Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1006 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

Flipper Frank’s Flush. —s - a x As before, he watched Converse till he had | were saying? It might be of great importance 4 wit , yi few ; do, amazing, and I’d give him a V out of my —— pile if he’d only take a rundown there. But I don’t s’pose he’s so obliging,” However that was, Jacob P., as the boy called him, had by this time seen enough of the wharves, and bent his steps away from that locality—per- haps to escape the biting wind that whistled past his ears, ; Frank duly followed him, Pleasure was one thing and duty another, and duty came first. left the train, observed what hotel he had chosen and followed bim thither, this time quickly enough to reach the office before the guests from the train bad registered, He stood close enough to see Converse write his name, and observed that four others followed before the time came for himself to place his signature in the book. He was full of curiosity, Was it Jacob P. to his guest, ae 2 hy He slipped around in a careless manner, tak-. ing care to keep his face turned from Converse’s: eyes, and in a few minutes came up close. behind them. Here he leaned in a listless manner | against an iron column. ; ‘*Can you not cut loose and go through now?” Converse was saying. ‘‘It is important to close the deal without delay, I am off for St, Louis F In a half-hour afterward Converse stopped | Converse or Caleb Williams who had just ar- | on the next train. Come, get ready and go ca again at the post-office, The morning mail wag | rived in Chicago? A glance up the page for the | with me,” see now in, and he had been simply killing time till | fifth nameabove his own decided it. An odd ‘* When does the train pull out?” aj its arrival. | smile came upon his face as he saw there written | ‘‘ In ten minutes,” bans This time he left its doors with a letter in his | the name of **‘ Rowland Hill, Boston.’ “Can't do it, then. F’ve got some things to =< hand, and a look of satisfaction on his face, ** Bless my pumpkin head if be ain’t took an- | wind up here. But I’m in on the deal solid. V'll cs He walked now directly to the hotel. other name out of his bag!” ran through the | be down the road ina fewdays. Where shall I sh Here he sought the smoking-room, treated | boy’s mind, find you?” bbe himself to a cigar, and deliberately opened his “Tf he keeps on he'll have enough names to They stepped away as he spoke, and Frank i ae epistle, throwing the envelope into the waste- | makeacity directory, He’s bound not to leave | did not catch the answer, though he listened in- = paper basket, his name for a trail, that’ssure. Butif he only | tently. ee ‘rank watched him from an adjoining room, | knowed_ how close this little ferret was on his| To St. Louis#—In ten minutes!/—Here was | > He saw him purse his brows over the document, | track he’d not take life quite so easy.” news! He had very nearly been thrown from = frown fora moment, and then assume a more Frank spent the rest of that day in a state of | thetrack, To St, Louis be it, tuen! : b=: leased look as he read further down, Finally | watchfulness, But nothing came from it, Con-| He walked to the ticket-office, thrust bis hand ee 8 leaped from his chair, thrust the letter into | verse did not even leave the hotel. into his pocket, and—it came out empty. He ; Bs his pocket, and walked with a brisk tread into It was ten o’clock at night when the young | remembered now, to bis annoyance, that he had =: A the reception-room of the hotel’, spy sought his room, fatigued with the day’s | left all bis money with the hotel-clerk. of ** Means business,” thought Frank. ‘‘ That | labor, What was to be done? He had not change = letter’s made up his mind forhim., He didn’t ‘*T never thought of asking what’s the tariff | enough in his pocket to buy a ticket for half the a know what he was to do, but he knows now— | here,” he said, ‘‘ but I s’pose it’s all down on this | distance. And how was he to live if all his ' ih and I reckon I soon will.” paper.” He turned to the card of terms on the | money was spent on railroading? He stood in ~ , o Converse’s first first movement was to araii- | room door, ‘Four dollarsaday! Whew!” he | a deep quandary. eae, road time-table, which he studied diligently for | whistled. ‘‘ By Jiminy! hesha’n’t fling me that way,” he = ee several minutes, Then he turned to the hotel| ‘I could live a week on that at home and declared, at length. ‘‘To St. Louis or bu'st, | 34 clerk and asked for the key of his room, not half try. It’s lucky somebody else’s | them’s my sentiments, Here goes for all that’s a: **'W hat number?” footing this bill.—W hat elee is there heref” He | init,” ro aes oad $6 390.” continued to read. ‘‘Guests are advised to | Asking the price ofa ticket, he found he had Hise * | =. * Here it is.” leave their valuables with the clerk, as the pro- | not money enough to carry him half-way. But be, a In a minute more he was ascending in the ele- | prietors will not be responsible for anything left to go back to the hotel would be to imperil all his 1 Wav ¢ + ° ‘ - ; . ~~. ie A Oe as ahs,” «, ® Lng - ils a }- - * +e , . ¥ < ¥ mal wv * + ts vator tothe upper floors, - in the rooms,’ By jingo! and I’ve got my | work. He must go on, for good or bad, abet = Frank, who had kept wellin the background, | pocket chock full of money—three or four hun-| Purchasing a ticket to the first stopping-place, th ge now stepped forward and examined the time-; dred. I wonder if it’s safe to keep it bout me? | Frank boldly entered the train, having first seen <q Soy oo table, It wasthat of the through Express trains | Some sneak might slip inand gofor my pile; | Converse do the same after a shake hands with 1 aa ce, a on the westward roads. He next lounged up to | and that’d be thundering awkward. Maybel’d bis companion. Ae pe oe the desk and cast his eye over the register. | best leave it with the clerk.” In three minutes afterward it was under way, s} ait ee There it was, room number 320, name—‘*Caleb | The amount of money the boy had on his per- | with Frank asa passenger on a ticket for less | | \ eh Rae Williams.” son, indeed, was something immense to him, and | than half-way, and fifty cents in his pocket as iE gis HE The boy gave a meaning whistle as he turned | the more he thought about it the heavier it | his sole available wealth. bef S es away. He next sought the smoking-room, and | weighed. | ae picked up the envelope that lay on the top of the A few minutes decided him. He would not TF contents of the waste-basket, take the chance, but would leave his money with 5 = The oy a eras: ae Caleb Wil- | the clerk, CHAPTER VI.. ys liams. n equally interesting feature of the| Thishe did, making him countit and give a ens envelope was the post-mark, This read, ‘‘ Louis- | receipt for the amount. This done the boy went a re eee Mh ville, Ky.” : = : to bed with a clear conscience, and with only a | THE train on which the young detective found ASP The young detective seated himself in the | few dollars in loose change in his pocket. | himself was a Lightning Express, making but ae ebair which Converse had just vacated, and set | The avents of the succeeding few days we need | two or three stops between Chicago and St. Ba es himself to work with all the power of his think- | not closely chronicle, Converse seemed waiting, | Louis. The first of these was at Bloomington, eS. ing machine, Se but, meanwhile, taking it easy; and Frank, who | #bout one-third of the distance, to which place — ae * Wonder how many names he carries in his | goon decided that nothing was to be cained by | his ticket took him. aS ; are age g was to gained by eae o = bag?” he said to himself, ‘‘ Don’t s’pose that constantly watching him, took the opportunity Beyond Bloomington he had but his wits to matters though; names is as cheap as bananers; what he’s up to is of more account, It’s my notion he’s got word to streak out West, for Louisville or somewhere. ‘Spected to meet somebody here likely, but if he did that some- body’s gone on and sent him word to foller, That’s bout the size of it, far as I can make out, and I reckon I’m in for another railroad ride, and a sight of the wide West,” So confident was Frank of this that he walked to the office, called for his bill, and ordered his traveliog-bag to be brought down-stuirs, ‘* When does the next Chicago through train go out?” he asked. ** Two o'clock,” “That so? Then you needn’t hurry. I'll wait and try what sort of a dinner you fellows are up to. Meanwhile I’ll take a walk around and exhaust your city,” ~The clerk looked after him with a curious ‘Is that chap putting it on, or has he really been through the mill?” heasked himself, ‘‘ One can always count on airs and impudence in the young sprouts nowadays; but common sense and experience are not so plentiful a crop.” At two o'clock sharp the Lake Shore Express drew out from the Buffalo station, and Frauk Melton begav another long journey over the broad United States, Jacob Converse, alias Caleb Williams, was aboard the train, and the “flight and pursuit bad again begun, he youthful detective was no longer troubled by the fear that his game might leave the train a ® was so sure that he would to see what he could of the growing giant of the West, the great city of Chicago. There was only one movement made by Con- verse which Frank found of interest, He track- ed him to one of the leading banks of the city, and saw him make what seemed a large deposit, though he could make no guess as to its amount, He evidently had no previous account there, for the teller made him out a bank-book, which ~ iy him, together with a book of blank checks, ) ‘* Here’s news worth sending to Dick!” thought | the young scout, ‘‘The creditors might want to nail this cash. I s’pose it’s some of Jacob P.’s stealings. Wish I knowed what name he put it in under, Anyhow I'll wire Dick all the names he’s swinging.” Seeking the telegraph-office, Frank sent a long message to his chief in New York, bidding him pei answer if he had any directions to ve, On leaving the office he strolled on indefinitely intending to return in a couple of hours to see if there was any answer, His steps took him to the lake shore of the city, and he walked along here for an hour, | much interested in the evidences of business which abundantly met his eyes, Returning by an indefinite course toward the hotel, chance led his footsteps to the Chicago and St. Louis R. R. station. This fact would have been of no importance to him had he not seen, just before him, Mr, Converse, who was trust to, But, though he hac no experience in the art of “beating a railroad,” he was not troubled by fears of the result, ‘* It’s time enough to jump a fence when you come toit,” washis motto, “There’s nota grain of sense in manufacturing worries.” Bloomington was duly reached and passed, and now the fence which Frank had to jump came every minute nearer and nearer. Fortu- nately for him, the conductor had abundant time to take up his tickets, and was in no hurry. An hour had passea before he came through the train, with his demand of ‘‘ Tickets,” Frank was busy reading a newspaper when he came along, and failed to hear the conductor’s mild call of ‘‘ Ticket.” lt was repeated, more at y this time, but the boy gave no sign of earing. . . ** Ticket!” cried theconductor sharply, ‘‘ Show your ticket!” He might have been speaking to the moon, for all the attention Frank paid to him, He turned over the page of his paper and began to read the other side. i Vag **Do you hear me? Show your ticket!” ex- claimed the angry official, giving the inattentive passenger a sharp rap on the shoulder, Thine The fact of his being but a boy may have made the conductor hit harder than be would have done witha man, However that was, the blow on Frank’s shoulder was not a light one, — and he sprung up with a hot show of anger. ‘What are you hitting me for?” he cried fiercely. ‘‘ Do you think because I’m only a boy you can come round here pounding me?” o ee Fs ~ ” : . . 4 T a» 3 | * . - " ed : : . < er lS a pepe 6 et eee pee ee _ “ at a way station, | , ae not stop short of Chicago, that he hardly gave | conversing earnestly with a middle-aged and ** Show your ticket!” again demanded the con- s bim a thought on the route, but set himself to | well-dressed gentleman. ductor, | wha enjoy the aipragn § : The boy was at once wide awake, He follow- ‘‘T'll show you!” exclaimed Frank savagely. — Be t was not till, on the next day, the train | ed them into the station, and observed them ‘* Square yourself, if that’s your game. I don’t ates | landed its gers in the great city of the | froma distance. Their conversation continued | let no man hit me without bitting back.” = 8 |{.. West-rn lakes, that Frank returned to the object | in the same earnest manner, | ‘*Come, boy, I asked for your ticket three = ue of b}s quest, Could he get near enough to hear what they ' times. I bad to tap you.” ee ae 3 3 | “ Ss ay Sieh = as eke ee poe = LE So sine 7 : a ne nee CS Teten Oe St eg set s FOS a es Pee ae » is ; Ne is | Sha i eRe ‘COr eyelye 8