Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 727 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

“~ be ae ae to - °# ; . ” er QE ORES RR SFT ere” °F SO Pee 6 Headlight Harry’s Siren. } | vigilant lookout. Alas! forthe Railroad Pards! While watching for an imaginary danger ahead, they failed to discover tbe veritable peril that | threatened from behind, which is searcely to be marveled at, considering the totally unexpected | | unknown bent over Rufe Ruffle, who had ree [~~ mained a dumb but interested witness of the entire proceedings, and loosened the cords that bound him so that it would require but a few moments effort on the fireman’s part to free ' | this service repeated with never-varying regular- ity, until the pards had become thoroughly ac- quainted with every mile of track ovar which their daily run extended. -Indeed, Headlight Harry was wont to laughingly boast that there was not even a tree or post along the entire line that had not become familiar to him from frequent obser vation. et, despite their perfect knowledge of the road, one might have imagined this to be their maiden trip, such was the remarkable care and | quarter from whence it came, himself entirely.. Scarcely had this been done Once more the four unknowns were in motion, | when the swing of the conductor’s red-light set | creeping stealthily over the huge pile of fuel | the train again in motion, and, a moment later, that filled the tender to repletion, While to | the two ruffians leaped nimbly to the ground, pass over this yielding mass entirely without | leaving Rufe Ruffle, bound and gagged, the sole noise was quite an impossibility, yet the slight | occupant of the locomotive cab, a vigilance displayed by the youthful pair who piloted the Fast Express, This extra precaution on their part was directly attributable to that remarkable epistle bearing the signature of **Mad Madge”; for, while the vague threats embodied in the contents of that communication were generally regarded as a huge bluff, and nothing more, the Railroad Pards were united in viewing the matter in a far more serious light. “With a past experience fraught with innu- merable adventures with robbers, wreckers and others of like ilk, whose evil machinations go to increase ten-fold the dangers and difficulties of the luckless railroader’s life, they had learned, among other valuable bits of wisdom, that a little extra precaution, while costing nothing, is frequently the means of averting serious trouble. Therefore, with visions of displaced rails, open switches and the like constantly flash- ing before his mind, Headlight Marry, while running between stations, never for an instant allowed his eager gaze to wander from the con- verging lines of steel that glistened so brightly in the morning sunlight. The outward run to Grandon was made with- out the occurrence of anything unusual; but this fact did not serve to abate one particle the vigil- ance of the Pards when, in due course of time, they found themselves well launched upon the return trip. Rather, their apprehensions in- creased with the approach of nightfall, realizing as they did the increased opportunities for mis- chief afforded under cover of. darkness, And that their feelings of uneasiness were by mo means groundless was fully proved by sub- sequent events. Peril most imminent at that moment hung threateningly over the Railroad Pards, both the nature of whick and the direc- tion erenee it came were alike quite unex- ter + As night fell upon the scene, great somber banks of clouds rolled rapidly up from the West im harbingers of a coming storin—quite eclipsing Heaven’s luminaries; and soon the landscape was shrouded in inky darkness, re- lieved only by the fitful flashes emitted by the locomotive, rushing like sume huge flame- breathing monster on its impetuous way. It was a night well-fitted for deeds of violence and crime, and this fact served to sharpen the senses of the wide-awake railroad boys, who, cognizant of the tremendous responsibility rest- ing upon them, were fully resolved that no lack of vigilance on their part should prevent the train from reaching its destination in safety. But, alas! for the Railroad Pards, apprehen- sive though they were of coming evil, and ever on the alert to discover and avert it, yet Fate had designed their well-directed efforts to be of mo avail. As the train moved slowly out of a small station, shortly after nightfall, four shadowy forms might have been secu to dart from their ces of concealment, two on either side of the track, and, witb a series of agile and noiseless movements, gain the front platform of the fore- most car, where they crouched unobserved while the train gradually gathered speed. Who were these nocturnal prowlers, and why their mysterious movements? Tramps, perhaps bent on securing free passage, who had selected the *‘ blind” end of the Express-car as being the place least liable to visitation from the argus- eyed ticket-puncher. Yet, the subsequent ma- neuvers of the four unknowns would seem to indicate a far different object. No sooner was the station left well behind than those mysterious forms on the front plat- form became suddenly possessed of renewed ac- tivity. One after another they crossed to the end of the tender, and mounted stealthily to the top. Here they paused again, as though appre- hensive that their movements had been ob- served. But no; the men in the cab were too thor- oughly engrossed in their duties to heed these silent overseas in their rea. Headlight Harry was leaning far forward in his seat, one ready hand upon the throttle-lever, straining sounds actually made were drowned by the clatter of the speeding train; and the prowlers, advancing inch by inch, soon reached a position almost within reach of their intended victims. One backward glance would have warned the Pards of their danger, and perbaps afforded an opportunity to avert the fatal consequences; but Fate destined otherwise, and the luckless fellows, quite unconscious of the impending dis- aster, sat with their gaze riveted upon the track abead, until— There was a sudden rush of heavy feet, as four ruffians bounded into the cab, and attacked their victims with tLe fierceness of jungle tigers, A fearful blow upon the head sent Headlight Harry senseless to the floor; but Rufe Ruffle was nct disposed of quite so easily, Chancing to turn his bead at that moment, a blow savage enough to have split his skull was narrowly averted, and, witb a cry of defiance, the in- trepid fireman instantly grappled with his as- sailants, So unequal a contest, however, with odds four to one, could bave but one result; and in far less time than it takes to record the fact, Rufe found himself bound, gagged and helpless, though pbysically none the worse for the brief encounter, As he lay upon the rough floor, close beside bis senseless pard, vaguely conscious of the fact that their pet engine was in the bands of a gang of masked ruffians, the face of the vanianihed fire- man was a study. Astonishment, disgust and anger were ludicroysly blended, The four marauders proceeded with a prompti- tude that showed the details of their scheme to be carefully prearranged, Two of their num- ber immediately took the posts receutly occu- pied by the engine crew, while tbeir compan- ions, after unceremoniously dragging the luck- less victims back into the tynder, themselves took up a crouching p»sition besidethem, Thus, if any person had chanced to look into the cab from the rear, there was nothing visible to arouse suspicion, for, in the indistinct light, the two unknowns who perched so coolly in their lofty seats might easily have been mistaken for the bona fide engineer and fireman. On rusbed the long train upon its way, with all on board quite ignorant of the change that had taken place within the locomotive cab, and, ten minutes after the capture of the Railroad Pards, the next stopping-place was approached, Then it was that the bold marauders prepared for the next move in their desperate game. As the huge driving-wheels ceased to revolve, the pair who had hitherto crouched in the back- ground now leaped lightly from the cab on the side opposite to that on which the station was located, Their comrades quickly raised the form of the still unconscious engineer, and low- ered it into the arms that waited to receive it, An instant later, captors and captive disap- wey within the dense bushes that skirted the rack, That this bold move was accomplished with- out detection was due to a combination of favor- able circumstances, The place was a small one, and but few people were about the station at the time, all of them being assembled upon the platform to meet the incoming train, Then, too, the pseudo-engineer bad planned to stop at a point fully two car’s lengths beyond the lighted depot, where there was nothing to re- lieve the intense blackness of the night. With the train-hands all engaged in their duties at the station, it is scarcely to be wondered at that the mysterious marauders accomplished their purpose without discovery. Ontv more the train moved on, with the two remaining unknowns still at their self-appointed posts. Their part in this strange night’s work yet remained unfinished. The cool and efficient manner in which they managed the great iron- horse, was evidence of past experience at the lever and throttle, Several stations were passed, one after another, but they stuck tenaciously to the cab until a point was reached fuly twenty miles beyond the scene of Headlight Harry’s abduction. Here it was evident they were about to relin- his eager eyes to pierce the gloom; while Rute | quish the role which they had enacted with such Ruffle, having just replenisbed the seething fires of the iron horse, was keeping an equally good effect, As the train again came to a stop, one of the Ten minutes later these same individuals might have been seen riding briskly over a rough country road, in the direction of tke dis- tant foot-hills, mounted on mettlesome steecs, and accompanied by a third desperado, to whom they were gleefully recounting their successful night’s adventures. leantime, Rufe Ruffle had lost no time in im- proving hisopportunity. Working energetically at the bonds so considerately loosened by his late captors, he soon hed the satisfaction of finding himself at liberty, His first act was to bring the train to a stand- still; then, as the train-bands rushed excitedly forward to learn the cause of this action, he quickly explained what bad occurred on the en- gine during that eventful trip, To say that his story caused a sensation is put ting it but mildly. All stood aghast as they realized the audacious scheme that had been brought to a successful culmination beneath their very noses. <A brief consultation was held, and the impossibility of succoring the unfortu- nate engineer at the present time was speedily demonstrated, To push cn to Richville and no- tify the authorities seemed the most sensible procedure under the circumstances, and this was accordingly done witbout further delay, Tne news of Headlight Harry’s mysterious abduction spread like wildfire, furnisbing a new theme for conversation, and promising to create an even greater sensation than the famous Ex- press robbery that bad but recently set the com- munity agog with excitement, CHAPTER VI, THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER, SECURE from observation in their leafy covert, the captorsof Headlight Harry remained until the fast receding train had vanished in the distance. Then, lifting the still unconscious en- gineer between them, they emerged from the thicket and moved noiselessly across an adjacent field. The night marsucers had evinced great shrewdness ia selecting this small and unimpor- tant station as a fitting place to escape from the engine with their victim. Houses were few and far between, and it was quite an easy matter to elude the mere handful of people who chanced to be in the immediate vicinity. Traversing the field, they soon reached a nar- row highway at a point not far distant from the railroad. Pausing bere, one of the ruffians gave a low, peculiar whistle which was instantly re- turned, while from the dense thicket that fringed the road a dusky form emerged, ‘‘Hello, Pat! Is it you?” was the cautious salutation. ‘““Paitb, an’ its me own silf, an’ nobody’s else,” came the ready response, in accents un- mistakably Milesian. ‘‘Shure, an’ it’s tired enough IL am, a-waitin’ fer yez. Did yez fetch the spalpeen along?” ‘‘ Use yer eyes more an’ yer tongue less, an” ye'll see the bloomin’ beauty right bere under yer nose, I reckon Black Jobn is not the galoot to trip up on an easy job like this, but he brings down his game evy’ry time. Eb, ‘pard?” “Right you are, pard,” rejoined the third unknown, ‘‘ An’ bil allow the cap’n ’ll be mighty tickled when we bring the critter in safe | an’ sound,” ‘** An’ by the shades of Holy St. Patrick, phat does the cap’n want 0’ this bloody spalpeen of am engineer? Shure, she’s taken pains enough to git him, but phat the divil it’s all about is more thanI cantell.” ‘And the same is none of our bizness, Pat me boy,” tersely returned the individual called Black John. ‘It’s our duty to obey orders an’ ask no questions. So, cease your blarney an’ trot out those bosses, We've got a long, hard ride ahead of us.” : The Irishman thereupon quickly subsided, and proceeded to lead three powerful steeds from the thicket where they had been tethered, The trio quickly mounted, Headlight Harry being thrown unceremoniously across the pommel of Black John’s saddle; in which uncomfortable position he was sustained by the stout arm of that redoubtable ruffian. Without further con the mysterious versation, night-riders now i! vy %, ' wn) J 4 % ” << C teat ee : In Be 4