Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 521 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

» Ld 4 y, See ES A ee =e © ‘* Entirely too exclusive for us, old boy,” was the answer. ** Dudes!” exclaimed Dick in tones of lofty contempt. ‘' There be better looking members of their family in the zooat Central Park. I saw one of those dear creatures fall overboard at the ferry the other day, and he almost froze me with a look when I pulled him out witha barge hook. That is a boarding-house, and the dudes have left for a night lark. But Despard does not come out. Nv, not he!” If the boy couid have entered the house at that moment and been allowed the freedom of the place, he would have seen Dan Despard in a room with Thalia and a young girl who, despite a ‘aes clothes she wore, resembled Newspaper e ‘*Tt won’t be long, Ione,” said Thalia, turning to the girl whose face had just been clouded by a pout. ‘Make it soon!” was the quick answer. ‘I want to be somebody. I want to be able to show myself in the parks in a carriage. This is torture here. Why don’t you bring the game to an issue?” She leaned to Despard as she finished, and looked him in the eye. ** Tt takes a little time,” he replied. ** You have the papers—all of them—for you have said so. You said some days ago that I was the eg he gee of the girl you call Newspaper Nell. I'd like tosee her, If she is like me, she is pretty, ha, ha! But, Pll wagera world that her blood is not as blue as mine, What doyousay?’ And sheturned upon Thalia, laughing till her deep black eyes sparkled like gems, ‘“‘[’'m proud of your blood, Ione,” responded Thalia, who was the girl’s senior by some years, ‘* You ought to be,” smiled Dan Despard. There was a light laugh all around. ‘Where did you leave Roy?” suddenly asked Thalia, and at mention of the name the girl, | »ne, gave a slight start. ‘* Down-town.” ‘* He was here to-day,” put in Ione, ‘*In this house?” exclaimed Thalia, ‘Yes, Why not?” ‘* When was it?” R ‘* This afternoon,” ‘* He did not stay?” ‘*Not long. He believes that the game is being watched.” **By whom?” asked Despard.” _** By a boy who is said to be in the pay of the police.” Des sent a quick look toward the woman. ‘She means the young wharf rat whose shadow has frightened you,” he smiled. ** Don’t you believe it?” exclaimed the girl. ** Not a word of it!” “Roy says he has good grounds for thinking 80. “To perdition with his grounds! ’Roy is | sometimes a coward who—’ Tone sprung from her chair and was at Des- pard’s side in an instant. *“*You don’t want to apply that epithet to *Roy in my presence!” she cried, looking down into Despard’s face, and her hand at the same time closed on his arm. ‘‘A coward, is he? You don't know what we will have to call you before the play is out.” She drop his arm, gave him a lofty look, and went to the window, Opening the slats just a little she looked down into the street, her bosom still heaving with ex- citement, and her eyes full of fire. All at once she wheeled upon Despard, who. had studied her in silence, “You are watched now, at this very mo- ment!” she said in low tones. Dan Despard left his chair like a bolt. ‘“*Where? By whom, Ione?” ** The Spy is on the sidewalk, against the tree. I have just seen him. It is the boy ’Roy talked about. Look for yourself.” CHAPTER IV. DESPARD’S TARTAR. DopGER DICK was about to desert his station when Ione, glancing downward through the slats of the inside shutters, saw him at the tree. The boy had at last located Despard, whom he had been shadowing for some days, and he was anxious to get back and rejoin Angus Brandon in the Park. If he had left a moment sooner Ione would not have discovered him, nor would have started toward the door with a muffled Sele a > oe = nee ~_ f Dodger Dick’s Best Dodge. oe ee 08 ee eee “What are you going to do?” exclaimed the | girl, seeing the flashes of rage that lit up the city tiger’s eyes, ‘T'll show that young ferret that I can’t be tracked with impunity!” was the quick retort. ‘* He may not be a spy?” “Then, why is he down there? No, Ione, you can’t save the young imp. We want no such obstacles in our path.” The door opened and shut, and Despard was gone. He went down the stair witha tread not likely to alarm any one, ‘*Now Vl show him!” he said through his teeth when he reached the front door. ‘‘ By Jove! "Roy may be right, after all.” The succeeding moment Despard opened the door and stepped out. He had already marked the Dodger’s position, and his first glance was toward the tree. ‘*Gone, by Jupiter!” ejaculated Despard. ‘I wonder if the street fox heard me?’ And the men stood on the lower step perplexed and de- cidedly out of humor. If he had looked up at that momeut he might have discovered [one at the window, for the girl could not curb her curiosity, and was eager to witness the expected collision. Despard cast mad looks up and down the street Not far away he caught sightof a moving fig- ure, not large enough to be a man’s, ‘“'That is the young spy,” he exclaimed, and then he started off, seeing no one but the per- son whom his eyes had singled out. Despard thought he would know the wharf spy detective, and he had no doubts of the iden- tity of the boy upon whom he was stealing with eager and noiseless strides. Suddenly, in the shadow of a tree, the hand of Dan Despard fell like an eagle’s claw upon his victim’s shoulder. ‘* Caught at last!” he hissed, leaning forward. **You don’t want toopen your talk-trap, my young shadow. If you makea noise, I’ll make it decidedly uncomfortable for you. I guess you know me!” and he gave the startled youth a look fierce enough to frighten the bravest. It never entered Despard’s head that he had caught the wrong person. He did not think that the Dodger had van- ished, and that fate had substituted another. The boy clutched by Despard had a cry on his lips when he saw the glittering eyes, and heard the threat emphasized by their ferocious glare. ‘You're a pretty night cat, ain’t you?” con- tinued the New York sharp, holding the boy firmly. ‘*‘ Don’t you know that you’re not at home when you leave the wharves? In Merle Mallot’s pay, eh? Well, you’re liable to quit his employ, quite liable to, I should say.” ‘Pm not the boy you’re looking for!” stam- mered the lad ata venture. ‘' Indeed—’pon my honor—l’m Jerry Jack, an’I live on the next street,” ‘“A lie for the occasion!” laughed Despard. ‘¢- You needn’t think I’m going to let you out of the trap for it.” ‘‘ Mother ’ll make it hot for you!” cried the boy, gettin courage. ‘If I’m not Jerry Jack there’s no New York. Who ao you think I am, captain?” espard began to doubt the identity of his catch. There was something in the boy’s voice and face, as he could see the latter in the shadows, that gave his declarations the impress of truth, But he was not willing to give up. ‘‘Maybe you think [I’m the boy who skipped past me just before you nailed me?” continued the sharp’s prisoner. *‘ I've not been doing any- thing that I should be clutched in this manner. Do you think Jerry Jack ’d steal?” Just then a woman, bare-headed and a per- fect Amazon.in figure, came around the corner and looked up the street, and toward Despard and the boy. ‘* Here I am, mother|” vociferated the youth. ** This , pepe has caught me for somebody else, and he doesn’t want to let me go.” In an instant the woman bounded forward, and Dan Despard felt a hand at bis wrist, and saw two mad eyes before him, ** Drop this boy !—drop him right away!” cried the woman. ‘I'll show you what it means to stop Jerry Jack on the street when he is running errands for his mother, Ill toss you into the oe if you hold him a second! Wanted to idnap him, did you? Where's the big cop who stands at the corner?” Despard was now convinced that he had made a mistake, and as he did not want a personal encounter with the bare-headed Amazon, he gave up the prisoner, and growled out an - ; - Srp, es yw ——— + apology which was received with very bad grace. ‘*Which way did the boy go that passed you?” Despard asked Jerry Jack. ‘‘T guess not, captain!” replied the boy re- treating behind his mother. ‘‘Since you’ve sie so fresh, you can find the kid for your- self, been within reach at that moment, he might have felt the sharp’s boot, But Mrs, Jack stood hey ing between, and Despard had to waste is ire, ‘*Come home, Jerry,” said the woman, ‘FI came just in time to rescue you from the hands of arascal,and if he doesn’t quit these parts, we’ll see what the cops can do with him.” And with a hot and havghty look at Despard, the giantess walked her boy off in triumph. ‘** Curse the blunder!” muttered the New York sckemer when he found himself empty-handed on the street. ‘That boy 1 caught was not the one Ione saw from the window. That spy was Dodger Dick, and it was he who passed my catch just before I came up. This being the case, he isn’t far off. I'd give a good deal to ih bene upon him as I did upon Mrs, Jack’s opeful.” Despard walked to the corner, on the lookout for boys. His failure to catch the Dodger net- tled him, and no wonder, forif Dick had track- ed Thalia to her headquarters, he had scored an important point in the game. Mrs. Jack and Jerry had promptly vanished, and the woman was already narrating to some horrified neighbors her thrilling rescue of her Ry from the clutches of a kidnapper. he man did not like to give the Dodger up. Five minutes had not passed since Ione’s dis- covery from the window, and in that time young Jack had been captured and released. ‘* Must I go back with no fish in the net?” ex- claimed Despard, forced to swallow his disap- pointment. ‘‘ Ione will laugh at me and bot of the women will say that the spy was Merle Mallot’s young ferret. Confound it! there’s: matey. ele for me to do. I wish Ione had spied the boy a little sooner,” Despard took one last look up and down the street, His eyes seemed to see every object within a certain distance, but, keen as they were, they could not single out the young spy of the wharf. At length Despard turned reluctantly back. ‘‘ Hello! cap’n, didn’t you drop somethin’?” rung out in clear tones the voice of a boy, and when Despard wheeled be saw a veritable street. gamin stooping almost at his very feet. ‘‘ T guess not, Johnny,” he replied. ‘* What is it?” and he leaned toward the little fellow who was holding up something like a well-worn buckskin purse. ‘*T found it right hyer, an’ you’ve just left the spot,” resumed the boy. ‘If it’s yours, cap’n, hyer it is, It doesn’t feel like a Govern- ment treasury, but thar’s something in it all the same, Despard looked searchingly at the boy fora moment, for he had grown very suspicious with- in the last few minutes, and then he held his hand out for the purse which was delivered up. ‘‘ Jerry Jack didn’t drop it for he don’t have such things,” grinned the boy. ‘* Neither do [—not such affairs like that,” an- swered Despard handing the purse back. ‘** Mebbe [’ll get to keep the find. Whew! ice cream at Fuseli’s an’ acigarette on the cellar door! If Dick Sly had seen it, 1 wouldn’t be on the edge of a fortune.” Dan Despard started. ‘‘Who is Dick Sly?’ he asked with eagerness that more than half betrayed him. ‘Don’t you know? Why, he’s Mother Star- geon’s boy! Iam Burt Bluster an’ Dick an’ I ar’ old acquaintances, but not Siamese twins in friendship, bet ver head, cap’n.” ‘You don’t like the Dodger?” ‘‘Not with a love that lingers!” langhed the oungster. ‘‘He’s a wharf rat, cap’n, an’ the lusters ar’ above that, miles above it!” ** Where does Mother joe, et live?” ‘‘She’s moved lately an’ 1 don’t know where she is just now.” ‘Could you find her?” ‘* I might.” Web Se Sm do it if I could make it worth our while ts I don’t know why I should not,” was the an- swer. Despard ran his hand into one of his pockets. ‘I'd like to know where Mother Bi resides,” he continued, withdrawing his and dexterously showing the boy the Despard grew furious, and if the boy had ef two. (ECO MALICE] Oo Ke) z 4 ’ nau) sale :