Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 657 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

i hare id Me dl « i << ac i -% * we een + et eo 12 Warbling William, speaking; and Harry immediately imitated his exanple, , ** Now we'll try the restaurant,” he said, when the cast-off garments had been secreted, ‘In these rigs, { don’t think any one will recognize us, Such a thing seemed very unlikely, for they now resembled tramps more than anything else, Ware left his guitar with Harry, and visited the restaurant alone; and the keeper of the es- tablishment never once suspected the identity of his customer. ‘* Now, we’re fixed!” the detective ejaculated, as he rejoined the boy. ‘Ho, for Silverton! Leonard will have tu be awfully spry, if. he heads us off this time,” CHAPTER XVI. AT THE SILVERTON JAIL, ‘* HELLO! Some fine singin’ down there!” The keeper of the Silverton jail poked his head out of thé window of his apartment on the second floor, and stared into the street, lt wasn’t often that he had an opportunity of hear- ing good singing, or in fact good mnsic of any kind; and the concord of well-attuned voices, with excellent guitar accompaniment, was a treat not to be missed, | He was a burly, thick-set man, called ** Buck” Hazelrig, by his acquaintances, and lived alone in the jailer’s quarters, rarely seeing any one except the prisoners and the officials with whom he had business, His pluce*had been gained for bim by John Leonard, who was apparently as well known and influential here as at Rocket Range; and Leonard was not a man to use as tools men who were inclined to joviality or glib- ness of speech, “By George! Makes me think of the ole times, back East, when the Eyetalians used to - go’round fiddlin’ an’ harpin’,” The brisk ballad had ended: and now on the ‘**Sam Bass,” the cowboy, recounted, a collection was taken for the benefit of the singers. A gentle hint from Ware also caused the jailer to invite them into his room, where a supper was abbas and the singing continued until a late our, It had been the detective’s intention to gain access to the jail in some such way, but the ease with which it had been accomplished almost sur- rised him. It was evident the jailer had never eard of the singing at Rocket Range; or, if he had, it never occurred to him to associate the two ina suspicious way. ** T suppose about the only music you ever have is the howling of some half-crazy prisoner?” ‘Ware queried, when the crowd they had collect- ‘** You must have a lot of ’em in here! I saw quite a number looking out of the cells when we came in,” ‘* D’ye mean crazy un’s?? “Oh, all kinds! I referred to the number, Silverton must be a famous place for jail-birds.” ’ It'd be famouser, if all was in that ought to be in,’ Ware glanced at Hazelrig’s evil face, and mentally agreed with the statement. ““T reckon you wouldn’t object to a fellow looking over the place? I was never in a jail before, and arm curious to take a peep at the in- stitution.” ** Most men’d ruther have as little to do with the thing as possible!” and the jailer gave him a keen scrutiny. ‘*No doubt, Perhaps Id feel that way if my knowledge wasn’t so limited. What are most of the prisoners in for?” ** Hoss-stealin’ an’ shootin’, giner’ly. Some few on ’em fer stage-robbin’ an’ sich like, One feller fer whippin’ the life nigh ’bout out o’ the county jedge what tried him; an’a long-tongued lawyer fer lyin’ an’ gineral cussedness,” ‘** An interesting lot!” Hazelrig laughed, in bis dry, peculiar man- ner, ‘* That lawyer’s an amoosin’cub. He talked at fu’st 0’ appealin’ to the constertution, er some sech thing; an’ made speeches four hours long, *bout his rights an’ juties as an Amerikin citi- zen, I tol’ him he’d haf’ to shet off on that, fer he was a-fillin’ the hall with so much wind that there was consider’ble danger the ole jail would h’ist ’erself some day an’ sail away like a balloon, I don’t think the ole jedge would ’a’ sent ’im up if he hadn’t called hisself D, Webster McCartney, an’ parted his hair in the middle, That was jes’ too much, that was, an’ he had to take the con- sequences,” ‘Served bim right, no doubt. I'd like to see,” ‘Well, come erlong, if you like, He’s a chap I don’t do greasy garments disdainfully. Then he collapsed, and was buried from sight by the bed-coverings. . Hazelrig laughed loudly, and led the way to the other cells, the occupants of which he aroused in turn. None of them were Lewis Cavendish. ‘* And these are all?” Ware questioned, glanc- ing at some cells which were apparently empty, ‘** All that you’d keer to see, There’s a crazy young feller in ene o’ them, an’ he’ll never let up, if I rouse bim.” Just then the voice of the ‘crazy young fel- ler” broke the stillness, and the jailer hurried the detective away; but not before the !utter bad decided that that was the particular cell he most wished to investigate. : : r) ‘Gog Rao im , ee: os“ i Ie ye) *) 7 / EE eS eeessse sees sssnssssses He commenced to change his clothing, while | ed had gone. For beds, that night, Ware and his boy pard were given shake-downs in the jailer’s own room, This suited the detective, for the keys to the cells were kept in that room: and he had determined to use them before the dawning of another day, even if force were necessary to accomplish his purpose, Hazelrig seemed unusually wakeful, talking until a very late hour. But he retired at last; and when his snoring announced bis unconscious- ness, Ware was ready for his perilous under- taking. Sake CHAPTER XVII, CAVENDISH’S STORY, RISING softly, the detective crept on tip-toe to the little desk, where, unknown to the jailer, he had seen the keys carefully deposited, The room was plunged in darkness, but be had close- ly noted the position of the chairsand movable furniture before retiring, and therefore knew just where and how to step. Once the jailer turned heavily in his sleep, and, with revolver drawn, Ware halted midway between the shake-down and the desk, thinking discovery inevitable. The heaviness of the breathing, however, reassured him, and he went ov. The desk was locked, but he quickly slipped ‘back the bolt with a bent wire, and secured the coveted keys, Then he made his way from the room in the same cautious manner, closing the door after him. ‘* Cavendish!” he whispered, on reaching tbe cel] which the ‘‘ crazy young feller” was said to occupy. ‘* Are you in there, Cavendish?” There was a stir within, a cautious footstep, and a pale, yet handsome face looked out from between the bars, ‘Who is it?’ was the anxious question. ‘* Are you Lewis Cavendish?” ‘* Yes! yes!” as he heard the suggestive jing- ling of the keys. His flood of hurried queries was interrupted uberance of his spirits, and wildly anxious to have the vail lifted from what seemed so mys- terious an affair. When the main facts had been rapidly sketched by Harry, he took Ware by the hand, and in a choking, incoherent way thanked him for the bardsbips he had undere gone and the perils he bad braved in his behalf. ‘It ismy calling!” the detective said, humbly, ‘Whatever I did, I did no more than my duty, Less than that I couldn’t do. But time is fly- ing, and you haven’t told us your story. e will have to move on, soon,” Thus reminded, Lewis told how Leonard formed his acquaintance in Chicago, and by artful wiles led him to the West, “After I had drawn the money from the C ' f ’ : . the | “Backward! Turn backward! Oh, Time, in your | it’ll s’prise me,” “Come! We haven’t any time for taik, ae, 49% she! , John Leonard would have wondered much at | Take it for granted that I am your friend, and ‘at if Make me a child again, just for to-night! seeing his trusty henchman become so supple in | follow me. The jailer may awaken at any he ae { ppngedl bug a from rege pope yee shore; the hands of the urbane Warbler. His own | moment, and then we might have trouble in get- Page 2) | Smooth from my iinet pe Page Sta tr of care: an eee ~~ aed have been scarcely equal ue gid Ling ry bai s Sey , ri. i >, Fg Brush the fow silver threads out of my hair; : to so great a task. n spite of his iron nerves, his voice betraye | fer I Over my slumbers your lovinz watch keep;~ Harry, in accordance with previous instruc- | his anxiety. The jail was situated at one end of ‘ Kea ie Rock me to sleep, mother! Rock me to sleep!” tions, a cae ¢ Po teueae iota etmeebed in ee Baie bees of a moe and # gene ene * ‘har 4 ; a ; the columns of an old paper and was, therefore, é bell which hung above it would be sufficien Ee & Ditidave of is faire Boeri wich ccd anst ne sats po > gs? invitation, ea seeraye to rae oe citizens, and make escape perilous b en | ve a4, ’ ad not deemed it judicious, even i e chance | and difficult, Pe . s00K ie hie thoughtful, and even sorrowful, should offer, to atl Lewis to see and recognize Had he been handling an ordinary case Ware ) | } i hh Rtriee on ane a little livelier!” he his brother, fearing an exposure would result. would never have taken such risks, He would | , fy ' i A. Yes P f tha arte om h Harry’s quiet, however, concealed a torrent of | bave placed Leonard under arrest and secured et “he eh like fol. ay ae th, ei mit ag “iat seething emotions, The hour for which he had | the release of young Cavendish by writ of met er Hg Bass Fae Orthn Woe tecinert! im ve us “Pam long hoped and toiled and strived seemed to be habeas corpus, But he knew full well how I Wy jack of these Rocke gin interminable lencth: but approaching. Only a thin partition of walls, as often justice goes awry in the almost lawless f ' f without a moment's hesitation the dis are de. | be believed, separated him from the brother he | mining camps, and realized that such a miscar- | i ha ! “hy tective swung into the story of the Bu Horty- loved and had so long sought; and now that the riage was almost certain to take place in.a com- Tully \ niner’s Dac eal y Y~ | time for verifying that belief had come he felt | munity owning the sway of John Leonard, ne a 4 8 : that any further delay would surely crush him. ‘** Don’t make any more more noise than a | te at ; “Tn a cavern in a canyon— Nevertheless, he maintained an attitude of | falling featner,” he cautioned. ‘‘Carry your rs i's Excavating for a mine;— stoical indifference, when the jailer took up the | shoes, and I will show you the way out.” Mate if Dwelt a miner, forty-niner, lamp and led the way into the dark corridor. He then led the way through the corridor, 4 Ay ! Lig ope pt ae Shaiike seine 2 re: Mg tae the geny ee igen pease BOG: as er ‘eco inetd “es em ist qe oe di har ahoes' er nine:-< ed in darkness, he le is Seat; and, crouching ‘Sta ) vrothe arly 18 1 pw . | Herring wens either ver ngs Siceh by the door, listened with bated breath to the | building, and I must get him out,” f ie '. Sandals were for Clementine, echoing footsteps and to every sound that broke And before the astounded young man could ae Sih A, the midnight stillness, frame a single query, he disappeared in the PP) ict : Rees om, rated door, and shaking it as he might shake én he returned Harry accompanied him, Ng dpe ot big deat po, ~~ 57 hepa the bareof « Mon's cages He’s asleep, prob’ly. | ‘‘ No time for that now,” he whispered, inter- he a9 Made so many speeches to-day that I ‘low he’s | rupting the effusive greeting betwen the long- . | This style of words and music exactly suited wore pia out. separated brothers, ‘‘ When we geta little fur- dings? Buck Hazelrig; and the first verse was scarcely ‘** Hey, in there, D. Webster! Hyer’s a gen’les | ther off will do as well, Then, we'll all talk, aa | |e finished before the attraction of the singing | man wants ter hear you talk,” for ’'m as anxious to understand certain things ies became so strong that he hastily left his com- At this a dudish-looking young man half-lifted | as you are to explain them.” : re Ds fortable seat and descended into the street. himself from his low cot, popped an eye-glass; He led the way from the place at a brisk gait, dh, Here a number of others, similarly drawn, | into one of his rotriding eyes, and stared curi- | halting when they bad gained the edge of tim- a were gathering. ously at these dietarbars of his dreams ber-fringed bills, a quarter of a mile from the | 7 When the history of the miner’s daughter had ‘* I never converse with specimes cf the genus | town. , en A been satisfactorily rehearsed, and the exploits of tramp!” he asserted, regarding the detective’s Lewis was bubbling over with the very ex- ah He