Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 887 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

J » < of git up an’ git,” Pand trains, and that he had only ‘* Guess you an’ me can’t pull. If you are Psufficient time to catch a train with- | in with crooks you can’t be in with me, that’s breaking his neck to get it. all,” So, cutting everything short, with the ‘*Who said I was in with’em? You go romise to talk longer when his time was | off before you are lighted, you do! I am n proportion, he beat his retreat and set out | after this feller because I am goin’ to run on his return to the docks, but not to Bat- | him in or bu’st a button a-tryin’. See the tery Park. pint?” Getting the bill changed was little trou- ‘Don’t mean to say that you are a detec- ble, and that done, he took the Elevated train | tive?” down-town. ‘Oh, no; but Llike to give the police a His destination was the Central Railroad | boost when the chance offers.” Ferry. ‘‘Give me your fin. If you are that sort, He was just in time for the boat to catch | you av’ me is chums fer fair. That is my the train, and was soon crossing the river. lay-out, exactly,” . Once on the other side he was soon bowl- ‘*Good fer you! That’s proof again that ing along on his journey, and in less than | I know a face when I see it. Was sure you an hour’s time was at his destination. was my kind the minnit I set eyes on you. The train was a heavy one, by the way, | Let’s dig fer that pier, and I’}l talk as we go as were nearly all the trains at that season | along.” of the year and that hour of the day, and ‘* Work your legs in this direction, then when it stopped at Long Branch a great Lippy Jack led the way, and Battery Bob crowd of people alighted, among whom | told him enough of his errand there to excite Battery Bob was but an atom, No one took | his interest and win his aid. notice of him. ‘‘And you say that man has got the stolen There was a long line of howling hack- | paper with him, eh?” demanded Jack, when men just across the covered platform, and | Bob ended his story, ‘‘ And that is what with their cries and the hissing of the en- | you came here to get? All right, we'll git gine it was almost impossible to hear any- | it,” thing else, ‘*That’s what 1 want, and if it can be got Bob made off across the open ground to-.| without his knowin’ it, so much the better.” ward the line of buildingsin the direction of ‘* We'll try a hack at it, anyhow.” the sea. Thus they rattled away, till they came to He was looking around as if in search of | their destination, where a boat was trying to some one, and so he was. make fast. Not that he expected to find Owen Gibson ‘* There she is,” cried Jack. so easily—in fact, he knew he could not have ‘No, I'll be hanged if she is,” declared yet arrived; but he was looking for some | Bob, one from whom he could draw information. ‘‘ What's the matter?” Presently he espied the right person—a ‘‘T’m the worst lunk out of the lunytic lad of about his own years, bright in face | ’sylum, that’s all. Lucky fer me the fool- and bearing alike, barefooted and happy- | killer has gone out of business,” looking, and Bob put himself in the way of ‘*T don’t ketch on, Bob.” meeting him. ‘Why, that other boat was the Sandy ‘* Say! hailed Bob. Hook line, now that I come to think of it, ‘‘Say on,” said the other, stopping short | and anybody but a puddin’-headed gilly and looking at Bob, hands in his pockets. would have remembered that long ago with- ‘‘ Would you mind showin’ a chap around | out once thinkin’.” this. place a bit? I’m a stranger here, and ‘* How did you get ’em mixed?” wouldn’t know east from west, if it wasn’t ‘‘Had ’em both in mind, Was at the dock fer the roar of the old ocean over that way,” | this mornin’ when the other boat got in, and pointing, got another feller in my mind mixed in this There was a heavy surf on, and the ocean | same case, and that has got the two boats was letting its voice be heard, in spite of the | tangled.” bluff. : ‘“T see. Well, we'll have to scratch sand The boy took an extra squint at Bob be- | to get to the station, now. Don’t believe we fore he responded, kin do it, unless we take a rig, an’ I ain’t got ‘¢ Where are you from?” he then asked. the sugar to salt for that; couldn’t hire the ‘‘ New York.” hind wheel of a two-wheel cart—” ‘“What ye doin’ down here? What’s ‘“ Well, I have; you find the rig and [ll your name?” flip up the sparkle.” ‘‘My name’s Bob Dickery, called Battery ‘“‘ All right, here comes one.” Bob fer short, and I’ve come down to blow A cab came along just then, the boys in a brief vacation.” hailed it, and after a moment’s parley and “Well. you don’t look like a son of a/| the paying of a feein advance, they got in millionaire, I'm hanged if you do. I ruther | and the driver rattled away with them. like your looks, though, and don’t mind | Ina little time they were at their destina- gettin’ better ’quainted. My name is Jack | tion. Baxter.” | The train had afrived, had discharged her ‘What do they call you fer short?” passengers, and had gone on, and Bob had ‘Lippy Jack.” missed his man! “That's a name and a half, that is. What “Just my luck,” the dock-rat detective do they call you that for?” complained. ‘* But, never say die till you ‘““’Cause ] have got too much lip, they say, | can’t get any more wind, and then it won't but it pays to have plenty of it in these days | be necessary to say it. We'll ask some one if he has been seen.” “Bet your life it does, Jack! Come, ‘There he is now!” cried Lippy Jack. you are jest the feller I was lookin’ fer, ‘Sure us you live!’’ and I think you an’ me kin pull together Jack had espied him through one of the in double harness like a pair of dock don- | windows, where he stood writing at the keys.” telegraph desk. ** Where do you want to go?” “* Now we are onto him, big as a fire-hoss!”’ ‘Want to khow when the boat will be in | cried Battery Bob. ‘I'll bet he don’t get that left New York es three.” away from me again till I get that paper. ‘‘Ought to be here now, Want to go to} But, he mustn’t see me, or I'll be in the the pier I s’pose. Lookin’ for some friends | Soup,” . down?” ‘See! he has ust crumpled up a blank ‘‘T’m lookin’ for the worst crook that ever | and pitched it under the desk.” struck New York.” “Sure enough. We must have that, | “ Srook?” z Jack.” ‘*That was what I said.” ‘+ T'1l get it.” Battery Bob, the Dock Detective. Jack went into the room, idly, and as soom as the man turned to the operator’s window with his finished message, secured the blank he had thrown away and rejoined Bob on the platform, ay CHAPTER XVI. JACK AND BOB ON THE TRAIL. ‘*Gor it?” demanded Bob. ‘You bet!” answered Jack, showing it. ‘‘Good enough. But, say, lend me your hat, will ye?” ‘‘Sure. But, what do you want of it? Ain’t as good as yourn,” ‘*He won't know me so quick in it, an” he won’t ’spect to see me here.” ‘‘That’s the ticket; I’ll take yours. But, get at what he's put on that paper.” The exchange having been made, Bob opened the blank. It was addressed to Dan Huston, at the house in which John Barr was a prisoner, and ran thus: ‘‘House is known, Take care, Look out that boy. Be back very first—’ And that was all, a bad sputter of the pen spoiling the blank, or nearly so, showing clearly the reason why it had been dis- carded, ‘Plain as day,” said Bob. ‘‘I have given hima bad scare, and he will dig out of this and ‘get back to Gotham as soon as possible to see that I don’t spoil his game there.” ‘And you will dig after him.” “ Some,”’ The lads were at a distance from the door, and Bob was standing behind Jack when the man came out. Gibson looked around for a rig, and seeing the one by which the lads had come to the , station just driving off, called out to the driver. The driver stopped, the man ran to the cab, and after a word or two got in and was wheeled rapidly off, leaving Bob and Jack to stare after him, with no means of follow: ing save their legs. ‘* We'll know more as we git older, [ hope,” said Bob, with a dry grin. ‘‘T should hope so. But, come, I know &. short cut, and we'll get to the other station soon’s he kin,” ‘“All you have got to do is to lead the way, and I'll be right with you. If your wind is longer than mine, it is extra long, that’s all.” They started, and talked as they ran, Should the man take the train, Bob would do the same, and he promised Jack to let him know how the matter ended. They reached their destination before the train, and with plenty of wind to spare, for both were rugged boys and well accus- tomed to hard exercise; but the man was not, there, The cab was not to be seen. They waited, the train came and went, and yet the cab did not appear. ‘* Well, what do you make of it?” demand- ed Jack, ‘‘Guess we have been dished,” answered Bob, ‘* Seems to me I don’t know enough to peddie peanuts,” “Why?” ‘‘ We ought to guessed it.” ‘*Guessed what?” ‘He spoiled that blank on purpose; made that sputter ‘cause he was mad!” “You think so?” ) ‘“ Sure of it, now. He changed his mind, as he was writin’, and jabbed in the pen, hard, and started off new. No tellin’ what word he sent.” ‘Believe you are right, by sand!” ‘ Let me think hard a minnit. What did he change his mind about? What was he sayin’ last?’ He brought out the spoiled blank, ‘‘ Why, changed his mind ’bout bein’ back by very first train, of course. Why did he change hismind? Had just said look out, ey 2a we