IKE MAKES A MOST REMARKABLE DISCOVERY AND ALSO PICKS UP CLUES WHICH
ENABLE HIM TO START OUT INTELLIGENTLY ON A SHADOW FOR THE BOND
THIEVES.
Ike had his own suspicions, but he did not project them. He was going
very slow, as he hoped to draw the old man on and force him to a very
startling confession. He told the story of Sara Sidney--told it in a
straightforward, simple manner. The old man listened attentively and
betrayed considerable emotion, and he muttered:
"How unfortunate I have been robbed! How much I might have done for this
daughter of my old friend! But alas! I am a poor man now--yes, a poor
man."
"All your wealth can be recovered."
"Oh, they all say that."
"Who says so?"
"The detectives who have been here; but they will never recover one
dollar. I will never get my property back."
"That is what your niece said," projected Ike suddenly.
The old man almost screamed as he said:
"My niece! What do you mean?"
"I will speak plainly. I cannot be deceived--this man Sidney was more to
you than a friend. I recovered the stolen property of Sara Sidney; I
will recover your property."
"Who are you, young man?"
"You may call me the devil or Tom Walker if you choose, it makes no
difference. I will recover your property, and now I tell you I know your
name is Sidney and the girl I know is your niece, and that accounts for
the wonderful resemblance to the portrait of your daughter."
The old man glared.
Ike, as our readers will observe, was pressing right ahead in his
impressions. He had arrived at a conclusion and he was assuming a tone
calculated to force the old man to an admission. He said:
"You need not fear. Your niece is independent; she will not become a
burden to you. She is a brave, true, energetic young girl. She has some
means--enough to maintain her until she is in a position to support
herself by her labor. I tell you, when you see her you will be proud of
her."
The old man was very thoughtful for some moments but finally he said:
"Can I trust you, young man?"
"Yes, you can trust me."
"My real name is Sidney. I did have a brother who went to California.
This is all very strange. I have not heard from my brother for nearly
thirty years. If what you say is true this girl may be my niece. When
can I see her?"
"You cannot see her until I have caught the thieves and restored the
property or come to you and admit that I have failed."
The old man appeared dazed and Ike said:
"Tell me your story. Yon can trust me."
"I believe I can," said the old man; "I will. I have admitted that my
name is Sidney, and that I am a brother of the Sidney who went to
California. I went to South America and while there met a young American
girl, the daughter of the United States consul. She became my wife and
one child was born to us; but alas! my wife died, carried off by fever,
ere the child was a year old, and from that moment I devoted my life to
my daughter. I am of humble birth, and I set to work to accumulate a
great fortune for my child. I brought out masters from Europe to educate
her. She was beautiful, amiable, bright and accomplished, and I was
happy. But alas! death came stealing along one night and wrapped its
cold arms around my child, and I laid her beside her mother. From that
moment I lost all ambition, all interest in life. I had heard many years
previously that my brother was dead. I had never heard of his marriage
and did not suppose he had left a child. Strange fate! I live, but my
child is gone; he has gone and his child lives. I converted all my
wealth into bonds, money, jewels and securities, and I came home to
America. They call me a miser, alas! In my own way, secretly, I have
been aiding the poor and needy for twenty-odd years. The portrait you
see is a portrait of my child. In the South, you know, girls mature very
fast. She was but thirteen when she died. Well, I have had no interest
in life. I fear nothing, I have cared for nothing. I have only been
waiting for death to come and claim me. His visit has been long delayed
and now my wealth is gone. I did not care, but now I do care, for if you
are not deceiving me I would have had something for the child of my
brother; and you say she resembles the portrait. Well, when my brother
and I were boys we greatly resembled each other. And now listen to me: I
accept your gage. I will not ask to see my niece until you have made
good your promise; either you shall recover my fortune or you shall come
to me and say you have failed."
"It will be strange if I ever come to you and say that I have failed.
You can trust me. I seek no reward, but I believe I can recover your
fortune, and now I have a double motive for doing so."
There came a quick, searching glance to the old man's eyes, but he said
nothing until after an interval, when he declared:
"Recover the fortune and you shall not complain of your reward."
"Have you talked much to the detectives?"
"I have not, because until now I was indifferent."
"If I can secure the slightest clue I will promise success. Have you any
recollection of the appearance of either of the men?"
"Yes; I had a struggle with them before they chloroformed me."
The old man proceeded and gave quite an accurate description of one of
the men.
"This is great!" said Ike, and he asked:
"Where did the struggle take place?"
"Down in my parlor. I heard them down there as I heard you, despite your
care, and there I met and fought them until overpowered."
Ike went down to the parlor. He spent one minute gazing at the portrait
and then set to work. He had associated so much with detectives he had
their methods down to a fine point; and besides, as our readers know, he
was naturally a perfect wonder in shrewdness and cunning. He drew his
mask lantern and the old man asked:
"Are you a detective?"
"A sort of amateur," came the answer.
Ike got down on the floor, face forward, and flashed the light of his
mask lantern over every inch of the carpet, asking questions of the old
man as to just where the first grapple commenced, and soon he cried,
"Eureka!"
The old man had become eagerly interested.
"What have you found?"
"All I need, added to your description."
Ike had come across several strands of hair. He rose from the floor and
held the threads under the full glare of his lantern, and the old man
exclaimed:
"I remember; yes, I did grasp one of them by the hair and must have
pulled a few locks."
"Hardly a few locks, but enough," said Ike.
The young ventriloquist obtained what he most desired. He had the
description, as stated, and he knew the color of the hair of at least
one of the robbers. Let him find one of them and he well knew he would
not only run down the men but the "swag." He felt quite jubilant, and
after a long talk with Mr. Sidney, in which he gave the old gentleman
very minute instructions, he passed out the front door, and as he did so
a man seized him.
"Hello, young fellow! what are you doing in there?" came the question.
"I am not in there; I am out here," answered Ike coolly, and at the same
instant Jack ran up and said:
"Look out for that fellow, Ike. He's a bad one."
"I want you," said the man.
Ike suddenly drew his mask lantern, which he had not extinguished, and
flashed the light straight in the fellow's face. The man uttered an
oath, drew a revolver and made as if to strike Ike a blow, but instead
he received a rap on the head which felled him as though he had been
hit with an iron bar. As the man fell Ike leaped over his form and he
and Jack sped away. Our hero had reasons for speeding away, for he
believed he was on to a great thing.
Once out of sight Jack asked:
"What happened; Ike?"
"Wonders upon wonders, Jack; it's a night of wonders. I can't stop to
tell you now; but who is that fellow? You said he was a bad one."
"I'll tell you. While I was waiting for you I saw him and another man
come stealthily down the street. I stole behind them and overheard their
conversation. They were not looking for you, but some one else. I think
when you came forth they mistook you for the man they were looking for."
"They are not officers?"
"No."
"We must trail that fellow. He is probably associated with the robbers."
The two ventriloquists worked a transform and separated, but both were
making for the one objective point and both got on to the trail of the
man whom Jack had so opportunely knocked over just as he aimed a blow at
Ike.
As intimated, they got on the trail of the man and followed him until he
met a second man on the Bowery. The latter had come from a saloon--a
brilliantly illuminated gin palace. He stood right under the glare of
the electric lights and Ike had a clear, full view of him.
"There's our man," said Ike.
"What do you mean, Iky?"
Quickly Ike stated that he had received a clue and that he identified
the man standing in the doorway of the gin palace beyond all question as
one of the burglars.
"This is great!" said Jack. "Let's close in on him, and I'll try a
little hypnotism on him."
"You may have plenty of chance yet for the exercise of your mysterious
power, Jack."
We will here state that Jack had given Ike an exhibition of his wondrous
gift as a hypnotist. Ike was the greater ventriloquist, but he did not
possess the hypnotic power; while Jack possessed it, as the readers of
his former adventures as recorded in Number 19 of our series are aware,
to a remarkable degree.
Ike was not naturally excitable. He was singularly cold-blooded, but
upon discovering his man so soon his blood did course rather rapidly
through his veins.
There is one other fact we wish to state: burglars, as a rule, do not
leave the great cities. They find them safer hiding-places than anywhere
else, despite the great number of detectives hovering around. There are
all sorts of burglars--the bunglers and the accomplished chaps who
proceed on almost scientific principles. These men are strategic. They
study out all their plans weeks in advance. They calculate all their
chances, both to accomplish their burglaries and also to prepare for
their retreat and hiding. Ike calculated that the men who had robbed Mr.
Sidney were accomplished and veteran crooks who would be likely to
remain in the city, especially after making such a big haul; and when he
secured the specific clue he calculated upon finding his man, but
certainly did not hope to drop on him so soon.
"What shall we do?" asked Jack, after a few moments.
"We will follow this fellow. He will go home by and by, and----"
The lads did follow the man, but he did not go home, and they were
destined to have quite a long shadow ere they ran their game down. They
located him in his haunts, but did not trail to any permanent
abiding-place; and finally, well on toward morning, they returned to
their home well wearied out but hopeful. Ike was sure the man would
remain in the city and that he could locate him almost any time when he
needed.
It was late on the following afternoon when our hero visited Sara
Sidney. He listened to a long and hopeful talk of the girl's plans. He
did not say anything direct, but did project:
"Suppose you should find your uncle, and he should disapprove of your
plans?"
"I do not expect ever to find my uncle."
"Well, now, I once made you a promise."
"I know you did, but remember, it is thirty years since my father saw
his brother."
"Well, some men live to a pretty old age. I am sure I will find your
uncle."
"What makes you so certain?"
"Oh, it came to me in a vision. Yes, I will make you a positive promise:
I will find your uncle. I know that he is alive, or was a few weeks
ago."
The girl became quite interested, and she looked very animated and
beautiful as she urged Ike to tell her how he had learned that her uncle
was living a few weeks previously.
Ike, however, did not tell his tale, but he hoped to tell her in the
near future, and with it also add the wonderful narrative of the
recovery of a great fortune.
Three weeks passed, and during that time either Ike or Jack or Detective
Du Flore was on the trail of the light-haired man whom our hero had
identified as one of the robbers.
One day Jack asked:
"Ike, are you sure you have the right man?"
"Yes, I am sure, and we'll get down to him."
"Possibly the fellow knows we are on his track."
"No, but he is well aware that detectives are liable to be on his track
and he is playing away from his lair; but he'll go home sure."
On the day following the conversation recorded Ike was on the trail. All
three did not "dog" the man at one time--they did so alternately. It was
Ike's "tour," as boatmen say, and the ventriloquist struck his "lay" at
last. Hope is the propelling force of energy, and it was constant hope
that made our hero so persistent on the track of his man. Often during
the three weeks he had visited Sara Sidney. He enjoyed her importunity
as she urged him to explain what he meant when he told her that he knew
her uncle was still living. It was delightful to him. The girl was a
constant charm to him when in her presence, and a memory of her sweet
personality haunted him when he was away from her. Yes, he had a strong
motive for sticking to the trail, and, as intimated, he at length fell
to a great lead. He had followed his man to Staten Island, or rather
followed him on board one of the Staten Island boats, and then a great
game commenced. He saw the thief wander all over the boat scanning the
face of every man and woman on board, and the ventriloquist made a
second discovery. He had seen the man exchange signals with a
fine-looking lady on board, and as the burglar wandered around Ike saw
the lady watch him in a most intent manner, and he muttered as a great
suggestion came to him: "At last! At last!"