Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 837 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

—C . : it Aa SS «+ a ee . eee ——— ness an’ do yer prettiest, old man. where shall you begin?” The next half-hour was spent in wander- ing around and meditating on this very se- rious question, Then Robert chanced to pause on the corner of a street where two rough-looking men stood in conversation. He did not know that he had ever seen them before, and felt no earthly interest in them, at the beginning, but it was one of those ac- cidental encounters which sometimes mean so much. — ‘‘Say, Pete,” suddenly asked one of the pair, ‘‘ how much longer do we stay in this thing?” ‘‘Why,” replied the other, with an air of surprise, ‘‘as long as et pans out anything.” ‘**S’pose et pans out an arrest?” ‘“What! be you scared?” **Not much I ain't, but et’s right here. » All snaps play out sooner or later. This one will, an’ when the crash comes there is likely ter be a scoop 0’ the boys. Now, we hev done wal an’ got some money to the good. Nite not pull out while the thing is possi- le?” . ‘Ef Ido, may my luck go back on me!” ‘‘] mean, resign honorable.” “Do et, ef you wish; I won't.” ** You may be sorry.” ‘‘Cap Bunker is a shrewd feller, an’ I reck- on he won’t see the game bu’st right away. T’ll trust ter him an’ stay in, an’ my advice is that you do the same, Alf.” ‘*You’re experienced, an’ ef you say so Tl do it.” ‘*) do say et. An’ now let’s go ter the ren- dezvous. Con Martin will be on watch, as usual, an’ ef we are late Cap Bunker will hear of et, an’ then he will kick as usual.” ‘“ We'll toddle along.” Pete and Alf went, leaving Robert looking after them with a serious expression. ‘‘ Ac’in Lhear of Mister Con Martin. These fellers are in some work where they’re afraid 0’ bein’ arrested, an’ Con is in the gang. Wonder ef I can’t get closer ter Con’s comin’s an’ goin’s by lookin’ inter this?” The self-inquiry was enough to send Robert along in the rear of the two men, and he followed them to a dingy-looking house a few blocks away. There they entered. Robert stood on the sidewalk ia irresolution for several minutes, but the desire to go deep- erinto the matter caused him to keep his mind upon it, . ‘What are ye pipin’?” The question sounded at Bob’s side so ab- _ ruptly that he turned with a decided start. He saw a colored youth of about his own age, though of much lighter weight. _ What’s that?” inquired Robert. “Tsay, What be you pipin’?” ‘“‘ How do ye know I am pipin’ anything?” **Seen ye sizin’ that place up.” - “* Wal, what be you doin’ ?” ‘*T’m sizin’ it up, too!” “Oh! be you? Why?” ““T want to know somethin’, an’ mebbe you can tell me,’ answered the negro. ‘‘ Does Jack Webber hang out in there reg’lar?” Vee 2 \ ‘* Jack Webber.” — ‘“ Why do ye think he does?” ‘“‘T seen him go in.” ** Yousee Jack Webber “Paw = ‘Say, my friend, who be you, anyhow?” **Come over fo Guttenburg any day an’ you will see,” proudly replied the colored boy. ‘I’m Cal Demorest, the jockey.” | _“$o you ride hosses fer a livin’? Wal, I go in there?” don’t know so very much about the biz, ex- — cept ina general way, but I should say et was better ter ride than to bet. Ef you ride you kin feel the hoss under ye, but b’jinks! f you bet you don’t ginerally feel yer money fterward. So you know Jack Webber. What of him?” ) ‘He has made me an offer ter ride fer ‘him, but [ ain’t sure o’ his standin’, I hev But | been doggin’ him. s “ an A 7 3 a bh OE Tha) Oy ec haii A aT yo te Fes pet - i‘ i ‘eye “ay . ‘5 “er wa a, The Big Four of the Bowery. ‘ tony oo pe tategt ee : , : BE Mer PT errr we i. = 4 '* pa | A ** t *~ a 5 7 — a ey - e eEeE= now what I want ter know is, what sort of a place is it?” To himself Robert remarked: He went in there, an’ | son coming up the stairs would enter the room of conference, too, but he was greatly disappointed. The new-comer, a burly, evil-looking fel- ‘* Alf spoke of a business where there was ; low, stopped in the hall, and posed in a way Con Ain’t this worth lookin’ danger of arrest. Webber are in et. inter?” Aloud he asked: “Cal, s’pose you an’ me go inter this?” ‘* Done!” exclaimed the jockey. ‘Be you willin’ ter take some risk?” ‘* Sure!” ‘* Enough ter break in?” ec Yes. 3? ‘“‘'Then in we go ef it kin be done,” ‘*Can’t we pass through that alley ter the back-yard?” ‘‘ Jest’ what I was lookin’ at. let’s try et.” Through the further survey awakened the suspicion that the building was not regularly occupied. It had the look of a place which was being allowed to go to decay without a regret from any one. ‘Kind of a herdin’ place fer the gang,” suggested Robert. balcony and see what we kin discover.” » Cal hesitated. Robert’s nickname of Come on; Martin an’ Jack | which the Rattler undé¥stood ver well, ‘‘Tll be jiggered ef he ain’t goin’ to stand | there as a guard!’ Deep was the disgust of the speaker, while Cal looked alarmed. ‘‘ We shall be ketched!” he lamented. ‘* Now, you hol’ on, my colored frien’. A chap that has piloted hosses ter victory ought ter have nerve enough not to swoon when there is no need of et, b’jinks! Cal, you must brace!” ‘“‘T will,” resolutely answered the jockey. ‘Lay down your rules, an’ I won't be a weak sister any more.” | ‘*That’s the figger. Wal, Cal, et’s plain alley they passed, and | we can’t get out o’ here while that bilious- lookin’ chap stands guard, so we must do the next best thing. I’m goin’ to see ef I can hear the talk in the next room. You will see that between that and this is a mid- dle room 0’ some sort. Jest what kind of a trap et is we can't tell until we look, fer ‘Le’s go up on the| this house is built on a plan of its own. We'll look, though.” * Robert opened the door and saw a small “Risky” well described the kind of a | room which was full of old rubbish, chiefly person he was, but Cal was more timid. in the way of boards and boxes, They were He yielded, however, when his attention | piled at each side, barely leaving room for was called to the fact that the darkness of | passage. the evening made their movements fairl safe from the outside, while it was their purpose to avoid notice from the inside, which they hoped to do. Ascending the stairs they peered through the window. parlor, but, though it was lighted, no one was to be seen, nor could they hear any- thing. ‘“We must go in,” remarked Robert. “Why, it'll be burglary.” ‘*Not when we're in detective work.” ‘* But ef they find us—” ‘‘Then it'll be a case of our chasing our- selves out.”’ The Rattler’s debonair Cal, agreed to the plan. They entered the house. ee There was nobody who believed in law and good conduct any more than Robert, but he was in this case fora good purpose, manner affected Aguin the Rattler used his eyes. He saw that there wasa holein the wall which would . give view of the next room if he could get up high enough to utilize it, and this seem- ed easy, for the boxes were piled up even They had view of the back | above it. By means of pantomime he gave Cal the clue, and then set out to ascend. The only difficulty about this was that there was dan- ger of the boxes giving way and making a cect but he succeeded in going up all right. | ‘Then he had the desired view of the front room. Lying flat he gazed and saw the whole gang, and the sight was of interest. ». Pete and Alf were there, and so was Con and, with a sudden recklessness he ! Martin. Con sat by the side of a stout, rather flashy- looking man who had the marks of a typical sport written by Nature all over him, and the latter was busy witha piece of paper and a pencil, While he figured, or seemed and, being in, he was not disposed to let ! to, the others kept silent and waited. grass grow under his feet. Knowing the sus- pected men were there somewhere he con- tinued the search with zeal. Out into the hall, and then up the stairs he pursued his way. | CHAPTER V. AN UNLUCKY EVENT. ‘* VoIcEs!” Detective Bob whispered the word, touch- ing Cal Demorest significantly, and the jockey replied: “They're in that room.” “They be, sure, an’ the way is open fer us ter listen. We will go to the door an’ spike our ears back so as to ketch all,” ‘¢ Can we hear through the door?” “T guess so. We can try, anyhow.” ‘Suppose they ketch us at it?’ “We've got to take that chance. The only thing that gits me is, ef they have such private biz how does et happen they leave the way open fer intruders to make so free? You would think— Scoot /” — Robert seized Cal’s arm and dragged him back, “What?” asked the jockey. “Man comin’ up the stairs. Another crow comin’ to the rendezvous, I reckon.” With his usual quick wit Robert had hur- ried Cal into the room at the rear of that occupied by the men. He expected to be there only a moment, for he thought the per- Jockey Cal had grown curious, and be climbed up beside Robert. He started and then put his lips close to Robert’s ear, “ Jack Webber!” he whispered. ‘Which one?” asked Robert. “The fellow with the pencil. are they up to?” ‘'Pin yer ears back an’ hark.” Oh! what ~ With this terse advice Robert proceeded to | give all his own attention to the scene before him. It might be only a meeting of horse- men, since Jack was in that business, but he did not believe it. Finally Webber ceased work with the pencil and Tooked toward his companions. ‘‘A good dividend, this time,” he re- marked. | ; “ How much?” asked Pete, quickly. ‘‘Suppose I said the same as the last time?” | ‘““Gee! It would be huge.” ‘* It is more. dividend.” Exclamations of delight fell from the lips. M of the men, and Pete and Alf shock hands — buoyantly. ‘> “This is very satisfactory,” added Jack, presently, ‘‘and all the more so as it proves that our business is increasing. We are havARS steady gains, and we shall grow rich ast.” ‘‘ What is the next push?” asked one of the party. 7? } 7 - : * nd eae : i. ts e o + ft. 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