Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 841 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

i. oy : > 2 ot a’ ’ ‘ j . 1 O ' 7 -— Messenger Max, . . — = ee a eh yd 6 ~ i - @ 2.357 = Iz pal —, = ‘ he almost deserted, Now and then an officer could be seen holding ** And he said he did not have it?” ** Dat’s w’ot he said, boss,” | ‘Well, he lied, for I gave it to him for you.” ** He said ye didn’t,” ‘1 did; he has probably swiped it, sonny.” ‘* By thunder!” exclaimed the bootblack, ‘‘if I thought that, I'd git even wid ’im, ef it took me a lifetime.’ ‘It’s true, so you can begin getting even right away. Where was he when you saw him?” ‘* Down at the ferry, waitin’ fur a boat. He said you was no good, an’ that he’d stood you up on de Astor House steps, an’ he was goin’ home an’ goin’ ter bed. I saw him git onter de boat,” ‘** How long ago was that?” ** Jest now; I kim right up here fur dem nine cases, He said I’d find ye here,” ‘*Confound him!” muttered Prince, between his teeth. ; Suddenly a bright thought struck bim, ‘* Here, sonny,” he said, bo shall» be paid for your trouble, anyway. Here are five dol- Jars. Now answer a few questions,” ** Fire away, boss,” *< What is your name?” sé e ” ** Pete what?” ‘* Don’t know.” ** How long have you been a bootblack?” ** Don’t know; might’a’ been born wid a brush in me hand.” ‘*' You say that you want to get even with | Merry; do you mean it?” ** ‘You bet I do!” ** Well, so do [,” ** You! w’ot fur?” ‘* That 1s my business,” ‘** Sure! Shine’s done, boss, Good-night.” “* Hold on! wait a moment! I want you to do another job for me,” ** W’ot one?” * “T want you to bring young Merry where I can pet my hands on him, Can you do it?” n. ** Will you?” A ** Any time after to-night.” ‘* To-morrow night?” ** Ye-up,” “*Good! To-morrow night at ten o’clock have him at the corner of Beekman and Pear! streets, and Ill give you two more Vs,” ** It’s a bargain, boss,” Prince turned and sprung into the cab, which toa started away, but all unknown to the ver or the schemers inside it carried an extra passenger. Clinging fast to the running gear, with his legs wound tightly around the -springs, rode Max in his disguise of Pete, the bootblack, and _* he had resolved to follow the person who was so eens in his capture until he ran him to earth, He could not help thinking that the man we knew as Prince was in some way connected with the robbery and murder of Mr. Mor- daunt, while, if there was any truth in his asser- tion that he could deliver up the culprits, Max -« proposed to find it out. wh nknowingly, however, he was rushing head- long into great danger, j CHAPTER XI. ! A DARING AND DANGEROUS DEED, “mM going to see where that fellow hangs out, if it takes mea week,” said Max, to him- self as he clung to the running-gear of the cab as it bowled rapidly up Broadway. ‘The time was close upon midnight, and the R| busy, thoroughfare, usually so thronged with ple and vehicles of all descriptions, was up the lamp-post of some convenient corner, and occasionally a belated clerk or one of the _ regular night-owl ‘class would saunter up or ‘“*That’s rather curious,” commented the boy detective, ‘‘leaving them right in the middle of a dark street. He held on for a few moments, until he felt sure that he could drop from his perch unob- served, and then, at the risk of receiving severe bruises and broken,bones, let go his hold, and landed in a heap upon the rough pavement. Quickly springing to his feet, unhurt except for a severe shaking-up, he looked hastily in the direction taken by Graff and his friend. There was no one in sight, With an exclamation of dismay, he was about to start onward at a run, when he saw the two men issue from the shadow of a dark doorway, and once more turn their footsteps toward the river. “Tl wonder if they got onto me,” thought the boy, but he never once thought of hesitating or turning back. The fact was, although of course Max had no way of knowing it, that Prince had blindfolded his friend while in the carriage, and had halted in the doorway for two reasons, One was to as- sure himself that Graff could not see through the bandage over his eyes, and the other was to satisfy himself that they were not being fol- lowed, or even tooselosely observed by any one, and having found aie dem satisfactory, they had started on again; for although Prince was keen-eyed, be had never thought of looking un- der the rapidly-moving cab for an animated bundle of rags, Max noticed, as he flitted from shadow to shadow, now behind a box, now under a desert- ed dray, and again ina dark doorway on the op- poss side of the street, that Prince appeared to e leading Graff, whose hat was pulled down over his eyes, and who looked and acted as though he were intoxicated. ; In fact, that was the conclusion at which the young detective arrived, as he flittered along after them as noiselessly as the shadow he was endeavoring to emulate. Presently West street was reached, and then they approached the Christopher Street Ferry, which runs to Hoboken, ‘*Here’s a fix,” thought Max, “If they should choose to stop on this end of the boat, that fellow who calls himself Earl will be sure ae me if go on,” evertheless, he followed them through the ferry-hou3e, ascertaining that the boat would startin just seven minutes, as he did so, and then he hurried out upon the bridge just in time to see that the two men were passing through the center of the boat toward the forward end, thus avoiding the lighted cabins, ‘* They’ll stand therein the dark until the boat lands on the other side, and then wait until the passengers get off before leaving themselves,” thought the boy, ‘‘so [ll just work the other racket.” : Accordingly, he passed boldly through the lighted cabin, never pausing until he was lean- ing against the iron gates at the forward end of the boat, and there he remaived unti! it entered the slip, bounding ashore as soon as the gates were thrown open, Hurrying forward, he paused at a convenient point, in a deep sbadow, where he could see i and Prince as they came off. e had not long to wait, for passengers on the ferry-boats were few at that hour, and the two men wandered along behind those few, ‘*Where in the world are they going, and what are they up to, anyway?” wondered Max, as he once more took up bthe trail, following them out of the ferry-house and along the rather sparsely-lighted streets of Hoboken, Instead of making his way toward the principal part of the city, Prince led his friend through numerous side streets, making many turns and twists wbich seemed to Max totally unnecessary. ‘ . ‘““T’ve got it!” suddenly exclaimed the young detective, under his breath. ‘That black- mustached fellow is taking Graff somewhere, and has got him blindfolded while he plays drunk to hide the fact, and these turns and twists are to | was being followed, and was coming back to settle summarily with the foolhardy shadow? No—that could not be the case, for if it were, Prince would have made his retrograde move- ment in a very different manner. In any case, Max had but a moment in which to think, and he knew he must get out of the wey somehow, e dared not run back over the ground he had come, for Prince would surely either see or hear him, and even if ke did not, the boy might lose sight of them entirely. Almost at bis elbow was a hogshead, Soaps filled with scraps of iron and old junk, and without an instant’s hesitation, Max gave one spring and landed fairly inside, with scarcely = noise, here was just room enough for him to curl up inside, below the open top of the hogshead, and a moment’s time in which to pull a coil of old and rotten rope over his head and sboulders, when he heard Prince’s footsteps as he made his way cautiously but rapidly along. Every few paces he would pause, as if listen- ne» and once be crossed the street to the other side, but came back again almost immediately. Suddenly he paused right beside the hogshead: in which Max lay concealed, and the boy’s heart almost stood still. He knew that if the desperate man should find him there and recognize him, his life would not be worth a moment’s purchase in that silent, de- serted street on the Hoboken water-front, _ He felt that the man took hold of the huge af- fair and tried to moveit, and heard him mutter: **Old junk and scrap-iron!” : Then he could hear him breathe, as he leaned over a little as if peering in to see that nobody was concealed there, v But the rope covered Max better than he thought it did, or else the place was so dark that: Prince could not have seen him anway, for the mgmentary inspection seemed to satisfy him and he moved onward up the street, As his footsteps died away, Max raised his head pe enough so that he could peer over the top of the huge barrel, and he saw the shadowy outline of Prince’s figure some distance back in the street. Then he watched him cross the street and make his way as cautiously and systematically back toward the river on the other side, ‘** Well, I’m blessed if he ain’t the most care- ful crook I ever heard of!” mused the hoy. ‘‘A big fellow would have had no show following’ him to-night, that’s certain,” He sprung lightly from the hogshead as Prince rejoined his friend and hurried on after them as they turned down the wharf toward the lower end, keeping well in the shadow of the buildings as he did so, A couple of hundred feet more weretraversed,. when they came toa halt again, and Max saw © them speaking earnestly tcgether for a mo- — ment, Then Graff was led backward to a pile of lanking and was seated upon them, while Prince went forward to the edge of the wharf, and bending far over appeared as though haul- ing upon arope. — Nor was Max mistaken in the conjecture, for — presently a boat appeared from underneath and was firmly tied alongside. | | ‘** Tm left, sure!” muttered the boy, in deep chagrin. ‘ They’re going to take to the water, and Ican’tfollow them. Hullo! what’s upnow?” The last exclamation was caused by his seeing Prince, after making the boat fast, hurry rapid- — ly away toward the end of the pier. Then it was that the gallant young detective | formed a sudden and desperate resolution. ‘Now or never!” he exclaimed, under his breath, as he made a rapid dart forward, ‘*That fellow’s back is turned and Graff is blind- folded, so maybe I can make it work,” | @ had seen that the boat was a eg 3 one, having evidently once been a sail-boat, baving each end decked over 80 asto provide lockers (or cupboards) underneath, 7 “If the things are unlocked, and are big _ down the street, bnt that was all. mislead him entirely. Go it, old fellow! you | enough, and ain’t full already,” he y ’ Presently the cab made a sharp turn, and | won’t lose me—not if I know it!” rapidly, ‘I can get in. Anyway, I'll try it mist ty _» then another and. still another, but Max was so Suddenly, and just as Max had arrived at the | on, and if it don’t fit, Pl just drop overbeard Pe ’ Ai - situated that hecould not determine what streets | above conclusion, they issued from a narrow | and swim under the pier till they get away.” Pe ee i, ed were passing through. street upon a long wharf, on the river, andthere| It was a daring and hazardous thing for him es _. Suddenly they came to a stop and Max could | the two paused. to do; but he did not stop to count the cost, Ry tae hear the passongers descending from the vehicle, While Max was wondering what the next He reached the boat unobserved and dropped tee yw “9 _ but still he clung fast, knowing that to be dis- | move would be, Prince suddenly loosed his hold | into it, at once trying the locker nearest him. ay It was fastened, an with an exclamation of yt impatience he hurried to the other one, = That was open, and, as luck would have it, r upon his companion’s arm, and started at a rapid pace back through)the narrow street, di- rectly toward the spot where the boy was stand- ‘There was a moment's parley over the driver’s covered would spoil all his plans. | _ pay, and then the two plotters—for it was Ki _ Graff who was with Prince Charlie—started ng | empty. | he 3 i Vike ao s g beara down the street toward the river, while or an Instant he did not know what todo, _ Torning feet first, he began crowding himself Rae _ the cab relied rapidly away. ae: Could it be that the man suspected that he ' into the small space. 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