Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 485 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

| i ee ae ee + arr es ee oe ee - ———_— —————————————————————e His back was toward Scrawny and he did not see that the little man was sitiing up. It would not have interested him if he had, He had his attention exclusively engaged by the bull-dog at that moment. | “ive got to do something. Ican’t stay up here till breakfast time lookin’ at a bul-dog. It’s mest daylight now and I want to get out o’this ’fore people is around.” Thus soliloquized Jim Cripps, keeping a wary eye on his canine enemy the while, while Scrawny Will, | himself again by this time, had just grasped the situation and was enjoying it in his dry way. * Jim, what are you doing with that dog?” The pugilist started and half turned toward Sorawny, who had risen to his feet, The dog growled and made a movement, Cripps stopped and faced the dog, “Jim, Laskei you what you were doing with that dog?” repeated Scrawny. ‘“Can’t yer see What I’m doin’? I’m a-mindin’ him until his owner comes,”’ said Crips. * Well, you'd better tie him up and leave him. He can’t very well get away from here, and it’s no use you wasting your precious time.” Scrawny spoke slowly and sneeringly, and if Jim Cripps had dared look away from the dog a minute he would have showed Scrawny a face so disturbed by rage and terror that it was scarcely human. *“ Atraid of a dog, eh, Jim Cripps?” said Scrawny. ‘*Maybe you'd be afraid of him ;erself if you'd | felt his teeth in your back,” ‘**Guess you must have teased him or he would not have bitten you.”’ ‘*Gues; you don’t know anything about it.” ‘*Perhaps not.” ‘‘Scrawny.”’ “Well.” *T’m kinder sorry.”’ “Sorry? What for?” ‘Wor what I did just now.” ‘*What?’’ “Why, chokin’ yer ” ‘What made you doit then?” The bull-log growled. C:ipps bad moved slightly, in the interest of his eeey with Scrawny, and the animal resented the iberty. “Darn that dog!’ hissed Jim Cripps, through his closed teeth. * You had better keep still, Jim. The dog doesn’t want to be slighted,’’ sneered Scrawny. ‘*Scrawny,’’ said Cripps. “Goon. i'm listening.”’ *T’m sorry I choked you that time.”’ “You'll be more sorry before we get through,” ** Well, why did you make me so mad?” ** Just for fun,”’ Tt was evident that Scrawny would not advance half way to meet Cripps’s attempts at conciliation. s. Scrawny.”” *~You,"’ ‘* What am I to do?” “T don’t know. Didn’t you say you were minding that dog for some one. I’m goiny.”’ ** Well, but you ain’t goin’ to leave me here, are you? You wouldn’t go back on a clium like that, would you, Scrawny?”’ | find out in good time. | at the Broadway place at six this evening. mean time go and get some sleep,” “All right, Cap. I’m goin’”’ said Cripps, as he | disappeared behind a stack of chimneys, “Sting, you’re a good dog. You have saved my life before. I kuew youas soonasl saw you But 1 should like to know how you got all this way from Pittsburg ’’ said Scrawny Will as he fondled the ter- rible creature whica hal appeared on the scene so . opportunely for the little man. he dog whined with pleasure and rubbed himself against Scrawny Will’s knees. He had not had | time to show his recognition of an o:d friend while | | he had Jim Cripps on his hands as it were, but he; | | tirely new experienc., | was making up for it now, | “That big fool would have choked me, Sting, it | it hadn’t been for you, do you know it?’’ continued » Scrawny, patting the great head, while the dog looked u») at him with an intelligence that was al- most human. Suddenly the dog raised its head, while the ner- | vous movement of its cars gave premonition of | a danger. Then likea flash a rope was thrown over the ani- ' mal’s head, end a slip-knot drawn tightly around Ins throat until bis eyes started from their sockets, while almost at the same instant two powerful hands seized. Scrawny and hurled him headlong ' from the roof, fifty feet above the cobblestones of | the street. ‘Fixed you this time, Scrawny Will!” cried Jim | Cripps, as, with a demoniacal smile, he once moro retreated behind the stack of chimneys and sought | the trap-door in the roof of the corner house, CHAPTER VII. OWNEY BEGINS TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON HE IS IMPRISONED. Wuen Owney was so unexpectedly entrapped, he felt quite certain his assailants were the two young men who nad stolen the diamonds. W hat their ok ta was in blindfolding and binding | him he could only conjecture. | It could hardly bave been to save themselves from arrest on account of the theft, because they could | easily have avoided him. No; there must be some other reason. What that reason was, Owney felt sure he should was to get out of his unpleasant predicament, He had been thrown flat on the floor, and after the bustle of the first onslaught had subsided, a death- like stillness had prevailed. Owney strained his ears in the effort to catch some scraps of conversation that might help him - determine what his enemies intended to do with im. Not a sound, save the slow ticking of an old-fash- ioned clock which he had noticed standing in a cor- | ner of the bar-room, ‘ ; ; * You a ea great chum, you are. I ought to value | _ your acquaintance a great deal, oughtn’t 1?” “‘ Look here, Scrawny, let’s tx this thing somehow. Can’t you get behind that dog and club the brains out with a brick or something?” ‘* You must be sick to trink mr ing with a strange peng Siric ay moved away, as if to leave Crinps to his fate, “Scrawny, are you goin’? I daren’t look 'round, but I can hear you movin’.”’ * Yes. I'm goin’. I guess everything is quict on the street by this time, and I have got a good deal of business to attend to.” . ** What kind of business?” “Well among other things to call on a certain captain of police and tell him where he will find a man he wants on the roof of a house, having fun with a buildog.””. Jim Cripps started, and the dog growled menac- ingly. “ Scrawny.”’ ‘¢ What is it?” I would go fool- This he could hear in a muffled way, coming through the thick sack that covered his head. The door of the closet was open, then; that was evident. But where were the young men and the red-headed | barteuder? That they were all working together he knew, be- cause their triumphant laughter had intermingled when be first found himself in their power, The two young men were professional pickpockets and swell mobsmen, who followed circuses and were Scraayny, as he | ‘¢Tf you'll help me out of this I'll never go back on | ou again. me I ain't afraid of you.” . “Well I mean I'll never try it.” Scrawny Will stepped up to Cripps and stood ~ close behind him while he spoke in his ear: “See here, Jim Cripps, ve been a good friend to you, and I’m willing to continue so if you behave yourself. J’ve given you a job that will pay you well, and I want you to attend to it. But you must understand that when you are working for me you must obey orders.”’ S Wane s do, dont It ell, is it a go?” “Ts whata eo?” asked Crip een with his eye fixed on the dog, who stood like a statue facing “Tf I get you AMAy from this dog you will not try any more mutiny. won’t do you any good if you do, because I always have friends within cail who will put you in boc so quickly that you'll never know what caught you.”’ **T'll do anything, Cap, only get me out of this,” Without another word, Scrawny fixed his gaze on the-dog, walked slowly up to him, and pu: his finger _ between the two rows of sharp yellow teeth. The dog licked his hand, ‘* Well, Gap, if you ain’t a daisy,” was Cripps's ad- | miring Co — * Now, ment, t, Jim, as soon as you can. Tl meet you always ready for business at race-me tings and other well-attended sportiag events. Owney had seen them dozens of times before, and if he could only get out of his present fix, had no fear about catching them and holding them for the robbery of | the diamonds. But he must also recover the jewels, and that quickly. Though he ing on bis ability ' if he were killed five minutes after winning the forthcoming race, Owney felt that his own bonor was concerned in the matter, and determined to be on the Hulton course at Pitcs urg in his boat, cn the 6ti of July, come what might, knew Scrawny Will was only speculat- } “T'li git thar, assure as my name is Owney!” be | muttered, as be tried to catch his breath in the suf- focating folds of the sack, his flesh and he began to feel stiff and sore, He tried to :cll over toward the right, but found that he was hedged in on that side by the legsof the | table, which were fastened to the floor. On the other side he was jammed tightly against the wall. He was almost as firmly fixed as if in a vise. What was that? Surely he felt the boards trembling beneath him. What could be the cause? Was it an earthquake, or was the strain on his _ limbs and the almost unbearable suffocation of the —EE ~~ eee sack turning his brain? He t rew all his energy into the effort to move. But in vain! He was helpless! ° There it was sgain' That horrible trembling! Heavens! The floor was slowly sinking, and he was going with it! Owney that he was below the level of the floor of the saloon, -whicb he was descendirg be could not tell. but_he knew it could not be more than two feet wide, be- cause that was the extent of the space between the | going down with bim. | There was a damp, moldy smell, and the cold be- came more aud more marked as he got lower, Fi , In the | ' must say,” thought Owney. Just now, his first theught | as an oarsman, and would not care | think properly now, for an hourortwe. Perheps by tl at time they will Down, down it went, and a tlast of. cold air told | legs of the table and the wall, and the table was not | @ “This is a nice way to drop people into a cellar, I ‘*What can they be going to do with me? I'jl make it lively for those fellows yet. They will hardly dare to murder me, I ruess. even if they had anything to gain by it. Oo. They want to keep me safe until they can get rid of those stones and find their way into their holes somewhere, That is their game,’ Still the platform kept on sinking. *Gewhitraker! How much lower, I wonder!” thought Owney, “lt is time l reached the floor of the cellar,” Lower and lower yet! Owney was not easily scared, but this was an en- T. e stifling folds o! the sack were rapidly exhaust- ng ann: and the ropcs were cutting deeper into his esp still his narrow platform continued to move down- ward, shaking mere aud more as it proceeded, Ah! it stopped! What » ould be the next thing? Suddenly Owney realized that he was not alone, Fingers were moving stcalthily over him from head to fool. Owney felt that his revolver and handcuffs were being removed from his pockets. His credentials as an officer, and his money were safely hidden in a small bag fast: nea like a garter around his ‘ez, and which he on'y used oecasionally, when he knew that he was going into a dangerous locality. It chofed the young detective fo feel that he lay there like a trussea chicken, while bis enemics went through bis pockets at their own sweet will, But he could not help hin self, The ropes were so tight that even if they had been removed at that instant be could not have done any- thing. His blood was stagna:ed in his veins and his whole body was numbed. Besices, there was that terrible sack over his bead, which would long since | have reduced .o insensibility anybody with less vi- tality than the wiry young athlete. During the time that the hands moved over bim, feeling in every pocket and searching his clothes for hidden receptacles. not a word tad been spoken, Owney fancied there were at least two people with him, but he could not be sure, the hands ' moved so lightly and quickly over him. “They are old pickpockets, that is certain,” he thought. ‘* They do their work very neatly.” ; uddenly the sack was pulled off his head, while a blinding stream cf light fell full on his cyes. It was the flash of a by ll’s-eye lantern, He could not see anything els+, as the ropes that bound him were swiftly removed. Then the platform quaked once more and he sunk ay ged looking straight at the light, as if fascin- ated. Further and further went the light as he descend- ed untilat Jast he stopped with such a vir lent sor as. to throw him off the platform, while the light suddenly disappeared and he heard a sound as of a clcsing door or trap above hit. The platform had reached the bottom of the shaft or cellar, or whatever it was, anu when Owney was er off he found himself lying on the camp earth, Where could he be? All he could do fora few minutes was to be stil and let his benumbea limbs regain a little of their normal feeling. But he could think the while. The result of his cogitatious was s en when, having recovered somewhat, he stood up and felt to make sure that his credentials were safe, Yes; they had not been disturbed, But there was something else besides money and sapers in the secret canvas bag which was of more mportance to bim just now thon anythirg else, A small silver match-box and a few inches of wax taper. He lighted the teper and examin: d his prison. A small clan. ber inclosed en three sides by solid walls opraicntly of rock. The fourth side of brick had an archway about four feet in circumference, leading be could not tell where. It was evidently one of these seerct hiding p'aces f.miliar to so many criminals in New York, where ack : safety can be found for a time when the law presses The ropes around bis limbs were cutting deep into | too hard. Owney tried to peer into the archwey with the aid of his lighted taprr. . All be could see was a thick blackness. The archway was not a straight road, as he had hoped at first, but was Luilt on the edge of an abyss —how deep be could not tell, ; He put fn his hea’ end listened, Yes; as he suspected, there was water below. He could hear it Ceshing aleng and the rank smell told him it wa: part of the sewerage system of the city. No hope of escape that way. Again he walked arcund the smell cell and stum- bled over a mattress in ore corner, | ‘**Good idea.”’ thought Owney. ‘I am too tired to ‘Il lie down end take a snooze, let me out. Jf they do. it is of no use my botherin myself with trying to escape; and if they don't, shail be better able then to do:icmcthing for my-— self. Tl git thar somebow. 1 ain't the boy to get How much of the floor formed the platform on badly left on anything.” Owney was a philoropber. He had been in plenty” — of ticht places before, and he had always manag to get out. Hedid not feel any particular fear in his present situation. Be looked upon it as only a question of sime when he shovld recover the dia- monds and see the thieves safely behind the bars, Then he would devote all his time and attention to. {