Bob Younger's Fate — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

“a. > ade | » ’ . - 4) “4 . “= 2 > 7 Ce > = : ‘ , : S v4 \ \ \ \ a 1 BOB YOUNGER’S FATE. bese sli He had great difficulty, however, in making the experiment, for the dirt continually fell under his grasp, and he realized with horror that his strength was beginning to fail. One last determined effort raised him so that he could seat himself in the recess by holding on to the ragged bricks around him; but even in this position he was still partly in the water, and lable to slip in again wholly at any moment. Suddenly he bethought himself, with a smile, of the weapon that had frightened the blooming Katrina into hysterics, and seizing it with an eagerness that showed how exuberant his hopes had suddenly be- come, he began to dig in the dirt behind him with the result that in less than five minutes he had en- larged the niche sufficiently to seat himself therein with comparative comfort. “Now, my beautiful Queen, I rather think I shall have another whack at life and the Fidelity Bank robbers. I am sorry to have spoiled your pretty scheme, but I guess it’s spoiled. She’ll be down in the cellar in a jiffy to see if I have kicked the © bucket, so I think I shall try to blind her. There’s a small bitof a board that kept knocking about me in the water, and I shall:simply place my hat upon it. When she comes she’ll see my headgear floating around, and, of course, she’d be very dull of com- prehension if she didn’t at once conclude that my body was at the bottom; but she will not investigate until the arch plotter, Julian Stark or Bob Younger, who, in my opinion, are identical, comes to help her. - By that time I expect to be somewhere else.” Scarcely had he finished his task when he saw the dim reflection of a light on the floor overhead. He now withdrew himself into the niche, and awaited events. He could see that the light was being held over the mouth of the well, for its rays now fell on the surface of the water, and brought into perspicuity the hat which was floating lazily about. For full five minutes the person remained without moving, then slowly withdrew, leaving Belton once more in darkness, | (e(@) comicbooks