Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 122 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

. Say \* Phil Hardy, THE BOSS BOY; The Mystery of ihe Strongbow. BY CHARLES MORRIS. axommorn oF ‘‘ WILL somers,”’ “NoBODY’s BOY,” ETC. CHAPTER I. GIANTS AND DWARFS. A arovp of boys was seated on the end of a pier that jutted out into the East river, the swift tide- water swirling round the wharf-pieces beneath them, while to the right and left rose a wilderness of masts and the hull of great ships throbbed and chafed against the nearer wharves, as if eager for flight. Back of them ran the swarthy boundary-line of the rreat city, with its endless procession of laden drays and wagons, and its roar of multitudinous wheels. Beyond the broad river appeared the walls and spires of Brooklyn. Everywhere the habitations and the works of man. Nothing of pure nature save the wrinkled stream and the blue sky. Yet the boys’were far away in spirit from that stirring scene—all save one, whose uplifted nose be- trayed a deep stratum of contempt for his preoccu- pied companions. They were a ragged set of youthful vagrants. A wuvhole coat, or an unventilated hat, would have. been voted there as simply ridiculous; such shoes as they wore left open windows for peeping toes; while it would have puzzied a Darwin to figure out in what far past their skins had last been introduced to clean water. Yet the genius of poetry and romance may dwell under the mask of rags and dirt. One of the boys Jay stretched at full length, his head in his hands and his eyes on the open sky, as he slowly drawled eut a long-drawn tale of the deeds of some monstrous ae} and the shrewdness of certain keen-witted warts. | The eyes of the listeners were dilated to double their orale size as they heard of the terrible datichter of the giants by the bloodthirsty dwarfs; while their hands were angrily clenched when the fiants occasionally ate a half-dozen or so.-of their. minute antagonists as a relish for SUDPEE- And when a lady fair, with golden hair, was car- vied off bodily, and locked up in the private dungeon of one of these freebooters, the innate chivalry of the lads cropped out alarmingly. If they had only heen present they would have shown old Blood and Bones a thing or two. ght he Beet a thetic per aut oes re t eyes and a cularly grimy face. “If 1 only had nimble Jack’s cloak, that nobody couldn’t see anybody in when somebody had it on; and his shoes of swiftness; and his—”’ “Yes, if you'd only had the jiant under your foot, like a ho foun, Is'’pose you’d smashed him,” inter- rupted the contemptuous, youth. ‘It’s enough to make a hoss sick, this stuff *bout jiants. Jist as M™ there was any sich eri(ters.” “So there is, too, plenty of them, if a feller only went to furrin places where they live.—Or there was in old times, anyhow, if there ain’t now.” And the narrator looked half angrily at his critical tor. The latter—a small, stunted figure, that sat doubled on the wharf-log, his keen eyes glittering like diamonds in his round, matter-of-fact face—gave a sniff of contempt as he answered: “Tt’s all very well fur you, Joe Dot, to lay there and spin off sich stuff by the yard, fur these chaps to swaller. ButI aint none of that sort. What I see 1 b’lieve, and that’s all.”’ “Yes, you're a smart rooster, you are,’’ ejaculated the eioy boy. ‘I bet there is jiants; and I bet I kin lick the boy as says there aint.” “That's me, I spose,’’ was the unconcerned an- swer ofthe other. __ “ Jist as you like,” cried the challenger, springing to his aceet, and soaring, as it were, out of profu- coat. # And who's to hold this raglan while you’re get- tin’ curried?” asked the undisturbed youth, indicat- ayy the coat which his foe had dropped. Jist io keep your dirty feet and hands off it; a 3 rt of spilin’ fur'a fight, aint Dirty ou're sort o * fur a A ou Dick?” disdainfully asked the other tad As he rose ami deliberately wiped his feet on the precious coat. Ree Dick gave a short how! of rage, and sprung a as | “EM as a cat. The other boys looked on delightedly at the com- ing fray. fur him, Phil!’ shouted Joe Dot, as the ea ‘ean stepped aside, letting his flerce foe come within an ace 0 overboard. Dick recovered h and prepared for another assault. His small antagonist stood as unconcerned as though a fe pm was the spice of life to him. Big, bs deadly fray w&s destined to be nipped in the bud, : “ Get out of that, you blasted wharf-rats!”’ cried a burly man, as he dashed past them, rope in hand. * Out, or I'l! pickle the crew of you!’ He ran squarely over Dirty Dick, as he hurried to a wharf post, shouting to the sailors on-board the vessel from whictrhe had just leaped, it was a large, full-rigged ship, which wa. entering the dock, brushing the black paint rrom her «.*es against the rough wharf logs, ee - a 7 080 SSS te. . Phil Hardy, the Boss Boy. eee ee assistance, the man with the rope drewit in hand over hand, dragging up a strong hawser, whose looped end he dropped over the stout post, ‘Lay on now, you a lubbers!’’ he shouted, “4 pone let her slide off! Bring her up with a round urn!’ Dirty Dick slowly picked himself up, and looked ruefully at the burly mate. ““When a lokermotive comes along it ginerall whistles to git off the track,” he said, with a gri- mace. ‘Guess these séa captings dont carry no whistle.” ““Spose he wouldn't like you to feel which was hardest, his cocoanut or a brickbat,"’ growled Phil, indignantly. ‘If we is boys, we aint pavin’-stones, fur furriners to scrape their feet on.” “What the blazes are you grumbling about?” queried the mate, turning suddenly on the a group of boys. ‘* You were fighting one another a minute ago. Do you want to fight me?”’ ‘t Jist as lieve as not,’ replied Phil, boldly. ‘ Spose we was wharf rats; that dont make you no better than a salt-water lubber. I dont allow no sea-mon- key to climb over me.”’ e burly sailor gave an amused look at his di- minutive antagonist. Then he called to one of his men on board the vessel: ‘* Wling me a rope’s end, Jack. Here’s a blow-fly whose. wings want, dusting.”’ A short. piece of rope was thrown him from on board:the vessel, and several laughing faces appear- << Over the bulwarks, anxious to see the impending un. The boys, on their side, huddled close together, and seemed disposed to show fight. “Come ahead with your patent, double-jinted old duster,’’ cried Phil. “‘Come long, you bow-legged jiant, and see if there aint no fun in the dwarfs.”’ And in fact the dwarfs bristled up so spitefully that the mate hesitated a minute before entering in- to a contest with them. The quarrel was interrupted by a loud call from the captain, who had sprung up on the heel of the bowsprit. “Warely, men! Bring her head well up! Once more and we have her.—Leave the boys alone, Mr. Hendsiees . You will do better by attending to the ship.” The short, angry ring of the captain’s voice startled the mate. With a fierce glance at the boys he flew to the bow of the vessel, where another haw- ser was just being landed. eee: him off ying he , ageravatingly. : There was a loud laugh from t iose within hearing. The mate hesitated and turn d half round, knoi- ting his fingers into the rop. But there came another of the captain's quick, crisp orders, and the sailor turned again to his duty. * The boys looked after him with an aspect of tri- umph, but probably not without an internal sense of relief, All save Phil, who unconcernedly faced his former foe. ‘Now, Dirty Dick,” he ejaculated, ‘‘spose we have that scrimmage out. We’ren'ta-goin’ to let no- body else crowd on you. But, you’re my game, and I want you to squar yerseif.”’ Dick looked with some dismay and surprise at his determined antagonist, ‘But I thought that mill was off,’’ he said. ‘*Not when I’m one of the millers," replied Phil, grimly. ‘I’m jist ered fur afight. You an me’s t to have it out, if it’s only fur the fun of the ing.’’ ~ Let that slide, Phil,’’ said Joe Dot, coming for- ind as peacemaker. ‘And we'll give up the n 23? : “It’s a bargain,’’ responded Phil, “if you'll guv in that there aint no sech rascally truck as that. [ma straight up-and-down, cast-iron, hickory-bark fellow I am. I kin ’preciate jiant houses, and ships, and elephants, andsich. But when you go to tellin’ them double-barreled lies it makes me sick, clean down to my big toes.” And the look of disgust on Phil’s face was some- nes. to see. éther he wouldn't have tried his hand on Dirty Dick, ** ‘pa to keep up the sperit of the meeting,” was still a question. It was settled in another man- ner. One of the boys shouted out, shrilly: ‘*Hillo! By jimminy, there’s fun!” hts he plunged forward, followed quickly by. the others. A West Indian barque was unloading at the oppo- site side of the wharf. A hogshbead of molasses, which was being lowered to a y, had come down with a run, starting the bung. A fountain of its sweet - gear shot a yard or two onto the dusty ground. In a minute the boys were in it, scooping it up with both hands, and swallowing dust and sweetmeats to- gether with an air of the greatest delight. “ Aint it old splendid, Phil?’ cried Dick, his grimy face shining with a new coating. , “Dunno,” replied Phil, who stood a little aloof. “Dont keer much for ‘lasses.”’ There was a rush Of the parties who stood near, to help save the barrel. The bung had shot out, and was not immediately to be found. ‘**Get out of here, boys!’’ came the vigorous com- mrnd of the drayman. But the boys were not to be so easily moved. “ Here; I'll help them out,” cried the black-brow- ed mate of the ship, twirling the rope’s end, which he still held. ‘Our with you, you cutter snipes!’ he continued, whirling it shrewdly through the air, and bringing it down on Phil’s back. The boy turned in utter surprise, ont want to fight?’ said Cursing the dilatory sailor who had come to his | “Wonder how much he pays that dog-fancier fur | sc teeta EL LL LLL LE eee ‘*That’s my back,’ he said. * And is my rope,’’ replied the mate, who seemed to have a spite against the boy. He whirled it again, but Phil grasped it in his hands, and there wasa fight for its possession. With aquick jerk the mate tore it loose and brought it down again warmly on the boy’s back. But he did not appreciate all the powers of a wharf rat in self-defense. Phil darted back, and in a second had him by the leg, with his sharp teeth sunk into the flesh, The man gave a howl of pain and strove to shake off his puny antagonist. But, Phil would not let go mont his teeth had almost met, biting viciously aud eep. ‘That's one,’”’ he cried, darting away like an ar- row. ‘I owe you another yet.” With a derisive laugh the other boys ran after him, leaving the black-bearded mate cursing like a mad- man. The other men were too busy in driving in the + ee bung topay much attention to this epi- sode, CHAPTER IL. BETWEEN DECKS. Tr Strongbow, the vessel we have seen just en- tering port, hailed last from England. She was laden with a miscellaneous cargo, was at once taken in charge by a custom-house official, while the neces- sary preliminaries to her un)oading were being per- formed, The crew loitered lazily about the decks, or took short trips through the town, there being little re- straint on their freedom of motion. The mate had principal charge of the ship in the captain’s fre- uent absence, limping about with many a curse on the boy, whose sharp teeth had for the “Fond effect- ually lamed him. ‘He stood by the rail on the second wstrosiy agg ing that Phil would make his appearance, that he might give him the kicking he deserved, He little thought, as he entered intoa chat-with the inspector of customs, that his young foe was at that moment on board the vessel, coiled up in the forecastie among the sailors, who were seated about 4 their sea-chests, engaged in a desultory conversa- on. He had made the acquaintance of some of the sailors in the streets, and .as they rather approved of his punishment of the mate they became friendly ‘with him at once. It was in response to a pressing invitation that he had surreptitiously visited them at their sea home. There were four of the sea-dogs present, three of them youngish men, the fourth a weather-beaten old tar, who seemed to have faced the storms of half a conte Phil had coiled himself up near the patriarch of the crew, into whose face he looked with a sort of rever- elitial interest. “Dont like much tobe on land?” he said, ques- tioningly. | ‘* Not me,”’ replied the old sailor, in a voice that sounded like the subdued grow] of a hurricane. “The ground aint one: f like,.when I puts my foot down, to know that it’s goin’ to stick. Cant be sure 0’ that ‘cept on deck.” Phil look at him as one will look at.a new species Of. Dont igree with he rejoined shortly. “I * Dont ’gree you,” he rejo shortly. “ kin just as easy dance on a tight rope as git over a Tro , ) lin : “‘That’s the fault of eddication,” said another of the sailors. “If you’d been brung up out of sight of land, as all reasonable folks oughter, you’d knowed how to walk an oak plank in a gale. Somehow I cant help pitying landlubbers.”’ ’ “Then it’s jist even, and nothin’ to carry,” replied Phil, with a shrug, ‘‘for I’ve heered landlubbers pity sailors.—Had a good voyage, Jack?” ‘Who told you my name was Jack?” asked the old sailor, ray ‘*T thought all sailors’ names was Jack.” ‘***Bout how old mought you be, boy?” ‘**? dunno as I kin jist tell, Somewhere atween tea and twenty, I spose,” ‘*Seed many sailors ?’’ ‘* A clever sprinkle of ’em.”’ ‘“‘ And every sea-hoss of them was a Jack, hey?” “Well, then, Put thin your pipe, 3 “We en, put this in your pipe. My name's Ben. I've been Ben Bowliag aloft and alow, in storm and in calm, these forty odd years. So jest correck your jography "bout sailors.”’ There was an angry ring in the old fellow’s voice, as if this was a personal matter with him, Phil twisted his diminutive form into a sort of sailor’s knot, and looked quizzically up into his pew friend’s face. ‘‘ Where does the Strongbow hail from?” he asked. ‘‘From Liverpool last; but we’ve touched some French ports afore Sy os another of the crew. ** Got a sort of mixe cargo, I spose?”’ “Yes sorter. Wearin’ stuff, hard tack and pickles.” “ We've got more aboard than the vessel was built to carry,’ said a third, with a solemn intonation. _ “Dent..be bringing that wp, Joe. The least said the.soonest mended,’ responded the first speaker. Old Ben had dropped his head into his hands, and séemed lost in areverie. He now spoke somewhat ply. ‘I cant see what we're to cover it up fur. As I’ve said afore, and aint backward to say agin, it’s brung bad luck on the trip.” ‘There aint no sich thing as bad luck,” ejaculated com —_——- ee EDOoOoKS com