Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 837 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

i ia looked fora chance to get close enough to . ee the pair to see what they were talking about, oY “iy but he could find no way to do it. Other tramps hemmed them in, and for - him to push his way to where he could lis- ten would be to invite some discovery from Corliss. ‘‘Et’s prudence fer me to wait until he . an’ Jigs break up,” thought the detective | ie amateur. ‘“* Then I will sailin an’ tell Henry he must do the pretty by his friends.” __ He had some time to wait, for Henry and Jigs seemed to find their own talk very in- teresting, and worthy of long attention. Robert tried to kill time, and, in doing this, he gave attention to the other inmates of the room. A hard lot they were, as a rule, and their besotted, debased faces fur- nished study and interest. Finally Robert’s wandering gaze grew still. ‘Where have I seen that jigger?” he won- dered, It was a very ragged, dirty fellow to whom he referred, yet the half-made recognition ‘seemed to require more than the rags to ex- : plain who he was. Robert studied for Bu awhile, but was unable to grasp the mean- Sikes ing of it. “4 ‘* | never was ina den o’ this sort before,” he thought, with a smile of amusement, “‘yet [seem ter find a good many friends here. The first was Henry, an’ now et’s this Cae feller. Wonder ef they hang on the same bush?” It was the most idle of mental interroga- tions, but it led to an idea, Unwittingly he had stumbled upon the solution of the mys- tery. More keenly he looked, and then dis- covery followed. ‘ Jee-whiz! et’s the detective!” The suspicion was so reasonable that, once i We Singular and startling discovery! Unless i the, a his eyes wholly deceived him the man was eats: that one of the detectives who had escaped a the bullet when the arrest of Corliss was at- aye ¥; tempted, and it was no small matter. Wy ‘“‘Tle’s after Henry, sure as you live!” ab RS murmured the Rattler. ry gained, he did not waver in his belief, and _. heat first expected to see the arrest. follow » “speedily, but this opinion was changed as he ~-- Jooked more closely. Ce ee The detective’s eyes were seldom at rest. art ate He acted with commendable prudence, but MOAR oxi he was taking a ok at all in the room, and eR ae oo, the fact that his gaze was so reckless led __ Robert to a conclusion. 5 Vee i ew ‘‘ He don’t know Henry. He may be sure _* * he is here, or only suspect et, but he ain’t gure any further: He don’t know which he ea en is.” : ~ Prt ¢ . ‘ . Re: a a There was nothing to change this idea, and ne the situation grew very interesting to the ——s«sRattler. The detective was on the track, . ee de AN ae - . ey a ad <“¢ v3 but he had yet to get his grip fully. He and Henry were mutually unconscious of the fact that they were so r each other, and it was Robert, alone, who had the full key to the situation. **Probably,” decided the Rattler, “he has found out that the fugitive is in'the kabit 0’ puttin’ up here, but he don’t know him. Wal, ef he finds et all out there will be the _ liveliest time fer Henry around here that he ever had. b’jinks!” Bob shook his head gloomily. | _ * Bad outlook! I must warn the boy.” _ This was not easy. Corliss was talking » -with Jigs and to get near and speak with him unseen and unheard by any one else was out of the question. Onthe other hand, ___ if he went to him and requested private con- ut ae versation it would attract attention, and, as | Robert had been present at the vain attempt |. to arrest Henry, it would be easy for the __ detective, with his attention thus drawn, to || recognize him, and perhaps the recognition es oa of Corliss would follow. \y _ *T mustn’t do et. Go light an’ slow, eemenes) | fa 'y __ Robert, an’ size yer chance when ye see et.” - ‘ 7% Taf . “ali az % ey * = - awe “. 7 rk ‘ P Ps ’ = Se ~ =f ? - -_- 7 — —— o . i . - ‘" Ss ~ ’ cia > th - +2 . EN tht) OR GINS dy + d The Big Four of the Bowery. : e as —_ os . : me se ee ee C6 Se dU -—“— CSC ee eee SS eS ee eee i ee - CU OC Ohara eee eee %, : . 4 . . ' - He waited, but the situation was a long while in changing. Finally Henry and Jigs rose and passed into the next room. When the door closed Robert could see no more of them, but, after hesitating awhile as to his proper course, he decided to see if the chance had come. He rose and followed. As he passed the door he saw he was in the sleeping part of the lodging-house, and a curious place it was. On each side there was a row of small in- closures much like horsestalls, each with a curtain in front of it, and it was easy to see that these were the ‘‘rooms” which the proprietor advertised to furnish for fifteen cents. Henry and Jigs had disappeared, but, realizing that they had gone into one of the inclosures, Robert pressed forward to see which one held them. He was at once accosted by a man who evidently .ad charge of the place, and who looked Vislainous enough to be a murderer, himself. - ** What number?” he growled. ‘*Eh?” replied Robert. Check!” | ‘‘Tain’t got none—” ; ** Go and get it.” _ “T want ter see the gents who just came 1Tieon - * Wait until mornin’.” ‘“‘ But [ want ter see them now.” ‘‘ Against the rules. Get out!” ‘But I only want a bit o’ talk—” ‘No talking is allowed in this room, an’ you can't work no bluff. See them in the morning. Get your check, or go out into the street.” Robert was not a little discomposed by this rough treatment, which was plainly that of a bully in power, but he saw no way of rebelling against it. The last words were a clear indication of: the fact that he would be ejected wholly if he did not act with dis- cretion, Seeing no better way to do he decided to obey fully—and then await developments. Reluctantly he returned to the outer room and secured his check at the desk. Armed with this he returned, and the ugly guardian took him in tow and escorted him to one of the stalls, Sweeping the curtain aside the bullv growled: ‘*Get to bed at once!” ‘* But there is one feller in there already.” : ‘ Room fer two; this is your place. Get In!’ The bully gave Bob a shove and then dropped the curtain. The Rattler gazed with some dismay. He was called upon to— be bedfellow with about the most disreputa- ble-looking person he had ever seen, and the fact shocked the clean-clad boy. His first impulse was to refuse wholly, but he remembered that he was a self appointed detective, gave a thought to the genuine member of that fraternity who was appar- ently willing to éndure just as muchin the cause, and made a bold push and turned in. The bed, so called, was simply a founda- tion of boards nailed to the sides of the par- titions, wide enough for two, and covered with scant clothing. . Rattler’s partner seemed in the dim light to be sleeping, and his presence was offensive simply becanse he was not clean, ‘ ‘“What am I[ inter?’ wondered Robert. ‘* Here I be, but what good does et do me?s How am I terwarn Henry, with that Sing Sing feller ready ter bite my head off ef I say a word, orstir?” It was a question which needed thought to get the answer. This originaily-arranged lodging-house seemed to trouble nobody but Robert, but he did not like it. He wished to get chance to speak ‘with Henry, but it was just as sure as fate that if he angered the ugly guard _a:l chance would be lost. detective. ; So Robert lay still and meditated. Time passed, Other men came in and went to bed, but what had become of the detective, or in what stall Henry Corliss was, the Rattler did not know. ‘* Mebbe ef the detective is only suspicious in a general way there will be no ruction,” thought the boy, ‘‘ Anyhow, all I can do is to lie still an’ see what will happen.” This he did, and the rcom gradually be- came quiet. All had gone to their rest who were to. be there, and the guard was quiet. That he was not absent the Rattler learned by looking out of his pen, for there a the fellow with the old, surly look on his ace, The room had two rows of stalls run- ning the whole length, the feet of the sleep- ers being toward the interior., On one side the heads were directly toward the wall, but on the other, to make the windows free, there was a passage about three feet wide. It was on this side that Robert was. He judged that it was about midnight when this fact first became of interest to him. He heard something in the passage—some- thing like the soft fall of feet, as if some one was creeping along the passage. To this Robert gave no attention until a brief cessation of the sounds was followed by another kind of sound just above him, He looked up and was startled by what he saw. CHAPTER X. A FREE FIGHT. Dark as the room was there was a faint area of light near the windows, and, as this was so near, the darkness was there dis- elled a little. By the aid of this light bert saw a human head outlined, and so situated that he could not fail to under- stand it. Some one was looking over the partition from the passage. _ The Rattler grew interested immediately. What did all this mean? Clearly, the person was not the ugly guard, for he would not have been skulking around so secretly in the passage. , Then who was it, and what was his pur- pose in acting thus? Once Robert opened his lips to speak, but he changed his mind and waited. The prowler must have time to show his hand, and if he was inclined to do so the heav breathing of Bob’s companion was enoug to encourage him. That it did just that was soon shown. Suddenly a ray of light shot down upon the bed. It was a dark-lantern, and was clearly a search-light venture. At first it fell upon the unknown sleeper, and before it was turned upon the Rattler, he had time to see a good deal. The spy was the disguised detective. Robert closed his eyes in good season, and when the ray struck him he was very innocent of look. Awhile the inves- ligation was kept up and then the light was shut off and the man withdrew. Rob- ert heard him descend on the other side of the partition. | ‘ B’jinks! he’s out fer gore!’ muttered the Rattler. ‘I don’t exactly get onto his game, but he’s after Henry. Must be he didn’t size him up before, an’ he thinks he missed him, an’ will find him in one o’ the © dens, asleep. Aha! this is growin’ hilari- ous,” 7 If it was not “hilarious” it was, at least, decidedly interesting to the Rattler, and he felg too much stirred up to lie where he ~ was ‘and let the affair go on without notice from him. He slipped ou the curtain. ~~. The guard was sleeping, which explains a | mS why he had not seen the light shown by the { é ¥! o* y I X ae) t of bed and gazed beyond — -_ =i a On hI * S 7 = ¥ 2 ~~. 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