Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 669 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 Si a ae — — Broadway Billy Abroad. eae ee EEE “ All roight, Azim me darling, and it is good success dhat.Oi wish yez.” Billy heard them move then, and hurriedly retreated to the stairs. He had no desire to be discovered, after hearing such a conversation as this. Making his way to the next floor, he waited there. Presently the door of the room below opened, and the pair came out and went along the hall to the front door, where, after some whispered talk, they parted, Azim going out into the night and fog. “ Sweet pertaters!” Broadway Billy exclaimed in thought, ‘“‘but (’d like ter foller him and find out what’s goin’ on. Havel stumbled upon another diffikilty? I hope so, if I kin only pandle th’ thing right and bring th’ case out in my usual first-class style. Wish I knowed this city as well as 1 do New York, I wouldn’t have ter be piloted around, then. If 1 can’t foller this man, how am I ter find th’ place he’s goin’ to? That’s a question, But, I mustn’s allow it ter stump me. I mustn’t lose th’ cornferdence of Inspector Br— _Hello! here comes th’ land- lady this way, an’ I’d better be makin’ myself scarce, I reckon.” Mrs. McFaddin was coming up the stairs, and Billy made haste to ascend the next flight to keep out of her way. As he stopped at the landing, however, he soon found that she was coming right on up, so he made haste to get back to bis cockloft as quickly and silently as he could. The landlady went no further than the door of her prisoner’s room, Billy heard her unlock the door and enter, and then exclaim: ‘‘Phwat! are yez not in bed, ma’am? Sure, and it is foolish ye are to be robbin’ yersel’ av slape in dhis way. It is takin’ yer loight away from yez O7’ll be dvin’, Oi think.” ‘‘Take it if you want to,” was the 5 pee an- answer, ‘I am not afraid of the dark, Perhaps I will go to sleep then.” ** Oi’ll give yez dhe chance to thry, anyhow.” The door opened again, and the landlady came out with a lamp in hand, and when she bad en the door she returned to the region be- ow, As soon as she had passed beyond hearing, Billy took up the board of the floor and whis- -pered down: ** Mrs, Goodwin!” ‘‘T hear you,” was the response, ‘‘T don’t see that there is much chance for me to get you out of here alone,” Billy said, then, ‘‘ but as the coast is all clear for me to get awa myself, I think I had better take advantage of it and let your husband know about the fix you are 1D, ‘‘T think so, too,” came back the reply. “ This door is locked, and the hour is very late for me to go out, even could I escape. Go, and may God guide you!” CHAPTER XI. BILLY GETS A BIG SCARE. A Few mcre remarks were exchanged, and the Bootblack Bravo closed the hole. Not forgetting his box, he opened his door and listened, and the way being all clear, started down once more, He reached the ground floor all right, and felt his way to the front door, and finding that it was secured with only an ordinary night-latch, was soon out upon the street. ‘* Sweet pertaters, kerrysene, cotton-seed an’ main-royal-staysails!” he exclaimed, “if this ain’t like old times. Life wouldn’t be worth livin’ if I couldn’t keep pokin’ my nose inter all sorts o’ consarned diffikilties, Th’ only thing that I am troubled about is Skinny. Id like ter know whether be got back to his roost all right. No use mournin’ over him, though. He’s no chicken, and when it comes right down to th’ ce fax of th’ case, I guess he’s as able to take eer o’ himself as Lam, but it wouldn’t do ter tell him so, fer it would make him vain, Now, what be I terdo? Here I am,a pilgrim an’a stranger, and don’t know tother street from which. Bet my kit that I buy a map of this town to-morrow, and a compass, too, if neces- sary. Must be able ter aereats, or Pll lose my bearin’s, How am [ter find th’ Placer Bank? It would take a Chicago detective ter find it in this fog, anyhow. Must do somethin’, now though, or this case will sp’ile on my hands, an ll lose the cornferdence of Inspector Br— Hello! that’s th’ idee; Pll go over and drum up Tommy Wah.” His move decided upon, he started across the gtreet immediately. , _, Several loud knocks brought a sleepy-looking ; : , i ee LR LLL LLL jin about an Chinese head out at a window, and something was demanded in Chinese. ‘‘T give it up,” said Billy. “I don’t talk that way, specially at night and in a fog, when sich a distortion o’ my jaws might result in th’ brown-keety-us, or some other ailment almost as bad. Is that you, Tom Wah?” “Yes, allee same me,” was the answer; ‘ what wantee him?” ‘‘T am yer New York friend, Tommy, and I want to see you bad.” ‘‘-You allee same Billee?” “ That’s me,” Billy assured, * Allee light! me comee light down.” The head disappeared, and in a few minutes the door was opened. ‘‘ Whatee want Tom Wah see of?” was the not very intelligible question. “DP tell ye, Lommy, in short meter,” Billy responded. ‘*‘lve just got an inklin’ of one of th’ consarnedest diffikilties that you— Hold on, though, you don’t onderstand anything but plain United States. [ll begin again. Tom, I want you to show me the way to the Placer Bank, right away.” ‘‘Placee Bankee? Me no savvy.” “Tt is a bank, some where around Sansome, Bush, California or Montgomery street. It is named Placer Bank. If you don’t know where itis, just take me over to that neighborbood, and lll find it myee!t.” The Chinaman bad a thousand and one ques- tions to ask before he wou*#move, but finally, when Billy had enlightened him upon the vari- ous points; why he had left the house of Mrs, McFaddin, why he wanted to go to the bank, ete., he agreed to guide him to the place he wanted to reach. Tom Wah was soon ready, and they set out. They had but little to say on the way, and finally arrived in the neighborhood Billy had wa eh The fog had now lifted. They were walking along, when suddenly Bill caught sight of a man who was standing balf- concealed in a doorway, and thinking imme- diately that it might be the man McDuff, the lad looked at the building closely. . a = saw that it was the bank he desired to nd. Saying nothing to the Chinaman, not wanting to let the waiting man suspect that he had been seen, Billy waited until they had on for a little distance before he spoke, “Pye seen the place I wanted to find, Tom,” he said then, ‘‘and you kin cut fer home as soon as you please.” ‘“ Whatee say?” the Celestial interrogated. “The bank that I wanted to find is right back there,” Billy repeated, speaking more plainly, ‘and now you may go back home.” “Oh! allee light; me go home light away.” Billy thanked him for bis service, cautioned him to say nothing to his fellow Chinamen nor any one else, and sent him off. ‘Now fer it,” the lad thought, as he stood alone on the street. ‘‘I must get back there and help Mr. McDuff keep bis lonesome vigil. He might git tired doin’ it all alone, but with my help I know he'll hold out like a major. Hard-a-port, Willyum, an’ come up inter th’ wind an’ start on th’ long tack. Steady, now, an’ hold yer p’int mghton, Oh! but this is what I like, it is, and if I only knowed the city better I bet l’'d make things hum. I'll try ter doa little hammin’ anyhow.” Having turned back, he kept well into all the shadows that he could, and finally, when he had gained about as near a position as he thought he could reach without discovery, sat down on the curb in one of the shadows and waited, Nothing of an exciting nature happened, and hour MeDuff, evidently too tired and sleepy to watch longer, left his post and started for home. a ‘Sweet pertaters!” muttered Billy, “he ain’t got no stick-to at all. That is what I call peterin’ out in th’ early bloom of th’ fun. | Pshaw! he’s got nogrit in him. Well; vow it’s me fer it alone, an’ seein’ that th’ coast is clear I reckon T'll take a survey of th’ land an’ see how it lays.” With this he got up, crossed over to the op- site side of the street, and when there, looked ck at the bank and the building that adjoined it. The bank was on a corner, and lights were burning dimly within, The building that adjoined it had the appear- ance of a dwelling, but was evidently cut up in- to offices now, and rented piecemeal. At first no lights were to be seen, but as Billy looked closely he made the discovery that one set of windows on the second floor was heavily the sheltering shadows, and there, eould observe the opposite side of the street with- out being seen himself, he sat down and began his watch, his eyes and anyhow? pertaters ! ter fall asleep like that! degree of th’ cornferdence of Inspector Br— Hello! lain’t too late fer th’ funeral, though after all!” sidewalk, and then looking sound of footsteps . an instant caused his face to turn pale. ‘¢ what are you doin’ here?” Billy, ‘* you might be ash-cans, too, starvation, will ye? I’m_so hungry I don’t re- member what I ght.” story, 1 curtained, and that a very faint light was to be seen here and there at the edges of the curtains. ‘‘ Somethin’ rotten in Denmark, an’ that is sure,” the lad decided. ‘‘I’d like ter git onto th’ whole skeem. This is th’ buildin’ next door to th’? bank, an’ that bank is th’ one that Mrs. Goodwin’s busband is president of. Do these two cases drift inter each other? That’s what I’d like ter know, an’ what I must know. But, see here, I’m beginnin’ ter git leg-weary, an’ I uess I'll step right in here an’ take it easy while watch.” By ‘‘ right in here ” Billy meant into the en- trance-way of a building that was open to the street. Owing to the general mildness of the climate, some of the office buildings are without the usual outer doors, the main entrance being open and unguarded. Billy mounted the steps until be was under where he He fell asleep, and when he awoke he found that it was just growing light. ‘Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed, as he rubbed looked around him, ‘* where am [, Oh! now I remember, and—Sweet Lam a healthy old detective, J am, 1 ain’t worth th’ least His eyes were suddenly drawn to the opposite side of the street, where a man had just come out of the house he had intended watching. This man carried a duster under his arm, and had a panful of dirt in his hand. He had the appearance of a janitor, aud such in fact, he was, Stepping forward to an ash-can that stood by the curb, he threw the dirt into it and went back again into the building. Billy left his place of hiding immediately and crossed over and took a Jook into the can. The dirt that the man had deposited was fine- ly ground brick, as could be seen ata glance. Where had it come from? If it had been found in the ash-can every other day for weeks, as the ash-cart man, McDuff, had declared, what was going on in that building? Billy believed that the theory that McDuff had advanced was close upon the truth COR Se The lad had some of the dirt in his hand, ex- amining it, and for the moment was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not observe a man who was coming out of the building. Billy did not see him till he ha reached the suddenly up, at the he received a shock that for sight. It was an He recognized the man _at old enemy, a man whom Billy had twice before been the means of sending to prison. ‘Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed mentally, “itis Sharkey Dan! Now I am in fer it, an [ll bet that my life ain’t worth a nickel.” Dan Bingham it was, or ‘‘ Sharkey” Dan, as he was better known, and his presence proved that he had again escaped from prison. ‘Curse you!” he hissed, as he advanced, ' Billy took care not to let him get hold of him, ‘“oTendin’ ter my own business,” was his re- tort. “You don’t seem to be,” Sharkey accused; ‘‘ what are you huntin’ in that ash-can fer?” “Tf vou was as bungry as I be,” answered glad ter take a look inter Say, give me a dime, to stave off reamed last “Curse you! I'll help your memory a little. Do you know me?” ‘Can't say’s I do.” “ Well, I know you, then. You are Broad- | way Billy, the little devil that— Say, though, | werk | hv really Baie ate: me?” ) u 6 must be a li ess,” Billy averr talkin’ about, anyhow? ) that I reckernize ye is as a fit subjeck fer th’ loonytick ’sylum.’ While s t to get near to Billy, and Billy was as deter- minedly edging off. ‘Come and give me a shine, then,” the man said, stopping short, ‘‘and in that way earn your breakfast. Don’t take me forac [ thought I recognized you, but 1 mus been mistaken.” ttle disjointed in your top af. - What are ye» have — “ Can't do it,” Billy declined, “ fer I'm all out i 0’ blackin , an’ I’m too awful 4S ter work, anyhow. Must hunt ’round till I a , 1 ay About th’ only way" | aking thus, Sharkey Dan wastrying — acrustor | si. yy rs | { - ’ j \ ; , er ‘ 4 uy , . ’ ‘ : i Pr: r £ ¢ , fe ’ ‘ “ ¢; » re ' : . ‘ in. " bs 4 er , ay ud ‘ ry | 7 J . ; i . 4- : * ae > ; ” ‘ bh Jt 4 } *) ‘y Wy f ‘ by - ; ; 7 7 ° : A a , ~ 9 ° ‘ -* h e. ri > : ~- a ° : A, ‘ : i * A ; Si i. Om Po ie i alt 1 oe a f A J 7 Bi) maa | . 2 ; Teh : ; , of Tuts , - \ Maes tea Y4 cs: aa ey oh =" Sef vr PA ser 4? . “4 : Ae, 2) Te “: ' . 7 ‘it + oy om or i. ts " yt nda APD ~ ey be My a! ae’ f dy f o rt 3) here r2y7, ns 7. ’ ; , =? P « A ate} a) ' , - ee : _ 722" tik ‘ + »* " 4 pe a waar at Tere L. % , vo N \ PF], / “i 4 a " : . PN =" — ? * 2 . - _ a Tone apy oie! P OF Fe st eee - ete la oy