Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 637 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 Dick Doan, the Dock Boy Detective. One would think that the above words were addressed to some one, but the speaker was alone in a little eight-by-ten room and the lamp on the table showed its plain and scanty appointments, There was.a bed lounge in one corner besides three chairs, a cupboard with a cracked door and the table already mentioned, The floor was covered with strips of well used matting for holes were numerous, and across tho 4 dingy ceiling the tireless spider had thrown his ' ondbrta) cables, The man who called himself a sly old fox was ‘on the shady side of forty. He filled the chair which he occupied and the heavy spectacles that sat astride of his large nose did not conceal the cunning twinkle of a pair of restless eyes. He was smooth-faced and rather dark of skin, and bis bair which was black enough without the help of dyes was inclined to curl and stick close to bis head. He wore a salt-and-pepper suit which did not fit his figure with a great amount of grace, but the sly old fox was not posing asa beau, just then. ‘ It’s time for the boy to be here,” continued the man; his voice was rather coarse, and not very pleasant to listen to. ‘*By Jove! he knows better than to play on the road. There ought to be a letter in the box by this time, [’m not appearing in this matter, Oh, no! I am ‘‘ Business”? to him just now; but, at the same time, ’m Wat Waffles, the man who always takes care of number one.” He had barely supplemented his last observa- tion with another chuckle, when the sound of footsteps caused bim to look toward the only door the room contained, ‘* He is bere at last!” said Waffles, as the door opened, showing the face and figure of a youth of seventeen, who took a letter from his bosom as he came forward. ‘* It was there, eh?” grinned the man, putting out his hand for the letter, which was addressed to ** Business,” in care of a certain prominent newspaper of New York, The boy smiled and bowed in return, after which he deposited his hat upon the table, and took a cigarette from a pocket-case, Mr. Wat Wafliles grew nervous over the let- ter, as be broke the seal, and drew forth a half sheet of paper, * It isn’t very long,” said he, glancing at the boy. ** But, it’s the very one we want, Tony.” ‘Tm glad of that,” was the answer. ‘‘Of course you are, We are sly foxes, eh, boy? I’m the oldest, and therefore the slyest; but you’re not slow,” ‘** Not very,” laughed the young smoker, Wat Waffles returned to the letter, which, when he had properly adjusted his spectacles, he read as follows, first to himself, then aloud to his companion; **No, 888 K—— street. “ * BusSINESSs:’— ‘** Dear Srr:—If you are a man of veracity, and actually find yourself in possession of the intelli- ce hinted atin your personal in this morning’s Teralad, you will canfer a favor upon the writer yy saying when and where a personal interview can be had. . The sooner the better. | ‘** Yours truly, ** CaRLos KiIn@pon,”’ “The last sentence suits us exactly!” ex- claimed Mr, Waffles, ‘‘Of course the sooner the better. I thought the bait would catch the game, Tony. I will proceed at once to confer the favor sought.” ‘** Will you trust your answer to the slowness of the mails?” **Of course not, You will take it up tothe goose from which we are going to squeeze the golden egg.” ‘* He might recognize me,” ‘** By Jupiter! it would bea powerful tribute to our cunning if he did; but, Pll see that he does nothing of the kind. You won't be a second at the door.” ‘**Oh, [ll go, of course, only I don’t want to / appear in the game just yet.” at Waffles took writing materials from a drawer iu the table and in ashort time he had peaned this reply: ** CARLOS KINGDON:— ‘‘ DEAR Sir:—In reply to your’ letter I name eight /O’clock to-morrow night and your office, down town, for the interview desired. Bustness.”” Waffles sealed this brief note and intrusted it ‘to the boy with a chuckle: The sly old fox is gilding his cave!” he laughed when he found himself alone énce more. ‘“‘ This is the right sort of a game, No partners ‘and nobody to dictate. I make all the moves on my own judgment, and I take all the praise. Blame there is to benone. The boy has his part to a ‘*T”—knows just what he is to do and how to doit. Ididn’t make the move that brought this letter until I had everything ready for it, Carlos Kingdon will fall into the net the moment I spread it before him, When they catch Wat Waffles asleep they must stay up all night.” About an hour later the boy came back, His face was aglow with success, and he entered the room with an air of triumph, ‘* Who opened the door?” eagerly inquired Watfiles. ‘* A tall young fellow.” ** That’s Boston. You'll get acquainted with him before long. What did he say?” ‘*I didn’t give him a cuance to say anything. I handed him the letter and bolted,” ‘You'll do!” exclaimed Waffles, looking proudly at the youth at the other side of the table. ‘‘ By Jupiter! if you and I bad been for- tunate enough to live a good many years ago I'd have played you for the Lost Dauphin and won a throne. I’m fox enough to have played just such a hand with success; but, never mind, Here’s a golden plum big enough to buy a throne almost about to drop into our lap, You don’t doubt success now, eh, Tony?” ‘* No!” said the boy quickly. Wat Waffles leaned back in his chair and studied his young companion for several mo- ments, ‘* You didn’t see anything of the girl, I sup~ pose?” he resumed. ** Nothing.” : ‘* But you caught a glimpse of her in the Park the other day?” “6 I did,” ‘* She’s pretty, eh?” ‘* Very pretty,” “ Are you going to fall in love with her?” **T don’t know,” laughed the boy, **I think you will;” returned Waffes. ‘* Car- los Kingdon adopted her the same year he lost his child,” ‘** Who was she?” | ‘*T baven’t traced ber line, but there’s time enough for that. Sne’s good stock though, for a man like Kingdon isn’t going to have poor blood about him,” ** How about me?’ asked Tony, blowing a lot of smoke above his head, ‘* He won’t object to his own blood! Of course not,” was the answer accompanied by a mean- ing grin, ‘* You must be prepared for several swell ovations. Carlos Kingdon will make a great deal of the heir who has been missing four- teen years, and who was restored to bim by Mr. Wat Waflles, the sly old fox of Gothum, though I won’t appear on the bills in that character. I[ should say not, To-morrow night [ll give Mr, Carlos Kingdon just enough to whet his appetite for more. He has been imposed upon by sharpers of both sexes; they had led him out upon many a wild-goose chase, and be isa little wary. He has nevér believed that bis child.is dead, al- though hope has almost left his breast many times.” ‘You won’t goto him as Wat Waffles, will you?” queried Tony glancing from the rough- looking face to the ill-fitting clothes worn by the portly schemer. ** Of course not, TPll get new gear from head to foot to-morrow, for Carlos Kingdon might not receive the boy who came home with a poor looking devil like me.” Zony laughed. “* When I get in the house Pll keep you in fine feathers!” said he. 4* No fears of that!” was the prompt response. ‘* As the heir of* one of the richest brokers of New York, you will be able to get me new plumes whenever I take a notion forthem., I can _ be- come a gentleman on short notice, for Wat Waf- fles is fox enough to lose his identity in a manner calculated to baffle the shrewdest detective in the world, You've seen my lightning changes, Tony, and you know I'm not talking nonsense, For some minutes longer the tenants of the lit- tle room talked in a strain similar to the one to which we have listened. Wat Waffles took oc- casion to refer several times to the fact that he was a ‘sly old fox,” and each time the boy con- firmed the remark with a nod. ‘* I’m going across the river now,” suddenly said Wat, taking his hat from a peg within reach, ‘‘ You can sit up and smoke as long as you like. You know where the bed is when you want it, Oursly ittle game is bearing fruit at last, and by this time to-morrow nigbt I'll be pushing you toward the biggest fortune out of doors. lll come back in the morning and we'll lay the last wires together. Good-night, Mr. Kingdon! By Jupiter!” I like the sound of that!” And the door shutting on the figure of Mr. Waffles, left the boy alone in the room. ‘* Rake Gotham with a fine-tooth comb—Hunt re high and low in shadow and sunshine, and find # slyer old fox than Wat Waffles if you can!” These words and a laugh were heard on the lighted street below the room, and the man from’ whose lips they fell hurried toward the river to catch the boat that was to carry him to new scenes, He felt that the prize of his great game was within his grasp. CHAPTER II. DICK, It did not take Mr. Wat Waffles long to reach the ferry where he found a boat about ready to put off, ° A moment later he was moving across the river to the myriad lights of Jersey City. He attracted no more attention apparently than any other of the hundred passengers by whom be was surrounded. Going forward where he could enjoy the pleasant breeze that played upon the waters, he leaned against the end of the cabin and lit a cigar, He did not notice that a few feet away stood a boy who appeared to have discovered some- thing interesting in him. Ratber poorly dressed in clothes that bore marks of pretty rough usage, the youngster ex- hibited a pair of bright, keen eyes under the brim of a tattered straw hat, Perhaps he envied Mr, Waffles the enjoyment he ssemed to be getting out of the cigar, for he looked like a boy who liked the weed himself, At any rate he made the man a profound study and did not notice the progress the ferry was making toward its destination. ‘* You’re a cute one, I think,” murmured the boy at length. ‘* You come over a good many times in a week and always alone, too. Didn’t I see you the other day in Jersey in different feathers? 1 hardly knew you at first, but your manner of smoking a cigar gave you away! Going down to Mother Scammon’s again, eh. It’s the same old traii I know, but this may be the night for me to make a discovery.” If Wat Waffles could bave heard these mental observations he might have turned from the scenes before him to another not so distant. The watchful boy was a character well-known among-the waterways of New York. Dick o’ the Docks as be was popularly known to the police—though Doan was bis real name— picked up a peculiar living among the piers and shipping, Owning a boat be was almost con- stantly on the water gathering ip articles that bad fallen overboard from tbe piers and docks or from the countless vessels of different kinds and, when he could, restoring them to their owners and taking the rewards offered for the service, Every now and then he found things of con- siderable value which he had been obliged to turn over tothe police for want of an owner, and when they could not be restored to their proper person they were sold and a part of the sale money banded to the honest river-scav- enger, ick was shrewd, agile and perfectly trusty, and though seen oftenest plying his vocation on the water, he knew the streets of New York and her sister cities almost as well as be knew the piers and docks, Nobody ever seemed to interest themselves in the lad enough to discover where he lived when not in his boat, the Lady Skimmer, When he was wanted he was to be found in or about the slip from which Wat Waffles took the ferry, and this is how he came to see the schemer on this particular night. When the ferrv-boat glided into its slip, on the Jersey side, Waffles threw aside his cigar and made haste to go on bis way, He seemed to be in & burry, asif he had lost time, and Dick Doan laugbed to bimself when he saw the fellow’s actions, ‘‘ Even if you give me the slip, I know where to pick you up again,” exclaimed the boy, who had followed Waffles, keeping track of him as he passed through the ferry-bouse and came out on the street beyond. . For a little while the portly man seemed to stand undecided, but, when be started off again he had Dick at his heels, as it were, and, a fe minutes later, he dodged into a dark and quiet street, immediately disappearing. ‘¢ Back to the same old den, like the fox that you are,” chuckled , the shadow that slipped out of view in the identical place where Wat Waf- fles had vanished. ‘‘I suppose J’ll have to go back to my old post, though I may not discover anything new for my trouble.” Au alley of narrow dimensions ran along the Corr 900KS.CO g ee a -~ — ee ae h m - \ 4 4 : ’ ‘ 7 1 — <oel ~ we 7 \ cf’ ~ ; f ' :