Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 854 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

, % df iy ( : : 4 / ram Hawkins, without stopping to think of consequences to himself, had thrust himself through the window, opposite to that from which he had seen Ready Ralph fall, and, hanging by his hands, let himself drop. He had calculated his distance to a nicety, and he came squarely on the roof of the car immediately below him, which, being a little above the level of the axle, was necessarily further out than the one in which he had been sitting. There were shouts that a man was trying to commit suicide, and Smasher Jim uttered an oath ashe saw the purpose of Hiram Hawkins. He realized before most of the excited people in the car and on the ground, that it was possible to get to Ready Ralph from the roof of the car, and that that was the intention of the postmaster from Sang. ville. ‘* Curse that old jay! Ill make him sick before [ am through with him!” muttered Smasher Jim, through his set teeth. But Hiram Hawkins did not hear this threat, and would not have cared if he had. Hiram Hawkins was in the habit of boasting that he was not afraid of anything when his blood was up, and, to his credit, it must be said that he was not. ‘* Gol-durn the thing! I'll show these here folks that Injianny people has as much sand as them in Chicago! Blame my cat ef I don’t!” remarked the postmaster to himself, as he cautiously drew himself up from the roof of the car to the powerful spoke that supported it, and that led directly to the spot where Ralph Rapier yet hung by his toes, waiting patiently for some one to rescue him, and prepared to die like a man, if he must. The shouting had ceased now. The vast throng below, as well as those in the cars, were watching alternately the young man, who hung in such an awful position, and the brave countryman risking his own life to save another. As for Rufe Rourke, he was cling- ing to the spoke, as he stood om the beam, as if paralyzed with fear. He was frightened, but not of falling. He was wonder- ing if he would find himself in the hands of the police, if the young man were saved, and wishing he could shake the huge structure upon which he stood so that it would jolt Ralph into eternity. But he might as well have tried to shake one of the great eighteen- story buildings in the heart of Chicago as to make any impression on the Ferris wheel in that way. “Ef Pa knowed I had ter dew all this here climbing, I'd ’a’ put on. climbing clothes,” muttered Hiram, who found his thick boots, and heavy coat of blue jeans rather cumbersome. ‘* Never mind! Blam- ed ef I don’t git thar somehow!” He was crawling out on the spoke very cautiously, Smasher Jim mentally cursing him at every foot of his progress, until at last he reached the center, and was very close to Ralph. ‘« Don’t let gonow, Ralph, or ’'m_ blamed ef it won't be a mean trick on me,” said Hiram to the young man. ‘‘ Now I’ve taken all this here trouble, I think you ought ter belong to me.”’ He was talking thus as much to encourage the young man as anything else, for he thought he could see that Ralph was about to give way, and it was as well to let him know that succor was near, so that he would think it worth while to hold on a little longer. ‘* Hurry up!” said Ralph, faintly, ‘* The blood has got to my head very badly.” ‘‘All right. T’ll have yer out of this in a ht he postmaster stretched himself along the spoke, lacing his legs around it like an eel, and then, letting himself hang over, got a good solid hold of Ralph’s ankles. ‘* Kin yer kind of craw! up yerself, like they does in the circus?” he asked, —_—— lL LLL LL LLL LLL LL LL LLL LL CL em mm ee ee ——— ee ** Tl try,” answered Ralph, ‘‘ although my strength has pretty well given out.” He knew what Hiram meant, and, giving himself a jerk, that made his toes slip off their slight hold and pulled painfully at Hiram’s arms, so that they almost seemed as if they would start from their sockets, he doubled himself, until he was bent with his face opposite his knees. This isa trick often performed by trapezists, but is not an easy thing for ordinary people to do in every-day clothes, especially when they have been hanging, head downward, for several min. utes, as was the case with Ready Ralph. When he had reached this position the young detective was obliged to rest for a moment, uncomfortable as he was in such an attitude. ‘‘Hurry up, Ralph. Blame me ef you ain’t heavy,” gasped Hiram, Ralph made another effort, and then, with acry of joy, he found himself sitting astride the spoke, helping Hiram to sit up, too, A mighty cheer went up as the two men, the rescuer and the rescued, shook hands heartily, while the disappointed wretch above them, and Smasher Jim, in the car, swore deeply to themselves at the almost miraculous escape of their would-be vic- tim. Rufe Rourke was not through yet, how- ever, for he made a movementas if he would kick the detective in the head, and sending him whirling down, in spite of the inter- position of what seemed to him the luck of the arch-fiend himself. Ralph did not see the movement, but Hiram did, and he seized Rufe’s foot, and gave it such a pull, that, if he had not been holding on with both hands and a very tight grasp, he would have ex- perienced the fate he was so anxious to see fall to Detective Ralph. ‘Quit that, yew brick-dust-looking skunk, or, blame my cats, ef I don’t come up thar an’ lick yer in the good old Injianny style!” ‘‘Shut up, hayseed!” returned Rufe, con- temptuously. Hiram Hawkins writhed with indignation, and if he had been on terra firma, instead of on such an insecure footing over nearly 150 fect above, he would have made his words good on Rufus Rourke without further par- ley. As it was, discretion was the better part of valor, and he contented himself with laying up the score against him, backed up by the firm intention of satisfying it at the earliest opportunity. ‘“Tlow are we going tew git down out of this?” asked Hiram. ‘‘I s’pose the way I came is better than climbing down,” ‘Yes. You go back into the car, and I'll follow you,” said the detective. Hiram gave one more threatening glance at Rufus, and then scuttled along the spoke till he reached the roof of the car, waiting contentedly for the mighty wheel to turn, and, in the course of events, bring him down to Mother Earth again. But Uncle Sam’s detective did not follow him, There was something to be done on the wheel before he would go away, and Rufus Rourke realized what it was in a moment, With cat-like agility, Ready Ralph, who had quite recovered from the effects of hang- ing, head downward, so long, reached the small platform where Rufus stood, and, clinging firmly with one hand, clutched the fellow by the throat with the other. The whole performance was so sudden, and Ralph appeared so little excited, that the sandy-mustached man was taken completely by surprise, and was thus at a disadvantage from the first. He could not shake off the young man, be- cause it would be necessary to release his hold of the spoke to do so, and that would mean a headlong plunge to the Midway Plaisance, with a bagful of broken bones all that would be left of him. ——— oe A Uncle Sam’s Detective in Chicago. 11 ST ‘You tried to murder me,” observed Ralph, quietly. Rufe looked sullenly into the boy’s face, and then, in a spirit of recklessness that. would insist on making itself manifest in spite of the disadvantage at which he was held, with the detective’s hand on his throat, he gasped, in a choking voice: ‘ That’s phwat,” ‘‘ But you couldn’t do it,” ‘*Tt wasn’t my fault,” ‘“T like your candor,” returned Ralph, who really felt some sort of admiration for the recklessness of the raseal. You are one of the most picturesque rufiians I have ever met,” Rufe did not answer, but he noticed that the detective had loosened his hold slightly while talking, and he tried to take advantage of it by suddenly wrenching himself purtly awry. But the detective’s fingers closed around his throat with an even tighter grip than before, and Rufe was rapidly turning black in the face, when the detective, who had no desire to kill the man, eased a little, and allowed him to regain some of his breath, ‘* Don’t try that, Rufe. It won't pay you. I only wanted you to know that I saw through your game before we came up here at all, andif I had not been more careless than I usually am, you would never have been able to push me off this beam.” ‘ You think you are smart. Oi could get away with a dozen kids like you, if you ave a detective, who brags about being ‘ always on deck,’” sneered Rufe. ‘‘Detective? Well, that is a good one,” responded Ready Ralph. ‘‘I am a sailor, and I pride myself upon being always on deck when Iam wanted, That’s all.” ‘You are. Well, what made you wear false whiskers, and break into Smasher Jim’s crib, pretending you was in the business!” The detective hastily put his hand to his chin, : ‘Oh, they’re gone,” exclaimed Rufe. “They dropped off you when you wint down. ‘And now,” headded, with a shriek of rage that he could not repress, ‘it is my turn!” If Rufus Rourke had not indulged in his little oration, he would perhaps have ac+ complished his desire to put an end to Ready Ralph, but his remarks spoiled his game, for the detective, who ha released him while he felt his chin for his rte beard, saw his danger, and threw himsel upon Rufus with such force that he was helpless, and was obliged to hold on with alk his strength to save himself as well as the detective from taking that awful plunge. At this moment the wheel began to turn, and Smasher Jim, as he went up and over them, shot a malignant glance in the direc- tion of the detective that was seen by that. young man and that suggested a new way of dealing with Rufus Rourke. Ralph got a good hold of the beam again, that was separate from the wheel, so that it was not affected by its motion, and then, without any appearance of ill humor, drew a revolver from his pocket and pointed it. straight at his late antagonist’s head, “Oh, of course, pint a gun at me,” ex- claimed Rufe in a tone of contempt. ‘1 haven't any weapons myself,” “You lie.” responded Ralph, cheerfully, Rufe made a motion as if he would draw a knife from bis pocket, but the cold muzzle of the revolver touched his forehead, and he changed his mind, while Ralph went on: ‘Tt doesn’t matter if you have a whole ar- senal about you’ I have the drop on you, Now, get out of this.” He pointed downward. and Rufe, without: another word, let himself down, actively and swiftly, from one rod of stee) to another, tilk he was some ten feet below the detective. “Stop!” commanded Ralph, emphasizing nN co 900ks. a