Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 262 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

searchers. ‘‘ Up, you little villain! There’s no use hiding. I’ve got you sound!” It was Disco: who had crouched against an outhouse for fear of the dog. He attempted to explain something, but was silenced by his im- perious captor. ‘‘ Hold your tongue, you young reprobate, or I'll knock you into the middle of next week! When we want any talk from you we'll tell ou.”’ 3 Mickey incontinently subsided. Meanwhile Joe had continued his flight toward the wall. He reached there only to find himself confronted with the savage dog. It was per- haps well for the frightened little fellow that the brute had got his prize fragment of cloth entangled in his teeth. He sprung at the boy and knocked him down by his impetus, setting his foot on him asa cat does ona mouse. Joe expected nothing less than to be made a meal of, but luckily for him Wolf’s teeth were not, just then, in working order. ‘FB re’s one of:’em! 'Ere’s one of ’em!” ex- claimed a voice which the boy at once recog- nized. ‘‘’Ere’s one of the howdacious rascals! Take ’im from the dog, hafore ’e heats ’im hup!” A group of angry faces surrounded Joe, as he we iy looked around, after his rescue from the dog. There was no sympathy in those counte- nances. ‘Bring the little villain sont cried one of these. ‘‘ He’sbeginningearly. They’ve caught another of the same stripe back there. Look at his hangdog face.” He flashed the light ofa lantern into Joe’s badly scared countenance, ‘‘Hi know ’im. Hi know im!” exclaimed the footman. ‘‘’E was ’ere this wery hafternoon, spying haround, and hasking himperdent ques- tions, Hi knowed’e was a burglar then.” ‘Bring him along. Let Mr. Barton see the young villains.” Joe and Mickey were dragged toward the house, in which alarm was still rampant. They were pushed into a room, and locked up together, with the footman for a guard, while the search of the grounds still continued. CHAPTER VI. UNDER LOCK AND KEY. THE room in which the two young prisoners found themselves was dark and chilly. Joe crouched down and shivered in his wet clothes. But Mickey was not of thatsort. His active page. brain was already busy with schemes So, ge out of the scrape into which they had en. ‘““'What will they do with us, Mickey?” whimpered Joe. ‘They can’t hang us for this, can they?’ “Hang us, you little jack!” laughed the elder boy. ‘‘Mought poke us iu jail, may be, for a while.” ““T don’t want to go to jail! What will mother think?” Joe was ready to cry. ** Now don’t you go pipin’ yer eye, and makin’ a baby of yerself. I ain’t a-goin’ to no jail, you bet. If they come round yere pumpin’ us, jast you shet yer tater-trap. Let me do the alin, “But what will Mr. Barton think when he sees me?” he ie cae what he thinks, Guess we didn’t git inter yere scrape a-purpose,” The guard at this moment opened the door, and peered into the: dark room. ‘Old your tongues, you howdacious ruf- fians!” he demanded. ‘‘ You’ll be ’ung for this, hand we won’t ’ave no talk habout it.” “We'll talk till we’re blind, and you kin dry up, for a bloody Englisher!” roared Mickey. ‘*Git out now, lone shy a pitcher at your head!” The guard suddenly withdrew his caput, fear- ing that his ferocious prisoner might be as good as his word. ““Whohever ’eard hof the like?” he declared, throwing = both hands in virtuous astonish- ment. ‘Was there hever such a country, where the wery babies, hin their cradles, ‘is cutthroats? Why did I hever leave hold Heng- land, for this blarsted Hamerica?” “To keep yer dirty corporation out of the oor-house,” roared Mickey through the key- le. ‘*I guess Hamerica could spare a few shiploads of sich aristocratic cusses as you.” hat might have followed this contemptuous insult it is impossible to say. But at this moment other steps approached, and the door was flung open again. The flash of lights broke into the room, and several persons entered. / Joe crouched down with a more frightened aspect than ever, as he saw that Mr. Barton The Young Sleuths. was among the number. But Mickey faced them boldly. ‘‘ Well,” exclaimed Mr. Barton harshly, as he critically surveyed Mickey’s ill-fitting attire, and the bold assurance of his ill-favored face, ** you are a promising looking candidate for the State prison, I must say. Quite a youthful bud of promise.” ‘Dunno as I’m the only one inside these yere walls,” the boy sullenly replied, angry at the insinuation. ‘Search him and take the pistol from him.” Mr. Barton signed to two of his servants. *‘ He hasn’t any, sir,” they announced, after a search, to which Mickey quietly yielded. ‘** Then it must be the other. There were two shots. And there is nobody about but these aa Examine the other.” - oe, who bad been crouching low down, with his face concealed, was lifted rudely to his feet, and forced to stand upright. ‘*He has no pistol,” was the announcement, after a hasty search, ‘*Then they must have thrown it away. I am sorry to see such:mere boys as these at- tempting burglary, but I fear they must be made an example of. You are sure you found the kitchen door open, Thomas?” ‘* Yes, sir,” answered oneof the men. “ And [ had bolted it myself, “Ill affirm to that.” ‘*T am very sorry,” and the gentleman’s eyes wore a softer expression as he observed Joe’s evident fright. ‘‘ Take down the boy’s hands, Let me see his face.” The removed hands displayed a countenance very different from that of Mickey, a pallid, tearful face, whose eyes turned fearfully to right and left, like those of a rabbit that has been cornered. Mr. Barton gave a start of pained surprise, as his eyes fell upon his face. He looked again with a searching glance, into Joe’s terrified countenance. “ Mercy on us!” he ejaculated. ‘‘ Little Joe Joram, as I live! heavens, is it possible that he has begun a life of crime?’ ‘“‘[t wasn’t me!” faltered Joe. ‘It wasn’t me, indeed, sir! I never done nothing wrong, Mr. Barton, indeed I didn’t! It was them—the men!” ‘* Who?’ asked Mr. Barton. ‘‘ There were no bP) men. ‘‘ Hold your gab, Joe,” cried Mickey, harshly. “Didn’t I. tell you I was going to be the active partner in this yere business. We ain’t stole nothin’, Mr. Barton. We only come yere for— ‘*To try and steal, I suppose. that back door open?” ‘“‘Oh my!” exclaimed a lady’s voice at the door. ‘ Did any one ever see such bloodthirsty faces?” ‘“‘They look like young bandits!” cried another, with uplifted hands. ‘* Excuse me, ladies,’? remarked Mr. Barton, shortly and decisively. ‘* They look like neither bandits nor murderers. I must request you to return to the ball-room, or this investigation cannot go on.” But a second glance satisfied him that the hall outside the room was filled with curious faces. The guests had learned what had taken place, and were crowding eagerly back, with very natural curiosity. “Take the prisoners upstairs, Thomas,” he ordered one of the servants. ‘‘ Lock them u in the back corner room on the third floor. will examine them further after a while.” Mickey had ceased his effort at an explanation when so sternly interrupted by his questioner. He stood with firmly compressed mouth; and a hard look upon his young face, during the sub- sequent conversation. “ Take them away,” repeated Mr. Barton. Grasped firmly by the arms, the lads were led between two files of unsympathetic faces, Mickey marching boldly upright, and returning look for look: Joe with downcast features, and a iook of deep shame on his expressive counte- nance,’ Exclamations of surprise and horror came from many of the observers. Only one voice spoke in a different tone. ‘¢ Poor little drowned rats, I don’t believe they had anything to do with burglary. There’s some mistake here.” Joe lifted his eyes and fixed them gratefully on the face of the speaker. It was the yout Milton who had spoken. His countenance was full of pitying sympathy. A minute more, and they were out of the range of observant eyes. They were taken quickly upstairs and locked in the room indi- cated, Not content with locking them in, the Or how came 7 English footman was again set in guard over the room door. The guests returned slowly to the ball-room, eagerly conversing over the incident. It was a feature of the entertainment on which no one had counted, and which added a remarkable zest to the enjoyment of the evening. Two or three of the older gentlemen remained with Mr. Barton, in the room in which the boys had been examined. ‘There is something mysterious about this affair,” remarked one of them, ‘ This is too , bold an enterprise for such mere boys to take in hand. There is sometling bebind this which we have not yet discovered,” ‘I fancy so, myself,” replied Mr. Barton. ‘‘I was too harsh with the boys. I thought to frighten them into a confession.” . hten!” rejoined another, with -a dry laugh. ‘‘ There’s one of those boys, at least, you won’teasy frighten, I neversawa sturdier young vagrant.” ‘But the other was scared half out of ‘his wits.” : “I know him,” said Mr. Barton, s.owtly. ‘‘ His father was an old servant of mine. I don’t believe there is any bad in the boy. He has been led astray by his villainous comrade. However, as there has been no harm done, and nothing stolen, it may be best to merely scare the ee a little, and then let them go,” “Was that your object in talking to them so ee ee ee seo harshly?’ 2 a TI confess. And a night’s imprison- ment will do them good,” ‘Oh, uncle!” came a voice from without, in an excited tone. ‘What now? What is wrong, Milton?’ Mr. Barton strode hastily to the door. ‘‘'We were all mistaken. There has been a robbery committed after all,” as A, coreg wh ‘+ You e secretary in your office is broken open, and the drawers pulled out. I do not know what has been taken, but I am sure something bas been stolen!” With a harsh exclamation Mr. Barton ran excitedly to the stairs. The others followed him, eager to learn the result. But before they reached the room in question he had already finished his investigation and returned to the door, his face red with anger., ‘‘ By Heaven, gentlemen, I have been robbed indeed! There bas been a box of valuables taken from my secretary. Of great value in fact! And the thief knew where to look for it, for nothing else is disturbed.” ‘The boys—” ‘*Hang it, no! There have been older heads and bolder hands here. We must resume the séarch. The police must be notified at once, wo A ne thieves cannot have’ got far away yet. While a renewed excitement extended itself to the ball-room, servants were sent out in various directions, and the grounds, inside and outside the wall, were closely searched with lanterns. One significant discovery was quickly mad the rent fragment of cloth of which ‘Wolf ha made a prize. The gravel walks of the garden showed no ~ gm of footsteps, but in the rain- softened earth outside the wall marks of men’s feet were plainly discernible. And mingled with them were smaller traces, evidently the footprints of boys. Mr. Barton shook bis bead gravely. “Tt is plain the boys have been with them,” he said. ‘‘See, here is where they jumped down from the wall. And here go their steps outward. Three sets of them.” The rain had now ceased. The deeply-im- pressed footprints were easily followed. But they led toward a neighboring street in which their tracks would soon be lost. While this new search was in progress the captives remained closely locked in their prison. It was a room in a corner of the building, look- ing down with a shéer descent of twenty feet oe ground, as Mickey soon satisfied him- self. ‘Tell ye what it is, Joe,” he declared, turn- ing curtly to his fellow-prisoner, ‘‘ we’re a pair o’ monkeys in a box, we are. We’s got our- selves in a high old scrape, and ther’s no goin’ back on that,” ‘* Don’t I know it?” answered Joe. ‘See yere, boy. The rope ain't round yer neck yit,as I see. What’s the use of gittin’ yerself in sich a ridickhs skeer?’ “Tf Mr. Barton hadn’t known me,” returned Joe, in a trembling tone. ‘* We’s got to git outer this. That’s the whole long and short of it. I don’t like that there Som ebooks:com