Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 485 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

> te wed 6 ee ae eee od, oe - Lae fe * on | ee ee tee * * = —_——— as eee. ne ‘*Tce-water,’’ he muttere. “Um! Guess Stretcher | past him and Stretcher Bull gained the door, bang- Bull don’t take much stock in such a thin drink as | ed it shut, and five minutes later, was ashore. that, but I suppcee he can’t get anything better while he is in training.” He put the glass down and felt in a pocket in- side his vest. ‘** Yes, here it is.” ‘ He drew forth a small vial, containing a color- less liquid. ** Looks like water, but a darned sight more use- ful,” he soliloquized. Again he bent down to listen to Stretcher Bull’s breathing. All safe! Then he went tothe window and looked out. Tuere was nothing to be seen save the water shimmering in the moonlight and the forest-fringed sho:e on the other side, The door? Locked! Stealthily Scrawny Will uncorked the little vial and poured a dozen drops of the colorless liquid into the glass of ice-water. “Now,” he muttered, exultingly, ‘‘let Stretcher Bull drink that water and if he does not break down unaccountably before the end of the race, pay nenas is not Scrawny Will.”’ ae e shook his fist at the sleeperin a spiritof tri- umphant deviltry that made him look more unpre- possessing than usual, Yes,” he continued, ‘I do not study pharmacy for nothing. No poisoning or anything of that kind. Too dangerous altogether. But a little medi- cine, that will not take effect until the patient is warmed up by violent exertion, Then, at a critical moment, an unsccountable giving out all over—a weakening of muscles, a shortening of wind, and the man out of the race. Oh! I'll fix you, Stretcher Bull, and peorle will swear you gave the race away. That will hurt you worse than anything, and I shall make the segs Scrawny Will nearly chuckled out loud as he thought of the trick he was playing. But, hold! How did he know that Stretcher Bull would drink the water? He must make sure of that before he left. He looked sharply around the small room and smiled as he obs rved the dishes anu fragments of Stretcher Bull’s supper in one corner. The very thing! Among the articles on the tray was a salt-cellar. He put some of the salt into his left hand and stepped to the side of the bed. Then he took a pinch of salt in his fingers and rubbed it gently between Stretcher Bull’s lips. The sleeper moved slightly and licked the salt from his lips. Scrawny Will grinned a diaboiical grin, He put more salt on the sleeper’s lips and ran it down into the mouth, He repeated this several times, until Stretcher Bull had consumed about a teaspoonful of salt. ‘There, said Scrawny, with a sigh of satisfac- tion. “Now when he wakes he will be so thirsty that he will jump for that ice-water first thing, and feel like drinking a bucketful afterward. He shook his fist once more close to Stretcher Bull’s unconscious face, and turned away to make his exit through the window. Then he stopped, while his face was turned with a horror-stricken expression toward the door. It was not ordinary fear that showed in his dis- tended eyes and blanched cheeks. It was an awful terror, such as might have been provoked by some supernatural apparition! He seemed frozen to the spot on which he stood! Involuntarily his lips seemed to shape themselves to words he could not utter. What did he see? He saw a face, flushed and yet rigid, with eye- balls, bla ing like those of a hungry tiger, roliung in blood-red sockets, with a mouth distended so that two rows of grinning teeth were exposed and with foam bubbling from the lips as the face work- ed in insanity. Too well Scrawny Will knew the symptoms. They roere those of hydropwohia! T.e face was the face of Jim Cripps, and the ef- fect of the bites Sting had given him in New York weeks ago was just becoming visible. With a how! that was half a bark, he leaped to- ward Scrawny Will. Scrawny sprung back and stood trembling in a corner with his eyes fixed in fascination upon the distorted features of Jim rg os ** What’s the racket?’ said Stretcher Bull, sitting up in bed half-asleep, and trying to comprehend the reason for Cripps’s and Scrawny Will’s presence. Jim Cripps’s right band was grasping the edge of the table so tightly that the knuckles were white, as his Rolie oreo roamed from Scrawny Will to Stretcher ‘ ‘*Hold him!” gasped Scrawny. “It is hydro- hobia. The OF went mad three weeks ago and was shot. Hold him!” : Stretcher Bull did not seem to understand. Suddenly Jim Cripps caught sight of the ice-water in the glass. ‘ His convulsions returned with tenfold violence. With one sweep of his hand he knocked the glass to the floor smashing it into a hundred frag- ments. ‘“‘ What’s the matter, Jim?’’ asked Stretcher Bull, soothingly.’ ‘‘ By the Lord, he's got ’em azain,”’ The only explanation Stretcher could offer for Jim Deipre iusanity was whisky. ; e thought it a case of delirium tremens, With another howl, Jim apace at Scrawn again, overturning the table. rawny Will managed to evade him, and rushing ee ‘*Whew!”’ he gasped, as he walked swiftly away, with an occasional glance over his shoulder to make sure that he was not pursued, ‘‘that was a close call. Jim Cripps is as good as dead; that’s one com- “Git Thar” Owney, the Unknown. not lost confidence in Owney. He felt that thé boy would win the race as easily as he would get the necklace; he would have bet all he had on both events, The two oarsmen reached the turning buoy in the Same .elative positions, fort. If he hadn’t upset that water and spoiled my | scheme on Stretcher Bull, I wouldn’t have cared, | Well, Owney will have to win the race on his merits now. And I guess he can do it!” CHAPTER XIV. THE RACE. THERE was a big crowd at Hulton to see the great match between Stretcher Buil and the **unknown,”’ who was now no longer an ‘‘unknown,”’ but Pitts- burg’s pet oarsman, “Git Thar’? Owney, the ** Boy Oarsman-Detective,”? also known as the ‘Infant Detective.” Pittsburg furnished a large proportion of the spectators, but there were ‘“‘sports’’ from New ork, athletes from Philadelphia, speculators from Chicago, and lovers of manly contests from all parts of the United States. Basil Montgomery was there, partly to see the race, in which by reason of his hedging, he had no longer a pecuniary interest, and-partly to try and recover his diamonds, which Owney had confidently | declared should be restored within an hour after the race, And then Owney got further behind. He did not turn very well, and when he com- -menced the home-stretch his ‘boat was a clear length in the rear, at which Frank Burton offered to bet Montgomery a thousand to five hundred on Stretcher Bull, and Basil took the bet. The race was not over yet. Poor May Cripps began to feel terribly dis- heartened, \,ould not Owney carry her ribbon to victory, after all? ee Jim Cripps, as we already know, had developed | violent hydrophobic symptoms, and was Cying in @ hospital, where we will leave him. Crook Cripps and May were there, the latter eager to see wheth*r “ Git Thar’? Owney would wear the | ribbon she had given him the night before, when | she had risked so much to warn him of the plot | against him, Mooney Baggs was there, of course, and Frank | Burton and Scrawny Will nodded to each other in a friendly manner, as if neither had been trying every foul trick they could think of to cheat the other in the forthcoming race, The start was to be made at five o’clock in the | afternoon, when the rays of the sun would have lost much of their power. ‘How do you feel, Owney?” asked Scrawny, as the trainer was giving the young oarsman a last rubbing down in his quarters, ‘Fit as a fiddie.” was the reply. Joe,” he added to his trainer ‘“ You can’t hurt me and you can’t rub me down too much,” “The boat looks splendid,’’ said Scrawny to him- self, half an hour later, as Owney, with May’s blue ribbon on his breast, rowed up to the judge's boat, ready for the start. A volume of cheers for the gallant young oars man arose from the crowd, which *‘Git Thar” ac- knowledged with a graceful bend of ' is head. The next instant Stretcher Bull leisurely paddled into view, and was almost as loudly cheered as his adversary. “ Darn his picture!’ muttered Scrawny, under his breath, ‘“‘Heisasstrongasa bull. I don’t wonder they call him one. If it hadn’t been for that craz fool, Jim Cripps, I'd have fixed him allright. As it | Phir 2 c the blue ri is, he may make it mighty interesting for Owney.” At a signal from the starter, Bull and Owney took their positions, ; “Go you an even hundred on ‘Git Thar,’”’ said Basil Montgomery to Frank Burton. ‘*Done!”’ The bet was booked. The betting, started in the group in which Basil Montgomery and Frank Burton were standing, was quickly taken up by others, and soon several thou- sand dollars even were wagered in their immediate vicinity. rai hwe (ade could see that it was going to be a re- markably close race. A Pittsburgers knew that in their boy oarsman they had a wonderful rower, and a also knew that, so fur, Stretcher Bull had never been beaten, though he had met some of the best men in the coun ry. , The excitement was red-hot, ‘‘Oh, I hope he will win!’’ said May to herself. **He is so handsome and so good! 1 shall die if Stretcher Bull beats him!”’ May Cripps was only a young girl, and she was just as unreasonably prejudiced as any young girl ; she argued that Bull must be a “ horrid old thing’ because Owney was so nice. ‘Are you !eady, gentlemen?’’ asked the starter, looking down from the judges’ boat at the two con- testants, whose brawny, muscular arms, bare to the shoulder, glistened in the afternoon sun, “Ready !”’ answered Bull, ** Ready !’? echoed Owney. Bang! went the pistol. They were off! The great race had commenced. | | Both men settled down to their work in a business- like manner. Bull had slightly the advantage of the start. He took the water first, and in five seconds was half a boat’s-length ahead of Owney. This advantage he held for half a mile, but could not increase it. ‘*Gosh!”? muttered Scrawny. ‘It looks as if the boy can’t catch up.” ut Owney’'s face wore a confident smile. The race was only begun; he was saving his wie gs | “T'll bet five to four on Bull,’”’ loudly prociaimed Frank Burton. te hundreds?” questioned Basil Montgomery. ‘ es ’ és Done, with you!” And another bet was booked. , “Rub away, | | | ‘Do you want to increase your bet?” asked Frank Burton, with a sneer. “Ill go you another thou- sand to five hundred on Stretcher, if you like.”’ “Tll go you!”? answered Montgomery, excitedly. “That boy is going to win this race!”’ Scrawny Will was scratcling his head with appre- hension. ‘* Oh, why didn’t I fix that drink last night, and then pour it down his throat?’’ be hissed to himself. “He would be just breaking down now if it hadn’t been for that blundering idiot, Jim Cripps.” The two oarsmen were coming down the home- stretch easily but swiftly. **Oh, why don’t that boy put onaspurt? Surely he can do better than that,”? moaned Scrawny. *““Good boy. Stretcher!” was Frank Burton’s ap- proving comment. ‘Save your strength until you need it, old man, That's right!” The crowd howled in its excitement. A few minutes more would decide the race, and thousands of dellars would be won and lost. ‘*Lay down to it. Owney! Git-thar, boy!” yelled the friends of the Boy Oarsman Detective. ‘*Keep it up, Stretcher! You've got it already,” was the cry of the opposite party. The two contestants made no sign thar they heard. They only were the persons who knew that the race was a vigorously contested one; but Own- ey, With a checrful smile on his honest young face, evidently believed in himself yet. _ Stretcher Bull’s teeth were set hard; he was go- ing to get in ahead if the thing was in him. About half the return distance was covered. Three-quar'ers of a mile more! Suddenly the smile died out of Owney’s face, as he bent himself, like Samson of old, and put nearly the whole of his reserve force into bis work. His stroke quickened, and the white foam in the wake of his boat grew broader and fliercer as he shot ahead and cecreased the space between him and the Bull to half a length, Stretcher instantly responded with a _ similar spurt, bu’ he could not shake the boy off, The half-length was not increased, Owney evidently meant to ** git thar.” Scrawny Will could not contain himself. “That's right, Owney!” he yelled. ‘*Do that again. Another spurt and you'll make it.”’ May Cripps could only clasp her hands and watch non Owney’s breast. How fervently she prayed that he would be suc- cessful! The pace now was tremendous! It looked as if both Owney and Stretcher were at the limit of their powers. ‘*Owney, can’t you put on a little more steam?”’ howled Scrawny Will in agony of spirit, as he feared that the half-length distance woul] still exist when they passed the post. and that ‘Git Thar’? Owney would be defeated by that difference. Frank Burton smiled coolly; he was quite com- fortable about the result, ‘** Want to go another five hundred?” he asked of Basil Montgomery. ‘Well, no,’ returned Basil; “I don’t care about any more,” “Tl give you odds of three to one,” said Frank Burton, ‘Fifteen hundred to five?” 7 Yes 9 And that further bet was made. Montgomery had seen a something in the work of Owney at that moment which had renewed his con- fidence in his young champion. There was only 4 quarter of a mile left, but could not the race be saved on that stretch of water? He thought so. Was he right? It looked like it. Again Owney made that sudden bend, and again his boat shot aberd in obedience to the “ spurt’ un- til he was level with Stretcher Bull. ‘ As before. Stretcher tried to take the half-length away from Owney, and as before he failed. “Hurrah, Owney! Good boy! Keep it up!” yell- ed Scrawny. ‘Keep it up! The race ours] Keep it up!” “Shut your mouth!” growled Frank Burton, an- grily. “‘ What are you howling about?” But Scrawny could not be restrained, He felt sure of victory now, and did not care for anything else. “Do you want to bet three to one on your man ' now?” asked Montgomery of Frank Burton, with a quiet smile. : ; ‘*No!” returned Burton, fiercely. “I should like to invest another five hundred,” persisted Montgomery. — “T tell you I don’t want to bet any more,”’ Burton, with a baleful glance at that pete enough?” * All right.” Burton believed in Stretcher, but Montgomery had! “Stretcher!” ‘“‘Owney!” ‘“ Let yourselves out!” retorted eother. ‘Isn't — oo * “— oe