The Argosy, December 1905 — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

BLOCK TOWER SEVEN. “Hullo, Miss Belle!’ he squealed, his head very much on one side, and his wizened face expressing all manner of shrewd speculation. “ Whachu up here for? J seen ye—an’ heered ye—talkin’ with Mike speech with a chuckle and an indescriba- ble wriggle of delight. “Say, £ ye won’t tell, V’ll show ye where that thar car®went. Cross yer heart—hope ter die—n’ Tl tell ye!” Belle knew the odd little cripple— nicknamed “ Pippin,” as being in some manner distantly related to herself. He was one of the “loons” at the Howard settlement three or four miles away— and a wilder, wickeder urchin there was not in the entire Howard clan. “What about the box-car?” she asked him, seeing that his goblin-like features were puckered with impor- tance. “ What do you know about it?” ~ “JT know whar it is,” declared the strange child—for child “he was in body, if not in age and shrewdness. “ Where is it?” “Cross yer heart? die? ” “Why should I promise?” asked Belle, looking down at him as he hob- bled by Jetty’s side. “ Une’ Jase—or Ike—would skin me erlive ef I tol’, an’ then you tol’ Mike Laughlin.” “ Why, what had they to do with the disappearance of the car?” Hope yer may “ Nawthin’. They don’t know where it is. But ’m knowin’—nobody else, I reckon. An’—an’ I don’t wanter go back thar,” and his face changed sud- denly, and he shivered. The expression of his features was one of fear. “What do you mean? Why not?” “Thar’s a ha’nt in that gully. I heered it.” “See here,’ Belle said seriously, drawing a purse from the pocket of her habit, and selecting a half dollar from the silver. “You. tell me what you mean, and all about the car, and lll give you this.” *“ And you won’t tell Uncle Jase—or Ike?” asked Pippin eagerly. “ Though I dunno’s I keer much erbout Ike now.” “Why not?” Laughlin ”—ending the 141 “Tke’s hurt his laig. He hurted it last night somehow.” “Jumping from that train,” Belle thought. But all she said aloud was: “Well, about the car?” Pippin pointed down the hill. “It’s down that er-way,” he whis- pered. “ Thar’s a deep gully b’side th’ railroad. JI dunno how th’ car got thar. Muster jumped clean over the aidge of th’ ’bankment right at the curve and went down t’roo th’ trees. It’s er- standin’ right up on its eend.” “ How did you come to find it? ” “Thar’s a path yander,” and he pointed further along the bridle track which she was ,slowly following. “I went down thar ter look at some “rabbit snares I sot day *fore yest’day. "Nd I seed th’ car in th’ gully.” “Are you sure, Pippin?” she asked. “That’s right, Miss Belle. I seen it —an’ I heered th’ ha’nt,’ and he shivered again. “There aren’t such things as haunts,” she declared gravely. “Huh! Mebbe ye don’t hev ’em down ter th’ city; but thar’s lots ov ’em up yere,’ declared Pippin with confi- dence. “ I’ve seed ’em as well as heered “pire “ Did you see this one?” Belle asked with a smile. “Nop! He was inside that thar car.” At that the girl was startled. She looked at his elfin face for several mo- ments in silence. Then she demanded: “What do you mean, Pippin? That you heard somebody in that overturned cary? “°-Twar a ha’nt,” declared Pippin doggedly. “ Now, you gimme that fower bit piece ”—reaching a claw-like hand up for the half dollar. “You heard a voice inside the car? ” gasped Belle. ce Yep ! 2? “ What did it say?” “TI dunno. I was skeered. It jes’ natcherly hollered ter git out—tlike ha’nts alluz doos. They ain’t easy in their minds—never! ” Belle dropped the silver piece into the yellow hand, and Pippin, with a grimace and wink transferred it to his pocket, and hobbled into the bushes COMICLOOOkKS (C@