Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1128 — page 1: what you’re looking at

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

-- — ’ Copyricut, 1877, py BEADLE & ADAMS. No. 1428, Published :ivery Month. The Sea Serpent; FHE BOY ROBINSON CRUSOE. BY JUAN LEWIS, AMFREIOR OF “TRUST HER NOT,” “THE SWAMP FOX,” THE SORCERER'S VICTIM,’ ‘‘MY QUAINT FAMIL- rans,’’ ‘‘ THE SKELETON HAND,” “ LIFE AGAINS® TIDE,”’ ETC., BIC. CHAPTER I. THE BOR HERO—HIS RESOLVE. Tre tide riging on a sandy shore. A bos, of years.of age or thereabouts, was waiking slowly up and down along the margin, lost in thought. At every ste the in ing tide obliterated his or he but he e dansis gave no thought to wind or tide. A heavy wave sent the spray dashing over him, and recalled him to himself. “IT will do it!” he declared with emphatic gesture; “ef shall succeed. Something tells me so; 1 will begin at once the WOO KD wy Zz oF twit as Ag LIS “ ALO LS ee ee ES \\S QQ SY SN \ Tis! Tl tft ot nn! es! Tt el \ NY AON wt WY Mm. J. LEVERS & CO., Publishers, (JAMES SULLIVAN, PROPRIETOR), 379 Pearl Street, New York. ing to the softening Influence of time, and to the rseverance that usually commands success, Jwian etermined at every hazard to find this uncle; to make known his kinship to this man of ominous name, but as Julian believed of good heart—in short, to begin at once the search for Captain Kidd, He reached the house and went in. Rverything was as his mother had left it, for her illness had been brief, and there had been no change. ‘Her familiar easy-chair was in its accustomed lac», but alas! em ty the clock ticking away upon he mantle as it had one many a year: the tea-kettle by the fireside—as in happier days; and as Julian tooked around him and thought how soon these old associates would be but a memory of the past, he dropped upon a lounge ard burst into tears. For his was a tender heart. For some time he sat with his head upon his hands, but at length dried his tears, and rising walked the floor with all the latent energy of his nature coming to the surface. To enter upon the search which he propesed, he mew would require money. search for my uncle, the old 6et -captain.”’ And with these words he walked briskly in'the direction ef a small cottage, the roof and chir.ney of which were visible among the trees a few hundred inland. A cottage formerly his moth- er’s—now his own, for. she was Buried yesterday. His name was Julian Adams. He was entirely alone in the world—alone with the single ent ages to which he had al- hi That exception was his moth- er’s brother, an old sea-captain —James Kidd—of whom he had often heard in earlier ie who had gone to India and the Hast, and was still sup- seat to be living in or near ombay. It had been one of Julian’s boyish dreams to go out to his uncle, and in fact he had only restrained therefrom by the urgent solicitations of his mother, whom he loved too well to leave in loneliness. As he now deliberated in ref- erence to his future course, this early dream came back to him with renewed force, and the result of his deliberations, as we have seen, was to lose no time in carrying this pur- pose into execution. But there was one difficulty in the way, as it now occurred to him; he did not even know his uncle’s address. Beyond the bare fact that he was somewhere in India, where he was sup to have set- tled, and at he had once bean heard from at Bombay, he knew of him absolutely nothing. That he was a man of vast wealth Julian’s mother had be- QA Want ’ RTT - i Ii c) Hy if LEZ Lig XV SA SI\N AvuGusT, 1902. | ~. OBS" Go Hse, Yo, XLML PRICE 5 CENTS. 50c. a Year. Besides the house and grounds, left him by his deceased parents, the sum total of his own and his mother’s savings amounted to two hundred dollars. To the boy this seemed a largo amount, and he had it ready to his hand, saved up between the leaves of the old family Bible; which book his mether had al- ways taught him was a far safer place of de $ than any other—for was it not a treasure in itself? He now proceeded to pack up such things as ho felt he would most need, placing his mother’s Bible with its treasure in a breast-pocket, and ens his knapsack, locked all the doors and windows of the house, and coming out took one long silent glance at the premises thus left desolate and forsaken. He was in the act of turning sch se Prien a gruff voice accosted him, and gees up saw es | pene a petty magistrate and neighbor who lived a mile off. He looked suspiciously at Julian's well-filled knap~ sack, and at the closed house. “ Where are you going Julian?” he demanded. Julian faltered. Of all the men in the world, he thought, this man was the least likely tc take any interest in the course he had marked out. He had often heard him say, that there was n. romance about Aim, and with a sharp- ness beyond his years, the boy y foresaw that his pro- jected search for his uncle might be considered by his elders as an enterprise both romantic and foolish. He hesitated. The man saw his hesitation and looked at him more sus- aie “IT asked you just now,” he said sternly, ‘‘ where- you were oing: I repeat it, and demand 10w.”” “Bowand sir?’’ said ‘heopne flushing with some resentmen in his tone. “Yes, demand,” responded Squire wson, ‘I have been ee your guardian. See! here is my authority !" displaying a folded paper as hespoke; “and Ihave come down to take possession of your peered go pon be- fore it is all was by neglect, or squandered by you.” Julian turned from hot te cold at these words, but his voice had a manly ring as he replied: “Sir, you have no right; I do not acknowl you as my guardian; lam o enough to choose for myself; I was fourteen last year. mother has often told me that after that age any boy could choose his own guardian.” Squire Lawson looked angry and annoyed. “Do you undertake to tell me the law—me, a magistrate?” 4 No, sir,” replied promptly, but firmly; “I te you only the truth as it ap lies to myself; that lam past ourteen, and that if I havea as I suppose I may, he will be es will one of my owm do you then object te -_——- + + ** And me?’’ 900Ks.com