Transcriber's Notes:
The original spelling, hyphenation, and punctuation have been retained, with the exception of apparent typographical errors which have been corrected.
For convenience, a table of contents, which is not present in the original, has been included.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | A DOUBTFULL CLIENT | [5] |
| II. | MR. SNELL IN TROUBLE | [15] |
| III. | A GAME OF WATCHING | [26] |
| IV. | PATSY’S DANCING LESSON | [42] |
| V. | CAUGHT IN THE HILLS | [53] |
| VI. | PATSY IS FORCED TO SLEEP | [62] |
| VII. | THE MYSTERY OF GEORGE SNELL | [76] |
| VIII. | THE RANSOM | [91] |
| IX. | A CALL TO COLORADO | [104] |
| X. | WAITING FOR NICK CARTER | [118] |
| XI. | A SUSPECT AND AN ALIBI | [132] |
| XII. | THE JOURNEY TO HANK LOW’S | [146] |
| XIII. | AN ARREST | [156] |
| XIV. | SNAPPED | [172] |
| XV. | DADDY DREW’S DIVE | [183] |
| XVI. | HANK LOW’S LUCK | [194] |
NICK CARTER STORIES
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 stories knew more about writing detective stories than any other single person.
Following is a list of the best Nick Carter stories. They have been selected with extreme care, and we unhesitatingly recommend each of them as being fully as interesting as any detective story between cloth covers which sells at ten times the price.
If you do not know Nick Carter, buy a copy of any of the New Magnet Library books, and get acquainted. He will surprise and delight you.
| ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT | |
| 850—Wanted: A Clew | 851—A Tangled Skein |
| 852—The Bullion Mystery | 853—The Man of Riddles |
| 854—A Miscarriage of Justice | 855—The Gloved Hand |
| 856—Spoilers and the Spoils | 857—The Deeper Game |
| 858—Bolts from Blue Skies | 859—Unseen Foes |
| 860—Knaves in High Places | 861—The Microbe of Crime |
| 862—In the Toils of Fear | 863—A Heritage of Trouble |
| 864—Called to Account | 865—The Just and the Unjust |
| 866—Instinct at Fault | 867—A Rogue Worth Trapping |
| 868—A Rope of Slender Threads | 869—The Last Call |
| 870—The Spoils of Chance | 871—A Struggle with Destiny |
| 872—The Slave of Crime | 873—The Crook’s Blind |
| 874—A Rascal of Quality | 875—With Shackles of Fire |
| 876—The Man Who Changed Faces | 877—The Fixed Alibi |
| 878—Out with the Tide | 879—The Soul Destroyers |
| 880—The Wages of Rascality | 881—Birds of Prey |
| 882—When Destruction Threatens | 883—The Keeper of Black Hounds |
| 884—The Door of Doubt | 885—The Wolf Within |
| 886—A Perilous Parole | 887—The Trail of the Finger Prints |
| 888—Dodging the Law | 889—A Crime in Paradise |
| 890—On the Ragged Edge | 891—The Red God of Tragedy |
| 892—The Man Who Paid | 893—The Blind Man’s Daughter |
| 894—One Object in Life | 895—As a Crook Sows |
| 896—In Record Time | 897—Held in Suspense |
| 898—The $100,000 Kiss | 899—Just One Slip |
| 900—On a Million-dollar Trail | 901—A Weird Treasure |
| 902—The Middle Link | 903—To the Ends of the Earth |
| 904—When Honors Pall | 905—The Yellow Brand |
| 906—A New Serpent in Eden | 907—When Brave Men Tremble |
| 908—A Test of Courage | 909—Where Peril Beckons |
| 910—The Garoni Girdle | 911—Rascals & Co. |
| 912—Too Late to Talk | 913—Satan’s Apt Pupil |
| 914—The Girl Prisoner | 915—The Danger of Folly |
| 916—One Shipwreck Too Many | 917—Scourged by Fear |
| 918—The Red Plague | 919—Scoundrels Rampant |
| 920—From Clew to Clew | 921—When Rogues Conspire |
| 922—Twelve in a Grave | 923—The Great Opium Case |
| 924—A Conspiracy of Rumors | 925—A Klondike Claim |
| 926—The Evil Formula | 927—The Man of Many Faces |
| 928—The Great Enigma | 929—The Burden of Proof |
| 930—The Stolen Brain | 931—A Titled Counterfeiter |
| 932—The Magic Necklace | 933—’Round the World for a Quarter |
| 934—Over the Edge of the World | 935—In the Grip of Fate |
| 936—The Case of Many Clews | 937—The Sealed Door |
| 938—Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men | 939—The Man Without a Will |
| 940—Tracked Across the Atlantic | 941—A Clew from the Unknown |
| 942—The Crime of a Countess | 943—A Mixed up Mess |
| 944—The Great Money-order Swindle | 945—The Adder’s Brood |
| 946—A Wall Street Haul | 947—For a Pawned Crown |
| 948—Sealed Orders | 949—The Hate that Kills |
| 950—The American Marquis | 951—The Needy Nine |
| 952—Fighting Against Millions | 953—Outlaws of the Blue |
| 954—The Old Detective’s Pupil | 955—Found in the Jungle |
| 956—The Mysterious Mail Robbery | 957—Broken Bars |
| 958—A Fair Criminal | 959—Won by Magic |
| 960—The Piano Box Mystery | 961—The Man They Held Back |
| 962—A Millionaire Partner | 963—A Pressing Peril |
| 964—An Australian Klondike | 965—The Sultan’s Pearls |
| 966—The Double Shuffle Club | 967—Paying the Price |
| 968—A Woman’s Hand | 969—A Network of Crime |
| 970—At Thompson’s Ranch | 971—The Crossed Needles |
| 972—The Diamond Mine Case | 973—Blood Will Tell |
| 974—An Accidental Password | 975—The Crook’s Double |
| 976—Two Plus Two | 977—The Yellow Label |
| 978—The Clever Celestial | 979—The Amphitheater Plot |
| 980—Gideon Drexel’s Millions | 981—Death in Life |
| 982—A Stolen Identity | 983—Evidence by Telephone |
| 984—The Twelve Tin Boxes | 985—Clew Against Clew |
| 986—Lady Velvet | 987—Playing a Bold Game |
| 988—A Dead Man’s Grip | 989—Snarled Identities |
| 990—A Deposit Vault Puzzle | 991—The Crescent Brotherhood |
| 992—The Stolen Pay Train | 993—The Sea Fox |
| 994—Wanted by Two Clients | 995—The Van Alstine Case |
| 996—Check No. 777 | 997—Partners in Peril |
| 998—Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé | 999—The Sign of the Crossed Knives |
| 1000—The Man Who Vanished | 1001—A Battle for the Right |
| 1002—A Game of Craft | 1003—Nick Carter’s Retainer |
| 1004—Caught in the Toils | 1005—A Broken Bond |
| 1006—The Crime of the French Café | 1007—The Man Who Stole Millions |
| 1008—The Twelve Wise Men | 1009—Hidden Foes |
| 1010—A Gamblers’ Syndicate | 1011—A Chance Discovery |
| 1012—Among the Counterfeiters | 1013—A Threefold Disappearance |
| 1014—At Odds with Scotland Yard | 1015—A Princess of Crime |
| 1016—Found on the Beach | 1017—A Spinner of Death |
| 1018—The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor | 1019—A Bogus Clew |
| 1020—The Puzzle of Five Pistols | 1021—The Secret of the Marble Mantle |
| 1022—A Bite of an Apple | 1023—A Triple Crime |
| 1024—The Stolen Race Horse | 1025—Wildfire |
| 1026—A Herald Personal | 1027—The Finger of Suspicion |
| 1028—The Crimson Clew | 1029—Nick Carter Down East |
| 1030—The Chain of Clews | 1031—A Victim of Circumstances |
| 1032—Brought to Bay | 1033—The Dynamite Trap |
| 1034—A Scrap of Black Lace | 1035—The Woman of Evil |
| 1036—A Legacy of Hate | 1037—A Trusted Rogue |
| 1038—Man Against Man | 1039—The Demons of the Night |
| 1040—The Brotherhood of Death | 1041—At the Knife’s Point |
| 1042—A Cry for Help | 1043—A Stroke of Policy |
| 1044—Hounded to Death | 1045—A Bargain in Crime |
| 1046—The Fatal Prescription | 1047—The Man of Iron |
| 1048—An Amazing Scoundrel | 1049—The Chain of Evidence |
| 1050—Paid with Death | 1051—A Fight for a Throne |
| 1052—The Woman of Steel | 1053—The Seal of Death |
| 1054—The Human Fiend | 1055—A Desperate Chance |
| 1056—A Chase in the Dark | 1057—The Snare and the Game |
| 1058—The Murray Hill Mystery | 1059—Nick Carter’s Close Call |
| 1060—The Missing Cotton King | 1061—A Game of Plots |
| 1062—The Prince of Liars | 1063—The Man at the Window |
| 1064—The Red League | 1065—The Price of a Secret |
| 1066—The Worst Case on Record | 1067—From Peril to Peril |
| 1068—The Seal of Silence | 1069—Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle |
| 1070—A Blackmailer’s Bluff | 1071—Heard in the Dark |
| 1072—A Checkmated Scoundrel | 1073—The Cashier’s Secret |
| 1074—Behind a Mask | 1075—The Cloak of Guilt |
| 1076—Two Villains in One | 1077—The Hot Air Clew |
| 1078—Run to Earth | 1079—The Certified Check |
| 1080—Weaving the Web | 1081—Beyond Pursuit |
| 1082—The Claws of the Tiger | 1083—Driven from Cover |
| 1084—A Deal in Diamonds | 1085—The Wizard of the Cue |
| 1086—A Race for Ten Thousand | 1087—The Criminal Link |
| 1088—The Red Signal | 1089—The Secret Panel |
| 1090—A Bonded Villain | 1091—A Move in the Dark |
| 1092—Against Desperate Odds | 1093—The Telltale Photographs |
| 1094—The Ruby Pin | 1095—The Queen of Diamonds |
| 1096—A Broken Trail | 1097—An Ingenious Stratagem |
| 1098—A Sharper’s Downfall | 1099—A Race Track Gamble |
| 1100—Without a Clew | 1101—The Council of Death |
| 1102—The Hole in the Vault | 1103—In Death’s Grip |
| 1104—A Great Conspiracy | 1105—The Guilty Governor |
| 1106—A Ring of Rascals | 1107—A Masterpiece of Crime |
| 1108—A Blow for Vengeance | 1109—Tangled Threads |
| 1110—The Crime of the Camera | 1111—The Sign of the Dagger |
| 1112—Nick Carter’s Promise | 1113—Marked for Death |
| 1114—The Limited Holdup | 1115—When the Trap Was Sprung |
| 1116—Through the Cellar Wall | 1117—Under the Tiger’s Claws |
| 1118—The Girl in the Case | 1119—Behind a Throne |
| 1120—The Lure of Gold | 1121—Hand to Hand |
| 1122—From a Prison Cell | 1123—Dr. Quartz, Magician |
| 1124—Into Nick Carter’s Web | 1125—The Mystic Diagram |
| 1126—The Hand that Won | 1127—Playing a Lone Hand |
| 1128—The Master Villain | 1129—The False Claimant |
| 1130—The Living Mask | 1131—The Crime and the Motive |
| 1132—A Mysterious Foe | 1133—A Missing Man |
| 1134—A Game Well Played | 1135—A Cigarette Clew |
| 1136—The Diamond Trail | 1137—The Silent Guardian |
| 1138—The Dead Stranger | 1140—The Doctor’s Stratagem |
| 1141—Following a Chance Clew | 1142—The Bank Draft Puzzle |
| 1143—The Price of Treachery | 1144—The Silent Partner |
| 1145—Ahead of the Game | 1146—A Trap of Tangled Wire |
| 1147—In the Gloom of Night | 1148—The Unaccountable Crook |
| 1149—A Bundle of Clews | 1150—The Great Diamond Syndicate |
| 1151—The Death Circle | 1152—The Toss of a Penny |
| 1153—One Step Too Far | 1154—The Terrible Thirteen |
| 1155—A Detective’s Theory | 1156—Nick Carter’s Auto Trail |
| 1157—A Triple Identity | 1158—A Mysterious Graft |
| 1159—A Carnival of Crime | 1160—The Bloodstone Terror |
| 1161—Trapped in His Own Net | 1162—The Last Move in the Game |
| 1163—A Victim of Deceit | 1164—With Links of Steel |
| 1165—A Plaything of Fate | 1166—The Key Ring Clew |
| 1167—Playing for a Fortune | 1168—At Mystery’s Threshold |
| 1169—Trapped by a Woman | 1170—The Four Fingered Glove |
| 1171—Nabob and Knave | 1172—The Broadway Cross |
| 1173—The Man Without a Conscience | 1174—A Master of Deviltry |
| 1175—Nick Carter’s Double Catch | 1176—Doctor Quartz’s Quick Move |
| 1177—The Vial of Death | 1178—Nick Carter’s Star Pupils |
| 1179—Nick Carter’s Girl Detective | 1180—A Baffled Oath |
| 1181—A Royal Thief | 1182—Down and Out |
| 1183—A Syndicate of Rascals | 1184—Played to a Finish |
| 1185—A Tangled Case | 1186—In Letters of Fire |
| 1187—Crossed Wires | 1188—A Plot Uncovered |
| 1189—The Cab Driver’s Secret | 1190—Nick Carter’s Death Warrant |
| 1191—The Plot that Failed | 1192—Nick Carter’s Masterpiece |
| 1193—A Prince of Rogues | 1194—In the Lap of Danger |
| 1195—The Man from London | 1196—Circumstantial Evidence |
| 1197—The Pretty Stenographer Mystery | 1198—A Villainous Scheme |
| 1199—A Plot Within a Plot | 1200—The Elevated Railroad Mystery |
| 1201—The Blow of a Hammer | 1202—The Twin Mystery |
| 1203—The Bottle with the Black Label | 1204—Under False Colors |
| 1205—A Ring of Dust | 1206—The Crown Diamond |
| 1207—The Blood-red Badge | 1208—The Barrel Mystery |
| 1209—The Photographer’s Evidence | 1210—Millions at Stake |
| 1211—The Man and his Price | 1212—A Double-Handed Game |
In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.
| To be published in July, 1927. | |
| 1213—A Strike for Freedom | 1214—A Disciple of Satan |
| To be published in Aug., 1927. | |
| 1215—The Marked Hand | 1216—A Fight with a Fiend |
| 1217—When the Wicked Prosper | |
| To be published in Sept., 1927. | |
| 1218—A Plunge into Crime | 1219—An Artful Schemer |
| To be published in Oct., 1927. | |
| 1220—Reaping the Whirlwind | 1221—Out of Crime’s Depths |
| To be published in Nov., 1927. | |
| 1222—A Woman at Bay | 1223—The Temple of Vice |
| To be published in Dec., 1927. | |
| 1224—Death at the Feast | 1225—A Double Plot |
The Photographer’s Evidence
OR
CLEVER BUT CROOKED
BY
NICHOLAS CARTER
Author of “The Barrel Mystery,” “The Blood-red Badge,” “The Crown Diamond,” etc.
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
Copyright, 1902-1903
By STREET & SMITH
The Photographer’s Evidence
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.
Printed in the U.S.A.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EVIDENCE.
CHAPTER I.
A DOUBTFUL CLIENT.
“Mr. Carter, can I trust you?”
It was in the great detective’s own house that this question was asked.
“Well,” was Nick’s quiet answer, “if you had any doubt on that matter, why did you come to me?”
His caller looked nervously at the floor.
“There’s no use in talking to me,” Nick went on, “unless you do trust me. A detective can do nothing for a client who does not give him his confidence absolutely.”
“Of course,” the other assented; “I did not mean to offend you.”
“You haven’t offended me.”
“I am so disturbed by it, you see. So much depends on secrecy. It is so terribly important that I found it difficult to make up my mind to consult anybody on the matter; and yet I know by your reputation that you are a perfectly trustworthy man. There is nobody in the States more so.”
While the man was speaking Nick was studying him.
In fact, the detective had been doing that from the moment the man entered.
He was apparently about fifty years old; a well-dressed, prosperous-looking man, who might be a merchant, or a lawyer, or a banker.
Nick did no guessing. The man might be anything else. He had given his name as George Snell, but he had not sent in his card, and he had not said where he belonged.
Word had simply been taken to Nick by a servant that a Mr. George Snell wanted to see him on “most important business.”
“He isn’t an American,” was Nick’s only conclusion from what had been said thus far. “An American would not have spoken simply of ‘the States,’ as he did.”
There had been a pause after the caller’s last remarks.
“Well,” he exclaimed then, “I’m not coming more than two-thirds of the way across the continent for nothing. I set out to consult you, and I will do so.”
“That’s better,” said the detective; and, willing to help him tell his story, he asked: “What kind of a case is it, Mr. Snell?”
“I suppose you’d call it kidnaping; but there’s robbery combined with it, and—and also—also blackmail.”
Mr. Snell hesitated and stammered a little at the end of this speech.
Nick merely nodded.
“To begin with,” continued Mr. Snell, “I come from Wenonah. You may not be aware that the Government of England has made a large section of Western British America into a province and called it Wenonah.”
“Yes,” said Nick, “I am aware of that.”
“You are a well-informed man. Few Americans would know the fact, for the province is so young that it isn’t down on the maps yet. You know, also, I suppose, that the capital of the province is a town called Manchester?”
“Yes.”
“That is where the crime was committed. It happened a month ago. The governor of the province, Bradley is his name, gave a party at his house. All the prominent families of the town and country around attended. There was dancing till a late hour.
“Then, when the guests were going away, it was discovered that the governor’s daughter, Estelle, was missing. She has not been seen since.”
“How old is the child?” asked Nick.
“Child?” echoed Mr. Snell, in apparent astonishment. Then he seemed to understand, and added: “It is natural that you should use that word, but the girl is twenty.”
“Oh!”
“She’s the governor’s only daughter, and heiress, therefore, to his property, which is very great.”
“Has nothing been heard from her?”
“Indirectly, yes. Her captors have offered to restore her for a ransom.”
“Has there been any attempt to deal with her captors?”
“Yes, but nothing has come of it. There is doubt now whether she is really in the hands of kidnapers.”
“Ah! what then?”
“I haven’t told you the whole story, Mr. Carter.”
“Go on, then.”
“The day after she disappeared it was found that a considerable amount of jewelry had gone also.”
“Did she wear it at the ball?”
“Some of it, most of it, in fact. But that was not all. There were also missing certain State papers and some private documents belonging to the governor. These are extremely important. They must be recovered at any cost.”
“Are they more important than the recovery of Miss Bradley, Mr. Snell?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that, but they complicate the case badly. An offer has been made to restore them.”
“And the girl?”
“No. That is, there was one offer to restore the girl and another to deal for the return of the papers and jewelry. There seems to be a double gang of villains at work.”
“Possibly. What about the blackmail you mentioned?”
“That,” answered Mr. Snell, hesitating, “has to do with the stolen papers.”
“Something shady in the governor’s past?”
Mr. Snell looked at the floor.
“I wouldn’t like to say,” he replied. “Some people might think so.”
“Evidently the robbers do think so, eh?”
“Yes, for they put a big price on the papers.”
“I suppose the matter has been investigated by the police of Manchester?”
“No.”
“Then how did you communicate with the robbers?”
“I didn’t say that I had communicated with the robbers!” exclaimed Mr. Snell, hastily.
“No, but I supposed it was you. Never mind that for a moment. Tell me more about the disappearance of Miss Bradley.”
“There isn’t much that I can tell. She must have left the house soon after midnight, but she wasn’t missed till three hours or more later.”
“Was she engaged to be married?”
Snell looked sharply at the detective.
“You’re a keen one,” he said. “No, she wasn’t engaged, and that is another complication.
“Well, it is known that she was in love with a young fellow who wasn’t liked by her father. Naturally he wasn’t at the ball. It is thought possible that she eloped with him, and that the offer of the robbers to restore her was a bluff.”
“Was her lover a rich man?”
“Decidedly not.”
“Then you think she may have taken the jewelry to sell for her own use.”
“It’s possible, yes. I’ve thought of it.”
“And that the robbery of the papers simply happened to come at the same time.”
“That might be.”
“Has Miss Bradley’s lover been seen since she disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“What does he say?”
“Nothing.”
“Indeed! I should suppose he would say a good deal.”
“He goes about his business as usual, but he is under constant watch. It’s plain enough that there is something on his mind.”
“I should think there might be, in any case. What is his name?”
“Cecil West.”
“And what is your relation to the affair, Mr. Snell?”
The visitor seemed startled.
“My relation to it?” he echoed.
“Certainly. Do you come here as the representative of Governor Bradley?”
“Oh, no! not at all! the governor didn’t send me.”
“Who did, then?”
Snell looked uncomfortable.
“Do you need an answer to that?” he asked.
“Of course I do. I must know whom I am dealing with.”
“But I gave my name——”
“It is not enough.”
The detective spoke rather sharply.
Mr. Snell hesitated and then said:
“Mr. Carter, I cannot see why I should be dragged into the matter at all——”
“But,” interrupted Nick, coldly, “nobody has dragged you that I am aware of. I certainly didn’t.”
“You are trying to do so now, Mr. Carter.”
Nick arose.
“There is no need that we should talk longer,” he said.
Snell also stood up, and he looked very much troubled.
“I see that I have offended you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. You see, Mr. Carter, a great scandal might come of this. It is very important that there should be none. The governor’s position might be lost——”
“At this moment,” said Nick, “I care nothing for the governor’s position. You have given me some facts in a case that might be interesting, but I don’t propose to tackle it unless I know what I am about.”
“We want you to look for the girl and the stolen papers.”
“Who are we?”
Snell hung his head.
“Excuse me a moment,” said Nick; then: “I think I heard the telephone ring. When I return I hope you will have made up your mind to trust me. If you haven’t we can’t do business.”
He bowed and left the room, but he did not go to the telephone.
Instead he went to a room where Patsy, one of his assistants, was reading and gave him a few rapid instructions.
Then he wrote a telegram and sent it to the nearest office by a servant.
Patsy got his hat and went downstairs.
“Now, Mr. Snell,” said Nick, when he returned, “are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”
“I can only say that I want you to act in behalf of the governor.”
“Does he know that you came to New York to ask this?”
Snell did not answer.
“We are wasting each other’s time,” said Nick.
Snell made a last appeal.
“I may be doing wrong,” he said, “but I beg you to look into this matter. You can’t help seeing how important it is.”
“Well,” replied Nick, “usually I have nothing to do with a case where any facts are concealed from me——”
“I am concealing no facts.”
“Pardon me, you refuse to answer one of the first questions a detective would ask. I was going to say, Mr. Snell, give me a few hours to think it over and come again. Will you call to-morrow morning?”
“I will.”
“Very well, till then.”
The detective went with his visitor to the door.
Mr. Snell said “good-evening,” politely, and started down the street.
A short distance behind him went Patsy.
CHAPTER II.
MR. SNELL IN TROUBLE.
Nick had not taken time to tell Patsy very much about Snell.
“There’s something up,” he said to his assistant. “I have no idea what it is, but I want you to shadow this man and see what becomes of him.”
“Do you think he’s a crook?” asked the young man.
“Not yet. He may be. If so, it won’t be the first time that a crook has tried to throw me off the track by calling on me. I simply feel that there’s something queer in this, and I’d like to find out about it. So I shall ask this man to call again unless he makes up his mind to tell me all the facts.”
Snell refused to tell all the facts, and so Patsy slipped out after him.
He had not gone far from the house when the young detective became convinced that another man also was following Snell.
This made his work very difficult, for he had to look sharp against betraying himself not only to Snell, but the other man.
Snell went into a drug store and bought a cigar.
The man who seemed to be following him loafed on the opposite corner.
Patsy turned down a street, and dropped into a doorway, where he made a swift change in his appearance.
He was at Snell’s heels again when the man from Wenonah went on.
The other man seemed to have disappeared.
“I was mistaken,” thought Patsy, “or the second chap is a better shadow than I am.”
For some blocks he kept up his chase, never losing sight of Snell, and seeing nothing more of the other.
Meantime Snell was apparently wandering around aimlessly.
He would stop at a corner and wait a full minute before he made up his mind which way to go.
Often he changed his direction.
In this way he got into a neighborhood which was very quiet in the evening.
Part way down a block he stopped suddenly, stood still for a moment and then went close to a building.
He was then in such deep shadow that Patsy could not see him.
“Somebody spoke to him,” reasoned the detective.
He went cautiously closer, and before he could see anybody he heard the sounds of voices in conversation.
What they said it was impossible to make out.
The detective dared not get close enough than that for fear of attracting the attention of the men.
There seemed to be two of them.
Presently he heard one voice say:
“I won’t do it.”
One of the men started away.
“It will be the worse for you, then,” growled the other.
The first man hastened his steps.
As he came from the shadow, Patsy saw that it was Snell.
The other man was darting after him on tiptoe.
He had one arm drawn back.
“Great Scott!” thought Patsy, “he means murder!”
He gave up trying to conceal his actions then.
Running forward as fast as possible, he shouted:
“Look out!”
Snell turned quickly.
The other man was close to him, and let his hand fall.
With a great leap Patsy was up to him just in time to catch his arm.
But it was too late to stop the blow entirely.
A slungshot in the man’s hand slipped from it and struck Snell a glancing blow on the head.
“Ah!” he cried, and staggered.
Patsy dashed to assist him, and caught hold of him in time to prevent him from falling against an iron fence, which probably would have broken his head.
The would-be murderer was dashing down the street.
Patsy could not be in two places at once.
He wanted to chase the unknown criminal, but his first business was with Snell.
This was not only because Nick had sent him out to shadow Snell, but because the man seemed to be badly injured.
He was groaning and trembling so that he would have fallen if the detective had not held him up.
“Better sit down a minute,” Patsy suggested, “and let me see if there’s anything serious the matter.”
Snell sank to a doorstep, and Patsy made a quick examination of his head.
“That was a nasty blow,” he said, “but I think your skull is sound. Aren’t you feeling better?”
“Yes,” Snell replied, “I am. I was more frightened than hurt, perhaps. I am greatly obliged to you.”
“Don’t mention it. Let me help you to your house. Do you live near?”
Snell laughed a little.
“Near!” he repeated, “I should say not.”
“Will you have a cab called to take you home?” asked Patsy.
Again Snell laughed.
“It would be too long a journey,” he said. “I am a stranger in New York, and I am staying at the Fifth Avenue. That isn’t very far away, I believe.”
“No, and you can get a car at the next block, if you want to.”
“I’d rather walk.”
He got up, and Patsy held his arm till they came to the corner.
“I don’t suppose your friend will tackle you again,” said the detective, then: “but I haven’t anything to do, and if you like I’ll walk with you to the hotel.”
“You are very kind,” Snell responded; “suppose you do. I confess that I am very nervous.”
“He had it in for you, I suppose,” remarked Patsy.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you want to speak to this policeman about it?”
An officer was approaching.
“No! no!” exclaimed Snell, hastily; “I have my reasons for keeping the matter quiet. Don’t for Heaven’s sake, say a word.”
“All right. It’s no business of mine, but if any fellow had thumped me like that I should want him put where he couldn’t try it again.”
“I don’t think he will try it again; at least, not in New York. I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Just as you say, sir. Want to stop in at a drug store and get your head bathed with arnica?”
“That would be a good idea.”
They entered the next drug store they came to, where it proved that Snell had suffered nothing more than a painful bruise.
After that they went on to the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
“I am very much obliged to you,” said Snell, halting in the doorway.
“Don’t mention it,” Patsy responded.
“Will you come in and have something?”
He looked as if he hoped Patsy would say no, but the detective was glad of any excuse to stick to him.
“Yes,” said Patsy, “don’t care if I do.”
Snell nodded silently, and led the way into the hotel.
As they were passing the desk the clerk spoke to him.
“Mr. Snell,” he said, “there’s a telegram here for you.”
“Excuse me,” said Snell to Patsy, going quickly to the desk.
He took the envelope handed to him, and opened it with trembling fingers.
When he had read the message he crumpled the paper in his hand and frowned.
After a moment of thought, he turned to Patsy, saying, “Excuse me” again, and went with him to the barroom.
Snell poured himself a stiff drink of whiskey.
“Once more,” he said, raising his glass, “I thank you for coming to my rescue. Honestly, I believe I should be a dead man this minute if you hadn’t. Here’s your health.”
“Thanks,” responded Patsy.
“Now,” continued Snell, “I don’t like to leave a man who has saved my life, in this abrupt way, but I’ve got to. This telegram calls me out of town, and I must lose no time in getting ready. Won’t you leave me your name and address?”
“Why,” answered Patsy, “I’ll give you my name if you want it, and address, too, but it isn’t likely that we shall meet again if you don’t live in New York. My name is James Callahan,” and he gave an address that the detectives sometimes used.
It was a place where any letters that came to strange names were promptly taken to Nick’s house.
Snell made a note of the address.
“My name is Snell,” he said, “and I hope we shall meet again, Mr. Callahan. I must say good-by now.”
They shook hands and Snell went to the elevator.
“I wish he had dropped that telegram,” thought the detective.
He looked at the clock. It was an hour and a half to midnight. If Snell meant to leave town at once he could hardly hope to do so until midnight, for that was the hour at which through trains started from most stations.
There was time to make a report to Nick and get back again if that should be necessary.
Accordingly Patsy hurried to Nick’s house, and told his chief what had happened.
Nick looked very thoughtful.
“I had about decided that the man is crazy,” he said. “I sent a telegram to the chief of police at Manchester, asking if he knew of any robbery of jewels, State papers, or anything else of great importance within a month. I also asked if there had been a mysterious disappearance within the same time, and if he knew who George Snell was. Here’s his answer, received five minutes ago.”
He handed a telegram to Patsy.
It read:
“Nothing doing in crime here. Never heard of George Snell. No man of that name lives here.
“Dinsmore.”
“Dinsmore,” said Nick, “is the chief at Manchester now. He used to be on the New York force, and I know him well. Now, if there has been a serious crime at Manchester, two thousand miles away, isn’t it strange that I should hear of it in New York before it is known there?”
“It beats me,” said Patsy.
“And it looks as if Snell was the chief crook in the matter,” added Nick. “But, if he is, I can’t see what he’s driving at. After getting this telegram I thought he was crazy, that he imagined a crime had been committed, and I didn’t mean to have anything more to do with the matter.
“Now I am interested. What you have told me shows that there’s something up, something very mysterious.
“I think we’d better keep our eyes on it, Patsy.”
“Well?”
“Go back to the hotel and get on Snell’s track. Follow him across the continent if necessary, and keep me posted.”
“All right, boss.”
“Better take a cab. Leave your grip in it until you know what station Snell is going to. Then stick to him like a burr. There may be more attempts against his life.”
Patsy was gone in a minute.
When his cab halted at the Fifth Avenue he did not leave it, for he saw Snell coming out.
The man got into a hotel carriage, and told the driver to take him to the Pennsylvania Railroad station.
This was done, and, of course, Patsy followed.
Snell bought a ticket for Chicago, and Patsy, who stood close behind him at the window, did the same.
They were almost side by side as they went to the ferry-boat, Patsy, of course, so disguised that Snell did not recognize him.
Snell went to the forward end of the boat and stood near the rail.
The detective sat down in the men’s cabin.
Hardly had he taken his seat when a man came aboard whom he had seen before.