Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 726 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

* —— Hah i .. ’ aay rag ct 7 ry “he 12 ‘« Not by a long shot, when Water Bill tied the strings.” “‘ But I believe the bar is up.” ‘‘T know itis. Gosh all thunder-claps! what does that mean? Say, one o’ them toughs has got in an’ fastened us out,” ‘‘ Break in the door!” Cal advised, burriedly. “Tf he sets that detective free it means Sing Sing boarding-house for us!” Bill flung himself against the door. It stood firm. ‘‘ He can’t break that bar,” chuckled Dennis. ‘‘ He can do worse, as soon as the idea occurs to him,” Tracer gravely observed, ‘‘ The bar crosses the dvor at its strongest part, and must be well-nigh impregnable, but the panels would not long resist assault. Once they get a hole through, too, they can turn their revolvers on us, wherever we may stand.” This startling fact troubled the heir of the Duffs, and made him more than ever anxious to etaway. How could it bedone? The windows ad been tested and were out of the game, They must go down or up,if at all, His gaze wan- dered, and then he suddenly grasped Tracer’s arm. ‘““Say, mister, w’ot d’ye call that?” he de- manded, Following the boy’s suggestive forefinger, Tracer saw in the ceiling something that had be- fore escaped their notice, A space had been cut in the top of the room, and there would have been a hole three feet square bad nota board cover been over it. The detective caught the idea at once. s ee 1’ he whispered, ‘‘Get the box under it. We must go up, unless that cover is nailed down,” ‘*Correct fer Dennis! I don’t want no bullets fired inter my figger, fer my‘bones would jam them all out o’ shape. Ezthe minister said when the old sheep butted him in a belated part o’ bis anatomy: ‘the imvact was painful; an’ ’twonld be so ef a lump o’ lead shook hands with my hip- jints, Up we go, Gallagber!” Mr. Duff's spirits were rising, and so was his person. He leaped to the top of the case and reached for the cover of the aperture. All de- pended on whether it was fastened down, He touched it; it gave way. He seized the firm sides.of the opening, and, as Tracer gave his help, went up lightly. The detective followed without any great trouble. They were ina very dark loft, the roof of the house being so low that Tom could not stand erect, ‘‘ Where was Moses when the light went out?” Dennis demanded, ‘* The chestnuts o’ that joke are here, an’ this is the place where Moses was, It’s sacred soil. Mebbe McGinty, Gallagher an’ Little Annie Rooney room here, Better hev — than Whisky Bill an’ Thimble-rigger al,” ‘‘ What we need most is that lantern.” ‘Say, Pll git it!” Tracer stopped his impetuous ally, Bill and Col were flinging themselves heavily against the door, which was beginning to crack and ‘Tt is not safe.” ? ‘‘But we must hev that lantern. Somebody gets odds by means of it, Shall it be us, or them? Say, mister, I must gol” ‘‘ Then make haste!” Down through the opening Dennis went. It took him only a brief time to reach the lanterr, but as he did soa part of one panel flew in, and he could see through the ragged hole thus made, He sprung back to the box, the lantern was up, and his friend seized bis arms. ‘* Hold up, thar, or I'll shoot yer!” roared Water Bill from the outer room, A merereet was thrust turough the broken panel, With one leap, aided by Tracer, Dennis gained the loft, and the waterman growled an angry ex lamation at having bis target thus disap- ar. ‘* We are the roosters on the top ave the heap, sure!” the boy exclaimed. The detective did not answer. He was using the lantern to look around, He knew the enemy would try to followthem, Had they any means of repelling an attack? He caugbt sight of a stout stick which was well calculated for a club, and caught it up with an air of relief. ‘*Tt means sore heads for them, now, if they try any hostilities at close quarters,” be de- clared., The door gave way entirely before repeated assaults, and, as it flew from its hinges abrupt- ly, buth Bill and Cal followed it and fell sprawl- ing on the floer, ‘Say, sometbing’s been after droppin’!” taunt- $e ee ingly called young Mr. Duff. ‘‘ Get a derrick, an’ raise up the old stiffs!” But the fallen men sprung to their feet much quicker than was to be expected, and Water Bill raised his revolver. The fugitives prudently made themselves invisible. ‘*Say, come down out o’ that!” roared the waterman. No one answered, ‘*T mean biz, an’ don’t yer forget it,” he add- ed. ‘‘ Come down, or |’ll shoot the both o you!” CHAPTER XIV, A NEW DANGER APPEARS, ‘Ter him talk,’ Tom Tracer calmly ob- served. ‘‘It is action, not words, we have to fear.” Water Bill was no coward, and he made a mo- tion to leap up on the box, but the detective dis- played bis club at the opening. ** Keep down!” he quietly directed. ‘* If you show your unsightly head up this way, it will be the first sufferer,” ‘*See yere!” cried the waterman, ‘ w’ot do you mean by such infamous conduct?” ** W hat’s the trouble, William?” ‘** What busines< have you up thar?” * en! friend, feeling the difference in our worldly station, I bayve decided that I ought to inhabit your garret, rather than your parlor. Observe my extreme humility, and let me have my way. I don’t feel at home with you,” ‘“'You talk like a cbild, but I am a mano’ business. I don’t know how the dickens you got loose, but there you be, Now, ef you don’t come down Pll wing you.” ‘* Proceed, waterman!” ** Do you see this revolver?” ‘*No; and I don’t cere to, I am not big enough fool to exhibit my head to you and get a bullet as a reward. I can’t see you, end you can’t see me, but I have you foul. In this case clubs are trumps and a long reach counts. I can defend my position without showing so much as a finger, and you can rest assured that the man who dares get on that box will get a broken head!” Water Bill was angry, and be proved it by an extemporaneous, lurid and disconnected series of remarks which would bave shocked a person who was opposed to violent language. In fact, he tore passion in tatters, and discharged words which, as Dennis Duff averred, “raised a right smart smell o’ brimstone,” When the waterman calmed down somewhat be and Cal Garland consulted. Although the former had come near getting a sbot at Dennis, they had not seen the boy distinctly enough to recognize him, or, indeed! to see that it was not Tracer bimself. They were greatly puzzled to know how the detective had escaped. They had left bim strongly bound, and experi- enced Water Bill bad tied the cords with theskill af the sailor and the roughness of a merciless captor. et, the cords had been neatly cut, and he was gone. They could not understand it in any degree, but they abandoned vain speculations on the past to plan for energetic action in the future, How were they to recapture him? Water Bill had been given to understand that it was a matter of great importance that Thomas Jefferson Tracer sbould disapnear from the haunts of men foratime, Mr. Vandevere Van Decker bad told the Brown Sport of the adven- ture with the thimble-riggers, and tbe part Tracer had played, and the Sport’s fears had been aroused at once, He hired Bill to seize the detective, and re- iterated the importance of holding him fast, The men did not see their way clear to get at their prey. There was but one means of access to the loft, and sight of tbe club Tracer had waved over the opening convinced them that he could defend that point. In the mean while, at the detective’s sugges- tion, Dennis hed taken the lantern and made an examination of their new quarters, The place was at once a refuge and a prison, It had no skylight or window, and was a bare, unfinished wilderness of rough timbers, s»linters and cob- webs. ‘* There ain’t no way out except by the roof,” he announced. **Can you break through that?” Tom asked, ‘‘Dupno. It seems pretty solid,” ‘‘ Time ought to bave decayed it,” ‘« Guess it’s been in other business; don’t see no favorable symptoms, I allow.” Dennis pushed stoutly against the roof, but failed to make an impression, ‘*We have got to force our way out, some- oe ee ee Dennis Duff, the Brown Sport’s Kid. ee how,” Tracer declared. ‘‘ Even the coming of day would bring us no relief, for we cannot get the attention of an outsider, We simply are bottled up bere, where we can depend ou on ourselves, You have done me a vast service, Dennis, but I fear you will have cause to regret your brave ccurse in coming to my rescue,” _ “Go ’way!” was the emphatic advice. ‘ ’m jest in my glory. S’pose sech a smull thing worries me?” ‘* W bat if we stay bere until you get bungry?” ‘* Why, then I’ll send a messenger ter Del- monico’s fer a dish of r’ale Trish stew,” “* We are in a stew, already, but it’s not the kind so dear to the heart of St, Patrick’s fol- lowers,” Water Bill now claimed attention, ‘Say, up there; be you goin’ ter surrender?” “T think not, We haven’t heard of such a move,” ‘* We are goin’ ter smoke you out.” ‘* Ts it possible?” ‘* Yes. We’ll build a smudge bere; the smoke will all ascend, an’ you’ll be smothered,” ‘* William, you amuse me. Go on with your fun. When the smoke is started I will simply put the cover over this hole in the ceiling, and not enough will get up here to tickle our nos- trils.” The waterman again indulged in forcible lan- guage, Say,” he added, ‘‘ef you don’t come out we’ll set the old house on fire. I¢ will burn like tinder, an’ roast you alive,” ‘*That’s better, Go abead!” *““\Ve mean it,” ‘* Proceed, William!” Bill was growing more anc more angry, and be vented bis wrath in the usual way, Then he added arguments and threats. He was ugly enough, just then, to do anything, but he pre- ferred to frighten his opponents, The old building bad been a home to bim for months, and though the toeory that he bad stolen goods stored there was not correct, he disliked to de- stroy his own refuge, Yet, if Tracer escaped it would be a refuge no longer. He was disposed to go down with flying colors, Once more be tried to move Tom Tracer, but without success, Then he left Cal Garland on guard and went to the lower flcor. He return- ed bringing gn armful of small boards and splin- ters, These he piled up against the partition be- tween the two rooms, ‘“Tv’ll make a mighty lively blaze,” he ob- served, in a loud voice, ‘“‘ Every part of the old ruokery is dry as dust, an’ it will burn in a twinklin’, Five minutes after I touch her off with a match, the whole ranch will be a fiery pit of roarin’ flames.” ““ Suppose the blokes above make a rush for life?” questioned Cal, in the same tone, “Ob! we'll stay until there’s no hope for them, an’ sboot the elbows off of ’em ef they show up.” ‘It will be smoky and hot in the attic, won’t it?” Water Bill langbed hoarsely, ‘Say, old man,” he returned, “won't they have a pile o’ fun?” Tom Tracer knew this talk was simply to frighten them, but there was no denying that the case was very serious, They could not go down, and there was no visible way of going up; the fire certainly would devour the old ruin in a short time; and even if the police discovered it in due season, they would be too late to save the adventurers in the loft, The detective tried his luck on the roof, but failed to make any impression. ‘‘T wish [ knew what would be the result if you were to surrender,” he remarked, thougbt- fully. ‘‘ Why, mister?” Dennis asked, ‘*t am net disposed to give way an inch, but if those men had one grain of human feeling left, they would consider your age and let you go free, if you surrendered,” ‘‘Sneezin’ cats!” cried Dennis, ‘‘but they won’t get no chance, Surrender? Notef the house o’ Doff ain’t lost its backbone. Why, in Ballyragget, Kilkenny County, when a Duff got inter a fight he never showed the white feather. Either he won, or kept on fightin’ till he died of old age. Say no more on that head, boss; I won’t desert the flag!” ‘* You are a hero,” ‘*I’m just wonderin’ ef I ain’t a strategy- feller, too,” Dennis had been giving some attention to the chimney, It was old-fashioned, and, in the loft, ierced for the entrance of a stove-pipe, that be- ing the method of heating the house, And comicboolk ~~ oc ~*~ ye an all on el a =— ee cif Ss Oe, CU -_ ~~ naa tod 2 FD bel [ee a= feet oe. Cn Aa