Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 637 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

4 Dick Doan, the Dock Boy Detective. There was a good deal of bitterness in Pappy Powder’s tones now, ‘* But that would not be right,™quickly put in Dick. ‘' Because Carlos Kingdon clings toa hope that the little boy who disappeared many years ago may be living is no reason why he should be bled by a cunning rascal,” “You're right, Shrimp; [ll take it all back,” rejoined the tenant of the basement lair, ‘* The truth is I don’t like rich people. Carlos King- don once pushed me out of bis way when I had as much right to the sidewalk ashe, But, you’re right, Shrimp; yes, you are, The man who put that catch-bait in the paper ought to be behind bars, but he’s sleek enough not to get there, and there’s many more like him in this big city.” ‘Thousands of them. I see them every night,” answered Dick. “I run across ’em among the docks and elsewhere, Itseems to me I ean tell ’°em by a brand some unseen hand has ut on their brows. But, where does Carlos ingdon live?” ‘* You'll have to go to the Directory for that,” answered Pappy. ‘I believe he sold his home several years after Custer disappeared. He still keeps a down-town office, for he is making money hand over fist—filling up the gaps the detectives and the bleeders made while the crime was fresh in the public mind,” **T don’t want to see anybody robbed, and Carlos Kingdon shall not be lanced by this scoundrel if I can help it.” ‘* You?” grinned the dweller in the den, and then he drew off and laughed until Dick flushed; **T’'d like to know how yow’re going to prevent it, Shrimp. It will be safer for you to go back and stick to your business among the docks, You don’t know anything about ‘ Business’ in the first place—” ‘‘ Don’t 1?’ broke in Dick, retreating toward the door. ‘*There’s where you fool yourself, Fappyt I know something about ‘ Business,’ or Wat Waffles, and [ll increase that knowledge before I’m through with him, or lose my head!” At mention of the name ‘‘ Wat affles,” Pappy Powder uttered a singular cry and bounded forward to restrain the boy, but he CHAPTER IV. A STROKE OF BAD LUCK, LAUGHING at Pappy Powder’s outburst of surprise and curiosity Dick Doan ran down the street and disappeared before the tenaut of the py gallery could sight him witb his search- eyes, I didn’t lose anything by giving the old man a call,” murmured Dick. ‘Carlos Kingdon the broker is the man who replied to Wat Waffles’s notice in the newspaper. At least he is the parent who lost the little boy fourteen years ago, and whom this shrewd scamp is going to bleed. Wat may know something about the kidnapping, but I’m pretty sure that he knows nothing at all concerning tbe present where- abouts of the lost heir. I won’t disturb the broker to-night, but early to-morrow Ill put a bag in his ear at his office. Back to duty now.” few minutes afterward Dick o’ the Docks was patrolling bis old stamping-ground in the Lady Skinner as keenly on the lookout as ever for the harvest of the waves, His thoughts, however, still clung to the events of which he had been a part, and while ha sent his craft hither and thither, be triéd to make plain the mysterious connection that ex- isted between Wat Waffles and Mother Scam- mon, the guardian of the girl Mollie, All at once there came to the dock scavenger’s ears acry that almost tore the oars from his hands, It came from toward the middle of the river and in the path of the wet The boy leaned forward and looked intently for a moment, then he sent his boat toward the spot pulling with all his might. It was not long before he caught sight of a boat about as large as the Skimmer pulling rap- idly down-stream and almost at the sametime he saw a living object struggling in the water straight ahead. Leaving the disappearing boat to take care of itself Dick madea dash for the object in the water. He saw nothing else but it, and as he came alongside he caught sight of a girlish face about to sink beneath the surface, Dropping the oars inthe excitement of the moment Dick o’ the Docks leaned over and caught the white garment that offered itself. He did not heed the ferry that was bearing down upon him; his whole mind was set on ‘the rescue be- fore him, .. It required all of Dick’s strength to drag the drowning girl from the water and in doing so the Lady Skimmer was nearly capsized, but with the hold he had on the poor creature the boy was resolved not to let go if he was precipitated into the river. Just as he deposited the half-dead girlin his boat, he realized his own danger, for, attracted by sounds the purport of which he knew so well, he looked up to find himself in the shadow of the puffing ferry steamer! The ponderous craft freighted with humanity was bearing down upon him with the fury of a water monster, In another moment he would be struck and killed along with the unfortunate creature he had just rescued from the toils of the river, In an instant Dick uttered a loud cry of alarm in hopes of attracting the attention of those on board the ferry and at the same time he attempt- ed to back off in hopes of avoiding the threatened collision. His efforts were put forth too late. The noise of the approaching boat, the roar of the boiling waters drowned his shout and before he could fairly grip the oars he felt a stroke that geemed to shiver every plank in the Skimmer and the following second he was struggling in the river! Dick thought he heard a chorus of horrified cries and saw a number of forms rush excitedly to the chains, then as a wave larger than any of the rest seemed to ingulf him, everything became dark and he knew no more, The pilot of the ferry-boat, one of the best of the many who ply their avocation between the cities, saw the boy of the docks, but not in time to sound the usual alarm. He tried, however, to turn the steamer from the line it was making, but before it could an- swer his touch he saw the Lady Skinner and her occupants disappear as if the waters had sucked them down. The ferry was brought to as soon as possible, but not without the protests of a dozen passen- gers, who did not care for any lives but their own. The boat was backed to the scene of dis- aster, and everybody strained their eyes to catch sight of the victims of the mishap. ‘“There’s your gume!” exclaimed a young man, pointing to something on the water, and a moment later a long pole with a hook atone end was thrown out and the object designated se- cured, lt turned out to be Dick himself, and when he was lifted on board a cry went up that he was dead. ‘‘There were two of them,” persisted a pas- senger. ‘I saw them just before we let ’em have it, But I don’t see the other now,” Dick was taken forward and turned over to a doctor wbo bappened to be on board, while fur- ther search was made for the girl. The longer the search lasted the more the people growled, and at last it was given up and the ferry proceeded on its way. Not long afterward, Dick o’ the Docks found himself in a strange place. He Jay on a narrow bed in the midst of a dim light, and not a sound of any kind came to his ears, For a long time he could not think where he was, but gradually the adventure in the river came to him, and he lived over the collision with the puffing craft. By and by he felt bimself sinking into fatbom- less darkness as it were, and though he struggled bravely and tried to cry out, he was overcome and all was oblivion again. At last he saw a light which he knew was the beams of another day. Then he could see a number of little beds like his own, and the thought flashed across his mind that he was ina hospital ‘“-Yo’ve pulled through,” said a cheery voice, as a man came up and looked down at him. “We thought you weren’t going to make it, but pluck won the battle.” Dick smiled in reply and watched the ward surgeon a few moments in silence. ‘““T was unlucky last night,” said the boy at ast. “Last night?’ echoed the doctor, with an- other smile, ‘This is Saturday. Your acci- dent happened Wednesday night.” This piece of information nearly took Dick with a bound from the cot. He thought of Wat Waffles and his schemes; he recalled the ‘‘ personal” in the newspaper, the answer which he had read through the peep-hole in Mother Scammon’s ceiling, and the interview at which the man of mystery intended to play his hand. These thoughts filled and alarmed the boy. ‘‘T am going away from here, I must go,” he said to the doctor. ‘“‘ Certainly, but you want to keep away from the ferries,’ was the reply. ‘‘ They found yo companion yesterday, or at least a person sup- posed to be her.” ‘Who is she?” ‘*No one knows,” ‘I’m very sorry,” rejoined Dick. ‘If the boat had not rushed down upon mel would have brought her ashore safely. I was doing all I could for her, but the ferry spoiled it all. And “game other business, too,” he added, with a sigh. It was past bigh noon when the young scav- enger of the docks climbed the stairs to the lit- tle room from which he had been absent many hours. He saw at once that it bad been visited, for the candlestick on the table held down a letter which he opened and read with breathless avidity. ‘‘ Dear Dick:—” he read. ‘*‘ Wat Waffles and Mo- ther Scammon have had several interviews since you were over last Something has happened greatly to their interest, for the fellow has a suit of new clothes, real broadcloth, and all the money he wants, and Mother Scammon says she is going to be as rich as anybody by and by. The scheme, what- ever it is, must have succeeded. Last night Mr, Waffles exhibited a paper which coniained a ‘ong article which they read together and laughed over as if it pleased them. I wish you could have seen their antics. I tried to get hold of the paper after Mother Scammon had gone to bed, but she had put it beyond my reach. “YT don’t know what has become of you. I have crossed the river twice in hopes of finding you, but ou are strangely absent, f shall leave this letter or youif Idon’t find you today. Try to find out what has happened to put the precious pair in such high feather. I am afraid they have imposed upon some one to their mutual advantage. I will be over again to-night if I can get away. Mo.Luig,”’ “Tf all this is true, and Mollie is an observing girl, something has happened!” exclaimed Dick. ‘‘ Can it be that the plot against Carlos Kingdon has succeeded? If not why does Mother Scam- mon boast that she will soon have all the money she wants? I know where I can get hold of the paper that pleased ‘‘ the precious pair” as Mollie calls them.” And hiding the letter in his bosom he rushed out and vanished, Ten minutes later Dick o’ the Docks entered a very smoky and somewhat dingy room where a number of papers were arranged for reading on wooden rocks along the walls. The place was a so-called reading-room at- tached to a large saloon on the wharf, The boy walked straight to one of the files and began bis task. ‘‘Great heavens! the card has beem success- fully played!” he suddenly exclaimed, and then his eyes dwelt on the following head-lines at the top of a column: ‘‘AWTER FOURTEEN YEARS! A Mystery Solved at Last! CarLos Kinupon, Esa., Frxps His Son!” Dick’s brain seemed to swim, the air in the room almost choked him. He kept his post until he read the particulars concerning the return of long-lost Custer King- don, The florid account said that the boy, now a handsome youth of seventeen, had been fully recognized, tbat the man who had been the means of solving the secret—a gentleman named Betts—had been on the trail a long time, that he bad first communicated with the broker through a “personal” signed “‘ Business,” and so forth. ‘“Itis too true!” exclaimed the boy. ‘* The villainous plot has succeeded, but, as my name is Dick o’ the Docks! it shall never bear the fruit Wat Waffles expects to eat!” CHAPTER V. pick Is ‘‘ MARKED.” THE success of tbe plot against Carlos King- don, the broker, did not quit Dick Doan’s thoughts for a moment. Mollie’s letter had prepared him for the worst, but for all that the cold announcement in the newspaper was a startling surprise. From the dingy reading-room he went up to Carlos Kingdon’s house, hoping to catch sight of the boy who had been received as Jost Cus- ter, but fortune did not seem disposed to favor him. ‘Wat Waffles is a shrewd rascal,” said Dick to himself. ‘‘ A man of his ilk will do anything before losing the price of the prize of the game. I would like to know what sort of gbiths he used to catch the broker. No doubt he has been lay- ing his ropes a long time and knows just what he is about, He didn’t go to Kingdon as Wat Waffles, Ob, no! He masquerades under the name of Betts, I’ve got my hands full, for if ee