_The Biggest Line of Copyright Detective Literature Published_
THE MAGNET LIBRARY
OF FASCINATING DETECTIVE STORIES
PUBLISHED EVERY WEEK
This line has become famous for its excellent stories of the detection
of crime. Of late, it has taken truly remarkable strides in the public’s
favor. The reason for this is, that every book is a marvel of its kind.
They are high-class tales, not of the “blood and thunder” order, but
with plausable plots which hold the reader fairly captivated with
breathless expectation. Among these are the stories of the adventures of
Nick Carter and his clever assistants; of “Old Spicer,” the clever
private detective, whose exploits are among the most remarkable ever
performed by any detective. If you are in search of good, interesting
matter, a decided change from that to which you have been accustomed,
purchase a few of these titles. They will not only please and interest
you, but will give you a clear insight into the methods of the various
classes of criminals.
To be Published During July
400--The Living Mark By Nicholas Carter
399--An Oath of Vengeance By John K. Stafford
398--Under a Black Veil By Nicholas Carter
To be Published During June
397--A Crime Without a Name By Dick Stewart
396--A Baffled Oath By Nicholas Carter
395--A Kentucky Moonshiner By Inspector Stark
394--Playing for a Fortune By Nicholas Carter
To be Published During May
393--The Convent Mystery By John K. Stafford
392--With Links of Steel By Nicholas Carter
391--A Villain’s Work By Dick Stewart
390--A Royal Thief By Nicholas Carter
To be Published During April
389--A Deed of Darkness By Inspector Stark
388--The Diamond Trail By Nicholas Carter
387--Under the Surface By John K. Stafford
386--Down and Out By Nicholas Carter
To be Published During March
385--The Search for a Motive By Dick Stewart
384--A Cigarette Clew By Nicholas Carter
383--The Mafia’s Victim By Inspector Stark
382--A Villainous Scheme By Nicholas Carter
* * * * *
381--A Millionaire’s Crime By John K. Stafford
380--The Price of Treachery By Nicholas Carter
379--Confederated Rogues By Dick Stewart
378--A Tangled Case By Nicholas Carter
377--The Telegraph Clew By Inspector Stark
376--A Mysterious “Graft” By Nicholas Carter
375--A Cruel Suspicion By Fay P. Rathbun
374--Trapped In His Own Net By Nicholas Carter
373--A Bid for a Life By Scott Campbell
372--A Scientific Forger By Nicholas Carter
371--The Signs of the Dagger By H. O. Cooke
370--The Ruby Pin By Nicholas Carter
369--The Tell-tale Watch By Meta De Vere
368--In the Gloom of Night By Nicholas Carter
367--Who Was He? By Philip Little
366--Ahead of the Game By Nicholas Carter
365--A “Spurious Note” Maker By John K. Stafford
364--Following a Chance Clew By Nicholas Carter
363--A Political Plotter By Dick Stewart
362--A Broken Trail By Nicholas Carter
361--The Shadow of an Assassin By Inspector Stark
360--A Missing Man By Nicholas Carter
359--A Daring Express Messenger By John K. Stafford
358--A Mysterious Foe By Nicholas Carter
357--A Game of “Draw” By Dick Stewart
356--The Queen of Diamonds By Nicholas Carter
355--An Unexpected Move By Scott Campbell
354--An Ingenious Stratagem By Nicholas Carter
353--The Missing Bracelet By Inspector Stark
352--The Master Villain By Nicholas Carter
351--Smugglers at Odds By John K. Stafford
350--Playing a Lone Hand By Nicholas Carter
349--The “Green Goods” Speculator By Dick Stewart
348--The Mystic Diagram By Nicholas Carter
347--A Queen of Blackmailers By the author of “Seth Hunt”
346--The Cab Driver’s Secret By Nicholas Carter
345--The Deed of a Night By the author of “Nat Tyler”
344--Against Desperate Odds By Nicholas Carter
343--The Stolen Jewels By “Old Spicer”
342--The Secret Panel By Nicholas Carter
341--Two Conspirators By the author of “Seth Hunt”
340--The Criminal Link By Nicholas Carter
339--The Confession of a Thug By the author of “Nat Tyler”
338--The Wizard of the Cue By Nicholas Carter
337--The Palace of Chance By “Old Spicer”
336--Driven From Cover By Nicholas Carter
335--The Woman in Red By Scott Campbell
334--Beyond Pursuit By Nicholas Carter
333--A Question of Evidence By “Old Spicer”
332--The Certified Check By Nicholas Carter
331--A Secret Suspicion By the author of “Seth Hunt”
330--The Toss of a Penny By Nicholas Carter
329--The Price of “Protection” By the author of “Nat Tyler”
328--A Detective’s Theory By Nicholas Carter
327--The Tattooed Wrist By “Old Spicer”
326--A Bundle of Clews By Nicholas Carter
325--The Cross in the Dust By the author of “Seth Hunt”
324--The “Hot Air” Clew By Nicholas Carter
323--Sherlock Holmes. Vol. II By A. Conan Doyle
322--Sherlock Holmes. Vol. I By A. Conan Doyle
321--The Missing Bullet By the author of “Nat Tyler”
320--The Cloak of Guilt By Nicholas Carter
319--Tightening the Coils By “Old Spicer”
318--The Cashier’s Secret By Nicholas Carter
317--A Midnight Vigil By the author of “Nat Tyler”
316--Circumstantial Evidence By Nicholas Carter
315--In the Shadow By “Old Spicer”
314--The Barrel Mystery By Nicholas Carter
313--Cunning Against Force By Tom Steele
312--Heard in the Dark By Nicholas Carter
311--A Transatlantic Puzzle By the author of “Seth Hunt”
310--The Crown Diamond By Nicholas Carter
309--The Power of a Villain By the author of “Nat Tyler”
308--The Photographer’s Evidence By Nicholas Carter
307--A Desperate Game By “Old Spicer”
306--A Ring of Dust By Nicholas Carter
305--The Tell-Tale Tattoo By Jack Sharpe
304--The Twin Mystery By Nicholas Carter
303--The Branded Hand By the author of “Seth Hunt”
302--Under False Colors By Nicholas Carter
301--The Wall Street Swindlers By Jack Sharpe
300--A Blow for Vengeance By Nicholas Carter
299--The Sleepless Eye By the author of “Nat Tyler”
298--A Masterpiece of Crime By Nicholas Carter
297--The Shadow of Guilt By “Old Spicer”
296--The Guilty Governor By Nicholas Carter
295--Tracked by a Pin By Richard Hackstaff
294--The Blood-Red Badge By Nicholas Carter
293--On the Stroke of Midnight By the author of “Seth Hunt”
292--A Great Conspiracy By Nicholas Carter
291--In Terror’s Grasp By the author of “Nat Tyler”
290--The Hole in the Vault By Nicholas Carter
289--The Crippled Hand By Frederick S. Stewart
288--The Council of Death By Nicholas Carter
287--A Dead Witness By “Old Spicer”
286--A Bonded Villain By Nicholas Carter
285--A Rascal’s Nerve By the author of “Seth Hunt”
284--A Blackmailer’s Bluff By Nicholas Carter
283--The Crimson Glove By the author of “Nat Tyler”
282--A Race Track Gamble By Nicholas Carter
281--The Stroke of a Knife By Burnham F. Mason
280--The Seal of Death By Nicholas Carter
279--On the Brink of Ruin By “Old Spicer”
278--A Sharper’s Downfall By Nicholas Carter
277--An Eye for an Eye By the author of “Seth Hunt”
276--A Checkmated Scoundrel By Nicholas Carter
275--The Banker’s Millions By the author of “Nat Tyler”
274--Paid With Death By Nicholas Carter
273--The Rogue With a Past By Robert Wesley
272--The Chain of Evidence By Nicholas Carter
271--A High-Class Swindler By “Old Spicer”
270--The Fatal Prescription By Nicholas Carter
269--The Man Who Knew By the author of “Seth Hunt”
268--Hounded to Death By Nicholas Carter
267--An Unfortunate Rogue By the author of “Nat Tyler”
266--A Stroke of Policy By Nicholas Carter
265--The Three Finger Marks By “Old Spicer”
264--Two Villains in One By Nicholas Carter.
263--The Loaded Orange By Gilbert Jerome.
262--A False Combination By Nicholas Carter.
261--A Matter of Thousands By the author of “Old Spicer”
260--At the Knife’s Point By Nicholas Carter.
259--The Band of Mystery By Maro O. Rolfe
258--Man Against Man By Nicholas Carter.
257--The Man Who Made Diamonds By the author of “Nat Tyler”
256--The Vial of Death By Nicholas Carter.
255--The Sport of Fate By the author of “Old Spicer.”
254--Behind a Mask By Nicholas Carter.
253--The Fatal Request By A. L. Harris.
252--The Man and His Price By Nicholas Carter.
251--The Nine of Hearts By B. L. Farjeon.
250--A Double-Handed Game By Nicholas Carter.
249--Old Stonewall, Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
248--The Toss of a Coin By Nicholas Carter.
247--The Results of a Duel By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
246--Nick Carter’s Death Warrant By Nicholas Carter.
245--A Victim of Villainy By F. L. Broughton.
244--A Trusted Rogue By Nicholas Carter.
243--The Man and the Crime By Harry Rockwood.
242--Run to Earth By Nicholas Carter.
241--From Thief to Detective By Fergus Hume.
240--Weaving the Web By Nicholas Carter.
239--The Man from the South By Judson R. Taylor.
238--The Claws of the Tiger By Nicholas Carter.
237--A Kidnapped Millionaire By Richard A. Wainwright.
236--A Move in the Dark By Nicholas Carter.
235--True Detective Tales By Maurice Moser.
234--The Tell-Tale Photographs By Nicholas Carter.
233--The Secret of the Missing Checks By Harry Rockwood.
232--The Red Signal By Nicholas Carter.
231--The Crime of the Golden Gully By Gilbert Rock.
230--A Race for Ten Thousand By Nicholas Carter.
229--The Dexter Bank Robbery By Harry Rockwood.
228--A Syndicate of Rascals By Nicholas Carter.
227--From Clew to Climax By Will N. Harben.
226--A Deal in Diamonds By Nicholas Carter.
225--Tracked by Fate By Fergus Hume.
224--Played to a Finish By Nicholas Carter.
223--Found Dead By Hero Strong.
222--A Prince of Rogues By Nicholas Carter.
221--Other People’s Money By Emile Gaboriau.
220--The Dumb Witness, and Other Stories By Nicholas Carter.
219--A Hidden Clew By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
218--The Man from London By Nicholas Carter.
217--Baron Trigault’s Vengeance By Emile Gaboriau.
216--The Count’s Millions By Emile Gaboriau.
215--The Seal of Silence By Nicholas Carter.
214--The Missing Cashier By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
213--Millions at Stake, and Other Stories By Nicholas Carter.
212--A Mystery Still By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
211--In Letters of Fire By Nicholas Carter.
210--An Excellent Knave By J. F. Molloy.
209--A Triple Crime By Nicholas Carter.
208--The Condemned Door By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
207--The Blow of a Hammer, and Other Stories By Nicholas Carter.
206--The Portland Place Mystery By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
205--A Bogus Clew By Nicholas Carter.
204--Hunted Down By Richard Ashton Wainwright.
203--The Price of a Secret By Nicholas Carter.
202--The Lady of the Lilacs By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
201--The Steel Casket, and Other Stories By Nicholas Carter.
200--Detective Against Detective By Donald J. McKenzie.
199--The Man at the Window By Nicholas Carter.
198--Stairs of Sand By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
197--The Coleraine Tragedy By Eugene T. Sawyer.
196--The Queen of Knaves, and Other Stories, By Nicholas Carter.
195--Sealed Lips By Scott Campbell.
194--The Tiger’s Head Mystery By Eugene T. Sawyer.
193--The Missing Cotton King By Nicholas Carter.
192--A Dangerous Quest By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
191--The Murray Hill Mystery By Nicholas Carter.
190--The Fate of Austin Craige By Scott Campbell.
189--The Man of Mystery By Nicholas Carter.
188--A Strike for Millions By Eugene T. Sawyer.
187--The Wall Street Wonder By Donald J. McKenzie.
186--A Desperate Chance By Nicholas Carter.
185--A Supernatural Clew By Scott Campbell.
184--The Secret of the Diamond By Ernest De Lancey Pierson.
183--Hands Up By J. H. Bethune.
182--The Bottle with the Black Label By Nicholas Carter.
181--The Man Outside By Scott Campbell.
180--The Watertown Mystery By Harry Rockwood.
179--Caught at Last By Dick Donovan.
178--The Handkerchief Clue By Harry Rockwood.
177--A Scrap of Black Lace By Nicholas Carter.
176--The Tragedy of Ascott Mills By Scott Campbell.
175--The Secret of the Marionettes By E. De Lancey Pierson.
174--A Princess of Crime By Nicholas Carter.
173--The Honor of a Black Sheep By Scott Campbell.
172--Linked to Crime By Barclay North (W. C. Hudson).
171--The Silent Passenger By Nicholas Carter.
170--The Doctor’s Secret By Scott Campbell.
169--The Black Carnation By Fergus Hume.
168--Brought to Bay By Nicholas Carter.
167--The Links in the Chain By Scott Campbell.
166--Dr. Villagos By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
165--Held for Trial By Nicholas Carter.
164--The Reporter Detective’s Triumph By Scott Campbell.
163--Phil Scott, the Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
162--Nick Carter’s Star Pupils By Nicholas Carter.
161--A Plot for Millions By Scott Campbell.
160--Harry Williams, New York Detective By F. L. Broughton.
159--A Framework of Fate By Nicholas Carter.
158--The Lion of the Law By Scott Campbell.
157--By a Hair’s Breadth By Edith Sessions Tupper.
156--A Victim of Circumstances By Nicholas Carter.
155--Mrs. Donald Dyke, Detective By Harry Rockwood.
154--Driven to the Wall By Scott Campbell.
153--Nick Carter’s Clever Ruse By Nicholas Carter.
152--Fifteen Detective Stories By Police Captains of New York.
151--The Disappearance of Mr. Derwent By Thomas Cobb.
150--Lady Velvet By Nicholas Carter.
149--A Mystery of the Fast Mail By Byron D. Adsit.
148--Gipsy Blair, the Western Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
147--Nick Carter’s Retainer By Nicholas Carter.
146--The Stevedore Mystery By Barclay North.
145--The Railway Detective By Harry Rockwood.
144--The Twelve Wise Men By Nicholas Carter.
143--An Exchanged Identity By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
142--A Seven Days’ Mystery By Frederic R. Burton.
141--Nick Carter Down East By the author of Nicholas Carter.
140--Detective Reynolds’ Hardest Cas By Gabriel Macias.e
139--Fritz, the German Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
138--Crossed Wires By Nicholas Carter.
137--Donald Dyke, the Yankee Detective By Harry Rockwood.
136--In Peril of His Life By Emile Gaboriau.
135--The Crime of the French Café By Nicholas Carter.
134--By Whose Hand? By Edith Sessions Tupper.
133--The Piccadilly Puzzle By Fergus Hume.
132--Nick Carter’s Girl Detective By Nicholas Carter.
131--The Dugdale Millions By Barclay North.
130--A Millionaire’s Folly By L. E. Smyles.
129--The Man Who Stole Millions By Nicholas Carter.
128--The Caruthers Affair By Will N. Harben.
127--The Severed Hand By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
126--A Game of Craft By Nicholas Carter.
125--The Pomfret Mystery By A. D. Vinton.
124--The Trail of the Barrow By James Mooney.
123--The Elevated Railroad Mystery By Nicholas Carter.
122--The Mystery of Orcival By Emile Gaboriau.
121--The Man from Manchester By Dick Donovan.
120--The Twelve Tin Boxes By Nicholas Carter.
119--The Reporter Detective By Donald J. McKenzie.
118--Old Quartz By Eugene T. Sawyer.
117--A Herald Personal By Nicholas Carter.
116--520 Per Cent.; or, The Great Franklin Syndicate,
By Barclay North.
115--The Detective Tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
114--The Man Who Vanished By Nicholas Carter.
113--The Man with a Thumb By Barclay North.
112--The Garden Court Mystery By Burford Delannoy.
111--The Stolen Race-Horse By Nicholas Carter.
110--The Workingman Detective By Donald J. McKenzie.
109--Blackmail By Harrie Irving Hancock.
108--Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé By Nicholas Carter.
107--The Passenger from Scotland Yard By H. F. Wood.
106--Shadowed by a Detective By Virginia Champlin.
105--A Bite of an Apple By Nicholas Carter.
104--A Past Master of Crime By Donald J. McKenzie.
103--Old Mortality By Young Baxter.
102--Bruce Angelo, the City Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
101--The Stolen Pay-Train By Nicholas Carter.
100--The Diamond Button By Barclay North.
99--Gideon Drexel’s Millions By Nicholas Carter.
98--Tom and Jerry By Judson R. Taylor.
97--The Puzzle of Five Pistols By Nicholas Carter.
96--No. 13 Rue Marlot By Rene du Pont Jest.
95--Sealed Orders; or, The Triple Mystery By Nicholas Carter.
94--Vivier, of Vivier, Longman & Co., Bankers By Barclay North.
93--Adventures of Harrison Keith, Detective By Nicholas Carter.
92--Van, the Government Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
91--The Great Money-Order Swindle By Nicholas Carter.
90--On the Rack By Barclay North.
89--The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor By Nicholas Carter.
88--The North Walk Mystery By Will N. Harben.
87--Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men.
86--Brant Adams By Judson R. Taylor.
85--A Dead Man’s Grip By Nicholas Carter.
84--The Inspector’s Puzzle By Charles Matthew.
83--The Crescent Brotherhood By Nicholas Carter.
82--The Masked Detective By Judson R. Taylor.
81--Wanted by Two Clients By Nicholas Carter.
80--The Poker King By Marline Manley.
79--The Sign of the Crossed Knives By Nicholas Carter.
78--The Chosen Man By Judson R. Taylor.
77--The Van Alstine Case By Nicholas Carter.
76--Face to Face By Donald J. McKenzie.
75--The Clever Celestial By Nicholas Carter.
74--The Twin Detectives By K. F. Hill.
73--Two Plus Two By Nicholas Carter.
71--The Diamond Mine Case By Nicholas Carter.
70--Little Lightning By Police Captain James.
69--Detective Bob Bridger By R. M. Taylor.
68--The Double Shuffle Club By Nicholas Carter.
67--The Mystery of a Madstone By K. F. Hill.
66--The Detective’s Clew By O. L. Adams.
65--Found on the Beach By Nicholas Carter.
64--The Red Camellia By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
63--The Chevalier Casse-Cou By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
62--A Fair Criminal By Nicholas Carter.
61--The Maltese Cross By Eugene T. Sawyer.
60--A Chase Around the World By Mariposa Weir.
59--A Millionaire Partner By Nicholas Carter.
58--Muertalma; or, The Poisoned Pin By Marmaduke Dey.
57--The Vestibule Limited Mystery By Marline Manley.
56--At Thompson’s Ranch By Nicholas Carter.
55--His Great Revenge, Vol. II By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
54--His Great Revenge, Vol. I By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
53--An Accidental Password By Nicholas Carter.
52--The Post Office Detective By George W. Goode.
51--The Los Huecos Mystery By Eugene T. Sawyer.
50--The Man from India By Nicholas Carter.
49--At Odds with Scotland Yard By Nicholas Carter.
48--The Great, Travers Case By Dr. Mark Merrick.
47--The Mystery of a Hansom Cab By Fergus Hume.
46--Check No. 777 By Nicholas Carter.
45--Old Specie, The Treasury Detective By Marline Manley.
44--The Blue Veil By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
43--Among the Nihilists By Nicholas Carter.
42--The Revenue Detective By Police Captain James.
41--John Needham’s Double By Joseph Hatton.
40--The Mountaineer Detective By C. W. Cobb.
39--Among the Counterfeiters By Nicholas Carter.
38--The Matapan Affair By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
37--The Prairie Detective By Leander P. Richardson.
36--The Crime of the Opera House, Vol. II. By F. Du Boisgobey.
35--The Crime of the Opera House, Vol. I. By F. Du Boisgobey.
34--The Society Detective By Oscar Maitland.
33--The Convict Colonel By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
32--A Mysterious Case By K. F. Hill.
31--The Red Lottery Ticket By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
30--The Bag of Diamonds By George Manville Fenn.
29--The Clique of Gold By Emile Gaboriau.
28--Under His Thumb By Donald J. McKenzie.
27--The Steel Necklace By Fortune Du Boisgobey.
26--File No. 113 By Emile Gaboriau.
25--The Detective’s Triumph By Emile Gaboriau.
24--The Detective’s Dilemma By Emile Gaboriau.
23--Evidence by Telephone By Nicholas Carter.
22--The Champdoce Mystery By Emile Gaboriau.
21--A Deposit Vault Puzzle By Nicholas Carter.
20--Caught in the Net By Emile Gaboriau.
19--A Chance Discovery By Nicholas Carter.
18--The Gamblers’ Syndicate By Nicholas Carter.
17--The Piano Box Mystery By Nicholas Carter.
16--A Woman’s Hand By Nicholas Carter.
15--The Widow Lerouge By Emile Gaboriau.
14--Caught in the Toils By Nicholas Carter.
13--The Mysterious Mail Robbery By Nicholas Carter.
12--Playing a Bold Game By Nicholas Carter.
11--Fighting Against Millions By Nicholas Carter.
10--The Old Detective’s Pupil By Nicholas Carter.
9--A Stolen Identity By Nicholas Carter.
8--An Australian Klondike By Nicholas Carter.
7--The American Marquis By Nicholas Carter.
6--A Wall Street Haul By Nicholas Carter.
5--The Crime of a Countess By Nicholas Carter.
4--Tracked Across the Atlantic By Nicholas Carter.
3--A Titled Counterfeiter By Nicholas Carter.
2--The Great Enigma By Nicholas Carter.
1--A Klondike Claim By Nicholas Carter.
_The Radium of all Humor_
[Illustration:
_Comical
Confessions
of Clever
Comedians_
_By_ F.P. PITZER
- EDITED BY -
DEWOLF
HOPPER
]
Search the world over and you cannot find more genuine, original humor
than that contained in “Comical Confessions of Clever Comedians.” This
little volume has been compiled after the fashion of a continuous
performance. There is an All-Star Cast, or we might say a regular
“Whoop-De-Doo,” introducing such well known comedians as DeWolf Hopper,
Francis Wilson, Lew Dockstadter, Frank Daniels, Dave Warfield, Joe
Weber, and others. Just imagine what there is in store for the reading
public when a glance at the title page reveals the fact that DeWolf
Hopper, the hero of “Wang,” is the editor or manager of this All-Star
Vaudeville Company.
Issued in a very attractive cloth binding. Price, 75c. postpaid.
Street & Smith, Publishers, 238 William St., New York City
A CIGARETTE CLEW;
OR,
“SALTED” FOR A MILLION
BY
NICHOLAS CARTER
AUTHOR OF
“In the Gloom of Night,” “The Ruby Pin,” “A Scientific Forger,”
“Trapped in His Own Net,” “A Mysterious Graft,” etc.
[Illustration: S AND S
NOVELS]
NEW YORK
STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS
238 WILLIAM STREET
Copyright, 1905
By STREET & SMITH
A Cigarette Clew
A CIGARETTE CLEW.
CHAPTER I.
WANTED: TWO MEN.
“Well, Chick, it’s good to strike little old New York again.”
Nick Carter jumped down from the railroad car and shook himself like a
huge dog as his feet touched the stone flagging of the Grand Central
Station.
“You’re not more glad to see New York than New York is to see you,”
piped a shrill voice, and Patsy, Nick’s younger assistant, darted
forward to greet his chief and Chick, who were elbowing their way
through the crowd on the arrival platform.
The great detective had been out West on a puzzling case in which he had
to run to earth a combination of Montana swindlers. Nick and his chief
assistant had done splendid work, but there were still two members of
the swindling gang to be accounted for.
Patsy’s first question as they jumped into a cab was:
“What’s the latest from Montana?”
“We landed all of the crooks but two,” said Nick. “They took fright a
month ago when they heard we were to take the case and it has been
reported that they have come East. In that case, Patsy, you may have a
chance to bag the men who slipped through my hands.”
“Nothing would please me better,” was Patsy’s retort, and Nick laughed
at the boy’s eagerness.
“I bet Patsy will strike the fellows before you can say Jack Robinson,”
put in Chick, with a grin.
“You win your bet,” said Patsy, coolly. “I think I can put you on the
trail of at least one of the men you want. The other fellow will have to
stand till I look around a little.”
“What!”
“What!”
The word leaped from the lips of both Nick and Chick.
It was Patsy’s turn to grin now.
“When you boys stop jollying,” he said, “we will get down to business.”
“See here, Patsy, you’ve got news,” cried Nick. “Out with it.”
“Well, the truth is I have just come from an interview with a man who is
trying to get back his senses after a cold plunge in the Sound. The cold
plunge was not of his own choosing. He was thrown in at midnight, and
the man who flung him in was a Westerner. Now are you interested?”
“But there are more Westerners than one in the world,” objected Nick.
“Yes, but this one was called Yasmar.”
“Singular name for a Westerner; but that don’t help us any. The man we
want is a fellow called Ramsay.”
“And Ramsay spelled backward is Yasmar,” added Patsy.
“By Jove, you’re right! I never thought of that.”
“No,” retorted Patsy; “it’s a good thing you have a man of brains on
your staff.”
“Let that pass,” said Nick, smiling. “Any old way, this is bully
information. The report was true, then, and Ramsay and his pal have
really come East and are at their tricks again.”
“Don’t know about the pal, but I think we have come up with Ramsay all
right. The man he attacked is waiting for you at the office.”
“Great Scott, Patsy; that’s the most important piece of information you
have brought us.”
“And I kept it till the end for a good reason.”
“The reason?” demanded Nick.
“Oh, simply that the man himself is in no great hurry, and, besides,
he’s a good deal better off in Nick Carter’s study than anywhere else I
can think of. You will say the same when you hear his story.”
“Well, you need not go into the details since you have the man at home,
but what are the outstanding facts in the matter?”
“They’re not hard to tell. This man, his name is John Lansing, was on
board a Fall River boat bound from New York to Boston, when he was
attacked by Ramsay--or Yasmar as he calls himself now--and was flung
over the side. He escaped with his life and came to New York to give you
the story.
“I told him you were expected back in town by this train, and he said
he’d wait till I came back with you. He’s had a pretty close shave and
he was just a bit hysterical, but I quieted him down and I guess you
will find him quite rational when you reach home.”
* * * * *
Half an hour later Nick was closeted with the man who had narrowly
escaped death in the waters of the Sound.
Mr. John Lansing he found to be a young man hardly more than out of his
teens.
His face was pale and on his left temple there was a large patch of
court-plaster.
“My younger assistant has told me something of your startling
adventure,” said Nick, “and I am especially interested in the matter,
for I suspect that your assailant is a man who escaped me in the West.”
“You mean Yasmar?”
“Yes, or rather Ramsay, to give him his right name. Since coming East he
has seen fit to spell his name backward--the thinnest kind of an alias
conceivable. But please let me have your story from the beginning.”
“First let me ask, Mr. Carter, have you seen a copy of the evening
paper?”
“Yes, I glanced hastily at one, and noticed your case.”
“That is what I wanted to know. What do the papers say about me?”
“Not much; they simply print a dispatch from Boston, saying that Mr.
John Lansing has disappeared.”
“Any other particulars?”
“Oh, yes, the usual gush about your being such a good man and all that.
They mentioned, by the way, that you left New York on a Fall River boat
Monday night with Mr. Yasmar, and that the last Mr. Yasmar saw of you
was on Tuesday afternoon.”
“Yes, I supposed he was spreading such a report,” said Lansing, “but
the truth is, Mr. Carter, the last this man Yasmar saw of me was off the
Long Island coast at midnight Monday, when he threw me overboard; and
that brings me to the matter about which I wanted your help. You are the
only man living who can help me; the question is will you do it?”
“Tell me your whole story first and then I will answer you.”
“I will be as brief as I can,” said Lansing.
“My parents are dead, and my sister Louise and I live with our uncle,
Horace Montgomery, on West Forty-fourth Street.
“Mr. Montgomery is our guardian, and is the trustee of certain funds
which were left to us.
“Between us, Louise and I have some five hundred thousand dollars on
interest with a trust company.
“This man Yasmar came from the West, a month or more ago, and has
interested my uncle and some Boston men in a Montana mine which he calls
the Royal Ophir.
“Mr. Montgomery, in spite of my objections, is determined to invest this
five hundred thousand in Yasmar’s mine, but I am sure that the whole
thing is a swindle from start to finish.”
“How long have you felt sure that Yasmar was a swindler?” interposed
Nick.
“I have had a feeling that he was crooked ever since my uncle first
introduced him to me.”
“Just a ‘feeling.’ No other evidence prior to what happened on the Sound
steamer Monday night?”
“No. But the fact that Yasmar hit me on the head and threw me overboard
is proof that he considered me a menace to his plans and wanted me out
of the way.”
“Of course. And then his spreading the report that you disappeared from
Boston is another convincing detail.”
“Why did he spread that report? Why didn’t he say that I committed
suicide by jumping from the boat?”
“That would have led to awkward questioning. Not only that, but if you
were dead your money would be tied up in the probate court, and your
uncle could not invest it.”
“I see. That had not occurred to me before. What a consummate villain
that man Yasmar is!”
“If he is the fellow I am looking for,” said Nick, bluntly, “I may tell
you there isn’t a more cunning scoundrel alive. But how did he manage to
get the better of you on the Sound steamer? Put in all the details of
the occurrence. They may help in working your case.”
“Well, Mr. Carter, it happened in this way. I met Yasmar on board, and
we sauntered around the deck, talking pleasantly about general affairs.
All went well till about midnight. Maybe it was ten or fifteen minutes
after. But just about that time we got down to business. Yasmar and I
were sitting on a bench in the narrow passage between the side of the
boat and the cabin, well aft where it was shady.
“There was a full moon, the sky was cloudless, and the surroundings were
almost as plain as day. But nobody seemed to care anything for the
beauty of the scene except Yasmar and myself.
“We were not, however, vastly interested ourselves in the moonlit coast
line or the white-topped waves that surged past.
“We had other things to think of just then, and I will confess that I
was giving him a piece of my mind in reference to that mining affair.
“As we talked, both of us became excited and we rose and faced one
another. In a sudden flash of anger Yasmar, who is a taller man than
myself, made a jump for my throat.
“Then he bent me backward over the steamer rail.
“For a moment he held me in that position, glaring at me like a tiger.
“‘Be a little more temperate in your speech,’ he hissed, ‘or something
will happen.’
“‘You’d kill me!’ I gasped, as he withdrew his hands.
“‘Well, something will happen,’ he repeated, threateningly.
“‘Why don’t you kill me?’ I said, with a sneer, ‘then you could have
everything your own way.’
“‘Will you be reasonable?’
“‘I am reasonable,’ I replied. ‘You come from the West, Yasmar, and
those knockdown-and-drag-out Western methods of yours won’t go in the
East.’
“He muttered something under his breath.
“‘I am armed,’ I continued, threateningly, ‘and if you lay a hand on me
again it will be at your own peril.’
“‘Don’t give me any cause to lay a hand on you, and you’ll be safe
enough.’
“‘When I tell you I think you are trying to swindle my guardian on this
Royal Ophir mine deal, I am stating what I believe to be a fact.’
“‘Swindle is a hard term, young man.’
“‘It’s the only term to use--sometimes.’
“‘This is not one of the times. Everything in this transaction is open
and above board.’
“‘That is, it seems so.’
“‘It is so.’
“‘I have a feeling in my bones that my guardian is being tricked,’ I
said.
“‘Poppycock!’
“‘Sneer if you like, but it is my sister’s money and mine my guardian is
putting into the deal; not yours or his.’
“‘Your guardian is safeguarding your interest in every possible way.’
“‘I don’t care if he is. You’re shrewd enough to pull the wool over his
eyes, and I think you’re doing it.’
“‘There’s no possible chance to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. It’s
a straight, legitimate proposition.’
“‘I tell you I have a feeling that it is not.’
“‘You’re a man--don’t be so childish.’
“‘Childish! Is it childish to wish to keep for my sister and myself what
money was left to us?’
“‘You’re a weak-kneed fool, Lansing!’
“‘Now you are using strong language,’ I answered, and I shouldn’t be
surprised if my voice trembled with anger. ‘I give you fair warning of
what I am going to do.’
“‘What are you going to do?’
“‘I’m going to hire the best detective in America to look into this
mining proposition and see whether it’s as straight as you say it is.’
“‘You’re going to put a detective on my trail, are you?’ he hissed.
“‘That’s my intention.’
“‘I see your game! You’re going to fake up some sort of evidence to
prove me dishonest and queer this mining deal!’
“‘If you are honest you have nothing to fear. If dishonest, you’ll be
unmasked and a million will be saved to these New York and Boston
investors.’
“‘Who are you going to hire?’
“‘Nicholas Carter, if I can get him.’
“‘Carter!’ When I spoke your name, Mr. Carter, it leaped fiercely from
Yasmar’s lips, and was followed by a muffled oath. ‘You’re going to get
Nick Carter to dog me about New York?’
“‘If he’ll take the case.’
“‘Then you really think I’m dishonest?’
“‘I think you’re a confidence man, Yasmar; a swindler, a ----’
“Like lightning, his hand, which had been thrust into his pocket and
stealthily withdrawn, shot toward my temple.
“The hand was armed with a set of murderous knuckles, and the blow laid
me half over the rail, silent and motionless.
“I was as nearly unconscious as I ever want to be, but I still had some
feeling left, and I, as I hung there, half over the boat, I can remember
Yasmar looking round to see if the coast was clear.
“Quickly he lifted me and pushed me over the rail.”