Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 727 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 Headlight Harry’s Siren. bundles and what not that poured upon him in @ seemingly endless shower. The scene was the railway station at Grandon, a thriving Western town, just prior to the de- parture of the evening Mail and Express, The lat- ter was already made up and in pusition, headed | by a monster iron-borse, resplendent in bright | paint and highly-polished bras<es, that throbbed and thrilled as if eager to be off on its impetuous career. Six elegant coaches, together with mail, Express and baggage cars, went to make up this important train which, leaving Grandon late in the afternoon, made a long but rapid run westward to Richton, reacbing that point short- ly after midnight. Hundreds of burrying people thronged the spacious platforms—belated passengers, train- hands, cabmen and truckmen, newsboys, mes- sengers and countless others, all jostling and elbowing one another as they hastened in various directions, while the incessant rattle of baggage- trucks and the shouts of the busy workers served to augment the uproar and excitement peculiar to ap important railway station at train-time. Amid the universal bustle and confusion the | ! ' | | | Express-car before-mentioned, presented, per- | haps, the busiest scene of all, belated van, heavily laden, bad only just arrived, and a force of brawny truckmenu were bard at work trans- ferring its contents to the door of the car where the messenger and hisassistant waited to receive them. With but a few moments remaining in which to complete their work, these lusty fel- /ows toiled with such hereculean energy that the men in the car found themselves in imminent danger of being buried beneath the perfect ava- lanche of miscellaneous articles that poured in- incessantly upon them, Boxes and packages of every shape and size, from a dry-goods case down to a tiny parcel, flew from van to truck and from truck to car with astonishing rapidity, when suddenly from the conglomerate mass was unearthed an object quite out of the ordinary run of Express matter, and which received a trifle nore than usual at- tention from the hurrying truckmen, It wasa rough pine box, about seven by three, and its very shape was grimly suggestive of the hidden coutents. There was something peculiarly weird and uncanny about this humble box and its inanimate burden, sufficiently so to inspire the awe of these rough-and-ready men, for a dead bush tuok the place of their usual shouts, while they exercised a care in handling it that was quite at variance with their customary recklessness, Not enough s6, however, to satisfy a certain individual who hovered close at band, watchin the course of the box with an air of great solici- tude, He wasa queer little old man, apparently bent with age, with long, gray beard falling to bis waist, and twinkling black eyes that peered sharply from beneath the shaggy brows. He was shabbily attired, and might taken for a native of the back districts, judging from the nervous, undecided air with which he contem- plated his surroundings. When the pine box was raised on high bya dozen sinewy arms, this queer old fellow imme- diately rushed forward, making bis presence known by a series of excited exclamations de- livered ia shrill, high-pitched tones, ‘* Be keerful, there, yeou fellers!" be scream- ed. ‘‘ Don’t bandle that ’ere box as if *twasa bundle o’ rags, for it contains the earthly re- mains o’ my poor ole brother Bill, an’ a better chap never cavorted up an’ down God’s footstool. I’m a-sendin’ bim home to the old folks, and durn me if I don’t believe he’ll arrive there in more’n a thousan’ pieces, judgin’ by the way you ’tarnal railroad folks is bangin’ things around,” Displaying av agility astonishing in one of his ears, the stranger gave a bound which landed im inside the Express-car, ** Poor Bull! It’s powerful tough to hev to leave ye to the tender mercy oO’ these railroad hustlers, but I reckon thar’s no help for it. Howsumdever, I'll see to it that ye ride as com- fortable as possible under the circumstances. I s’pose, mister,” he went on, addressing the Ex- press-mes-enger, ‘* thar’s no objection to my ar- rangin’ this box sort of cozy-like, Ye see, I’ve planked down a right smart sum for the trans- portation of my brother’s remains, an’ it kinder } ag’in’ my grain to have him buried under orty ton weight o’ rubbish.” ‘* All right, my friend! Fix him up to suit yourself. If you'll place the box in yonder vacant corner, I'll geben your deceased re- lative will enjoy bis long journey unmolested, But, make baste, partner, for we are off in just one minute,” And laughing good-naturedly, the messenger turned once more to his task, while the old man, unaided, proceeded to drag his precious box to its allotted corner. This done, he stood over it apparently lost in coptemplation of the maoni- fold virtues of his departed fraternal relative, Clang! went the great depot gong, the wait- ing conductor shouted *‘ All aboard!” and, an instant later, the long train was in motion, The last package of Express matter was tbrown in even as the car started, and now Roy Noble, the Express-messenger, turned hurriedly to bis queer old visitor who stood seemingly oblivious of the fact that the train was under way. ** Look sharp, my friend! Don’t you know the train has started?” he cried, sharply; and the old man turned with a violent start. ** Sakes alive, ye don’t say so!” he exclaimed. ** Waal, Bill, [ s’pose I. must leave ye, Wish I c’u’d stay with ye to the end, but circum- stances won’t allow it. Good-by, old fellow! An’ say, Mr. Expressman, take good care o’ poor Bill, an’ see that he’s let off easy when he gets to Branford.” Bestowing a last affectioncte glance at the box that inclosed his deceased relative’s re- mains, the old fellow jumped from the slowly- moving car to the platform, where he stood in- dustriously applying a red cotton handkerchief to his eyes, and gazing after the train until it had disappeared trom view, ‘* A queer old customer, that,” remarked Roy Noble, seating bimself upon a crate to enjoy a few moments’ rest before beginning the work of assorting the miscellaneous pile of mer- chandise that sirrounded him—a privilege he was enabled to take because the train ran a considerable distance before making its first stop. ‘* Ay, the rustiest old rooster from Wayback that I ever sot my two peepers on,” rejoined the messenger’s assistant, a rollicking youth named Tim Tupper. ‘‘ Mighty particular, too, about bis poor brother Bill, Reckon he oughter en- gage a special palace cur to transport tle cadaver in, I, for one, don’t keer for sich g host- ly company, hanyed if I do,” The speaker cast a suspicious glance toward the long pine box, lying there in that dimly- lighted corner, as though fearful that its ghastly occupant might burst suddenly from his prison and confront him. ** Well, Tim, I'll admit that such a neighbor is not altogether desirable; but if the Company sees fit to accept a consignment of that nature, of course we, as its humble servants, bave no right to object. ‘brother Bill’ will not barm eitherof us, Il reckon, and we'll soon be rid of his company.” ‘*Not until we strike Branford, and that is more’n half the run,” growled Tim, by no means aoe at the prospect. ‘* However, I reckon "ll manage to weather it somehow,” ** Yonder box and its contents don’t worry me in the least,” declared the messenger; *‘ though there are other more important matters on my mind, which, to tell the truth, are causing me no little uneasiness,” Roy Noble’s bandsome couutenance, usually beaming with smiles, now bore unmistakable traces of anx ety; and it was with much sur- prise that his companion now observed the change, “ Why, pard, what has struck you, now?’ he exclaimed, ‘‘ Never saw you look so serious be- fore. What’s up?” The rm po a laughed a short, un- easy laugh, ‘**Oh, there’s really nos. the matter, Tim. I’m merely indulging in the objectionable prac- tice of borrowing trouble, Very foolish, Vil admit; nevertheless, I can’t help it.” ** Pooh! Is that all?’ snorted Tim, in disgust. ‘** Why, you look as woebegone asa feller that’s sentenced to be electrocuted; what the dickens are ye borrowin’ trouble about, any way?” “yell, Tim, there’s an extra responsibility resting on my shoulders, to-night. Listen!” and he lowered his voice toa confideutial whisper, as though fearful that the very car itself had ears. ‘* Yonder safe contains a fortune, Tim—a verit- able fortune! Jn fact, this is by far the most vajuable consignment ever placed in my charge during my connection with this Company.” ‘* You don’t say so!” ‘**T do. In addition to an unusually large number of packages containing money, jewelry and other valuables, there is one particular item that exceeds in value all the rest combined.” ** And thatis—” ‘‘ A package consigned to the Richville Na- tional Bank, It contains a cool bandred thou- sand dollars in crisp new treasury-mo#es.” Tim Tupper’s eyes protruded Mke peeled- onions, and he gave a prolonged whistle to ex- press his | ment, come, Tim! | idle talk, and we'll need to hump ourselves to get things ‘‘ Je-rusalem! That’s a powerful lot o’ swag!” he commented, ‘* Just so, And as Iam responsible for its safe delivery, do you wonder that I feel the least bit nervous?” ‘‘There’s no need of worry, I reckon, The stuff’ll reach its destination all right. What’s to binder?” ‘‘ Nothing, probably; but several things, pos- sibly. For instance, there have beep a number of Express robberies in the history of this line, Others are just as liable tooccur, If the knigbts of the road should capture this car, to-night, what a barvest they would reap!” ‘‘True; but the aforesaid knights are not so promiscuous in these parts asthey might be. It is overa year since Nick Norman’s gang was wiped out, right after they beld up an excursion on the Belmout Branch, an’ notbin’ bas been done in that line since.” ‘* But that is no guaranty of immunity in the future. It is the nnexpected that always hap- pens, and in this wild country one cannot be too cautious,” ‘Well, I reckon it?d take a mighty smart. | gang 0’ robbers to gain an entrance to this car,” Tim Tupper declared. ‘* With good stout doors, locked and larred, and trusty revolvers in our fists, we c’u’d bid ‘em all defiance. We're per- fectly safe from outsiders, The only danger is that ‘ brother Bill’ yonder might take a notion to come out of his box an’ try for that bundred thousand. Ha, ha!” So absurd was Tim’s remark that the Express- messenger was forced to smile, ‘‘T do not anticipate any trouble from tbat source,” he said, ‘‘and I certainly hope there will be none from any other, Uowever, I shall not breathe freely until the tripisended, But We are wasting too much time in There’s a lot of work abead of us, straightened out before the next stop.” In another moment the two men were indus- triously at work. CHAPTER II. THE ROBBERY, THE long train rolled on its rapid way, stead- ily leaving mile after mile bebii.d, now drawing up ata Lustling station, then steaming swiftly on again through long stretches of fertile fic lds and virgin forests. Night had succeeded day, and gleaming lights that flashed like fireflies marked the course of the tram as it sped along in the darkness. Within the Express-cear, the gloom was but partially relieved by the aingy kerosene lamps that bung suspended from the ceiling, The mo- tion of the car caused these lights to sway and flicker in an eccentric manner, throwing fantas- tic shadows on every hand. The corner that contained the long pine box was almost entirely shrouded in darkness, for a quantity of other articles had been piled so as to sbut out the rays of the nearest lamp, at the same time biding the death-box from the view of the living occupants of the car. The latter were now enjoying a brief period of ease, for the train had just left a station and entered a long stretch of unbroken country, with the next stopping-place nearly twenty miles distant. The messenger was idly turning the leaves of bis receirt-book, while Tim Tup- per, perched on an improvised seat of boxes was endeavoring to read the latest novel by aid of the feeble light that danced and flickered overhead, Neither gave a single thought to “ poor brother Bill,” lying there in his narrow cc ffin; and this utter disregard proved, indeed, unfortunate for both, for had they chanced to visit that dimly- lighted corner, they might have witnessed a very remarkable scene, One end of that innocent-appearing box sud- conty commenced to move inward, swingi slowly, noiseeenys like a door on well-oil hinges, Then, through the spacious opening thus created, a human head protruded. ) When but a few minutes previous, Tim Tup- per had laughingly mentioned the ibility of “brother Bill” emerging from bis box, he of course intended it as a jest; but now tbat pre- diction seemed actually about to be fulfilled! Nor was this phenomenon attributable to any supernatural agency, It was but the result of remarkable human ingenuity. One end of the box, while seemingly a solid part of the whole, was really a shrewd contrived door swinging inward, and o wes from the inside by means of a concealed spring. It fitted perfectly into place, and was well calculated to defy detection. The coffin sup to be contained within this box was conspicuous by its absence, but the 900