CHAPTER X.
CHICK SUPPLIES THE FINAL PROOF.
Ida was introduced to Mrs. Lock, and then she proceeded to make her report.
She had visited the dead girl’s boarding-place in Harlem, where she learned that Estelle was in the habit of spending the night elsewhere, occasionally at the house of an aunt somewhere in the suburbs, it was understood.
She had gone away the night previous to remain with this aunt, but returned unexpectedly quite late. She told her room-mate that her aunt was not at home.
For the first time Miss Langdon had a pistol in her possession with her initials, “E. L.,” engraved on the handle.
Her room-mate said Estelle explained that she bought the pistol to shoot cats, which annoyed them, at nights, from the back yards.
To prove her sincerity, she had gotten up in the night, and fired a shot at a serenading feline.{59}
Ida’s report was not what Nick hoped it might be, but just as she went out Chick came in, and he brought news that made Nick’s eyes glisten.
“I’ve run down my man,” said Chick, in a tone of satisfaction, after being introduced to Mrs. Lock and told by Nick to go ahead.
“Let us hear about it,” urged Nick, eagerly.
“Just as you thought he would, Gay returned to the Borden Building about eight o’clock.
“He went up to his office, and came down in disguise.
“Had it been in day-time, I should never have thought the old chap was Gay.”
“The old chap?”
“He was disguised as an old man.”
Nick instantly recalled the circumstance of the old man who had inquired of the elevator-boy for the offices of Bridgely & Byke.
The detective had no doubt now that Gay had returned to the building in that disguise, and got into Byke’s private office, where he had been hidden all day, hearing and seeing that which went on in Redway’s office.
“I followed him to a room on the Bowery. He was in that room about twenty minutes. When he came out, he was again in disguise, but the nature of the masquerade this time made my task of identification easy.”
“What was it this time?”
“An almost perfect counterpart of Victor Redway as you described him to me.
“He had a cab waiting at the sidewalk. I suspected that the cab was there for his use, and I had one ready to follow. He lost no time in getting over to Brooklyn. I didn’t lose him en route.
“He drove to a house on Atlantic avenue, and went in. When he came out, he had a little girl with him whom he handed into the cab, got in after her, and was driven away.”
“A little girl!” gasped Mrs. Lock, with a hand pressed to her heart.{60}
“The original of the picture in Redway’s watch,” said Chick.
“Oh, Heavens! My child—Estelle!”
“Do not get excited, Mrs. Lock,” cautioned Nick. “The little girl will not be harmed, and will be safely in your arms in good time.”
“But, sir, she is in his hands—in the hands of a murderer.”
“He will not harm a hair of her head. She is too important for the successful carrying out of his plans.”
“Well, disguised as Victor Redway, he had no trouble in getting the little girl away from the people in whose charge her father had placed her.
“He had, evidently dogged Redway’s steps and thus found out the girl’s hiding-place after you confided your story to him.”
“What does he intend to do with her?”
“Hide her away till Redway shall be out of his path. Then make her the price of your marriage to him.”
“I have the hiding-place located,” said Chick.
“Where is it?”
“On Ninth avenue, with Granny Grimes.”
“Well, he has a seasoned old wretch for a jailer, that’s certain.”
“Oh, what shall I do?” moaned Mrs. Lock.
“Do? Why, you must not return to your boarding-house. Your change of feeling toward Gay might arouse his suspicions.”
“Then where shall I go?”
“Suppose you stay here as the guest of Mrs. Carter till to-morrow morning?”
Mrs. Lock consented to Nick’s arrangements, and while Mrs. Carter and Ida were making her as comfortable as possible Nick and Chick went out on a little private business.
At exactly midnight the Tombs received another prisoner.
Oscar Gay, looking like a walking corpse, was led into the gloomy prison, and securely locked into a cell in murderer’s row.{61}
Next morning he was found dead on his cot.
No one will ever know where he had concealed the poison which ended his miserable life; for Nick and Chick had searched him carefully before they locked him up.
When Redway was released, he made a full explanation.
Nick’s deductions had been almost entirely correct.
When Redway found the dead girl collapsed in her chair on his return from the unsuccessful attempt to see his wife in Woodford’s office, he became convinced that Evelyn had fired the deadly shot.
The position of the body, and the nature of the wound, confirmed him in his belief.
He examined his pistol, which he found in the drawer where he had placed it that morning when Miss Langdon returned it to him. She gave it to him with one chamber empty, and he had found it with one chamber empty. So he naturally concluded it had not been discharged since the night before.
He did not know that in his absence that forenoon Miss Langdon must have put a cartridge in the empty cylinder.
When Redway “planted” the pistol beneath the dead girl’s hand he supposed the empty chamber was the same from which she had discharged the shot at the cat.
It turned out that Gay secured Miss Langdon her position with Bridgely & Byke; also that Redway at once recognized her as his wife’s cousin, but to keep his own identity a secret, did not let her know of his relationship to her, after having tested her with a suppositional story of a client, which was really his wife’s story.
Miss Langdon had recognized her cousin when the latter left Redway’s office that afternoon. For some reason she associated Mrs. Lock’s visit with Gay, because she had heard her give Redway her address, which she knew was Gay’s boarding-place. She was in{62}sanely jealous of Gay, and suspected him of treachery.
In that loud interview with Redway, after he returned from seeing Mrs. Lock to the elevated station, Estelle admitted that she had borrowed his pistol—which had formerly been a present from Redway to his wife, “E. L.”—to kill Gay the night before, and then herself, if he refused to absolve from her oath, not to betray their relationship by word or act till he gave his consent.
He had failed to meet her, however, at their secret tryst, and had avoided her next day.
Nick believes she had sent for him to have Gay’s footsteps dogged.
Gay, in his concealment, heard her threats against his life, and also overheard all that passed between Redway and Evelyn. He foresaw final reconciliation between the couple, and knew that he could only win by sudden and desperate steps.
Fortune seemed to favor him. When he saw Mrs. Lock in the window opposite, and heard Redway leave the office, his impulse carried him away. In a flash he had assumed Redway’s disguise, slipped out into the hall, and entered through the large office to Redway’s room, where he coolly killed his victim before the eyes of the woman he was willing to sell his soul to possess.
Thence he walked downstairs, and went to his room on the Bowery, taking many chances of meeting the real Redway on the way.
In his Bowery den, he changed once more to his everyday stylish clothes, and returned to the building to confront Redway.
His original design in duplicating Redway’s clothes, and getting the false wig and mustache which made him so true a double, must have been to get possession of little Estelle in the manner which he so suddenly put into practice.
Victor Redway Lock and Evelyn Lock{63} were restored to each other’s love and confidence.
Their lives were so thoroughly reunited that no more false reports of malicious enemies can ever part them again.
Chick found little Estelle unharmed in Granny Grimes’s miserable lodgings, and placed the child in the arms of the mother she had almost forgotten.
The happy little family are living peacefully and quietly on their lovely English estate.
They never tire of talking about Nick Carter’s wonderful professional skill in saving them from the almost successful plots of Oscar Gay.
THE END.
The next number of the Nick Carter Weekly will contain “The Best Detective in the Country; or, A Prompt Reply to a Telegram.”
LATEST ISSUES.
187—The Best Detective in the Country; or, A Prompt Reply to a Telegram.
186—Nick Carter Rescues a Daughter; or, The Junior Partner’s Strange Behavior.
185—Nick Carter Saves a Reputation; or, A Button Worth a Fortune.
184—Shielding a Murderer; or, Nick Carter’s Dealings with an Avenger.
183—Saved from the Penitentiary; or, Three Cheers for Nick Carter.
182—The Blood-Stained Check; or, Nick Carter in the Dissecting-Room.
181—In the Clutch of the Law; or, Nick Carter’s Chain of Evidence.
180—The Government Custom’s Swindle; or, Nick Carter’s Work for the U. S. Treasury.
179—Nick Carter’s Beautiful Decoy; or, The Diamond Duke of Chicago.
178—Nick Carter Arrests a Client; or, The Body Found in the Flat.
177—Nick Carter’s Dumb Assistant; or, The Man with a Dead Brain.
176—Nick Carter Behind the Counter; or, A Peck of Pawn Tickets.
175—Nick Carter’s Pointer; or, A Hungry Dog’s Dinner.
174—By Whose Hand; or, Nick Carter Advertises for a Cab-Driver.
173—Caught in Six Hours; or, Trouble in Room No. 46.
172—Burglar Joe; or, Nick Carter’s Leap in the Dark.
171—Nick Carter’s Little Shadow; or, The Man with the Yellow Dog.
170—Caught by Electricity; or, Nick Carter Bags an Old Offender.
169—Unmasked by Nick Carter; or, An Attempt at Blackmail.
168—Nick Carter’s Second Sight; or, A Dumfounded Prisoner.
167—Nick Carter Makes a Loan That Brings Him Big Returns.
166—Nick Carter Prevents a Disturbance, and Loses a Disguise.
165—Nick Carter in a Hole; or, A Plan to Catch Him That Didn’t Work.
Back numbers always on hand. If you cannot get our publications from your newsdealer, five cents a copy will bring them to you by mail, postpaid.
THE MEDAL LIBRARY.
Oliver Optic and Others. The Right Books at the Right Price.
There is a line of classics for youth—the books your fathers read—the books you want to read—the books the boys and girls will read and like as long as the English language endures. They have done more to shape the mind of American boys for the last fifty years than any others. We refer to the writings of Oliver Optic, Horatio Alger, Edward S. Ellis, Lieut. Lounsberry, James Otis, William Murray Graydon, etc. These names are familiar wherever the American flag floats.
Unfortunately, they have heretofore been procurable only in expensive binding at from $1.00 to $1.50 each. The average boy has not got $1.50 to invest. Ten cents is nearer his price. We have made the ten cent book the leader with the elder readers. Now we are going to do the same thing for the boys, and give them their favorites in a form in every respect equal to our well-known Eagle and Magnet Libraries, at the uniform price of ten cents. Thousands of boys have asked us to issue this line. Thousands more are ready to buy it on sight. There is no line like it in the world. We can justly call it the Medal series, as every book will be a prize winner. It will contain no story that the boys have not approved as a “standard.” They have bought them by the thousands at $1.00 and upwards, and now they can get them for TEN CENTS A COPY.{66}
| 63—In the Sunk Lands | Walter F. Burns |
| 62—How He Won | Brooks McCormick |
| 61—The Erie Train Boy | Horatio Alger, Jr. |
| 60—The Mountain Cave | George H. Coomer |
| 59—The Rajah’s Fortress | William Murray Graydon |
| 58—Gilbert, the Trapper | Capt. C. B. Ashley |
| 57—The Gold of Flat Top Mountain | Frank H. Converse |
| 56—Nature’s Young Noblemen | Brooks McCormick |
| 55—A Voyage to the Gold Coast | Frank H. Converse |
| 54—Joe Nichols; or, Difficulties Overcome | Alfred Oldfellow |
| 53—The adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy | Arthur Lee Putnam |
| 52—From Farm Boy to Senator | Horatio Alger, Jr. |
| 51—Tom Tracy | Arthur Lee Putnam |
| 50—Dean Dunham | Horatio Alger, Jr. |
| 49—The Mystery of a Diamond | Frank H. Converse |
| 48—Luke Bennett’s Hide-Out | Capt. C. B. Ashley, U. S. Scout |
| 47—Eric Dane | Matthew White, Jr. |
| 46—Poor and Proud | Oliver Optic |
| 45—Jack Wheeler: A Western Story | Captain David Southwick |
| 44—The Golden Magnet | George Manville Fenn |
| 43—In Southern Seas | Frank H. Converse |
| 42—The Young Acrobat | Horatio Alger, Jr. |
| 41—Check 2134 | Edward S. Ellis |
| 40—Canoe and Campfire | St. George Rathborne |
| 39—With Boer and Britisher in the Transvaal | William Murray Graydon |
| 38—Gay Dashleigh’s Academy Days | Arthur Sewall |
| 37—Commodore Junk | George Manvlle Fenn |
| 36—In Barracks and Wigwam | William Murray Graydon |
| 35—In the Reign of Terror | G. A. Henty {67} |
| 34—The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green | Cuthbert Bede, B. A. |
| 33—Jud and Joe, Printers and Publishers | Gilbert Patten |
| 32—The Curse of Carnes’ Hold | G. A. Henty |
| 31—The Cruise of the Snow Bird | Gordon Stables |
| 30—Peter Simple | Captain Marryat |
| 29—True to the Old Flag | G. A. Henty |
| 28—The Boy Boomers | Gilbert Patten |
| 27—Centre-Board Jim | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 26—The Cryptogram | William Murray Graydon |
| 25—Through the Fray | G. A. Henty |
| 24—The Boy from the West | Gilbert Patten |
| 23—The Dragon and the Raven | G. A. Henty |
| 22—From Lake to Wilderness | William Murray Graydon |
| 21—Won at West Point | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 20—Wheeling for Fortune | James Otis |
| 19—Jack Archer | G. A. Henty |
| 18—The Silver Ship | Leon Lewis |
| 17—Ensign Merrill | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 16—The White King of Africa | William Murray Graydon |
| 15—Midshipman Merrill | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 14—The Young Colonists: A Story of Life and War in Africa | G. A. Henty |
| 13—Up the Ladder | Lieut. Murray |
| 12—Don Kirk’s Mine | Gilbert Patten |
| 11—From Tent to White House (Boyhood and Life of President McKinley) | Edward S. Ellis |
| 10—Don Kirk, the Boy Cattle King | Gilbert Patten |
| 9—Try Again | Oliver Optic |
| 8—Kit Carey’s Protege | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 7—Chased Through Norway | James Otis |
| 6—Captain Carey of the Gallant Seventh | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 5—Now or Never | Oliver Optic |
| 4—Lieutenant Carey’s Luck | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 3—All Aboard | Oliver Optic |
| 2—Cadet Kit Carey | Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry |
| 1—The Boat Club | Oliver Optic |
OTHERS EQUALLY GOOD TO FOLLOW.
Order them at once. If you cannot get them send to us. Remember these are 12mo books, printed from new plates, with elegant covers, and are the “real thing” and only TEN CENTS A COPY.{69}
The Tip Top Weekly
AND THE FRANK MERRIWELL STORIES.
No modern series of tales for boys and youth has met with anything like the cordial reception and popularity accorded to the Frank Merriwell Stories, published in Street & Smith’s TIP TOP WEEKLY, a publication which has to-day a circulation larger than that of all similar publications combined. There must be a reason for this, and there is. Frank Merriwell, as portrayed by the author, is a jolly, wholesouled, honest, courageous American lad, who appeals to the hearts of the boys. He has no bad habits, and his manliness inculcates the idea that it is not necessary for a boy to indulge in petty vices to be a hero. Frank Merriwell’s example is a shining light for every ambitious lad to follow.
The following are the Latest Issues:
207—Frank Merriwell’s Influence; or, Inza, the Mascot of the Crew.
208—Frank Merriwell’s Theory; or, A Fight for a Friend.
209—Frank Merriwell’s Five; or, Old Friends at Yale.
210—Frank Merriwell’s Honor; or, The Nobility of Badger.
211—Frank Merriwell’s Reward; or, Buck Badger’s Humiliation.
212—Frank Merriwell’s Football; or, the Disappearance of Jack Ready.
213—Frank Merriwell’s Handicap; or, The Heroism of Elsie.
214—Frank Merriwell’s Stroke; or, The Test of Friendship.
215—Frank Merriwell’s Favor; or, True as Steel.
216—Frank Merriwell’s Phantom; or, The Ghost of Barney Mulloy.
217—Frank Merriwell’s “Pull;” or, True and Tried.
218—Frank Merriwell’s “Liner;” or, Elsie, the Mascot of the Nine.
219—Frank Merriwell’s Compact; or, The Triumph of Badger.
220—Frank Merriwell’s Curves; or, Clipping the Tiger’s Claws.
ISSUED EVERY FRIDAY. 5c. PER COPY. 32 PAGES AND ILLUMINATED COVER.
{70}
MORE LIBRARIES TO SUIT “TIP TOP” READERS.
The Do and Dare Weekly
PHIL RUSHINGTON, THE ACTOR-MANAGER.
The “Do and Dare Weekly” tells of the exploits and adventures of one PHIL RUSHINGTON, a lively, hustling, bright and brave American boy—a first-class all-round athlete, and a thorough gentleman in all the phases of his eventful career. The author of these stories is MR. STANLEY NORRIS, an able writer, and one thoroughly in sympathy with the wants of our boys and girls in the line of reading. His work is bound to please.
The following are the latest issues:
11—Phil Rushington’s Great Show; or, Another Whirl of Fortune’s Wheel.
12—Phil Rushington’s Star Rider; or, Rivals of the Ring.
13—Phil Rushington’s Home Trip; or, Two Kinds of a Circus.
14—Phil Rushington’s Loss; or, A Lion Hunt in the City.
15—Phil Rushington’s Rivals; or, Three Shows in One Town.
16—Phil Rushington’s Clown; or, The Secret of the Star Rider.
17—Phil Rushington’s Temptation; or, An Act Not Down on the Bills.
18—Phil Rushington’s Race; or, The Pursuit of the Rival Circus.
19—Phil Rushington’s Prize; or, The Show for Tent Number Two.
20—Phil Rushington’s Search; or, The Unknown Rider of the Ring.
The “Do and Dare Weekly” appears every Tuesday. 32 pages, illuminated cover, uniform in size and style with “Tip Top.”
“Comrades”
THE BEST RAILROAD STORIES EVER WRITTEN.
TOM WRIGHT, the hero of “Comrades,” is a bright boy who has decided to devote his life to the service of “King
Steam” in one of the great railroads of our land. Rest assured he will reach fame and fortune on the lightning
express. The life of an ambitious railroad man is full of exciting incident, and Tom has his full share of adventures.
Through all of these, he will be found Wright by name, right in word, right in deed, and
always right. The many adventures of Tom and his friends will be followed with the deepest
interest by all who are fortunate enough to read this new series of splendid stories. Tom is
surrounded by several “comrades,” who join hands with him and stand by him in his various
enterprises. MR. ROBERT STEEL is an author of wide experience in the field covered
by these stories, and his work will please all who admire the well-known “Tip Top
Weekly” and “Do and Dare Weekly,” to which “Comrades” will be a companion.
6—Tom Wright’s Fast Run; or, The Million Dollar Train.
7—Tom Wright’s Choice; or, The Engineer’s Strange Warning.
8—Tom Wright on the Flyer; or, The Missing Express Package.
9—Tom Wright’s Resolve; or, A Railroad Chum’s Noble Sacrifice.
10—Tom Wright on Duty; or, A Battle Against Railroad Crooks.
11—Tom Wright’s Substitute; or, The Dumb Flagman at Dead Man’s Curve.
12—Tom Wright in Demand; or, A Mile a Minute in a Private Car.
13—Tom Wright’s Right-of-Way; or, Stealing a March on the Enemy.
14—Tom Wright Misjudged; or, Called Down by the Company.
15—Tom Wright Switched Off; or, A New Start on a New Railroad.
Remember, “COMRADES” appears every Wednesday—Read it—Price 5c.
32 pages, illuminated cover, uniform in size and style with “Tip Top.”
| Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: |
|---|
|
Nick’s presecne was=> Nick’s presence was Mr. Redwav had loaned=> Mr. Redway had loaned |