Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 854 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

e...: and free. » aie other bolt and turned the big key that re- ‘mained in the lock, when the counterfeiter Was upon him. the advantage in size and strength, but ? oa _ Ralph Rapier was wiry and active as a cat, ‘ing the young man around the waist, drew Uncle Sam’s Detective in Chicago. Mother Halket released her hold of the de- tective and Lucy, but stood ready for any- thing that might be attempted by them. Ralph did not move, but Lucy ran to the arlor, and knelt at the side of the door, as his adversary had already had reason to know. . ‘Curse you! I'll make an end of you when I get you inside,” hissed Smasher, as he braced himself against the door-post, and hind which lay Hiram Hawkins, consid | tried to drag Ralph inside erably dazed, but conscious, He had been “Thanks, I don’t mean to go inside,” given a hard blow, but his constitution | was Ralphs response as he wedged himself was a good one, and it would take more than | into a corner and opposed all the strength at a thump with a piano stool to kill him, his command to that of his burly adver- ‘‘Now, Hiram,” said Smasher, deliber- | sary. ately, ‘‘ You sce it is no use your trying to ip the two men opposed each other at the get the best of Smasher Jim. I mean to | doorway, Smasher Jim’s back was turned make you go out to-morrow and work off | toward the opening, so that he could pot see about a thousand dollars’ worth of those tens ! any one who might be coming out or going and fives.”’ in. ““T won’t do it, consarn ye!” burst from| At the very moment that Smasher Jim the postmaster as he leaped to his feet, ‘I’m ' felt the detective yield a little, some one was going ter git out of this here place right | creeping through the doorway into the away, or I'll bring the police down on ye so | house. quick ye'll never know how it was done,” | Ralph Rapier saw the person, and opened cried Hiram, as he tried to push past the | his eyes wide as he recognized him. door. It was Sam Stokes, the boy who had _ been Smasher gave him a contemptuous shove | Jeft in charge of the store and post-office at backward. Sangville! ‘*Don’t be a fool, Hiram.” ‘What in thunderation brings that boy ‘“What do ye mean?” here and how did he find out that Lucy Haw- Smasher Jim thrust his face close to that | kins is in this house?” thought the detective, of Hiram Hawkins, as he hissed, through his | as he strove hard to prevent Smasher Jim | set teeth; ‘‘T mean that ’'m going to keep your girl here, as a guarantee that you will do what you are sent out to do. If you do not obey orders, or if you try any dirt work, in the way of bringirg police, I will Kill her! You understand?” The postmaster flew at the throat of the wretch, but he was powerless to injure him, for Rufe Rourke seized him behind, and Smasher pushed him in front, and he fell in a demoralized heap against the broken hall rack, with its shattered mirror. “Your girl will not be injured in an way so long as you do your duty, and ful- fill your contract with me. If you do not, why a blow on the head, and a splash in the lake at night will do the business, and the next time you sce her,if you ever do, she will not be alive!” Ralph’s eyes blazed, but he’ held himself in. He knew that he could do no good by interfering at this moment, and he was wait- ing tillthe time should come for him to act. ‘‘ Now, Hiram, you can go to bed. Rufe, show him his room.” Rufe Rourke beckoned to Hiram, who followed him mechanically to an upper room at the back of the house, the windows of which were secured by iron window-frames like those of the parlor in which Lucy was a prisoner, | Mother Halket had been keeping a close watch upon Ralph during this performance. “What shall ldo with this fellow?” she asked, with a look toward the Smasher. ‘* Nothing. I will attend to him.” As be thus spoke, the Smasher gave the girl a push into the parlor, and shut the door, although the broken panel allowed her to look out into the hall. Hardly had the door closed, however, be- fore the young detective, who seemed, for getting the best of him. ong Na did not cease his efforts to get away from Smasher Jim, although he was paying some attention to the secret ingress of Sam Stokes to the den. The counterfeiter had heard the footsteps of a policeman in the dis- tance coming toward the house, and he re- doubled his endeavors to drag the detective into the house. The deliberate, heavy footfall of the officer came nearer and nearer. Both Smasher Jim and the detective were familiar with the pecu- liar step of an officer, and they would never have mistaken any other for it. Smasher Jim wanted to get the young man out of sight, and Ralph was just as aa to keep in sight until the officer saw im. The slow, steady step of the officer was coming nearer and nearer, and Smasher Jim was getting desperate. But Ready Ralph was so firmly wedged in against the door that the other could not move him, try as he might. ‘* Let go of that doorpost, and I'll let you go,” whispered Smasher Jim, determined to try whether strategy would accomplish what could not be done by physical strength. ‘Thanks; 1 don’t want to go,” answered the detective with a smile that made Smash- er Jim boil with rage. ‘Then, curse you! Take it!” yelled Smasher Jim, in a frenzy of rage and hate. He drew a knife from his pocket and flourished it over the detective’s head, It might have been a serious moment for Ready Ralph, only that in drawing the knife Smasher Jim was obliged to release his hold of the young fellow, Ralph had not gained his sobriquet of ‘t Ready” for nothing, and at the instant that he felt his enemy’s hold relax he slipped under his arm, and when the moment, to be endowed with sunerhuman | the knife came down, with the intention of strength, flew at Mother Halket and knocked | reaching his heart, the detective was in a her down, aiding her tumble by dexterously | safe position, out on the sidewalk! putting his heel behind her, so that she lost Only for a second, however, was Smasher her balance as soon as she was thrown back- | Jim ata disadvantage, The officer was not ward, ; very far away now, and something must be As the old woman fell, Ralph sprung to} done at once, if at all, or, as Smasher ex- the front door and shot back one of the bolts, | pressed it to himself inaudibly, ‘the fat In another moment he would be on the street, | would all be in the fire.” So he seized the young man by the throat again, and began a wrestle that must end in his favor, on ac- count of his superior strength, and because the young man had no door-post to lend its friendly aid. aa : The struggle had hardly begx:n before _. The struggle between the two men was , Smasher Jim received unexpected assistance. fierce, but short. Smasher Jim had much | A neatly-dressed old lady, with white hair, Smasher Jim was on the alert, how- ever, and Ralph had hardly shot back an- suddenly darted out of the house, and grasp- Ag. 13 him into the house, as easily as if he had been a small bag of rags. ‘Now, hurry, Smasher! Here’s a cop!” shouted the voice of Mother Halket—who was, of course, the neatly-dressed old lady— as she held the door open just wide enough for the entrance of one person, while the detective, wedged in behind the broken hall- rack, was help!ess for the moment. Smasher Jim needed no second hint. He was irto the house right on the heels of Mothe: Halket, and closed the door with a bang, shooting the bolts and turning the key just as the officer reached the sidewalk outside, and Jooked rather doubtfully at the quiet boarding house. CHAPTER XI. A VOICE IN THE DARK, Wuen Sam Stokes entered’ the house, un- seen by any one save the detective, it was with no very clear idea of what he intended to do, except that he wanted to rescue Miss, Hawkins from danger. He had received a telegram from Ready Ralph, exp'aining fully that Hiram Hawkins, the postmaster, was in trouble at a house in Chicago, the address of the counterfeiters” den on the West Side being given, and ad- vising him to come to the city. He was first to call at the Commercial Hotel and ask for Ralph Rapier, and then he would be told what todo. When he reached the ho- tel, he learned from the rather observant. clerk that Lucy had been taken away by ar old woman whom he recognized, from the description given him in Ready Ralph’s tele- gram, as Mother Halket, and Sam Stokes, who possessed the wit of a city-bred youth —for Chicago was his old home — made straight for the boarding-house of the old lady, where he had seen through the parlor window, which Lucy had not taken the trouble to hide with window-curtains or shades, the struggle between the girl and her captors, including her breaking through the panels of the door with the piano-stool. Sam had haunted the house since, seeking an opportunity to get in without being ob- served, for he knew thatif he were seen, his usefulness to Lucy would be gone. Smasher Jim would stop his game in a moment, The opportunity to get into the house came at last, as we have seen, and the boy was not slow to avail himself of it. He saw Mother Halket lying insensible on the floor of the hall, and then he heard his own name whispered softly, in Lucy’s voice, and looked quickly toward the parlor door. ‘‘ Jiminy crickey! Who's been a-smashin’ in of the door?” he exclaimed, in a low tone, ‘Hush, Sam. Dear Sam. How did you | come here?” ‘*Came on the cars,” ‘What for?” To help you and the postmaster.” ‘‘ Who told you we were here?” “The chap they call yen! oa oe He sent me a telegraph, an’ J took the hint and came right away. The old man had left the safe unlocked, an’ I took out what I wanted — ter pay my fare. I hadn’t no pull on the railroad, like Ready Ralph, who made the train stop, and then bluffed the conductor.” ‘What are you going to do, Sam?” asked Lucy, who realized the serious character of the situation better than the boy. ‘* Going to get out of here.” ** How?” | But Sam, instead of answering, suddenly dived out of sight, and Lucy, taking the hint, moved a little way from the broken panel of the door, but remained where she could still command a view of the front oor. She saw Mother Halket rise slowly from the floor and shake herself, a good deal like a Newfoundland dog coming from the water, | while she took out her handkerchief and pressed it against a rather ugly cut on ber temple, where she had struck the corner of