Will Somers, The Boy Detective - free ebook by Charles Morris

WILL SOMERS, THE BOY DETECTIVE.

BY CHARLES MORRIS. “ SHALL I LAY YOU OUT A PIECE OF THIS? IT’S DOG CHEAP. JUST LOOK AT THAT STUFF. ” Will Somers, THE BOY DETECTIVE. BY CHARLES MORRIS....

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CHAPTER I. LOOKING FOR WORK.

“Got any opening in these diggin’s for a feller of my size and good looks?” The speaker was a boy of some sixteen years of age, a well-built, athletic lad, the sinewy development of his limbs showing through more than one rent in his well-worn clothes. His claim to good looks was indisputable. A bright black eye gave character to a face of classical outline, straggling curls of dark hair hanging low over his olive-hued cheeks and brow, while his nose and mouth had all the fine curves of the Grec

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CHAPTER II. STORE LIFE.

Mr. Leonard was the proprietor of a large wholesale dry-goods house, on Market street. He dealt extensively in the richer qualities of goods, and cases of costly silks, rich shawls, and other expensive fabrics were constantly imported by him. There were a dozen or more salesmen, porters, etc., employed about the store, besides the numerous clerks in the counting-house, and in the business hours of the day the long, wide store bustled with activity till it seemed a very bee-hive of commerce. A fe

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CHAPTER III. MR. LEONARD’S VISITOR.

It was two or three days after the last-narrated events that a slender, keen-eyed person stopped in front of Mr. Leonard’s store. He was dressed in grayish clothes, and wore a wide-rimmed hat. He glanced up at the lofty iron front, reaching five stories high, and then briskly entered the store, threading his way back between the open cases of goods which covered the long floor to the counting-house. Sending in his card he was at once admitted to Mr. Leonard’s private office. “Take a seat, Mr. Fi

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CHAPTER IV. WILL MAKES A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.

Meanwhile Willful Will, as the officer had called him, was on his way to Mr. Leonard’s country-seat. He bore a note addressed to a Miss Jennie Arlington, a resident of the merchant’s house, which he was directed to deliver into her own hands without delay, and wait for any return message. The mansion was a broad-fronted, brown-stone edifice, richly ornamented, and surrounded with beautifully-kept grounds, in which now a host of flowers were in bloom. Seen from the front, through the vailing scre

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CHAPTER V. UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

“I do not know what to make of this,” said Mr. Leonard, as he sat with a bank-book and a package of canceled checks in his hand. “I am positive that my account is not overdrawn. This settlement makes me five hundred dollars short, where I should have at least one thousand dollars to my credit.” “It is very strange,” said Mr. Wilson. “We have never found an error in our account with the Mechanic’s Bank before.” “They paid my check without hesitation?” “Certainly. They would have paid it if it had

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CHAPTER VI. WILL’S FIRST SALE.

No one in Mr. Leonard’s establishment was aware of the fact that a rat of a new species had made free that night with the contents of the cellar. Will, for reasons of his own, kept his adventure secret, appearing in the store the next morning as if he had just walked in from the street. It had not been so easy to remove the traces of his rough usage of the goods, and he had spent considerable time in smoothing and folding the cloths and the richer and more fragile materials which had served him

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CHAPTER VII. TROUBLE IN THE BASEMENT.

Mr. Abraham Smith, as the country customer called himself, paid for the small bill of goods which he had purchased. “How shall we ship them?” asked the clerk. “You needn’t mind. Just lay them by. Might have to buy something else before I go back and can have all sent together.” “Very well,” said the clerk. “That will be all right.” “I’ve got a deal to ’tend to, you see,” said Mr. Smith, confidentially. “Ain’t seen my city relatives fer two years, and they’re a bit r’iled about it. Good day, Mr.—

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CHAPTER VIII. TWO LOVERS.

It was at a later hour that same day that our young friend, Willful Will, met unexpectedly with Miss Arlington, the lady whose acquaintance he had made the previous day. She was walking quietly along Seventh street, a little frequented avenue, and seemed as if expecting some one. There were indications of a slight petulance at his or her failure to appear. “Hallo!” cried Will, under his breath. “Seems to me I’ve seen that figure-head afore. Blest if it ain’t the gal that shook me yesterday! Isn’

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CHAPTER IX. THE TELL-TALE CLEW.

Mr. Leonard was in quite a serious mood as he sat that evening in the spacious library of his elegant home. The room he occupied was charmingly appointed. Bookcases in rich foreign woods, well-filled with tasteful volumes, alternated with fine pictures and suggestive bits of statuary, gave the room an aspect which only combined culture and wealth could produce. A richly-colored carpet covered the floor. An elegant chandelier in bronze hung over the wide center-table, which was covered with delic

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CHAPTER X. A CONFERENCE.

Mr. Leonard and the officer were closeted in close conversation. On this occasion the latter was in his ordinary dress. The fact of the loss of the three pieces of cloth was known throughout the store, and there was no need of secrecy in this interview. “The whole affair is growing more and more mixed,” he said, after listening gravely to Mr. Leonard. “The clew lays somewhere in your own store, but it will take time to get hold of the end of it. The parties are very shrewd.” “I can scarcely imag

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CHAPTER XI. IN THE CELLAR.

Mr. Leonard and his visitor proceeded together to the basement of the establishment. They were followed by Mr. Wilson. The officer paused on reaching the foot of the stairs, and took a general view of the long room. “You keep some valuable goods down here?” he asked. “Not our most valuable.” “Have any of these other cases been examined? Your visitors may not have confined their attention to the one line of goods.” “No. They were all broken, and would not show tampering so easily. Had I better ha

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CHAPTER XII. A REJECTED SUIT.

Jennie Arlington sat disconsolately at a window in Mr. Leonard’s library. She was not alone. Mr. Augustus Wilson occupied a chair by her. They had been conversing for a short time. “It is a distressing affair to Mr. Leonard,” he said. “This thing of finding himself robbed of valuable goods on every side, and quite unable to trace the thief, is a source of great annoyance, and may prove ruinous in the end.” “I know it, Mr. Wilson,” she replied, “and wish I could help it.” “You may be able to do s

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CHAPTER XIII. NO ANSWER.

An old, well-dressed and fine-faced gentleman called at Mr. Leonard’s store, and stood looking irresolutely down the long floor, as if in doubt whom to address. A salesman approached, supposing him to be a customer. “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked. “I came to inquire about a boy you have engaged here. I believe you have a boy?” “Yes, sir. I hope there is nothing wrong about him. Has he been in mischief?” “No, no. Just the contrary. Is he in?” “Somewhere. He will be here in a minute. There

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CHAPTER XIV. WILL’S REVELATION.

It was Jennie Arlington’s first trouble, and it was a deep one. She was proud, in her way; that rare pride which shrinks from disgrace as from a pestilence, yet is conjoined with a sterling honesty that clings to the right, even through disgrace. Her life, so far, had been sunny, and this sudden descent into the shadow of a great cloud was doubly hard to bear. But there was in her nature powers which had never yet been developed, and which rose within her to meet this crisis in her life. She sat

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CHAPTER XV. WILL VISITS MR. SOMERS.

“I would have preferred to have kept this matter quiet,” said Mr. Fitler, the officer. “But that cannot be done now. The robbery of the cloths is public property, and the arrest of John Elkton has made the affair of the silks as public.” “And he still refuses to tell where he got the piece which he gave my ward?” asked Mr. Leonard, anxiously. “Yes. We cannot get a word from him about it.” “That has a very suspicious look,” said Mr. Wilson. “The man could have no object in screening robbers unles

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CHAPTER XVI. THE OLD COMPANIONS.

It was noon on Monday. Will spent his dinner-hour in Independence Square, a spot sacred to his old associates of boot-blacking propensities. He had given up eating for the pleasure of interviewing. He had already had an earnest talk with some half a dozen of the boys, and now approached another, who was just entering the Square from Walnut street. The latter was a boy of Will’s own age, a bare-footed, bare-armed, ragged young citizen, with a keen, wide-awake look on his not overly clean face. “H

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CHAPTER XVII. GUARDIAN AND WARD.

Jennie Arlington’s sorrow had worn off, and had been replaced by a sentiment of anger and bitterness of spirit. That a man like John Elkton should be seized as a common felon, a man of the purest character and unstained reputation, to be thrown into prison on a bare suspicion, seemed an utter outrage. She was in no mood to appreciate the reasons for this arrest, or to consider the very dubious position in which his refusal to explain placed him. She was angry with her guardian, with the officer,

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CHAPTER XVIII. WILL PREPARES FOR WORK.

We left Will and his companion on a shed overlooking a band of conspirators. The long June twilight had just passed, the sky was overcast with clouds, and it was quite dark. Will glanced in at the narrow aperture of the window. There was less than an inch of space left by the curtain. But this enabled him to catch a glimpse of a table, on which burnt a lamp, and to see the faces of the four men seated around it. Black-eyed Joe stood back. He had just brought up some liquors. Will could scarcely

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CHAPTER XIX. A PRISON CELL.

John Elkton had been a week in prison. His arrest had excited much indignation among his friends, who had a high opinion of his character. His silence, however, in regard to the damaging charge against him excited distrust in some, even his friends. His employer was one of these. He offered to see that John was released on bail, if he would only explain to him this mystery. But John would not explain, and did not want bail. He was moody and unhappy in his contracted prison cell, and grew cross a

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CHAPTER XX. MR. SOMERS’S STORY.

“I have been a very unfortunate man,” said old Mr. Somers, to a gentleman visiting him. “Not that I wish to parade my troubles, but I speak of them with the constant hope of receiving some important information.” “I am in a trade where a good deal of important information comes in,” said the visitor. “Perhaps I may help you.” “You are a stranger to me, sir, but I judge from your manner you can sympathize with a father’s misfortune. I will tell you my story.” “I will listen, and make no promises,

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CHAPTER XXI. THE INITIALS.

“Is Mr. Powers in?” inquired a lady’s voice, at North 10th street, No. 1,485. “Not at present,” was the reply. “But we expect him every minute. He does not leave the store till after five o’clock.” “In what store is he engaged?” asked the lady. “At Brown &amp; Felger’s, in Market street.” “I will wait for him.” “Please step into the parlor, miss. He will soon be here.” The visitor seated herself in the small, but neatly-furnished parlor. “Brown &amp; Felger. That is next door to Mr. Leon

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CHAPTER XXII. THE SECRET OUT.

It was Friday. The goods taken in the previous day had been examined and found correct. Mr. Leonard, however, in accordance with his promise to Will, had kept faithfully the latter’s secret. The merchant and detective were seated in earnest conversation this afternoon, the latter in the same disguise in which he had formerly visited the store. Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Will, in company with Miss Arlington. He turned a quizzical look upon the apparent country merchant

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CHAPTER XXIII. CAUGHT IN THE ACT.

The stores of Mr. Leonard and of Brown and Felger opened upon a narrow street, deserted at night, save that occasionally a passing policeman gazed down its dark depths. On the night of the robbery, however, the three men Will had seen stood conversing just inside the rear door of Brown and Felger’s establishment, the door standing ajar. “Don’t move till near morning,” said one of them cautiously. “The police may have been warned, and we will need to be wide awake. Wait till the milk-wagons and m

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CHAPTER XXIV. THE LOST FOUND.

Will had now given up his old residence, and was regularly located at the residence of his new-found father. The old gentleman was exceedingly happy in the possession of this strong, handsome lad for his son, and doted upon him with an affection which Will, in good measure, returned. He told his father with much vim of the morning’s events, the arrest of the burglars, and the part he had taken in it. The old gentleman was delighted with the courage and shrewdness of his son. “And now, my dear so

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CHAPTER XXV. CONCLUSION.

A long and confidential interview ensued between the father and his two newly-discovered children. It was not easy for Jennie to take in the fact of her new relations. Such a sudden and surprising revelation naturally troubled her, and it was only by degrees that the last lingering doubts faded from her mind. There was something very gentle and lovable about the old man, and she felt herself strongly drawn toward him. To Will, also, she had felt from the first a sense of attraction, which had ca

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