Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 196 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

Jee et seo eee eee 2 oe eee a +--+ = cannot escape. Why, every avenue will be guarded. There will be thousands on the look out.” Grace looked as if she hoped that he would escape. There was a touch of human feeling in his action which had roused a sympathetic chord in her warm heart. ‘* But the other?’ sae suddenly cried. ‘* You said there were two of these bold escapes.” ‘* The other was that of Robert Rockett. That was still more daring and impudent. Why, he has played with the police to their very noses.” ‘** Oh, do tell us about that,” exclaimed Grace, with redoubled interest. : oe Rockett had certainly a strong partisan in her. ‘** You remember about the police searching a house for him a day or two ago? Well, it ap- pears that he was there all the time, concealed in some unknown hiding-place. And he con- tinued tostay there after the police left. One of these worthies suspected that there might be something WRONG, and returned to that house to look for him. What should he find but our Master Rockett, as large as life, perched against the wall, and smoking away for dear life, as though he had not a car@é in the world! There is no telling to what lengths impudence may 0. ‘*T declare!” cried Paul and Grace in con- cert. ‘“‘It was bold. Did the policeman take him?’ ‘** No; but he took the policeman, which may answer the same purpose. Why, he forced that worthy, at pistol’s point, to change hats and coats with him. Then he left him, tied and gagged, and locked up in a room, while he walked out bimself as boldly as though the city of New York belonged to him in fee simp!e. There was another of our city guardians on the watch outside, but friend Rockett hoodwinked him as easily as he had done his companion.” ‘* But how was that? You would imagine he would have known him.” ‘*1t seems that the man insids got his mouth free, and gave the alarm. They ran together to the house, and the police-agent ran in. ck- ett, however, concluded that he had business further on; so he slipped quietly away, and left the baffled officers to console themselves as best they might.” r , good!” cried Grace, clapping her hands. ‘* I only hope he will continue to escape them.” ‘** But you are not in sympathy with this mur- es ?” exclaimed her father, witha very serious ace. ‘*He is not a murderer,” she exclaimed in- dignantly. » ‘“‘ He is incapable of such a crime. If it is in my power to protect him in any way I shall certainly do so.’ ‘‘Come, come, Grace,” answered her father, with earnest disapproval. ‘‘T am very sorry to hear you talk so.’ *T can’t help it, father. He saved my life and honor. I shall save his if the opportunity offers.” ‘* Have you taken any action in that matter of Marie Ormiston?’ asked Paul, by way of changing the subject. ‘*] have brought a charge against her before the authorities. She will be arrested before night, unless she has decamped.” ‘Oh, have you, father?’ “Yes. Not that I care so particularly to punish her. But she may reveal the names of those burglars. If Roger Glindon could only be unmasked.” ‘*[ hope he may,” answered Paul earnestly. ‘*T am sure he was the leader of the gang.” ‘**T hope so, too,”’ chimed in Grace earnestly. But we will not listen further to this conver- sation, as the remainder of it might be of no in- terest to the reader. CHAPTER VIII. RUSTY MIKE TRIES HIS HAND. SEVERAL days have passed since the date of our last chapter. Yet the two fugitives from justice are still at large, and the police are ul- most at their wits’ end how to capture them. Since the moment of Bob Rockett’s escape from the Blair street house he has pan, A y vanished from sight. His companion, managed to clear bimself in the eyes of the authorities by showing that he was forced to aid the fugitive in his escape. But he is utterly a ee — SS Sst ——— | eau Bink, has | ignorant of the locality of Bob’s present hiding- | place, and the authorities are quite as much at | lips were set with a strange, puckered expres- sea, The same uncertain Rusty Mike. The w in which he secreted himself has been searched through and through, | | more immediate surroundings. and the whole surrounding country thoroughly examined, without effect, The baffled officers say to themselves that they cannot imagine how the villain escaped. But that does not help the matter in the least. He has escaped; that is the one undoubted fact, al- though the whole country around has been on the look outfor him. The police are complete- ly at a loss how to unfold this mystery, though they are inclined to believe that the fugitives are somewhere in the city. A great city cer- tainly affords more secure hiding-places than any thickly-settled country district. But where? | That’s the rub. In what secret haunt of the dangerous Classes are these men concealed? lt is now getting late in the spring, and there have been some of the usual revolutions in the weather. A week ago there was a sbivering breath in the air, and all the world had donnec its overcoats. But now, in these latter days of April, the sweet south-west wind is upon the land, there is a suinmery softness in the atmos- phere, and folks are ready to forget that it ever was winter, and to wonder how long this scorch- ange Spe is to last. he Garlands have left their stylish town house to the care of a servant, and moved, bag and baggage, to their country seat, a beautiful- ly situated summer residence, on the Hudson, a few miles above the city. Grace always desires to get here early, for she dearly loves her flowers, and from the time the first buds blow until the last leaves have fallen, there isno keeping her amid the stately cold- ness of city life, The grounds of this charming riverside man- sion were terraced down to the water’s edge, each terrace being laid out in a beautiful gar- den, so arranged as to bring flowers successively into bloom during the whole season. On the lower terrace, at a point near where the river ran liquidly past, was an ornamental arbor, with its outlook upon the stream. Here Grace loved to sit during the long sum- mer hours, with her book and her work, and with the whole panorama of the busy river out- spread before her eyes. On the first day of their coming to this man- sion she had eagerly sought her favorite seat, and long remained here in the balmy weather, her vision fixed dreamily upon the ever-shifting scene, Her fither and husband were in the city. Only asingle servant was in the house, the others having not yet come from the city; eh she was almost alone in that solitary edi- ce, But she felt no sense of loneliness. Every- thing about her was so familiar, every tree, every bush, seemed a personalfriend. It would have seemed strange to her to fancy that she was not in the midst of a throng of intimate as- sociates. Out upon the stream vessel efter vessel passed, some bound upward, some down toward the reat city. Steamboats shot rapidly by, their ong lines of smoke hoveriug in the quiet air after they had disappeared from view. Nearer the shore an occasional small boat passed, some being pleasure yachts, some the sturdy craft of fishermen, some row-boats, in which the lovers of the oar were enjoying this pleasant exercise. There was a sense of companionship to their solitary watcher even in this distant movement. As she sat thus, with her eyes fixed dreamily upon the distant craft, she failed to notice that a small boat had crept in close along the shore, its single occupant guiding its course with an oar, as it floated down the stream, while his eyes were fixed with a keen glance upon the unconscious woman. Now the boat’s prow grated with a slight noise upon the pebbly beach, and the tall form of its occupant rose and stepped lightly ashore, ancboring the craft with a stone at tached to tle end of a short rope. He was yet unobserved by Grace, who sat wrapped in a sort of day-dream, her eyes bent outward, Slowly the stranger drew himself up to the level of the terrace, and wound with a cat-like tread through the bushes toward her. A hoarse ‘‘ Hem!” called ber attention to her What was her surprise and alarm to perceive, in the entrance to the arbor, the form of a most unprepossess- ing tramp,.as his dress seemed to indicate, He was tall, raw-boned, and cadaverous, his pallid face fallen away until the bones seemed ready to protrude through the skin, while a dark 1ing surrounded the eyes, and the sion, the aspect of the whole face being that of revails in regard to | one in whom starvation has been aided in its ef- fects by some deep emotion of the mind. Grace started to her feet with a cry of alarm Shadowed; or, Bob Rockett’s Fight fi or Life. — LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LDA RD RRR DL AL LLL LL ALL LLL LLL LL LL LL tlt a \ 9 Le + ee oe tee ee »- as this threatening form fixed its hoHow eyes upon her. ‘* Don’t get skeered, miss,” he said in a hoarse hollow voice, which he tried to make soft anc appealing. ‘‘I’d be the last in the world to mean you harm. But, when a poor soul ain’t had a bite o’ vittals fer two blessed days, it kinder makes him bold, miss, If you could give the poor fellow a bite now, Jist a mouth- ul, say.”’ Grace looked into the pinched face, and her tender heart grew soft with pity. He certainly did seem to be on the verge of starvation. ‘“Wait a few minutes, my poor man,” she kindly said, all her fear of him vanishing at the sight of his need, ‘‘ 1 will bring you some food,” it never struck Grace, in her pitying speed, that it was something out of the usual course for men to come begging in a row-boat. She hurried to the house, cat without disturbing the servant, collected the materials for a goodly “cha with which she hastened back to the ar- r. ‘“The poor creature,” she said, sympathizingl to herself, ‘‘ He looks asif he Foy net lauad food for a week.” ‘‘ Here is food for you,” she exclaimed, plac- ing it before bim, where he bad thrown himself down on the grass. ‘Do not eat too much now. It might hurt you, Just eat a little, and take the rest with you.” ‘Ah, but you’re the dear, good leddy!” he cried, looking with a show of gratitude into her face. ‘May the blessings of the starving ever be yours!” It struck her that there was a little of the cant of the professional beggar in his tone, but she continued to watch him with pitying eyes, as he devoured the food with the rapacity of a wild beast, rather than the hunger of a man, ‘*There, now. Take the remainder with you. It is not safe to eat too much when you are so bungry.” He looked up at her with the expression of a wolf which has been robbed of part of its food. But this look was followed by a grim smile, as he began to thrust the remaining food into his pockets, saying, in a tone that was half growl: ‘*Bless yer purty eyes, yer the kind and the sensible leddy, if ever there were one, I hope you'll ’scuse me,”—he bad risen to bis feet and stood upright Lefore her—‘‘ but, Vm desp’ret poor, as well as bungry. If the kind leddy would only give the poor fellow some’at to re- mimber her by. A little trifle of cash, now.” She retreated a step in renewed alarm. There was a new look in the eyes of the man before her. She began to fear that her pity had caused her to lay aside her prudence, ‘*T have no money witb me,” she faltered. ‘* Now that’s too drefful bad, But there’s that purty chain round yer reck; and that vally’ble ring yer a-wearin’. Mebbe poor old Tom mought turn ’em into scmethin’ nice, and it’d be a bless- ing to you to know that yer savin’ the poor from trouble.” | ** Now go, or I shall call for help!” she cried, inalarm. ‘‘Il have given you food and you wish to rob me.” **T wouldn’t rob you for all the world,” he auswered, with a frightful grin. ‘On’y I knows as how them things ain’t o’ no vally to you, | So I guess as how ye’d like to band them over. He took a quick step forward and grasped her by the wrist, while his sunken eyes glarcd into into ber face witb a tigerish er aenae A scream of affright broke from her lips. ; “Stop that, or Vl] throttle ye!” he ferccicusly cried, as he tried to rend the gold chain from her neck, { But there was a sudden change in the state of effairs. Her scream bad not been unteard. There came a ciushing scund in the bushes, and the leap of a new figure on the scene, The footpad found himself seized by the shoul- ders in an iron clasp, and buried aside with a force like that of a giant. There stood the short, stout figure of the new-comer, his eyes blazing with indignation, his fists clenched as if he expected an attack from the discomfited tramp. A strange cry broke from Grace’s lips es she beheld him, a cry that seemed tke cutburst of surprise. A like astonishment seemed to overcome the tramp. ‘‘Bob Rockett!’ came in faltering accents rom his lips. , ‘Yes, Rusty Mike; and just in time, too, it seems.’”* ; > A new cry came from Grace on hearing that terrible name. She fell back upon the arbor seat almost in a swoon. | OOO) com Cc (E()