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“« ¥% would not remember me.” ~
You must meet him.” ’ “ae
**1 will in good time.’”” ae . :
- It was well on toward morning when Dick Velsor started for his.
home. ; - oe
As has been intimated, Dick was pretty well off. He had re-
ceived the bonds intact which the mysterious stranger “had left for
him, and their accumulations. He lived in a little house up-town,
where he kept bachelor apartments, He had an old French woman
acting as his housekeeper. She was old, but capable and strong
enough to Jook after the home of a single gentleman. As the de-
tective walked toward his home, he was very thoughtful, and he
muttered: ~ .
- ~ . * Well, it is just possible I’ve struck something;
os well, I’ve my idea.” ‘ - :
“| > +” Next day Dick appeared upon the street about noon, and he pro-
ceeded direct to the vicinity where he had. parted from the woman
: who had shocked him by revealing to him her hideous face.
b- ““T reckon I don’t take any stock in that,’’ he said.
a : The young man spent the whole afternoon. in the neighbor-
: hood, and it was nearly evening when he espied a female of grace-
ful form walking along the street. He had not noticed where she
came from, but he discovered that she was veiled, of graceful fig-
wee ure and buoyant step, and he said:
my “* At last!” / et
. He followed the woman, and he noticed that she was very
7, stealthy in her movements, Only a keen and observant person
\ . Would have observed this fact.. She went up toward one. of the
ie great hotels; passed and repassed the building several times, like
one who was on the look-out for a person she expected to meet;
and so night fell and our hero was still on the shadow.
;», _ If the veiled woman expected to meet any one she was evidently
a j/ disappointed, for about ten o’clock she walked down Broadway,
: and finally passed to Third Avenue at Fourteenth Street. Dick
was well pleased. He was certain that it was the lady with the
hideous face, and he made up his mind to renew his acquaintance,
He was following her, keeping up a close trail, when suddenly ne
receive:l a blow from behind that keeled him over. He fell like a
log, and for a moment Jay dazed. No one had seen the blow
struck, but a gentleman came along before he was able to rise to
x his feet. The stranger assisted him to rise, and said:
we “* My friend, you had better go home.”
‘The stranger evidently thought that Dick was drunk, and the
detective determined: to let the impression’ prevail, and he said,
stuttering like a drunken man:
“* Yes, I will go home.”
i The stranger passed on and Dick staggered off, but when an op-
©! . | portunity offered he dodged into a beer saloon. Ie went through
‘_.- tothe rear yard, and when he returned it was a different- man,
_— seemingly, who left the place. The detective had, worked ono of
bean Yonrntne ate «
SoM nh alae? dean
and if it is true,
his magical transforms, He did not stagger, but moved with a
~ buoyant step, and as he walked along he thought over the fact of
the blow he had received. The fact that he had. been knocked :|
co down while following the veiled woman was very suggestive. It |
a) indicated that the woman had confederates; that she had fallen to |
| *. the fact that she was being shadowed; that she had signaled to a |
i pal, and the pal had followed him, and had nest probably gow |
Seeecceuhim with an ecl-skin, He had received a hard blow, but it had R&t |
on no bruise, A6 the young man thought over the incident, a pleasant
3 romance he had woven was dispelled, and a terrible suspicion and
* confirmation ran through his mind; for the adventure was fraught
with most terrible suggestions,
XN
. CHAPTER VI.
Our hero had associated the veiled lady whom he had met on the
: previous night with the Louise Webster who stood accused as the
4 robber of many thousands of dollars’ worth of securities, and he
had conceived that she was innocent, His belief was founded on
the assumptipn that the veiled girl was really Louise Webster; and
ve then the pectiliar tones of her voice and her earnest mauner when
‘ . she had said to him: ‘‘ You are innocent.’’
Since his second adventure his pleasant romance had been dis-
+ pelled, and his later suspicions: were based upon the assumption
: that the veiled woman whom. he had been trailing was the same
veiled girl he had met on the previous evening. The actions of the
j woman he met on the first night admitted of a belief in her inno-
~ cence of any charge. The actions of the girl or veiled woman he
had been following on the second night left him with very differ-
ent impressions. If they were one and the same person—and ho
had no reason to donbt the aflirmative conclusion—then she was
indeed a guilty woman, She was the associate of murderous char-
acters, and was in hiding as a real criminal. The Jatter conclusion
made him fect sal and greatly disappointed,'and caused him’ to
s+ . come to a determined resolution, and he muttered:
“If she is guilty, she is an evil person—a dangerous person, and
'
she should be bronght to justice, and I will run her down.”
i Dick was greatly mortified that he had permitted himself,to be
te dropped off his feet so easily. He was like many young men of the
present dsy—s magnificent athlete, a man of splendid strength; act-
ive, agile, and possessed of great endurance—and, besides, his
shrewdness had received ascthack, Ie was convinced that there
. had been a double trail, and he had not fallen to the fact. The
3 veiled woman had been smarter. She had discoverd that 2
ot stranger was dogging her She had passed a signal all unknown
i to him, and he had been dropped off the shadow as easily as though
* he were actipple. — - :
“Tvs all tight!” he muttered; “but Iwill be up to snuff next
-man, and to secure a white rose.
t
{ time, you can wager, . ; .
4 He wandered down the Bowery, looking around in every direc-
TT rare TN I
tion, but he did not meet the veiled woman, and finally he ejacu-
"| lated as a thought ran through his mind:
** By ginger! it is possible,’””
“~. He leaped on a car and rode back to the vicinity of the great
hotel. Fortune favored him, He saw the veiled woman. She
had just stepped forward and addressed a well-attired young man.
The two walked off together, and our hero fell to the trail. He’
saw them enter the park and sit down on one of the benches, He
did not dare go near, but he watched. They sat together for some
time, and then the lady rose, and Dick heard her say:
“Tam glad to have met you. Be here to-morrow night, and
we will talk further.’’ . : . :
“* You have not let me see your face,”’ the young man said, |
*«'Po-morrow,’’ came the answer. .
“Well, young fellow,’ thought Dick, ‘‘ if you see the same face
I saw last night, you will consider your time lost,” .
“* Let me have one glimpse?” : ; .
““You will betray me”? , *
“* What do you take me for?”
‘* You are a friend of my husband.” ° :
The young man’s curiosity was whetted, and he exclaimed:
“Your secret will be safe withme.”’ : .
‘No; you misunderstand. You can do mo a kindness.”"
“* Name it.” /.
“* Not now; to-morrow night when we meet.’ ~
**] will die before to-morrow night if I do not sce your face.’
There came a laugh from under the veil, and the woman said:
“*T guess you will live, and you must not make a mistake con-
cerning me.”’
“Oh, certainly not.” :
‘TI sought you because you can do me a kindness.”
“*You can depend that I will. What can I do for you?”
**I will tell you to-morrow; and now I bid you good-night.”
“One moment, I have many friends, with young and handsome
wives. You leave me to suspect your identity among them all, It
is not fair.” : . :
“* You will be suspicious only until to-morrow night,”
. “* And you will meet me again?’ :
“Yes; and unfold to you the service you can do ine,”
“* Why did you select me?’” A
‘* Because you are frequently my husband’s companion.’*
- **Come, raise that veil.’”
‘You must be patient.”’ :
The young man’s whole manner had changed, and there
severity in his tones, - nos
“*See here, I will see your face now.”
“* How dare you?” . .
~‘Ido dare,” he said. ‘‘ And Iet me say, you’ve struck the
wrong man. Up with your veil and deliver!”
Dick was greatly interested in the scene, Me saw that there fas
fun ahead. The young man had spoken with great determination,
and the woman again exclaimed: |
“How dare you? What has come over you?”
“TL know you, madame. And now, up with your veil and de-
livers or I hand you over to the police.” > ~ .
The young man had just uttered the words, when he recled
over and fell to the ground, and the woman disappeared. A bold
and daring robbery and assault had taken place right under our
hero’s eyes, The woman-had slipped away like a disappearin
shadow, and the young man arose to his feet; but he was Confused
wag
and dazed, Dick caught a glimpse of his face sufficiently distinct -
to recognize him again ere he followed the woman. He came
upon her talking to another man. Dick saw her pass something
tothe man. He crept up close enough to hear the man say: 3
“You did it well; what did you get?” ‘Y
“* His watch, his diamonds, and his wallet,’’ a
“<He'll never say a word about it. It’s a good night’s work,
You are a darling.” You have saved me, dearest.”
** But oh! at what a cost!”
** Nothing will come of it.”’ :
** This is the second time I have been ‘led.into a crime.
ask me again,’’ .
“Hush, husht Allis right now.”
““Go back and learn what is said of the affair and tell me,”
“Twill, Where will you be?”
‘ The woman named a certain corner and a certain hour,
“Twill be on hand, otherwise I will send you a message.”
~ “By whom?’’ . : :
‘* Some one who will wear a white rose in his coat.’?
“* And you will let me know all?’’ .
“Yes. You aroa darling; but go now, It is just possible a
cop may swing around this way.’’ ~
The woman walked off, and Dick’s heart bled for her, the tool
of the man who had urged her on to commit a crime, It had been
a deliberate robbery; one of the most daring that could have been’
perpetrated. Dick felt that he would like to. follow the woman,
but hts duty demanded that he should follow the man. The pro-
posed meeting that was to take place later on, however, would per-
mit of his carrying out both schemes, He determined to follow the
Te would meet the woman later
on, but duty demanded that he should recover the watch, the dia-
monds, and the wallet. ,
The man walked off with a chuckle,. Dick was on the shadow.
He heard the man mutter: an
“Tl not meet her to-night. But sho did it well; she’s a jewel
California never turned out a brighter woman,”
The last words fell on Dick’s ear like a death-knell. Now he had
proof the most positive that the veiled woman and Louise Webster
were one and the same.
Never
The man went along Broadway, Dick was at his heels, The —..
iling-place, as most criminals do; itis the one ,
. . . . \,
fellow entered a gam