Lannigan

“ Then Lannigan spoke slowly, in a puzzled way.
"I don't get you, Whitey," he said. "What do you mean?" Then, a little sharply: "You're quite right; you've got some reputation yourself, and you're badly 'wanted' if we could get the 'goods' on you. If you're trying to plant something, look out for yourself, or——"
"Can that!" snapped Whitey Mack threateningly. ”

“ He's like a blasted wizard with what he knows. And who'll he deal the icy mitt to next? Me—damn him—me, for all I know!"
"That's all right," observed Lannigan coolly. "I'm not questioning your sincerity for a minute; I know all about that; but that doesn't land the Gray Seal. I'll work with you if you've anything to offer, but we've had enough 'tips' and 'information' handed us at headquarters in the last few years to make us a trifle skeptical. Show me what you've got, Whitey?"
"Show you!" echoed Whitey Mack passionately. "Sure, I'll show you! That's what I'm going to do—show you. ”

“ A revolver shot cut a lane of fire through the blackness; and, above the roar of the report, Whitey Mack's voice in a fierce yell:
“It's all right, Lannigan! I got him! No—HELL!” There was a terrific crash of breaking glass. “He's got away!”
“Not yet, he hasn't!” gritted Jimmie Dale between his teeth, and his clubbed revolver swung crashing to the head of a dark form in front of him.
There was a half sigh, half moan. The form slid limply to the floor. Lannigan was floundering down the shop, leaping obstacles in a mad rush, his flashlight picking out the way. ”

“ It was that one touch of the lash and the succeeding swing of Lannigan's bulk which gave them the measure, which set the time, which made it possible for less than four thousand pounds of horse-flesh to jump a five-ton truck up the street at a four-minute clip.
For Silver all other minor pleasures in life were as nothing to the fierce joy he knew when, with a dozen men clinging to the hand-rails, the captain pulling the bell-rope and Lannigan, far up above them all, swaying on the lines, the Gray Horse77 Truck swept up Broadway to a first call-box. ”

“ She respects the moral code, though she goes into places which the majority of wives avoid.”
“How is it,” asked Chick, “that she’s in with such a fellow as Lannigan?”
“I don’t know how to answer that,” said Alice. “I don’t know how much she knows of Lannigan. But you know Lannigan is very swell. He’s a handsome fellow, so I suppose that he’s caught her fancy.”
“She’s taking big chances,” said Patsy, “in traveling around with a fellow so well known as he is.”
“She’s taking big chances all the time,” said Alice. “The wonder is that she hasn’t been dropped to. ”

“ They not only commanded a good view of the table occupied by Lannigan and his companion, but of the whole room.
“Chick,” said Patsy, “Lannigan isn’t broke, by any means. He’s doing the swell caper. Nothing but champagne and Burgundy does him. See him mix the fizz and the red.”
“Nothing less than seven and a half for that tipple,” said Merton.
“And nothing less than birds, as well,” said the girl Merton had called Bess.{156}
“His layout will knock spots out of a ten-dollar note,” said Patsy.
“You know who it is?” asked Bess.
“Know the man,” replied Chick; “his name is Lannigan.” ”

“ Yankee Sam turned up his coat collar and shivered.
“Them leaders is turrible good snow-horses; they sabe snow-shoes like a man.” Lannigan stretched his neck to catch a glimpse of them through the pines before they made the turn into the Main street.
There was a slightly acid edge to Uncle Bill’s tone as he observed:
“I ought to git my Try-bune to-night if the postmistress at Beaver Crick is done with it.” ”

“ BUT I'LL TAKE YOU TO HIM TO-NIGHT—and you and me nabs him together. Is that straight enough goods for you?”
“Don't get sore,” said Lannigan, more pacifically. “Yes, if you'll do that it's good enough for any man. But lay your cards on the table face up, Whitey—I want to see what you opened the pot on.”
“You've seen 'em,” Whitey Mack answered ungraciously. “I've told you already. The Gray Seal goes out for keeps—curse him for a snitch! If I bumped him off, or wised up any of the guys to it, and we was caught, we'd get the juice for it even if it was the Gray Seal, wouldn't we? ”

“ Ladew, if he could induce her to talk.
Without delay, then, he had hurried at once to Philadelphia, and had followed Mrs. Ladew to the department store where she met Lannigan.
Believing from what he had learned of Mrs. Ladew that she would not talk to him willingly, he had determined that he would use the knowledge of her escapade in New York with Lannigan as the means of compelling her.
His success he now felt was as great as he could have hoped for.
During the brief space of time taken to go from the ladies’ parlor into the carriage, Mrs. ”

“ Judge George Petty stammered in his eagerness. “That there mine’ll m-make ten m-men rich. They’s stringers in that there ledge that’ll run $5,000—$10,000 to the ton. I t-tell you, sir, the ‘B-Bouncin’ B-Bess’ ain’t no m-mine—she’s a b-bonanza! And, when you git down to the secondary enrichment you’ll take it out in c-c-chunks!”
Inwardly, Lannigan was cursing himself bitterly that he had eaten “The Gold-Dust Twins,” but, searching through his pockets, fortunately, he found a sample from the “Prince o’ Peace.” He handed it to Mr. Dill, together with a magnifying glass. ”

“ He began a search of the rooms, and finally, turning to the two, who were holding Lannigan, said:
“Handcuff that man and tie his ankles, while we search for that model.”
This was done, and the three began an exhaustive search of the rooms, which ended in finding the model,{112} badly broken, in a pasteboard hatbox in the bottom of a closet, covered with clothes.
“I think this can be patched up by a skillful man,” said Nick, after examining the model. “At all events, we have got all that we started out to get. ”

“ Who is your man?”
“Seaman.”
“The deuce!” replied Patsy. “What is he here for?”
“I don’t know,” replied Chick, “but I followed him here from Broad Street.”
“He is waiting for somebody?” asked Patsy.
“It looks that way,” said Chick, “and I think it’s Lannigan.”
At this moment Patsy caught the arm of Chick, and giving it a hard grip, nodded his head up the street.
Chick turned to see Nick Carter coming down on the same side of the street on which he had followed Seaman.
“He’s on the shadow,” said Patsy.
“Yes; but who?” ”

“ Well, Lanning, I'll take that risk. I know he's more devil than man when it comes to gun play, but we'll meet him together. Give me your hand!"
There was a riot in the brain of Andrew Lanning. The words of the outlaw had struck something in him that was like metal chiming on metal. Iron dust? That was it! The call of one blood to another, and he realized the truth of what Allister said. If he touched the hand of this man, there would be a bond between them which only death could break. In one blinding rush he sensed the strength and the faith of Allister. ”

“ Lanyard laughed—"and in the same breath that I am 'dear' to you! It's no good, Liane: you can't be Morphew's friend and mine."
"I tell you nothing but what of a certainty and my own knowledge I know. Morphew is nothing to me, you are everything; notwithstanding, your suspicions do him an injustice—he would have saved you in New York had you permitted. But you wouldn't listen to me when I prayed you to accept his offer of intervention . . ."
"That at least one finds easy to believe." ”

“ The sun grew so old its level rays struck in at length beneath the window awning and burned his face with a crimson glare till Lanyard started up, bemused, out of a nightmare of stokehold drudgery—only to fancy himself, with that ruddy beam boring through blue shadow to lend colour to the illusion, back in his stateroom on the Port Royal, waiting for the pretty person of Liane Delorme to justify her knuckling of the door. ”

“ But you're different—you're a man. All in all, Lanning, I think you're about as much of a man as I've ever crossed before. No, you won't pull that trigger, because there isn't one deliberate murder packed away in your system. It's a good bluff, as I said before, and I admire the way you worked it. But it won't do. I call it. I won't leave your trail, Lanning. Now pull your trigger."
He smiled straight into the eye of the younger man. A flush jumped into the cheeks of Andrew, and, fading, left him by contrast paler than ever. ”

“ He passed an affectionate arm through Lanyard's and was suffered, though the gorge of the adventurer revolted at the familiarity. "I am sorry to leave you. No, do not be astonished! No protestations, please! It is quite true. I know a man of the right sort when I meet one, the sort even I can associate with without loss of self-respect. It is a great pity you may not come with me and make a night of it."
"Another time, perhaps," Lanyard said. "The night may yet come when you and
I shall meet at the Metropole or the Admiral's Palace.... Who knows?"
"Ah!" sighed the Prussian, enchanted. ”

“ There followed an echoing thud against the forward partition.
Picking himself up smartly, Lanyard crept several paces down the alleyway, flattening against the wall, straining his vision, listening intently, rewarded by neither sign nor sound of his antagonist.
That one must have been swift to advantage himself of Lanyard's tumble. If he had not vanished into thin air, or gone to earth in some untenanted stateroom thereabouts, he found in the close blackness of that narrow passage a cloak of positive invisibility to cover his escape. ”

“ Either the murk deceived or Lanyard had judged shrewdly. His feet were on an approximate level with the coping round the roof, and he stood about as far from the upper girder to which the rope was hitched as that was distant from the coping.
One look up and round at those louring skies, duskily flushed by subdued city lights: with no more ceremony Lanyard released the upright and committed his body to space.
If the downward sweep was breathless, what followed was breath-taking: once past the nadir of that giant swing, he was borne upward by an impetus steadily and sensibly slackening. ”

“ Immediately the vehicle swerved, rounded a corner, and made back toward the Seine with a celerity which suggested that the stables were on the Rive Gauche.
"Where?" the girl demanded as Lanyard sat back. "Where are you taking me?"
"I'm sorry," Lanyard said with every appearance of sudden contrition; "I acted impulsively—on the assumption of your complete confidence. Which, of course, was unpardonable. But, believe me; you have only to say no and it shall be as you wish." ”

“ He was cut out to be a man-killer. You say you want to get away: Lanning, you can't do it. Because you can't get away from yourself. I'm making a long talk to you, but you're worth it. I tell you I read your mind. You plan on riding north and getting out of the mountain desert before the countryside there is raised against you, the way it's raised to the south. In the first place, I don't think you'll get away. Hal Dozier is on your trail, and he'll get to the north and raise the whole district and stop you before you hit the towns. You'll have to go back to the mountain desert. ”

“ And once, when this one looked up and casually encountered Lanyard's gaze, the adventurer was shocked to find himself staring into eyes like those of a dead man: eyes of a grey so light that at a little distance the colour of the irises blended indistinguishably with their whites, leaving visible only the round black points of pupils abnormally distended and staring, blank, fixed, passionless, beneath lashless lids. ”

“ Doing myself a service? But you make me feel ashamed!"
"I know," agreed Lanyard, depreciatory; "but that's the way I am—a little devil—you really can't trust me! Adieu, Monsieur le Comte."
"Au revoir, monsieur!"
Lanyard saw the car round the corner before turning to the entrance of Troyon's, keeping his weather-eye alert the while. But when the car was gone, the street seemed quite deserted and as soundless as though it had been the thoroughfare of some remote village rather than an artery of the pulsing old heart of Paris. ”

“ Lanyard checked off on his fingers: "Swain, Collison, Mussey. Who next? Why not I, as well as another?"
"Do you imagine for an instant that I class you with such riffraff?"
"Why, if you really want to know what I think, Liane: it seems to me that all men in your sight are much the same, good for one thing only, to be used to serve your ends. And who am I that you should hold me in higher rating than any other man?" ”

“ Her weary glance ranged the luxuriously appointed studio and returned to Lanyard's face; and while he waited he fancied something moving in those wistful eyes, so deeply shadowed with distress, perplexity, and fatigue.
"I'm very tired indeed," she confessed—"more than I guessed. But I'm sure I shall be comfortable.... And I count myself very fortunate, Mr. Lanyard. You've been more kind than I deserved. Without you, I don't like to think what might have become of me...."
"Please don't!" he pleaded and, suddenly discountenanced by consciousness of his duplicity, turned to the stairs. ”

“ And presently Lanyard felt his heart stir with relief: the spy's glance had winced.
"Ekstrom," the adventurer said quietly, "if you fire, I'll get you before I fall. That's a simple statement of fact."
The German hesitated, moistened the corners of his lips with a nervous tongue, but contented himself with a nod of acknowledgement.
"Take your hand off that gun," Lanyard ordered. "Remember—I've only to cry your name aloud to have you torn to pieces by these people. Your life's not worth a moment's purchase in Paris—as you should know." ”