A League of Three: Boy's Detective Stratagems — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

ee Ee a ee ne 7 - ee be -_ » » ’ 1 ; > i Pa *y P m4 y F ' 1? , o "| J 7 ' , : » » Li iy i a. . a } ’ d ¢ ¢ i ; 5" a ; . i. 7 ’ ° . : - 7 — . — >. a P - } i - , q - . a is ae Vv > 4 : ’ . * ‘ of . > * A LEAGUE OF THREE. The man whom he had kicked had managed to rise to his feet and he made an attempt to deal the lodger a blow trom behind. Madie turned suddenly; he was, like most eountry-bred lads, a terrible high kicker, and he let his foot fly, caught his man under the chin and nearly raised him to the ceiling. When the man landed he toppled lover and lay still, hors du combat; there was nothing more to fear from him—he was done up. The clerk remained and he was a different chap to deal with. The incidents described all transpired within a minute, and Madie had just time to turn from the fellow ke had kicked in the chin when the clerk a second time made a rush for him. Neither of our hero’s assailants had made an outery, neither had Madie. He made a lick at the clerk, but the latter warded off the blow and caugat our hero a stinger on the forehead. Madie reeled but did not fall. The clerk followed up to deal him a second stinger, when the lad made a dive head first; his head struck the clerk square in the pit of the stomach. Our hero’s last move wasa peculiarly country trick and it proved effective, for with a grunt and a groan the robber clerk doubled up and fell to the floor. He too was momentarily all done up. It was the boy’s chance; he seized his coat, waistcoat and bundle, and leaping over the prostrate clerk reached the hall, where he met a man rushing toward him. Be- lieving the latter to be one of the gang Madie gave him a swinging clip with his bundle. The man fell and com- menced to shout and yell for help; indeed he cried murder, fire, and everything else. Our hero, however, did not wait; he bolted along the hall, reached the stairs and went down practically in two jumps. He ran through the reading-room and made for the stairs that led to the street, and down he sped, or rather leaped, and suddenly he struck against some one and he and the man he had run against GOMmMlEVOOKSiE