Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 839: Broadway Billy's Big Boom — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

es: he § Cale ae , ; : i a *S . ol & : P Ce Sen, Seen te aly pron, SA Ey tess ae 4 "iP! si we , * . ~~ 4 e4 ei SL “- « & ° é - he. a - 6 tx . pf eb MAE ey alt <* — ya Wu, : . ® ld “ > ae Oy or = —_ - oe me ~~ > av ’ a5 > 4 _—— Pug —— - eee " i. 0 —<—_ Ie ae . SS a | = mA > io +» 4 »” » “ ~ ~ 1 —— 2 a aa es Ver ~ 4 2 FS hk ee ~~ t. vad 4 . - ~ a aes Sa te >» <. - ‘ « . ~ < > 5 — £ a . -s - tl ~ - - ite te face = ral Peet Oe Se 7 7. — ‘ ; os a a -* we th: _ — —— _ he a - Fr ; a > > i” Pf he ate ~- ee | es = — = a- « = — dé »/ ee a. rs ~ 7 > . *, ‘ .- . Ta « x. - i> a * ¥ . ~ * *.- ~. ~« o 2 oe” « a so es 5 Ate _- ; +> ie of = eS =. : » : = ob 4 Ae - < ‘ ae coy 4 - 2 4 . m aa a - ? —_ | » = > al ~ = - = vy: et! é _ = a mee ee = . > . 2 t< ton | ad 5 tay ~ phe oP — oS “Ss SP ee 3 2 E ~ rT oy —— a SS » od J ~~ = _ / _" a Fant ° oy) ~ > : i. you get on to that? So, if you didn’t bring the countersign with you, we know you are a fraud. Now what do you say?” The fellow really looked confused and foolish. “1 don’t know anything about it,” he de- clared. ‘‘I’ve done what I was asked to do, but it’s the last time I’ll climb a flight of stairs to deliver a message to anybody. In the excitement I suppose he must have for- gotten the word—” ‘“‘ Broadway Billy don’t get excited,” Harry interrupted... ‘“ Well, I don’t know anything about it; you may go or not, just as you please; I am done with the whole business,” And with that, in a snappy way, the fel- low was gone. Harry smiled broadly, stepping immedi- ately to the door by which Seth had left the roum some minutes before. This he opened, looking in, and, seeing an Seth was absent, smiled more broadly still. ‘‘Christopher. Columbia! but that was good!” he exelaimed. ‘‘ Seth ain’t asleep, even if he don’t have much to say. The eg he worked that little trick was right up nD ”? He closed the door and stepped to the win- dow, looking out. ‘“Yes, there they go,” he added, ey elated. ‘‘There’s the fellow, and Seth is onto him as big as a house, in one of his best disguises. 1 thought I could hold the chap long enough for Seth to make ready to get out.” It was a clever trick, and had been clever- ly worked. . The arrangement was one which Broad- way Billy had thought of and adapted to use for this very purpose, and this was the first time it had been called into play. He had rented the adjoining room, a small one, and had a door cut through into it, and in that room\was kept everything that was not a part of, or needed in, the office proper. Here were the disguises, and a few mo- ments after Seth had disappeared from the office, he stepped out into the hall trans- formed into a little old man with a white beard and bent back, and the change wrought was perfect. The man, when he left the office, could have no suspicion of the trick. Seth was waiting for him outside, gazing idly atthe display of goods in a near-by window. He let the fellow get some distance in ad- vance, when he started after him. Seth’s suspicion had been aroused the mo- ment the man mentioned having come from Broadway Billy, and acting promptly upon that suspicion, here was the result; he was shadowing him, | The Silent Shadower had expected he would be piloted straight to the address the fellow had given, but in this he was mis- taken. The man did set out in that direc- tion, but changed his course and finally en- tered a cheap-looking restaurant on another street. Here he took a seat at a table, and Seth entering a moment later, sat down at another table just behind him, Each gave an order for something, and be- fore the orders were filled another man came in and sat down beside Seth’s suspect and they entered immediately into conversation. Seth had the keenest of ears, and by strain- sre A a little he could overhear what was said. ‘* Well, how did it work?” the new-comer asked. _ “Tt didn’t work worth a cent,” was the they'll know for sure it’s him, and of course I didn’t have the word.” ‘““The deuce you say! Who would have thought of a thing like that?” ‘Nobody would. The trick didn’t do them any good, though, for I didn’t let them get a single point, and they will have some- thing to puzzle their heads over, I’m betting. I played my part of it all right, and now where’s my money? I have earned that fair enough,” _ *T do not say you haven’t, dol? Here it is,” handing overa sum. ‘‘ It is too bad we didn’t know about that word, then you could have sprung that on them the first shot, say- ing you had forgotten what it was.” “That’s so; but I didn’t know about it, and so they had me. Maybe they’ll go nosing around the place, anyhow, for a clue, so it will serve our purpose just the same.” ‘*Sure enough; I didn’t think about that. They think they are smart, because they are associated with this Broadway Billy, but we'll take some of it out of them before they are aware of it. We have made up our minds to nip their game right in the bud, this time, and we’re going to do it.” ‘* Have you made your man come to terms regarding your share in the net profits when the game is won?” “ ‘* You bet Ihave! I put him right down to it close last night, and made him sign a paper. Now I have got him, and he dare not say a word. We can go ahead without fear now.” ’ ; ‘‘That’s good; that’s what I wanted to see. The way it was, he could dump you over- board if he wanted to, the minute he got his clinch on the good green, and you would not have a leg tosjand on. You can thank me for giving you tat pointer, old man, and you want to be liberal accordingly.” , ‘“We'll attend to that when the thin comes to a head. Finish your bite, and we’ get out of here. Miserable hole to keep an appointment in,” ‘*T know it, but it’s safe, and that’s the important thing. May as well finish what I’m at, for it isn’t bad eating even if it is humble fare.” Silent Seth minced with what he was at, trying to make it last till they got up to go, and in that he succeeded, following them when they took leave, keeping at a safe dis- tance. | The two men did not go far together, but presently stopped for a moment’s talk, when they parted. } It took Seth but a moment to decide which to follow. The man to whom his first sus- pect had come to report, and by whom he had been paid, was the one promising most, so he followed him. Doing this, he was taken straight to the house into which it had evidently been the plan to entrap him and Harry. : Here the man entered, letting himself in with a key, for the house had the appearance of being vacant. Seth.stopped a little distance away, look- ing at the house, wondering if Broadway Billy could be there and trying to think of some means for finding out. He had not long to wait for something to turn up, for he had been there only a ‘little time when the door opened again and three men came out—the one he had followed and two others, The Silent Shadower took ‘a good look at them while he had so favorable oppor- tgulty. One was a low-browed, big-mouth- ed, murderous-looking fellow with a beard- less face, Another was a slim, sharp-nosed and sharp-chinned man with a mustache— a hungry, eager-looking individual. The re rw) SA ‘ . . oe 4 Broadway Billy’s Big Boom, F he tell your boss, and I think he’ll rake you | snapped response. ‘‘ They caught me in the | last was a tall, good-looking man of fifty, Ree over for it,” neatest trap you can imagine.” wearing silk hat and side-whiskers. This was. Be. | ‘Yes, I do call you a liar,” Harry fear- ‘“ How was that?” the one Seth had already shadowed. a, lessly emphasized, ‘‘and you have so proved ‘““Why, it seems that infernal detective ye yourself. When Broadway Billy sends for} never sends them a message by anybody CHAPTER IV EN us he makes use of a private watchword, so} without making use of a signal-word so 5 * we'll know there is no fake about it. Do HAPPY HARRY COMES TO GRIEF. Wuen Happy Harry had watched Seth and his suspect out of sight he turned back into the office and sat down to think about. it. ‘¢ Now, then, what’s that?’ he asked him- self. ‘‘ We have the best of reason, now, to think the boss is in a consarned diffikilty; Seth is out hustling for points; I an® here doing nothing, ‘ “Tam proud of this, mighty. If I had some brain like the rest of the combination, I might be doing something too; but I was in the closet when brains was dished around. and so missed my share. Let's see; can’t I hook on somewheres and keep up with the procession?” He put himself down to hard thinking. ‘‘That’s it,” he presently exclaimed half aloud; ‘“‘that’s what Ill do. It’s the only clue I’ve got, and I'll have to work it for what it’s worth. These are the days of hump and hustle, and the fellow that don’t. do both don’t get there, that’s all and ’m anxious to get there, I'll drop around in disguise and take a bird's-eye squint at that. house.” This reference was to the house to which. the attempt had been made to decoy him and. Seth. He wrote a note for the chief, in the~ usual office cipher, leaving it on the desk in plain sight, and that done, went into the ad- joining room. When he came forth he was about as per- fect a specimen of the raw Irish lad as could be found, and the brogue on his tongue could be anticipated simply by looking at. him. Locking the office, he set forth. . Nimble of leg, he was only a brief time in reaching the place of his destination. The house was not a very reputable-look- ing affair, and it was closed in a way to sug- gest that it was vacant. The neighborhood was not the best, either, being a miserable foreign quarter. ogee Harry surveyed the house critically. “So, that’s the place, is it?” he said to him- self. ‘It looks dark enough for any crime, and I’ve a notion to think the boss may be in there a prisoner. I’ve another notion, too,. that I’ll try to find out whether he is or not. But how shall I go about it?” While he was debating this point the door recht and the face of an old woman ap- eared, ; She looked straight in his direction at. . once, then up and down the street, after aoe she beckoned eagerly for him to come: to her. Harry was puzzled at this. : ‘‘ Can it be she knows me?” he questioned, ‘or does my disguise lead her to take me for somebody else? Reckon I'll brave it and go see what the old dame wants, anyhow. It. me play, into my hands.” his was brief moment, and he crossed the street and stopped at the steps. ‘Was it mesel’ ye was motionin’ to, | ma’m?” he asked, adapting his speech to his. disguise. ‘‘Tt was to nobody else,” the old woman. answered. ‘‘ Come right in.” | “And phwy should Oi come in?” Harry demanded, in well-feigned surprise. ‘*Because the young man what’s lookin” . for ye said so when he seen ye out of the ~ r a) ie Oe 74 ’ . ' Li windy.” ‘* And who is dhe young man, by dhe same token?” : ‘“‘ He is the man what’s looking after the murder of me poor boy. killed by a brute of a Eyefalian:” Bests “ 3 ; - a ‘s] thought over and settled ina — . 4 , — - e's 2 , -t a .. a et ns - ~ : 4 - - 4 d , , " ~ o he . ’ Ay - ay ¥} ’ . us Se ~~ ’ , 4 ab: ; 4 1. SE he ae PC m . - - ~ « | a . w. ee : 2 ores? e girs 1. i? ‘ ww ~~ ee ee 2a ee: Dx. ‘ + : - a « ¢ 4 - ra Bf ew” ‘ roa | a he E ie ce ot i. ’ . » in - s P ‘ e 7 + Sevan od ‘ky : x 4) iHex if ; . a . oe -é Bar hans) 9 1 “aa , i " i‘ A, 6; ; ae - : i Rp as vv, Se a ,* (om “*y é -AS d +