Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

- oe @ “~ =) ” " ° o- " - A OE De, OD. OPO BED me en he a a eal ot . NO ae oo ee ie iene i ee set . 2 ee _* a . om > Ce ~ P od oa i a ee eee te ee THE MOUNTED = ——_ ‘old on, mister; you can’t go away sop fasi.”’ ‘1 am not going away fast; but I can not re- main here. I have an engagement.”’ “ Yes: you have an engagement with us.”’ ‘“Gentlemen, L hope you wiil do no vio- lence.”’ ‘* Ah, Jerry, he calls us gentlemen now, that’s right; but he called us scoundrels a moment aco, and we must punish him.”’ | Tom Hawk assumed an appearance of abso- lute terror, and the two men laughed heartily; they ep‘oyed the gentleman's fright hugely. ‘Come, Jerry, let’s take him to the river.” The two men advanced-and seized hold. of ¢he detective; the latter appeared ready to faint, and too weak to offer resistance. Te men started to lead him away toward the river bank, and as they walked him along be- tween them one said: ‘‘ You're a nice duck to act as the rescuer of {wo young ladies!”’ ! ‘You gentlemen can not be in earnest; you do not intend me any harm?’’ pleaded the de- tective. ‘Oh, no, we do not intend you any harm; can you swim?”’ ‘* No, no!’’ “That’s what we thought, and we’re going to teach ycu, so that when some lady falls over- board you can leap in to the rescue; as you ap- pear to fancy that sort of business, we le going to teach you the trade.”’ ‘You can not mean what you say?”’ ‘* Oh, yes, we do mean what we say.” ‘‘] do not wish to learn how tp swim.”’ “But yeu must learn,” ‘‘But Lcan not remove my clothing; you ‘know at any moment people may come along here.’’ ‘Oh, that’s allright, you need not remove your clothing; we’ve a patent process for teach- ing fellows like you how to swim with their clothes on.’’ ‘1 protest, gentlemen, 1 protest!”’ The rascals laughed, and in this merry mood they reached the bank; they stood on either side of the detective and placed their bands upon bim. ‘‘One, two, three!’’ they exclaimed, and a mcst singular denouement followed. As they called ‘‘ One, two, three!’’ they made a move to throw the detective over the bank, ‘tut the latter suddenly darted under their arms, sprung back a step, and then ieaped forward, encircling the waists of the two men, and with a rush he ran toward and over the bank, and the two scamps went floundering into the still, green waters of the river. The movement was executed so quickly that the two men did not know what was occurring uotil they found themselves floundering in the water. As the men came up from their plunge and looked back, they beheld the detective stand- ing on the bank with folded arms watching their floundering as serenely as though they were a pair of ducks taking their matutinal wash. They scrambled to the bank, and, with curses on their ‘ips, made-a rush for the detective, but a most wonderful metamorphosis had taken place in the appearance and bdehavior of the jatter. As the men rushed toward him he let out in true Sullivan style, and -lerry went over the Sank head first, and an instant later Billy followed; hoth men had been knocked intu the river by a square hit from the shculder, and, as they came a second time to the surface, there stood the detective with folded arms, smiling as serenely as before. A second time the rascals scrambled from the water, but they were ndt in such a hurry to rush on their foe. ‘‘ How do you like it?’’ demanded the de- tective. They gazed at him fn open-mouthed wonde1! they were not large of stature, but they were athietic fellows, and had never witnessed such . display of careless strength before in all their ives, _“ Well, shall 1 give you another toss, gentle- men?’ ‘* 1 reckon it’s our turn,”’ said Billy. ‘All right! Come along and give me a toss The two men exchanged glances, and together aprung upon the detective, but both were knocked over so quickly that they did not have {ime to wink; the detective as he downed them again telded his arms and adopted the serene attitude, The men were wet and disorderedand they y?? s ee eee eee i ena SS Ot ee ——— — a SS .- . = - one init DETECTIVE. ELE ETRE I Bae a - — ; presented two sorry figures as they regained their feet. and heir-looms. I lays under the window and hears the little family consultation, and | picks ‘* Well, how is it now?’’? demanded our hero. lup the information that ten thousand in green ‘“Who are you anyhow?” demanded Billy. | backs—ten one-thousand-dollar bills—are nest- ‘Why. don’! vou fellows know me?” ‘‘No, we don’t know you, and we'd like to make your acquaintance. ”’ | ‘Do you fellows remember Barnum’s living skeleton?—well, I’m that tellow grown fat; and now shall we have some more exercise?”’ ‘* No, we’ve had enough.’’ : ‘“ What are you fellows doing up around here, anyhow? It’s my idea you’re thieves.” ‘* Be careful what you say!” ‘‘ Bah! 1’ve no need to be careful when talk- ing to two such scamps. And now ‘ git,’ leave town or L'll put the town consiable on your tracks, and have you locked up and punished for your assault on the young Iadies!”’ The two men were glad to slink away, and as they did so the detective overheard one of them remark: : _** Well, that. was a go for us, Bi'ly. That fellow is chain lightning, and he played us nice for a pair of galoots.’’ Tom Hawk returned to his lodgings and made preparations for an expedition. He had met several suspicious characters in town, and he made up his mind that a raid was intended. ‘That same night, under a proper disguise, he visited Byron’s place, and found there the usual congregation of loiterers, together with several fellows whom he recognized as regular knucks. Later in the evening two or three of the men strolled forth, and the detective followed, and was 1ewarded by ‘‘ getting on to”’ a big rob- bery scheme. al CHAPTER XXII. Tom Hawk had recognized one of the men as a notorious cracksman—a fellow who had been suspected as a participant in several notable robberies—but he had escaped conviction, ex- cept in charges of minor importance. , The detective was compelled to walk very cir- cumspectly in following the mep, but he man- aged to trail them to a deserted barn where.they entered to hold their confab. We will repeat a portion of the conversation overheard by the detective. ‘‘T say, Tom,’’ said one of the men, after a talk which had been upon general subjects, ‘* it’s sort of risky to attempt to work a racket just now.”’ ‘* Why sc?” ‘* All the people are awake around here, and cne more little scheme would lead to the or- ganization of a vigilance committee. ”’ The man called ‘‘ Tom” was a desperate- looking scoundrel, and, as it proved, as cun- ning and shrewd as he was desperate. ‘‘ Now is just the time io ‘spring a knob.’ The last racket was a turn of the cards In favor cf the other side. Cheesy and Snagsy are in ‘hock,’ and the ‘ blokes” around here think the gang is cleared out from this section.”’ ‘“There is something in that, I will admit; but it don’t strike me that the ‘crib’ is worth the ‘ spunk.’ ”’ | : ‘* You don’t suppose [ would propose a dive in for a few silver spoons, do you?” ‘* Well, hardly.’’ ‘* You bet 1 know what I’m ‘ laying in ’ for, and although it don’t look big, we’ve a chance for the tallest boodle that’s been snaked this long time.”’ | ‘*3t wouldn’t appear so from my survey. The house lovuks like an ordinary farm-ranch, with no more in it than a few old-fashioned sil- ver heir-looms at best.”’ ‘* And that’s just where you ain’t posted. Now, 1’ll tell you something. 1 was ‘ doing Wall Street on feel,’ when 1 saw an odd-look- ing old man sail into a big banking-house, and I says to myself, ‘Tommy, my man, there’s your weakfish!’ So 1 just slides in and I goes to buy a little ‘ bullion,’ and while I’m buying my little ‘shine,’ 1 overhears the odd little man chatter, and what 1 got was this: The old man’s sister had a mortgage paid-in for ten thousand dollars. She can’t place the ‘ stuff,’ and she’s afraid to blow it into a bustin’ sav- ings-bank, and she makes up her mind to * quod it’ in ‘ governments,’ and the old man is down to get the particulars for her, and while he gets ‘em, you see, 1 vets ’em.too; and when he leaves the bankimg- house, I start in for a pipe to learn where the ten thousand that the sister won't shove into the bank is ‘nested.’ 1 follow the old man and trails him to the little house where you think there’s nothing but the silver spoons ee, el eee ee o ed under that 100f. I took in the whole busi- ness, and the money is there yet, and it’s the satest job to ‘lift’ it we ever had.” ~ ‘“Do you know where the money is concealed in the house?’’ ‘* No; they were close on that.’’ ‘‘ Are you sure it is in the house?”’ ‘* Dead sure.’’ ‘‘ Let me see; there are only the old woman and the young girl, her niece, in the house.” ‘* That’s all.’’ ‘*And there ain’t another house within a quarter of a mile.”’ ‘* Your survey. was all right there.”’ ‘‘ Well, it looks like an easy job; but.there will follow an earthquake, I’m thinking.’ ‘* When will you work the scheme?’ ‘‘To-night; np time to lose; they may send the vreenies down and get the bends.” It was about eight o’clock in the evening when our hero overheard the significant conver- sation that we have recorded. ‘*] wish we could work this thing without making it necessary for the wooden tailor to be called in.’’ ‘‘Bah! it’s big money we’re after, and we must not take any chances. We must go in for a clean ‘ throw off.’ ”’ ‘The house is three miles from here?’’ ‘Yes: and it is situated just good for our scheme. ”’ ‘“You are sure the money is in the house?”’ 6é ee ‘‘ But suppose we can’t find it?’ ; ‘© \WWe’re bound to find it; you know we can take our time, and work a dead search with our slide-lamp.”’ ‘* Just us three do the job?”’ €<¢ Yes.”’ ‘“and take the boodle between ourselves only ?’’ ** You bet.” ‘‘ Weil, I’m one to go in the scheme.”’ The third man expressed his readiness, ‘“ What time shall we be there?’ ‘‘ Midnight will serve us, after the women have retired.’’ Tbe three men held some further talk, going RR into details, and at length they adjourned to Byron’s. Tom Hawk was rejoiced that he had tumbled tc the game, and he realized the necessity of being up and about his work at once, He did not know exactly where the house lay which had been mapped for the tragedy; but he set about ‘finding out, and he was just the man to work into a solid ‘* tip.”’ —_—$$_ —_——— CHAPTER XXIII. Tom Hawk had received an intimation from the robbers which enabled him to form an idea, and he soon located the house, and later oa, mounted his horse and started for the objective point of the assassins. He bad driven but a mile and a half from town, when suddenly two dark figures sprung from the hedge bordering the road and bade him come to a halt. ‘* Hello!’’ muttered the officer in an under- tone, ‘‘ the woods are full of them.”’ The night was very dark, and the detective could only distinguish that he had been halted by two rough-looking men. ‘“ What do you want, my good fellowsr”’ he demanded. ‘‘ Get down from your horse; we want to de cide a bet.”’ ‘“Aha,’’ thought our hero, ‘‘ here’s a new kind.” There had been a number of valuable horses stolen from th2 country reundabout, and our hero at once made up his mind that the two men were a pair of horse thieves, and he re- sretted the fact that he was engaged in a life- and-death expedition, or he would have closed in on the two scamps. ‘‘ What have 1 got to do with your bet?”’ | ‘* Well, Vl éaf* you, boss: my friend here has bet me he can jump over a horse, and as you’re the first mounted man that has come along we want to borrow your animal a mo- ment for the experiment.”’ Tom Hawk calculated his time, and remem- bering that he had fully an hour to spare, he decided to have a little sport at the expense of the two ** horse snappers.”’ | As we have intormed aur readers, Badger ’