Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 262 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

* _— o-2 ot mages wees one - ey o-cee we es - s ~o- oe oe ewe — ~ —-eere— ourlinduugenenesendneinee eee szonuseof the stareh out o’ him. You push in for ‘Mr. Barton, and tell bim—” ‘** What will I tell him?’ asked Joe. ‘‘You know. There’s to be a burglary at aleveno’clock. They’re arter a box of somethin’, iamonds maybe, If he’s cute he kin nab ’em. They’re tryin’ it on cause the party’s in the house, and everybody’s front,” ‘« 7"j} do it,” protested Joe. # ‘Will you, you young devil?” These words were spoken in a subdued savage tone, and at the same instant the boys were seized by two burly framed men, who bprung suddenly out from the deep shadows of the wall. ‘‘Make a whimper, and we’ll brain the pair _of ye!” cried one of them savagely. ‘* As Jon as you know so much about burglaries you‘ ‘best come along with us. We'll teach you a bit ore. And, mind your eyes, If you speak as ud as a fly’s hum we'll scatter your brains on the grass. Come along, now!” They dragged the two dismayed boys back along the dark line of the wall. The prisoners made no effort to give the alarm. There was shat in the tone of their captors which showed dlainly that they meant what they said, and Calg’ be as g as their word. but , CHAPTER IV. C A RAID IN THE DARK. « Hare was a decided and most unlucky change in the state of affairs. Wide awake as the Soys imagined they had been they had not earned the useful lesson of holding their tongues in strange places. It is never safe to ‘alk about secrets in the dark, as they had just iscovered, : , Their captors dragged them along the wall, eedless of the rain that continued to fall in ‘orrents, until they had reached the corner most distant from the house. The youthful prisoners kept silent, as they bad been so sternly com- manded, They were both very sure thatit was saftest just now to obey orders, * At the point where they stopped a _thick- gaved tree threw its boughs over the wall, naking a sort of root, which partly protected them from the rain. One of the men cautious- ly opened the slide of a dark-lantern, and let } ray of light fall upon the youthful captives. **Douse the glina (” cried the other, hastily. “Tt aren’t safe.” ; “Ay, ay!” was the reply, as the lantern was closed. ‘‘[ only wanted a squint at these youngsters. Regular street rats they are, too.” The other man grasped the two boys by their collars, and forced them to the ground, ‘* Now tell me the truth,” he harshly demand- ed. ‘*I want to know all about this burglar talk, And if ye try to spin yarns to me, I'll split your skulls open. D’ye bear?” ‘Dunno as we’s told you no lies yet,” an- swered Mickey, valiantly. ‘ S'pose you wait till we kick afore you kick back.’ The boy bad been doing a great deal of think- ing during the past few minutes, and had made up his mind how to act. Defiance came more natural to him than Pairs *“Hold your jaw, or I'll split it for you!” cried the bargin. DaTeRLYs ** You answer me.” He addressed Joe. ‘‘How came you to know anything about a burglary?” , The younger boy had none of Mickey’s defiant -pirit. He trembled with fear as he commenced 0 timidly answer. | ** We heard it talked about, Mickey and me,” 1e began. ‘‘ We was going to get—” ‘Stop yer clapper, you little fool!” cried Mickey, harshly. ‘If they want to know any- thing let ’em find it out for themselves.” **I can’t lie about it, Mickey,” Joe humbly protested, * But you kin keep yer tongue in yer teeth, and ther’s no lie in that,” answered Mickey. ‘**Cause ye don’t want to lie, that’s no reason ye’r to answer every imperdent question, Why don’t you ax him if his gran’mother kept a monkey ?” The angry burglar shifted his hand to Mickey’s throat, and compressed it with a chok- ing clasp. ‘*1'Tl veach you a lesson, you little viper!” he hissed, ‘‘ Mind your cue, or I'll choke the life outof you, for a dirty-faced, slippery-tongued, young hound!” _ **S$’pose I is ugly, you needn’t be throwin’ it uptome. ‘’Tain’t my fault,” answered the un- flinching boy. ‘‘ Nobody axed me afore I was born what kind o’ nose and eyes I’d like to have. _ The Young oe eee > ee. — me re eae ee poet me I s’pose I’'d’a’ come out areg’lar little angel.’ The man’s hand relaxed asa grim laugh eame from his lips. Mickey had evidently gained a point with him. ‘* Knock the young puppies in the head, and be done with it,” advised the other savagely. ‘** They’re a bit too sharp.” ‘* No,” rejoined the other. ‘‘ Maybe we can make better use of them, You know we talked of bringing Tim’s boy. Where is he, anyhow? What keeps him?’ ‘* Here he comes now.” There was a slight scratching noise on the other side of the wall. Dark as it was,in a minute more a shadowy object revealed itself above the coping. Then came the thud of a heavy weight on the sodden ground, as if a man had sprung down, ‘Hey, Tim!” said one of the others cautiously. “Ts it you?’ ‘‘ A bit of me,” was the reply. ** And the dog?” ‘* Done for I reckon. Lucky the brute knowed me, or it wouldn’t been so easy. I left him the meat, and I judge he’s gobbled it down by now, If he swallows that he won’t bark much after. —Hillo, Jerry, what the blazes have you got there?” ‘* No names, you fool!’ growled Jerry flierce- y: _ “*Didn’t you callmy name not two minutes ago?’ asked Tim. ‘*‘ But your right name isn’t Tim.” ‘*No more is pence Jerry.” The burglars laughed as if they thought this a very good joke. But the laugh, though it may have deceived one of their prisoners, did not deceive the other. Mickey wasn’t to be taken in with such chaff. ‘*That’s too thin,” said the boy to himself. ‘It’s a slip of the tongue, and ye can’t play it off on this coon with a laugh. Jerry’s the name, lll go bigh on that.” eanwhile there wasa hasty explanation to Tim of the circumstance of the capture, and of the strange fact that the bows knew about the on, ‘*There’s an old brick pond back here,” sug- gested Tim. ‘Tie them up neck and heels, and toss them into it. Drowned boys tell no tales,” This suggestion was made as coolly as if be had been giving an invitation to supper. Little Joe trembled in his boots at the cold-blooded peepee to murder them; but Mickey was made of sterner stuff. “ it on and you'll see,” be deflantly an- bane ‘‘ Ther’s more knows ’bout this bizness than you’veany notion of. If Joe and me don’t turn up all square, ther’ll be some otber fingers in your wool. Ye didn’t s’pose we was inner- cent babies, hey?’ ‘* You lie, you rat!” answered Jerry, severely. ‘Hold your prate, blast you! If there’s another whimper from your lips you'll geta settler over the left ear.” . ‘‘What’s the look-out, Tim! clear?” asked the other. ‘‘As awhistle,” answered Tim. “Then let’s to work. ‘‘ Now’s our time. We've bad a glint at the house, and there’s noise enough front to drown thunder at the back,” ‘The ~ear rooms are empty,” replied Tim, ‘The «ors are all fastened, though.” ‘We'll find a way in,” was the confident an- swer. ‘‘Come abead. And fetch those con- tounded boys. They know so much about bur- glars that anotber lesson might do them good.” With a renewed assurance to the prisoners that a word, or noise of any kind on their part, would be paid by a fracture of their skulls, the burglars made their way to the spot in the wall from which Tim had descended. Here a brace of fence rails bad been laid in a slanting position, by whose aid the top of the wall was easily attained. Jerry lifted the two boys, whose collars he had continued to grasp, to his friends on top of the wall... In a minu more the whole party bad reached the ground ou the inner side. The rain was falling less heavily now, but the darkness continued, unbroken by a ray of light from the house, whteh was brigbtly illuminated on its opposite side. A medley of sounds came to the ears of the burglars as they made their way stealthily forward. The ringing wusic of brass instruments, the sound of dancing feet and of laughing voices, were mingled with the Is the coast the roof and walls of the building. The garden was thickly grown with busbes, thr which narrow gravel walks wound to- ward the house. e+ -- softer sound of the rain-fall, that pattered on | 5 stumbled in the darkness among tbe bushes. ‘We'll never make our way througb this infer- nal thicket in the dark.” In response the side of the dark lantern was partly opened, letting a narrow line of light fall on the path in front. ‘*‘Good. I’ve got the chart now. Push on, Tim, Won’t do to waste time here,” The path which the light bad revealed te them quickly brought them to the rear of the house. Here matters were found as had reported. All was dark and silent, while every door and shutter seemed fastened. Evidently the servants had secured the rear entrances, and were probably crowded around the doors of the dancing rooms, gaining an outside en- joyment of the fun. The burglars consulted for a minute or two in low tones, while their youtbful prisoner mained silent, not daring to speak. Evon Mickey, reckless as he was, felt satisfied now that silence was golden. Their savage captors were not the men to trifle witb. “It’s thundering lucky we’ve got the boys,” remarked Jerry. ‘‘There’s nothing ‘but that little window over the water tank, and only a boy can go through it. Drop one of the rats in, and let him slip the bolts of this door, and the game’s our own,” ; ‘* Which one will we give the job to?’ asked the third burglar. : “To the rabbit, not to the fox,” was the an- swer. ‘“ This little chap will do.” He laid heavy hand on Joe’s shoulder. The trembling little fellow dropped to his knees on the wet ground. ‘“Oh don’t send me! Don’t send me!” he begged. ‘It’s against Mr. Barton! Don’t make me help rob bim! Oh! I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him for the world!” His piteous’ appeal was answered by a bard blow from the open hand of the burglar, which stretcbed the boy prostrate on the 4 ime Then the ruffian caught. him by the collar, and lifted him as if he had been a dead leaf. ‘Will you shut up now? Ordo you want another settler?” he demanded, ‘I’m going to put you through that window, andI e t you to vpen that door. Say whether you’l! do it or not, before I mash your head into jelly.” ‘Yes, yes!” whispered Joe, A new idea come to him. If once inside the house he might give the alarm! With this thought in his mind be yielded to the band of the burglar, who fd bim > through the narrow opening, hardly wide enough for the boy’s slender frame. Before letting go of bim, however, he destroyed the hope which bad been working in the lad’s b brain. a cold an you me to ee eee ee ee | eee - ‘* Do you feel that?” he asked, pressi Fe yok against the boy’s forehead. * tell me what that is?” ‘ Is it a pistol?’ asked Joe tremBlingly. ‘It’s a six-shooter, boy. Now mind you, I’m going to drop you to the floor, but I'll Lect my eye on you, know what you're hen you rat, You’re working if in your head het you’ run and yell'when you get inside. But ou won’t run far, for a bullet can run faster. f you try any trick [)] shoct you like I’d shoot a rabbit. Do you hear?’ ‘‘Yes,” faltered the trightened boy, who really supposed that his mind must have beem in some way transparent to shrewd villain. “All right, then, Slide the bolts of the door. If you take a rit anywhere else, or spout above a whisper, I’]] kill you.” . His savage, grating tone made Joe's very bones shiver. aching his arm within the window as far as possible, he released the boy, who dropped to the floor with a light thud. The lad crept hesitatingly to the door, still half inclined to dere all consequences and give the alarm, Buta harsh grow! fon the burglar decided bim. ‘*Mind your eye, now. I’m watching you. Be quick and quiet about it.” The boy, in bis nervous alarm, was not aware that he was quite out of sight of his foe. He felt his way in the darkness to tbe doe, and with a sinking heart withdrew the bolt, upon which his hand had fallen. Litting the latek be reluctan:ly opened the door. A low exclamation, full of triumphant sétie- faction, came from without. The door was —— open, and Joe caught and lifted out- side. “A aice little fellow you are, to go selling your friends,” came in a mocking wh ; ‘* Now, Jerry. You know the prone: Sreond . ; —————— ——————— ee eae — T es — —— i - —" . @ badn’t no more say about it than a dead cat yarkec | ‘bout bein’ skimned, If they’d only con- floor, back. Third drawer from top, @ sick, 1 take | ‘Give us a glim,” dcmarded Jiriy, as he | and don’t fail, on your life.” ebooks.com com