The American Marquis by Nick Carter — page 172: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

168 | THE AMERICAN MARQUIS. The mayor dropped like a log. Lete-de-Fer bound and gagced him without eons to _ discover if his man might not be dead. It made very littie difference to him, since Bras-de-Fer — had not said he must not kill him. Lhe mayor was not dead, however. - He was found and freed the next. morning by some pass- _. ing peasants. _ His story of being afraid of his wife was a little piece of fiction. She was afraid of him. Nevertheless he would have been glad to have slipped _ quietly into the house with his bruised and bloody head. _ To his dismay, however, the whole house was alive and in an uproar. They had first missed the mayor, and had noticed a lad- der at his window. It took him just fifteen minutes to silence their clamor at his window. ‘*My money!” he yelled. It was his only thought. He flew up stairs and hurled himself acainst the door. The key had been taken from his pocket. He was a little man, and the door was strong. He nearly went crazy while he waited for somebody to come with an ax and break the door down. Suddenly he bethought him of the ladder, and without a word of warning plunged into the terrified crowd behind him, and knocking them right and left, flew down stairs. Thinking he had become crazy in real earnest they fol- lowed him, screeching and crying. He rushed to the ladder, mounted it, and darted head- foremost through the window. The strong box was open. With a howl he sprang to it and peered in. It was empty. A knife sticking i in the table caught his eye. The knife pierced a piece of paper, on which was written: _ In memory of November 13, 18——-. One good turn deserves an- —other.”’ When the servants put their heads through the window the mayor was counting imaginary bank-books. over his strange appearance, and to learn that a ladder was comicbooks.co 7 4 ; as ; aA 5 ta iy Bi : - * ae: —