CHAPTER VIII.
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 goingvery slow, as he hoped to draw the old man on and force him to a verystartling confession. He told the story of Sara Sidney--told it in astraightforward, simple manner. The old man listened attentively andbetrayed considerable emotion, and he muttered:
"How unfortunate I have been robbed! How much I might have done for thisdaughter of my old friend! But alas! I am a poor man now--yes, a poorman."
"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 onedollar. 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 toyou than a friend. I recovered the stolen property of Sara Sidney; Iwill recover your property."
"Who are you, young man?"
"You may call me the devil or Tom Walker if you choose, it makes nodifference. I will recover your property, and now I tell you I know yourname is Sidney and the girl I know is your niece, and that accounts forthe wonderful resemblance to the portrait of your daughter."
The old man glared.
Ike, as our readers will observe, was pressing right ahead in hisimpressions. He had arrived at a conclusion and he was assuming a tonecalculated to force the old man to an admission. He said:
"You need not fear. Your niece is independent; she will not become aburden to you. She is a brave, true, energetic young girl. She has somemeans--enough to maintain her until she is in a position to supportherself by her labor. I tell you, when you see her you will be proud ofher."
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 nearlythirty years. If what you say is true this girl may be my niece. Whencan I see her?"
"You cannot see her until I have caught the thieves and restored theproperty 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 myname is Sidney, and that I am a brother of the Sidney who went toCalifornia. I went to South America and while there met a young Americangirl, the daughter of the United States consul. She became my wife andone 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 tomy daughter. I am of humble birth, and I set to work to accumulate agreat fortune for my child. I brought out masters from Europe to educateher. She was beautiful, amiable, bright and accomplished, and I washappy. But alas! death came stealing along one night and wrapped itscold arms around my child, and I laid her beside her mother. From thatmoment I lost all ambition, all interest in life. I had heard many yearspreviously that my brother was dead. I had never heard of his marriageand did not suppose he had left a child. Strange fate! I live, but mychild is gone; he has gone and his child lives. I converted all mywealth into bonds, money, jewels and securities, and I came home toAmerica. They call me a miser, alas! In my own way, secretly, I havebeen aiding the poor and needy for twenty-odd years. The portrait yousee is a portrait of my child. In the South, you know, girls mature veryfast. She was but thirteen when she died. Well, I have had no interestin life. I fear nothing, I have cared for nothing. I have only beenwaiting for death to come and claim me. His visit has been long delayedand now my wealth is gone. I did not care, but now I do care, for if youare not deceiving me I would have had something for the child of mybrother; and you say she resembles the portrait. Well, when my brotherand I were boys we greatly resembled each other. And now listen to me: Iaccept your gage. I will not ask to see my niece until you have madegood your promise; either you shall recover my fortune or you shall cometo 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 yourfortune, and now I have a double motive for doing so."
There came a quick, searching glance to the old man's eyes, but he saidnothing 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 anyrecollection 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 ofthe 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 yourcare, and there I met and fought them until overpowered."
Ike went down to the parlor. He spent one minute gazing at the portraitand then set to work. He had associated so much with detectives he hadtheir methods down to a fine point; and besides, as our readers know, hewas naturally a perfect wonder in shrewdness and cunning. He drew hismask 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 hismask lantern over every inch of the carpet, asking questions of the oldman 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 andheld the threads under the full glare of his lantern, and the old manexclaimed:
"I remember; yes, I did grasp one of them by the hair and must havepulled a few locks."
"Hardly a few locks, but enough," said Ike.
The young ventriloquist obtained what he most desired. He had thedescription, as stated, and he knew the color of the hair of at leastone of the robbers. Let him find one of them and he well knew he wouldnot only run down the men but the "swag." He felt quite jubilant, andafter a long talk with Mr. Sidney, in which he gave the old gentlemanvery minute instructions, he passed out the front door, and as he did soa 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 sameinstant 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, andflashed the light straight in the fellow's face. The man uttered anoath, drew a revolver and made as if to strike Ike a blow, but insteadhe received a rap on the head which felled him as though he had beenhit with an iron bar. As the man fell Ike leaped over his form and heand Jack sped away. Our hero had reasons for speeding away, for hebelieved 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 totell 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 mancome stealthily down the street. I stole behind them and overheard theirconversation. They were not looking for you, but some one else. I thinkwhen 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 weremaking for the one objective point and both got on to the trail of theman whom Jack had so opportunely knocked over just as he aimed a blow atIke.
As intimated, they got on the trail of the man and followed him until hemet a second man on the Bowery. The latter had come from a saloon--abrilliantly illuminated gin palace. He stood right under the glare ofthe 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 identifiedthe man standing in the doorway of the gin palace beyond all question asone of the burglars.
"This is great!" said Jack. "Let's close in on him, and I'll try alittle hypnotism on him."
"You may have plenty of chance yet for the exercise of your mysteriouspower, Jack."
We will here state that Jack had given Ike an exhibition of his wondrousgift as a hypnotist. Ike was the greater ventriloquist, but he did notpossess the hypnotic power; while Jack possessed it, as the readers ofhis 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, butupon discovering his man so soon his blood did course rather rapidlythrough his veins.
There is one other fact we wish to state: burglars, as a rule, do notleave the great cities. They find them safer hiding-places than anywhereelse, despite the great number of detectives hovering around. There areall sorts of burglars--the bunglers and the accomplished chaps whoproceed on almost scientific principles. These men are strategic. Theystudy out all their plans weeks in advance. They calculate all theirchances, both to accomplish their burglaries and also to prepare fortheir retreat and hiding. Ike calculated that the men who had robbed Mr.Sidney were accomplished and veteran crooks who would be likely toremain in the city, especially after making such a big haul; and when hesecured the specific clue he calculated upon finding his man, butcertainly 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 weredestined to have quite a long shadow ere they ran their game down. Theylocated him in his haunts, but did not trail to any permanentabiding-place; and finally, well on toward morning, they returned totheir home well wearied out but hopeful. Ike was sure the man wouldremain in the city and that he could locate him almost any time when heneeded.
It was late on the following afternoon when our hero visited SaraSidney. He listened to a long and hopeful talk of the girl's plans. Hedid not say anything direct, but did project:
"Suppose you should find your uncle, and he should disapprove of yourplans?"
"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 sawhis brother."
"Well, some men live to a pretty old age. I am sure I will find youruncle."
"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 weeksago."
The girl became quite interested, and she looked very animated andbeautiful as she urged Ike to tell her how he had learned that her unclewas living a few weeks previously.
Ike, however, did not tell his tale, but he hoped to tell her in thenear future, and with it also add the wonderful narrative of therecovery of a great fortune.
Three weeks passed, and during that time either Ike or Jack or DetectiveDu Flore was on the trail of the light-haired man whom our hero hadidentified 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 trackand 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. Allthree did not "dog" the man at one time--they did so alternately. It wasIke's "tour," as boatmen say, and the ventriloquist struck his "lay" atlast. Hope is the propelling force of energy, and it was constant hopethat made our hero so persistent on the track of his man. Often duringthe three weeks he had visited Sara Sidney. He enjoyed her importunityas she urged him to explain what he meant when he told her that he knewher uncle was still living. It was delightful to him. The girl was aconstant charm to him when in her presence, and a memory of her sweetpersonality haunted him when he was away from her. Yes, he had a strongmotive for sticking to the trail, and, as intimated, he at length fellto a great lead. He had followed his man to Staten Island, or ratherfollowed him on board one of the Staten Island boats, and then a greatgame commenced. He saw the thief wander all over the boat scanning theface of every man and woman on board, and the ventriloquist made asecond discovery. He had seen the man exchange signals with afine-looking lady on board, and as the burglar wandered around Ike sawthe lady watch him in a most intent manner, and he muttered as a greatsuggestion came to him: "At last! At last!"
The Twin Ventriloquists; or, Nimble Ike and Jack the Juggler Page 8
