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“mean by
and into de bottle and "Juggle departle-
—
Pos “reed n't be so partikler about
them potnis, Mister Ching-Ching,”. said
Bill Grunt; “it’s Eddard as we have to
The way that fur-cap chap let
into him was a wonder, and he was
a-turning on me when the landlord and
the. barman jumped over the bar and held
‘Don’t stop me,’ he ses; ‘I'll
have the life of the lot—the Chaneyman,
several times, and I’ll take it out of ’em
now.’ That’s wot he sed; but as I couldn’t
~ remember him then, I denies all about it,
again explained Ching-Ching, to the great
exasperation the narrator and the
victim lying in bed. .
We went straight afore a magstrate,”
continued Bill, “and made
Eddard showed his black hye, then only
it?? he ses. ‘Only this—that
them two chaps, and a Chaneyman, and a
nigger, knocked me down at Drury Lane
Theatre, jumped on me, pounded me, and
rt ones , tail d up in the orspital for six
That warn’t true,” continued
Bill; Sout I remembered him then at the
theayter, and knowed that you had been
done on that fur cap party.
arty wore a fur cap,” further ex-
plained Ching-Ching. “You know what
afur cap am, Sammy?
“No, me don’t quite know, “Chingy,”
said Samson.
“A fur cap, sala Ching-Ching, “am a
cap made o .
Oh, what humbug it is,” growled Bill;
“never mind the fur cap, but just listen
to’ wot follered. When the chap in the
dock had finished, one of the perlice as
was in the-court volunteers to com
forrard and support him, and as he got
inter the box I sees and knows the man
as you riled by didging him round the
monnyment in Trafalgar Square.”
“Dé monlyment was in Trafaley Square
Sammy,” said Ching-Ching.
“I ’member him,” returned Samso n.
“Se. do I,” growled Eddard; “the back
‘ed. was nigh. broken in.
“That perliceman,”" continued Bill’
Grunt, with emphasis, “came forrard and
denounced us. He put his 'elmet on the
bottom of the witness-box, and ‘aving
Kissed the book, he up and swore that we
was all the most drunken, riotous lot in
the whole city of London, and he also
as he was on the lookout for you,
Mister Cn Ching. Then he went down.”
erticoman went down, Sammy;
down out “ob box.
This persistent recapitulation of small
items was so trying to Bill Grunt and
©
“The party with the fur cap was set
free,” sald Bill, “and the magistrate sed
as he left the dock without a stain on his
character. Then he ordered us to stand
forrard, and, shaking his forefinger at us,
he said, ‘Now, understand this, my men—
if ever you come before me again, I'l
imprison you without a fine, and I rec-
uu both to go home and sign
. ” omicer, see them out of the
vicinity of the court.’”
“De wicinity ob de court, Sammy,” ex-
claimed that persistent fellow, Ching-
Ching, “am de districk which am de
nearest ,to de front door, I ’member
e-——”
“We. were showed, or rather shoved,
t continued Bill Grunt, “and a mob 0’
people, “headed by the party in the fur
cap, hooted us so that we had to run for
it, and get into a four-wheeled cab, and
somebody throwed a brick at us and
broke a winder, for which me and Eddard
had to pay ten and six. But we got home
at last, and Radard took to his pe
where you see him now.”
“Yes, I see him,” sald ching-Ciing,
“and I tink dat Sammy see him, too.
“Me see him,” confirmed that wonder-
‘ful witness.
“But what do you think on it?” asked
BU. “What do you think of yourself?”
“I tink dat de maddlestrate ought to be
clummoned for de flamation, ob chaleck-
ter,” replied Ching-Ching, “and dat fren
Eddard hab got "bout de worse eye dat I
eber see, ‘cept de one dat my grandfarder
- glib to de man wif de muffins, who allus
come and ring de bel] just when m
srandfarder was doing him forty chinks
- after dinner.”
“put look here.” argued Bill, “you
w you brought this on Eddard, and
been Tnocked abou
“Fren William,”
,
ut——
satd ‘ching-Ching, “
the charge. -
GOLDEN
way dat he hab been knocked about was
a credit to him. Fren Eddard am one ob
de few men dat look well in a black eye,
and if he was to get up now and walk up
de street, all de seryant gals would rush
out ob de airy steps and kiss him. Wifa
lilly more brown paper and some fresh
vinegar, de very ladies who let de partle-
ments would trow demselyes on him
manly bosom.”
“They ain’t given to do that at the best
o times,” said Eddar
“Oh, Missa Cutten—tren Eddard,”
turned Ching-Ching,
dlesty. Now, dere am one lubly creetur
in dis house who used to look at me, but
Te-
she say, and de party am not de serbant
“Then it must be Mrs. Mant,” said Ed-
dara. swallowing the whole fib, head and
tail.
“It not for me to expose de weakness
ob de gentler sect,” replied Ching-Ching;
“but at de same time I not tell an untrufe
"bout it.
““I think I'll get up,” said Eddard.
“Don't,” urged Ching-Ching; “tt she see
you wif dat eye she am lost to me for
eber. Wait until it am well, and give me
a fair chance.”
a ve been in bed ane days,”
dard, “and I must
“Berry well,” sighed ‘Ching- Ching; “but
it was eber dus in childish hour—I neber
np a lilly flower but it de fust to run
Oh, Sammy, when dat dear ole
creetur, Mrs. Mant, hab gone ober-to fren
Eddard, what am dere lef’ for me? Come
lownstairs dis verse moment, and gib me
some water to drink.
said Ed-
CHAPTER CLXXVI.
THE SEARCH ENDED.—CONCLUSION,
T a room at the hotel sat Harry, Sir
uddenly Tom entered and said:
“I have just received word from nearly
all the agents sent out to-examine the
various insane asylums and see if Juanita
is confined in any of them, and so far no
trace of her can be found.
You did not come here simply to tell
us that?” asked Sir Darnle
“No, sir. One asylum after another
has been closely watched, and it
firm conviction that Juanita is not is any
one of them, at least not in‘any within a
hundred miles, and I am almost certain
that she is not in one, and has not been.”
“Wha' you mean, Tom?” cried
Harry, start! up. hota words seem
to inspire a sudden hope in my breast.
They say that sudden joy sta. but if you
have any good news, tell it. I am sure
I can bear
“I think that the story of Juanita’ ‘3 be-
ing in an asylum - was a. mere subterfuge,”
continued Tom, “and that she never was
in one, but that Don Salvo took her from
the lunacy agents after she had been re-
He never thought of
at such a time
ade.
uanite has not been found,” Tom
“but Don Salvo has.”
es. e@ has been seen in the neigh-
bo srhosd of “Richmond. At the same time
I learn that two strangers have taken an
old houge, long uninhabited, on the river,
put that pe one ever leaves the place ex-
cept at night, and that there seems to be
a great mystery” about the whole estab-
lishment,
“I have it!” cried Harry.
has taken this ‘house and is keeping
Juanita hidden until we give up the
search. He thinks that, so near London,
he is safe from detection. Then, when
we are tired out with our fruitless
search and relax our vigilance, he will
quietly slip away, to Spain, to America,
anywhere. Now is the time to act. We
must hasten te Richmond at once. You
and I, Tom, will keep together, Ira and
Ximena can form another party and Sir
Darnley can go alone. The others must
be left in London, as they would be rec-
ognized at once by Don Salvo. We must
all disguise ourselves, but, in case we
meet and wish to exchange communica-
tions, the simple word ‘Belvedere! will
be enough is dndentity we
“Good!” ‘om. “Come, Jet us start
at once. I aie ace that we go separately
and in different directions, with Ri
mond as our ultimate destination, ths
place may be watched, and it is, there-
fore, best to employ caw "
If there were spies watching the house
‘they would hardly suspect that the two
old gentlemen, evidently from the coun-
try, who left in an hour, were Harry and
Tom, or that the two young svells,
dressed fn the latest fashion and éaring
nothing for money, were Ira and Ximena,
but such was the fact.
Sir Darnley assumed no disguise, but
“dat am your mod- .
» hissed Harry,
“The don”
HOURS
after the others had gone he took a cab
for Euston station, quite in a contrary
direction to that taken by the others,
The two young men took a train for
Brighton, and the two farmers started for
Yarmouth, but neither of the travelers
went more than a few miles in the direc-
tion first taken, all managing to finally
reach Richmond. at various times and in
different disguises from those at first
worn,
It was a beautiful moonlight night, and
the river lay bathed in the silvery light,
while along the shore twinkled red, blue
and yellow lights from the villas on the
_ banks or in the boats gliding along the
shore,
In midstream, drifting lazily with the
current, was a wherry cé&taining two
young gentlemen dressed as midshipmen,
and, as there were several ships. sta-
tioned at Loudon at that time, their pres~
ence was by’no means strange.
Down stream they drifted, only now
and then using their oars and finally,
passing the town, they rowed almost 'to
the bank, and then, keeping in the
eee rowed more briskly.
e hour Brew late and ihe moon was
almost down en one of the rowers
rested on his oars and s;
“That must be the house, “Harry, but it
is strange that no sign of life can be
eerYes, but perhaps it is cary yet. Let
us wait, Tom. Here in the shadow we
will not be ‘observed and ne can see all
that Bo8s
t. far away loomed up the deserted
with a beautiful lawn stretching
there was a little landing and a boat-
The place seemed utterly dead, thero
being no lights in or about the place, and
Harry and Tom were beginning to despair
of seeing one when there suddenly floated
upon the silent air of midnight the sweet,
rich tones of a clear soprano yoice, sing-
ing an old-fashioned serenade,
“Hark!” whispered Tom.
“Tis she!” said Harry. «“That is Juan-
ita’s song. I have heard her sing it a
hundred times.”
“It comes from yonder tower window.
We were right; this is the house where
the poor girl is Kept a prisoner by the
cruel Don Salvo.”
“She shall be a prisoner no longer,”
“Come, ‘we can land here
and proceed at once to the villa,
They left their boat at the landing.
place and hurried at once across the
lawn, but they had not gone far before
an old man came out of a lodge on the
edge of the grounds ona said in a cracked
voice
“Young gentlemen” I fear you are tres-
passing or have lost your way. Wh
place do you seek?
“We want the Belvedere villa,”
Harry, with a sudden inspiration,
“Right!” said athe old man, suddenly
changing his to “I see you have lo-
cated the place, Dia you hear Juanita?” _
: olan whispered Tom.
“You are here, |
“Where is Ximen
“She is the housemata ‘and I ‘am the
porter, We had some trouble to get ithe
pigees, as the on Seemed suspicious.”
And Sir Darnley
“Is watching the house from the
street.”
“Come on, then; there is no time to
said
00?” asked Harry.
The yoice in the upper room had s
denly ceased, but Harry no longer needed
guide him, and be, Tom and Ira hur-
They entered the lower part and found
Ximena, whom Harry was at first scarce-
ly able to oe end aap in her smart house-
maid's dress an
“The upper part of the house {fs locked,”
said Ximena, “and only Don Salvo goes
ther
Then we will force an entrance,”
Marry, drawing a pistol. “Lead the way,
and do you, Ira, signal to Sir - Darnley
from one of the windows.”
They hurried upstairs, but at the sec-
ond landing a light suddenly flashed in
their eyes and the don, his face inflamed
with rage, suddenly appeared from a
front room, a lamp in his hand.
“How dare you intrude in my house?”
he demanded. at once or I will
have you ejected by vthe police .
“Don Salvo,” erled Harry, “ have
made my wife a prisoner and I demand
eried
> her instant release or it is you who will
find yourself in the hands of the police.”
“Never!” cried the don furiously. “I
will destroy you all and myself first.”
He raised the lamp above his head and
dashed it upon the floor, where it broke
into a hundred pieces, the oil pouring out
and instantly igniting from the burning
wick.
Tom and Harry scized the infuriated
. 7
man, while Ira and Ximena rushed into
the nearest.room, tore down the heavy
hangings at the doors and windows and
terly beside himself with passion, sud-
denly broke away from his captors, made
a mad dash at Harry and then, suddenly
reeling, fell backward heavily upon the
floor and lay quite still.
Meanwhile the fames had been extin-
guished before they had done any great
amount of damage and Ximena had ad-
mitted Sir Darnley and two policemen.
“He carries the key of the door leading
up-stairs in his pocket,” said Ira, hastily
bringing out another light,
’ “He is dead! The excitement was too
much for him. Heart disease has killed
- him,” said Harry.
ody was quickly removed to the
room lately occupied by the don, laid
upon the bed and covered from sight
then Harry quickly released Juanita,
and the two happily reunited lovers fell
into each other’s arms, embraced fondly
and | ee ee house, where Ira remained .
d and to arrange matters with
the “authorities,
There was no longer any obstacle to the
« and his beautiful
being dead, there was now no one to op-
pose then
Don Salvo was buried in London in a
quiet church yard, and at last a life of
wild passion was over and the lovers
need fear nothing from his an:
Ira married Ximena, and Sir Darnley,
true to his pramise, found a worthy wife
for Tom, and one more of the brave
hearts nee fortunes we have followed
was ma
Sir Marry *petired to his grand estates
in the west of England, and there lived
for twenty years in complete happiness,
surrounded by his faithful friends, among
whom were counted the wonderful Ching-
Ching, the powerful Samson and_ those
two old cronies, Bill Grunt and Eddard
Cutten, and now, haying seen him safe
through his many.adventures, trials and
final triumph, let us take a fond farewell
f our’ brave young friend, HANDSOME
parey OF THE FIGHTING BELVE-
[THE END.)
8
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