Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1015 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

re: sd at. av ge sk, til the am om s, 1 are ore- len gor alf, rege, add- ith @ Tow, wrk, I » talk open- they ‘upon asked here @ ly, for ” said , ick to d even » don’t Be fellow ralyzed shrewd piot .a- p and & an’s ¢e- co , a * ihe Reporter-Detective’s Big Pull. luctant mouth he scratched the match and held it to the weed. . ‘‘If you must smoke try that, sir,” said he, ** No dodging now!” But the man, after a few efforts to avoid the courtesy, finally spat out the cigarette with every appearance of disgust. His brogue disap- peared as he indignantly exclaimed: ** Enough of that, you young rascal! Am I to be poisoned in my own house?” ** Well, father,” said Tom falling into a chair under the influence of an explosion of laughter, **did you think I was going to stand by and see you give yourself dead away?” *“*Could you make a better Irishman out of yourself?” asked Boland, senior, for it was he, rather disgusted with this attack upon his adroit disguise. ‘‘ Youdid not know me at first, any- how,” ‘* Perhaps; but when you attempted the smok- ing dodge I soon caught on, father,.”’ ‘‘f had better have left the pipe alone,” re- turned the ex-detective, who could not endure tobacco in any form. ‘‘I guess my make-up was all right.” ‘Tt is immense, father. Couldn’t be better. But—joking aside—here we are in answer to your telegram, This is George Smalley who is in with me on this job,” Smalley and Mr, Boland shook hands, ‘Did you get my wire, father?” ** Would [ be here otherwise? But let me get rid of these duds and take a wash, There is no hurry. Wecan do nothing before night, except wait for help.” ** Help!” ejaculated Tom, ‘* What for?” But Mr. Stephen Boland, without replying, ‘cast his shovel and pipe into the back yard, then hastened up-stairs to make his toilet, Before he returned the young men were summoned to the dining-room to their long-delayed luncheon, Less thanan hour later on, the father drew the son out into a garden at the side of the house in order to talk over matters. Tnen he made Tom go over his entire connection with the Sutherland case, and soon divined that the charms of Miss Agnes had a good deal to do with exciting the lad’s interest therein. **So they fired you from the office, did they?’ remarked Mr. Boland as Tom concluded. ‘‘ Yes, but I think they will be glad to take me back after we bave run Leland into his hole and exposed his villainy.” ‘* You made an error I think in not arresting the whole outfit the night you and Smalley heard their confessions and saw oue of them try to poison another, What, better proofs could you desire against them all, taan they gave you then?” ‘* Yes, but 1 was not ready to have Leland bagged. I did not know where Miss Sutherland was, then,” ** Ah, that girl! Fooling, with pretty women has spoiled many a good detective. If you had clamped down on the rascals then, it would not have been long before you would have heard from the girl, The Charley Ross case has never been repeated,” ‘* Well, I—I was anxious, on her account,” ‘‘ And lost your judgment thereby, for the time being. What reason have you to think that her freedom, aside from your discovery of Sutherland’s murderer, wil] benefit you?” CHAPTER XIV, A DREAM AND AN AWAKENING, Tom looked confused; then he sighed a little, ‘‘None at all, father,” he replied, ‘ But, I wanted to see her free at the same I brought Leland to book.” ‘¢ Yes.” returned the old detective meditative- ly. ‘*But about the only tangible hope you have outside of a money reward and some re- putation, is the chance of getting your news- paper job back,” A ‘‘But, what have you been doing in the mean time?” ' ‘‘Well, I found the girl. She is in a place from which she must be released to-night, or I fear your interest in the case will p.” ‘‘Right you are, father! Never will I rest until Miss Sutherland is free.” ‘‘If her name happens to have been changed ‘to Leland, meanwhile, what then?” The blood surged into Tom’s face, then slowly receded, ‘Tf so, it could only be compassed by foul and coercive measures. But, what is to be fone?’ _ ** Well, you and Smalley must lie close for the present, There are spies out, You must not be seen unless in disguise,” **How did you locate Ag—Miss Sutherland? Where is she? How does she look? What did she—” ‘Tut! tut! The boy is clean crazy! Well, Tom, to speak plainly, I shall not tell you any- thing more, You are not in your right mind— an unpardonable condition for an amateur de- tective to allow himself to get into.” ‘* Mather, you would make a saint swear!” ‘* Better every saint in the calendar should grow profane than to ruffle a pretty trail by in- discreet blabbing toa love-sick boy! You just keep quiet, now. Lay low; obey orders, and before this time to-morrow we will see—” *y be see what?” added Tom, as his father used, ‘* Well, we will see what we sball see; that’s what!” replied the veteran dryly as he left the garden. “‘Hangitall! This is tough,” Tom’s exclamation—sotto voce—evinced his impatience. But, presently, having curbed his feelings to some extent, he went in search of Smalley, and found that young man turning over the music, while Helen Boland played a fetching waltz of the latest pattern with a good dealof snapand expression. Tom gave several audible indications of his weariness at the slow passage of time, ‘Take things easy, my boy!” urged Smalley, with a provoking air of being in the seventh heaven of enjoyment himself, ‘* Don’t you think we are having a great time? I feel immense, myself!” fom regarded the couple in great disdain, eee he thought of Agnes, and became melan- choly. ‘*George is too cursed jolly,” he reflected, as he took his way out into an orchard attached to the premises. ‘‘He and Helen seem to be making bay rapidly,” . Presently he found himself near an abrupt ac- clivity offering a distant view of the bay, near by, and the Sound beyond, The town of Hunting- don lay between the water and his father’s place. During Revolutionary days the British had erected a stone and earth fort there, the ruins of which are still quite prominent. Tom regarded the pleasing view listlessly, until his eyes rested on a long, jail-like looking building far outupon the rugged point of land forming the west side of the little bay, No other houses were near it except what seemed to belong to the place. A high stone wall fenced in its extensive grounds from the rest of the point to the soutli. On every side was the salt water. The grim aspect of the spot, and the wild-looking forest that was ad- jacent, were ominously suggestive of a place of forcible restraint. ‘‘Tooks almost like a prison,” commented Tom, ‘* but [ will bet my life that is Studley’s Asylum,” He walked tothe ruined old fortressand threw himself down in a turfy embrasure, resting his chin on his hands and gazing upon the place where he now believed Agnes to be, The fa- tigue and lack of sleep he had recently under- gone were soon too much for bim, and betore he realized what was happening he fell asleep, How long he continued thus was startlingly forced on his mind by the manner of his awak- ening. He dreamed that his father and Smalley had, somehow, disappeared and that, alone and unaided, he was threading the mazes of Stud- ley’s mad-house. Fantastically dressed people followed him, surrounded him and obstructed his way. Hideous faces leered at him; strange voices gibbered in his ears; rough hands held him in order to bear him away. When he finally released himself, and peered into one cell after another, a voice would exclaim: ‘6s Not there! not there! but yonder!” When he would go yonder other voices would mockingly bid him still go elsewhere, Then, all at once, be f.und himself in a dark, dank cavern, and on a bed of boughs he saw Agnes Sutherland lying, bound hand and foot. Presently the boughs were on fire. He could smell the smoke and see and hear the flames and their hissing. Agnes seemed to be burning up! He rushed to the fair one’s side and pulled awa the blazing fagots. But they would be mysteri- ously renevred, and Agnes—this was especially horrible to him—was laughing at his frantic exertions, mocking him and pointing to the mad-house, ‘* Not here, fool!” she shrieked. but there!” Great drops stood upon his brow. them off and—behold! his hands were red! Up- on them was blood! He cried out and ran to- ward the mad-house, when something fell on him with terrible power. A great weight was ‘** Not here; He brushed 1i on his chest; strong hands were tugging at his limbs; the flames were drawing near again. hoarse, inarticulate cry burst from his lips and. he awoke! Twilight was at hand; the air felt moist and cool, though his head was warm and throbbing. He struggled helplessly, but fell back ex- hausted, ‘* You might as well take things easy, I guess,” said a husky voice that sent a disagreeable thrill to his very bones, ‘‘Where am I? What has happened?’ he asked, more to himself than to any one else, ‘*You are hard and fast; that’s what’s the matter,” replied the same voice. ‘ Franconi, bring him down so that we can talk and be sociable,” Some one half carried and half dragged bim around a projecting angle of earth, when the gleam of a lantern assailed his eyes. Several men were seated or lying on the“*ground, All were armed, but their ragged garb and sinister, vicious faces were the reverse of reassuring to ee who had at last collected his scattered wi Seated ona rock was Swivel, the butler! It was he who had spoken, The snake-likeeye and malevolent smile of the Italian near by made Tom shudder. The other men he did not know, . Tom looked about him with care,, The old fort had disappeared. They seemed to be in a wood- ed ravine having precipitous sides and with a glint of starlight above and a liquid souna of waves not far away. He remembered his father’s injunction to ni close, as spies were out, and silently execrat his own indiscreetness in venturing forth withb- out disguise, Then, to negligently fall asleep! This, then, was the fateful result of that hor- rible dream, The spies had found him belpiess, had captured, dragged and carried bim off, and now his friends were doubtless woniering where he was, The situation was none the less maddening to him ou account of the mystery of it. Ap- parently his foes were also puzzled, for Swivel looked on the lad curiously. ‘““Glad we found you,” said the butler at last, ‘*though I must say I hardly thought I should set eyes on you again, especially down here.’ ‘*T demand to be set free!” cried Tom, in- dignantly. ‘* You shall suffer for this out- rage.” ‘*Don’t say!” ejaculated Swivel sarcastical- ly. ‘*Sounds like big words out of a weak stomach, don’t it, boys?” Tom struggled with his bonds, for he was tied hand and foot, but his efforts to release himself were vain. Swivel shook his fist at the youth, exclaiming: “You sing low, now,will you? You may get a biff on the head that will settle you, once for all. You thougbt you had us dead to rights in town, didn’t you? But I'll be skinned if you have got much show here. D’ye think we don’t know what you’re up to? Hain’t you as good as robbed this here Italian—” ‘‘ Twenta-five thousand dollar!” echoed Fran- coni, showing his white teeth disagreeably. ‘¢ Yes!” shouted Swivel, working himself up into a rage. ‘*And look how you are doin’ me and my master! I call that downright mean—I do, Live and let live, I say.” ‘‘You s-oundrelly, murdering wretch!” re- torted Tom, in righteous scorn, ‘Such scum as you and your master are fit food only for the jail or—the gallows. Loose me, I say!” He began to shout long and lustily. ‘‘Gag the fool!” roared Swivel. “I thought he was disposed of in New York, but here he turns up again like a bad dollar, just when he isn’t wanted,” Franconi and one of the men proceeded to force a gag into Tom’s mouth, but the youth re- sisted, bound as he was, at the same time Ccon- tinuing to shout, ‘*Smother him, curse it all!” insisted Swivel, his distorted eyes glinting fairly green in his anger. ‘*Throw him into the cave. He will bring some one down on us yet with his infernal yowling!” CHAPTER XV, BOUND AND GAGGED, IN THE CAVE, But Boland, drawing up his legs, drove his feet with all his force into the Italian’s stomach, who groaned, rolled his eyes ard fell down ~ breathless, Quick as a flash, Tom jumped to his feet and struck the second man in the face with the heavy iron handcuffs by which his wrists were bound, 900 Cc