Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 581 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 —_—-—_—— could not hear it, though Mag took care to be with- in easy reach of him should he make any attempt toescape. He seemed, however, to have sunk into & semi-unconscious state, and did not make any objection by action or word, to his present treat- ment. ‘*Now.”’ Steely Williams went on. “We will drive out to my friend’s house by @ quiet road that I know of, put tois gentleman in the cellar, give the horses some fodder, and take a few hours’ sleep. In the evening we can drive down to the river again in my friend's covered wagon, and—”’ ‘** And fool the whole crowd, eh?” interrupted Bill Cranch eestatically. ‘* Exactly.” Not another word was exchanged. Mag and Cranch took their places in the carriage again, and Steely Williams, miee pe, 3 to the driver's seat, sent the horses at a fast trot along an uphill road into the country. Up along hill, down into a valley, a sharp turn to the left along a lane hardly wide enough for the ca'riage to go, up another hill and down into a hollow, * There's the house at iast,’’ muttered Steely to ™m * » A long, low frame building, with quaint, old-world gables and a tall brick chimney at each end, like sentinels. A row of poplars swayed in the gentle summer breeze in front, shaking their green leaves and sending showers of silvery water gathered from the rain of the night before. It was a peaceful scene, and it was difficult to realize that it was the home of a man at war with the law, as Steely had intimated. To the right of the house and somewhat to the rear was a barn, around which a brood of chickens chirped and clucked, while a couple of. comfortable sows and half a dozen rom pigs grunted in a satis- fied manner in an adjacent hog-pen. Steely drove up to the old-fashioned front door, with its two solid wooden seats under the porch and called: s 6s Mat 999 There was no answer, ‘*Mat! Confound the old fool! He always was as deaf as a post, but he must haveseen the carriage coming. and he is not such a fool after all. e knows the look of it well enough, and would never mistake it for any other.” ‘Ain't he at home?’ asked Cranch, putting his head through the front window of the vehicle. ‘*IT don’t know. ButI soon will,” answered Steely, getting down from his seat. He banged and kicked at the door viciously, but without any response from within. ‘Must be out,” suggested Bill, in an interestéd tone, still with his head out of the carriage window. “The old fool!” ejaculated Steely, as summonin all his strength, he put his knees and foot agains the door and pushed, . There was a loud laugh from Bill Cranch, as the door suddenlv gave way and Steely disappeared headfirst into the hquse, _** You'd better not laugh too loud,” was Mag Mul- lins’s beer 5 **He is in an ugly temper, and he uses that knife of his quickly when he gets mad.” Bill Cranch laughed sneeringly, but he did not let Steely Williams hear him. ‘The dark-browed young man managed to strike awe into the bosoms of his companions without effort. " He came to the door after being absent a few minutes and motioned to Cranch to get out of the carriage. * Well, Steely, what now?” “The house is empty, but we will stay here till evening, anyhow,” ‘*That’s a good joke. We'll keep house for old Mat to-day."’ “Bring in old Moneybags. We must make him gafe. Luckily I know this house pretty well. and I can soon find an apartment for him where he can be undisturbed until we want him,” interrupted Steely Williams, ruthlessly cutting short ‘She Buf- fer’s raptures. age right, Cap. Mag, kick him out of the car- r ” ig! CHAPTER XV. DAN MAKES A DOUBLE PLAY. ** You are never going to keep me ina place like this. are you?" exclaimed the banker in horror, as five minutes later, the gag having been taken from his mouth, he was thrust into a dark cellar that appeared ‘0 have been hewn out of the solid rock. * Yes, sir, this is where you wiil have to stay fora few hours, Iam sorry that I cannot give you a bet- ter room, but I have to look after my own safety you know.” answered Steely Williams, who wit ranch and Mag Mullins, had brought the prisoner down the stone steps from the kitchen above. Hetherington looked at the young ruffian for a moment, as if seeking jin his face some sign of human feeling. Then, turning away, he murmured to himself, as the tears welled to his eyes: ** My boy! my ph 2 cannot even be with you for the few | aty hours t ou will yet be out of the grave!” ° Steely overheard the words. and, wincing slightly, he frowned and walked up the stone stens, bidding his companions follow him. “Fasten that door with the bar as well as the bolt,” he commanded, but without looking around, ** All right, Cap.” responded Bill, cheerfully. He had not committed a murder, ani such a simple proceeding as keeping a New York banker a prisoner for a day or two gave him pleasure, if anything. The coor was secured in the manner indicated and a trap at the top of the stone steps, which was in fact part of the kitchen floor, was shat down and fastened with two sunken bolts, Double-Curve Dan. The house consisted of four rooms, one behind the other, on the ground floor, with a loft overhead, and the stone cellar under the kitchen. It was comfortably though not luxuriously fur- pp and looked like the home of a comfortable armer. The sitchen was imm-: diately behind the sitting- room, and behind the kitchen were the bed-rooms, The bed in the room behind the ki'chen had evi- dently been occupied, while the fact that a iow fire still burned in the kitchen stove, and that there was a loaf of fresh bread, with butter, eggs and other materials for a meal on the table, indicated that some one had slept in the house during the night, and bad taken breakfast previous to a hurried de- parture. ‘*Mat must have had some business in town to- day, I guess, or hg he just took a notion to go out in a hurry. e’s an eccentric old cuss, and is cps to do anything, if the fit takes him,” observed Steely, as he put some light wood in the stove and coaxed it into a blaze. ‘Mag, make some coffee, won’t you?” asked Cranch. ‘* We haven't had anything to eat or drink since last night, aud I should like to sample the old man’s grub,” The lovely Mullins, in her matter-of-fact way. did as Cranch requested, and soon had a nice breakfast of ham and eggs and coffee ready. “Take some down:to Mr, H.,” said Steely, when the meal was ready. ‘‘I don’t want to starve him, and in fact I would rather treat him well than other- wise. It wasn’t my fault that T killed his boy. It was all the doings of that infernal Dan Manly.” During these remarks, which were addressed more to himself shan to his companions, Mag Mullins pre- pared a plate of ham and eggs, with bread and coffee, and waved her hand asa sign that everything was ready. Bill Cranch, obedient to the command of Steely Williams, took the food down to Mr. Hetherington, and coming up, reported that he bad left iton a bench underneath the one strongly-barred window that gave a little light to the cellar, ‘Ts he eating aud drinking?”’ asked gain» ‘Yes, he is now; but at first he told me to take it all bel because he wasn’t bungry.”’ ** Well?’ ‘‘But I didn’t take no notice, I just planked it down on the bench, and pointed my thumb at it to signify that he could eatit or leave it, just as he happened to feel.” ‘‘ He thought better of it then, for he walked up to the bench, and commenced on the ham and eggs as if he wanted to choke himself, washing it down with the hot coffee like a crazy man.” ‘** Sensible,’’ observed Steely, sententiously. ‘*Sensible, eh? 1 don’t see nothin’ sensible in eatin’ and drinkin’ that way. I wants to take my meals like a Christian,” The three worthies paid their respects to the ham and eggs and coffee in a business-like way, and then, the meal concluded, Steely Williams suggested that they svould all take a sleep until evening, or until the mysterious proprietor of the house came home, Mag was given the rear room, and Bill Cranch and Ste-ly threw themselves side by side upon the bed in the other apartment, which, as stated above, had evidently been occupied during the night. Tired out with the exciting events of the last few hours, all were sound asleep within half an hour, the last to succumb to the wooing of the drowsy god being Steely Williams, notwithstanding that he ad been more exhausted than any of them. But the consciousness that he had now irrevocably forfeited all’hope of winning the girl whose purity and beauty had made so strong an impression upon his heart; chat she looked upon him now only as the murderer of her brother, and that she was even now helping to hunt him to the gallows, kept him awake, and when at last he did fall into the slumber of utter exhaustion, followed him into his dreams, and made his sleep but a succession of nightmares. Hour after hour the three slept, bill Cranch snoring vigorously, and evidently taking all the comfort that is to be found in a heavy slumber after hard work. The sun was getting low in the heavens when a man, wrapped ina ronge Cloak, his face partly con- ceeled by the flapping brim of a wide felt hat, came hobbling down the road and walked into the porch of the house, He carried a thick walking-canein his hand, with which he banged on the door three or four times. ** What’s that?” cried Steely Williams as, knife in hand, he sat up on the bed and listened. He had heard the knocking in his sleep, but had not realized just what it was. Another banging at the door told him what had disturbed him. He leaped from the bed, and punching the snoring | Cranch in the side, soon had that gentleman as wide awake as himself, - ‘* Somebody at the door, Bill,” he whispered. | * ya, ee of it? Does he want to come in?” ‘* Well, let him in if he’s safe.” Steely ran into the front room, and peeping through the slats of the shutters at the window, saw | the figure standing in the porch and just raising his | stick to bang again at the door. * Well, that’s a joke on me,”’ he exclaimed, with a laugh. ‘It’s oid Mat himself, trying to get into his own house. Open the door, Bill.” Cranch obeyed, and the old man stumbling into the room, threw himself upon the sofa just as he wah. cloak and hat and all, and asked for a drink of water. . The shutters being closed the room was in gloom, i SO ™ eee oa — but Cranch, who had never met Mat before, saw that he was a little old man, with a decided bump on his back, and that he was not of a-vcry sociable dis- position, , ‘Get him some water, Bill,’ commanded Steely Williams, : Billy the Buffer went for the water into the yard, where a pump gave promise of a cool draught. ‘“ Well, Mat, we bave taken possession of the house but we are going away again at dark ” ‘‘Yes,I heard about you,’’ was the reply in @ wheezy whisper. ‘The deuce you did}! Who told you?” ‘Never mind, I heard it.” ‘* Your asthma is just as bad as ever, eh?” “‘ Just as bad,’ wheezed Mat, turning himself over © on the sofa, so that his back was toward Steely. ‘** You’re good for a number of years yet, though!” said Steely, encouragingly. **Oh, yes, I hope so.” **Durn your old picture, If you live six months I shall be surprised,”’ was the other’s comment, under his breath. ‘* What’s that?’”’ asked Mat, Sea pa ‘Nothing, 1 only coughed;”’ adding to himself: ‘* By gracious, he isn’t as deaf as he used to be, any- how. Didn’t think he could hear me whisper.’ ‘* Here’s some water,” interrupted Bill nch, as he brought in a pitcher and handed it to the old man, ‘Thanks. What’s your name?” asked old Mat, from his sofa, trying to make out bill Cranch’s fea- -tures, apparently, in the gloom, ‘Mr. Smith,” replied Bill, with a laugh. ‘Mr. Smith? Ah, yes; hope we shalJ become bet- ter acquainted. I have taken a fancy to you, Mr. Smith,’ Bill did not seem flattered by this preference of old Mat’s, for he tried to withdraw his hand from the grasp of the other, who had taken hold of his fingers as he spoke, and held them with a grip of iron. ‘*You shake hands pretty hard, Mr.—Mr.—Mat,”’ said Bill Cranch. ‘* You must have been very strong when you were young.” ‘‘Pretty well—pretty well, Mr. Smith. I guess I could hold my own, Mr. Smitb,.” ‘* And vou can do it now, can’t you?” put in Steely Williams. ‘* Yes, Steely, can,” was the quick reply, given in a voice strangely free from his usual wheeze, ‘‘Cranch, go out to the stable and attend to the horses, will you? We must start before long,” said Steely. ‘‘I will go down and see how our man is in the cellar.” ‘* What man?” ‘*Oh, somebody who needs country air,” answer- ed Steely, significantly. ‘‘So I am going to take him to our summer resort in Jersey, to remain while I transact some business on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, or perhaps further than **T suppose you don’t care to know all the partic- ulars, on Mat? I knew you were all right, and that if I came here in the name of the Order you would make us welcome.”’ P ‘Sure, But—what’s his name?” ** Hetherington,” The old man on the sofa started. “You know him, of course,” observed Steely; **bur you didn’t think I could persuade him to leave New York and spend a day in your cellar, did you? Well, it is his own fauJt. He forced himself upon me, 08 I was compelled to entertain him. That’s ‘Yes, yes;..see. You’re a great Steely,” said the old man. ‘* You are going down to take a look at him, eh? Ill go with you.” “Allrizht. Come igi And Steely Williams, without wasting ane. more words, turned and left the room, followed by the old man, It was quite dark now, and Steely fumbled about for a light. i *‘ Thought I saw a lamp in the kitchen, Where do you keep your matches, Mat?’ ‘‘Pull up the trap and go down the steps, Ihave . a bull’s-eye lantern here that we can use,’’ was the response. Steely did as the other requested, and Mat drew a dark-lantern from beneath his long cloak, and fol- lowed down the steps. ‘““What are you sbutting down the trap for?” asked Williams. ‘‘It’s as dark as pitch in here now.” “Open the door of the cellar. Then you’il bave plenty of light. Besides, my lantern is alight.” Mat turned a stream of light on the bolts and bars of the door as he spoke, and his companiaqn opened ‘the door and went into the cellar. Mr. Hetherington was sitting on the bench under the window, his arms folded, and apparenily in deep thought. He started as he saw his visitors. ‘What do you want? How much longer am I to stay in this place ?” he demanded, as the flash of the lantern fell full on bis face. ‘“We have come to take you out now. We want Danse go for a little ride with us,” answered teely. ‘You shall pay dearly for this *’ returned the banker, trembling with rage. cannot take place in New York without being fol | lowed by swift punishment, There are men who— will soon hunt you down. They know that you are instrumental in keeping me from home, and—”’ ‘‘T presume that you refer to Mr. Manly—Double- Curve Dan. ell, he is safe enough. Don’t you trouble about him.” ‘‘Such an outrage comicboo!