Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 859 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

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It was bright starlight now, and he beheld about him the monuments of the dead, Their snowy whiteness had gone from ‘them under the touch of time and mold, ‘and yet they looked like grim specters in the “darkness, as grim as the ghastly skeleton forms would have looked that lay beneath ‘them. But in their midst was Graveyard Jack’s home and the place held no terrors for him. , CHAPTER XX. THE GAMIN DETECTIVE AT HOME, To one who had beheld the form of Grave- ‘yard Jack, gliding along among the moss- covered graves and moldy tombs, it would have been a startling sight. But, no one saw him there, as not a soul else than he dared visit that ghostly spot by night and few ever set foot there by day, for ‘those who had kindred there at rest had long before moved away and few held interest in ‘the old cemetery save for the value it would bring as town lots, when the ashes of the dead must be moved to make way for the living. /¢ Graveyard Jack had too often traversed ‘those weed-grown paths to feel dread of aught he found there, and going to the cen- ter of the burying- ground, where there was a hillund some heavy timber, he glided ia among some larger monuments and halted at the iron door of a massive vault. There was a lock in the hasp, but it readily opened, the heavy door swung back on its hinges and in stepped the fearless boy, ‘drawing it to behind him, that no glimmer of light might be seen from a distance and be- tray his presence there, match was struck, a candle lighted, and ‘the interior was revealed. It was what Jack was pleased to call “comfortable,” yes, even cozy, but to any ‘one else as an abiding-place it would have ‘been deemed appalling, ghastly, spectral and forbidding. There were a dozen apertures for bodies, -all but three of them closed up and with the dead inside, for the inscriptions were upon ‘the marble slabs that closed them, and told me of the Maxwell blood were buried there- ae There-was a space between them. and the ‘iron door of some fully ten feet in width and fifteen in length, and its marble flooring -was covered with a carpet. Against one end of the vault hung a por- dare behind which was a cot with bedding upon it. In the other end was a table, above which home in his dismal quar ters, But he was awake before the sun had long been up, and, after taking a careful observa- tion, slipped out of the cemetery into a Jane and made his way, at a brisk pace, to a more thickly settled part of the city. The Gamin Detective entered a cheap res- taurant, and ordering his breakfast, he took out of his pocket a “sheet of paper and an envelope, and proceeded to write a letter. This done, hé addressed the envelope, and sealing it, lre stamped it with a ring he took from his pocket, and then put it carefully away, while he ate his breakfast with the air of one who enjoyed it. Having finished his breakfast and paid the check, he sauntered on down-town with an evident purpose in view. What that purpose was is known to the reader, as, a couple of hours after, the old lady in black handed to the Secret Service chief the letter from ‘‘ The Unknown Shad- ower,” giving the information regarding the murder of Miser Max, and what would be found by a search of the old Haunted House. Having accomplished his purpose, of mak- ing known to the chief the double tragedy of the night before, Jack had still another work to do, “judging from his actions, for he went through the lowest slums of the city, every now and then meeting a fairly well-dressed youth or ragged urchin with whom he held a few words of consultation. At last he continued his way back to- ward the upper part of the city, going now to the west side and at last halting on the end of a long pier, where he sat “down as though to rest and enjoy the view out upon the river. He had not been there very long before a freckle-faced red-headed youth sauntered up and sat down near him. In a few moments more another boy ar- rived, of even less attractive appearance, and in an hour's time nearly a dozen youths bad gathered there and sat swinging their legs over the end of the pier, yet attentively listening'to what Jack was telling them in a low tone, that no oue a dozen paces away could have heard. CHAPTER XXT. THE BOY POLICE. ‘* Ir you says so, cap’n, it’s got to be did, though I never goes nigh a graveyard, and didn’t want ter until 1 went thar with feet fu’st.” ‘*T hain’t stuck on graveyards niyself, but I’m not one ter kick ag’in’ ther dead.” ‘*No more am I.” ‘*Ther graveyard goes, then.” ‘* No one goes to ther gravey ard.” ‘* Now hain’t that smart?’ ‘* Well, the cap’n says meet at ther grave- yard, so I’m in it with both feet,” ; fy Yas, we'll all be zn zt, head and feet some a Why, boys, I don't. see why you are all so afraid of the dead,” said Graveyard Jack, ‘with alight laugh, as he listened to the re- hung a shelf on which were a number of | marks of his pards when he appointed a ren- books. Writing materinls were upon the table, while some clothes hung under a& curtain een the wall. In one of the open spaces tox coffins was ‘some food, as though it was used as a refrig- erator, and placing this upon the table and drawing up an easy-chair, the only one in the vault, Graveyar Jack sat down to eat his late supper, or his early breakfast, as he - might consider it, with evident relish, There was an opening in the iron door, and a chimney-pot was pushed through the arched top to the surface outside, and the arches and some wood in one corner showed that Graveyard Jack had built a fire there at Bonet paaeeet Ref cra aie —-—— was ) murdered. . ~ dezvousin what was knownas ‘‘ Jack’s Bone- yard ” that night at twelve. ‘We huain’t afeerd of ther dead, cans n Jack, but their ghosts,” said one. © Nonsense, there is no such thing as ghosts, or I would have seen one of them long ago.” ‘*Yas, you boards in ther same hotel with em, that’s a fact.” ‘‘ Well, the graveyard is the place of meet- ing to night, so come one at a time by the lane entrance,” ‘*Can't wercome all in a heap, cap’n?” “*No, for the police would be onto you very quickly, and you know that they will be very watchful up there now, as the miser i »~ ? ay ' 4 ei ~ — + ys y° wl en ce ae | ao ace ile we ee eet ona , 7 > > ; > ‘*Come alone, and I’ll meet you insia, wall, for there is ito be one there whom Iwi™ ou all to meet.” ‘‘ We'll be there, cap’n.” ‘* And remember, you must tell the other boys, for all must come, as to- -night I intend to give you some good news,’ With this Jack left the party, which soon after broke up, dispersing to their various haunts in the city. Taken altogether they were a bright lot of lads, ranging from twelve totwénty years of age, and as different in appearance and nature as were the clothes they wore. They were not a hard-looking lot either, if one analyzed their faces, but youths who had courage, determination and intelligence, with a sense of honor to guide them. Many of them had seen the very worst phases of life, and had known all there was of hardship and suffering, Others had seen better days, and from the many whom he had come in contact with Graveyard Jack had selected his allies in a good work. He had sifted the tares from the wheat, and an alliance had been formed by which they meant to earn an honest living and yet do good service. They were lovers of adventure, those who preferred an honest career to one of crime, who had seen all there was of evil in a crimi- nal career and were glad to turn from it to a better life when the chance came to them. That chance came when Graveyard Jack, innocent of intentional wrong-doing, had been made a fugitive, an oute ast, yet would not descend to become what it seemed all about him, men, women and children even, wished him to be, a crook, one to live upon his fellows, to rob honest people of their hard earnings, to get gold, even did they have to kill to get it. It was an idea of the Gamin Detective, hunted himself, for the police who saw him, felt that he was a crook, though they had never been able to catch him in a lawless act, to show to the Secret Service ¢hief that he was not bad; that, living among the wicked, he was able to render better service than the detectives sent among them for a special purpose, Once he could build up a name for bhim-— self, have rewards awaiting his call, he would make himself known, explain first — how circumstantial evidence had driven him away a fugitive, and let his good deeds stand against his alleged sins, and become what his ambition was to make of himself, a great detective. | Believing himself more hunted than he was, that his adopted parents were still searching for him to have him hanged for — killing the young man whom he had shot fora burglar, and that if called upon as a. witness in certain scenes he knew of, he — would nt once be seized and beld for trial, the poor lad had made his home where he knew the superstitious fears of many men would not allow them to come, and there — he had lived alone in his gruesome quar- | ters. He had saved up his mone a snug sum to help his aids along with, and hoped to be able to earn more, for now and then a reward came their way which wag ¥ put in the common treasury, Once he had restored a lost pocketbook f in which there was a large sum of money, mnths his recompense had been generous, ‘One of the lads'had found a camo iS pin, and when they saw the reward offered, ev it was returned to the owner. : Another had thwarted the intention of: a some thieves to break into a jewelry store | by divulging their plan, and others had io various ways earned money for deeds that _ a casual glance at them would not bave a lowed any one to puapedt tlem of such a a of honor. . sii it is a mistaken notion that sit in , 80 had quite . Oe a a F yr: an ‘Sales