Detective Bob Bridger — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 175 dow to let me hin, ’e would growl as hif ’e would want to heat me up. But ’e’s dead now, bean’t ’e, Master Bridger ? "EH! ’e! See-re-go !” “T’m not surprised that you had a fight if you entered Muggins’ house,” quoth Goucher. “I know the man, of course, but he never would permit me to enter his home, and that dog was a terrible beast—a regular house-watcher, imported from Germany.” “But ’e’s hexported now, bean’t ’e, Master Bridger? ’E! ’e! See ree-go!” quoth Billy. ‘And how did you manage to enter the house, if I may ask?” said Goucher. “Oh, easy enough,” returned Bridger. “The signal, as Billy said, seemed to be a tap on the window at the head of the steps. Rachel, the daughter, opened the door in re- sponse; we secured her in her room, searched the house, found what we wanted, and thanks to Billy, escaped the dog.” | “Well, all I’ve got to say is,” commented Goucher, ‘‘you did a nervy thing. To my certain knowledge, there are ‘fly-cops’ and ‘crooks’ in New York who had liked to’ve entered there, but dared not do so. Muggins always kept his house locked, and that brute’s growl, as it sounded in the clothing store from the rear room, was enough to make a man fear to enter farther. Of course, you know that Muggins is a rich fence, and—”’ “Hi should think ’e was a rich ‘fence,’” chimed in Billy. “’EK’s gota safe back there as is crammed full of money han’ golaen ‘boodle,’ ’e! ’e! ’e! Hide liked many ’e time to ‘ave ’elped crack Mr. Mugginses’ safe for ’im, ’e! ’e! See-ree-go !” ‘The old miser?” exclaimed Goucher. “It’s the likes of him that reap all the reward of the dark deeds of crooked men. And it would serve him only too well to lose to some of them a bunch of his ‘boodle.’ ” As “Silly” Billy continued to narrate his experience in Muggins’ house Goucher listened intently, and Bridger did Sean to notice that his humor became better all the while. In fact, the detective instinctively felt that Goucher had learned points which he intended to use. At length, just before the cab pulled up at the ferry, he slapped Bridger ina patronizing way upon the shoulder, eee profuse in his apologies as to the attempt upon is life, (ECO aylicel exeye) <S €o