The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

10 At that moment there was heard a loud ringing _at the bell. *°Tis the cook,” said Warner. the noise will wake Davy.”’ He peeped at the key-hole, and saw Davy stirring. ‘“Now’s my time,” said he, putting on his former disguise, namely the false wig, whiskers, moustache, slouched hat and cloak. ‘Tt must be done,’ he said, as he peeped through the keyhole, dagger in hand. At that awful moment the solemn sounds of Big Ben were heard. Slowly boomed forth the mystic hour of twelve! Warner felt the blood creeping through his excited heart like icicles. A deathly damp oozed from his brow. He could scarcely breathe. He had not gazed at the sleeping man more than a second when he was horrified at what he then saw in the sick man’s room. . A youth in a mask, dressed much like himself, en- tered old Ford’s bed-chamber, knife in hand ! The young stranger seemed to have glidéd in “Let me see if through the wainscotting in some mysterious way, } and with noiseless step. : He hurried to the bedside of the old man, who now suddenly awoke. With a loud shout and scream of alarm and horror, old Ford rose bolt upright in his bed. The young assassin was for a moment surprised, and he hesitated what to do. “Spare me! spare me!” the old man cried, The youth rushed upon him with an angry oath, knife in hand, , Old Ford seized his uwpraised arm with a grip of frenzied energy. A fearful struggle for life or death ensued. “ Spare me! spare me!” the old man gasped. ‘You know me not,” the villain hissed. “Tdo! Ido! You are my nephew—my nephew —I will bequeath all to you, but spare my life.” “Down, miser, down!” said the desperate as- gassin, with an oath, “ Die—die like a dog !’’ he said. The next moment he plunged along thin steel weapon into the old man’s side, who fell back with a loud groan, dying. ad With a low, fiendish laugh the assassin rushed towards the chamber door to escape. There stood Davy, concealed and gazing on the frightful scene, almost distilled to a jelly with fear and trembling. ‘Oh, heavens! it is—it is—I know him !” he said, and fell on the landing, fainting, as the assassin rushed past him and dashed down the stairs. HAPTER III. THE OLD GARDENER’S SECRET— THE ANCIENT ROOM — CONSTERNATION OF JONATHAN AND SHANKS—THE REVOLVING CUPBOARD — THE SURPRISE—THE DISCOVERY, “On, heavens, Shanks! surely those wild devils will not dare to break into this room?” said old Gravestones, with looks of terror upon his pale and haggard face. “‘T don’t know, sir,” said the red-haired Shanks, with a bitter smile upon his bloodless lips; “ but it appears to me, now that they have got the upper hand of us, that they'll attempt anything.” “ But if they find out——” Bg THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDIS YOUNG CAPTAIN. “No fear of that, sir,’ Shanks replied. “They will have to go through many rooms before they get to theirs.” “ But they might, you know ; and, if our secret is found out, they would kill us.” ‘Then we must fight,” said Shanks. “They are but youths, you know, and one determined man is worth more than any dozen of the young brats.” The Rev. Jonathan did not quite understand this, for he had fought against the young Garibaldians for a full hour,,he knew, and had got much the worst of it. ~ “Td give’a hundred pounds to see Frank Ford or Dick Fellows lying dead at my feet !” said the master, bitterly. : ‘‘ Have you any arms—a pistol or sword ?” ‘No, nothing.” ‘‘ Then I fear if they do break in upon us, we may get roughly handled, for nearly all the boys have joined them now.” So it seems, from their wild shouting. Look out of window, Shanks, and see what they are doing.” . Shanks did so. The instant he did so hisred head was recognised by the boys below, and a shower of apples, potatoes, stones,-and such like, were thrown up at him. “They have ransacked_all the cellars, sir,’’ said he. e “The young imps of the devil!” said the master; **T’ll have all the young villains transported.” _— During all this time Frank’s followers had been hammering at the iron door, but without success, ~~ | They might have remained outside a long time, but just as Frank and Dick were about to give up the task in despair, old Giles, the bandy-legged gar- dener, appeared on the stairs, radiant with smiles. “ Don’t speak my name, Frank,” said he, “ but ’'m right glad you’ve served old Jonathan ont at last = I knew it would come to this before long. Where is he?” | ‘“TIn the small room with the iron door. Is that the place he keeps his money?” said Frank, in @ whisper. “No, lad; but that room leads to another where he keeps a great secret.” “A great secret? What do you mean?” asked ' Dick. ‘‘What I mean is this, lads; but mark me, don’t let any more than two on ye know it at once. He’s got a great secret in one of the rooms im this house.”’ > “Has he ?” “Yes; and a dive one,” said Giles, with a knowing wink, ‘at least, they were alive when J last saw *em, poor devils.” .. ‘' What do you mean, Giles ?” “T mean nothing, my Jads; but he thinks there is only one way into that room of secrets, but he’s much mistaken, Z know another,” said Giles, “and if you wants to know all about it, why, Vil show you the way ; but, mark ye, lads, come this way, and when you have found it all’ ont there’s only one thing Pll ask of ye.” pe ‘“ What is it, Giles ?”’ “Why, this, don't you hill Mr. Jonathan 2”? So saying, Giles led Frank and Dick away to the end of the corridor, and pulling out a rusty key opened a door, It was a small, empty room full of rat holes. ait ais “Well, what have we to do h » “There is nothing here, Giles,” one oe aaa “ Perhaps not, Master Frank ; but there és in the next room,” Comicboo Ho(EO) : . ak