Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 637 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

6 been put upon has taken the place of the lost heir. ‘* Yes, that is rigkt.” Dick went to a rickety desk and found several scraps of paper. ‘* We will copy these letters word for word,” he went on, ‘‘ When our work is done you can take the originals back to Mother Scammon’s cupboard and I will see that Carlos Kingdon gets wind of the game. He sometimes does night work at his private office, I may find him there to-night. If I do he shall listen to me,’ The young folks went to work and copied the three letters which seemed to prove so much in Dick’s eyes. For some time they worked with all diligence and when the last sentence had been jotted down Mollie tied up the originals and transferred them to her pocket, ‘*Get them back without discovery,” said Dick. ‘* Mother Scammon looks like a sharp woman and she don’t want the game to fail.” ‘*1'll watch my chance,” smiled Mollie and Dick bade her a cheery good-night as she went out the door, ‘‘If this piece of luck doesn’t put a block under the wheels then ’'m no judge of Luman nature!” ejaculated the young detective of the docks, ‘ If the man seen hugging the wall just outside of Pappy Powder’s door was Wat Waf- fles the sooner t trump his last card the better. { must steal a march on him at once in order to prevent him from stealing one on me,for if he is dangerous,and no doubt he is, being a thorough- paced rascal, | won’t receive any mercy if I fall into bis hand,” Armed with the copies of the letters found by Mollie in Mother Scammon’s treasury Dick Doan set out to find Carlos Kingdon in the rivate down-town office which he sometimes inhabited until long after sundown, Knowing the city as he did, he was not long finding the splendid building in which a number of brokers had their offices, Dodging into the open hallway, Dick ran up a flight of dark steps and almost collided with a man on the floor above, ‘‘Where will I find Mr. Kingdon’s office?” queried the boy, when he had apologized. ‘* Last door on the left, at the end of the hall,” was the reply. ‘*Ts he in?” és Yes,” The man vanished, and Dick went forward. Half a inure later he stood before the door designated by the stranger, It bore in modest lettering the name of Carlos Kingdon, ‘* Now or never,” said Dick o’ the Docks to himself. ‘If 1 don’t get a start on this rascal he will make me pay for my impertinence. I oes myself to expose your villainy, Wat Vaffles, and [ don’t intend to shrink from the task at this stage,” The next second, having heard no noises be- yond the door, Dick rapped gently, to bear in poe sg a sharp voice telling him to *‘ come in,” e turned the knob and entered. To his surprise he found two menin the bro- ker’s office. They were seated at a table in the center of the room; the one supposed to he King- don the broker had his face turned toward the door, the other was not so well visible, As Dick advanced, the broker’s companion turned his head, anda thrill entered the boy’s heart as he beheld the face of Wat Waffles, dressed as Bolivar Betts! ‘‘ By Jupiter! this is luck!” exclaimed the ras- cal, leaving bis chair before Dick could address the broker. ‘* Here is the young river imp who lays spy on gentlemen. Nodoubt he came to blackmail you, friend Kingdon. Tl just twist his neck a little as a reminder of what isin store if he doesn’t behave himself.” These woras, accompanied by a flashing look on the schemer’s part, almost deprived the boy detective of the river of the power to articulate. Before he could stir, Wat pounced upon him with the suddenness of a bawk, and ina second he felt the clutching hands of the rascal on his shoulders. ** Don’t hurt him,” cried Carlos Kingdon. **1 won’t more than pitch him through the window!” was th: response, ‘‘If I hadn’t been pare, bes have spun a pretty tale for you, King- on. Dick, with a superhuman effort, freed himself from the man’s grip and bounded toward the table. ‘* That’s the villain who has hoodwinked you!” he cried, covering tbe flushed and quivering Waffles with his finger. ‘It’s the coolest and deepest game ever played in New York—” ** flear the young Ananias!” broke in Waffles darting forward, ‘*He turns on me to get em LT even, Pll do!” And again the scoundrel threw him- self upon Dick, and carrying him across the room without touching the floor, hurled him headlong into the corridor, CHAPTER VII. UNEXPECTEDLY CAUGHT. THE young scavenger of the harbor was dazed and considerably bruised by this rough- handed treatment. ben he picked himself up some distance from the door, he saw that it was shut and that Wat Waffles bad not waited to see what became of him, Dick was at first inclined to go back and foree Carlos Kingdon to grant him audience despite his visitor’s interference, but second thought led bim to change his mind, **] won’t do that,” said the boy. ‘‘Tll get even some other time and in another way. ‘*T now realize the full force of Pappy Pow- der’s words. Wat Waffles is dangerous. If Kingdon does not see the copies of Mother Scammon’s letters to-night, another person shall,” It seemed as if the boy had but one person to seek after a rebuff of the sort he had received, and that one was the tenant of the basement picture gallery. Leaving the occupants of the broker’s office to themselves, he betook himself from the build- ing and soon ran down Pappy Powder’s steps and knocked at the door. This time the mummified face of the little old man did not greet him and Dick, out of patience at last, opened the door himself and walked in. The back room was silent and dark, Twice he called Pappy Powder by name but received no answer and heard no sounds, Then he drew a match across the nearest wall and as the blaze flashed up he fell back uttering a wild cry. On the floor at his feet lay the diminutive figure of the strange old man. Dick knew zt once from the ghastly expres- sion on the face that his friend was dead, and it did not take him long to discover that a terrible crime had been committed. There were no outward signs of wounds on the old man’s person, but the face was very dark and the throat was swollen. ‘** He had the life choked out of him,” muttered the harbor lynx while he looked at the victim of crime, “I don’t say who did this, but I know who I saw in the shadows when I left Pappy Powder somé time ago,” Having lighted a lamp, he searched the room for the purpose of finding out whether robbery had been the motive for the murder, but so far as he could see nothing was missing, ‘¢ The harmless old man had few visitors, and the police will be staggered by the crime,” con- tinued Dick. ‘* My opinion is that Pappy Pow- der knew too much for some people. He knew a good deal about Wat Waffles, and his scrap- books contained a great deal of information concerning otber folks who wear borrowed plumes instead of their own,” He drew back and soon afterward left the basement room to darkness and to the dead, ‘* I will manage to put the police onto the crime,” thought he; ‘‘ but Pll keep my ideas to myself for the present.”’ e did so, Half an hour later an officer who had been rather mysteriously directed to the place went down the steps and discovered Pappy Powder dead in the center of his room, As to Dick, he was far from the scene at the time, crossing the river toward the lights of Jersey City in a ferry-boat, As he jumped upon the pier he was seen by a man who had been his fellow-passenger, and he had hardly reached the street ere his arm was gripped as by a vise, and a voice hissed a start- ling sentence at bis ear: ‘** Not a sound if you want to breathe the air of heaven!” it said. Dick did not have to look up to see by whom he had been caught. He had just parted from the owner of the voice, and the hand by which he was held had lately tumbled him headlong from Carlos Kingdon’s office! ‘“Come along!” continued Wat Waffles who wore the fine clothes that made bim Bolivar Betts. ‘‘I catch birds wherever I find them— on the highways and in the hedges, by day and by night, You thought you’d play a pretty gene awhile ago, eh, my water swallow? You idn’t expect to ead me on the ground, but [’m one of the chaps Who are generally on band,” His guarded laugh was cold and merciless and Dick Doan, the Dock Boy Detective. Pll wring his neck for him, tbat’s what | the young dock detective made no reply whi he was dragged along with the fingers of his captor sinking into his fiesh as it were, ‘If he takes me to Mother Scammon’s, Mollie may see me,” thought Dick o’ the Docks, ‘ The pair won’t get to hold me long after all if the girl’s ingenuity and bravery can make rescue possible,” He soon discovered to his joy that he was being conducted toward Mother Scammon’s house and not long after his capture he was be- yond the door eyed maliciously by the partner of the schemer. ** Where did you catch him?’ grinned Mother Scammon leaning toward Dick who returned her look with calmness, ‘*On the street, All’s fish that comes to our net you know,” ‘“* Yes, yes.” ‘This young shrimp was working a cool lay all to himself and I thought I’d take him in.” ‘That was right!” cried the woman. ‘ Did you bring him across?” ‘* No, | caught him here in Jersey.” The answer seemed to surprise Mother Scam- mon. ‘* What was he doing here?” ‘* Playing spy.” In an instant the face before Dick got a scowl of rage. “A spy is he?” the woman cried clinching her fists until the boy heard the joints snap. **T would like to push bim against the wall and choke him till bis eyes jump out.” Dick was afraid for a moment that the vixen was going to carry out ber threat for her mien was devilish in the extreme and a chill stole mor him at thought of what her hands could 0. But she suddenly drew back and seemed to look to Wat Waffles for instructions, ‘* Where's the girl?” queried Wat, ‘‘In bed an hour ago,” was the reply, and Mother Scammon quickly resumed: ‘* Oh, we’ve got the house and the spy to ourselves, and I could choke him without the least danger of anybody getting onto the little play.” If Mollie was asleep, there was danger of his peril not becoming known to the best friend he had in the world, but Dick questioned the ac- curacy of the woman’s answer, Mollie might have gone to bed, but her observing eyes might be wide open and very observing at that mo- ment. Dick hoped they were, In a short time be was taken from the room into another. Mother Scammon led the way, while Wat followed with the same grip that had arrested him on the street, The woman unlocked a door and ushered her followers into a small apartment entirely devoid of furniture of any sort, not even boasting of the luxury of a cot. ‘What do you know?” suddenly demanded Wat Waffles, holding his prisoner at arm’s length, while Mother Scammon, baving locked the door, stood with the heavy key dangling from ber bronzed hand. ‘*T know a good deal!” answered Dick, as a vivid recollection of the scene in Carlos King- don’s oftice rushed across bis mind. ‘‘T told you so,” said the man to Mother Scammon. ‘‘ He knows altogether too much. I’ve caught him in places where he has no hon- est business and—” ‘‘ What was your business in those places?” interrupted Dick, at which the rascal with two names fell back in alarm. ‘* He’s insolent!” flashed up the woman, sud- denly exhibiting her big brown bands. ‘ Shall I show him what I can do?” She came toward Dick with the look of a tigress, but Wat Waffles shovk bis head and she stopped. P ou know a good dea}, eh?” said the plotter, turning his attention te Dick again, **T said so.” ‘‘ Hear him!” snapped Mother Scammon, ‘We are going to let you cool off,” continued Waffles. ‘I warn you, however, to give us no trouble, for you are in a net that can and will hold the strongest game, I thougbt your de- parture from the office across the river would show you that [ am no spring chicken, but from what I’ve seen since, the lesson bas been of no avail. Youcan make yourself at home here. When we want to get at the truth, we hope we'll find you in better mood.” Dick was released so suddenly that he nearly lost his footing, and when he recovered he found himself in a room perfectly dark, with a locked door ketween bim and the other parts of the house, If he couldLhave followed the well-mated pair he would have seen Mother Scammon open a eS Se Saaeee —e — —-— = 4 2 ee —. rr : j . | | Fy 7 vo - % : . . ¥ +y } x0 f" De ae s¢ es, 7 2 4 CoO