Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 880 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 Broadway Billy and the Bomb-Throwers. . - They saw, at a glancc, that a man was there, a prisoner. More than that, the girl immediately recognized him as her father. ‘* Papa!” she joyously cried. ‘*My child! my child!” the banker re- sponded. The same instant a surprising thing hap- pened, as said. The wall behind the prisoner opened, and he disappeared from view. The opening was closed as quickly as it had opened, and it was done so suddenly that there was no time for Harry to take any action to prevent. It was a surprise com- plete. ‘* My father! oh! my father!” screamed the girl, and springing forward she attempted to push open th place in the wall. lt was as solid as any other part of the wall, apparently, as Harry found on im- mediately adding his strength to that of the young woman. They could make no im- pression. ‘* What’s up?” asted Broadway Billy. “The deuce is to pay,” answered Harry. “* They have outdone us, sure.” reek dragging the man he was holding, quickly covered the two paces between him- self and the door. ‘*“Wherc’s the man I hedrd speak?” he asked. ** Gone.” | “‘ Gone where?” “Through the wall right here.” “See here,” and Billy gave his prisoner another wrench that brought out another howl of pain. ‘Can you open this place?” “No, no; no one can open it from this side. You can never find the man now, for they can get him out and away before you get on track of them. This was what they were prepared for. “This is too bad, cried Harry. ‘‘ Now we have got the work all to do over again.” “ Yes, and we must get out of here and save our skins,” added Billy. “You are too late,” said their prisoner. ** How so?” ‘‘You are fastened in here, now. You have gone a step too far.” ‘Then it will be mighty rough on you if we don't get out, that’s all,” declared Billy, grimly. ‘“They will not care what you do to me, so long as they hold you. lam innocent, and it will do you no geod to torture me for what I could not help.” ‘‘If we don’t get out we will make some- body ripe forthe Turnip Field, that is as sure as you live,” added Harry, to Billy’s declaration. *‘‘If you know of any way, you had better name it, quick.” Harry drew a revolver and presented it at the head of the terrified waiter. “T don’t, I don’t,” the fellow piteously cried. ‘‘ 1am as helplessas you are, and am likely to share the same fate, for what will they care forme? But, you have not tried the door by which you came down. Had I been free 1 should have run out that way in- ‘stantly.” ‘*‘Come.” called Julie, rousin ‘““We must not delay a sing longer.” She ran up the stairs, after her, while Billy followed them with the prisoner. to whom he was still holding, determined that he should play them no trick. All bad weapons now in hand. The moment the girl came to the top of the stairs she unhooked and tried the door, only to find that it had been secured. At that same moment, too, they all detect- ed a strong smell of gas, which bad not been present before, and ediately Julie Hel- mann cried: ' “They mean ‘o kill us with gas!” choo if we know it,” said Broadway Billy, y. bt ow cap you hinder?” gasped the terri- to action. moment fied waiter, pale tothe lips. ‘ There is no way of getting at it to close it off.” ‘* You seem to know all about it.” ‘‘T have heard it spoken of, but that is all I know.” ‘‘Do you know the spot where it comes from?” ‘* No, I do not, sirs.” ‘“Well, that need not trouble us greatly. Don’t be alarmed, Miss Julie; 1 will soon doctor this difficulty.” Billy took a match-safe from his pocket. ‘Hold your breath now,” he admonished, ‘*and I'll touch her off.” Even as he spoke he lighted a match, but | there was no result. The gas had not be- come dense enough to ignite.” ‘‘How you frightened me!” cried Julie. ‘<T thought we should be all blown up. We must get out of here alive, else what will be- come of poor papa?” “ We'll get out, never fear.” Billy tried to detect whence the gas was coming, but could not do so at first, from where they stood. He believed that it must come from below, however. He descended the steps, having released his prisoner, of whom he had no fear now. It was plain that the fellow was to share their fate. The smell of gas was less distinct at the bottom of the steps, but that did not prove that it did not come from below. eing lighter than the air, it would rise as fast as it appeared. He lighted other matches as he passed along the walls, and suddenly there was a flash and an explosion. Not that it made much noise or did an damage; it was merely a loud puff; but it revealed the secret of the escaping gas, and a banner. of flame now spurted forth out of a corner. ‘‘ Good for you!” cried Harry in English. ‘‘ We have nipped that little game In the bud, anyhow,” said Billy laughing. “And now we must look out for some- thing worse,” spoke Julie, in fear. ‘‘ They mean to killl us, lam sure.” ‘Let them come on,” cried Billy. ‘‘ We can play at that game, I think, too.” Voices were now heard on the opposite side of the wall, and something that sounded very like swearing. ‘They don’t think well of what we have done, evidently,” laughed Billy. ‘“Not very well, I take it,” responded Harry. ‘‘ But, come, we must not wait for something worse to happen. We have plenty of light, let’s try to find a way out of the trap.” ‘* Let’s try the coal-hole in front,” sug- gested Julie. ‘* Ha! 1 did not think of that,” exclaimed the waiter. ‘‘ Maybe it is still unlocked; coal was put in this morning.” ‘Lead the way toit then, fellow,” Billy ordered. This the waiter gladly did, and it was dis- covered that the cover to the hole was still unfastened. Just as Billy was about to lay hands upon it, however, after he had climbed up on the heap of coal underneath, a bolt shot into place and it was secured. ‘Too late!” gasped the waiter. ‘“ It fas- tens from the front of the cafe over our heads, and they have thought to fasten it.” ‘* Well, bere’s for that door at the top of the stairs, then,” cried Billy. ‘‘ We are go ing out of here, or we are going to know the reason why. Come on, Harry, and you, waiter.” He led the way, and they went up the stairs at a run. Reaching the top, they threw themselves against the door with a force that made it creak. Once, twice, three times—and four, and then there was a crash and the Coor was car- ried off its hinges and went to the floor in the cafe, Billy and the others appearing head- long. CHAPTER XV. AN IMPORTANT ARREST. Tue pounding against the door had some- what alarmed those in the cafe. They had previously noticed great activity on the part of some persons, apd their curi- osity had been aroused. In all such places, at this time, every- body was on the alert for bomb-throwers, and it needed but a little out of the usual to create almost a panic anywhere in the city. When the door came down and the three men came headlong into the room, all the patrons of the place were found upon their feet. Many of them were pale, and some had made a hasty exit. Julie Helmann followed the three men im- mediately, and the moment they were out they appeared calm. No one appeared to oppose them, and had they not known only too well that it was real, they might have been deceived into thinking they had been having something of a nightmare, They lost no time in taking action, how- ever. There was a telephone in the front part of of the room, and Harry Freeman stepped im- mediately to that. His call was answered, and he asked fora certain number and letter, which was prompt- ly given him, Those who heard what he said were sur- prised to hear him call for police aid. Some men in the place started to leave. Broadway Billy, however, blocked their way, with drawn revolvers. “Stay wkere you are,” he called out to them. ‘* You bave nothing to dread in the coming of the police, if you are innocent.” The crowd fell back, for the manner of man who confronted them demanded it, and this American way of mecting such an emergency was new to most of them. It was different from police sabers. ‘‘Must we wait, and lose time?’ asked Julie. * ‘* See no help for it,” answered Harry. ‘* But, what will become of papa?” ‘‘ Hard to tell where he is, by this time, me we will find him sooner or later, never ear.” ‘*T do fear, that it will be too late.”’ ‘‘T hope not.” Sooner than might have been looked for, a detachment of police appeared upon the spot, To their leader Harry quickly and briefly explained the situation, and they took charge of the cafe and all within its doors. An inspector appeared a few minutes later, who joined Billy and Harry in an in- vestigation of the secret door in the wall, which occupied some time and which was not readily discovered. | It was found that it opened into the cellar of the eh osneg building, but there no trace of M. Helmann or his captors could be found. Nor did the arrests in the cafe amount to anything significant. Ont of all present, only two were held. The proprietor of the place, however, was missing, and its doors were closed, by the authorities. By the way, this was the day for the blowing up of the bank of M. Helmann. According to his promise, the prefect of ery had a good force of secret agents on and at the noon hour, Suspicious persons were closely watched. It would have been next to impossible for any one to have thrown a bomb, for at the first move in that direction a hand would have detained him. -* - 7. ~"comicbooks. t * —- com “ty 5 a ‘