Gangsters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction; Mystery fiction
But, after all, it was not so easy; no easier than for one unacquainted
with any locality to find one's way about. Several times she found
herself at fault, and several times she was obliged to ask directions
again. She had begun to grow panicky with fear and dread at the time she
had lost, before, finally, she found the saloon. She was quite sure that
it was already more than half an hour since she had left the drug store;
and that half an hour might easily mean the difference between safety
and disaster, not only for the Adventurer, but for herself as well.
Danglar might have been in no particular hurry, and he would probably
have gone first to whatever rendezvous he had appointed for those of the
gang selected to accompany him, but even to have done so in a leisurely
way would surely not have taken more than that half hour!
Yes, that was Jake Malley's saloon now, across the road from her, but
she could not recall the time that was already lost! They might be there
now--ahead of her.
She quickened her steps almost to a run. There should be no difficulty
in finding the iron plant now. “Behind Jake Malley's saloon,” Danglar
had said. She turned down the cross street, passed the side entrance to
the saloon, and hastened along. The locality was lonely, deserted, and
none too well lighted. The arc lamps, powerful enough in themselves,
were so far apart that they left great areas of shadow, almost
blackness, between them. And the street too was very narrow, and the
buildings, such as they were, were dark and unlighted--certainly it was
not a residential district!
And now she became aware that she was close to the river, for the sound
of a passing craft caught her attention. Of course! She understood now.
The iron plant, for shipping facilities, was undoubtedly on the bank of
the river itself, and--yes, this was it, wasn't it?--this picket fence
that began to parallel the right-hand side of the street, and enclose,
seemingly, a very large area. She halted and stared at it--and suddenly
her heart sank with a miserable sense of impotence and dismay. Yes, this
was the place beyond question. Through the picket fence she could make
out the looming shadows of many buildings, and spidery iron structures
that seemed to cobweb the darkness, and--and--Her face mirrored her
misery. She had thought of a single building. Where, inside there,
amongst all those rambling structures, with little time, perhaps none at
all, to search, was she to find the Adventurer?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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