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. for me, so l’ll
You are a strange man, Dick Doom, but
me with the utmost confi-
cave.
Just as the door closed behind Dick Doom
e saw a s euder form advancin rapidly to-
ward him along the dimly lighted all.
g It was Billy, the Bell-Boy.
CHAPTER VI.
BILLY -rm: BELL-BOY.
Dxcx Doou still wore his costume asa
gs uickly changed from his
black garb, when in D xeyls room, and h
upposed that the be l-boy, who had usher-
ed him into the room, won d suppose
other person.
t the dale-tective was surprised when the
Quaker-
O
D’
H
E‘-
8 W53 Ell-
Bu
bell-boy sal .
“ Please, sir, may I speak toyou a minute?”
h Dick Doiom his hands, as though in holy
nor an or: n n. s ne.
o“.What dost thee mean, boy, in addressing me
asjghnou are impertinent far beyond thy tender
yea". , m‘ani, please forgive me, butnl thought
yell; were a detective in female attire, cried the
be - .
“ Out upon thee. thou wicked boy," and Dick
Doom glided rnpidl down t e s , leaving
orse,
mounted the box leisurely,‘ wrapped himself up
warmly and drove away.
As the coupe left the stand, half a block away
hansom cab pulled out from the curb and fo -
a
lowed IL
he coupe stopped at the door of a retired
hotel on the east side of the city and the
ress got out, paid t e cabman
nsom stopped at the
f the hotel, and out sprung Billy
' H
askefl $9 clerk if he con go up and see the
" Quaker lady " stopping there, adding:
“I don't know her name, but I havea message
fo her.
If‘ Ehow this boy to Forty-nine,” said the
c er .
“Say, sonny, I‘m one of you, in the name biz,
you see, and Ican find the room, r i ' a fee
divvy," and Billy gave the boy
half a dollar and went on his way alon
Dick Doom ad no
e.
h n dve minutes in his
room w en there ca e :9. kn k at the door.
He step i to the nor, threw it
there stoonixiiilly, the Bell-Boy.
" Hal you tracked me 9"
ere
" Yes, air, for I wished to see you.”
C0 in!”
I‘
The ‘gfor closed behind Billy and was locked
g to the
ard and spoken in
t in the womanly tones he
could so perfec y assume.
“You will persist in saying sir to me."
“Yes sir, because you are " -
. -- Do I look it?"
“ No, sir, your disguise is perfect, yet you are
not a woman."
" Well, granted, what thenl" and Dick Doom's
eyes were riveted u n the face of the b0
and he seemed to flu his face one worth study-
1:.
“ You are a rletpctivei"
" Why do you think Io?”
"‘ Well, sir, i have shown the chief of police,
and several men whom I now are detectives,
Mr. Dix ms of late and I met you when
called, I‘-‘n,r"l then you were a pretty young
c .
1
S
8
I was on. duty then, so I jnst waited about
OI
. the hall and I saw you come out and go in again
immediate y."
ll es.77
"I still waited, walking b the door several
times, and I heard the v0 cos within of two
men.
“ E-nvesdroigrinz. ehi”
“ Not inten anally, sir; but I had a motive
for what I did.”
(I Go 011.11
;- =-
Dick Doom’s Diamond Deal.
“I knew that only yourself and Mr. Dixey
were in that room, an waited."
" You have patience.
“ It is a virtue, sir, I have had reason to culti-
vate.
“ You talk well for a boy of your years and
occupation.”
“ have seen better days, sir, than serving as
n ix-ll-boy in a hotel."
“So I believe. ‘ .
“ But to your stor .
‘ I was surprised when you came out in a dif-
ferent garb from the one you were in, but it co
vinced me that I was right in my belief that you
were a detective and so I spoke o y u
“ And then followed me ere
" Yes, sir.”
zzww" .
“ Itwastdetgrinined to speak to you. ’
W B
diamond robbery."
-now that there was a robbery?”
es
“ How do you know of it?"
n “ I was doing some work in the odice, sir,
wfhle? liiir. ’I1)1xey came in and told the proprieto
0 s oss. ‘
:2 do yiou, know of this robberyi"
ot ng, s r.
did you not tell Mr. Dixeyi’
not wish any one, not even Mr. Dixey,
to‘lrgpv;' that I was awar'e of the robbery."
e you come we.
“ I was certain trat you were a detective, sir,
f you would let me help you
try and find the diamonds and the thief."
“Ahl you wish to p y detective?"
.“N.ot play detective, sir, but be one in re-
“?’ii;.n you be trusted?"
C30 8
it What do you wish to-dol"
‘ I wish to still remain in the hotel as bell-boy,
sir, yet serve you as a ferret, or I believe I can
elp ou.
“ gill, my boy,I have half amind to try
n.
‘4
o
“ Oh, sir, please do.”
“Have you told any one that you know this
secret
“ Not a soul, sir."
" How long have you been at the hotell"
“ Three months, si " ,
“ What is your name?"
“Billy, sir."
me?"
n e bell-bo .”
“ ‘Veil, let me write a note t t is important,
and I will havea talk with you.”
e e wa-wrimnand sent bya messenger
and then Dick Doom turned to the bell-boy anti
said:
" Well, Billy, the manner in which you dis-
covered my disguise, and tracked me here proves
that you will make a i detective, so I will
take you into in service, and you may n
work in the bots? when you again go on duty
there as bell-bo 3‘
hour after. when Billy the Bell-Boy left
theroom of Dick Doom he did not see that he
was followed by a man who ha , a few moments
before, taken up a position in the hallway which
commanded a view of the detect ve's door.
CHAPTER "II.
A nannaor sroar.
Tun note which Dick Doom had written was
y in one of his three
arge trunks. and env ng the room oc ‘
door, departing from the hotel by the ladies’ en-
nce.
An hour after an order came for the baggage
of Misc Prue, the Qunkercimand incloeed money
to settle her hi .
The bearer took the lngga e to another hotel,
where it was sent to a an to 0 very
rooms which had been enga ed by ‘
" ti: e and ad
lst r.
to sa that “D. Richards" was
none other than Dick Doom, and he had hardly
gotten oomvortably settled in his new quarters
when. bundled up n heavy coat and seniskin
ca . he tell ed forth for a we . >
s wa ed to Police Ilemlqnnrters, and ask-
ing for the chief, he was told that he was not in
the city, having gone over to Philadelphia the
day before, but was expected back that night.
I
i
l
“ You received a note asking that a detective
be pla ed on watch a a room in an up- own
hotel to track a boy when he leit there?"
“ ’es, sir.”
“ Was it donei"
“ Yes, sir; the man was sent immediately, but
has not yet returnrt .”
“ Se him to call on this person when he re-
turns,” and he handed a car , upon which was
me of D. Richards and the hotel
whe e he was stopping.
“ =Ie at there, sir; but who shall 1
tell the chief it was who called?"
“ iive him this letter, for that will explain,”
and Dick Doom left Police Headquarters, walked
up Broadway leisurely, got his inner in a
fashionable restnurantand returned to his hotel.
e oun t era a man waiting to see “ r.
Richards," and took him with him to his room..
Kit! hown.
“ Sit down, . Gordon, and tell me what you
u doing.
The defective obeyed, and said:
“ I tracked in boy in livery from a room in an
up-town hotel, sir.”
“ Weill“
to the nearest hack-stand, got a
coupe, and took a drive to Central Park."
“ Ahl quite on extravagance for a bell-boy T’
:2 for he paid six dollars for his cab.”
e
“ He rove to a French restaurant and had a
table d‘hote dinner-"
“lVith wine '
“ No, sir, he drank nothing.”
“ And then i"
“ He went to a small but pleasant flat-house :14
Tu cnty-second street-here s the address, sir--
and his flat is on the top floor, left side of the
hall going up.
“He remained there sir, until seven o'clock,
when he came out and re urn to t e hotel
where he works, going on duty at eight, it be-
ing his night on duty. '
“ I dho el-e lives in the flat!”
e occupa
one else than the boy go and come from here.”
“ s on duty for the night at the
ote
“ Yes sir."
‘;]Thaiil5 you, Mr. Gordon, you have done
we . >
" Here is our pay," and the sum handed De-
tscoglve Go on seemed to please him, while Dick
doubtless need your services again.”
When Gordon had left the Dick Doom
robe.
This consisted of a suit of clothes of English
cut and checked cloth, a b onde wig and side
whiskers, Derby hat, gold eyeglasses, yellow
gloves and walkingetick and um rella.
Bis shoes and gaitora even were of English
make, and leaving the hotel he took a cab an
rove to an Ex reas ('12.
Here he got a trunk and was soon after put
down at the hotel where Henry Dixe lived.
He seemed no ' faction
was satisfied, having regis-
" Macxi-:a‘r liiacxxxrosn, ‘
Edinburgh."
The room he seen u t a few doors
from that of Henry Dixey, and Bill, the Bell-
Boy who showed in up, was not clever enough
to penetrate his disguise.
To his surprise Billy was given a guinea for
' t once supposed the Britlsher
wns a millionaire lord traveling incog.
But the pretended Scotchmnn remained but a
few minutes in his room,and tten sallieu cut for
a walk up Broudwa I
e stop in at the theater where Dixey was
playing and found “ standing room only," but
was ii t on d remained time d.
ook, an was s own one, is
odd ap rance attracting attention, which e
was apparently obliv one 0 .
He watched I)ixey's acting with deepest inter-
est, and at e c one n he r ormance was
leaving his box, when he can ht sight, thronib
e wings, of the chief of po ice awaiting t e,
xtaolrlnlng of t e actor when the curtain should
A
n
E‘