The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

28 - THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. = stacle presented itself. Money was plenty, and men did not care to work while it could be avoided. Be- sides, the trip was along one, and few would have wished to attempt it at any time. He was lying in his apartment one afternoon, try- ing to make up his mind to the prospect of having to _ make the trip alone, and trust to luck for getting the right routes, when a tap came upon his door. ‘“‘Come in,”’ said Dan, and a bell boy entered the room. “Two men down stairs wish to see you, sir,’”’ said the youth, with the accent of awe which a young boy ever feels for a man of wide reputation. ‘‘Trot ’em up,’’ responded the detective, languidly, wondering who they could be. In a few minutes the lad returned with the two visitors. Dan had never seen either of them before. He was sure of that as he covered them with his sweeping glance. They were not such honest-look- ing persons as would excite hope in the mind of an evangelist. On the other hand their appearance was sinister in the extreme. They were both tall and powerful fel- lows, and had faces that would have done credit to any rogues’ gallery in the world. As they caught Dan’s eye leveled upon them they bowed, with a notable absence of grace or ease, and - saluted him. ‘“Mornin’, stranger,’’ said the taller, in a kind of cuttural prowling tone. ‘Mornin’, yerself,’’ responded the detective, simu- lating the dialect he had so lately learned. ‘‘Waltz in yere an’ take a cheer.”’ The visitors complied with the request, and pro- ceeded at once to business. e Eomicbooks com