Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 800 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 ial Silent Seth, went to the house to which Seth had followed Perrymore on the previous night. Detective Jones, with his men and tireless Harry, returned to the Rudolff residence to continue their investigations there, with the de- termination to solve the mystery of the haunted room if possible, At this house the policemen were yet on guard, and Mrs. Beauforte was still a guarded prisoner. Armed now with a warrant for her, Detec- tive Jones took her into custody properly. ‘*You may as well confess, madam,” he said, “* Your daughter, Roselle, and Jacob Perry- more, are locked up, and they have told enough to make it useless for you to deny anything.” ‘* My daughter arrested!” the woman cried, ‘* Hard and fast, madam,” was the assurance, ** And for what has she been arrested?” ** You can answer that question yourself, so there is no need for me to tell you what you know already,” The woman protested, and would reveal nothing, thinking it was a trap laid for her, mo doubt, so she was taken away, and then began the examination of the mysterious haunt- ed room, Two or three of the men were armed with hammers, aud they began sounding the wall in earnest, having little regard for the amount of hard-finisk cam knocked down as they pro- ceeded, and finally the chimney claimed their undivided attention, Under the beavy blows it gave forth a sound that was not natural for a genuine chimney, and attacking it with vigor, an opening was at last forced. A piece of the wall crashed in, and the stairs were revealed, When the hole had been made larger, some of the men crowded in, and when a light had been provided the secret was laid bare, There was a framework of steel filled witha layer of bricks, and upon that the wall had been finished. Machinery moved the chimney apart, and so well concealed was the joint that it could not be discovered on the outside, So much had been gained, They went down the stairs, and finally came to the iron door, which they set about breaking open at once, This occupied them a considerable time, but finaily it swung open tothemand the passageway was revealed, along which they hastened, wea- pons ready for use, wondering into what manner of secrets they were forcing their way. Meantime oodmansy and Silent Seth, and those with them, had gone to the dark house of mystery. Arriving, they did not force the front door thinking it might be useful for the catching of n the scheme, if their work could be others kept secret for a time, to leave the door as it was, There was a passage between this house and one of its elbow neighbors, and through this the detectives made their way to the rear, Here they forced an entrance by one of the windows, and began to explore the premises thoroughly. Their search was not a long one, for they were trained searchers. There was a plain trail leading from the front door to the rear stairs, over the bare floor, and down the rear stairs and to the door leading into the cellar, This they followed, and in the cellar they came to an iron door, one similar in all respects to those the other detectives had encountered in the Rudolff residence, and in a similar way they proceeded to force it, Meanwhile, what of Broadway Billy? Once falling asleep, the stillness of the place was such that he did not awaken for several hours, | When at last he did open his eyes he did so with a start, at bis unusual surroundings, but immediately his adventures of the night came to him, and he realized the fix he was in. The gas was burning steadily, and by its light Billy glanced at the clock, It was after ten, ‘* Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed tc himself, ** What a snooze I have taken! I guess I am here to stay, sure enough, Wonder what they think has become of me? I'll bet my boys are bustling to find me. But, they’ll bustls in vain, d fear, this time,” CHAPTER XVII. THE END OF THE PLAY. BILLY stirred about as much as his slight degree of liberty of action would allow, attend- wa ." as : ; ' * iad iow es , 7 4} et ‘Say ¥ ven? HO 4 - f a” » Yee : ae Broadway Billy Baffled. ing to his wants and partaking again of the scant store of provisions the locker contained. While he was thus engaged the sound of dis- | There, in the passageway, and just bebind | where the door had been, a buge iron shutter was being let down into place with a rapid run, tant pounding came to his ears, and he dropped | and before they could move to stop it, it bad everything to listen. He was not mistaken; there were the heavy sounds, sure enough! ‘*It can’t be the rascals themselves,” he de- clared, ‘‘ for they would bave no need to make such a noise as that. Is it possible it’s a rescue party, and that they have got on the track of me so soon? Some clew must have been left in that room last night, after my struggle there,” He listened eagerly, Finally the pounding ceased, and fora time all was still, The next he heard was the sound of voices, then the hasty tread of feet, and after that came a heavy rap upon the door of his prison. ‘* Come in!” Billy called out cheerfully. ‘*That’s him!” cried the voice of Happy Harry. ‘*Bu’st’er open, pards! Weare after ye, Broadway Billy. Hooray—hooray!” ** Good for you!” Billy shouted back, ‘ Break down the door, for i am helpless to do avytbing on this side. Here isa pretty surprise for you, I can tell you, Sock it to her!” The men worked with a will, and while they were at work on that door there came the sound of heavy blows on the other one, * Bang away!” cried Billy. ‘*The more the merrier. You will find me here when you get in, and you will find me in a new role, too.” % That is Broadway Billy,” be heard Seth de- clare, ‘** Hello, Seth!” cried Harry, across the yet un- seen room, ‘* You on deck also?” ‘* Don’t waste time shouting,” Seth shouted back, ‘“* Break your way in!” The doors were strong and offered a good deal of resistance, but presently they gave way, and both fell in with a crash at about the same time, Then followed a scene for a few minutes which almost baffled descriptiou. The two boys em- braced their chief; the detectives went into ecstasies; and everybody talked at once—except Silent Seth, Presently, though, the first burst subsided and while explanations were made all around the men set about freeing Billy from his shackles, “Then it seems I owe everything to you, Seth and Harry,” said Billy, as he shook him- self, once freed, “Yes, everything,” declared Woodmansy. ‘Only for them you might have rotted here, They are the best pair of young detectives in New York to-day.” ** And tbe case is theirs, and they have all the honor of it,” Billy vowed, ‘‘I was not in it, this time, at all—or, rather, I was in it only too well, As you said, Woodmansy, only for them I might never have got out.” While they were preparing to leave the place, still talking among themselves, there came to them the smell of smoke, ‘* What is that?’ questioned Detective Wood- mansy. ‘*T should say it is smoke,” Detective Jones made answer, “Oh, I know that well enough; I mean, where does it come from?” Broadway ally bad noted it, too, and he and “ others wére looking about for an explana- on. They were not held long in doubt, for pre- sently a great volume of it rolled into the den from the passage on the right, ** Christopher Columbia!” cried Happy Harry, “They have holed us, and they mean to smoke us out like rats!” “Or smoke us in, like herrings,” added Silent Seth, in his dry way. ‘“‘It means something, sure, cried Billy. ** You did not notice any fire when you came Hone that way, did you?” ** No ‘*Then the rrscals have discovered you, and they mean to finish us, The smoke has a vil- lainous smell, that is certain, and it may be poisonous.” ‘* Let’s get out as fast as we can, then,” sug- gested Jones, ** But we don’t want to desert the den,” re- minded Woodmansy. “Nor must we, if we can hold it,” cried Billy. ‘* Here, let’s put up the broken door in place, and see if we can’t stop it,” A tee laid hold upon the iron door to lift it to ce, As they were in the act they heard a noise behind them, and looking that way, were start- led by what they saw. : é 4 i - <a! Tk are My 7 ; qe - ' a! “9 » PI 8 a> rae. ; ri le | ‘eH iw \ blocked the passage. ‘* Trapped!” cried Woodmansy, ** Look out here, for another the same,” Broad- way Billy called attention, He indicated the opposite passage, the one through which the smoke was coming. And, even as be did so, the creak of another descend- ing shutter was heard, **Quick!” Billy cried, ‘‘ Let’s shove this iron door under it, and so stop it and keep the pas- sage open, If we allow them totrap us, we may die bere by inches of starvation,” Willing hands caught hold upon the ‘unhinged door afresh, and jt was pushed forward quickly, but luck seemed to be against them, The door caught by one corner on a stone that stood above the rest of the floor, and before a second more could be made, the shutter had fallen to piace, ; Then it was a taunting laugh was heard: ‘*Ha, ha, ha,ha! There you are, like rats in a trap!” ‘*Crackers an’ cheese! Christopher Colum- bia!” exclaimed Happy Harry. ‘“‘We are in for it now, sure enough,” Billy observed, ‘* We may get done up yet, pards,” ‘*We must batter our way out, one way or the other,” spoke Silent Seth, ‘‘ No time to be lost about it, either,” ‘* Right you are, Setb,” agreed Billy, ‘‘ Lay hold upon something to batter with, men, and we will try to get out this side opposite where the smoke is coming in,” The smoke was still coming in, finding its way through numerous small holes in the iron shut- ter, and even as they looked about them there came a thump against the shutter, and flames poured in through every hole, crack and crevice, ** Ha, ha, ba, ha!” rung out again the taunt- inglaugh. ‘* Die, like the dogs you are!” ** Tt looks pretty dubious for us, I'll be hanged if it don’t,” muttered Woodmansy, as he was helping to get one of the iron doors into position to be used as a ram against the shutter. ‘‘Never say die,” cheered Billy. ‘* Make haste, boys,” ‘*That’s what’s the matter!” cried Happ Harry. ‘“‘ We may beat ’em yet, if we look alive about it.” ‘* We haven’t got long to do it in, though ri bet,” said Seth, in his business-like way, “ This smoke means death, if we don’t get out of it,” ‘* Or get it stopped,” added Jones. ‘* And there’s no stopping it,” averred Billy, ‘* with the flame coming through with it. They have run.a fiery furnace right up against the door, and the advantage is all on their side,” ‘* Ain’t there any other way of escape?” ques- tioned a policeman, ‘*No other,” Billy declared. none,” The battering-ram had now beer made ready, and those who had it in hand went forward with a rush toward the iron shutter, There was a crash, a sharp metallic ring, and a recoil that nearly carried the men off their feet, and again came to their hearing the sound of that hated laugh, ‘* Ha, ha, ha, ha! Little that will accomplish for you, This place was made for just such a purpose as this, You have discovered us, but your discovery will mean death for you.” **1t weuld mean that for you, if we could face you,” cried Billy. **'You bave got all you want to face right there,” came back the taunting reply, ‘* You are facing death, and it is not far away, either. Ha, ba, ha, ha!” ‘ a gt went the battering-ram again, and yet again, but with nomore effect than at first. The officers were inning to look at one an- other with blanched cheeks, ‘* Be hivvins, but it’s a bad fix we are in,” re- marked one. ** You are right, man,” his companion agreed. *“* And can’t you be after getting us out, Mis- ter Broadway illy?” yet another crisd, ‘* Sure, it’s dhe devil’s own imp ye have been fur getting out av scrapes yourself, as Oi have read about ” e. ee I’m going to get out or bu’st a button, you can bet on it,” answered Billy. ‘‘ Keep a stiff upper lip, and remember you are one of the nest, ‘Have you got your life insured, Mike?” asked another of the officers, forcing a jest, ‘‘Oi have dhat same, thank my stars,” was aay! nse. time with more force than ever, if possible, but “This way or U y' ; i) h) y eet is ; bers ‘ Ren ee: 4 n they made a rush with the ram, this — Lee Jele} ~ S a oO =. i od