Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 854 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

= eae A er ee wEO< Gumh¢anteweteg Ee his cigar, for he reached over for the match- box at leust half a dozen times, so that he could get nearer to the sulky passenger in the corner, but always without being able to get a view of'his face. ‘* Your berth is ready, sah,” announced the porter, at last, as he poked his head around the corner and Icoked at the man Ralph supposed to be Smasher Jim. Without answering, the traveler arose, covering his face with a large red handker- chief as he did so, as if he were wiping his nose, but really, as the detective felt sure, to prevent his features being seen, ** What a fool he must be to act in that way,” was the detective’s mental comment, as the other disappeared into the body of the car. ‘* He might know that heis only giving himself away, for he evidently suspects me of being after bim. ‘‘ Well, I haven't got him yet, but [ will have bim, before he is much older.” Ralph went into the car, where his berth was ready, and as he passed ‘‘ Lower 1,” he noticed that the occupant had gone inside and pulled the curtains close, and stopping slightly, to look under the bed, he saw that Smasher Jim (if he it was,) had not put his shoes there to be cleaned. ‘‘Lying down with all his clothes and his shoes on, eh?” muttered the detective, ** That is suspicious in itself. Ido not sup- »0se I shall get much sleep to-night. Imust eep my cyeon that berth, or he will slip through my fingers yet.” The detective slipped off his shoes and tumbled into his berth, for an hour or two of rest. ‘«'There are no stops for four hours, and he would not be likely to get off in this part of the country, anyhow, particularly as I know he has a ticket for Chicago,” thought Ralph, ‘‘so I may as well get some sleep, while I can.” The detective, young though he was, had been through many experiences more or less like the present, and seemed to possess the faculty of intuitively knowing when it was necessary to be on the alert, even when asleep. This faculty it was that made Ready Ralph leap from his berth, from a sound sleep, and slip on his shoes, while he looked down the aisle toward ‘‘‘ Lower 1.” As he expected, the curtains were pulled aside, and when he reached the berth he saw that it was empty! The train was running slowly, and he un- derstood at once that it had stopped, for some reason, and that it was just starting again. ‘He sha’n’t get away, if I have to follow him to the Cannibal Islands,” muttered Ralph, as he rushed through the smoking- room, and then to the door. It was very dark, and that intense stillness that pervades all nature in the early morning told the young detective that it was between two and three o’clock. He was convinced that his man was not on the train, and the proper course for the young detective, obviously, was to get off and try to follow Smasher Jim. Without hesitation Ralph leaped from the steps of the car into the darkness. He had had ex- perience in jumping from moving trains, and he knew that if he threw himself well back, and jumped with the train, he would not be likely to hurt himself. He alighted on his feet on &® swampy pot, but staggered and nearly fell from the shock. As he swung his arms wildly, to recover his balance, he involuntarily embraced the form of aman who was standing in the darkness, and whom he had. not seen, ‘“What the deuce—” began the detective, when, at that moment, the moon peeped from behind some clouds, and he finished his sentence: ‘“Smasher Jim, by all that’s ’ ducky!” ‘Lucky, is it, you whelp?” growled the Smasher. ‘‘ We'll see!” \ —_— ee ee ee ne ee The detective saw a bowie-knife gleaming in the rays of the moon, and he had only just time to knock aside the arm of the powerful fellow who wielded the weapon, to prevent its being buried in his breast. Kre Ralph could recover himself or use the revolver he had promptly drawn from his hip- pocket, the moon disappeared again for an instant, and when it shone forth once more, Smasher Jim was gone, CHAPTER ILI. A KNOCK-OUT FOR READY RALPH. Iv was several hours after the occurrences related in the last chapter. The scene was a country grocery and post-office combined, at Sangville, Indiana—a place where only two or three trains a day were in the habitofstopping, although it was on the main Ilne, and where the inhabitants were content to get what news of the outside world they wanted from the Chicago Sunday papers and their own weekly sheet, that came out every week when the editor could get it out, and ap- peared at any odd time, when he couldn't, The keeper of the grocery was Hiram Hawkins, postmaster, a typical country Hoosier, who could talk ancient politics by the yard, but who hada very hazy idea of current events outside of Sangville. He was a big man, with a bushy beard, which he was fond of caressing as he discussed the affairs of his neighbors, and that gave him a pa- triarchal appearance of which he was very proud, ‘So, Jim, ye want me to go tew Chicago, dew ye?” he was saying, as he sat on the counter, and stared straight into the face of & man with whom the reader is already ac- quainted, ‘Yes, and I want you to go to-day, at noon.” “Cracky! That’s almighty sudden,” ‘Will you do it?” asked Smasher Jim, impatiently. ‘‘I told you there was a lot of money in it for you, and I mean what I said.’ ‘Wal, I dunno. Ye see, ’'m postmaster here, an’ there mought be two or three letters come for some of the folks, an’ I don’t know whether Lucy could handle all that there Government bizness.”’ ‘* Yes, I could, father,” broke ina prett young girl behind the counter, who was evi- dently the Lucy referred to, ‘‘ The Govern- ment business isn’t very heavy in Sangville, and if there are any letters I can let the folks know, And Ican send away the mail, too, if we have any.” ‘‘Wal, I dunno what to say,” observed Hiram, stroking his beard, “You want to say something mighty quick, or I won’t give you the chance,” growled Smasher. ‘‘I got off the train here last night on purpose to see you, because I wanted to give you the opportunity of mak- ing money. But, if you don’t want it, why, Ican find some one else in Chicago, easily enough. Then, Ll guess you never ill see the World’s Fair.” | “Ah! I want to see that. I’ve heard tell that it’s a grand thing—better than a circus,” remarked Hiram, sagely. Then he added, still doubtful: ‘‘ But whois to get out the paper?” ‘*What paper?” | “The Sangville Herald, Didn’t ye know l bought it three months ago, and have been editing it ever since? I tell yew, it’s a great aper. It gives all the news of Sangville, inter’s Corners, Smallton’s Court-house, Piketown, Seedville, Stony Creek, Turtle- back, with telegraphic dispatches from Chi- cago, New York, an’a lot of other p’ints. I’m making a lively paper of it, an’ half the town wants tew lick me, only they dasn’t.” ‘*T kin edit the paper, boss,” piped a small voice from a corner of the store, where Smasher Jim now perceived a lad of about sixteen, who had been busy fishing pickled Uncle Sam’s Detective in Chicago. 3 cucumbers out of a jar, without troubling himself much ‘about the conversation till now, ‘‘I kin handle the scissors, an’ take the items w’ot come in, an’ me an’ Bob Jones kin set ’em up, an’ then work off the forms on the hand-press afterward, I has ter do most of it every time the paper comes out, anyhow,” ‘*Of course he can edit the paper,” put in the Smasher who evidently wished the post. master to go to Chicago, although be pre. tended he did not care. What he wanted the Sangville sage to do will appear as this nar rative develops, ‘‘T can help him, father,” suggested Lucy. ‘‘ Yes, I can trust yew, I guess.” ‘Then you will go, eh?” asked Smasher Jim, hastily. eres “Then, here is fifty dollars in advance,” and the Smasher handed five new ten-dollar bills to Hiram, The postmaster placed the money in @ pocketbook, that he Kept somewhere 1n & s8e- cret corner of his clothes, and grinned in a satisfied way, as he stroked his beard and waited for Jim to say something else, But the Slasher did not say anything ex- cept that he wanted some breakfast, and Lucy was just going into the parlor behind the store to see about it, when the door of the store burst open, and in walked—eady Ralph, the detective ! The Slasher uttered an oath, that he tried to turn off into a cough, as Ralph, with a careless glance in his direction, stepped to the counter, and asked Lucy for a postage- stamp. The appearance of the young man, so calm and cool, seemed to make Smasher Jim boil with suppressed passion. He kept his eves fixed on the young man, and his hands twitched, as if he longed to catch him by the throat and strangle him off-hand, Ralph did not lose a movement of Smasher Jim’s, although he appeared to be occupied entirely with the young girl behind the counter, from whom he had obtained a sheet of paper and envelope, and was now wens a letter with a fountain-pen that he took from his pocket. It was only a short note, some two or three lines, but it evidently possessed a deep fascination for the Smasher, who would have given a good deal to read those few lines. ‘“That’s a queer contraption,” remarked Hiram, who had admired the way in which Ralph had been able to write with a pen ap- parently without ink. ‘I'd like to look at that there,” ‘* Certainly,” said the detective, ‘* Watch ! You see, I will write the address on this en- velope, without taking any more ink than is inthe pen. Here it is: ‘Inspector John Gripp, Secret Service Department, Wash- ington, D, C,’” Smasher Jim started, and took one swift ’ step toward the young man. Ralph, who had. been expecting it, turned and faced him, with a peculiar, keen look, as he repeated, slowly, asif reading from the envelope: ‘‘Inspector John Gripp, Secret Service Bureau, Washington, D, C.” Then he handed the letter to the girl, with the query: ‘¢ When does the mail go East?” The girl \ooked at the clock, and answered: “In about ten'minutes. It is a quarter past nine now, and the train is due at nine-twenty-five. I must get my mail-bag ready.” There were only three other letters besides that of the detective, so that it was not a very arduous task to prepare the outgoin mail of Sangville that morning. The gir took the four letters and read each address carefully, her father looking on approving- ly, as he stroked his beard and chewed a sliver from a flour barrel. He had a great idea of the importance of his share in Uncle Sam’s business. Lucy laid the four letters COr J900KS.cOom ‘4 — <r e