Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 512 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

; ! ; i. wh? oe * e to the street, without raising any suspicion that he had come from the Prayne mansion. ‘Ah, the scamp is in sight,” exclaimed the boy, ashe caught sight of a figure with which he had already grown familiar. ‘‘ Now, Larry, we will see what comes of this play. I am not to be whipped off a cab this time! Fifty thou- sand dollars, is it?) Jack o’ Diamonds is striking for big wages. Forge ahead, Larry; Dick, the dock rat, is at your heels.” And Larry obeyed the boy by pushing rapidly away, keenly watched the while. —_—-—— CHAPTER X. THE DECOY TO DOOM, ‘‘ WELL, how did you make out?” ** Fairly.” ‘‘He was willing to treat, eh?” été Yes. ” ‘‘Tet me see the proofs,” The person of whom ‘the proofs” were de- manded was Larry Lang, and he had just stepped into the presence of a rather fine-looking manin a small room down town. Of course the strange individual was Jack 0’ Diamonds, the crook, and when Larry was asked for the proofs he drew forth a paper, which he passed to the mustached rascal. ‘“ Hane meif you didn’t fetch it in black and white!” cried Jack, glancing at the young man. “You’re a trump from the heart o’ the pack, Larry. Listen to what he has written,” and the crook read briefly as follows: “T hereby accept the proposition made by the bearer of this paper. Let there be no failure. “PETER PRAYNE.”’ ‘That covers the ground, eh, Larry?” con- tinued Jack. ‘*Did he think the sum named a little high?” _ ‘“ A little high,” wastheecho, ‘ But he didn’t haggle over it. I think another ten thousand could have been added to it.” “You do, hey? Well, maybe this is only a beginning. I presume you haven’t seen anything of the young wharf shadow?” ‘* Nothing,” answered Larry, not knowing, of course, that Dick Sly had tracked him from the merchant’s house to the room he now occupied. ** As I told you at our last meeting, !m going to catch the wharf rat to-day,” laughed Jack, maliciously. ‘*The trap I have set for him is excellently baited, and cannot fail.” — ** When do you spring it?” ** Between now and sundown,” **Does Red Reynard help?” “No. He let the rat get away from kim the other night like a toothless terrier, therefore, I refer to play this game myself.” ** Which is a good idea. When do you intend to advance upon the fift¥ thousand?” ‘Very soon. You told him that a reply would be left at the store?” ** 1 did.” “JT will carry out that part of the pro- gramme.” Larry gave Jack a very inquisitive look and leaned toward him with curiosity in his eyes. **Say, Jack?” ‘Well, whatisit?” . ‘Have you really got the boy—the merchant's lost child?” asked Sarr. Jack o’ Diamonds started, and then gave vent to a light laugh, “Do you think I’d play a hand like this if I hadn't?” he ejaculated, “Fifty thousand is a big pile,” remarked Larry. ‘Tt tops all your drawings from Solomon Strauss’s till, eh” Larry colored and tried to laugh, but the at- tempt was not successful. ‘‘ Let time tell whether I have the lost boy or” not,” continued Jack, growing serivus. ‘1 haven’t revolved this brilliant scheme in my head for nothing. But how is the future Mrs. Lang, my boy?” “Oh, she is getting along splendidly,” was the reply. ‘“‘ That was a pretty trick, too. The losing of the ring was the unexpected; however, nobody: is going to profit by it in the long run. If the water cops had found it, it would have created a sensation, and some shrewd spotter would have discovered ere this that it late y graced the finger of Larry Lang. But a boy found it, a boy who thought he saw a chance to work up @ Case on his own hook. I call that fortunate, Larry, We can outwit the boy, but the police would have given us trouble.” Larry heard Jack through with a show of im- patience. | ‘‘T am glad you are going to trap the young Dodger Dick. rat, anyhow,” he answered. also recover the ring itself.” ‘¢ Leave that to me.” ‘‘ Which means that you will recover it?” ‘‘T have found the rat’s nest, and I think I will find something there when I search it.” ‘‘Do it, Jack!” cried Larry, ‘* Recover the ring, and take the profound and eternal grati- tude of Larry Lang.” Without replying to this outburst, Jack o’ Diamonds wheeled his chair to the table at his elbow and took up a sheet of paper as if he had dismissed the young man whom he was making his tool. ‘*What a man he is!” mentally ejaculated Larry as he watched the crook. ‘‘ Twice in Sing Sing and 5 ares knows bow often in other prisons, hat a fellow he’d be to force my stolen paper from ek Fleece; but I dare not mention the matter to him, I was a fool last night when I left the old shark alone with the papers. I see it all now, and I’m afraid my pet by-play will yiela me nothing.” For some minutes Jack o’ Diamonds wrote slowly on the sheet of paper he had spread _ be- fore him. He seemed to have forgotten that the room had two tenants. When he aay pom he looked up and appeared surprised by rry’s prox- imity. ‘* Come here between nine and ten to-night,” he spoke, ‘‘ I think I will delight you with a re- port and a find.” ‘“T’]] be on hand,” replied the young man, as he left the chair. ‘* You'd better go back to the hotel. Solomon Strauss will never look for you there.” ‘* Larry could not suppress a start. ‘* Does Solomon—” He stopped like a man who catches himself, and flushed. ‘‘There’s no telling what that Jew will do,” smiled Jack. ‘‘ You see he may have discovered that a man can’t patronize Hawk’s Hollow and wear diamond rings on twenty doliars a month. Some of these hawks o’ Jewry are vindictive when they get in the proper humor. Yes, I think up-town life is good for you during the pr oma hen Jack o’ Diamonds went back to his writing, and Larry, with a faint ‘* good-day,” stole from the little room. A new thought took sudden possession of him as om went down the steps that led to the side- walk, | He was in the power of one of the most des- perate of criminals. Not only this, but he was assisting him to piay a game which, if discovered might throw them both into the iron clutches o the law. “PH not have anything to do with him after I recover the ring,” muttered Larry. ‘ Let me get my hands on that, and I'll paddle my own canoe thereafter.” He pushed rapidly up-town, as if anxious to get away from Jack o’ Diamonds, and in a little while was back at the hotel. Meantime, Jack finished his writing, which he placed in an envelope, sealed it and hid it un- der his coat. ‘The young fellow carried out his part o’ the programme pretty well,” he exclaimed to him- self. ‘*Of course it wouldn’t have done for me to invade Peter Prayne’s mansion, I’m too old a bird for that. With the eyes of the cops open for the tricks o’ Jack o’ Diamonds, I’m not going to put my fingers into the fire, If Larry told the merchant all I wanted told, the man won’t have any spies at the store waiting for the next move, owever, I'll get a boy to deliver pr i a and the papers to-morrow will be my "Whe hen Jack o’ Diamonds left the house, he was seen by a keen-eyed boy who had let Larry pass up-town without molestation. Dick Sly knew that Larry had entered the building for the purpose of meeting somebody, and be was anxious to catch a glimpse of that person, When Jack struck the sidewalk, wearing the same whiskers in which he had once appeared to Dick as Silas Seldon, Jr., the dock-rat detective immediately caught sight of him. ‘What's to be the next move now, Jack?” ex- claimed Dick, starting off after the crook. ‘I recollect that Peter Prayne is to receive a com- munication at his store between now and four o'clock, Are you to deliver it in person, Jack o’ Diamonds? I bardly think you will appear on the surface just vet.” While the crook threw a dozen sly glances about, he did not see the boy, who adroitly hid himself among pedestrians, but who saw him all the same, “T wish you could 9 eee EE —————————————_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_——————————EE——— Jack suddenly turned into a more crowded street, and led Dick a chase toward the East River docks, the boy’s well-known domain. . ** Hillo! where’ve you been keepin’ yerself so long?” hailed a voice, and the next moment the ideal wharf rat sprung upon Dick from tbe top of a lot of goods that were piled on the dock, ‘* You've got kinder stuck up o’ late, ain’t you, Dick? Or, mebbe, Mother Sturgeon has sent you ter college ter make a halderman out 0’ e? You used ter cometer ‘the chapel,’ but o’ ate you've given all ©’ us the go-by. An’ good clothes, too! Why, bless me, if you don’t look like a shinin’ hexample o’ reclamation!” Dick knew the boy for Tony Whack, one of the shrewdest and most conscienceless of the wharf rat family. More than once Tony had served him when he was serving the police, and the two had come often. together. Dick looked about for Jack o’ Diamonds, but the crook had passed out of sight. “Tsay, Dick, what’ll you give for a genuine ‘find? ” continued Tony Whack. ‘TI don’t want anything of the kind.” Tony drew back with a well-feigned expres- sion of contempt on his hardened countenance. ‘* Another proof that Mother Sturgecn has turned saint!” he sneered. ‘‘ Very well; I guess I kin keep what I know. Mebbe Tony Whack kin work out the hull o’ the scheme he has got onto. If he does, there ‘ll be nobody to share with. Ill see whether the old merchant’s re- ward o’ ten thousand is still standin’.” Pues shot through the young detective’s mind, Was Tony really talking about Peter Prayne’s lost boy? ‘* What is it, Tony?” he asked, ‘‘Never mind, Dick, Go back to Mother Sturgeon, an’ be a good halderman some day. They ll be nobody to divide witb if Tony Whack gets it all by his own efforts.” ‘‘Why, I’m not booked for college, Tony!” exclaimed Dick. *‘I’m the same person I’ve al- ways been, only I’m just tryin’ the sensations of good clothes as a diversion.” Tony drew back and looked at the wharf-rat spy. Pk Honest?” he exclaimed. ‘** Honest!” echoed Dick, ‘‘By glory! I’m goin’ to b’lieve you!” was the answer; and Tony, with a sly look about him, came forward again. ‘“‘ I guess the reward is big enough for two, Dick. Come. to ‘the chapel’ at three o’clock to-day.” ‘‘Tll be there,” was the response, and Tony W hack’s eyes got a glitter of victory. CHAPTER XI. THE TRAP SPRUNG. ‘‘ THE CHAPEL ” was not much of a place, It was merely a hollow under the docks where the wharf rats met at times to make merry in their peculiar way. A few broken store-boxes and crates served for benches, and when a score or more of the wharf scavengers of New York were gathered there, some wild and strange orgies were en- acted. Of late, however, ‘the chapel’ had not been much frequented for the parpores just mention- ed, and knowing this, Tony Whack, Jack 0’ Diamonds’s decoy, knew that Dick Sly would consider it an excellent place for the imparting of a secret. When Tony went back to the gloomy under- world of the docks, be met his friend Bender, to whom he imparted the information that the dock detective would be at ‘‘ the chapel” at three o’clock that afternoon. Bender was delighted, and Tony wascongratu- lated on his success, ‘‘Of course we want to keep all this from Prince Peter,” remarked Bender, referring to the crippled boy who was their companion in the dock nest. ‘* He’ll never find it out if he wants for me to tell him,” snapped Tony. ‘* What has he been doing since I’ve been gone?” “Stringing buttons an’ dozin’ in the nest,” answered Bender. ‘‘ O’ late, some-how-or-other, thet boy has changed in countenance, Tony.” ‘‘ Think so, Bender?” ** I know it.” ‘‘ Mebbe he thinks—” “Thar’s no tellin’ what he thinks,” was the interruption. ‘¢ What have you noticed?” ‘“'The other day I saw him lookin’ intently at one o’ the buttons. He would hold it up in the light as if it was a ten-dollar Eecenene, I caught him at it several times. 4t was a pecu- liar button made fora boy’sfrock. I never saw ‘ comicbooks (e(e)