Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 598 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

ah Flute, the Singer Detective. a ‘¢‘ Tremendous! He got up his courage after- ward, well enough to ising the rest of his music, and though every one said the first solo was much superior to the others, he pleased the audience very much, and will have a permanent position as leading tenor at my theater.” ‘¢ And how about the other tenor?” “The old one, you mean? Oh, he is a miser- able scoundrel. I shall be glad to get rid of him. He has only been with us a week. I think I shail thrash him and then kick him out of the theater.” Mr. Graul’s weakness was boasting. As he concluded his last remark something struck him under the chin and laid him flat on his back. He had a vision of an infuriated young magn with a blonde mustache, one plump cheek and one flabby one, bending over him, and threatening with horrible oaths to knock his brains out, Then there was a movement behind the news- paper in the corner, a man with gray bair threw himself upon the stage-manager’s assail- ant, and with one well-directed blow on che chest made him turn a somerset into the vard. Piper hastily recovered himself, and was about to return to the combat, when the voice of Rounde!l hissed in his ear: “Come away, you fool. That’s ‘Git Thar’ Owney. We can’t afford to he recognized now.” Piper suffered himself to be led away. When at a safe distance he turned around, and shak- ing his fist, wheezed vindictively: ‘*One more score to wipe out with ‘Git Thar’ Owney!” Se CHAPTER V. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NORTH RIVER, Ir was a bright sunny morning when Dennis Carrigan stood on the steps of the Argent Bank, stretching his limbs after his night's vigil. He had walked all about the interior of the building after a protracted nap in his little hutch, and had satisfied himself that everything was sufe. ‘*‘ Faith!” he yawned, ‘‘I must have taken an exthra sthrong wan whin I met that man on the avenoo last noight. An’ he seemed to know all about Teddy Finnegan, too, me cousin. Be the wers, but the whisky was shtrong. It made e head of me as heavy as lead.” In truth, Dennis did look asif he bad indulged rather copiously the night before. His bair was tousled, and his twinkling eyes were surrounded by red rims that gave him an even more comi- cal appearance than usual, : He looked up at the bank clock and gave him- self asleepy shake, ._“*Where in thunder is that shpalpeen of a nagur, { wondher? Sure, it’s past seven o’clock, an’ he ought ter be here to shweep and cl’ane, Does he think I want tostay here all day, as well as all noight. Begorra, I'll lick him a pelt if he doesn’t come soon, now,” Thus grumbling, Dennis walked down the steps to the street and looked down the avenue. Then his face brightened, and he'buttoned up his overcoat. The “‘nagur,” as he called him, and who turned out to be a middle-aged colored man of respectable appearance, with an enormous ap- preciation of the duties of his position, strolled up in a dignified way, and nodded condescend- ingly to Carrigan. «Good mawnin’, sab.” ‘‘ Marning to yeself, Misther Johnson.” **Is yo’ health es salubrious es yo’c'u’d desire, Mister Cawgan?” .“Yis, I’m feeling pretty good, bless the saints.” ‘* 1t’s er fine mawning, dis hyar.” ** 'Yis, sorr.” ‘** No trouble since I’ve been gawn, eh?” ** No, sorr.” ‘* Well, I’m gwine ter clean out dis hyar place right away, an’ I wants all de room I can As the colored gentleman took off his coat, Mr. Carrigan rightly understocd it as a hint for him to retire, and he retired forthwith, while the other, with broom and pail, proceeded to make everything in the bank as clean and shin- ing as labor could make it. Dennis, with Kis overcoat closely buttoned, trudged cheerfully down Broadway under the wintry sun. There was no snow, and his iron- shod heels made an invigorating ring on the wind-swept stone sidewalks, ‘Darn that dbrink, It’s left the head of me all swelled, be jabers, so that it’s a wonder me hat stays on,” he grumbled. ‘It’s a good job that none of them burgulars we are always hearing about did not choose last noight to break the bank. I wouldn’t say, begorra, that I’d have woke up long enough to shoot wan of them.” He marched along down Broadway and made his way to the Courtlandt Street Ferry, to go over to Jersey Citv. The wind blew keenly across the North River, and as Dennis stepped on board the boat he shivered and took refuge in the ladies’ cabin. ‘‘ Foine lot of gurls,” he said to himself, “‘ but Oi don’t see what in the name of the saints they are going over ter Jarsey for at this time in the morning,” He looked approvingly at some half-dozen factory girls, who were evidently going to work in Jersey City, and then his gaze became fixed on a neatly, but plainly-dressed young lady ina tailor-made suit, whose face was concealed by a ts? 9 vail, and who sat by the side of the factory irls, ‘ He found himself wondering what she looked likxe—whether she was pretty, and whetber ber eyes were blue, in harmony with her golden hair, or whether they afforded the pleasing con- trast of brown or black. There was the usual ringing of bells and blow- ing of whistles to announce the departure of the boat, and the big, unwieldy craft slowly left the slip, the water under her stern bubbling up angry white, and hissing hike a caldron of hell- broth. ‘‘Now for Jarsey,” muttered Dennis, half- asleep as he settled himself back comfortably in his seat. He aroused himself sufficiently to notice two strangers strolling into the cabin and seating themselves by the side of the young lady with the tailor-made dress and the thick vail. One of the strangers,, who sat next to thelady, was a slim young mee with flabby face and a wheezy cough. The other was a rough-looking fellow, with marks of whitewash on his working clothes and heavy shoes. His slouch hat came down over his eyes, allowing but little more of his face to be seen than a long, drooping brown mustache, Even onthe mustache there was a stray spot of whitewash showing that the wearer had rot gt, ot cleansed himself since his yesterday’s work. The boat groaned, jarred and struggled labo- riously across the river, stopping occasionally with a ringing of bells, as obstructions came in its way. The slim young man had been furtively look- ing at the girl at hisside since taking his seat. Whether she was looking at him or uot no one = tell, on account of the thickness of her vail. ‘* Begorra, that young dood is thryin’ ter mash that gal. Well, small blame ter him eytber,” was Carrigan’s sleepy soliloquy, as he buried his chin in the collar of his ulster, and closed his eyes, The boat had stopped in mid-stream, and the incessant whistling and ringing would have told the passengers that there was some difficulty, even if they bad not seen through the window, that one of those thick fogs which bave a habit of dropping over New York Harbor so suddenly had enveloped them, and made navigation dan- gerous. | A big ocean steamer was coming into harbor, and the ferry-boat narrowly escaped running clear across her bows. The young lady in the thick vail betrayed some concern at the delay, and lifted one corner of the vail to look through the window. ‘‘ Blanche!” exclaimed the young man by her side, as he put his hand on her wrist. The girl dropped her vail, and shook off bis hand with an impatient movement, that _be- eee her vexation at having discovered her- self, ‘* Blanche!” he repeated. The laboring man with the whitewash on his clothes balf-turned. “ ‘‘ What do you want?” asked the girl. ‘Blanche Rogers, where are you going?” from the young man, in a wheezy whisper. The laboring man was listening intentlv. ‘‘Ezra Piper, I bave told you that I don’t wish you to trouble yourself about my affairs.” The girl got up and seated herself by the side of Dennis Carrigan, who politely made room for her, ‘* Begorva, but the gal has the good taste,” he thought. Piper—for of course it-was he—was about to et up, with the evident intention of following er, when a powerful hand grasped his wrist, and a voice, that he did not recognize, hissed in his ear: ** Sit still!” The laboring man was holding him in a vise- like grip. Piper struggled silently to release his hand but the laboring man had fingers like steel, and he could not get away. ‘‘Let go my hand!” he growled, under his breath, ** Sit still!” ‘‘If you don’t take your hand off me, I'll cut your fingers off.” * Sit still.” ** Who are you?” ** Sit still.” Piper’s left hand disappeared in his ulster, and in a second came out again with a dirk-knife. The laboring man snatched it from him, and put it in his own pocket, Then, with a con- temptuous smile, took it out and returned it to Piper. ‘Sit still!” Piper made an effort to leave bis seat, but a wrench at his wrist, given apparently without any effort on the part of the laboring man, brought him to his seat again. The struggle and conversation had been con- ducted so quietly that the other passenger's, with the exception of the young lady—who was, of course, Blanche Rogers—had not noticed it at all. ‘‘ What do you mean by interfering with me?” wheezed Piper. ** What do you mean b tions on that young lady ‘* She is a friend of mine.” ‘‘ Indeed? She does not act like a friend,” with a contemptuous smile. ‘ The boat was still groaning and palpitating in the thick fog, but without making any progress. The laboring man released the other’s wrist and arose from his seat. Then he bent over and whispered a few words in Piper’s ear, “ Why—why—what—” stammered Piper. But the laboring man was gone. ‘ The girl had been watching the quiet contro- versy between the laboring man and Piper and had never taken her eyes from them, When Piper recovered from his astonishment at the rapid disappearance of the laboring man, he looked across the cabin to see what Blanche was doing, He could hardly believe his eyes. She, too had vanished, Piper crossed over to her vacant seat, and ad- dressing himself to Dennis Carrigan, who was sleepily nodding and catching himself, asked: ‘Where is that young lady who was sitting by the side of you a moment ago.” Dennis opened his eyes very wide and looked his questioner up and down, ‘‘Sorra the wan o’ me knows, An’ I wouldn’t tell you if I did. So put that in yer poipe an’ shmoke it.” Piper looked savagely at the other, and the tightening of his thin lips indicated that he would like to have visited bodily chastisement upop the Lrishman, bad he dared. He contented himself with a scow] and marched out of the cabin forward. The fog was so thick that he could not see more than a yard or two when he reached the deck outside, ‘The yellow mist seemed to crawh into his very bones, and he sunk his chin deep into his ulster and shivered. The whistles and bells were in full action, sounding weird and awful in the impenetrable obscurity. The boat was not moving. Piper walked forward until he reached the safety-gates. Where was Blanche? she had come out here to escape bis attentions, but she could not be far away. Even as he thought thus, a slight cough almost at his elbow fell upon his ear. The next instant he had his arm around the waist of Blanche Rogers. ‘Take your arm away, sir. What do you mean by annoying me in this way?” ‘Blanche, | want to know why you are throwing me over in this way.” : **T do not want to — to you, sir, do not leave me, I will scream.” ‘Scream! Do! It will be interesting and dramatic, and won’t do you any good, The officers of the boat are too busy trying to get through this fog to trouble themselves about girls’ screams, and, as for the passengers they could never find me or you either if I chose to keep you out of their way.” ‘You are a coward, Ezra Piper, to insult a defenseless girl in this way.” ** You are a fool, Blanche Rogers, to be cross- ing the North River on such a morning as this when your home is ’way up-town,” replied Piper, rudely, as he gave the girl a rough shake. ‘Why, you murtherin’ villain, take that.” Dennis Carrigan’s right fist struck Piper un- forcing your atten- If you He had no doubt that . me Rare ee —— — ee