Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 881 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

. : Turkey Billy. g ““} am obliged to you, sir. Good-day!” And Harry put on his hat and left the room. Morton stood looking after him for some mo- — with a peculiarly cynical look upon his ace, panied him. **He looks honest and capable.” **l always thought him so,” replied Morton. ““T fear that I have been too confiding. cal sometimes hides under a smootif face. I fully trusted bim: yet I received a letter yester- day toat makes me think I have been too trust- ** Ah! I should have trusted his face.” ** Read this.” ! | i closed the safe, still somewhat exercised in his | mind about that noise. He forgot it, however, as he proceeded to show his companion the books, and the man- . | | ner in which they had been kept. “What is your impression of that young | man?’ be asked of the person who had accom- | | area into the rear rooms, While this was doing, Turkey Billy, who had been crouched in a corner of the building, rose and looked around him. A door led from the This he made for. | It opened to his hand, and he found himself in A ras- | He placed a letter in the hands of his com- | panion. over. “This accuses him of extravagance, and of spending mucb more than his salary; and sug- gests that he must have some dishonest way of obtaining money. Do you know the writer?’ “No. Writer and handwriting are strange to me.” & passage, which joined the main hall of the building. Passing between rows of offices, he made his way easily to the street, meeting no one in his course, The boy walked onward, lost in deep thought. During his half-hour in that office he had gained much valuable information, and put himself on . | the track of more than one rascally plot. He The latter read it carefully, running it twice | felt his pocket carefully. The letter which he | bad put there was safe, ‘*I don’t know what's in this letter. I ain't going to rob the mail. But when I post it, I reckon it’s going to do good. I shouldn’t won- | der if it bad iv it the key to the whole busi- alike | ‘* Well, sir, what do you propose todo? For | what purpose have you asked me to come to your office?” ** You are an expert in bookkeeping?” ‘** | have some skill in that direction.” “That is why I sent Weston away. I wish you to examine my books, and see if there is anything crooked in them, I will see that he is kept out of the way till you have time to do it 64 Very ness. as you desire. Il straight.” “Lam afraid they won't,” answered Morton, *“*Since receiving this letter | have made some inquiries into Weston’s habits, and find them rather questionable. But you are only con- cerned with the books. I will get them for you. lam sorry for the voung man. He has been with me for years. But | must knowif I have been robbed.” The concealed scout behind the screen had listened to this conversation with no small de- gree of interest. A new phase of the plot was opening before him, But the next instant found him in a decidedly awkward situation. Mr. Morton started round the screen to the fire-proof safe in which his books were kept, and which was set into the wail in that part of the room. Billy was between two fires. Morton was coming behind the screen, The bookkeeping expert was before it, Discovery seened in- evitable. Not knowing what to do, he crouched to the floor at the foot of the screen, his eyes keen'y watching for developments. Fortunately for him, Mr. Morton did not look in that direction. On the contrary he walked straight to the safe, unlocked it, threw open the door, and thrust his head and the upper part of his body into the opening while reaching for the books. Now was Billy’s opportunity. But if he should dart for the door, the bookkeeper would see bim and give the alarm. Morton to know that he had been watched. well, Mr. Morton, That is my busi- I shal! make as thorough an examination hope they will prove | ' ; ee ee | ness. He walked on toward the City Hall. It was near the hour uf his engagement with Mr. Weston, He suddenly stopped and struck his knee with his closed fist. A look of perplexity came upon bis face, ‘* Jolly, if 1 haven’t gone and done it!” he ex- claimed, with a sound between a laugh and a groan, ‘I’ve left my box and brushes in Mor- ton’s Office, Jupiter, but that’s awkward! If he finds them, what will he think? [I’ve done it, sure as shooting, and there ain’t no taking it over,” He walked on, deeply cogitating; What would Morton think if he should find that box, and connect it with the noise he had heard? Would it put him on his guard? ‘** Well, there ain’t no helping it,” said Bil'y, philosophically, ‘‘ And tbere’s Mr. Weston waiting. That’s the next job, to go and see the detective.” W hat followed we need not repeat in detail. It will suffice to say that Mr. Weston and his young friend had aninterview with the detec- tive, in which Billy told the whole story of his researches, much to the interest of the officer and the surprise and gratitude of Weston. ‘“*By Jove, you’re not a bad detective your- self, young man,” declared the officer, ‘* This is first-class information. Miss Brown is as good asfound. Isthere more? Have you told me all?” ‘** Do you know where Will Blake’s restaurant is?” “Yes, What of that?” ‘*] want you to go there with me to-night.” ” CHAPTER IX. A DOUBLE DISGUISE, WE must go forward to the hour of ten o’clock in the evening, and to the scene of Will Blake’s restaurant. This was not a wholly reputable place of business, though a veryactive , one, He did not want | The window behind him was lifted. He re- | membered that it opened on a space between the front and rear buildings. ere was his most promising route of escape. All this had passed through the boy’s mind with the speed of thought, and no sooner had Morton buried his head in the safe than Billy | sprung up and darted for the window, out of which he leaped like a squirrel. He caught the sill with his bands, lowered himself to the length of his arms, and dropped into the area below. The fall was only four or five feet. from the safe so hastily as to drop the account- book he held. “ What?’ asked the gentleman outside, “I heard a slight noise, but “No, I did not move.” He looked curiously around him, “Strange! I certainly heard “So did I. But there is nobody here,” said the bookkeeper, coming bebind the screen. “ It is queer, then, that we both beard it,” saw nothing suspicious. “It may have been the wind blowing the window-curtain.” ** Possibly.” Mr. Morton got the rest of the books and At this hour, however, it was occupied prin- cipally by customers at the bar, the eating- tables round the room having few occupants, Two of these were seated at a table in a sort of alcove somewhat removed from the other tables. Of these men, who were busily talking in low tones as they leisurely discussed an evening lunch, one presented the ill-favored face and rude smartness in dress of Jerry Jenkins, The other was a black-whiskered, brown-com- plexioned personage, who wore a slouch hat | drawn down well over his eyes and a rough coat | with turned-up collar. “What is that?’ cried Morton, withdrawing | Just as the restaurant clock struck ten, two other persons entered the room, to all appear- ance a farmer and his boy who were in town to | see the sights. I thought it was | ) ) : ; ' The manner in which the red-faced man ordered a snack bespoke bis rural habits. The boy was burned as brown as a berry, and walked in a slouching, wide-stepping manner, as if he had been more used to plowed fields than to city pavements. hey seated themselves at a table at a smal! | distance from the two men hefore described. Mr. Morton looked out of the window, but | The latter checked themselves in their conversa- tion, and looked with an air of annoyance at the new-comers. ** Lawsee, but this York’s a tiresome place,” yawned the farmer. out wi’ the pavements.” ‘I'm jeest about pegged | | “ And ain’t I tired—gosh!” answered the boy, | with a groan. He spoke with a thick, hoarse utterance, They continued to talk in a loud tone about the wonders and the weariments of New York, until a waiter brought the food they had ordered. ‘“*My, but I’m proper hungry,” declared the boy. ‘“* And them looks good,” ‘* Then stop your jabber and stow your jaw!” rejoined the man. ‘‘We’ve got to get outside that provender.” The two men at the neighboring table seemed quickly to decide that they had nothing to fear from these new-comers, and resumed their con- versation without further attention to them. The low tones in which they spoke were quite drownei in the blatant talk of the country- men, W hen the-latterstopped talking, however, and began to eat in a somewhat ravenous manner, the voices of the others were more apparent, and some of their words reached to the table occu- pied by the farmers. ‘*My, that beef’s good!” exclaimed the boy, loudly, cutting off a huge slice, which he thrust in his mouth, ‘‘They are the ones,” he con- tinued, ina very low tone. ‘‘ The rough one’s Jenkins; the other’s the black-whiskered chap I teld you of.” “Good! It’s good and tough; a fellow could sharpen his teeth on it,” rejoined the farmer. ‘** You're sure?” his voice fell almost toa whis- per. ss Yes.” ‘* There’s money passing between them.” “That's the balance of the five hundred, Them’s the kidnappers. You ain’t goin’ to eat all them pertaters?” he continued, in a loud and injured tone, ** Here; you can have the balance,” shoving the dish across, Their conversation during the rest of the meal consisted in similar remarks about the food, while there was no sign that they were paying the slightest attention to their neighbors, The latter, reassured, continued their conver- sation with no further attention to the countri- fied individuals. *“]T can’t make it out,” remarked the black- whiskered person. ‘“* There were certainly behind the screen, and I found there the box of a bootblack,.” ‘* You've got the box?” ‘sé Ves. *” ‘“*T'll take a squint at it to-morrow. Tl know if it’s Billy’s box.” “If that young rascal is watching us, and overheard what passed—” ** Blast his eyes! he'll have to be dealt with. I’ve been watchin’ bim,and I’m afeard the young rat smells cheese somewhere,” “* No open violence, Jenkins?” ‘* ] ain’t no fool now, you bet!” All this had been spoken very low. Onl sharp ears could have heard it three yards off. There was nothing to show that the ravenously- eating countrymen had heard a word. The conversation of the two men now changed to indifferent subjects. After a few minutes more the countrymen rose, ** Reckon I’m full,” said the man. ‘*] kin hold out till mornin’,” answered the boy, “if ther’ ain’t no more grub,” ‘* Then let’s pay our shot and git.” They walked to the bar, paid for their meal, and left the room. Feaching the street, however, they quickly drew under the shelter of a neighboring door- way. ‘““I'd give something to-bave been there ten minutes sooner,” said the man. “‘ We missed the best of it.” ‘**I don’t know about that. You heard what they said about the box, and what Jenkins is going to do if it’s Billy’s box?” “He is a dangerous rascal. You must be wide-awake.” ‘*T ain't afeard of him, narytime! But, I'd like to dish him on that box. And Id like to know who Mr. Black-whiskersis. He’s the chap that sent the letter, and that made the bargain for the kidnapping; so it looks as if there was somebody in it ides Morton.” A laugh came from the seeming farmer. “Come, my boy,” he said; “that man has tricked you, sbarpas you are. You should have looked closer at bis whiskers. And I fancy you didn’t notice anything odd about his hands. ‘* Nothing, except the diamond ring; that was odd for a rough-dressed fellow like him,” “‘They were whiter than his face,” ‘*They were a good deal whiter the other time I saw him.”