Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 220 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

Tom Tanner, Scalawag and Scapegrrace. 11 face. Something like a smile appeared on his mouth, like the moon showing out for an in- stant among storm-clouds. He drummed rest- lessly on the table, ‘“Come, dad,” repeated Tom. ‘‘ Ther’s no use stirrin’ up old sores. What’ll ye drink?” Jacob hesitated for a minute more, and then said in a very low tone: ‘*Whisky, straight.” Tom had conquered. The magic of silver had softened the sou! of the indignant parent. We will not dwell on the scene that followed. It is no pleasant spectacle to seea son plying his father with drink, nor to see a mere boy swallowing strong liquor with almost the ease of a case-hardened old toper. Suflice it to say that at the end of an hour or two Jacob Tanner rose from his seat much the worse for drink. Tom, who had been careful not to drink too much, hastened to support bim as he staggered against the table. ‘Yer a boy arter my own heart!” hiccoughed the father, while he threw his arm over Tom’s shoulder. ‘‘ Yer wuth a million of milk-sops like yer brother Frank, who’d see me as dry as a Jersey sand-hill afore he’d give me the vally ofatoddy. Yer the apple of my eye, Tommy, and they couldn’t git a word ag’in’ ye outen me if they’d take tongs,” He reeled along the street under Tom’s guid- ance. He was very drunk even for him. “Don’t let out you seen me, dad,” cautioned Tom. ‘ There’s no use lettin’ ’em know where you met yer angel.” ‘* Me let out!” cried the father, with a drunken wink, ‘' Hope yer don’t s’pose yer old dad’s a fool, and ain’t had his eye-teeth cut? Nary time, Tommy, my son,” Tom left his father at the door of his domicile and glided quickly away. The old drunkard made his way with difficulty up-stairs, scum- bling at every step. He finally reached the door of his room and began to fumble in his pocket for the key. ‘*Shoot my buttons if I don’t believe I’ve lost it!” he muttered, as he explored pocket after pocket. ‘‘ Knowl putit in yere, but the ran- tankerous thing’s gone. Mebbe I dropped it on them stairs.” He made his way to the head of the stairs and looked down. He tottered as he clung to the head of the balusters. ‘‘ Ther so ridiklous oneven,” he grumbled. ‘* And they’s got sich a way oO’ kickin’ up, ’s if they was put on pivots. Carpenters nowadays don’t know how to build stairs, | reckon. Let them thun- derin’ old keys go! I could get it well enough, only I don’t want to ’sturb folks. ’Tain’t ’cause I can’t navergate down stairs.” He beat a tattoo on the door loud enough to waken up all the establishment, _ “Tt’s only me, Mrs. Tanner,” he whispered through the door. ‘Don’t ye make no nojse ’cause I don’t want to ’sturb nobody.” After a minute the door was opened from the inside, ‘Drunk as a beast!” exclaimed Mrs. Tanner, angrily. ‘‘ And making noise enough to rouse up the whole block. Where is your key?” ‘Oh, bless your eyes, I forgot the key!” and he ean ances again to fumble in his pocket, quite oblivious of the fact that he had searched in vain for it before. ‘ ‘*Oh, come in!” cried Mrs. Tanner, indignant- ly, taking him by the collar and pulling him through the doorway. ‘I don’t see where you got all your liquor,” **Now jist shet up, Mrs. Tanner. take none of your slack.” The door closed. <A sharp click of the dead latch was heard. The Tanner household was shut in for the night. CHAPTER X, _ BREAKERS AHEAD, THAT same night, at a later hour, another i came in at the door of the Tanner house- old. It was Frank, who had been keeping un- usually late hours for bim. ‘‘ Don’t disturb yourself, mother,” he cried, as he heard a movement in the next room. ‘It’s only me.” : _ on you’re very late, Frank. Where in the world have you been?’ “JT went to the theater,” answered Frank. “T made a little extra money to-day, and as it’s my birthday I thought I’d have a treat.” “That’s right, Frank. I hope you bad a very good time. What o’clock is it?” ‘¢‘ Just twelve. There’s the clock striking now.” Mrs. Tanner listened and distinctly heard the bell of a neighboring clock strike three times. The first nine strokes of the twelvo had passed unheeded by her. I won’t ‘‘ Tt sounds to me like three,” she said. ‘* Very well. Go to bed, and happy dreams to you.” Soon all was silent. Another hour passed, and then a peculiar fumbling was heard at the door, and the sound of stealthy footsteps in the room. This ceased and al) grew still again. For two or three hours afterward silence con- tinued, and then the same peculiar sounds re- turned. It was a ghostlike movement, a rust- ling to and fro and the fall of muffled feet. No one awakened, and after a few minutes the room sunk to its former quiet. It was late the next morning when the family awoke, Frank and his father had kept such late hours, and Mrs. Tanner had been so much dis- turbed during the night that they all overslept themselves, ‘‘Mercy on us! here it’s near eight o’clock!” cried Frank, ‘‘I can’t take more than a bite, mother. I must be off, or V’ll have everybody waiting for me at the store door.” By the time he .bad eatena slice or two of bread and butter his father made his appear- ance, looking much the worse for his debauch of the night before. ‘¢ Bless me if my brains ain’t swimming ’round in my head jist like a nest of bumbly bees,” he muttered. ‘‘l b’lieve they put some drugs in the ale nowadays. Nobody ever heerd ot one glass of ale settin’ a man’s head afloat in the old times. Ireally don’t know what the world’s a-comin’ to. It’s bad ’nough to drug vittals, but when they come to druggin’ drink it’s too confounded ridikilous.” He fembled around the room, after drenching his head plentifully with cold water. ‘‘ Hey, wife! did you take that there key outen my pocket last night?” ot ING: ou said you fost it.” ‘‘ Well, it’s here on the table. Must have for- got and laid it down when I come in,” he mut- tered. ‘“‘Blameif I don’t swear off ag’in’ ale. It’s gittin’ too much body in it nowadays for my narves.” Frank, paying little attention to this mono- logue, hurried through his scanty breakfast, seized his cap, and drove hastily through the door with a cheery ‘‘Good-morning.” He did not like the idea of being late. In fact, on arriving at the store, he found the two porters and one of the salesmen waiting for him at the door. “Why, come, little lazy-head, this won’t do,” exclaimed the latter, jokingly. ‘* You'll check all the wheels of business if you’re going to make love to your pillow at that rate.” ‘‘They’ll run the faster when they get start- ed,” answered Frank gayly. He took the key from his pocket and opened the store door, admitting the waiting men. It was near the hour for business, and ay, soon other salesmen and clerks came in, It was about nine o’clock when Mr. Thompson entered the store. : On doing so he noticed a peculiar commotion among the persons present. They were gathered into a group, excitedly talking, while several of them appeared to be examining cases of goods. “What is the matter?’ he asked, walking briskly up to them. ‘‘ What is your interesting subject of conversation, Mr. Gorman!” The person addressed looked quick] Oh! I am glad you are here, Mr. I was about to send you a message.” ‘Why, what has happened?” ‘The store was robbed last night.” At this startling information Mr. Thompson drew hastily back. “The saints!” he cried. ‘* Robbed?” ‘“Yes. We don’t know how much is taken yet, but several valuable rolls of goods are miss- ing. You see this case of Lyons silks. This was the first thing we noticed, It has been opened, and two packages of goods taken.” ‘Bless me!” exclaimed the alarmed mer- chant. ‘This must be looked into at once, Have the store thoroughly examined, Mr. Gor- man. See what is missing.” ‘“T have them at it now, sir.” “ And—let me see. Well, you will do, Mr. Wilson. Go down to police head-quarters as quickly as possible, and have them send up one of their best detectives.” “What for?’ asked Mr. Clark, who had just entered. “Eh! You here, Clark? I’m glad you’ve come, for we want all our. wits this morning. The store was entered and robbed last night.” Mr. Clark heard this with much less excite- ment tban his partner had shown. ‘‘Robbed, eh? That’s pleasant, I declare, Much taken, Thompson?” Mr. Thompson shook his head gloomily. He pointed to the open case of silks. around, hompson, ‘* Bad, I fear. the worst yet.” “Then the sooner we know the worst the better,” exclaimed Mr. Clark with energy. “If we are to worry over it let us have the worry in a lump, and done with.” ‘You worry?’ retorted Mr. Thompson, with a sense of amusement. ‘‘ Why, I don't believe you’d worry if they carried away the house over your head, so that they left you the | clothes you stood in. You're too provokingly | cool,” “ All right. It’s my way,” answered Clark easily. ‘‘ You have sent for an officer?” “Yes.” “ Tf I don’t fret, ll go for the thieves all the same,” and Mr, Clark hurried back to the office, to put on his office-coat. Thompson looked after him with some envy. ‘“He’s a regular Mark Tapley,” he said; ‘‘happy under discouraging circumstances, Hang it all! there’s such a thing as being too cool, and Clark’s one of that kind, I don’t be- lieve anything short of a toothache would stir his nerves, and that would waken up an ice- berg.” a about half an hour Mr, Wilson returned with the detective. He was called into the private office, where the members of the firm awaited him. ‘Have you found out the amount of loss?” he asked, after some preliminary conversation, ‘““Yes. Here is an inventory. It is not as much as we feared, but the goods taken are alk valuable,” ‘Hum! muttered the officer, looking over the list. ‘‘The rogues could not have had very good carrying arrangements, or they would not have been so easily satisfied. Do you know how they entered?” ‘We left that for you. The men have looked around some, but can find no sign of a breaking Very bad. We don’t know ‘‘Very well,” answered the officer briskly. **T will walk through the building and see what I can make of it. Can this gentleman guide me?’ ‘Yes, you go with him, Wilson.” The officer walked in his brisk way into the store, and commenced a thorough examination of the .premises, under the guidance of Mr. Wilson, The cases from which goods had been taken were closely examined, and then he proceeded to study the various possible modes of entrance to the building, looking at every door and win- dow with critical eyes. <A half-hour and more was spent in this round, after which he returned to the office. ‘‘ Well?” asked Mr. Thompson, nervously, af- ter the officer had quietly seated bimself. ‘‘ Green hands,” he answered, in a decided tone. ‘‘Not a professional job. Lucky for you that they were only apprentices, or you would have fared worse.” ‘Have you found how they got in?” ‘‘Tam pretty sure how they got out. The oods were taken through the bolted door that. eads to the rear street. But they did not enter that way. Who carries the key of the store?” Oh!” cried Mr. Thompson, hastily. ‘‘ That is in safe hands. Our store boy has it, But we would not have trusted him with it, only that he is such a thorougly honest little fellow.” ‘No doubt,” answered the officer, aryly- ‘They are all honest till they are found out.’ ‘We have every confidence in this boy,” said Mr. Clark, quietly. ‘ T baven’t said thas he was a thief,” rejoined the officer. ‘ All I can say is that the thieves came in through that door, opened by that key, if Lam not sadly mistaken, Is this boy in the store?” =e CG, SIL.” “Send for him.” There was a slight nervousness in both mem- bers of the firm as they awaited Frank’s coming. They were very favorably disposed toward the lad, and could not help feeling troubled by this opinion of the officer. Frank entered. He, too, was somewhat ner- vous, and failed to display his usual earnest straightforward manner. He hung his head slightly. The fact that he carried the key, and some remarks which he had heard in the store, troubled him, The officer bent his cold gray eye on the boy, as he stood with hightened color before him, Frank’s glance shifted from one to the other. “Do you want me, Mr. Thompson?” he asked, ‘‘VYes. This gentleman wishes to speak to ou.” ‘‘ Where do you live?” asked the detective. Frank told him, eoim O}OKO) gS (C