Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1003 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 German Joe, the Hayseed Sport. carn taking the sachel from the bureau-drawer. ‘‘I | tigation convinced Joe at length of his sin- | guess [’ll leave you here now, and tell the clerk down stairs that you want to be called at six o'clock this afternoon. [I'll give him the key to the handcuffs, and maybe hs’Il release you. Darkin shut his teeth bard, and did not trust himself to reply. But it is safe to bet that, bad his hands been free at the time, J a Dunning ‘would never have left the room alive, Keen followed the man with the sachel down: stairs, and out in the street to the railway sta- tion, Herode to Denver in the car with Ger- the disguise of an army Officer, In Denver Keen lost track of Dunning al- most as soon as he left the train. He souche to find him in the crowded depdt, but failed: and then went to the Weldon House and en- gaged a room for the night. He was much dis- appointed in losing scent of the man,’ but thought it very probable that he would be able to find him in the evening at some place of amusement, He went to his room to change his buckskin garments for a more civilized garb, and when he reappeared he was dressed in a conventional suit of black, which showed off his admirable proportions to advantage. On his way down- stairs he passed a room, the door of which stood partly open, and glancing iu, the scout saw on the bed the eause of so much anxiety and trouble—the little black sachel, He knew at once the reason of its presence there, and noting the number and locality of the room, went down-stairs to dinner. He saw Dunning there soon after, and justas that gen- tleman began his meal, Keen hastened up- stairs to see if it was possible to secure pos- session of the sachel and its contents. The door was locked, but the lithe scout managed to squeeze his form through the transom above it and drop into the room, He secured the sachel and returned the way he had entered, although in doing so he Same very near squeezing the breath out of his y. ** Whew!” he panted, when once more in his room. “That wuz a mighty clus’shave. I’m just erbout four sizes too big to go through thet winder, an’ I’ve scraped ther buttons all off my coatin doin’ it. But l’ve got ther boodle jest the same, an’ this time I reckon I'll keep it till its right owners git it. I wish I could see ther Dutchman,” Keen returned to the dining-room, and when he saw Dunning go out into the street without visiting his room, he knew he would be sure to return, and therefore did not follow him to the theater, as did his partner, He loitered about in the corridor for some time, and then, after taking a short walk out of doors, went up-stairs and retired. He was very well satisfied with bis success, and thought how surprised Joe would be when he presented him with the sachel! The events of the day were passing through his mind, and he was laughing to himself over Darkin’s adventure, when he beard an uproar down-stairs and at once di- vined the cause of it, ‘* Ducning’s discovered that his sachel’s gone,” he mutte to himself, pleased to think how 1 and angry the man would feel over his oss. “* I reckon Pll go down and see the cir- cus. ’ He dressed as quickly as he could, and went down-Stairs, as nonchalantly as if he had not been the cause of all the disturbance. The proprietor of the hotel was endeavoring in vain to pacify the yey guest. ** Search every room in the house,” cried Dun- ning, pacing back and forth in the corridor, ** Have some one watch the entrance here, and _ her no man takes the sachel away from the fs) ** Yes, yes,” said. the landlord, nervously, anxious to promise anything that would quiet the excited man, ‘ We'll recover your money if it’s im the building,” The employees of the hotel were sent scamper- ing away to all parts of the building in search of the missing meaner while the clerk himself undertook to acquaint the police with the crime, CHAPTER XV. CAPTURE AND ESCAPE. T'HE detective could not imagine who had stolen the sachel, and was at first inclined to believe that the story was a piece of fiction got- cette ie Aguas to throw his ers off his track. But the man’s earnestness in de- an immediate and thorough inves- | himself came up-stairs, inquiring of the pro- man Joe, but did not recoguize the detective in | prietor, who aceompanied him, whether or not | | | ‘*T wish we hed them handcuffs yo’ put on cerity. | Jack Darkin this mornin’,” said Keen, amiably. **] don’t see who could have stolen it,” he said | ‘‘ I reckon yo’d raise about ez much uv a rumpus to himself, standing in the doorway of his own | ez he did, eh?” room, and watching the search which was going | _ Dunning did not reply. His face was buried on in the room opposite. ‘‘ No one here knew of | in his hands and he was thinking deeply, the bonds, and t doubt if any of the hote! ser- | His sudden capture and the loss of the money vants would commit the theft.” just when he seemed to have cleared himself of In Dunning’s room a dozen persons were con- | all obstacles, made him desperate. He realized gregated, busily engaged in searching every | that he was in the power of earnest and deter- nook and corner of the apartment for the miss- | mined men; but to him life within prison walls ing sachel. would not be worth the living, and, survive or Vhile they were thus engaged, Dunning | perish, he resolved to make a vigorous attempt | at escape some time during the night. **T guess I'll bring my riggin’s down hyer,” said Keen. ‘* This room is large enough fur all uv us, an’ I don’t feel like leavin’ yo’ alone, Yo’ keep yo’r eye on ther rascal till 1 cum back.” He returned soon after, bearing in one hand a package of clothing, and in the other the never- auy of the servants would be likely to have seen a man if he had entered the room during the | evening. ‘*T think so; some one is usually about the halls, Calkins has charge of this floer, and if you'll excuse me for a moment, I will call him,” to-be-forgotten sachel, He returned almost immediately, accom- ‘*Hyer’s ther "tarnal thing,” he exclaimed, panied by a much-frightened youngster in a | flinging the latter at the detective’s feet. “I blue uniform and brass buttons, don’t want ther darned stuff. It’s eaused more ‘“Calkins, did you see any one around this | trouble than it’s wu’th, Dll bet.” door during the afternoon, either going in or The prisoner evidently thought so, too, but he out?” kept his mouth shut, only speaking once and ‘* Yes, sir. then to ask where’he was to sleep, ning. His submissiveness aroused Joe’s suspicion, ‘** Any one else?” and he resolved to keep a close watch upon him ‘*T didn’t see no one else go in or out, but this | during thenight. man ’ere was peekin’ through the keyhole just The guard was divided between them, each about dinner-time.” serving two hours at a time, At midnight The boy nodded toward the detective, who | Keen relieved his partner, who at once threw remembered his foolish action, and felt like | him-<elf upona couch which had been made on kicking himself and his accuser down-stairs to- | the floor—the bed being occupied by their pris- ether, oner, He took a seat near the door, rested his ‘‘ What! this manf’ asked Dunning, pointing | revolver across his knees and was soon buried ia toward Joe. thought. He was wondering whether or not it ** Yes, sir.” would be best to abandon the lazy lifo he had The deteetive, who had been unnoticed before, | been leading and accompany his partner to the now became the center of attraction. The pro- | Hast. He had nearly reached a decision in the prietor of the hotel lodked at him in undisguised | meatal debate in favor of the affirmative side of astonishment, the question, when he heard a stealthy footstep across the floor. He looked up, just in time to see Dunning swing his heavy mfle about his head for the last time, and then he sunk all in a heap to the floor, a whole galaxy of stars dancing be- fore his eyes. It was an hour before he regained conscious- ness, and staggered toward the sleeping uetec- tive, with the blood still trickling slowly down from a terrible cut in bis head. He scarcely knew what he was doing, but in some way managed to awaken his partner and then sunk into unconsciousness upon the bed. Joe, terribly alarmed, sprung up, seizing his re- volver from his side and leaped to the floor. One glanee about the room showed him what had occurred, He first alarmed the house by pressing the electric bell connecting with the “What!” burglar-alarm in the office down-staire and with ‘*My name is Winthrop, and I am here to | the police-station on the next block. : arrest you By the great Eternal, here’s Then he carefully washed the blood from Keen!” Keen’s face and arranged him as comfortably The scout pushed his way through the crowd mS a on the bed until a physician could be to his partner’s side, and whispered in his ear: ed ‘* Pve got the sachel locked up in my room, took it from his room jest a little while ago.” If the detective had had confidence in his ability to bluff Dunning before, it was redoubled now, knowing that the sachel was in their pos- session, He stepped forward and laid bis hand on Dun- ning’s shoulder. The man shrunk from him, Him!” and he pointed to Dun- ‘* Are you sure?” ‘*' You don’t look like a thief,” he said frank- ly. Ni That makes no difference!” exclaimed Dun- ning, roughly. ** is it true, sir, that you were looking through the keyhole of this:door?’ ‘**'Yes, sir,” answered Joe, determined to bring matters to a climax as soon as possible, ** W bat for?” **T wisbed to see whether or not you were on the inside,” ** And for what purpose?’ **T was looking for the bonds and money you stole from Mr, Schlerger in New York City a few weeks ago,” Dunning staggered back a couple of paces, turned very pale, and exclaimed: The sachel and its contents had been placed under the pillow of the couch on which Joe was sleeping, and that had not been removed. This the detective discovered at once, and when Mr, Weldon, only half-dressed, rushed into the room, followed by a dozen scantily-clad forms, he in- formed them that Keen had been knocked down by Dunning and that the latter had es- huskily: ca ask : ‘ “Where's your warrant?” e scout was badly injured, and Joe dis- Joe showed him the badge of a Government | ene em one of the hotel servants to the nearest detective, and Keen cupeleetly” b ht into view | doctor’s, while he again rung up the police- a large revoiver, at thesight of w alarm, this time bringing to the room thereby the crowd in line with its barrel drew apart. a couple of sleepy-looking officials, who listened Du ’s courage was broken, and he | tothe detective’s story in silence and promised readily followed co nape gg I _ Pe to inaugurate at once a search for the missing two detectives?—into Joe’s room. . Weldon, | man, the proprietor of the hotel, also entered, and ‘* Did he take the money with him?” asked Mr. while Keen stood over their prisoner, Joe | Weldon, to whom the events of the night would told him of the e for which the arrest was | 1 : furnish ag pe for a tateger vi o,” rep oe, assisting cian, made. who had just arrived, in und the inani- ‘* We may need you for a witness to the fact that the sayiey aa bonds were found in his | mate form of his partner, ‘* He did not have on,” he concluded. ‘ But I think the | time to take that, He was glad enough, I guess, evidence which we can furnish will be more than | tc get off himself.” enough to convict the man of robbery, beyond} ‘‘If you desire, I will put the sachel in my that—” safe,” said the proprietor. ‘It will be secure shiver ran over the | there. ame prone cal x “I wish you would,” replied the detective. ** It’s over there ne the pillow. Keep it safe until I ask for it, will you Mr. Weldon f to do so, and carried the sachel down-stairs, where he placed it in the furthest corner of his safe and locked the door. Joe meanwhile had paid no attention to their prisoner’s escape and was exercised only in see- ‘We'll keep him with us to-night. In the. morning I think some men will come here from New York with a warrant and the extradition rs.” Pir. Weldon walked out of the room, and the two partners were left alone with their pris- oner. — a A a EE - * . . el i c-— ell, il et te i —————— ee a - . _ >. -_—a . - -