The Bradys' Chinese Clew; Or, The Secret Dens of Pell StreetDoughty, Francis Worcester
General
The Bradys' Chinese Clew; Or, The Secret Dens of Pell Street
Doughty, Francis Worcester
Detective and mystery stories; Dime novels; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction
"No, madam; nothing definite as yet," replied the old detective.
"I was afraid it would be so. Pow is a very slick fellow. But you must
certainly find her, Mr. Brady. You see, not only do I love the poor
deluded girl dearly, but she has robbed us. Three thousand in cash, Mr.
Brady; money that I have been saving for years. Then there are certain
important papers. Those are what we are most anxious to obtain."
"Yes, ma'am. And what may the nature of those papers be?" the old
detective asked.
"That I should prefer not to explain."
"But, my dear madam, you leave us in the dark. How can we be expected to
find papers of which we know nothing?"
"Oh, you just find my daughter. She will give up the papers quick
enough."
"You are sure?"
"Quite sure if I can only once get my hands on her."
"Where are you staying?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet. You see I came here directly from the
train. I shall make it a point to send you my address once I am
located."
"And this boy! Shall we send him home?"
"That will be the best way, if he will mind you. He never will me. He is
a wild, harum-scarum fellow. It was perfect nonsense to send him here
to look for his sister. But I wish you would tell me what you have done.
I understood from Mr. Butler that you had learned that Ethel was here
along with her Chinese husband."
"We have learned that much, Mrs. Butler, but we have been unable to
locate her."
"It is too bad. I suppose Mr. Butler considers it all my fault. I don't.
Pow persuaded Ethel to act as she did, I am sure. I don't know as I am
to be held accountable in such a case."
Old King Brady all this time had been sizing the woman up.
With her husband's letter in his pocket, which told him of family jars,
accusing Mrs. Butler of aiding and abetting Ethel in her Chinese
escapade, and even hinting at the necessity of a speedy divorce for the
writer, he saw plainly that some powerful motive other than love for her
adopted daughter must have influenced her when she made this sudden
move.
He resolved to shake her off and turn her over to Alice, telling her
nothing about Ed.
"Mrs. Butler," he said, "let me be perfectly frank with you. Since Mr.
Butler could not come to us, we must decline to pursue this case any
further. All I have been able to learn about your daughter came to me
through a certain female detective, a woman who is partly Chinese. She
has a room on Pell street, in Chinatown. Better see her this afternoon.
I happen to know that she will be in her room at three o'clock. No doubt
she will be glad to help you along in the matter. She is a person you
can rely on."
The woman looked surprised.
Old King Brady felt that she also looked rather relieved.
"What is this woman's name?" she asked.
"Her real name is Chinese. I forget it," was the reply. "She goes by the
name of Gertrude Brown. Here is her address."
Old King Brady scribbled name and address on a slip of paper and passed
it over to Mrs. Butler.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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