Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

160 OLD SPECIE. weapon lay in such a position that a hand thrust into the drawer would easily grasp it. Caldwell, having some secret fear of what might happen when the lawyer called upon him, had ar- ranged matters in this neat way. He did not mean to be caught napping. Old Specie knew what to do. Under such circumstances he was not the man to hesitate. Taking up the revolver he drew a lead pencil from his pocket, and with a dextrous movement punched the cartridges out in rapid order. Then he laid the weapon down just as he had found it, and pushed the drawer partly shut. Thus he had clipped the tiger’s claws. No danger there. Ah! a step upon the stairs. Like a flash he turned, and when the proprietor of the mansion entered the library the seeming law- yet stood admiring a wonderful painting on the wall. CHAPTER XXII. THRUST AND PARRY. Caldwell coughed. The detective turned slowly. “Ah! good-evening, sir.”’ “You made an engagement with me, Mr. Jen- kins. I gave Hp a visit to the theater in otaet to entertain you.’ “Sorry to deprive you of your piienenh Mr. Caldwell, but believe me, I shall do my level best to make it worth your while.”’ Was there a covert threat back of this? oes (E(0) comicbooks 3