Francis Worcester Doughty

“ And Harry was so earnest about it that Old King Brady went, leaving him in charge of Alice and Quong Lee.
It was well towards midnight before Old King Brady again found himself approaching the old fertilizer factory.
He was not alone.
Feeling that he might need help he confided the details of his case to Wardman Connors and took him along.
"I don't see a soul," remarked Connors as they approached the pier. "I am afraid it is all Harry's imagination." ”

“ The old detective walked into the room.
He did not know the man so far as he could remember.
Nor was he particularly surprised at the situation, for he had taken no steps to conceal his identity.
"Hello, John! Here I am. Now what you got to say to me about that boy?" he asked.
"Money," replied the Chink. "Me can tell. Two hlundled dlollar—yair."
"You are up against it, governor," laughed Harry. "Do you propose to pay in advance for your Chinese clew?"
Old King Brady's answer was a roll of bills.
"I should have looked out for the boy better," he said. "I am willing to pay for my carelessness." ”

“ A heavy dear stood open. Behind it were portieres of red cloth, partly drawn. The light came streaming in between these curtains and they could hear voices talking in Chinese inside.
"What are they saying?" Old King Brady breathed in Alice's ear.
"They think someone is dead," whispered Alice. "That is as near as I can make it out."
"Stand ready for business, Connors," said the old detective. "Now for our look."
Old King Brady and Alice, pushing in between the curtains, saw enough.
Harry had got himself into a bad fix.
There he lay on the floor with three Chinamen bending over him. ”

“ Alice, who was in the ambulance, suddenly turned to the old detective and said:
"Really, Mr. Brady, it is useless to take Harry to the hospital. If he is not dead now he will die before he gets there. The only possible chance to save him is to get a Chinese doctor."
"Nonsense!" mused the ambulance surgeon. "What do Chinese doctors know? They are the worst kind of quacks." ”

“ He shuddered as he stood there listening to the gabble of the Chinamen, and wondering what his own fate might be.
"I don't know that I have any further questions to ask you now, Brady," said the Chinaman at length. "You may have a few to ask on your own account, however. If so, now is your chance, for I am in the mood to answer any reasonable question as it happens."
"Why have you captured me?" demanded Harry. "That is the main question."
"And it shall be answered. I have captured you on general principles. I know what you Bradys are. Once you put your hand to a case you never let up. ”

“ On the pier were clothes, evidently belonging to a young man.
When he came to look them over later, Harry recognized the suit which Ed Butler had worn.
But just then their attention was attracted to a stout boat, which was being rapidly pulled out on the Sound.
There were three persons in it, and it could be seen, dark as it was, that one of them wore no clothes.
Harry turned his glass upon the outfit.
It was all he could do, for the boat was already beyond revolver range.
"Chinks," he said. "The naked one is a boy."
"Can it be your Ed?" demanded Alice. ”

“ Brady, I have had the time of my life to keep it out of the hands of those Chinamen."
"But where is it now?" demanded the old detective impatiently.
"I tied it to the lowest rung of that ladder under the water," said Ed.
"Go for it!" cried the old detective. "Don't keep us any longer in suspense." ”

“ Alice is running a great risk, and I don't care to have her remain with that Chinese woman a moment longer than necessary."
He had scarcely spoken when a very young man, little more than a boy, in fact, entered the restaurant.
In his buttonhole he wore a yellow dahlia.
It was rather a singular flower for a boutonniere.
The Bradys noticed it at once.
"Look!" whispered Harry. "A yellow dahlia, the flower Mr. Butler was to wear so that we could identify him."
"Yes, but a young man—a mere boy. It must be a coincidence," the old detective replied. ”

“ Immediately the rope ran up over a pulley above, apparently, and that with great rapidity.
Evidently something heavy was attached to the other end.
Needless to say it was the corpse of Fen Wix, the informer.
It came down into a sort of niche and stood there leaning against the wall.
Harry shuddered as he looked at it.
"So you have hung the old man?" he gasped.
"As you see," replied Joe Ding. "Is he the man who blabbed to Old King Brady about Pow Chow and this treasure business?"
"Now that he is dead I suppose I may as well admit it. Yes, he is the man." ”

“ The two men were none other than the world-famous detectives, the Bradys of the Brady Detective Bureau, Union Square, New York.
"Heavens, how it rains, governor," remarked Young King Brady as there was an extra loud splash against the window near which they sat.
"An awful storm, indeed," remarked the old detective. "It wouldn't surprise me if after all Mr. Butler did not come."
"He spoke in his letter of being quite feeble."
"Yes, and yet he gave his age at only sixty-five."
"Some men wear better than others."
"Decidedly so. We can only wait and see. I hate to disappoint Alice. ”

“ The boat was tied up to a pier and Tom Quee had vanished.
Now, if ever, seemed Ed's chance to escape.
Looking around, the place seemed rather familiar, and he soon came to the conclusion that it was the scene of his adventures the night before.
"Where in thunder is the Chinaman?" he asked himself. "What ought I to do?"
His one idea now was to get away and find the detectives if he could.
And yet he could not seem to give up the thought of the pension agent's money either.
Ed sat in the boat hesitating.
He who hesitates is lost, they say. ”

“ They were looking down into the water.
"Sure enough they are the men now!" muttered Old King Brady. "Connors, these are the ones we want. Upon my soul I believe that boy is diving for them now."
He was right.
At the same moment up came Ed out of the water.
He was empty-handed.
One of the Chinamen seized an oar and would have struck at him but Old King Brady raised a shout.
The Chinamen looking up and seeing the detectives, instantly pulled their boat in under the pier.
"That you, Ed Butler?" cried Old King Brady, hurrying forward. "Oh, Mr. Brady! I'm so thankful you have come!" Ed cried. ”

“ Did Ed find the crooked pension agent's buried treasure?
That we must now proceed to show.
The Albany boy made a long dive and came up at some distance away from the pier.
Treading water, he peered in beneath it, and seeing no one, swam in closer, for it was very dark.
Pow Chow watched him admiringly.
"See any one under there, Eddie?" he called, assuming that the boy had seen no one or he would have spoken before.
"No, I can't make out that there is any one there," replied Ed, "but I am going to make sure."
"No, no! Don't go in under there. You will play yourself all out. ”

“ It is close by here, Ed. Remember when your father went to New York after finding the papers?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, he located the place then, or pretty near it, but not being a swimmer, he could do nothing, so he came home to think it over. He told your mother, and she told Ethel, and Ethel told me, but what none of us knew was just where this money was hidden; that the old man, wise guy that he is, kept to himself, but he wasn't wise enough not to write it down, and that's what he did. He put that paper along with the rest. Ethel got the whole bunch before she came away. I have them now." ”

“ When they got him on Quong Lee's bed and loosened up his clothes the old divekeeper made a personal examination.
"What do you think, Quong?" demanded Old King Brady when at last he pulled away.
"Him velly bad," was the reply. "Me muchee flaid, Blady."
"You consider him dead?"
Quong Lee nodded.
It was despairing, but as the old detective had already come to the same conclusion he said nothing and at last the Chinese doctor came.
Instead of being the old man they had expected to see, he was quite a youthful looking proposition.
Moreover, he wore American clothes and spoke perfect English. ”

“ Pow is a very slick fellow. But you must certainly find her, Mr. Brady. You see, not only do I love the poor deluded girl dearly, but she has robbed us. Three thousand in cash, Mr. Brady; money that I have been saving for years. Then there are certain important papers. Those are what we are most anxious to obtain."
"Yes, ma'am. And what may the nature of those papers be?" the old detective asked. ”

“ I want to be good to you, but this is the limit. Be good, and you won't regret it—that's right. Say, Ethel, there's no use in us quarreling. According to your own account you and Eddie never could pull together. Go on upstairs and leave him to me."
Somewhat to Ed's surprise the girl flounced out of the room without a word.
Pow Chow lit another cigarette and offered the package to Ed.
"No, I don't want to be drugged again," growled Ed.
"You need have no fear. I only made them give you that cigar to keep you quiet. It was just opium. A little of it hurts nobody. I want to be a friend to you, Ed. ”

“ You have bunked up against one of the most dangerous tongs in Chinatown, and all the more dangerous on account of its being so little known. I refer to the Brotherhood of the Red Door."
"I have known this long time that such a society existed in San Francisco, but I didn't know they had a lodge here in New York."
"Well, they have."
"Are you a member?"
"Now don't go to asking questions. It is enough for you to know that your death has been decreed by this tong. It is the same with Old King Brady. You want to tell him that." ”

“ While the flag remains untorn by the wind, the etiquette of Sumatra forbids her to marry, but at the first rent, however tiny, she can lay aside her weeds, assume her most bewitching smile and accept the first man who presents himself. ”

“ Ed waited several minutes, and at last feeling himself safe, he caught hold and pulled himself up through the opening.
He found himself now in a dark narrow passage so low that he could not stand upright.
The lantern was needed. Why had he forgotten that?
It was necessary to get down on top of the cot again.
Ed made the descent, reached for the lantern, got it and returned.
"I suppose if I do succeed in reaching the street I shall be arrested," he said to himself, "but I don't care. Anything is better than being held a prisoner by these horrible Chinese." ”

“ As Ed did not know he suggested that it might be a good scheme to answer the knock and find out.
"I shall have to do it," whispered Tom Quee as the knocking continued, "but first to get you out of sight. It won't do to have you seen."
Tom Quee opened the door of a closet and pushed Ed inside.
"Don't make a sound if you value your life," he whispered as he closed the door upon him.
An unpleasant half hour followed.
Two Chinamen came into the room.
Tom Quee seemed to have his hands full with them, whatever it was they wanted.
They gabbled away in Chinese until Ed was sick of listening to them. ”

“ He drank too much last night and talked about his plans to two men, both Chinese. This old fellow overheard, although they supposed he could not hear. He says that these two men are out for this treasure. The boy, it appears, is an extraordinary swimmer, and the plan is to use him. Fen Wix thinks that Pow Chow will have no recollection of the talk he made. He considers these two men his enemies, and yet he will not give away their names. He says that because he hates them and because he is too old to go after the treasure himself, he is giving the secret away to you, as he needs money. ”

“ Alice assented.
A little later Old King Brady and Harry went to Chinatown again, and with the aid of the wardman made a thorough search for Ed.
But it came to nothing.
The same ground was gone over again; other secret dens were visited on the block.
But it is always hard work in Chinatown without a clew.
When detectives visit the Chinese houses, no objections are ever offered to a search, nor is any help ever given.
The Chinese sit around perfectly indifferent, seemingly.
Once in a while bribes will do the business. ”

“ He is so at times, but there are times when his hearing is perfect. He says that they have taken the boy away up into the Bronx to a cottage on Lorimer's lane, near the ruins of an old fertilizer factory; that is all the description I can get of the place."
"And it happens that I know it," replied Old King Brady. "There was once a fertilizer factory at the foot of Lorimer's lane. It burned some years ago."
"Pow Chow and his white wife are there in that cottage. They have a scheme to recover a lot of stolen money sunk in the water near by. ”

“ Alice and the wardman equally with himself had their revolvers ready.
Then it was a case of three against three.
Taken entirely by surprise, the Chinks surrendered almost without an attempt at resistance.
The detectives had come prepared with four pairs of handcuffs.
Thus the prisoners were easily secured.
"The man who raises his voice dies," cried Old King Brady. "Mind what I tell you now! I suppose you all understand English, but in case you don't here is one who will tell you in your own language what I have said."
Alice repeated his command in Chinese. ”

“ He resolved to shake her off and turn her over to Alice, telling her nothing about Ed.
"Mrs. Butler," he said, "let me be perfectly frank with you. Since Mr. Butler could not come to us, we must decline to pursue this case any further. All I have been able to learn about your daughter came to me through a certain female detective, a woman who is partly Chinese. She has a room on Pell street, in Chinatown. Better see her this afternoon. I happen to know that she will be in her room at three o'clock. No doubt she will be glad to help you along in the matter. She is a person you can rely on." ”

“ Young King Brady's brain quickly began to whirl.
In a very few moments he was unconscious.
Joe Ding's plan had failed.
True to his threat, he promptly "beat it" when trouble came, leaving poor Harry still in the power of the Chinese of the secret dens of Pell street.
CHAPTER IX. ED FALLS INTO NEW HANDS.
It would seem as if the brothers of the Red Door tong were especially addicted to drugging.
Ed got his dose in the boat, as has been told.
When the boy awoke it was not to full consciousness. He felt like one in a dream. ”