The Bradys and the Girl Smuggler; Or, Working for the Custom House
Page 3
CHAPTER III.
CAUGHT IN AN ELEVATOR.
The Bradys felt convinced that the smuggler and his daughter were workingsome scheme to take some valuables ashore, duty free.
Closely watching the pair they saw them enter the cabin.
Following them in, the Bradys observed the pair gliding swiftly down apassage, out on which opened the doors of several staterooms.
La Croix and his daughter entered one of these rooms.
Rushing forward, the Bradys listened outside the partition and heard theman ask:
"Did you geet eet, Clara?"
"Yes, papa," replied the girl in a low, pleasant tone of voice. "After Ileft you on Maiden Lane, I came right here and mingled with the throngwaiting to meet the various passengers. As soon as the gangplank was down,I slipped aboard and met the steward. He had the parcel and gave it to me."
"Open eet so we can distribute ze jewelry about our pairsons. Zen we geetze sings ashore ver' easy, an' no wong weel see ze package bulge out ourclothing. _Mon Dieu_, but I vas ver'--vot you call--ze--ze--worried."
The crackling of paper was heard.
For a few moments afterward there ensued a deep silence.
Old King Brady silently beckoned to Harry and they retreated a few paces.
"I'm going right in after La Croix," he whispered.
"We've got him dead to rights," replied the boy.
"Are you prepared for a fight?"
"Oh, yes. I've got a powerful persuader in my hip pocket."
"Then come on with me."
He strode forward and pushed the stateroom door open.
It opened inward and as the room was very small, it pushed La Croix againstthe two bunks and wrung the startled cry from his lips:
"Look out, Clara!"
The girl glared at the detectives and demanded:
"What do you want in here?"
"That man!" said Harry, pointing at her father.
"What for?"
"Smuggling!"
"He isn't!"
"We'll search him and see."
The Bradys grasped the excited Frenchman.
His clothing in the region of his stomach was bulging suspiciously and OldKing Brady slapped the spot and demanded:
"What have you got there?"
"Nosing!" protested La Croix. "Zees ees an outrage, sair!"
"Oh, I don't know!" laughed Harry.
"Clara!" roared the man. "Go tell ze captaine, quick, to come 'ere."
The girl slipped out the door and vanished.
Left alone with the man, the detectives laughed and Harry said:
"Unbutton your coat and vest."
"_Sacre!_ For why?" growled La Croix.
"We want to see what you've got stuffed in there."
"Gentlemen, you wrong me!"
"Bosh! Open up quick, or we'll do it for you."
La Croix reluctantly opened his vest and a package dropped out.
He then was of normal size.
"This is what we are after!" laughed Harry, picking up the parcel.
"But, Monsieur, eet ees only a worthless--"
"Silence, sir!"
And Harry opened the mysterious parcel.
It was filled with sawdust.
The man laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and asked:
"Veil, sair, you ees satisfied?"
There was a look of disgust on Harry's face and he cried:
"He has cleverly duped us and the girl got away with the valuables."
Old King Brady was furious.
"Confound her!" he roared. "Come--search this man thoroughly, and if he hasnot got any contraband stuff, we'll search the ship and arrest the girl."
Harry turned La Croix's pockets inside out.
Nothing was found upon his person.
Then they searched the room.
Still nothing came to light and Harry said:
"He has nothing with him."
"Very well. The girl has, then."
"Now, Monsieur, I hope you see zat you wrong me?" said La Croix.
Old King Brady gave him a peculiar look, shook his finger at the Frenchmanand replied in angry tones:
"We know you, La Croix. You are the worst smuggler in this port. It won'tbe long before we run you in for your crooked work."
"Ah--how you can say zat?" innocently asked the man.
"We have no time to discuss the matter now, for we are very anxious to nabyour daughter Clara," said the old detective. "But you will meet us againvery soon. Then look out!"
They hastened out of the stateroom.
Once outside Harry whispered hastily:
"You go ahead and I'll fool him."
He thereupon slipped into an adjoining room.
Old King Brady knew at once what the boy wanted to do, and he left thecabin and began to search the ship for the girl.
La Croix was peering cautiously from the room he was in and seeing the olddetective disappearing out the door, he emerged.
Watching Old King Brady to see that his own actions were not observed, thesmuggler finally left the steamer with Harry at his heels in a change ofappearance which even his keen eyes failed to penetrate.
Old King Brady saw them depart.
He transformed his own appearance.
Both he and Harry now had assumed their natural looks.
There was a big white felt hat on the old detective's head, his frock coatof dark-blue was buttoned up to the neck, around which there now was astanding collar and an old-fashioned stock and on his hands were cottongloves.
The boy's suit of brown plaid, and a bicycle cap on his head, were muchdifferent from the reverse side of his clothing and the other hat he hadworn.
In the street Harry saw the man hail a cab and get in.
He saw his partner and beckoned to him.
When they met, Harry asked eagerly:
"Did you find the girl?"
"No. She must have hurried from the steamer."
"Well, La Croix is bound to meet her now."
"Of course."
"Our plan is to keep him shadowed."
"See if we can't get a cab, too."
They pursued the carriage on foot as far as Eighth avenue before theyencountered a public hack and got in.
Instructing the driver to pursue the other vehicle, they were carried up toFourteenth street, across town to Broadway and thence up to Twenty-thirdstreet.
La Croix's vehicle paused before the Fifth Avenue Hotel and he alighted.
"We were not misinformed about his address," commented Harry.
"No. He is probably going in there to meet the girl."
"Let's get out here at the Arch so as not to attract his attention."
"Very well. Be careful now."
They dismissed the cab and hurried into the hotel.
La Croix had disappeared from view and the detectives hastened to theoffice and said to the clerk:
"Got a party here named La Croix?"
"Yes, sir. They're in room 678. Wish to send up your name?"
"No," replied Old King Brady, with a smile, as he exhibited his badge.
"Oh," said the clerk, "detective, eh?"
"We're after La Croix. He's a crook."
"He is? What has he done?"
"Smuggler."
"I see. How about his wife and daughter?"
"They must be in his game too."
"Going to pull them in?"
"Probably. Is he in his room?"
"He just went up the stairs."
"I wish we could reach his apartments ahead of him."
"So you can by going up in the elevator. It's on the top floor."
"Well try it."
They hastened over to the elevators and found that the only one down wasone which had no conductor in it. As they did not wish to lose time, theyboth got in, shut the door and pulled the wire cable.
Up they glided, story after story, without seeing him ascending the stairs.
He had gone up in an elevator f
rom the floor above.
Above on the beams over the elevator shaft La Croix was crouching with abig hatchet in his hand, as he peered down at the people ascending in thecars.
He had detected them in pursuit and expecting trouble, he was waiting togive the detectives a warm reception. He evidently recognized them withouttheir disguises.
As he caught view of his pursuers coming up in the car, he picked up thehatchet he had found lying on the beam.
Raising it above his head, he brought it down upon the cable by which thecar was suspended, with all his strength.
The shock caused the Bradys to look up and they saw what he was doing.
Bang! went the keen blade upon the cable again where it crossed the wheel.
The weight of the car caused the wire rope to part where he cut it, and theelevator's ascent was checked.
It began to fall with the detectives in it.