Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 561: Deadwood Dick — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

/ 3. I > 7 + ee ee ie an ' >t tae - ,7* va eg he me. aa. « . . . ‘ -é J ror > « ‘ _ b Deadwood Dick in Boston. ‘the lickin’ he gave me to-day, and I shouldn’t wonder if I’ve killed him, [hit him hard enough, anyhow!” . “T hope you have!” Mrs, Glenroy declared, venomously, ‘‘ He is a detective, wno lured me here to arrest me!” Young Glenroy knelt beside the fallen de- eek a moment, and then arose hastily to his eet, ‘He's deader’n a door-nail!” he gasped, hoarsely. Just then, some one was heard approaching, whistling a snatcb of opera, ‘‘Come! we must run for it!” Glenroy said, seizing nis step-mother by the arm. And run they did for dear life, and were soon in a cab, being driven rapidly away. CHAPTER X. RATS UNEARTHS A CLEW. But Gilbert Glenroy had erred. Deadwood Dick was not tilled by that terrific blow, though it isa wonder of wonders he was not, for the. blow was heavy enough to have felled an ox. When he awoke to consciousness, he found himself not in the snow upon the bleak common, but on a cot-bed, in a large and comfortably- heated room of what he judged was a police- station, because the windows were protected by iron bars. Raising himself to a sitting posture, he was \taking in the situation, when the door opened, and two men entered, One was the police-captain, a man, While the other, Judging carried, was a surgeon, attach ment. iu 4 ‘‘ Ah! Doctor, he’s come to,” the captain said, - mare young man, how do you think you ee ‘‘ Rather headstrong!” Dick smiled, feeling of the big lump on the side of his cranium, ‘‘ Rath- er strikes me I’!l have to wear a bigger hat fora while!” ““ Well, you’re a cool one, I'll swear!” the offi- cer ejaculated. ‘‘ Do you know where you were when Patrolman Lynch found you?” ought to, since I was there senses. I was on the Com- eerful-looking om the box he to the depart- ‘* Yes, I reckon before I lost my on...” * Exactly. How came you by the blow on your head?” ‘Some one belied me with a club, or some other like instrument. I[ was standing at the west end of the little lake, talking with a lady, when I got the blow, and know no more.” ‘“Do you know who struck you?” ‘*T do not.” ‘* What is your name?” ‘¢ Richard Bristol.” ‘‘ Mr, Bristol, I am surprised to learn by the badge you wear that you area United States de- tective.” “Yes, sir. That's about the size of it.” ‘‘ Where do you reside?” ‘Oh! ’most anywhere beyond the Missouri— here, tere, and everywhere, according to where my yofession calls me.” ‘Tf understand. What brings you to Boston?” ‘“‘T am after a combined thief and bigamist. It was that which took me tothe Common. | had succeeded in bringing her there by a decoy letter, and was in the act of arresting her, wben ' [ got this belt on the head!” ‘* Ah! it’s a woman, is it?” “ Vos.” ‘* What’s her name?” ‘*Captais, you will have to excuse me from answering that question,” Dick replied. ‘ Until the woman is captured, I propose to withhold her name.” ‘Oh! all right. Perhaps I was letting m curiosity get the better of my judgment. Well, ou can rest here until morning, if you like, and by that time I dare say you will feel in bet- ter trim.” ; ‘Oh! I'm all right now,” Dick replied, ‘* ex- cept my head aches as though I had been out to a champagne supper. I'll go over to my hotel, { guess, as there will be a party wait- ing there forme! What time is it?” “ Just twelve o'clock. Shall I order a cab fcr you?” “Yes, I don’t care if you do!” Dick replied, i to his feet, Although a little , at first, he soon found that be could walk all right, ‘‘Ob! you're better than half a dozen dead men, yet,” the captain said, helping him on with his overcoat. ‘‘ Here’s your hat. See how it fits you.” But, the hat didn’t fit at all! The great bump on the side of the head made it entirely too small. & The only way Dick could wear the covering at all was tipped over on the side of the bead, so that it protected the sweliing, byt it made him look so rowdyish and ludicrous that the police captain and the doctor had a hearty laugh. ‘Well, you’re about the toughest-looking cus- tomer I’ve seen in a long time!” the captain said. ‘¢You better not let any of the cops get on to you, or they’ll pull you in for a tough!” They then adjourned to the main office of the station. The captain rung for a cap, and, a few minutes later, Dick was being whirled away to- ward the Revere House, which was soon reached. Paying the cabby, Dick entered the hotel office, and, much to his mortification, saw that bis rowdyish appearance attracted immediate attention—even the night clerk staring at him, in curiosity. Fortunately, Rats had returned, and was lounging upon one of the office settees, so that Dick had an opportunity, in a measure, to hide his embarrassment, Even Rats snickered outright at Dick’s com- ical appearance. ‘* My eyes! but ain’t you tough!” he ejacu- lated, ‘‘ Say, is that the latest style, here in Bos- ting? If it is, l want to know it, sol kin con- form with the fashion. Nothin’ slow about me, an’ I allers want to be up to ther times!” ‘*Oh, dry up!” Dick commanded, seating him- self, and removing his hat, ‘* Phew!” the boy exclaimed, when he saw the swelling. ‘‘How’d ye git that? Been playing bunkity-bunk with a William goat!” ‘* Nonsense!” ‘““Then some copper clubbed you?” ‘‘Nothing of the sort. I got hit on the Com- mon.” ‘*Got hit on the common? Jemminy! ye don’t call that cocoanut o? yourn common, do s Humph! nothin’ very common about that pate ‘*'You don’t understand. There’s a park here called the Common, and I was assaulted there, But, of that, more anon, Tell me ali about how ou made out.” ‘* Well, I bad some luck, but et purty nigh tuckered me out to get it, After you left me I hung around ’til Brady came out the saloon, an’ then, I dogged his footsteps, an’ bung to him, all day, like vrim death toa yirger. If he did- n’t lead me a chase, | hope Ian y never ock+ spy the Presidential chair. ‘* Well, sir, ef that chap took one dring in every saloon he visited, and I reckon he did, he sae o’ got outside o’ ten gallons o’ stuff, at the t east. ‘* Finally I lost track o’ him,an’ clean dis- couraged and tired out, I started for here, but, I hadn’t gone more’n two blocks, when I run plum onto him, an’ you kin bet I was s’prized. He had a hoss and carriage, and had just stop- ped before a house in Temple street. He had got out of the carriage, and, as I came along, he sized me up, from head to foot. ‘*** Hello! bub,’ he said, ** bain’t I seen you be- fore?” ‘** 7 dunno,’ I replied. ‘ Mebbe.’ ‘¢* Weren’t you wi’ Sharkey Collins, down on Federal street, to-day? he asked, ‘**T was, that,’ I replied. ‘*¢ Travel with Sharkey, eh?’ he asked, ‘** You bet,’ was my reply. ‘** Well, he’s a good feller to tie to,’ he said. ‘D’ye live here in Boston? “T told him I did, and then he asked me to watch his horse for a few minutes, to which I consented. He entered the house, and was gone about ten minutes. Then, be came out an’ got into the carriage, and asked me if I didn’t want to take a ride. Lasked him, innocent like, which way he was going. He said out Beacon street, near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. *** Why, golly,’ said I, ‘ my dad lives out that way, beyond the reservoir, an’ I'll be glad to ita ride.’ That was a whoppin’ lie, wasn’t it? ut, I was fishin’ fer pints, just then. _ ‘So I got into the carriage, an’ he driv’ off like Old Nick, his hoss bein’ a mighty good traveler. “Well, there wasn’t much said, during the trip, and after what seemed a good many miles we'd traveled, be drew rein by the roadside, and jumped out. ‘* You stay here, and mind the horse ’til I come back, an’ T’ll give you a dollar,’ he said, and of course I accepted. ‘“We had stopped in front of a big field which there was bu like an old tumble-down farm-house, and stood a good ways back from thestreet, It wasn’t quite on dark yet, but Brady took a lantern from the mm ee LL LL LLL ALL AL ALLL LLL LLL ALLEL LEAL ALLL nN = enn 7 t one buildin’, what looked er tT es iage, an’ then, climbin’ over the fence, he made off for the farm-house. ‘It begun to snow an’ blow, just then, and I soon lost sight o’ my man. ** Before I met areas not knowin’ what might turn up,I bad bought me a dark lantern, and hid itin my overcoat pocket. I now gits this out, lights it, and put it back in my pocket again. It got to feelin’ kind o’ warmish there, but it felt good just the same, for it wascolder’n blue blazes, outside. “Well, after about twenty minutes, Brady come back, and he appeared to be a good bit excited. He got inter the carriage, and I got out, sayin’ I must hurry home, ‘fore I got snowed in. Hegive mea dollar, turned the rig around, an’ drove back toward the city.” ‘Well, what did you do?’ Dick asked eager- yu What did I do? Well, I waited ‘til I was satisfied that Brady was really on bis way back to town: then I climbed the fence and made for the old house in the field, I felt kinder shaky about goin’ there, ’cause it were a purty spook- ish lookin’ place, but 1 knew you wanted to get all the fac’s of the case, so 1 scraped together all the courage I could get bold of, and gettin’ my revolver ready for exercise, sailed ahead. ‘‘ Lordy! how the wind blowed across that field! It shrieked an’ groaned like a pata) ful o’ de’d speerits what hed been Jeft out in th cold. And the snow was blindin’, ‘Tell you, boss, the nearer I got to that she- bang, the more shiverish I felt, but I sot my teeth together, an’ finally got thar. The door was wide open, the winders was smashed, an’ I see'd no one didn’t live there. ‘Well, I took the cap off’n my lantern, an let on the glim, an’ begun ter investergate. went thru’ every room in the place, but all I found was dust an’ cobwebs, The last thing J did, was to lift a trap-door, an’ look down intcr a mighty deep cellar, but there was nothin’ there, ’cept a lot o’ rats, some of ’em as big as a ow 9a They skeedaddled, when they see’d the ight. ar Well, [ didn’t see as there was any more in- vestigatin’ to be done, an’ was about to come away, when I found this ’ere orang Lap pinned to the inside o’ the door. Guess Brady mustn’t ’a’ seen it.” Rats then gave Dick a light-brown piece of wrapping paper, upon which was scrawled the following: , *. ** December, 1... **T have just esca from the dank reeking vanlt under this place, where for weeks, I have been a prisoner. I was cast into this pit, at the instance of my former traitress wife, now known as Mrs, George Glenroy of Boston, and left to die by inches, of starvation. I bave suffered the tortures of the damned. My only ees has been the huge rats that infest the place. fortunately had my sreath knife left me, and with this have obtained my food. Nd veer Ihave subsisted on raw rat flesh and 00a! “Thank God, I am at last free! And, now, for vengeance! Cavin CooL,” CHAPTER XI. PLANNING TO ESCAPE, ACCOMPANIED by Gilbert Glenroy, Mrs. Glenroy was driven rapidly home—or, at least, to her apartment over the pawnshop, if that could be designated as home. Neither of the two spoke, until they were safe within Mrs, Glenroy’s little parlor. Mrs. Glenroy was very pale and nervous, and what part of ber step-son’s face was not covered with court-plaster was also noticeable for its pallor. : Gertrude bad long since gone to bed, so Mrs. Glenroy and Gil were free to speak. ‘Do you think you really killed bim?”’ the woman asked, as the two became seated upon a sofa which stood across one end of the room, ‘“Yes, there’s no doubt of it,” Gil replied, ‘““and my ‘cursed temper bas got me into a deuce of a scrape. I shall have to get out of Boston, that’s sure, I wish I hadn’t struck the blow, now!” ‘‘Pshaw! don’t be so chicken-hearted. Nobody knows that you struck the blow. How came you to bavea gradge against the man?” ‘‘Oh! we had a scrap on the Common, during the afternoon, and the fellow did me up tw the queen’s taste, and tossed me into the lake. One of my pals followed him, and when be entered the Common, teeg, te in disguise, ] was on hand, prepared to lay him out, which I did. Did you know bim?” “Only as one of several detectives who are seeking to arrest me for something that occur- red in the past, before I married your father. But, curse them, they never take me alive. - ae /