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BYNICHOLAS CARTER
BYNICHOLAS CARTER
Author of "Out of Crime's Depths," "Reaping the Whirlwind," "An Artful Schemer," etc. STREET & SMITH CORPORATION PUBLISHERS 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York Copyright, 1907 By STREET & SMITH A Woman at Bay All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian. Printed in the U. S. A....
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
Four men were seated around a camp fire made of old railroad ties, over which a kettle was boiling merrily, where it hung from an improvised crane above the blaze. Around, on the ground, were scattered a various assortment of tin cans, some of which had been hammered more or less straight to serve for plates, and it was evident from the general appearance of things around the camp that a meal had just been disposed of, and that the four men who had consumed it were now determined to make themsel
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
Each of the detective's three assistants understood thoroughly that Nick Carter's reason for directing them to do as he did was that they might each have learned the parts they had to play thoroughly by the time the actual work of it should begin. And not only that, they would have had two weeks during which to wear off the newness of habit and apparel; and by the time they arrived at the place of meeting, each would have become sufficiently schooled in his part to play it quite naturally. And t
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
The moment was an ominous one, and no one was better aware of the fact than Nick Carter. Everything depended now upon the perfection which his three assistants had attained in the parts they were to play. The sudden coming of the eight yeggmen, arriving as they had, so closely together, could not be the result of mere chance, and Nick had no doubt that they were in reality members of the very gang he was seeking. For the detective had determined in the beginning that the headquarters of the gang
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
A dead silence reigned around that camp fire for several moments after the two departed; but then the seven strangers who were left seated themselves in various attitudes, filled their pipes—or lit the stubs of half-smoked cigars, produced from their pockets; and after that, little by little, conversation was indulged in. The night was warm and balmy. There was no reason why any of them should seek other shelter than the boughs of the trees which already covered them; but Nick knew from the mann
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
When Nick Carter gazed upon the woman who stood before them, with her hands clasped behind her, he thought that he had never seen another like her. She could not by any stretch of the imagination have been called beautiful; she was too masculine in her appearance for that—that is, the expression of her face, her manner, and the position she assumed were masculine; but the suggestion of it ended there. She was as tall or taller than the detective, and her complexion was as dark as the hue to whic
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
The instant the strange machine was brought to a stop—and it was done wonderfully soon, considering the speed at which they had been traveling—the three men leaped to the ground beside the track, and Nick was ordered to follow them. He did so, and then he was told to bear a hand; and, following directions that were given him, he seized hold of the boxlike tonneau. Almost in a twinkling of time after that the machine was lifted from the track in sections, and finally, still in sections, was carri
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
When Nick Carter was shown a place to sleep that night—or, rather, that morning, for it was well toward daylight by the time Handsome and he returned to the outlaws' camp—he tumbled upon the bunk that was shown him, and he lost no time in doing so; nor did he open his eyes again until he felt a hand shaking him lustily, and a voice crying out to him: "Wake up, Dago! You're wanted!" He sprang up instantly; and, because he had laid himself down with nearly all his clothing still upon his person, h
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
Chick had committed the folly of not being entirely thorough in the creation of his disguise; so also had Ten-Ichi; and the soap and scrubbing brushes, as employed by Handsome, had done the work of removing it. But Patsy? Well, it had not been necessary for Patsy to be quite so thorough, for his own particular person and features were sufficient disguise, with a few minor alterations and additions. For instance, at the risk of not having it wear off soon enough to suit his purposes, he had gone
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
In the meantime, Patsy had been in half a dozen different kinds of a brown study. He realized that now the entire situation depended solely upon him, and that the lives of his chief, and of Chick and Ten-Ichi, rested wholly in his hands. He stood, be it said, all alone, in the midst of a huge swamp, from which escape could only be had by means of a boat, and into which he had been conducted blindfolded. Around him were men, all ready at any instant to take his life for the merest excuse; and alr
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
It was about a week later that Nick Carter received a note from the president of the railroad which caused him great astonishment. It was brief and to the point. It read: "Can you call on me at once? Black Madge has escaped." That was all, but it was enough to stir the detective to action, and, taking Patsy, who happened to be in when the message arrived, along with him, Nick at once visited the office of the railroad. "Well, Carter, it didn't take long for Black Madge to make good her threat, d
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
When Nick Carter and Patsy left the office of the railway president, they strolled in silence down the street until they came to a restaurant, and, entering, they found a secluded table in one corner, where they seated themselves and gave the order for luncheon. When it was brought to them, and the waiter had departed, Nick said to his assistant: "Well, Patsy, we start about where we began on the other case, with the single exception that we have broken up the stronghold in the swamp. It is safe
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
When Nick Carter arrived at Calamont, he was disguised as a lumberman. It was not exactly the season of the year for lumbermen to enter the woods, unless they were measurers, who were engaged in preparing in advance work for the winter; so that was the character which Nick Carter adopted. Measurers go into the woods, measure trees on the stump, as it is called, blaze them with cabalistic marks, and otherwise prepare the way for the workers with the axes and saws who are to come later. It is well
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
The detective passed the remainder of that day, and much of the night, in old Bill Turner's company, and during that time they talked incessantly about the mountains to which Nick was going, about the caverns in those mountains, and the trails through them; and when the conversation was finished Nick felt that he could find his way without difficulty wherever he cared to go among them. When he saw that the old man was tired out, he sent him to bed, and himself dropped upon a couch in Turner's li
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
It was a strange scene upon which the light of a huge camp fire shone that night, in the mountain retreat of the outlaws. A stake had been set in the ground, and to this Patsy was tied, so that all could see him plainly. Somewhat to one side, on a huge rustic chair, made by one of the men, the queen was seated in state, ready to act as judge at the trial that was to begin, and Cremation Mike was selected as prosecuting attorney. A jury of twelve of the men had been drawn, only it was a foregone
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
Nick Carter made his way as rapidly back through the cavern as he had gone through it with Patsy; but when he arrived at the entrance he came to a stop, and then went ahead again very slowly. He had no idea how long a time he had been gone, nor what might have happened during his absence. But when he peered out upon the valley, everything was apparently in the condition in which he had left it. If there had been any change at all, it was only that fewer of the men were gathered around the fires.
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
Handsome had also recovered from his paroxysm of rage by this time, for he was one who had the gift of knowing when he was beaten, and the logic to accept a situation when he knew that it could not be avoided. "I reckon you've got the drop on us, Carter," he said. "You've played the game mighty well, too. There is one thing about it that I would like to know, though, if you will tell me. Will you?" "What is it?" asked the detective. "I want to know if you have been old Bill Turner from the begin
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
"Patsy," said the detective, when they reëntered the cabin, after watching their punch consumed almost to the dregs, "this is about the biggest capture I was ever in." "But we are not through yet, chief," replied the assistant, stroking the white beard he wore so naturally that Nick laughed aloud. "There are sixteen more men at liberty yet, and we have got the whole bunch to tie up. Don't forget that there are four men stationed at each of the outside entrances to——" "Oh, I haven't forgotten it.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Nick Carter had entirely forgotten Black Madge's threat when he was forcibly reminded of it one morning by the following letter which he found on his breakfast table: " Nick Carter : One month ago—how time flies—I wrote to you that I hadn't done with you yet; that I would never forgive you, and that I would get even some day. "That was a month ago. I thought when I wrote that it might take a year—but they are easy marks in this State. "It was my hope after you captured me and all my followers, t
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
Down on the East Side of New York, in Rivington Street, and some distance east of the Bowery, on the second floor of one of the oldest buildings in the city, a remarkable meeting was being held during the night that followed the receipt of Madge's letter by Nick Carter. In a room on this floor, which was brilliantly lighted by four gas jets blazing from the chandelier, nine people were seated. They were gathered along two sides of the room, in which was a centre table, and behind this table was
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
A strange series of accidents began the night of the day following the receipt of the letter, and Nick Carter had no doubt whatever that it was the first act to be played in the drama of vengeance which Black Madge had inaugurated against them. It was rather a simple thing of itself, and did no damage to amount to anything. The fact was that during the night some malicious person had placed under the front steps in the areaway of his house a barrel that had been filled with cotton waste saturate
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
Mike Grinnel's place in Rivington Street was at that time one of those monstrosities which were permitted to exist within the limits of New York City nobody knows how. During the day and the early part of the evening it was to all appearances merely an ordinary saloon, and if a stranger were passing it he would regard it as a likely place to enter if he required refreshment. But when the hours deepened into the night, the place gradually assumed more and more the aspect which might be labeled da
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
When Curly John knocked at the door of the Sunday-night entrance to Mike Grinnel's dive in a peculiar manner, that was evidently full of significance to the one behind it, it opened instantly, and the burly form of the bouncer of the establishment was discovered. His face, which might have been a stone mask for all the expression it manifested when he first appeared, beamed with joy, however, when he discovered Curly John, and thrust out his big hamlike fist with undoubted enthusiasm. "Hello, Cu
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
It was a crucial moment for each of the three men who were seated at that table, and it affected each of the three quite differently. Chick was concerned only for the safety of his chief, for even then it did not occur to him that Black Madge had taken sufficient interest in himself to identify him, and that doubtless she still regarded him as really a friend of Curly's. Curly was plainly frightened, as well as utterly astounded. It had never occurred to him that the disguise of Nick Carter, whi
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
The action of Black Madge was so sudden and so unlooked for that it came as an entire surprise, even to Nick Carter, and the act which overturned the table, coming as it did from a position directly opposite his own, sent the table full upon him, and spilled the contents that had rested upon it into his lap. More than that, in spite of his effort to resist the force of the attack, his chair was overturned backward, and he found himself the next instant sprawling upon the floor. But even if he wa
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
The detective knew in that instant that he could no longer hope to save his prisoner; that is, to escape with her, and that the chances were about a thousand to one against his own escape. That Mike Grinnel was thoroughly incensed, and that he was determined that the detective should never get out of that place alive, was apparent in the cold glitter of his eyes, as he looked at Nick across the barrel of his revolver. And Nick knew how Grinnel had succeeded in heading him off. He could see in hi
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
"How long have you been here in this room?" asked the detective sharply. "I told you about a minute ago," was the surly reply. "About an hour." "Where were you before you came here?" "That's none of your infernal business." "I want to know if you were downstairs in the saloon?" "No, I wasn't, if that will satisfy you." "Have you been there at all to-night?" "Yes, I was there about three hours ago." "Was Black Madge there when you were there?" A cunning leer came into the fellow's face before he
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
When the bartender had taken his departure, Nick found a cigar in one of his pockets, and seated himself to smoke quietly until Phil should return. But when more than half an hour later the cigar was consumed, and he had thrown it aside, he began to feel a sense of uneasiness that the man should be gone so long a time. However, he realized that it was no easy task that Phil had undertaken, and that he might well occupy an hour or more in accomplishing it. He had no more cigars to smoke, but he s
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
But the flaring up of the match also developed another rather startling fact, and that was the presence of Curly, who, with the bartender, Phil, was standing directly behind Chick. The light also discovered Nick Carter to the others, as it discovered them to him, and, although it burned but a moment, it was a revelation to all the parties concerned. It was Phil, the bartender, who acted more quickly than the others in this somewhat confusing moment of the encounter, for, with admirable presence
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New Magnet Library
New Magnet Library
Not a Dull Book in This List ALL BY NICHOLAS CARTER Nick Carter stands for an interesting detective story. The fact that the books in this line are so uniformly good is entirely due to the work of a specialist. The man who wrote these stories produced no other type of fiction. His mind was concentrated upon the creation of new plots and situations in which his hero emerged triumphantly from all sorts of troubles and landed the criminal just where he should be—behind the bars. The author of these
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