Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 628 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

ee te -é ome / » ‘ € ~~ mm © «pe (SSeS — 10 ‘* Humph! you couldn’t done it at all.” ‘What's that?” ‘*T say you couldn’t ’a’ done it at all.” ‘* Oh, come now, Skinny, that is too good; I'd like ter know th’ reason that I couldn’t ’a’ done it.” ‘**Cause ye couldn’t ’a’ got inter th’ hole that { got inter.” a Might cute, ain’t ye; but, is that all ye heard? * Not by a big heap it ain’t, Billy; I have got th’ business end 0’ one o’ th’ meanest rascally plots that ye ever dreamed about.” *¢ What is it?” ** T was only wishin’ that I had you ter on- wind it to, when I was walkin’ along up here, vut of course I knowed that was useless, as you was dead an’ buried; so I had ter do th’ next hest thing. I was goin’ home, lett mom know that I was alive, an’ then I was goin’ ter find Detective Speare.” ‘You couldn’t done better. he been lookin’ fer me?” ‘* You bet he has! Why, I reckon th’ hull force is on th’ scent; but there ain’t any clew fer em ter work on.” ‘*That’s so, But goon with yer yarn.” ‘* Well, it seems that this League o’ Seven—” ‘* Sweet pertaters! thicker an’ more of it,” ‘“That’s ther gang. It seems that they have been hired ter do a dirty piece o’ work in which there is ter be a little murder ter make it inter- estin’, When the steamship Ocean @ueen comes in ter-morrer, a private yacht is ter meet her down in the bay an’ take on board two passen- gers—a young lady an’ her lover. When they are comin’ up th’ bay, a tug is ter run inter ’em, cut th’ yacht in two, an’ th’ lover o’ the lady is ter be drowned sure pop an’ no fail. That means that be is ter be made ter drown, any- how. But th’ young lady is ter be saved. te any one else drowns, that will be accident, I s’pose.” ‘Sweet pertaters an’ ginger-snaps!” Broad- way Billy exclaimed, as Skinny concluded his story, ‘‘ that beats th’ merry Dutch, Skinny, you area he-hoss, you are, an’ there ain’t no flies on you, nuther, Hereafter you are my pardner in th’ hull business, detective-agency an’ all,” ‘* That is all right, Billy; but how about this case? What are we goin’ ter do ter block it? I am all in a fever over it,” ‘*That won’t do, Skinny; you want ter keep cool, Now you jest trust this thing ter me, an’ I will nip it in th’ bud or my name is mud,” ‘It is nothin’ ter fool about.” ** An’ who is foolin’ about it?” “You are,” **Git out; I was never more in earnest in my life. Howdo you make out that I am foolin’ about it?” “**Cause, you're tryin’ ter make poltry out of it, with yer nip in th’ bud or yer name is mud,” Billy laughed, ‘*T didn’t mean ter do it, Skinny, an’ that is a fack,” he declared, ‘“‘I hope you will forgive me, an’ not take no offense, ith all my other faults, I don’t want ter have it said o’ me that I was a poic.” ** Billv, | don’t think this is no time ter be foolin’,” Skinny protested. ‘‘A big deal o’ rascally work is on hand, an’ we are th’ only ones that knows anything about it, If we don’t do our duty we will be almost as real rascals,” ‘*Golly, but th’ fever has got holt o’ you bad, Skinny, an’ no mistake, You have all th’ simptums of a serious attack, Th’ last thing in th’ world that [ would ’a’ thought would happen ter vou. What you say, though, is sound as a dollar, an’ if you ketch me a-foolin’ about it, let me know.” ** What are ye doin’ now but foolin’? You ain’t layin’no plans ter stop ’em from doin’ th’ deed,” ‘* Ain’t I? That proves that you don’t know what is goin’ on in my thinker, I have th’ plan all laid out.” ‘* ‘You have!” “You bet Ihave, It don’t take me forever ter make a deal o’ this kind. 1 have resources that ye wot not of, me skeleton friend.” **Lam disgusted with ye,” Skinny fired out hotly. ‘‘Ter think that you will take a serious thing like this in such a cool manner. Don’t you see it is life or death? I will go ter-morrer mornin’, th’ fu’st thing, an’ put it inter th’ hands o’ th’ perlice, that is what I will do, an’ be hanged ter you.” By th’ way, has —— guilty as th’ | Broadway Billy’s Dead Act. would answer jest as well? I reckon not. Haven't I told ye that I would take holt o’ th’ case an’ see to it that th’ fellers was fetched up with a round turn an’a short jerk? What more d’ye want?” ‘* But are ye sure ye kin do it?” “Skinny, I kin do anything. You an’ me will be on hand at that perposed collision ter- morrer, an’ if that tug don’t go ter th’ bottom o’ th’ bay you kin take me over ter Jersey an’ set me up fer ’skeeter-bait, that 1s all.” ‘¢ But how will ye do it?” ‘¢ Pardner, listen ter me: How d’ye suppose I got saved when they took me an’dumped me in- ter th’ bay at midnight, all done up in a bag an’ a stone tied ter my feet? Kin ye see any way out o’ sich a diffikilty?”’ ‘*No, Billy, I can’t.” **Neither could I. I thought my name was Dennis, with a big D. But you see I did git out of it all the same, though it wasn’t none 0’ my own doin’s; an’ here I be, all ready an’ ripe fer another state o’ tribulation.” ‘* But how was ye saved?” ‘“‘There, now you are gettin’ rational ag’in. I'll tell ye all about it, if you will lend me yer ears, I want both of ’em, fer one won’t do, It wouldn’t begin ter hold ail o’ th’ strange tale that I have ter onwind ter you.” ** Well, go ahead.” ‘*Prezactly. Well, I went down ter th’ bot- tom—kerchunk! an’ that was th’ last that I knowed till I made my dayboo ag’in. When I kem to I was in th’ queerest little cubby-hole that you ever see’d. I didn’t know where I was, By an’ by a feller comes in where I was, an’ he told me all about it. I was aboard the Pirogue, that boat that goes under water. You have heard about her.” ‘Oh! come, now, Billy, that won’t go down,” Skinny protested. “It won’teh? Kin ye suggest any other way that I could been saved from a watery grave?” ‘* No; but ter think—” ‘€ Don’t you do no thinkin’ about it, but jest im yer faith onter what I tell ye. I wouldn’t ie ter ye fer a dollar, Skinny, en’ you orter know me by this time.” ‘* 1 know that you are a bumbug.” ‘Thank ye, fatty; but you are interruptin’ me, I was about to tell ye all about it. It seems that when I went down I fell right on th’ top o’ that under-water craft, an’ startled th’ inmates ’most ter death. They burried out ter see what had hit ’em, an’ there they found me, They took me in, pumped th’ water out o’ me, set machinery ter goin’ ag’in, an’ I was soon all right.” ‘Then why didn’t ye let us hear from ye?” *“%Cause I was carried off ter Philadelphia, Oh, I tell ye, Skinny, I have had jest a boss ex- cursion, an’ no mistake. You wouldn’t hardly believe it if I told you all about it.” ‘¢ T guess you’re right, You are rubbin’ it on urty strong, an’ that is a fack.” ‘¢ Neverth’less, my gay an’ festive rooster, it is th’ truth, th’ whole truth, an’ nothin’ but th’ truth.” ** Well, I'll have ter take yer word fer it, an’ Iam glad ter have ye back anyhow. But all this don’t solve th’ riddle of how ter save that smash ter-morrer.” ‘* Sweet pertaters! Skinny, yer head is thick- er’n mud. Don’t you see inter th’ trick? We will go an’ git th’ captain o’ the’ Porgy—hoild on, 1 mean the Pirogue—ter take a hand in th’ game; an’ if that tug don’t git knocked clean out o’ th’ water, you kin sell my head fer cabbage.” ‘* Great ginger!” ** What do you think o’ that?” ‘‘ Billy, are youin earnest, or be ye foolin? Skinny seriously asked, ‘‘ Skinny, I was never more in earnest in my life,” Billy promptly answered. ‘*' What I have told ye is jest th’ solid truth, an’ th’ captain of th’ Pirogue is jest th’ feller ter take a hand in th’ game. As fer Charles, he will go wild over it, an’ th’ old gentleman will chip right in with ’em., There will be fun ter-mor- rer, Skinny, an’ you kin jest bet yer boots on it! CHAPTER XII. THE COUNTERPLOT. BROADWAY BrLLy went home with Skinny, as had been agreed upon, and Skinny’s mother was almost frightened out of her senses at sight of him. It took some time to convince her that he was “There, there, fatty, don’t git so riled up | not a ghost. aboutit, You are hanged ter me already, an’ = won’t dono sich thing. Say, did ye ever ow yer pardner ter lie to ye, when th’ truth e144 y 7 ae eee Se Sei ad a ; : ; a eee rts Se gat . ~ r . ity. yes “ Fr" a TA , * - 4 7 f ee he oo” ) »2 P'S A F ; > , ,* -, a ad y oe . 6 = ~, & 4}. a. 4 4 + v4 { . . ; - ‘ .% fr) ‘ “Seen Cae oe Cra hls eee. ee FE Om i" Ye why its ° + ea Silo? a vo uF” AR ee eee Fao Lary or", & er a 5 Mk Next morning she went over to Billy’s home to carry the good news to hissorrowing mother. Mrs, Weston would not believe it at all, ~ 1 - ‘ \ : ra Cree A a Se a>. * ie Oe It had been agreed that Billy and Skinny should come on half an hour after Skinny’s mother, and when the time was up tbey started. Billy entered the room witb a cheery ** Hello! mom, how’s things?” and that of course con- vinced the woman that she had been mistaken in her identity of the dead boy, However her eyes had deceived ber then, they could not fool her now, and with a scream of joy she sprung forward and clasped Billy to her breast, It was an affecting meeting. Mrs. Weston did not want Billy to go out of the house all day; she wanted him right by her side, But Billy could not agree to that. ‘‘ Sweet pertaters! mom, it can’t be did!” he exclaimed, ‘‘It can’t be did nohow. Why, a human life, an’ mebby more’n one, depends on my bein’ in th’ harness ter-day. I'd like ter be with ye, but there’s no use thinkin’ about it. Afterward, though, Pll give ye one whole aay all ter yerself.” The objections of the two women were serious and strong, but the boys were determined, and nothing could turn them, When they set cut from the house it was to go to the pier where the Pirogue was anchored. It bad been arranged that the two mothers should take charge of the business of the cor- ner-stand for the day. When the boys arrived at the pier, they found a great crowd there, all looking at tbe strange boat, or the little that could be seen of her. Captain Dauvton happened to be standing on the end of the pier, and they were about to inove the boat out to the middle of the river. ‘Hello! my young friend!” he exclaimed, at sight of Billy, *‘you are just in time, for we are about to go out into the river. We find that we are drawing too much of a crowd here, Will you go aboard?” ‘‘ Yes,” answered Billy, ‘‘ for we bave come to see you on important business. This is my partner, Mebbe you kin see him without th’ aid o’ glasses, as th’ light is good this mornin’.” The crowd laughed, and the captain of the Pirogue had to smile. ‘“Oh! heis plainly visible to the naked eye,” he returned, ‘‘Shall we go right aboard?” Billy asked. ‘“Yes: go right down inside,” was tbe an- swer, ‘‘and I will be with you ina few mo- ments, just ag soon as I cast off these ropes.” Skinny bung back a little, as though he did not care to trust himself into the mysterious- looking thing. ‘‘Come right on, pardner,” Billy called out, as he descended the rope-ladder that hung from the end of the pier, ‘‘ there is nothin’ ter harm ye, an’ it is as safeas a house, In case we should git stuck in th’ n-ud, we kin pull out one of th’ bolts, and you kin evaporate through th’ hole. Come right on.” Willing to escape from the laughter of the crowd in any direction, Skinny bolstered up his courage and followed his partner down the ladder, and on down into the body of the boat. But he was trembling in his shoes as he did SO. Mr. Daunton and his younger son met them at the bottom of the few steps, and Billy was greeted warmly and heartily. ‘¢ Allow me ter interdoose my tbin partner,” Billy said. ‘‘He was visible out there in th’ sunlight, an’ if you look purty sharp mebby you might see him now. His name is Skinny. Skinny this is Mr. Daunton, and this js his son Charles. Make your bow.” Skinny could have choked Billy with a good will, but he took it all in as good grace as possible. Mr. Daunton and Charles laughed, of course, but they gave the thin boy such a hearty recep- tion that he felt at home at once, In a few moments Captain Daunton came down, the opening in the top of the boat was closed, and the machinery was set in motion. Skinny fairly held his breath, This was something so entirely new to him that he hardly knew whether he was asleep or awake. He was inciined to think that he was dreaming. , ‘Hold yer breath, now, partner,” Billy cau- tioned, ‘fer we are goin’ right down among th’ little fishes, D’ye hear th’ machinery in motion? An’ do ye feel th’ sensation o’ sinkin’? We are on our way ter see Davy Jones.” ‘‘Hadn’t we better head for the bay?’ Mr, Daunton asked of the captain, “‘ Just as you sav.” was the agreement, ‘*T think we had.” The captain touched a bell, giving a signal to Ae = : - voON ay » . J : * . ‘ * Ys . er was bd be P be, if FN ais — yee | " Be’ ™ \ a at FT ww &Nwew EB b. SS ee *