Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1004 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

| Al oe , Scorcher Sam’s Sweep-Stakes. ; “And have him lasso me and carry - * . me off into the Wild West to become his ~. pride? Oh, no, thank you; I had rather _ —s @ding to the evils I know all about than een ra, be hustled off into others that—” | “Suppose you try to be serious for a minute or two—” ean “Was never more ser us in all my life,’ declared the yourg lady, with a | §mile in her eyes. | “The trouble is, y.:. are like all the I rest of your sex, always supposing a man | in the case,” said Sam. “I did not say ih anything about a man; did I? The per- gon I want you to pipe is a young wo- ta man.” eta “So you see you were off on the wrong lea tack entirely. There is a young woman there called Dona Teresa, sister to Cac- tus Bill. I would like you to work yourself into her good graces, and per- haps she will make a confidante of you and tell you something of her history.” ae “Oh! I begin to see. ret your heart to a Spanish beauty of mid- night eyes, and you want me to help 6th st along your suit. All right, give me my ss ue, and I'll do all I can for you, Sam.” 1% “First of all, hold that nimble tongue of yours while I tell the story,” said Sam; and forthwith he gave her the inci- dents of the morning. | CHAPTER X. x THE NIGHTINGALE ASSISTS. Bessie Blake was an aide to be de- pended on in any emergency. The Scorcher and she had worked to- -——sether for nearly a year at the time of ss our story, and there was a perfect un- ‘derstanding between them. ) aha The girl was something of a tease, or would have been if Sam had been teasa- ble, which he was not. It was about an even thing between them, and one could geldom claim any advantage over the eS other. » She listened attentively to the particu- lars of the matter Sam was interested in, ag they rode slowly along, and when he | concluded Siam asked her opinion re- specting the puzzle. It was, he said, really none of his business, but it had taken a hold upon him that he could not _ shake off. “J suppose it is the old, old story,” sh _ said simply. You. mean regarding Dona Teresa.” Eee! “You may be right, but I think you are wrong.: You have come to that con- - elusion before you have seen her.” es byt “Then there is more to it than you y have told me, evidently. If you consider my opinion worth anything, Sam, you must give me all the points so that I may give it intelligently.” "s “You have got all the points; your | ee Sie is a natural one, and yet I i 2 brs quite agree with you. But, your pepe the two men wags ore particularly meant. Do you i; think I have something in ‘common, Lami. OF was it mere coincidence?” ie : 4 i ‘. ee “JT don’t believe they ever saw or Board uF ne. of each other before, Sam. eae ate s? bic ane, don’t? ” ei: Nou? |. Then you are one point ahead of me. | plain. I hp come to have the a. ot him. ” vot such a A ‘. be , > i J , 7. ' ; ? bd ty yak wie w wey oi 4, my Ke r ¥ Pa eA ys! , ; 2 Be You have lost |}. — marksman was a strong incentive to ac- eeleration.”’ “And a wheel was the quickest means at hand, eh? Well, giving him the bene- of the doubt, what about the other fel- ow? ’? “I believe that he is the real Louis Murrill.”’ “By Jupiter! ”’ “Then you had not thought of that?’’ “My wits must have been wool-gath- ering, sure enough. Score a big one for yourself, Bess! ”’ “Then you agree with me?”’ “Well, you are as likely to be right in your theory as I in mine, if not a little more so.” “Thank you. And if I am right, that he is the man, you know where you are likely to run across him again, of course. You don’t need spectacles to see that.’ “Not at Cactus Bill’s, surely.” “ Possibly, in a disguise, but ae is not where I mean.’ “Oh! I see’, “Of course you see; a blind man could see. He will go fooling around the St. Nicholas avenue nightingale again, the way you say he seemed to be stuck on her, and there will be your place to get on his shadow.” “That is a happy thought, Bess. I will profit by it. 1 tell you I would not be half a detective, were it not for you as my aide.” ‘‘Pshaw! you made your reputation be- fore you ever saw me.” “That don’t matter; I have come to lean a good deal upon your help, when- ever we have a case together, my girl.” “Don’t get familiar, now,” said the girl, putting up her hand. “You don’t know whether you have got a case or not, yet, and in those we have had I don’t claim any credit.” “You have had your share of it, all the same,” said Sam. “Well, no matter. Do you want me to rope in any More kissing dudes for you to-day?”’ “No, that will be all for this time, I guess. Give your attention to Cactus Bill’s show, and get into the good graces of Dona Teresa, if you can. We will have to look to her for the solution.” “Which you will not get.” “You think not?” “That is the way it looks to me, after what you have said of her manner when speaking about it.’’ “That is all right, Bess; I know that I could not succeed, but if you take hold of it you will be able to get at the se- cret, and then we'll know where we are at.” “Why -will slang? ”’ “Slang? Bless your innocent heart, Bess, that is a classic!” ; “Well, where are you going?” _ “T am going to drop around and see Molly McGee, the jolly Irish lass, again. She may be able. to help me a good deal.” “More than I, perhaps.’ “Only in learning what she can about our man, if he comes there. a “Well, ta-ta, Sammy. - Will see you / you persist in ‘using later, I’ i go up and scrape acquaintance with Cactus Bill. . ‘With a smile and a nod: Bessie Blake turned her wheel, and the Scorcher lifted his hat to her politely as she pedaled away. | “ There is a girl in a. thousand, ” he said to himself. “Sam, my boy, you are in luck to stand so well if her good opin- jon, I tell you. She is as good a detective as you are yourself, or a better.’ | Watching her until she turned a aes oh ever ye say. But, Aes rene, teeta wate En ; ner, and ata ay hat to ‘her again ‘as Ha Bo aa 2 fog a? ‘% - ig €4 * 4 “ye 7 “ re a,° " a % ‘ A iA oe happy therein, she was likely to make a eek rs proved his innocence. thought for a moment. at: 9 she glanced back in his direction, he then turned and set off to see Molly Mc- Gee. When he came in sight of the corner where the McGee shanty stood, he no- ticed a number of loiterers along the curb outside the high fence that concealed the shanty from view, and he rightly guessed that Molly was singing again. He was not mistaken. Coming a little nearer, he heard her clear, strong voice rendering a popular song. Scorcher Sam went past the corner, then dismounted and entered with his wheel at the open space where a panel of the fence had been set back a little.. \ Molly was there, and looked up as “he entered. The washing was all done and the snowy clothes weré on the line, and the empty tubs were standing bottom-up in the shade, while she was adding the fin- ishing touches to the cleaning up. “ Ho! and is it you?” she cried. “It ig nobody else, my girl,” said the intruder. “Sure, it is not yure gurrel Oi am, at all at all,” she gave him to under- stand. ‘Oi am Mike Murtha’s own, and no wan’s else, so there!” “I wouldn’t think of trying to cut Mike out, Molly, for he is a good friend of mine. I meant it just the same as lL mean when I say “my boy” to Mike, See?” “Sure, it is oa right, sor; Oi was only funnin’ wid y “Well, I didn’ t want to be misunder- stood, that was all. Wouldn’t want to have Mike jealous of me, you know.’’ “ And naythur would Oi, sor. Sure, he has bad blood, whin it is up, so he has. Phwat did ye do wid thot other chap that was here wid ye whin ye was here before? ”’ | “He is the fellow I have come to see you about, Molly.” “About him?” ‘< Yes, 3 | “Phwat do Oi know about him?” ee “I want you to learn something about \) him, if he comes here again.” . | “ Oh- ho! Then me own impression av him was not fur wrong, maybe. Oi took him fur a blackleg, sor, on me sdnsivtsnag “You did?” — as ‘‘Thot same Oi did, sor.” en “Well, you may be right, for all r know to the contrary. That fs what L want to find out.” “Very well, sor, though, on me wur-. rud Oi don't loike to have him hangin’. around, And if Mike should come in and foind him here, goodness only aan what would happen!” | ¢ .- > ~ ' . fn 7 © » lt e +. Que LZ =? ~ ie — ee rr . ° . J —__ es the or ve mATD ~ a — ( me 7 - ha i t e “. bn ote e ° > a bg Se, Tea We Selah. wo? lee 2 ,* SE a oe | a > oe ne : ‘s a © - * —~_ s° DA , “f ee tree ‘. >, ~ es» RS =“ ~ * rd + wi pes Ob ot 4) St - ~ Neer Se 4 2 ed oe be ~~ ae - er ee >," ' ee ~~ = > : Ff Ses =~ . a. CHAPTER XI. aver SAM ASSIGNED TO SERVICE. Pace oe? tt Molly McGee was as good as gold. . N33 ak ieee She was betrothed to a sturdy young bricklayer whose namé has been men- tioned, and, not looking above her sta- ee tion, but making herself content and good wife to the man of her choice. The Scorcher had made her acquaint- © ance through a service rendered to her lover, and enjoyed the friendship of both | alike. Mike had been accused of a comma of which he was innocent, and wa a 3 Sam appreciated the point raised, and | ie GG 0g ‘Til tell you what I’ll do, “Molly,” he “J will go and find Mike and aca De bout it, so he will understand.” hot is just the thing,” | cried the ‘“ You do thot, and Oi will do phwat | an at | : {4 . « - "i y | “y= 3 7 — , eo : j ‘ re A ay - 7. . dik, 48 » ay ta) ’ »* 2 i Cae t > ae art. 3, & & nO -_ 4 os tata et pt ts . Ve 4 of & Ty s ‘ &. - #- xe aie ; in . s al ipa a + vy i aye Wh ty oN r2 meee ixiy iS" oF Vase he MoAE o* ees: ae 4 see i ‘ Sy TA Chae s ee “A ia mG Ew ear ean oie ~““e@omic cbooks.com Ee * ae way -) ae ieoure ne A t% i