Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 686 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

. — ‘’ We hadn’t ought ter, but I’d like powerfully ter see our boy.” ‘‘ The thought stirs me all up!” ‘¢ Read the letter again, Peter.” Big, honest-faced Mr. Penn picked up the sheet of paper which had been lying on his knee, and read aloud as follows: **New York, March Ist. ‘‘DgarR Dap AND Mam:—I haven't heard from you in years, so ’ll write. How are you getting on? I am well, and well off in worldly goods, How is it with you? Have you got the mortgage paid off, yet? If not, come and see me at my address, the Hotel Dam. Iecan put you inthe way of making a fortune, Come at once. I am anxious to see and help you. ‘Your affectionate son, ‘* JAMES PENN.”’ That was all—no more and no less, Peter Penn looked up like one wavering be- tween doubt and hope, and then thoughtfully ob- served: ‘* Tf our boy would only help us out, Maria, it would be worth our while to risk the trip, for we need the money bad enough. You kuow the mortgage is due next month, and, if not paid off will be foreclosed : and then we shall be turned out of house and home,” “ True, Peter. It worries me a great deal.” ‘‘ No more than me, If our Jimmy is rich, of course he will help us—of course he will. Yes; we must lock up the house and go to New York, I can get Tom Potts to look after the stock while we are gone.” ee Very well, Peter; you know what’s for the st,” ‘¢ Of course I do; I allus do, So get yer clotbes all ready, and we will start the first thing in the mornin’!” “New York is an awful big place, Peter. Ain’t you afraid we niight get lost?” ‘* Wudge!—fiddlesticks! It would take a big- ger city than New York to lose me! Why, hain’t I bin to St. Louis, and not got lost?” That silenced Mrs, Penn, who had faith in her husband’s ability, and acquaintance with his obstinacy. Just then there came a loud rap at the door, ** Come in!” cried the farmer, and a typical Western manentered. The Penns readily recog- nized a neighbor, ; ‘* Ah! is that you Potts? Take a chair!” Peter directed. ‘* Can't stop,” Potts answered. ‘‘ Just come from town, and I’ve a letter for you... The post- master had mislaid it,” Peter Penn tooktthe document extended to him, ‘* Great Scott!” he ejaculated. ‘* Another one from New York, as I live!” Adjusting bis spectacles, he opened the envel- ope. Great was bis surprise when he saw a ten- dollar bill, but it was nothing compared to his feelings when he had read the accompanying letter. This he did in silence, while Potts, for- getting his haste, remained to gossip with ‘Mrs. Penn. The letter was as follows: ‘*New Yor«, March 1, **My DEAR SIR:— ‘*Having heard of you eutigg ti your estimable son, the Honorable James Penn, [ take the liberty of addressing you, prosunne I can be of some ser vice to you; for, having heard that it has beena bad year for crops in Kansas, 1 infer that money is not as plentiful as it might be. ‘It is, therefore, my pleasure to notify you that I can supply you with all you want, at a cost of less than one-tenth part of its face value. “This money, you will understand, is not goods of Government manufacture, but is just as safe and reliable, for it is utterly impossible for the smartest expert to detect my goods from the genuine. I in- ner you a sample note, You can try it for your- self, “It has been my privilege fo start many @ poor man on the high road to fortune, andI ean’ point out many large fortunes that have been founded with my goods—that of your son being one. Should you desire to handle any of my goods, when you come to New York, I will try to see you. * Hoping this will meet your approval, ‘*T remain, most honored sir, | ‘Yours truly, ** JosEPH REED.” **N. B.—For one hundred dollars I’furnish a thou- sand; for five hundred, five thousand; and for a thousand I furnish ten, and so on upward to any amount, as our presses run night and Gay.” Farmer Penn was none the wiser when this was read, for he was too ignorant of the ways of the world to see the trap which had opened for him, He was merely bewildered. The voices of! his companions aroused him from his uncertainty, and he suddenly took part in the conversation, | and vest apples, and take ’em to Leavenworth, and sell’em, Outside o’ that, he war one o’ the best scholars we hed in ther Sunday-skule class,” ‘*Right, neighbor, Well, Jimmy is powerful rich now, and is goin’ to pay off our mortgage, and help us out of the hole, besides. (Good of him, eb?” ‘* Yes, et aire that, Never thought he would turn out so well. By ther way, did ye hear that my boy Si is goin’ to git spliced?” ‘No, Who to? ‘¢ Miranda Hulks,” Peter Penn turned up his nose in disgust. ‘“That’s no match. Old Hulks is rich, and will boss your Si around, till he won’t have the gumption of a cat!” ‘‘ Not much, he won’t! I’m sure of it, be- cause Hulks can’t begin ter match my Si on either brains or muscle. See? I’ve a notion of buyin’ a farm for Si, and give him a first-class send-off, I s’pose, if you’re goin’ to New York, your Jim may induce ye to stop wtih him, and that ye won’t come back here?” ‘*Danno, Et depends.” “Tye want to sell out!” ‘“*Wecan’t. Hulks holds a mortgage against the place.” **T can fix that. How much?” “* What’ll you give?” *¢ 11 tell ye what I'll do. start fer New York?’ *¢ To-morrer mornin’, bright and early.” ‘* Well, [ve had an eye on this place fer Si sence et joins mine. Sol hada talk with old Hiram Hulks, and he allowed that ef Si was to marry Miranda, and I bought this place fer ’em, he’d give up the mortgage—thet is, destroy et— call the thing square, ‘* So, now, as I said before, Pll tell ye what Pll do: ‘f You’ve gota good farm, and [ll give five thousan’ dollars, jes as it stan’s, furniture an’ all—five wiper spot cash; an’ all you’ve got to do is siga off ter me,” ‘‘ Et’s a bargain. Come, Maria, git on yer duds, ‘* We will fix up the matter to-day, and go to New York to-morrow, An’ when we find Jimmy, we'll have a bu’stin’ good time, you bet!” declared Penn, his eyessparkling with an- ticipated pleasure. The team was hitched up, and the trio rode to the city of Leavenworth, where the proper documents were drawn and duly signed, convey~ ing the Penn homestead to Mr, Potts,’ The five thousand dollars was promptly paid over, andthe Penns found themselves in a position so peculiar that they could bardly realize it, For the first time in many years they were without a home, and this would have given them a pain- fully lonesome feeling had they not been cheered up by the recollection that they were about to start to join their loved son, Any one else, if fully admitted to their con- fidence, might have had some doubts as to the future. ‘‘ Jimmy ” had not been noted for an overflow of filial affection in the, past, the late letter be- ing the first his parents had received from him in several years, An outsider would naturally have been influenced by this fact, but Jimmy’s parents, like most parents, were ready to for- give neglect, real or seeming, and believe in When d’ye ’spect to ‘their son, They went back to pass the last night at the old homestead, and it was then that Peter chanced again upon the second letter he had re- ceived from New York, sear It had previously been lying forgotten in his ocket, ‘‘ Why, Peter, I ain’t seen that yet,” exclaim- ed Mrs. Penn. “T know ye ain’t, but Potts was here when I read it, ye know, an’ then it slipped my mind. ‘You shail hear it, Maria, an’ I hope you xin ketch on, I can’t, fur, of all crazy stuff, this is the worst, Hear it!” The worthy farmer read aloud the letter from the unknown person in New York, and then looked up to see his wife staring at him in a blank way. . ‘* What do ye think 0 that?” he inquired. “Think! Why, I don’t understand it at all. What’s it about, anyhow?” ; ‘‘Seems he’s goin’ ter give us some money,” answered Peter, slowly. “Why should he?” **Ob! he’s a friend of Jimmy’s.” _ “ But why should he give us his money?” _“ He says it ain’t made by Government.” | “Then what is it? Peter Penn, I’m afraid ‘Neighbor Potts, Mrs, Penn and myself are | there’s something wrong!” going to New York, early in the m visit my son don’t ye?” - ’ 4 i< - , _ * : t, - ' » A - , o" ¥ . at . > > R “Wa ; aes 8 ’,to| ‘Fiddlesticks! Would a friend of Jimmy’s J immy, Ye remember Jimmy, do anything wrong?’ No, he wouldn’t!” the good woman declared, Yes, I do, that! He used ter steal my har- | promptly, : ; Deadwood Dick, Jr., After the Queer. < -_-— a Ce **[ do b’lieve [ve got the idea!” Mr, Penn suddenly asserted. ** What is it?” . ‘* You’ve read about them Wall street affairs, ain’t ye? Of course you have, fur it was all in the Weekly Hustler. Well, they have what they call stocks there, an’ such things, an’ as Mr. Reed’s money ain’t Government made, it must be t’other kind. Say, what would you think if I got to be a big speculator in Wall street, eh?” Peter Penn’s face beamed with pleasure, and the expression was at once reflected in that of his wife. They were wholly ignorant of the ways of the world at large, and, meditating no harm themselves, saw only an honest offer in what was plainly the bait offered by sharpers. If they went to New York they would go into Sauer; and go they fully intended to the next ay. CHAPTER ILI THE DETECTIVE PRINCE. Ir had been a nomber of yearssince Mr. or Mrs. Penn had been on a train of cars, and, accordingly, they enjoyed the ride for the first few miles with rare avidity. When the train pulled out of Leavenworth, it had on board a larger number of passengers than usual—largely composed of people going to Washington to witness the inauguration. When the Penns got aboard there was but a single seat to be had in the train, and this was by the side of a stylishly-attired young man with a frank, handsome face, keen eyes, an dark-brown hair and mustache, This was Deadwood Dick, Jr., leaving the Wild West for the third time, en route for the city of New York on business, Vhile spending a few days in Denver, he had received a dispatch from Inspector Byrnes which read as follows: “Come on at once. I have work for you among certain swindlers here—work which, for certain rea- sons, you can do better tran any one else. I espe- ciaJly want you on the case,” Now, this was a good deal of a compliment, There were sbrewd and experienced detectives in New York, and, when the head of the force sent to the West for a man to handle a case which was, pais of adelicate nature, it meant a good deal... eae - Dick was pot a man to be puffed up by any occurrence, and he took this with his usual npc eae composure, but it was clear that is past successes in detective work were mak- ing a wide reputation for him, lt did not take him long to decide in the pres- ent case, He had faced danger of all kinds in both the East and the West, and had met with experi- ences such as fall to the lot of but few men, and, having looked the whole field over carefull , he had about decided to establish an cffice of his own in the metropolis of the New World. The telegram decided him, and, without much delay, be packed a couple of valises and started. And this is bow we come to find the detective prince once more en route for the land of the rising sun, His life of adventure bad ‘aken him over a wide area, and, though certain sections bad at times rung with his exploits, he generally man- aged to travel without being recognized, and nobody suspected that the quiet young man with ns keen eyes was one who had made so much stir. This temporary obscurity just suited his taste. en Dick saw Mr. and Mrs, Penn enter the car and look for seats, and saw that they were well advanced in years—at least sixty and fifty- eight, respectively—he, with true Western cour- tesy, arose, and, lifting his hat, said: ‘* Please take my seat, sir, I can soon find a vacant one, for not all here are through passen- gers. In the mean time, I can stand on my pins a little better than you, or lean against the arm of the seat.” ‘I thank ye for your kindness,” Penn heartily replied. ‘‘ You’re a_ gentleman, fine cut an’ dried, that’s sure,” When the couple were comfortably settled down, Penn once more turned to Dick, ** Goin’ fur East?” ne inquired. Yes; as far as New York.” ‘“‘Thunder! TI meant to say, gracious! Ye don’t tell me ye’r’ goin’ to New York?” Yes, sir.” ‘ ‘* An’ so be we, Jingo! D’ye hear et, Maria? The young feller is goin’ way thr’u’ to New York, along withus, Say, stranger, much ac- quainted there?” ‘** Only slightly.” ' S oe . % 4 © »‘s ~ a’, d — : J a jf i +, »* *, 4 : * » é; « i x bet , oo» ** Don’t know my son, Jim Penn, then, do ye? a