Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 815 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

y ae : Pid - ee = —, ~ - a « — : £ . art , C9 - at . se — ms - ad Broadway Billy’s Bank Racket. 7 ** Well, I want to engage you to take that case in band, for me, and prove the innocence of Vance Willey.” Billy felt surprise, but did not show it, Happy Harry thought to himself that the chief clerk must have a strong grip upon the fair sex, this being the second young lady in- terested in his cause, ‘*Can you tell me anything that will be pea to help me in that task?” the young chief asked, ‘‘Not a thing; but, I do know that he has foes who would not hesitate to do him harm if they could,” ** And youcall that nothing?” ‘Well, that is only a suspicion that may amount to nothing,” '* Nevertheless it is something. Who are these persons whom you have in mind?” ‘One is Beaumont Robiston and the other is my Own brother, Horace Shyrock, I hate to mention him, but I have good reason for doing so,” ** W hat is that réason?” ‘* Well, he is Mr. Willey’s rival for the hand of Miss Stiverson, whom they both love,” ‘* But, surely you cannot think that your brother would go to such length, can you? Be- sides, think of the crime with which Mr, Willey is charged.” ; ‘‘ itis just that that makes me take the action do.” ‘‘ What is you interest in Mr. Willey?” ‘* Must [ tell you that?” ‘It were better to do so, The more fully I understand a case the better are my cbances for success,” OS he I will tell you. It is because I love im. ‘*Whew! Now this is growing interesting, sure enough, You love him, but he loves Miss Stiverson,” ** Yes, that is true,” ‘*Then you and she are rivals,” “ I suppose so,” ; a where does Beaumont Robiston come in ‘* You see, he knows I love Willey, and he himself has been trying to win my hand but has been refused,” : **T see, I see; it is as good as a romance,” “Tt is a serious matter for me, Mr. Weston. I would never have made such disclosures to you, were it not that I think a full understanding of the situation may be helpful to you.” ‘You have thought aright, too, Are you aware of one thing, however?” ‘What is that?” ‘““That, by what you bave said, you have opened the way for suspicion in this robbery case to fall upon your brotherand Mr, Robiston, provided we find Mr. Willey to be innocent?” ‘‘T cannot help where it may fall. Let the guilty.one suffer, Of course, I do not believe either of them had a hand in that, mind you; I cannot think that of them; but, they are no friends to Mr. Willey, and if they can use his misfortune against him they will do it.” ‘‘Then, your only reason for thinking Mr. Willey innocent is because you love hira and want to save him,” ** No, no; I know him well, and I know he is a man of honor,” ‘* And, by helping him in his time of need you hope to turn his affection to yourself.” ** 1 cannot deny it,” ‘* Well, let me inform you, Miss Sbyrock, that I havs taken hold of the case already—” *““What! You have already taken it? Then ib was you who arrested him| Then you believe |, him guilty! And yet you allowed me to go on and tell you—” ** Hold on, pray,” Billy interrupted gently. “You are wronging me. It was not I who made the arrest, but the police;Iam of the opinion the young man is innocent, and was go- ing to try to prove him go,” vs Oh, then 1 beg your pardon, sir. I was too ‘ That is all right. Now, that you have told me so much, can you tell me anything more?” ‘‘T hardly think so.” ‘Your brother and this man Robiston are friends, I take it,” ‘‘Yes;and it were better for Horace had he never met this rascal, I call him so, because I know he is such,” “ What do you know about him?” “For one thing, that he is on too friendly terms with the young wife of Mr. Stiverson; and, more than that, I have a suspicion that he has a wife somewhere,” “ What do you know about Mr, Witherton?” ‘“*Mr, Witherton? Oh, I think he is a good and honest man, sir.” ** You know nothing against him, eh?” ** Nothing,” ** And tell me, can you give me any help to- ward the finding of your father?” ** No, no; would that I could. But you have changed the subject, Will you doall you can for Mr, Willey?” ‘* Yes, I will do alli can for him, On your part, keep very quiet, and do not let it be known that you have been telling me 80 much, Let no one suspect that I know what I dv,” ‘*T understand, sir, Trust me,” CHAPTER VIII. SCORING MORE POINTS, A LITTLE further valk, and the woman took her leave. No sooner gone, than Happy Har roceed- ed to stand upon his bead in the middle of the office. “ i Hello! what’s the matter with you?’ asked illy. “That's the way I feel,” Harry answered, leaping ligbtly from his hands to hia feet, ** Christopher Columbia! I don’t know whether I’m on my head or my feet, anyhow,” ‘* You act that way, that’s true,” ‘*Crackers an’ cheese! that don’t half express it, boss. If I could stand on the tip of one ear and fan myself with the otber, then I would be doing something. We are on the trail of big game this time, and don’t you forgetit. And that fellow Willey is a dead masher,” “What do you mean? Where is Seth?” *‘ Told on, boss, don’t tangle me up; one ques- tion at a time, always, IVll respond to the second one first, Seth is on the track of the Beaumont Robiston this gal mentioned, and he’s loaded for bear, too, you bet. Ob! there is a son 0’ Ham in the woodpile some’rs, and we are going to have him if we have to sit up all night to get him, Selah!” ** Seth is shadowing Beaumont Robiston, you say?” ** Sure, Mike,” ‘* How did he strike his trail?’ And what is he following bim for?” ‘‘There you go again, two questions more, and I haven’t answered but one of the other pair yet. You are bound to get ine rattled, if vou don’t louk out, and then I won’t know where I’m at, Let’s see, where am lat, anyhow? By the way, that’s a great gag—where am | at, isn’t it, boss? I know a fellow that says it’s as common as dish-water across in Pennsylvania ’mong the Dutch there, Newspapers must have thought they bad struck a new thing—” ‘* Stop right toere, Harry. If I let you rattle on at this rate ]’il never get anything out of you. {f I talked at your rate wben I was a boy, it’sa wonder I ever lived to grow up. Now, let’s get right down to it. What did you mean by saying Willey is a dead masher?” ‘*Choked me off, didn’t ye. Well, that’s all right. We'll get down to it, as you cal) it, I mean he’s a dead masher beacause there is another gal as dead gone on him as this one seenis to be,” ‘““That so? Who is the other one?’ ** Miss Stiverson,” 6s Ha p Pe You bet,” ** Well, what do you mean by saying we are on the trail of big game?” “Don’t mean anything I didn’t say, boss; that’s about the size of it, I bave a notion. We think Robiston is a bad one, though we haver’t got anything scored up against hia yet.” “Well, now, answer my last questions, How did you get on his track? and what is Seth following him for?” ‘*That’s it, that’s the way to keep me on the track, Well, you see, we fell in with him at Shyrock’s store, and there we heard about the robbery and that you bad taken a hand in the game, We didn’t pick up much about the other case, SO we thought we’d drop around to the bank and see if we couldn’t do something there. See? Well, we went to the bank, and there Robiston walked in op us again, and it came around so that he accused us of following bim,” But, Harry rattled on until he had given Billy all the details of bis and Seth’s doings, ‘“[’m glad Seth is looking after him, then,” Billy remarked, when be had done, ‘“ After what this girl has said, there may be something more in your suspicions than you had any idea ‘‘T think somyself, I’m sorry that cent didn’t fall tother side up, though, for Seth is having all the ’citement,” ’ “N ever mind, Harry, ’ll put you on another ay. **'W hat’s that?” ‘**'You can go and play the shadow on Horace Shyrock. If Robiston is in it, so is he, and one is probably as bad as the other,” **That’s the stuff! I’m not bappy unless I’m on the hustle, boss, and the taller the hustle the better I like it, UU sift-his ashes for him, you bet, The jeebeeb hath spoken. Selah!” ‘*It looks like a case that is going to amount to something, Harry, so don’t slip up in it,” ‘*Won’tif I can help it. Now I'll disguise and be off,” ‘* Yes, disguise well, for he has seen you.” Billy lent his assistance in fixing Harry’s make-up, and when the lad left the office he was not to be recognized, ‘ Yos, it is a curious case,” Billy mused to bimself, when alone, ‘' And it bas the appear- ance of tryin, to tangle itself up in a double hard knot, too, It began with the missing Mr, Shyrock, and now where is it? Igive it up— No, I don’t, either; that would never do; L must untangle it, with the help of my team,” Leaving the office, be went again to Stivers son’s bank, The policeman was still there. ‘‘What are you doing here?” Billy quietly asked, stepping up to him, ‘‘What is it to you, young fellow?” the officer demanded, surveying him in a critical way. The two were strangers, ‘*Itis nothing to me,or I would not ask, I’m Billy Weston, Broadway Billy, and I have a finger in this pie,” ‘‘Oh! that alters the case, Why, l’m here by request of the clerk there, who does not feel like takipg the reponsibility all on his own shoulders to-day, or at any rate not till he gets his grip on matters.” 6s J see,” ‘Say, were those your boys who were here?” ‘¢ Yes, guess they were.” ‘‘ Nervy lads, they.” ‘¢ Some,” Billy exchanged some further remarks with the officer, and then stepped to the window to talk with the clerk in charge. “Has anything new turned up?’ he asked of him. ‘‘ Nothing, sir, unless you have not heard of the arrest of Willey.” ‘‘T have heard of that, What do you think about bis case? Do you think he is guilty?” ‘‘Tell you, Mr. Weston, 1 hate to think so, and that’s the truth,” ‘* But it looks bad against him, eh?” ‘* Exactly.” ‘*Tell me aboutit. How came about his ar- resi?” ‘Why, the police detective who came here with the officers tcok hold with a snap, and ar- rested him rigbt off, on suspicion, Willey pro- tested, but that was no use, and finding he had to go along, asked Jack for his overcoat, and as Jack was getting it a package of bills fell out of one of the pockets, a Ha \» ‘‘ And that’s not the worst of it. The police detective searched the coatand found two other packages there, and a ticket by the Central for Cunada,” ‘* Whew !” ‘What do you think of that?” asked the policeman, ‘* It looks bad, on the face of it,” Billy declared, ‘* They seem to have a case,” ‘¢ Don’t seem as if there is much use of looking further, does it?” ‘‘Nu, that’s so. Say, Jack,” turning to the youth, ‘that package of money was not in the pocket very securely I guess, was it?” That voung gentleman turned just a shade pale as he responded: ‘‘N—no, sir, sbould think not, sir. It fell out just when I took the coat down off the hook,” ‘“Well, you needn’t get frightened about it, just because a detective not much older than yourself is talking to you.” ‘*Oh! 1 ain’t scared, sir,” ‘© Of course not. Do you know how much money was in that package, Mr. Jones?” turn- ing back to him, ‘* Five hundred dollars, sir.” ‘‘ And in the other packages?” * The same,” ‘* Fifteen hundred dollars, then, and a ticket tor Canada, eh?” ** Yes, sir, ‘* Well, now, don’t you think that is a little bit ridiculous? The amount missing is said to be about twelve thousand dollars,” “They think he had the rest of it somewhere,” ~