Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 744 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 rw WrrT ae a 4 Dick of the Docks, the Night-Watch. boy saw it, and kept his gaze upon that quarter. His remark had been merely a geveral one, and he bad no reason to expect that carriage or any other, but he was interested. in point of fact be was interested in all things of the night, and a practice of observing what occurred after darkness closed over great Go- tham had gained for him the sobriquet of ** Night-Watch Dick.” Several persons alighted from the vehicle. He had not expected that the matter would furnish anything of moment to him, but be sud- denly grew more attentive, There was a delay by the carriage, as if some one was rebelling against the plan of leaving it, ‘* A gal, b’jinks!” commented the Night-Watch- er, asthe delay was broken by the appearance of another person. ‘‘So she is the one who didn’t want ter git out? I don’t blame her a bit. This here locality ain’t pretty ter any eyes at night, an’ no fly female would fall in love with it. Wonder w’ot is up? Hello! they’re comin’ this way!” The party advanced a few steps along tho ier, By this time Dick could see there were three men and two women. He could not imagine what brought them to the locality, for it was one which seemed without attractions to the or- dinary person at that hour. He was not wholly satisfied that he was look- ing at honest people, and suddenly but quickly assumed a prone position, to guard against dis- covery. Light soon came, in part. ‘hey paused at the south side of the pier and gave indicatious of descending, and for the first time Dick perceived that a row-boat was there. He could not reconcile himself to the belief that any ordinary object should make such a party leave New York by night in such a way. ' as Kin it be they’re all toughs?” he murmured, ‘ r— The pause expressed a good deal, for the Night- Watcher remembered the hesitation by the carriage, / ‘* Still,” he added, ‘‘I ain’t seen nothin’, yet, ter justify mein interferin’, Mebbe all’s well.” There was no further hitch about the case, The unknown men worked with celerity, and the whole party were soon in the boat, Then one of the men took the oars, and the craft was pushed away from the pier. The water was by no means smooth, and as it fully caught the boat in its grasp the latter was tossed about roughly, This circumstance seem- ed to rouse sudden fear on the part of one of the females. She leaped to her febt, and Dick saw her arms thrown up toward the heavens, ' ‘** No, no!” she cried, ** I will not go! back or I[ will scream for belp!” ‘You idiot!” growed a man in reply, ‘‘ hush your noise, or I'll knock you overboard!” ‘*‘ Heaven knows what you intend to do, any- way;l don’t. Oh! why did 1 consent to come here; I will go nofurther, Take me buck, or Pll ery for belp!—I will scream, ‘ Murder!” Oue of the men sprung up aad grasped her arm roughly. | ‘* Silence!” he ordered, harshly. ‘* Then take me back—” ‘* We will not!” ‘¢Then I will summon help, fear for my life! Help! he—” The last word was balf-smothered as his hand fell upon her throat, but i¢ was easier to stop the outery than to prevent her from struggling. She did struggle with desperation, and Night- Watch Dick remained inactive no longer, He bad sprung to his feet, and now he ran toward the scene of the struggle, crying out as he went: 4 Let up on that, you galluscritters! Stop it, Great heavens! I OP The threat remained unspoken, The boat gave a sudden lurch and went over, throwing the whole party into the water. One moment they were visible to Dick as they went over in con- fusion; the next he could see nothing but the blackness of night, But the sound of legs and arms splashing the water was audible enough, and Dick was alert to meet the emergency, He was a strong and skillful swimmer, and it was far from being his nature to remain idle when women -.were in danger, © e cast off his shoes and coat, and leaped into the water. A few strokes took him to the overturned boat, but, somewhat; to his surprise, no one was cling- ing to it, and no one was to be seen near at hand! e struck out to find the imperiled persons, ‘but they had disappeared wholly, it seemed. “Not a little puzzled he came to a stop, but at that Take me moment something occurred so suddenly as to startle him. By his side there rose a human form, The arms beat the water feebly, and a sound passed the lips which could not be mistaken. The per- son was in the lust stages of drowning—probably, had risen for the last time in life, Quickly Dick acted, He seized the dimly-seen form, and, finding his grasp was upon a woman, was spurred on to use his strongest endeavors, He raised her head well above the water and be- gan to swim lustily, and as he held a passive burden there was no impediment to his freedom of movement, He knew bow todo therest, and made his way without delay to the head of the pier, where, on the south inside corner, narrow plank steps led to the pier floor above, To lift bis burden from the river and bear ber up the slimy steps was a severe struggle and strain for the brave Night- Watcher, but he succeeded at last, and the rescued person was soon laid on the plank floor. ‘* Hit’s the zal!” Dick decided. He took a step toward tbe front, thinking of the older woman, but paused. There had been no outcry. Before that time she had either saved herself, been saved by others, or was drowned, lt was useless to think of her, Returning to the girl he was about to seek the street for a policeman and have heroic measures resorted to in order to revive her, bug a brief ex- amiaation satisfied him that such measures were not necessary. Narrow as her escape from drowning had been, her unconsviousness, he decided, was a swoon from fright, pure and simple, and he did not doubt that she would soon recover, He was not a little interested in the case, for he knew the party that bad gone tothe boat was not one with friendly feelings and confidence, The objection of the girl to leave the carriage, aud the fight of the woman after entering the boat—a fight made too late—spoke strongly. ‘* B's another gallus job,” soliloquized Dick, ‘‘Sech things are always goin’ on, an’ decent people wouldn’t bev no show ef it wa’n’t fer me au’ the perleecemen, Now, as I figger et up, them men was takin’ the females away fer an evil objick, W’ot is the racket?” There was no one at band to explain, and his own speculations were cut short by a sigh from the person be had rescued, He quickly knelt and raised her head, and after a few minutes she opened her eyes, looked around and made a move toward regaining her feet. ‘* Don’t be scared; you’re all right,” heartily assured the rescuer. ‘‘ But—but how did I get so wet?” she asked, in surprise, ‘* Oh! you fell in the water, ‘* T don’t remember!” ** You don’t?” ‘*No. Why am I bere, at this hour of night?” ‘‘ Why, you come with two men and the other woman, you know.” vik Gide’ Yen They were now standing face to face, and she first looked at him intently, and then put her hand to her head in a bewildered way. ‘*T remember nothing about this, But, even if it was so, how did I get wet, like this?” _ Say, don’t you remember nothing?’ NO, ** Wal, by gum!” . By this brief exclamation Dick expressed the fact that he was very much astonished, and he gazed at the girl in that frame of mind. He could not conceive how any onecould forget such an experience, but her manner shut off all chance of doubting her sincerity. ‘** Who are you?” she asked. ‘*Wal, ’m Richard Henry Brazer, but you kiu know meas Night-Watch Dick. I’m not a night-watchman in the reg’lar sense o’ the word, but [ sort o’ perambulate around after dark an’ see that no villainy ain’t done in New York. I’m an honest fellow-citizen, and know ev’ry patrolman along the water-front. Now, w’ot’s your name?” ‘* My name?” sé a's ” “*Tt is—it— Why, I can’t think of it!” she exclaimed, ‘* Gosh hoss-flies! you don’t say so!” ‘*It is very strange, but my name has gone from me. I can’t think of it.” ‘* Where do you live?” | **T don’t know,” ‘* Where do yer friends live?” She did not answer at once, but clasped her hands to her head and stood motionless. Sud- denly she started and uttered a cry of alarm. you remember.” | **'W hat does it mean?” she demanded. ‘‘ Wh has all this gone from me? What horrible thing has overtaken me that my memory is a blank?” Dick knew what it was. He realized, at last, that the horror of those few moments when she was struggling in the water had done the mis- chief, but he bad not had experience enough in life to know how many other people had lost their memory, temporarily or permanently, from causes more or less like this, Witnessing a case wholly new to him, he gazed at the young woman in a species of awe, ‘*How am I to go home when I don’t know where it is?” she added tremulously. ‘“* By jinks! you needn’t worry about a home,” Dick declared, ‘‘ I’ve gota place sech ez it is, where I hold forth, an’ you’re jest ez welcome to it ez a toad ter flies. es, sirree!” She uttered a sob but said nothing, ‘*Come,” he added, ‘Jest you go with me an’ I’ll see you among honist folks, an’ then I'll come back an’ look more fer signs. Ketch on?” CHAPTER II. THE STREET ROBBERS. THE girl passively acquiesced in Dick’s plan, and he conducted her from the pier to a not distant street. He paused in front of a re- spectable looking apartment-house, opened the door by ‘means of a key, and led the way up- stairs. Tbere he gave her in charge of his friends, and hastened back to the starting point. He first hunted up the patrolman on the beat and told his story. “* Well, youre a corker!”’ the officer declared. Why so ‘** You find taore crookedness than any three Officers along the river.” ‘* That’s my business,” Dick returned, calmly. ‘*T tol’ you perleecemen a year ago that ef you would give me free play along your beats, an’ stand by me, ’d manage ter see things that you wouldn’t see; cause the crooks is always on the watch fer yer brass buttons, but nobody thinks Q’ suspectin’ a ragged, meek-lookin’ kia like me, ‘* You done all you promised, and can smell out mischiet in a surprising way. But, now, let’s take a look at the pier. Do you think the others were drowned?” ‘* The men wa’n’.; you kin bet high on that; but the woman J am fearful about.” ‘¢ You probably are right.” They went to the pier, and- found the boat bumping against the piles, there, wrong side up. It was finally righted, and then they entered and made a search as thorough as possible, They found absolutely nothing bearing upon the case, and were finally compelled to give it up. ‘‘ This must be reported,” remarked the patrol- man, ‘‘and [’)] teil the roundsman as soon as he shows up,” ‘‘ Hev it kep’ quiet,” Dick urged. ‘‘ The gal ain’t in fit shape ter tell the facts, an’ we'll hev ter go slow and light; while ef the newspapers git the story our name is Dennis, Them papers notify crooks of ev’ry move the perleece make, generally, an’ it’sa wonder any rascals ever is ketched. Now, keep this mum, an’ give the perleece a show.” . The officer agreed to do what he could, and Dick left bim. The boy was a good deal interested in his new case, The young woman would have been an object of interest, anyhow, with her past life lost so strangely, while the chances of a drama of crime in the past made her doubly so, He was thinking of all this as he made his way homeward, but bis thoughts were abruptly diverted before the journey was over, He was aroused by a half-stifled ery for help, and, looking up the street, he saw on the next corner several men engaged in a struggle, The scene was one which bad an attraction for him, not because of idle curiosity, but because it was in the line of his duty, A lurch of the mass of men took them out of sight around the corner, but Dick knew they would not get far away, so tramped along leisure- ly, but when he rounded the corner no struggling men were Visible;—in fact, he saw no men what- ever. A more peaceful block than that ahead of him it would have been hard to find. He was bewildered for a moment. Enough time had elapsed to enable a man to run out of sight, the block being short, but that the victim of tae assault should have covered ground so rapidly was not to be expected. A faint moan almost at bis feet made him leap backward, but it gave him a clew to the mystery. There lay a man, close to the building, and it