Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 598 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

ae ee mE ty : wheeze from the inner room, Flute, the Singer Detective. 13 I a a CHAPTER XII. AN UNSUSPECTED WATCHER. THE young man walked very fast, until he reached Broadway. car that was going down-town, The two pur- suers instantly followed, remaining on the plat- form, while Owney went inside and sat down, | evidently unconscious of their presence, At across street some distance below Union Square Owney alighted, brushing past Rouadel | and Piper, but evidently not seeing them. As before, they sprang after him, until he reached a quiet house, closely-shuttered and dark, in a narrow part of a dingy thoroughfare, He looked at the house carelessly, in the man- | ner of any casual passer-by,and was passing on when bis two pursuers sprung upon him, and while Roundel pulled him back by tightening an arm around his neck, Piper threw a sack over Piper did not waste any more words. Drop- | Ping upon his stomach, in imitation of his part- ner, he wormed himself out of the little room ; Then be got ona passing | and crawled toward the door. | _ He saw Roundel crouching, with bis big knife | In bis hand, |, \ What’s the racket, Jim?” asked the tenor, | In astonishment. *‘* What are you going to do | with that knite? I don’t see no one that needs carving. And we’d better hurry up over our work. It’s after 12 o'clock, and we have enough The other did not reply. He seemed to be | to do to keep us going for several hours,” trified by a fear that was more tban human. iper could not understand the strange actions of his partner in crime, but he felt that Some- | thing must be done at once, | Everything was quiet outside, so he did what his professiona] experience had long since taught his head and muffled him so effectually that any | him was unsafe—he got up from the floor and outery would be impossible. ‘Mind he doesn’t pull a weapon,” whispered the bigger villain, ‘‘ and help me take him in.” ‘Allright. He can’t reach his pockets, I’m ba care of that,” returned Piper, as he pu arms of the captive. Roundel whistled softly with a peculiar inton- ation, at the same time dragging Owney close to a small cellar door that was scarcely noticeable beneath the parlor windows of the darkened house, An answering whistle of the same kind came from below, and the cellar door was cautiously pulled inward a little way. ‘* All right!” wheezed Piper. _ “* Who sez so?” asked a gruff voice from with- in,» * It’s all right!” growled Roundel, ‘‘ Open the door, but don’t show a light.” ‘Ob! Very well, captain, ez long ez I know, But [ ain’t a-goin’ to be caught disobeying my sooperiors, an’ [ was told ter let nobody in ’cept Tiger Jim an’ anybody ez he might bring with him,” grumbled the invisible person inside. At this juncture the patience of Norman Roun- del gave way. He kicked open the cellar door, savagely, and ee et his captive down the two or three steps that led to the cellar, pulled the door shut with a bang, and walked away briskly, with Piper close bahind him. ‘“That’s settled him, eh, Jim?” wheezed Piper, almost out of breath, | “‘T hope so. But now for the job. You have your tools with you all right, I suppose?” “* Cert.” ** Come along, then.” * Cautiously they made their way to the base- ment of the bank, and squeezing between the brick supports, described in a-previous chapter, at last found themselves in Mr. Argent’s private apartment behind the main room, ‘‘ Keep behind the door, out of sight, while I look around,” whispered Roundel. * All right.” Roundel lay flat upon the floor, and crawled out of the little room with the caution and silence of a Sioux Indian, His first act was to lower the gas-jets somewhat. He reached the front dour, and crouching down behind the wooden portion of it, was de- bating within himself whether it would be safe to put his face to the glass and look out, when he thought of the key-hole, _He put his eye to it; could see no one. He listened intently; could hear nothing except the tramp of footsteps on the frosty ground, some distance away, but sounding distinctly in the clear, sharp, wintry air. “Um! All right!” he thought, as he turned away to crawl back. ‘ _ Then he started, and with a how] of trepida- tion that he could not repress, drew a long | weet from his sleeve, and wuited. ear the door. standin could disce: n the figure o raised % What’s the trouble?” in deep shadow, he & man, with arm up- asked Piper, in a low But the other did not answer. His eyes were fixed stonily upon the mysterious Sein aoe who was apparently waiting to deal a blow upon the burglars that would end their career of useful- ness Wee bug se F l this world is concerned. No answer ra ment?” repeated ell, I’ rned if here if you don’t answer tan th ron ed. may , Roundel was still watching the unknown man in the shacow, who, with his hand in th threat- ening attitude it had assumed when the burglar first saw him, was apparently w. for an egereenive, movement from ndel ere he the sack further down and pinioned the | | PERG fo his feet in amazement, walked in the direction of the door and Roundel. He did not go straight toward the door, how- ever, but describing a circle, brushed aside the | ambushed figure, with its arm upraised, with a coolness that seemed to break the spell under which Roundel labored, and cau him to 1at a fool I am!” he ejaculated, between his clinchea teeth. és Eb 7 ‘* Just a coat hanging on a peg, with a stick pushed through the sleeves to prevent wrinkling.” Ezra Piper grinned. _ “Oho! And you thoughtit was some one lay- ing for us, eh? Well, that isa pretty good joke on Tiger Jim.” ‘Shut up and get to work,” was Roundel’s wrathful response, as he tore the coat from its place and threw it on the floor, spitefully. Piper knew his companion’s violent temper, and did not argue further with him. He re- | treated to the inner room and waited for Roun- a a del to join him. Had there been any one watching the bank from the street, the two intruders must inevita- bly have been discovered, for in the excitement caused by the discovery of the coat, they had stood up in front of the door with the gaclight, falling full upon them. “Go behind the counter there and see that they haven’t fixed the alarm wires again,” com- manded Roundel, as he joined his companion in the president’s room. **T’ll go and look if you like, fixed, why the police should be with us now, for we have walked over the spot where the alarm would be worked half a dozen times, You know but if they are it extends eight feet from the door of the vault in every directios,” grumbled Piper, with the rags on his face that always maddened Roun- el. r and see, curse you!” was all that he re- plied, The little man went quickly toward the coun- ter, but bad only taken two or three steps when he dropped flat and hissed: “Lay low! Police!” Roundel instinctively drew back bebind the door of the president's room, but managed to look out without being observed. ‘Dobbs!” he muttered. ‘‘ What is he after, I wonder?” Dobbs, the police officer, walked majestically across the street, and mounting the steps of the bank, looked through the glass door in a busi- ness-like Nef Piper had crawled behind the counter, and Dobbs, after a minute’s survey was just turning around to depart, when his eye fell upon the coat that Roundel, in his rage, had thrown down upon the floor. ‘‘ Now, I wonder why that coat is there,” he reflected. ‘‘I could swear it was hanging up eo the wali on my last round. I wonder whether I ought to report that.” He stood irresolutely looking at the coat, try- ing to account for its having n removed un- til a sudden thought struck him. “Of course, Why it mustbe Dennis, I he’s knocked it down, and was too lazy to it up. I bet he’s asleep up there in hole of his. I wish I could see him. Rome hoor te ag es, a“ wake him up, ave to wake whole street at the same time.” iad i . He kept his eyes fixed on Dennis Carrigan’s little hutch over the vault, but could not see anything of the watchman. obbs had not seen “Git Thar” Owney or any one connected with the bank since the pre- ceding night, and was Bony ignorant of the exciting events that bad iny ved the detective, the president of the bank and Dennis Carrigan guess ick that cuddy-+ | | | | | He rattled the door again, and shouted through the keyhole. ‘‘Dennis! Dennis!” No answer. Roundel and Piper both kept so still that they bardly dared to breathe. Dobbs ‘flattened his nose against the glass of the door and tried to make out the watchman in bis hutch. ‘*Darned fool! Why don’t he go away?” muttered Roundel, impatiently, as he watched the policeman through a chink in the door. ‘*What’s that, Tiger?’ asked Piper, whose hearing was almost supernaturally acute. ‘*Shut up!” was the gruff response, Dobbs had, ceased rattling the door, but had kept his face flattened against the glass. He now turned the rays of his lantern fpon the in- terior of the bank, and sent a stream of light in every direction, ‘* It’s all right, Mr. Dobbs,” commented Roun- del, inaudibly. ‘If you can discover anything with that lantern, you are welcome to it.’ ‘*He’s going away,” observed Piper, in a tone of relief. ‘* But he was a long time making up his mind to it.” In truth, Dobbs had pocketed his lantern and was standing on the steps with his back to the door as if in doubt as to his next proceeding. Then he walked deliberately down the steps and disappeared. **Gone!” ejaculated Piper, as he crawled from behind the counter. ‘*Get to work, quickly, now,” was all his companion replied, ‘* Well, watch that door.” ‘*’'m watching. Is the electrical business al? right? That’s what you were going to see when Dobbs put in an appearance.” ‘* That’s so. I had forgotten that.” With a quick movement, the flabby-faced little man slipped behind the counter, emerging a moment later with the information that the wires bad not been touched since he fixed them the nigbt before. Then he opened his coat and revealed an as- sortment of tools of all kinds—crowbars, saws, files, chisels, etc.—bung around him on a belt, and so disposed that no one would suspect their presence as he walked along the street. In a business-like way, he commenced on the combination lock in the middle of the door, He poked and chipped away, making as little noise as possible, his mallet and the the tops of the chisels he used being thickly padded to deaden the sound of blows, ‘* Drop!” suddenly warned Roundel, as he hid marge behind the wooden portion of the front oor. Piper was behind the counter in a second, re- maining there until a chance passenger, who had been the cause of Roundel’s warning, had got safely past the building. Tb All right!” proclaimed the sentinel, and i for ten minutes r resumed his work, e worked away vigorous] until the perspiration poured down his forehead, but the chilled steel of which the lock was made had so far resisted all his efforts. 6s Tiger!” ** Well?” ** T can’t move it,” ‘* You've got to move it.” ‘I can only do it in one way, and that isn’t sure,” ‘*'W hat do you mean—powder?” ‘“*That’s what!” ‘* IT would rather do it any other way. I don’t think a blast is safe bere. This is such a con- foundedly quiet neighborhood, that I’m afraid it would bring the police down on us right away. **'You mean Dobbs?” “No. His beat is a rather long one, and he is at the other end of it by this time. He was put on this morning. I found that out.”. ‘“* You're pretty smart, Tiger,” said Ezra, ad- miringly, The lesser villain had considerable respect for the ability of his partner. “Well, Ezra, if it is to be powéer, try it at once, We must get into that vault somehow, and if we want to make money we must take chances, I suppose.” _ ‘* Just as you say, T iger. I’m working under your orders, you know.” The little man, without more talk, proceeded to drill small holes around the lock, and was aying strict attention to his occupation, when undel spoke again: ‘If there is any trouble over this, remember that you slide out the back way, and I'll go out sho this door—if I can,” “ es,” ‘‘ And we'll meet as soon as we can at the crib where we put that cursed detective.” “ Flute?” | / ' “ fF sg? why Por A f est re : and ; 7 | Ae” - \ | } 17 “be "a “. Ph - Se OO | * ont * *e j . ‘ 4 a \ 7 a et * A ‘ ; tt ee >A A 7% » & 4 2 i. a P ’ ——— r -- 3 . ° ' “atta ma . % vi< vd gery or vy, » —_—~ z a . 4 / "a aay De - Wi o * * =~ -Ge 4 . ns te 2 ~< 7 - be. ie = a iv. eo < eo .. i's