Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 485 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

oo - . . b —— oe + eee te. oY re a i g “Git Thar” Owney, the Unknown. the boat-race at Pittsburg, which he felt bound in honor to win if he could. * He lay down on the mattress, and stretching his still stiffened limbs, dropped off to sleep like an in- nocen® cuild. How long he slept he did not know, but he was awakened by hearing voices. ‘*He is down there, colonel. Guess he must be sleeping,’’ said a hoarse voice that he recognized as that of the red-headed bartender. ‘‘Are you sure he is only sleeping? You haven't made a blunder. and—put him to sleep altogether?” Owney started asa light broke over bim. The last speaker was Frank Burton, the backer of tretcher Bull, the oarsman., ** No, no. colonel,’ returned the bartender. ‘ He’s all right; he’s too tough to be put to sleep very easi- ly. good thing that he has that much sense,” ‘Well, allright. Keep him there for ad*sy or two until I make some other arrangements; but, mind he has no idea that I have anything to do with if, Let him think it is the doings of those fellows who got the diamonds, then there will be no harm dons to any one. They are far enough away by this time to be safe, and he can’t prove anything against ou, * All right, colonel.”’ ‘* You say he was unconscious when you d opped him down there?” ‘*‘Dumb as a clam.” ** How d» you know?” **Oause I slugged him a coupl> of times, and then put the sack over his head, and he was all svuft like, when we let the elevator drop with him,”’ s- (ood.,”’ sia Tt suppose I'd better give him something to eat. ‘Yes. I've brought something with me; I didn’t know whether you might have any grub handy.”’ * All right, colonel,”’ * Here it is—a loaf and a bologna sausage.”’ * Shall I throw them down?” “No Can't you let them down with a string? May as well be decent about it asfaras you can,” returned Frank Burton, * All right, cclonel.”’ ' Owney lay still. He could just distinguish in the space above him that the blackness was not quits go dense as elsewhere, and he thought he could make out the outlines of two heads in a shadowy sort of way. Frank Burton and the red-headed bartender were in the cellar immediately over him, but had not brougbt any light. The shadowy fizures disappeared for a faw mo- ments and retursed., ! ' ' i | _meant his man to win the race. insure this was to get his opponent out of conditim | That’s a useful implement at all times,’ muttered Owney, “and may help me to git thar on this occa- sion.’ He took a draught of water and slowly munched the bread as he reflected on iis siiuation. It was all plain to him now why he bad been put down below the surface of the earth and made such a close prisoner. Frank Burton was Stretcher Bull’s backer, and he when there would be no time for him to train for the | eontest. *T'll euchre you yet, though, Frank Burton, as sure as my name is “Git Thar Owney,’* he muttered, and I'll surprise both you and Stretcher | Hulton course on the 6:h of July, He’s just suoozin’ down there, and it’s a mighty | ‘“Owney, come to the arch,” said a voice, which sounded strangely hollow and supernatural, at this moment, v luvoluotarily Git Thar Owney ran ward the archway, and listened, but nothing could be heard save the turbid waters of the sewer rusl4yg on their ' darksome way to the river, CHAPTER VIII. | SCRAWNY WILL’S AND MAY CRIPPS’S EXPEDITION AND WHAT CaME OF IT We must now return to the young girl, May, whom we 1 ft in the boarding-Louse just as her father, Crook Cripps, managed to eluds the grasp of Tom Blodgett, the policeman. When she saw that her father was safe she went ' back into her room and thought over her situa- know where to go. fion. What was to become of her? She was alone, in a strange city, with very little money, and her father, her only relative in the | world, save her uncle Jim, was she knew not where, . She could not expect to siny lere very long. with- out paying for her boart, «yen had she desired it, and if she could get back t» Pittsburg she would not Her father had only hired fur- * . , s nished rooms for them since they h: d lived there— now two years—and h3 had given them up when they started on this trip to New York. ‘Oh, mother, mother, if you were alive now. how your poor little May woull rush t> your arms,” wailed the girlin her agony of spirit. She walked to the window end look«d out into the darkness, just broken by the first streaks of dawn, Sie stood there for a long time, thinking of her ' forlorn condition, when a thumping and scratching - at the door recalled her to herself. Then he could hear the bartender puffing and | straining as he lowered something into the subter- ranean apartment. ** Hallo, colonel! This cord is not long enough by several feet. I’ve go. the loaf on afish-hook. Shall I shake it off?”’ ‘‘No. Tie on another piece of striug.”’ * Ain’t got no more string.”’ ‘*Well, take this rope, then.”’ * All rignt, colonel.” Another pause while the bartender fastened the rope to the cord, and then Owney felt a loaf on his face, He did not touchit, because he thought it best not to let the others know that be was aware of their presence. ‘‘Darn that fellow. Hesleeps like a log,” said the bartender, as he shook the cord to disengage the oaf, It fell by the side of Owney’s head. Then the hook was drawn up and the sausage lowered in the same way. The next thing was a tin-pail of water.”’ * Jerusalem! the whole business!’’ ejaculated the bartender. ‘*What made you do that, you fool!” said Frank Burton, savagely. ‘“‘T couldn't help it, colonel. I don’t see what you want to cali a mana fool for, just because of an uc- cident,” returned the bartender. “Oh, well, let ic go, and shut down the trap.” ** All right, colonel.” Bang went the trap and Owney sat up on his mat- tress. He felt for the loaf and pulleditintwo. He was hungry, and the food was welcome. He put his fingers into the interior of one-half of the loaf to pull out a mouthful, when he found in his hand a piece of paper. Owney did not eat apy bread just then. Instead, he lighted his taper and examined the scrap of paper. As he expected, there was writing on it. It was a miserable scrawl, but the words were straight tothe point. It read: “e eg the sausage, but don't eat it. The bread is all right.” Owney looked at the paper from every point of view, and siudied it long and earvestly in the en- deavor to determine from whom it came, but in vain, That it was from someone who wished to save him from a threatened disaster he could not doubt, but who?” He did not waste much time in trying to answer an unsolvable conundrum, but set his wits te work to decide on what he had better do. The sausage! — He was co open it. Carefully he took it up and broke it in half. et Something hard ran through its entire 4 file! ‘ >a ee onal ae Z> r ee Py 40 Eee be ae SA: a ve Te ’ wy —— ty. SE Se aie it ae ae.- ‘7 * : x a —s ? ~ oem «4% Then she heard the subdued whining of a dog. ‘Why. it must be Sting,’’ she exclaimed, joyfully, as she opened the door. It was Sting, and mighty glad Sting was to see | her, — rhe fierce buJl dog was as gentle as a kitten with her and she kissed his ugly head as affectionately as if he had been a baby. ‘‘ Why, I declare. I had forgotten you, Sting. How did you find me here? I missed you when father 'and I went into that restaurant,’ she said, as she fondled him, Stiug did not answer save by 9 low wail. but if he did not unders and her his lowks belied his intelli- gence, She felt stronger now that the dog was vith her. He had been her bes: friend and protector since the death of her mother, and she never feared anything while he was near, The room she was in bad a sloping ceiling on one side, showing that it was buiit on the roof, and in the sloping portion a littl window opening on hinges looked onto the roof. I’ve dropped the rope and cord and | mem | —— The window had been opened to let in the air and May moved over to it to cool her flushed cheeks, t \\ hat was the matter with the dor? He was standing with his four feet planted firmly on the floor, and growling in a low hut fierce tone that indicated something unusual. May could not hear or see anything, but she knew the instinct of her brute friend was seldom at fault, and she waited patiently for developments. They soon came, With one bound Sting flew through the little aper- ture in the sloping roof, and was, as we know, just in time to save Scrawny Willfrom Jim Cripps’s murderous fingers. May heard the scuffling and voices, mingled with an occasioval growl from Sting. Then there was a silence, followed by 8 crash, and @ man’s form came down from the roof in front of the window looking toward the street May involuntarily closed her eyes, as she thought of the terrible mass of mangled flesh that would be picked up from the stones below. ; When she ventured to open them again she saw something that almost froze the blood in her veins, ‘the man was still banging head downward by one foot in front of her window, He was holding to the sash as well as he could, and was locking at her with a white, drawn agony on his face to which its inverted position lent some- thing horribly ludicrous, with an intensity that pleaded for help more piteously than could any spoken appeal. She must save him! But how? The first thing was to open the window. She could not raise or lower either sash, That would very likely throw him down at once, She must take them riz't out. Withad:xterity nev.crl hb rd'v have expected The best way to | all on the | | borses on Broadway. of a young, inexperienced girl, May took out both sashes carefully, so as not to shake the man hang- ing so precariously vetween iife and death. ‘* Now you had better let me draw your head and shoulders as far into the room as I can, and then loosen your foot,’ she said. ‘Yes, that’s all right,’ returned Scrawny Will, ‘*but perhaps my foot will not come loose.” ‘* t must.”’ was the quiet, but resolute reply. **Good; you have gritin you, and I always did like you for it,” said Scrawny. May had been very much surprised when she recognized in the man hanging ouiside her window a frienu of her father’s whom she had often seen in Pittsburg, but this was no time to talk aboutit, ‘*Can you let me pull ) ou in a Jittle further?” she asked, as she tugged at Scrawny Will’x shoulders, “Tf you don’t | shall drop into the street, sure,” he answered. She gave one more determined pull, and Scrawny’s foot was released from the crevice in the pers yet which had sav 4 Lim from instant death, and he lay sprawling and gasping on the floor of the 100m, ‘‘May. you have saved my life this time,” said Scrawny Will, *‘ and some time perbaps I shall be able to do some little thing like that for you How did you get here?” May teld him in a few words how her father had left her in Union Square, and how a young man, who said he was a dry-gvods clerk, had come to her assistance, and how he had arranged with the lady | of the house to let her stay here until her father could be found. * Where is this dry-goods clerk?” asked Scrawny. “Oh! my necklace Some thieves stole it, and I think the young man has gone to see if he can hear anything about it."’ said May, simply. “*"Um!. You shoulun’t trust strangers quite so mete May. This youngman may be a thief him- se)f,’ “Oh, no. I’m sure he is not, ard you cught fo have seen how he saved Mrs. Wikins from the And I believe he is in disguise for some teason, because | Saw that he had light, curly hair under the wig be wore, and he had very bright, blue eyes, and his hands looked too har: for a dry-gocds clerk’s. and there was a small anchor and two letters on the back of one of his hands,”’ ‘““Wiat were the two letters?’ asked Scrawny, eag rly. “T could not see them very plainly, but I think one was an ‘QO,’” ‘ Of course it was. and the other was a ‘P’; I know it was,’ said Scrawny. ‘*T believe you are right.”’ “T know I’m right. Muy. I’ve got to find that young man, and you must help me.” +. How 9° * Well, in the first place, go to bed and sleep fora few bows. Iwill eome for you about fou or five o’clock this afternoon. Don’t be afraid. You will be all right now. We will find your father easily enough, and until we do, why, Scrawpy Will will never go back on Crook Cripps’s little girl—even though he bas it in deep for his brother Jim,” he added to himself. May was putting in the sash of the window, but Scrawny rushed over and took the job out of her hands. She had given him some valuable informa- tion, and he felt that he could not show her too much a'tention, ‘ \ here can Sting be?’ said May. ‘Lore, yes. [forgot the dog,” said Scrawny, “It is a shame, too. for Sting turned up at a very lucky moment for me,” ) He went to the small window in the sloping ceiling and crawled out on the roof, In a moment Sting came beunding into the room, wagging his stumpy tail and looking as happy as if nothing had occurred to disturb him, * Found bim with a rope ahyhey tight around } is neck, but Sting don’t mind a little thing like that,” said Scrawny, ashe crawled back into the room. It wes now nearly broad sav ilght, and Scrawny Will, telling May to try and sleep soundly until he ~ come for her, ] ft her and Sting together until he should come béck in the afternoon. Prom ptly at five o’clock Scrawny Will returned, He, ulso, | ad been taking sonie much-needed rest, pon ge ready for whatever the night might bring forth. All be wanted was to get hold of “Git Thar” Owney, take him back to Pittsburg, and see that he was placed properly in training. Then he could re- turn to New Y«rk and try and fix Stretcher Bull him- self, as bis connection with Jim Cripps “must neces- sarily be at an end since the latter’s desperate at- tempt to murder him, Ten minutes later Scrawny Will and May were on the street, walking in the direction of Broadway, ‘You think you would know the place where you were robbed May?” asked Scrawny. ‘-Oh yes, I’m sure | should,” returned the girl A little more questioning convinced Scrawny Will that he knew the spot, and when he stopped in front — of the saloon on Broadway where the red-headed bartender was such a prominent feature, she said nee bit hesitation, that they had come to the right ace, * I thought so,” said Scrawny Will. ‘ Should you ae the young men who 1obbed you?” e ’ ** Good!” “Do you think I shall get my necklace back?” “Yes, if you do as I tell you.” “I will.” ‘*That is right.” 4 ‘What do you want me to dofirst®” — ‘** Follow me.” **Tnto a saloon?” | - aor" :