Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 571 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

Se ‘“* And now, Ettie,” Luke said, “‘ after what I thave done for you I want you to do something for me,” ** 'W hat is it?” the child asked. ‘* | want you to tell me who it was you heard planning with your father to cut down the tree and kill me.” ‘*'You won’t let him hurt me, will ye?” ** No one shali hurt you,” ‘‘Then I will tell ye. It was the man who pays out de money down in th’ bank. I can’t think of his name.” ‘Stewart Lyman!” the young engineer cried. “Yes, that’s his name.” CHAPTER XIV. LAYING THE GHOST, By this time evening was coming on, and Ajir-line Luke lost no time in getting back to the home of his sweetheart. He now had valuable information in his possession, and on the morrow he intended to have the cashier arrested, He had cautioned his mother and the little girl to say nothing to any one, for if the cashier should get any idea that his secret was known, no doubt he would lose no time in getting aways When Luke reached the house he found Dan Fielding there, and he was notin a very good bumor, either. ‘* What has happened to rumple your feathers so?” Luke asked, pleasantly. ‘¢ Enough bas happened,” Dan growled. ‘‘ I have got run out another special train to- night.’ ‘Well, that isn’t very pleasant, that’s a fact,” confessed Luke; ‘‘ but if you will work for a railroad that is what you must expect.” ‘¢- Yes, no doubt you're right.” Supper passed off pleasantly, and while they were at the table Luke told them of his success in finding the little girl, and of the secret he had got out of her. ‘‘The very one I suspected!” exclaimed Lucy, when she heard the cashier’s name mentioned. ** And so did I suspect him,” declared Luke. ‘* But the question is: Can you fasten the crime upon him?’ observed Dan, ‘‘T think we can,” answered Luke. ‘ At&ny rate we can try, and when I report the facts to the super., I think he will make it warm for Mr. Lyman.” ‘* No doubt about that,” agreed Dan. And he added: ‘* So, you are going down there to the bridge to lay that spook, are you?” ‘* Yes, I am going down to take a close look at it, if nothing more,” answered Luke. ** Well, [hope you’llsucceed in solving the mys- tery, for I for one am tired of hearing it talked about.” ‘““AndIam tired of seeing it,’ declared the young engineer. | ‘*T suppose I will pass there about midnight,” said Dan, ‘‘ and if you think you will have seen enough by that time I will have my engineer sstop and pick -you up.” . ‘* No,” said Luke, ‘‘ you need not do that, but Tl tell 7m what you may do if you will.” ** And what is that?” ‘*Tell your engineer that if he sees the ghost ‘when he comes west, not to shut off steam at all, but to come right along as fast ashe can tufn his wheels.” ‘* What is your idea in that?” ‘‘ Well, if there is any trick about the ghost, I think that it can be fooled if a train comes along at a little unusual speed.” < Very well, I will tell bim and have him try it. Dan had to hurry away, and Lukeand Lucy were left alone to enjoy a pleasant hour, And pleasant such hours were to them, as can well be imagined. About nine o’clock Luke took his leave, and set out at once for the scene of his ghostly vigil. Going to the station he gee upon the engine of the first train that came along going in the right direction, and when about half a mile from the bridge the engineer slowed up and let him get off. And from that point he proceeded on foot. He walked down the track for some distance, observing as much silence as possible, but when he drew near to the place where the ghost was usually seen he stepped aside from the track and walked along the side of the bank, keeping bis eyes about on a level with the rails, | This bank was about twenty feet high, so it perce’, Ke: young “— greny, chance © eep out of sight if any one happened alon the desired to do so. ‘ aa net In this manner he walked on in silence, and at dJength he came to the place where he intended ‘to stop and watch, He sat down on the side of ee» Air-Line Luke, the Engineer Detective. the fill, just far enough up to command a full | sounding the brotherhood salutation whistle for view of the track. It was summer, so he was comfortable in his not enviable place, Some time passed before any train came along, and the first one to come was the Express Freight, Luke’s own train. When the young eugineer heard it coming he began to look out for the ghost, but much to his disappointment no specter appeared. With a wild scream of the whistle the train came down the grade, but nothing was seen of the opposition. Luke was put out. He could not understand this. When the thing had been seen every night for so long a time, why should it not ap- pear now? ‘* Perhaps his Majesty knows I am here watching for him,’ he commented in his thoughts. After a little time the Express Freight east came along; still, nothing was seen of the ghost, and Air-Line Luke began to grow vexed. ‘‘This must be his Majesty’s ‘night off,” he muttered. ‘'I have come to wake a night of it, however, so I will stay right here and keep cool about it. Something may turn up yet.” Some time later a passenger train east came along, and yet, no indication of the white visitant. It was not long then, however, when Luke heard some persons approaching the place. They were coming up a the bank of the river. There were four or five of them, as he judged, and they were talking in low tones, The young engineer kept close to the bank and waited to learn who and what they were. When they came nearer he found that there were five of them, and that one of them was evidently a prisoner. This one seemed to have his arms tied behind his back, and two of the others were walking beside him. There was sufficient light for the spy to ob- serve this much, but he could not tell who any of the men were, even had he known them, On they came, until they were right at the abutment of the bridge, and there, strange to say, they all disappeared. Luke could hardly believe the evidence of his own eyes. Where had the men gone to so sud- den! Here was a mystery with a vengeance. aiting for some time to see if they would not reappear, and finding that they did not, the young engineer left his place and crept carefully down to the point where he had last seen them. They were not to be seen now, and he failed to find any place where they had turned aside into another course, In truth there was no other course open to them, for they had walked right up to the solid abutment, Where could they be? Giving that question up, Luke went back to his first position, and there he settled down to await further developments. And while he waited a new suspicion dawned upon him, for now and then he heard or fancied he heard, some very peculiar sounds down under the bed of the railroad in the heart of the bank. Some time passed, and then another train was heard coming. Luke glanced at his watch, ‘‘This must be Dan Fielding returning,” he reasoned, know- ing that no other train was due there at that vur, Presently. the train came in sight at the top of the grade, and with a wild shriek of the whistle it dashed down toward the bridge at lightning speed. ‘‘ He is coming at a pretty stiff gait,” thought Luke, ** and no doubt Dan has told him what I asked him to.” While the young engineer listened and watch- ed he heard a slight noise on the top of the road- bed, and raising himself a little he saw, to his surprise, one of the ties roll over in its place, disclosing a lighted space underneath, Here was something at last. Then the bluish light was seen, made evi- dently by the burning of some sort of pre- pared powder, and the next moment up came the ghost! It was certainly a horribleJooking object, for it was made to look like a skeleton, and around it was a white shroud-like garment that gave out suggestions of the grave 1D no pleasant way. | On came the train, and by the time it reached the place where the ghost was dis- porting, it was traveling like a flash of light. This was a little more than his ghostship had prepared for, for the engine struck it and the whole thing was snatched out of the hole in a twinkling and sent flying down the bank, while the train dashed right along, the engineer em eee ee eee ee rn, rg a —EE Luke’s benefit in a most exultant tone. W hen the train was well out of sight, Luke saw four men suddenly appear at the point where the five bad disappeared some time be- fore, and they scrambled up and over the bank, evidently bent upon recovering their spook, Luke crouched down as closely as possible, and by good fortune was not seen, and & soon as the men were out of sight be sprung up and ran to the point where they had come from, There, much to his satisfaction, he found a door right in the solid abutment of the bridge, open, and without waiting an instant to calcen- late the danger, he entered and looked around for a place of concealment, a spot soon found, for on one side of the den, as we will call it, was ar a lot of rubbish, and Luke dodged behind that. The road had first been built on a trestle at this point, and when it was filled in with earth the trestle remained there, and now these men had dug out the middle of the bank, boarded up the trestle and made quite a comfortable den of it. As soon as the young engineer had satisfied himself that he was safe from observation from the other side of the rubbish, he began to look around to see what kind of a place he was in. And the first thing that struck him was that he was in a den of counterfeiters, And he was not mistaken. In a few moments the men returned, carrying their ghost with them, and the swearing they in- dulged in was too ‘‘ tall” to be calculated, “We can’t stay here another day,” declared one. “This ghost has proved.our ruin. I was not in favor of any such thing in the first a, and now I hope the rest of you are Ssatis- ed, ‘* How could we know that any such accident as this would happen?” growled another, ‘‘We couldn’t, of course; but, as I said it would, this ghost will prove ourruin, In any event, it would be bound to draw attention to this place, and without it we might have re- mained here forever. It is all up now, though, and the sooner we get away the better for our health.” ‘There is sense in that,” assented a third; ‘‘and as soon as the others come we had better make plans for moving, and then no more ghost- foolishness.” it So they talked on, and Air-Line Luke was listening to every word, and trying to plan some line of action when, suddenly, be felt a aout jerk at the leg of his trowsers from be- ind! CHAPTER XV. AIR-LINE LUKE WINS. Lucy Fre.pine was sitting alone in her cosey little room, sewing, when there came a ring at the bell. - Wondering who the caller could be, she took up the lamp and went to the door. It proved to be a man with a message. es Father is not at home,” said Lucy, thinking of course that the message was for him. “T think it is for you,” the man explained. ‘‘ Hor me?’ and in astonishment she looked again, and sure enough it bore her name, ‘‘ Where do you bring it from?” she asked. ‘* From th’ station, miss?” Wondering what it could be, Lucy tore it open to learn, The moment she caught sight of its contents her face paled, and she read it through with trembling hands, It read as follows: “Lucy Fretpina:—Come at once to the station, I have been hurt, but not seriously. Do not be alarmed, You had better not tell mother, but come at once, LUKE Jackson.” he Needless to say, the poor girl was badl frightened, for med reasoned that her lover meen A be hurt badly, or he would never send such a message. : ‘‘] will be there as soon as I can,” ske said, ‘* Have you seen bim : “Yes, ma’m,” was the lying reply. “ And is he badly burt?” “ Well, yes: purty bad, ma’m,” “But he will not die, will he?’ in great anxiety. - No, I reckon not,” was the answer. ‘But mebby you had better not lose any time in get- tin’ there, ma’m. You kin come right along with me, if ye will.” ‘6 Yes. ait one moment, and I will be ready.”