Detective Bob Bridger — page 228: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 921 ‘Rachel continued to rub her benumbed limbs, and at length began to cry bitterly in her misery. Sammy dropped back upon a chair, and covering his face with his hands, swayed to and fro, weeping and uttering lamentations coupled wtih his brother’s name. Presently Rachel tottered toward the stove, in which the fire had long since gone out. Lifting the coffee pot from it, she placed the spout there- of to her lips and drank deeply of the cold, invigorating liquid within. Replacing the utensil, she turned toward Sammy and said : “Vat is dat you say of my’ fadder, Uncle Sammy ?—he vas tied down ?” “No, I said not he vas tied down, Rachel,” moaned Sammy. “He vas hung up! Poor Moses vas dead—dead !” “If vould not believe such nonsense. You vas crazy, Uncle Sammy,” quoth Rachel. As she spoke she limped from the room and hastened along the hall-way to the stair way at its rear. Sammy staggered to-his feet and followed her, moaning piteously. Hre he had reached the hall-way Rachel had begun to descend the stair-way. Suddenly a shrill, heart-rending shriek rang throughout the building. Rachel had beheld the form of her father dangling dead in the door-way, and, plunging forward in a swoon, had fallen in a mass at the bottom of the stair-way. Thoroughly alarmed by the terrible cry, and rendered delirious at the remembrance of the horrible spectacle be- neath, Sammy Muggins began to run swiftly back and forth in the hall-way, and yell at the top of his voice. A number of the neighbors and passers-by soon congre- gated at the door without. A policeman, attracted by the crowd, elbowed his way to the door, and opened it. “What is the matter there?” he demanded, gruffly, of Sammy, as he peered within the hall-way, and beheld the frenzied man flying about in his night-clothes and yelling like a madman. sammy continued his cries, and pointed down the stair- way. ae officer entered and hastened in the direction indi- cated. A moment later he emerged with pallid features among ~comicbooks. (Elo) m