y 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 ashore.

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 passed, 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
assistants. 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