Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 850 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

~~. oa ie — i o. Mn * , % - ot 260 . ee eee ee ee ~, rr w ~ m4 - 7 “— 10 ——$_—_—$— e@— --- —~ —_ ——_- -- — a - The Castaway paused and‘ooked in wonder, forts, an’ I don’t sce as I’m wal fixed fur the He had seen nothing, and only.the sound which | battle. Couldn’t be no more helpless ef I was had preceded the fall remained as. a age | a toothless baby. What hadit been? What had caused it? hat | ‘cast away’ fur good an’ all ef you don’t look was the matter with Horace Peach? out!” The boy stared at the darkness with a momen- Despite the fact that he fully realized his tary feeling of alarm. Was there an enemy | danger, the boy remained clear-headed in his outside? Nobody likes to deal with a secret | peril, and looked eagerly for a way out of it. lf ons was at hand, what was his pur- | What could he do? He had tested the cords which bound him, and found that they were not | to be broken. oo foe. oge? Caleb looked arcund for a weapon, but the single light was burning low, and he did not dis- What other way was open to him? cover aby. He was lying on top of the big desk, and this, He took a forward step, and again paused in | as he well knew, was fastened to the wall, Prob- doubt. ‘The black expanse without was not in- | ably his enemies had tried it and found it se- viling. He could not leave Peach uncared for, | cure before binding him to it. _ and he agnin made a forward move, Reaching | This was not encouraging, but he could cee no his motionless friend, he seized his legs and be- | hope except to force it away from its position. gan to pull him back, If this could be done he could, perhaps, reach The act hastened the catastrophe which had | and open the door. been impending. Two dark forms suddenly whisked into view, revealing the presence of as many men; and then they ‘prung over the coal-dealer’s body, Cinders lea backward, but he was speedily | shown that he was not to escape so easily. Straight for him the men made, and he saw that one held some kind of club or sand-bag in his hand. ‘‘ Do the little hound up!” one of them cried. There was no room in the shanty for running, A good chance was given him to put out his so Caleb adopted the only course open to him. | strength and press the desk away from the wall, Lowering nis head, he made a sudden dive to | but.as the resistance all came upon the cords ssthem. One tried to seize him and failed, | which bound him, it was at the expense of ut the other was more fortunate. Down came | physical pain. This he did not heed—ignoring the weapon he held; the boy experienced a | the pain, he pusbed with all his might. sharp pain in his head, and then he lost con- | Not long had he been at it before there was a sciousness, ' gratifying response. The desk began to shake, How long this condition of affairs lasted he | and there was a creaking sound which told that never knew, but it could not have been a great , the nails, or screws, were giving way slightly. while. He recovered his senses, and with their | With the smoke curling around him, and the return came perfect clearness of mind. He re- ‘red light growing stronger, he held grimly, membered the last scene at once, and began to | courageously to his task, and one end of the struggle. desk moved clear of tke wall, It was a vain attempt; he found himself held | Collecting all his strength, he gave a final dowu by some power stronger than himself. | great push. He was in utter darkness, and all appeared cor- There was sound of rending wood, and then respondingly silent, but the stillness was sud- | the desk fell forward and toppled over on its denly broken, side, This meant a good deal to Caleb Cinders, **Is all ready?’ asked a voice. for he was in such a position that he was afraid ‘¢ Ves,” some one replied. the fall would actually break his neck. It did ‘* Then let us get out,” not have this effect, but he went down with a ** Are you sure the boy is fast?” shock which almost stunned him, 6 "You,? | .He struggled afresh, however, and then fol- ‘¢ The dickens would be to pay if he escaped,” | lowed an unexpected discovery. ‘¢ Never fear; he’s safe as pie, Itseems rough He had done more tban to break the desk to make the old coal-dealer go under, too, just |away—the fall had caused his bonds to slip over to fix the boy—but there ain’t any help for it, , one end of the desk, and they now hung loosely Come on,” | upon his limbs, Hope sprung to the front, and Footsteps sounded—a door closed—there was | he hastened to get clear of them altogether, He a little rattling outside—then all was still. | could then reach his pocket-knife, and he drew Suddenly, however, the darkness began fo | it and began to slash away at the cords. grow less. Caleb looked and saw a steadily-in- | It was not long before he leaped to his feet, creasing tongue of fire, and its light revealed a | free from all impediments, pile of fine wood, The way of escape was at last open, but he The truth flashed upon him. ' did not turn to the door. Instead, he ran to He had been securely bound by the unknown | the sink and turned on the water. He was de- intruders, and now they had set fire to the | termined to fight the fire, and subdue it if such shanty and beat a retreat, a thing was possible, ——. It took a long time, it seemed, for the pail to CHAPTER XII. fill, but he stood gasping and coughing until it THE CASTAWAY’S FIGHT FOR LIFE. was done. Then he repeated it with a second As he fully realized his peril, Caleb Cinders | pail, and began to shower the flames. experienced a feeling of horror, Death by fire It was a’ hard, brave fight that followed. is certainly something to appall the stoutest | Any one less resolute would have despaired, heart, and that was what menaced him. He but not Caleb Cinders, struggled fiercely, but the result only went to Just as he saw that victory was in his PrasP: show how firmly he had been bound, Hecould | a faint voice arose, and he discovered that not call for help because of the bandage which | Horace Peach was conscious. It was a short had been passed over his mouth, and, if it had ; task to release him,and then the coal-dealer been out of his way, he might not have made | gave his aid ee heard in the coal-yard, with the shanty Before long the last vestige of fire was gone, oor closed. and the weak, blackened amateur firemen The blaze increased, lapping the light kin-| grasped hands in congratulation, When the dling-wood greedily, and the interior of the flames were raging, Cinders had not dared open shed became as light as though a lamp was the door, knowing that the breeze would fan burning. It revealed, too, Horace Peach’s mo- | the fire; but it was now done, and the fresh air tionless form. Caleb would have thought him | was very welcomé to both. dead, but the ropes upon bis arms and legs They stood in silence for some time, enjoying showed that others had not thought so. Caleb writhed like a tiger in battle, as he tried to burst his bonds. Unless Providence di- rected some gaze early to the place, the remote shanty was likely to be one mass of seething flame before help came. around until, after much labor, be got his feet against the wall. Not much time was left for him to work in; the fire bad spread beyond the kindling-wood, and was taking hold of the shanty. This was old and dry, and when fairly in the grasp of the flames would burn up in furious haste, . Already the room was full of smoke, and he began to choke and cough. tS ee t. ‘‘ Wal, this beats me!” Peach finally observed. ‘‘Strikes me we've beat it /” Caleb replied. ‘‘We! Iain’t had much hand init; you’ve did it all. Ciaders!’’and here the coal-dealer seized the boy’s hand, ‘‘ I’m proud of you; I am, For it to come at that hour would be no ad- | by sixty! You hev done work that stamps you vantage or benefit to Cinders. a hero. I’m as grateful as you please because His career would be ended. you saved my life, but that ain’t much com- Thefire gained with “i apn abe pry though pared to the glory you’ve spread all over yer- it was nota whirlwind-like spread of flame. It | self!” was as brisk as it was dangerous, and would ‘¢ That’s not glory, but coal-dust!” facetiously have absolute control, returned the Castaway, as he rubbed off some He called to Peach, but there was no reply. of the black smut. “+ BYinks! I’ve got ter depend on my ownef-| ‘Never mind; you'll be President, yit!” i s ; - ae, en 9 ¥ 4 | i | . Bree tame aE meet eae wants Fy WEIR Sateen = Caleb Cinders, the New York Castaway. | | | | | * AS Ne ‘ r 2 ee “ie “Me 824 a ‘“‘Drawr it mild, Mr. Peach.’ Ikinseethrough ~ you—you want ter be my Secretary o’ State, Say, Cinders, you'll be | but your politics may not be sound, an’ I won’t promise, But this ain’t ter the pint. Whodid this job?” ‘* Mean scoundrels!” **T believe you.” ‘*D’ye know, Caleb, I hey an idea ’twas you they come ter do up?” ‘*[T know it was. I heerd them talk, an’ one said it was pretty rough ter kill you jest because I must be put out o’ the way.” ‘* That settles it. But who set them on?” Cinders shook his head, ‘* You say!” Peach pointed toward Proctorbam’s house, ‘*] don’t reckon you want to go there alone, after dark, ter get your clothes, now!” It was asking a good deal of common sense to believe that a man like Irving Proctorham was He began to work on this plan, and squirmed , the instigator of a murderous deed, or that he would find it to his purpose to use auch desper- ate means to get rid of oneso young and pov-~- erty-stricken as Caleb Cinders, but what else could be inferred? Some one had tried to do the work: who else would have any wish to wipe the boy’s name out of the list of living persons? ‘*You’ve got to be careful now, my lad,” gravely added Peach. ‘*'That’s about so,” ‘Tf I was you, I’d stay in-doors.” ‘*Wal,I aint a-goin’ ter!” the Castaway de- clared, stoutly. ‘‘l won’t make no hermit o” myself, jest ter pleaso them who hateme. I’m goin’ ter be all the livelier. I’m little, but that’s. only all the more reason why I must be right on my muskle. Hide? Not much! On vtother hand, I’m goin’ ter run them chaps down an’ see them inside a prison-cell, b’jinks!” For some time longer the two talkeli on the subject, and then, when all had been said, and. their faces and hands well washed, they separ- ated. Peach decided to stay there over night, to watch his property, so Caleb started alone for Alton Norway’s. He kept his eyes wids open as he went, deter- mined not to fall into any new snare. It was not a pleasant feeling to know.that secret ene- mies were endeavoring to take his life. CHAPTER XITI. BEN BROWN’S FAMILY NOTES. CALEB reached Norway’s house in safety, and eneountered that gentlem&n at the door, He had expected to find him at home and wonder- ing why his young ally did not come, so thesur- prise was mutual, They went in and found Mrs. Garland in a very uneasy state of mind. Their prolonged absence had led her to fear that some harmhad_ . come to them. ‘‘ T can easily explain my tardiness,” observed ° N or way, and I presume that our young friend can do the same,” - ‘¢ Rather!” the Castaway grimly replied. ‘‘}{1ave youhad moreadventures?” asked Mrs, Garland, anxiously. ‘‘ Not at all, but I have been trying to get light in dark places. When I left you, Caleb, I went at once to see my lawyer friend. He said that his long legal experience as what may be termed aspecialist had injured his knowledgeof general law, but he was of the opinion that we could properly demand and get all the informa- tionin the Department’s books. Of course it could be refused us, but our recourse would be, in such a case, to a judge, before whom’ we could lay our claims in the s ape of affidavits.” ‘¢ That looks favor’ble,” Cinders commented, ‘‘ But we do not want to go tolaw.” ‘“*1’m afeerd you will have ter.” ‘* It is notimprobable, When I left my eae friend I went at once to the house of one of the Commissioners. I found him a very pleasant gentleman to talk with, and have an apppiny: ment to meet him at his office to-morrow, at half-past ten.” ‘ ‘‘Then heis going to let you see the books?” » exclaimed Mrs. Garland, eagerly. ‘‘¥ don’t know,” Norway doubtfully replied, ‘¢ He said that he would first look at the record himself and then decide.” nod. i ‘¢'You may be right; I confess that I am not over-confident, As well as I was used, there was much in the Commissioner’s manner to dis-. He said that in his opinion it was e me, from those to keep unpleasant fac coura often who had gone out from their Department under Ss such circumstances.” ‘‘T bet ag’in’ you!” declared Caleb, with a s . ‘Can the truth be worse,” asked Mrs, Gar~ i i od o : NSP Coping te Sed Cc 1s “ re. -