Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 628 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

= be -\ es: ee he Fag PP ee a - * a . ee a sae 5 = a -. a —_ < ar. <p> —e y 4 = « os ~w 6 - . - i a, Sy SS x ag — —.. Ne “< + G , Ma ~ 6 i ~_ + 7 s r t—< . LN ~ 7 eee = * ‘ “~y Lu im W=-5 o ok St BA Se ee a~ = =~ = -_ -_ Ras 7 * 4. 7 “— 4 ' ‘man out o’ th’ world? An’ here we are without EEE fa y time. Hedid not want to say too much in the presence of the others, The party sat down at the table again, but their pleasure had been marred, and they did not again enter upon the full enjoyment of the voyage, hen the yacht arrived at the pier, and they landed, they drew a breath of relief, and no doubt each felt thankful that it was over. When they reached the residence of Lady Hamptdon, however, their spirits rose again, and the evening was pleasantly passed. Wellingford was the best feature of the occa- sion. He helped everybody and everything over the rough places, and when he took his leave he was missed. He had certainly made an impression upon both the mother and daughter that they could not soen forget, What if his plot had been a success? But, then tse occasion would have been a far dif- ferent one, CHAPTER XV. SPREADING THE NET, ‘* SWEET pertaters!” Broadway Billy’s came out with unusua the collision was felt. ““] thought we was goin’ ter bu’st right through ’em,” he observed. ‘* No, I did not intend to do that,” explained the captain; ‘‘I merely wanted to ward them om, . guess I came near swamping the tug, though.” ‘**] should say yeu did, I guess they thought the lightnin’ bad struck ’em.” ‘‘Or an earthquake had bucked up under them.” It did not take many moments to bring the Pirogue back to her proper position, and then those on board looked around to see the result of their work. ‘They saw that they had turned the tug about, and as they looked they saw it steam away. A little later the yacht resumed her course. ‘‘That settles the case for the present,” re- marked Captain Daunton, “and t flatter my- self that we have done a good stroke of work, We have saved several lives, and have done no damage to anybody or anything.” “‘It was a mighty good stroke!” exclaimed Billy. ‘I knowed you could do it, an’ I told Skinny you could. Th’ perlice couldn’t done half as well. I bet my suspenders there was a surprised lot o’ folks aboard them two boats,” ‘** Well, rather, I should say.” Their neat stroke of work gave them plenty t exclamation, and it force when the shock of _ of material for conversation all the way back to "fe half done yet.” the city, for they returned immediately, as Billy wanted to get ashore as soon as he could. The Pirogue carried them to New Pier 1, and there they took their leave of their new friends, Billy and bis partner had made a good impres- sion upon Mr, Daunton and his two sons, and their parting was with as many kindly words as Billy’s first parting had brought forth, Standing on the end of the pier, they watched the Pirogue as it sunk under water, and they have not seen nor heard from it since. ** Well, my gay an’ festive shadder,” Billy re- marked, as the two boys set out for Broadway, “‘ what do you think o’ this world, anyhow?” ‘‘T would like ter know fer sure whether I am awake or dreamin’,” was the sober response. Ye would, eh? Shall I stick a pin in ye an’ try ye, like mom tries bread ter see when it’s done?” ‘* No, ye needn’t go ter that trouble, Billy; if you say I am awake, why, I'll take yer word ‘\ fer it.” ‘“‘ Well, I reckon that ye are, Skinny.” ‘‘ But don’t it beat everything!” ‘‘Skinny, it beats patent medicine, an’ th’ thing that kin beat that is at th’ head o’ th’ class. You kin set that down as a fack, But, pardner, I have been thinkin’.” “That so?” * Fack,” ** Well, what ye been thinkin’?” ““T have been thinkin’ that our work ain’t “T know that as well as you do, We have t ter have that Sworn Seven scooped in, an’ ve ’venge on ‘em fer what they done to you.” “Yes, you kin bet yer life that we will do eh. that; but there is anotaer p’int that has got ter be looked after.” “* What's that?” ‘““Why, don’t ye sec that th’ captain of th’ Seven will soon try some other way ter put that we a Re —— awe ae wow ee + gee a a ee er -_—- a single clew as ter who he is, Somethin’ has got ter be done.” ‘* We will soon find out who he is,” ‘* How d’ye make that out?” ‘* Why, th’ news o’ that kerlission will be in th’ papers, an’ in course his name will be men- tioned.” ‘“That is where ye hang fire, Skinny. Who is goin’ ter put it inter th’ papers? It sartainly won't be Captain lron-grip, an’ it won’t be th’ captain of either th’ yacht or th’ tug. That you kin bet on. An’ Iron-grip will do his best ter keep it out anyhow. No, sir, you won't see it in th’ papers.” ‘That's so; I didn’t think o’ all that.” ** Well, what follers?” ** Didn't ye git th’ name o’ th’ yacht?’ ‘There wasn’t a sign o’ a name on her,” ‘* That’s bad; but it won’t take me ferever ter find out what yacht it was, an’ then—” ‘An’ then nothin’, What d’ye think we'd git out o’ th’ captain o’ that box? Why, th’ very question would frighten him out o’ th’ harbor.” ‘* You are right, Billy; we are blocked, an’ no mistake,” ‘‘But we ain’t floored, not by a good deal we ain’t,” Billy cried. ‘‘ You know where th’ gang hangs out, an’ we will git onter their shapes afore they knows it. It is too bad that neither one of us got a sight o’ that Captain Iron-grip’s face.” ‘*That’s so; but I’d know that feller that I follered, if I was ter meet him in Rushy,.” ‘* Yes, that’s one p’int; an’ now [ll tell you what we will do. e will go an’ let our moms know that we are kickin’, an’ then we will go an’ bunt up Speare.”’ * Bully! That will boost us right along.” So they decided, and that they did. In a little time they had carried out the first- mentioned part of the plan, and found them- selves at the detective’s office. They were fortunate enough to find him in, The surprise of the detective at the sight of Billy can be imagined. It did not take long for Billy to tell his story, and although the detective could hardly credit so strange a tale, he knew that Billy was in sober earnest, and that what he said was to be relied upon, ‘* And you say that neither of you has seen the face of that Captain Iron-grip, eh?” he ques- tioned, when the story was pa ‘* Nary a sight have we had of it,” Billy affirmed. ‘** That is one bad point; but we might be in a worse fix. Your partner here knows where their place is, and we will have it pulled.” ** Yes; an’ if we go off tov quick at that,” pag put in, ““we may miss th’ big game after ‘** Right you are, my lad, Well, can you sug- gest gong ‘* T think I kin.” ‘* Let’s hear from you, then.” ‘* What [have gotin mind,” Billy set forth, ‘is this: Ter-night Skinny an’ me will go down ter their crib and begin a little work. Skinny kin make that hole big enough ter let me in, an’ then both of us kin set to work an’ make it big enough fer half a dozen perlice ter craw] inter,” ‘¢ What good will thatdo? We want to get into the house, not under it.” ‘‘That is all right; you ain’t heard me out.” ‘¢ Well, go on.” ‘¢ When we git th’ hole that big, you kin send aman or two down late at night, say one or two o’clock in th’ mornin’, an’ they kin take a jack along an’ lift some of th’ floor boards an’ vit inter th’ room, See?” ‘‘T begin to get the drift of your meaning, and gar idea is a good one. Go on.” ‘‘ When that is done, then they kin take out th’ nails, an’ have th’ floor all Sen ter lift right up at a second’s warnin’, You kin have men on th’ watch all th’ time, an’ if we git trapped, then they kin ie the den.” ‘That is what we will do. And when the work is done, then you and your partner, and a man or two of mine, can take turns in watching under the place, and as soon as you find that the Sworn Seven are in session, then we will come down upon them and gather them in.” ‘* There, now we have got it down fine, an’ if there ain’t weepin’, wailin’, an’ gnashin’ of teeth, you kin kick me inter th’ middle o’ next week.” It wasa plan that promised success, and it was about the only one that they could act upon that pene them the whole seven rascals in a bune The details were all arranged, everything was understood, and the boys took their leave. It bad been fixed that the boys’ mothers Broadway Billy’s Dead Act. sists teers 13 | og ome — + should not disturb the mourning on the stand, and now it was agreed that Billy should remain ‘*dead ’ until after the grand raid. He adopted a disguise, and was not seen around the stand very often. That night he and Skinny went down to the miserable den on the miserable street, and, watching their chance, Skinny got into the hole, In a little time he had dug away enough earth to allow Billy to join him, and soon both were hard at work, as busy as beavers and as si- lent as mice, Outside two men were on guard, and signals had been agreed upon. Voices were heard in the rooms above, as the boys were at work, but it was clear that only a few of the band were present. Both lads were armed with big, rounded trowels, and the way they went into their work showed that they were by no means lazy, They dug a trench, about three feet wide and two feet deep, pusbing the earth back under the other parts of the floor, and as the ground was soft and free from any very large stones, their work was not really bard. They stuck at it nobly, until the early hours of the morning, when they crept carefully out and away, and went home and to bed. Their task was done, The alley upon which the hole opened was rather dark, so that there was but little likeli- hood that their work would be discovered; and anyhow there was little trace of it, except in the fact that the hole had been made larger. On the next night the workers returned, using the greatest care in their approach, and with them came two men who had the appearance of rough-clad mechanics, Such they were. When all were under the house, they could do nothing until the inmates had gone away. It had been discovered that the den was closed and locked most of the time during the day, and that no one remained there all night. Only a few of the band were there, as on the revious night, and they did not remain very ate, As soon as the coast was found to be clear, then the men set to work, They lifted three of the floor-boards close to one of the walls, and soon all were in the room above, where the hid- eous chahdelier was hanging, and where the seven skeletons were seen upon the floor, It was but a common-looking place, now that the red light was not upon it, and none of the party was greatly alarmed at the sight. The set to work at once to complete the task so well begun, CHAPTER XVI. SPRINGING THE TRAP, THE floor of the room was provided witha carpet, but that carpet did not entirely cover it, there being a border of bare floor about three feet wide on two of the sides, It so happened that the boards of the floor had been removed at one of these places, When the entrance had been effected, word was passed out to Detective Speare, who was on band anxious to learn of the success or failure of the plan, and he came in and took a survey of the place. ‘‘We will have them like ‘mice in a jug,” he observed, ‘You bet we will!” cried Broadway Billy. ‘‘ We can have men on th’ watch on th’ outside, so that none of ’em kin git away, an’ then at th’ right moment we will pop up through th’ floor an’ scoop ’em all in. Oh! but! am jest in a fever ter see th’ trap sprung on ’em; ain’t you, Skinny?” ‘*Great ginger, yes,” Skinny owned, The dirt that had been made by the lifting of the boards, and by tho entrance of the boys and nen, was cleaned up, and everything was set in order, so that it would not be discovered that the den bad been invaded, When that was done two of the boards were replaced, the party made their vetreat, and the other board was pulled into its place, All the nails hac would know that the oor had been disturbed. Detective Spocro Jcft a man on guard, and the others separatec! anc. went their ways. On the following night, about nine o’clock, as Broadway Bill? was on watch under the ‘‘ crib,” he wes suddeuly gratified to hear the entrance of several mon into the place, and to hear the voice of Captain ron-grip. ‘‘Sweet pertaters!” ho exclaimed under his breath, “‘ now we aro in fer it, an’ my first busi- ness is ter git word ter Speare.” He lost no time in getting to the entrance, . ee been removed, and noone |