OLLEGIANH By John D. Vase.
83. Overland Kit. By A. W. A:kon.

34. Rocky Mountain Rob. By Aiken.
35. Kentuck, the Sport. By Aiken.
36. In'un Dick. By Albert \V. Aiken.
37. 11nd, the Hunchback: OR, THE
SWOEDHARER on THE SANTEE. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.
38. Velvet Hand; on, THE IRON GRIP or
INJHNDICE. Bv Albert W. Aiken.
39. The Russian Spy. By Whittaker.
40. The Lo Haired ‘Pards;' OR,
THE TARTARs on THE me. By Jos. E. Badger. Jr.
41. Gold Dan; ON, THE WHITE SAVAGE
or THE GREAT SALT LAKE. By Albert W. Aiken.
42. California Detective. By Aiken.
43. Dakota Dan, Tch RBCKLESS RANGER:
or. THE BEE-HI'NTERH‘ EXCURSION. By ()ll (homes.
44. Old Dan Rackback. Oll Coomes.
45. Old Bull’s Eye, THE LIGHTNING
8801‘ or THE PLAINS. By Joseph E. Bmlm-r, J;:.
‘6. Bowie-Knife Ben. By 0.1 (,‘OOIIIvs.
47. Paciﬁc Pete, THE PRINCE OF THI:
RWOLVER. By Joe. E. BadEI-r. Jr.
48. Idaho Tom, THE YOUNG OUTLAW
or SILVERLAND. B Oil Coomes.
49. TheWo Demon. By A. W. Aiken.
50. Jack Rabbit, THE PRAIRIE SrOHT;
By JOE. E. Badger. Jr.
. Red Rob, THE BOY ROAD-AGENT.
By 011 Coomes.
52. Death Trailer, THE CHIEF or
Scans. B ' Hon. Wm. F. Cody (Buffalo Bill.)
53. S ver Sam; or, THE MYSTERY or
Daaiwoon Cm. By Col. Delle Sara.
4. Alwax‘s on Band; or, THE SPOETIVE
Bron or THE oorr Hana. By Philip S.Warne.
55. TheSealp Hunters. Mayne Rail.
56. The Indian By Aiken.
57. The Silent Hunter or. THE SCOWL
BALI. Mvmsv.

 
mm:

59. The Man From Texas. By Aiken.
60. Wide Awake; or. THE lDIOT OF
THE BLACK HILLS. By Frank Dumont.
61. Captain Seawaif. THE PIHVATEEH.

‘ By Ned Buntline.

6H2. Loyal Heart. By Gustave Aimnrd.
63. The Win ed Whale. By Aiken.
64. Double- i§ht, the Death Shot.
By Jose h E. Badger. r.
65. he Red Ra'ah. By F. Whittaker.
66. The Specter arque. Mayne Reid.
67. The Boy Jockey: By J.  Badger.
68. The Fighting rapper; or, KIT
CARSON To THE RESCUE. By Capt. J. F. C. Adams.
69. The Irish Captain. By Whittaker.
70. Hydrabad, THE STRANGLER; or,
ALETHE, THE CHILD or THE CORD. By Robinson.
71. Captain Cool-Blade, or, THE MAN
SHARE or THE MISSISSIPPI. By Jos. E. Badger. Jr.
72. The Phantom Hand. By Aiken.
73. The Knight of the Red Cross:
or, THE MAGICIAN 0F GRANADA. Dr. J. H. Robinson.
74. Captain of the Riﬂes. Mayne Reid.
75. Gentleman George. By Aiken.
76. The Queen’s Musketeer :' or,
TIHsnE, THE PRINCESS PALHIsT. By George Albony.
77. The Fresh of Frisco. By Aiken.
78. The Mysterious Spy: or, GOLDEN
FEATHER THE BIICCANEER‘S DAI'GHTER. By Grainger.
79. doe Phenix, POLICE SPY. By Aiken.
80. A Man of Nerve. By P. S. Warne.
81. The Human Tiger. By Aiken.
82. Iron WI ist, the Swordmaster.
By Col. Thomas H. Moustery.
83. Gold Bullet Sport. By Buffalo Bill.
84. Hunted Down. By A. W. Aiken.
85. The Cretan Rover. By Ingraham.
83. The Big Hunter: or. THE QUEEN
on THE WOODS. By the author Of “ Silent Hunter."
87. The Scarlet Captain; or, THE
PRISONER on THE TOWER. By Col. Della Sam.
88. B Geor e. THE GIANT or THE
GI'IICH; or, Inn FIVE I'TLAw BROTHERS. By Badger,
89. The Pirate Prince. Bylngruhnm.
90. Wild Will. THE MAD RANCHERO;
or. THE TERRIBLE TEXAN. B Buckskin Sam.
91. The Winning ar. By Aiken.
92. Buﬂ’alo Bill. THE BUCKSKIN KING;
By Major Dangerﬁeld Burr.
. Ca tain Dick Talbot, KING or
THE ROAD. y Albert W. Aiken.
94. Freelance, THE BI'CCANEER; or, The
WAIE on THE WAVE. B Col. Prentiss In 'rnham.
05. Azhort. Tm!
98. Double-Death.
97. Bronze Jack, THE
THOROUGHBRED. By A. W. Aiken.
93. The Rock Rider: or. THE SPIRIT
on THE SIERRA. By Capt. Frederick Whittaker.
99. The Giant Riﬂeman; or, WILD
LIFE IN THE LI'HHER REGIONS. By 011(‘oomes.
00. The French Spy. By A. P. Morris.
101. The Man from New York; or,
THE ROMANCE or A RICH YOI'NG WOMAN. By Aiken.
102. The Masked Band: or, THE MAN
WITHOUT A NAHE. By George L. Aiken.
103. Merle. the Mutineer. higrahain.
104. Montezuma, the Merciless: or,
THE EAGLE AND THE SERPKNT. By Col. P.1ngraham.
105. Dan Brown of Denver, THE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DETECTIVE. By J os. E. Badger, Jr.
106. Shamus O'Brien.THE BOULD BOY
or (:LINGAL. By Colonel Delle Sam.
107. Richard Talbot of Cinnabar;
0r, 'I‘IIE BROTHEns or THE REDIIAND. By AW. Aiken.
108. The Duke of Diamonds: or, THE
FLOWER or CADCO'I'rA. By Capt. Fred. Whittaker.
109. Captain K d. By Col. lngraham.
1 10. The Silent 'ﬂeman. By HerbOX‘t-
1 1 1. The Smuggler Captain; 01‘, THE
SEIPPER’E CRIME. By ed Buntline.
112. Joe Phenix, PRIVATE DETECTIVE;
or, THE LEAGUE or THE SEEIEToN KEYS. By Aiken.
113. The Sea Slip r: or, THE AMA-
m'n FREEBOOTEIIS. By Pro .J. H. Ingraham.
114. The Gentleman from Pike: or,
THE GnosT or THE CANYON. By Philip 8. Warm.
115. The Severed Head: on THE
SECRET or CASTLE Concv. By Capt. Fred.Whittaker.

XIIAN. By A. .Morris.
By F. Whittaker.
CALIFORNIA

 
Each Number Complete.

1 1 7. Dashing Dandy, THE HOTSPUR or

THE HILLS. By Major Dangerfield Burr.
118. The Burglar Captain; or, THE
nFALLEN STAR. By Prof. J. H. Ingraham.
119. Alabama Joe, By J. E. Badger.
120. The Texan Spy. By N. M. Curtis.
121. The Sea Cadet. By Ingrahnm.
122. Saul Sabberday, THE IDIOT SPY:
or, LI7LIONA, THE SEMINOLE. By Ned Buntline.
123. Alapaha. the Squaw: ' I. THE
RENEGADEs OF THE BORDER. By Francis Johnson.
124. Assowaum, the Avon er: or,
THE DOOM OF THE DESTROYERS. By Fiancis Johnson.
125. The Blacksmith Outlaw; tr,
MERRY ENGLAND. By Harrison Ainsworth.
126. The Demon Duelist; or, THE
LEAGUE or STEEL. By Colonel Thos. H. Mount/cry.
127. Sol Scott. THE MASKED MINER- or.
DAN BROWN’S DOUBLE. By Joseph E. Badger.
128. The Chevalier Corsair: or, THIr.
HERITAGE or HATEED. By the author of “ Merle."
129. Mississippi Mose. By Ed.Willett.
130. Captain Volcano: or, THE MAN
or THE RED REVOLVERS. By Albert W Aiken.
1 3 1 . Buckskin Sam,THE TEXAN TRAILER;
or, THE BANDITs or THE BRAVO, By 001. Ingraham.
132. Nemo, King of the Tramps: or,
THE ROMANY GIRL's VENGEANCE. By Whittaker.
133. . the Rover: or, THE RIB.
BONHAN or IRELAND. By William Carleton.

134. Darkie Dan. THE COLORED DETEC
TIVE; or. THE MISSISSIPPI MYsTERiI. By Ingraham.

Price I 0 Us.

135. The Bush Ran er; or, Tm.
HALE-BREED BRIGADE. By Franc Johnson.
136. The Outlaw-Hunter: 0:, RE"

JOHN. THE BUSH RANGER. By Francis Johnson.

137. Long Bear d. THE GIANT SPY. B,
011 Coomes.

138. The Border Bandits: 0r, THE
HUIQSEATHIEF‘S TRAIL. By Francis J ohnson.

139. Fire-Eye. THE SEA HYENA; or,
THE BRIDE or A BUCCANEEIL By Col. P Ingraham.

140. The Three Spaniards. By
George Walker.

141. Equinox Tom, THE BULLY 01“ RED
ROCK. By Jos.  Badger. Jr.

142. Ca tain Crimson, THE MAN OF, THE
IRON FACE. y Major Dangerﬁeld Burr.

143. The Czar's Spy: or, THE NIHILIST
LEAGI'E. By Col. Thos. Hoyer Monstery.

1 44. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
By Victor Hugo. ~

145. Pistol Pards. By W. R. Eyster.

146. The Doctor Detective; or. THE
Mummy or THE GOLDEN (,‘OIrEIN. By Geo. Lemuel,

147. Gold Spur. THE GENTLEHAN FROM
TEX-a By Colonel Prentiss Ingruhum.

148. One - Armed Alf. THE GIANT
HUNTER or THE GREAT LAKES. By 011 Coomes.

149. The Border Riﬂes. By Aimaxd.

150. El Rubio Bravo. KING or I'll]:
SvhmnsuEN. By Col. Thomas Boyer Monstery.

151. The Freebooters. By Aimanl.

152. Captain Ironnerve, THE Cory-
TEREEITER CHIEF. By Marmaduke Dey.

153. The White Scalper. By Aimard.

154. Joaquin, THE SADDLE KING. By
Joseph E. Badger, Jr.

155. The Gipsies of the Sea. By
Colonel Prentiss Ingraham.

156. Velvet Face. By Major Danger-
ﬁeld Burr. Ready October 19th.-

157. Mom-ad. THE MAHELDRE. 7'

Amismeveryweak.

Donne’s Dlme Library is for sale by all

Newsdeale ten cents r or sent by mail on
reed It of Thaw cents}wa LE & ADAMS,

 
Percy B. St. ha.
58. Silver  By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

116. Black Plume, THE DEVIL or THE
SEA; or, ﬁrmer-Bu.qu Bylngmham.

Pu shers. ‘13 William Street. New York.

Col. Thomas Hoyer Manuel-y. Ready October 26th 

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