"A bottle."

"And you are to prove it?"

"Yes."

"I'll take the bet."

The fellow who had offered to make the bet immediately rose, crossed the cabin to where Cad sat and said:

"Say, miss, you've heard the bet. Raise your veil and let me win. I know you are a beauty."

The men all laughed. They thought it evidently the joke of their lives; to them it was immense.

It was so destined to turn out. Immense was no name for what followed, and it is very unfortunate that similar roysterers do not run up against a like party.

"Come, miss," urged the man, "I've paid you a compliment. You ain't a-going to let me lose my bet?"

Cad paid no attention to the fellow, and his companions jeered. One said:

"She daren't raise her veil, or she'll make you lose, sure."

The man who had bet exclaimed:

"You've lost; I've got a bottle on you."

"Not yet; come, miss, you won't see me lose."

All this time the two detectives had sat silent. They knew what would follow, and just when to come in with the sledge hammer part of the farce. Yes, they were ready in good time to play the anvil chorus on the heads of the lively gang of insulters. It was just their pie, as the slang phrase has it.

"You've lost," cried the better.

"Come, come, miss, do you hear what he says? I know you're a beaut.

Raise your veil and give me the laugh on him."

Cad sat mute, and finally the man said:

"I can't lose; I've got to see your face if I lift your veil myself."

"Yes, yes, raise and expose her mugg," cried one; "if she were a beaut she would'nt let you lose that way. Lift her veil."

It was time for Oscar to interfere and he said:

"That will do, young fellow."

"Will it?" cried the man in a fierce tone.

"Yes."

"What have you got to say about it anyhow?"

"This lady is in my company, under my protection."

"Oh, is she?"

"She is."

"Well, here goes."

The man grabbed Cad's veil and raised it, disclosing her really lovely face, and at the same instant he uttered a yell of triumph, but the next moment he roared forth a yell of pain and rage, for Oscar had leaped to his feet, dealt the man a clipper square on the nose and over he went.

The rest of the gang immediately set up a yell, leaped to their feet and made a rush, and the next instant there followed a regular young riot, but the fun of the thing was all on one side. The other officer also leaped to his feet and started in on the tattoo act. He just swung around like a revolving wheel with distended cogs, and every time he revolved down went one of the men, and Cad just stood up on the seat and laughed. The laugh in fact had bounded over to the opposite side of the cabin from where it first started. As the men who were downed attempted to regain their feet they got it again, and got it good. The two detectives having dropped the rascals with their fists gave them the balance of their dose with leather, and they did leather them well, kicking them over the floor of the cabin like stuffed bladders. The deck hands heard the noise, ran to the doors, and taking in the situation remained aloof. They were glad to see the rowdies get a whacking; glad that for once the a.s.sailants had run up against the wrong crowd. The rowdies bled and yelled, bled for their impertinence, yelled in dismay and terror, for they feared they would be beaten to death. They pleaded for mercy, and all the time the ferry boat kept on its way; and about the time our friends had fun enough the boat slid into her slip, and with a merry good-night to the discomfited and bleeding insulters Oscar and his friends proceeded ash.o.r.e.

On the day following the incidents we have recorded our hero, Wise, the special, and several other officers held a consultation. To Wise alone did our hero reveal the importance and extent of the information he had secured, and a plan was arranged.

At the time named Oscar met the woman Libbie and he played her well--played for time, for his whole plan had been changed. One thing had led up to another, and the one little racket he had at first intended to work had been put aside for a new one under the latest developments.

He parted from the woman, threw her and her friends off his track and lay low for a fresh "shadow" on Redalli, and in due time he got on the track of his man.

Several days pa.s.sed, and Cad and Oscar followed their lead. Our hero several times met the woman Libbie Van Zant and made her feel very good.

He played the dupe to perfection; let it appear that he was dead gone on the siren; pretended to reveal everything to her, while in fact he was just getting his points from time to time and keeping her friends under close observation through her. He had constant access to the secret room in the house of Credo, listened to a great many consultations, and at length learned just the right facts for making one of the greatest hauls in the history of crime. He trailed to the delivery of the counterfeit goods at the house in Hoboken, and had every reason to believe that the plates also were all stowed away under one roof. Indeed, it appeared in plain words as though he were destined to capture not only all the manufactured stuff, but the complete outfit of the counterfeiters, the labor of years.

On the night when the great raid was to be made Dunne met Wise and his a.s.sistants. All the plans were completed and Wise said, at a proper moment:

"Dunne, you are the detective of the age."

At the proper time the detectives one by one stole over to Hoboken. They took up their station, waiting for signals. Oscar had fallen into the wiles of the siren. She had arranged with him to take him to the house--she had played as she supposed a great card. She believed she had the name of every detective engaged on the "shadow" and she became bolder; told our hero she had in the interest of her brother and the detective beguiled one of the gang; informed him that she could introduce him into the house where the whole gang was to meet; that she would be able to identify every man of them. She even professed to have fallen in love with Oscar, played the alluring siren to perfection, and it was in her company that our hero proceeded to Hoboken to be introduced into the house and hidden at a point where he could see and overhear. In talking to Girard the woman had said:

"I've got him dazzled. The man believes in me as he does in his own mother. He is like wax in my hands. I can do with him as I choose."

"Are you sure he is not fooling you?"

"Am I sure? Yes, I am sure. I will have him in that house to-night. You will discover him and drag him forth. The plan will be carried out: At the proper time the riot will commence and in the melee down he goes."

"I hope it is as you say. I would not chance even on your positive a.s.surance, but Redalli says it is all right, and he is the boss. He takes the responsibility."

As intimated, Oscar started for Hoboken in company with the siren and two trusty men followed his steps. Our hero was determined that there should be no miss. He had provided against every possible contingency.

He arrived at the house. Oscar had been seemingly persuaded that the siren's brother was to be their guide, that she had fooled him for his own eventual good. Arrived at the house the siren signaled and a young man, supposed to be the woman's brother, opened the door. The woman asked:

"Have they arrived?"

"No one has arrived yet."

"Then I can secrete my friend."

"Certainly; but, sister, remember, I am trusting you and believe it is for your and my eventual good that I consent to act in this matter."

"You can trust me."

"If not you, whom can I trust?"