Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 730 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

pocket, sir? Have I not regularly showed you a statement of expenses, which revealed where the money went? I have taken cure that it should be expended in a judicious manuer, This business has cost—” “You are quite right, Brother Slink, it has cost.” ‘* But sit down, sir, sit down,” and the oily lawyer hastened to place a broken-backed chair for his visitor. ‘‘ We can talk much more com- fortably while sitting than standing. You must be thirsty?’ and with clasped hands and forward bent body, Slink was a veritable hu- man interrogation point, The ‘* Rev.” Jayne slowly cleared his throat. ‘*To tell the truth, 1 am somewhat thirsty,” he confessed. The lawyer hastened to a small closet and quickly brought outa bottle of liquor and two glasses, placeing them on the tabe, Then he sat down opposite his caller, ~*T believe the Bible says something about a little wine being good for the stomach’s sake?” observed Slink. ‘¢ You are right, Brother Slink, such a declar- ation is to be found in the Good Book, uttered by one of the wise men of God. Mind you, [ do not counsel over-indulgence in stimulating drink, but a tittle is sometimes very invigorating and beneficial,” ** Right you are! Help yourself, parson.” Jayne poured out a brimming glass, lifted it to the light and observed its color with a criti- cal eye, _“*It?s the prime article,” assured the lawyer, as he turned out about a thirdof aglass, ‘‘ It cost money.” The glasses clinked and the liquor disappeared. Adam Jayne smacked his lips and looked askance at the bottle. ** Prime stuff, eh?” from Slink, *¢ Yes; and that is what surprises me. How the dev—Dutch can you afford to drink such liquor and smoke such cigars? Why, when I picked you up, you were nothing but a common tramp with scarce a shirt to your back! Your con- dition has changed, and I think [ understand how it comes about. Your practice—” ‘*My practice has been exceedingly good of late, dear sir,” Slink hastened to say, puffing nervously at his cigar. ‘‘I have done excel- lently well since coming to Coffin City, I assure you, ‘* But I never see any one except myself en- tering or leaving this den,” ** Tt is not probable you watch the door all the time, dear sir,” expostulated Elias, growing more and more nervous, changing the cigar in his mouth several times, ** However, it,is business I wish to speak to you about, That is why I was thinking of you.” Deliberately Adam again filled his glass. Slink turned out a small amount, and once more the glasses touched, ‘| trust you can tell me of success this time— success ina positive degree, I am tired of being hung on the verge of success, but waiting in vain for what you have repeatedly promised. Tama man of much patience and long suffer- ing, but there is a limit to my endurance.” Slink suddenly bent forward, resting bis hands on the table and looking his visitor sharply in the face. ** Can you complain of the manner in which I have served you?” he demanded, speaking as smoothly as ever, an insinuating smile creeping around the corners of his gash-like mouth, ‘* Did T not find the girl for you, and did 1 not find the boy? I did more eee bee put up the little job—at your suggestion—which would have rid you of the kid but for the interference of that fellow who caJls himself Violet Vane, You in- nate you would like to get rid of the boy, and— The “ Rev.” Adam held up his hands in hor- ror, as he hastened to interrupt the speaker, ‘*My dear brother, can it be that you have thus deceived yourself? Ysur words fill my soul with amazement and righteous indignation! Such terrible thoughts never entered my heart. When I saw thesnareinto which my dear nephew had fallen through his greed for the gold of his benefactor, my heart was torn with anguish. I pleaded with those stern men to relinquish their purpose, but all to no avail. But for the inter- ference of this Violet Vane—confound—-no, bless him !—the r boy would have been cruelly hanged. His young life would have been ex- tinguished tike that of a flower crushed beneath a remorseless foot,” Slink smiled, craftily. _““Your money placed the boy in that posi- tion,” he asserted. ‘‘ It certainly cost son i to hire those men and to arrange the e Violet Vane’s Verdict. at li 3 but you came down liberally. I found two fel- lows who had a grudge against Old Luckless, and they disposed of him, I also found—” But Adam would bave started to his feet, ‘*T cannot listen to this!” heexclaimed, ‘‘If vou have made such a wicked use of the money 1 gave you, Brother Slink, [ trust.you will not distress me by telling me of it. This will cause me tospend many long hours in penitence and prayer.” For the third time he filled his glass. Slink turned out a small amount, as he had done be- fore. Holding up the glass, the lawyer closed one eye and squinted knowingly across the brim with the other. ‘*T fancy we understand each other pretty well, parson,” he observed, removing his cigar from his mouth, ‘‘ Here is success to your plans,” The glasses clinked again and they swallowed the liquor. ‘*Ab!” exclaimed Jayne, again smacking his lips. ‘‘ That warms the heart in a man’s bosom, It gives a Christian a sort of feeling of love and pity for his sinful fellow-men. The Apostle was right in saying a little wine is good for the stomach’s sake, "apa what is the business you wish to speak of? ‘It is of the boy, of course.” **Have you found bim? The last time I was here, you feltsure you had a positive clew to his whereabouts — you said some of your men had ane him toSanta Fe, How did that turn out The lawyer shook bis bead, ‘*It was time wasted,” he confessed. ‘I re- gret to say it, my dear sir, but it was time and money wasted,” ‘i > a Jayne smote the table with his clinched and, ‘That is what I thought,” he almost snarled, his face being absolutely repulsive for the time, ‘*'You have been making a fool of yourself and me too, Slink! You have been wasting the money T have giveu you! I am done dealin with you, sir! Do you hear? I am done deal- ing with you!” Still Slink smiled, and still he rubbed his bon hands together. “You are getting excited, parson,” came smoothly from his tongue. ‘* There is no reason for it, I am—” ** Reason!” snapped Adam, turning out an- other glass and dashing it off—‘‘reason! Will you talk to me of reason? Oh, you make me tired, Slink! I have played bank for you long enough; now I am done!” ‘* My dear sir,” purred Elias, not in the least ruffled, ‘‘ Il am sure you will change your mind when you hear what I have to tell you. You are drinking too much, parson, and the liquor is going to your head,” Jayne was on the point of turning out another glassful, but be relinquished his purpose and set- tled back into his chair, twisting his face into a mass of sour knots. ‘*If you have anything to tell me, Brother Slink,” he said, with an attempt at dignity, ‘I trust you will make it known, I have no time to waste in the follies of this life. It was the im- mortal Longfellow who said ‘ life is real.and life is earnest,’ There is work—hic!—in the vast vineyard of the world for all to do.” ** Well, this is not the pace to preach a ser- mon, parson, This time lam going to tell you a thing lam positive of: We are on track of the boy at last,” ** Same old thing—same story!” ** But there is no mistake this time. The very man who saved him from the trap your money set, boldly appeared in Coffin City to-day.” ‘SW hat?” **Tt is the truth,” smoothly smiled the crafty lawyer. ‘* Violet Vane was in this town to-day |” CHAPTER ITI. FATHER AND SON, THE ‘ Rev,” Adam started to his feet as if in alarm, but immediately sunk back into the chair, reaching nervously for the bottle and turning out anotber brimming glass, bis hand shaking so he spilled some while doing this, Rolling the cigar far down into the left corner of his mouth and half-closing his small, foxy eyes, Lawyer Slink closely watched the effect of his words upon his client, the smile changing to something like a look of contempt as he noted the man’s emotion, _ Jayne tossed off the liquor at a gulp, not even waiting for his companion to accompany him with the usual teaspoonful he drank at one time, Setting down the glass, his hand shaking as he did so, he muttered: “The devil!” “Eh?” came quickly from the lawyer’s lips. ‘*That is an unusual expression for you, my dear friend.” ‘*T was simply finishing aloud a sentence I began in my mind,” Adam explained, ‘‘ What [ said in full wash—hic!—that I had rather see most any one than thish Violet Vane, even the EvilOne, Shee?” The effect of the liquor was becoming very no- ticeable upon the reverend gentleman. His face was flusbed, and his words somewhat thickly spoken, Slink rubbed his hands with satisfac- tion and chuckled softly. ‘* Now, my dear sir, that is the last thing I would expect to hear from your lips,” declared the oily lawyer, giving the cigar another roll from left to right in his mouth, ‘‘ With a single exception, I hed rather see this Violet Vane just now than any other person I know of,” ‘* Who is the exception?” ‘The boy.” ‘* Well, why are you sho delighted to see thish Violet Vane?” ‘* Hasily explained, dear sir, easily explained. It is quite certain Violet Vane aided the boy in escaping from us, We have spoken of that be- fore. The kid could not have avoided us alone and got away without leaving a trace behind, You have said as much yourself before now, sir. ‘* Believe I have, Brother Slink. Go on,” ‘* Well, if this man in velvet aided the boy to escape, it is quite probable he knows where the kid is at the present time, Isn’t that so?” *t Jesht like’s not,” ’ “By watching Vane, we may find the boy, Savvy?” Adam leaned forward on the table and ex- tended his hand, which was promptly accepted by his crafty tool. ‘* Brother Slink, you’re—hic!—a shewel!” as- serted the reverend rascal, ‘*‘ You would be an ornament and a pillar of the church! You should come into the fold before it ish everlastingly too yaies and shpend the resht of your days in work- ng in the shervice of the Lord. In your—bic! —preshent occupation you are chasti g our pearls before swine. Brother Stink, gf eel for you—I do, and in the quiet schanctity of the closet you shall have my prayers, Yesh, you shall, my dear brother in shin, yesh you shall!” ‘* Many thanks, dear sir,” purred Slink, once more settling back in the chair and apparently allo ae the cigar to ro]) of its own accord across his mouth, ‘* But business is business, and we are talking business just now, "not religion. There will be lots of time for the lat- ter after we are through with this little job— and I fancy we will have need enough of it. We shall be fortunate if we can secure enough of the simon-pure article to save us from an eternal roast,” Jayne shrugged his shoulders, ‘You talk strangely, Brother Sunk, oaouge- ly, strangely! Scarce can I undershtand the meaning of the words you utter, I surely am only doing my schober duty—hic!—trying to find the schildren of my dead brother Saul,” ‘“How much money did your dead brother Saul leave them?” Adam straightened up as stiff as a ramrod, ** Money, shir!” he said, with dignity. ‘My brother was comparatively a poor man. But what are these things to you? Thish is none of the business for which I engaged you, shir,” “Certainly not, certainly not,” Slink has- tened to say, as he rubbed his hands together, nervously. ‘*Of course I understand there is some powerful incitive that leads you to relent- lessly search for this boy.” — “Affection, shir, affection! This heart—” pinning his left‘band in the vicinity of his right ung—'‘ thish heart beats with love for all the hum—the humble creatures of earth, That being the cashe, Brother Slink, why should it not beat with redoubled affection for thoshe of my own kin! I would gather the poor home- less ones under the shadow of—hic—my wing. Shee?” 1 “Oh, cert. It is very plain—as plain and clear as mud, hope and trust your love for this boy will not be thwarted. By what became of the girl?” Adam started nervously and glanced about, as if fearful of eavesdroppers, then he de- liberately winked at his foxy tool, as he replied: ‘¢She is shafe, I ’shure you, Brother Shlink— I have taken the tenderesht eare of the little darling.” What a villainous, borrible smile crept snake- like across the face of the old hypocrite! Even the way, | | a * Se (aes pe ‘> ¢ ~## hh,