The Safe Breakers' Gang — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

oY! ow $, “og ey ” SES rt eae ee - a & » a ,. “- - oe —_ 4 ‘. ty A xt ra : ba : Ce i < 4 THE LOG CABIN LIBRARY. —— ee agined, knowing as he did who put this rock on the track, he was in an extremely uneasy frame of mind. A dozen times he was on the point of telling of his ad- venture with Jules Jepworth. : W here, he asked himself, was this invincible stranger “Do you know why ?” now ? “| hain’t the least idea. Since going out in obedience to his command to remove likely to be crooks.” the rock, he had seen no sign of the stranger. “You have hit it,” grinned the dwarf. It had been the purpose of the latter, as he well knew, | sation of fear thrilled the youth. to get aboard the freight. But he straightened his sturdy figure, and braced up Had he done so? And was he at this moment concealed | his courage by recalling that he had never been thrown on board the train? , in a wrestle nor ‘‘knocked out” in a square stand-up fight Tad’s brain was ina whirl. And, while he transmitted | in all bis life. the telegram as dictated by the conductor to the superin. “And I might hit it again by guessing that you was a tendent, he added, under the impulse of the moment, the | pal of his’n,” he boldly uttered. words : “Vou’re great at guessing,” grinned the dwarf, witha “Look out for a stowaway on board No. 96!” writhe. “You could guess a whole book, if you didn’t The reply, “O. K.,” was all that came back. And Tad | know how to read, itis likely. But with all your guess- rose from the instrument with a loudly beating heart. ‘ing, you never dreamed that Jules Jepworth did anything “Tve given ’em ahint about that bloke, anyhow,” he | more here than to put the rock on the track, and then to thought. “And now if they don’t spot him it ain’t my send a message to have the train ordered to stop at this fault. Butif that Jules Jepworth should find out that I | station.” done it, after his ugly threats—jee!—butI dunno but he’d; ~ What do ye mean ?” kill me” “Go in and look at the safe in the office. Tad went out, and saw the freight move slowly away. | will tell you.” Once more he was alone, and a sense of vague fear stole| Beads of perspiration suddenly started forth on the upon his usually indomitable spirit. | foreheaa of the youth. And when, a moment Jater, as he wason the point of “Land alive!” he cried. re-entering the station, a dwarfish figure rose, as it) Ata bound he gained the interior of the little office, and seemed to him, from the very ground at his feet, his heart glanced toward the big safe in the corner. leaped into his throat. | He noticed that a barrel stood in front of the lock. The first glance at the strange figure told him that it) He rolled itaway; and at the same moment he was was notthe one who at that moment he most feared to conscious of the presence of the dwarf at his side. meet—Jules Jepworth. | | A glance told him the story. Yet he was but slightly reassured as he looked into the! A hole had been drilled in the door of the safe, and the grotesque face of the dwarf and saw that it was one door itself stood slightly ajar. whom he had never met before. He had left it secure—even he was not capable of the His first and most natural inference was that it was! negligence of leaving it open. an accomplice of the bold man who had compelled the He flung it open now; the ponderous door swung back freight to stop at Tin Bridge. ‘against the wall with a thud. | | “He told you his name?” ‘He said it was Jules Jepworth.” “And that he wished to get aboard that train?” ‘So he said.” But It reckon such as him are And a new sen- Maybe that ‘Who in the old cat——” the youth began. The small money-drawers in the safe had been taken other interrupted in a harsh, rasping voice: out, and replaced upside down in the bottom of the open “Dye nothing to do with cats, old or young, Tad Silsby. space underneath. So give me your undivided attenton for 1 moment.” “Robbed, by hickory !” shouted Tad. Tad leaned against the station building, his big hands; ~ Just so!” smiled the dwarf. involuntarily clenched. Tad turned upon him fiercely. “Tf he wants a row with me,” was his inward comment, “And you know who did it!” he cried. “T’]] give him all he wants of it! I never was afraid of a) “I know who did it.” shorty yet!” “And I’) warrant that you know where the money is— “T want you to tell me what you know about the man that you’ve got a part. of it, or expect to have.” that caused that train to stop at this station,” said the! “{ know pretty nigh where the money is, young man, stranger. but mighty little of it do I expect to get as my share.” “How do I know who did it?” the youth returned. “Then you was pals, and he played ye false—lit out ‘“ Because you saw him, and he told you that he put the; with all the boodle ?” rock on the track, and then telegraphed himself to stop | the train.” time they don’t hit any closer than they ought to. Just Tad realized that the other in some way knew the truth, clear your noddle of one error, and then you’ll be in shape or at least enough of it to render any attempt at decep- : to see the truth when it appears to you. The one that tion futile. robbed this safe of the money deposited here this morning “T never saw him before to-night,” he admitted, with to pay off the hands on the new section of the road that’s an apprehensive backward glance. For it seemed to him building is no pal of mine. I’m short and scraggy, I own, every moment that the piercing eyes of Jules Jepworth and my eyes ain’t mates, and my ears and nose were But the were upon him. pi , “You never saw him until to-night, eh?” the dwarf per- business at all.” sisted. “ Never that I knuws on.” ‘ ; : “ . . 1 eee ‘ ' ; : 4 7 -<- ; , ' ; 4 - + “ - . - » d P — = : ° ¥ be ix 1o* -s* ris ¥. : P VF ¢ wed - “" . ‘ * ' : ‘ f ri a ' i . wr, é ’ ‘ j ° - ‘A y - - “ , ye, aA are ‘ . - Ye : ‘ - * v4 - i " bea rv. - 4 Ae y 7 - - ie ~*¢ 144 es : 3 . a , Vase , eH eae’ , . “7 . VI mY . De AOD ie MR SNE ye t “—_) Site ~~ AY, . ine za : = Se a my 4 a - i; Sy > i . ' a - 4 ota pe *, cs Jt » e pres > i VA - Pa - art - - on, veorts i ty / eG Af Wi 8) eres > a ~ eres ‘ ‘ : be. d f 54" wath Baader = ; > of ais : a) oA 74 oa) hd Vv a ¢) « » ys tee 7 . ‘ ‘ i , a ak - ; ¥ , - -_—- <n ials » Zi r Pua * ee Oter uy ; : ‘te 4 Se , er tse"? 7 . | Se ER Le ae |e oh ' ; Py) p y a? 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