Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 839: Broadway Billy's Big Boom — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 some building, as Billy reasoned, and the passage, he guessed, was for the carrying of some sort of refuse to the sewer. Still, why was there not sufficient drainage | under the building to answer all such re-! no doubt, was the fact that Billy’s revolver quirements? he thought further. It did not | | Not that he recognized Billy, that was im- possible; but he saw it was a stranger, and that their secret was known. What startled him most, however, there is was aimed at his head so that he looked into look altogether right, and he fell to wonder- | 98 cold tube as he opened the door. ing what it could mean. He tried the door, carefully, but it was ‘fast. \ ‘* Well, this means something,” he said to “himself. ‘* Wonder what? Nothing can surprise me in these days, in a city like New York. I expect there are greater things here than I ever dreamed of—I mean here in the city. Whether this is one of them or not remains to be seen.”’ | He tried the door again, with more force, but it was fast enough, and just then he thought he heard a noise on the other side, Pressing his ear against the iron plate, he listened. Yes, there it was, sure enough, and he thought immediately he had stumbled upon a counterfeiters’ den. The sound was that of a hammer, or press, that sent forth a metallic ring with every blow, muffled and subdued though it was, and as he listened his first impression was stren ethened. “ Still, it may not be,” he reasoned. seeing mare’s nests in every bush. Maybe it’s only the clank of an electric engine, It’s more likely to be that, or something like it, and I’ll take the chances and give a try at the door, anyhow. Can’t get into a much | worse fix than I have just got out of, that is sure. So here goes for it, for luck,” He gave the door two or three resoundin kicks, making a chamber beyond echo af re-echo again, ‘« Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed, as soon as he had done it. ‘‘ That was enough to wake the sleeping Knickerbockers! I’m in for it now, for sure.” Almost immediately the sound of the ham- mer, or machinery, stopped, and this fact | gave Billy cause for alarm. His pounding at the door would never have interrupte any honest proceeding, ‘* Yes, sir, I’m in for it,” he decided, and “Tm he eripped tightly a revolver he had drawn | bullets came flying in his direction. from his pocket, He waited, and presently there was a sound near the door. Then ahand touched a bar or bolt on the | was beyond their reach. other side, and achain was heard to rattle. | All this in the briefest time possible to seotae it, and the door was closed with a clang and Billy was barred out, the force of the door almost knocking the weapon out of his hand, He was just as well pleased, for it had been certain death to enter, ‘‘Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed, under his breath. ‘‘ What's to bedone? If it’s the same fellow, and he gets me, it'll be my funeral this time, sure. [ guess I'll be scarce when they look again.” He hastened back along the passage with all the speed possible, leaving the men in the chamber loudly talking. It was necessary to eet beyond their reach, or fare badly. He made all the haste possible, and reached the opening into the sewer just as the door was thrown open again and several revolver shots rung out. Had he been there it would have meant death, for the men had evidently fired to kill, determined to take no chances against unknown numbers but to get in the first | deadly work themselves. The next moment there was loud cursing, and against the light background the detec- tive saw them coming along the passage to- ward the sewer. He dropped into the opening, and turning fired a shot in the direction of his foes to check their pursuit, dodging immediately to escape the return fire which he expected would follow, And he was not mistaken, for several bul- lets came spitting and spattering along ‘the passage, flinging a shower of dirt and splin- | ters all around him. It was no place for him to tarry in, so he took to his heels and ran | back along the way he had come. In that direction he knew the ground, that it was clear, and he did not stop ¢ even though the firing was soon heard again, and some In the darkness he knew the men could not tell which way he had turned, and he had to take the chances against a stray bullet till he There was no pur- suit, and after a time Billy slackened his Quick as thought came the idea to Billy to | pace, feeling that for the time being he was disguise. It was but the work of a moment to attach a beard to his face, and it was done betore a rough voice demanded: ‘Who is there?” ‘* Number Five,” Billy answered, ‘prompt- y. It was the first thing that came to him to say, and’he referred to the number of charges in his revolver. | | safe. CHAPTER X. LIGHT AT LAST. BroaDWAY BruLy wandered around in the sewers until completely tired out, and with- out finding means of escape. Many times he had stopped and called for help, at places where light came down from Immediately the bolt moved and the door | the street above, but no answer was made swung open. All within was light, and just beyond this chamber Billy caught sight of a larger one | from which several men were looking out to- ward the door. This, however, was only secondary in im portance to something else which the detective’s eyes took in as that door swung open. The man before him was a low- browed, murderous-looking fellow with beardless face. Instantly the thought flashed through Billy’s mind that he had seen this face before and he asked himself where, And in the same instant it came to him—it was the face of one of the men who had attacked him and put him in the den of rats! He had had just a glimpse of the visage then. t was the face of Hob Feeny! The man had a revolver in hand, but he did not use it; he was evidently too sur- prised. and he would wander on again as before. At last, though, he could go no further, for he was overcome with sleep and fatigue, and about that time he had come to a spot that invited him to sit down. It was ina branching sewer just made. It was clean and new—in fact not finished yet, and some boards and dirt were at hand Billy lighted a match to view the spot, and finding it princely beside the other parts through which he had come, threw himself upon the boards at full length to close his eyes in rest for a mo ann When he awoke the thought he would glance at his watch. He felt like anew man, but wonderfull hungry, and when he had lighted a mate to look at the time he found his watch had stopped. ‘‘ Sweet pertaters!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ How long have I[ been asleep? My watch Broadway Billy’s Big Boom. ought to have run all night and till some- time in the afternoon. It can’t be it is run down!” He proceeded to wind it, and found it. had. The spring was completely spent, and his suspicion must be correct. ‘* Well, I don’t wonder,” he said to him- self. ‘‘ I was played out, and it is as still as the grave here, almost, nothing brit the faint rumble of the streets to be heard. ft have slept like a log.” He had guessed aright; he had slept all the remainder of the night, and far into the day. With no means of knowing the time, he could not set his watch right, but at a guess he made it twelve o’clock. Had he made it two he would have come nearer the hour. ‘““T’ll let it go at that for the present,” he said. ‘‘ By the way I feel inside I know it’s high dinner-time, at least. Now, then, for another try to cet out of this miserable net- work of filth streams.” Now he pushed forward with determined effort, and having come out into the larger sewers it was not altogether dark. Light came down here and there at an opening, and so did the sound of the rum- ble of the street, showing him how useless it would be to shout, He did try it, but could not make himself heard. Thus he wandered, on and on and yet Finally he came to realize where he was making a mistake, when his watch was in- dicating near the hour of three. He had been turning this way and that, instead of keeping straight ahead on one line, which must sooner or later come to an end somewhere. He had been following each inviting way that offered. ae Wonder I didn’t use my brain before this,” he complained. ‘‘ Might have been out if I had. B ut, I was too sleepy to do it last night, and now I’ve had so much sleep that my thinker is dull. We'll try the ew plan, William, and see what it will pan.’ With that resolve he kept straight on his way, regardless of eyery broader or more in- viting branch that appeared. Finally he came to a place where a part of the top and side of the sewer had fallen in, and the debris at the bottom formed quite a dam that was not pleasant in the approach. In order to get around it as dry as possible, Billy mounted to the edge of the broken wall.there being some light here,and in doing so discovered a passage “that seemed to lead back for a distance, It was not like the one he had found on the previous night, but looked more like an ex- cavation that had been made for a cellar at some time or other. The floor was about on a level with the broken part. of the wall, and he stepped off onto it. Barely had he done so when he heard a heavy fall on the floor above. This was followed by heavy feet, and voices, though he could not catch the words, Then came the moving of some- thing, and the next moment light came in from overhead. A square hole was disclosed, and even as Billy looked a dark shadow filled it for an instant and a heavy body fell at his feet. ‘It’s all day with him, anyhow, and no- body the wiser,” he heard a voice say, 2s the trap was closed, and with a revolver in hand Billy was tempted to send a bullet in that direction. He did not, however, but listened. More was said above, but he could not catch the words, and while he listened he heard a door open and close and another voice was added. Finding that he could not ‘hear anything, Billy gave attention to the body of the man that had been thus disposed of, lighting a eBook S. ony : ha : “My n 7 4 ry ia 4 ‘ ‘ bes Dat, Me fy? 4 i oe Pe