Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 887 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

ol | rat Tt ¢ us : ae ' ~~ ~~ on « — Pet aes ‘ Battery Bob, the in & = same token, how is it that you pre still out av your rat-hole?” ““T have beén playing detective, as you know.” ‘* Been playing the divil somewhere would be more loike it, Oi guess. Oi will have to be telling Betsy Sokup to have an eye out fur ye, me b’y.’ ** Don’t trouble yourself, Terry.” ‘Or tell Jack Tarr to take ye in hand.” ‘‘He has got more in hand now than he kin manage, old feller. Say, Terry, 1 am oin’ to make a match between him an’ etsy Sokup, see if I don’t.” ‘*Ha, ha! Dhat same can’t be done, Bobby. The wooden leg is in the way, you know, and it is not yourself that can be afther giv- ing Jack a leg of any other sort, Oi venture ' to say.” ‘Well, you just wait and see, that’s all.” ‘*Oi guess it will be a long wuit.” ‘* Not as long as you might think. ‘I have ot an idee, ‘There is somethin’ in my head esides mush, Terry.” “Oi am glad to hear it, on me word. Oi would never have suspicted it, Bobby. It is not overabundancy of brain that ye are af- flicted with, Oi’ll be bound.” ‘** Don’t you be too hasty about namin’ my ailymint by your symptoms, Terry, for you might make a mistake, don’t vou see. Well, good. night to you: try to keep awake till the roundsman comes.” ‘Get out with ye!” The officer made a feint as if to chase the i, und the latter ran laughing away. hese little tilts were quite common be- tween Battery Bob and his policeman friend, and McDougal rather enjoyed them. He now strolled on his way, whistling his fa- vorite tune, ‘I wish he’d go back and get that girl, or else give us something else,” muttered the boy. ‘‘ It has got to be rather tiresome, now, and itis.away out of date. Think I'll have to write him a letter and tell him the girl he - Jeft behind has died of old age, and see if that won’t wean him off. Now, soon as he gets far enough away I’ll begin my hunt.” Bob was walking quietly back in the di- rection of the place where he had had the struggle with the girl, and whére he had found the card-case. It was light enough for him to discern a paper, so he did not have to get down upon his knees this time. Reaching the starting point, he looked | carefully around. No paper was to be seen, That being so, he moved in the direction of where the struggle with the two toughs bad taken place, and thence on in the course the girl had taken when she ran away, All the time he kept a careful lookout in evory direction for a glimpse of anything white that might appear. He found it not, however, and finally he came to the street. ‘‘ Well, that settles it,” he said to himself. Don’t believe I'll find it, but I'll go on the Ro Reaching immediately, and the very first words it con: rer , ‘ ~*4 4, rest of the way to where she took the car, anyhow, and then if it ain't to be diskivered it won’t be any fault o’ mine, This has been a night of hustle, I be chewed if it ain’t, an’ Tll be— Hello! there’s somethin’ looks like paper!” He was crossing the street, when some- _ thing in the gutter caught his eye. ' Running to it, he picked it up. Sure enough, it was a paper, and it was folded and clean, proof that it had been lost rather than thrown away, and the boy ran with it to the nearest light. . Battery Bob could read and write, thanks to his own efforts and Betsy Sokup’s assist- ance, and so needed no help in making out what the paper might be provided only that it was in English, the light, he opened the paper tained caused him to whistle. / ‘4 ! . v4 q F Le ; wy 7] et, ’ \ d ' by , a 7 { ‘ D lean - 4 ae / Ws . ; om “ee, a ey? f ; ah : ‘ « : = Tl Pe «te . P) ye . ba >? a eh = _ ra | ' — .< be : ‘ . ry , ¢ > i] " A , : 4 a? hy * ' la : oo * : Pie - a. * ras Cheeuriw 1] 7 - Ree we; Any “ Eee rile cs q walt wo nr’ - : ol ; 5) / 1 AS NS Tad 2 hue : WAS i~ A he i ~? —> 7 / ; f s - fe é OF ae eT) es ty oy e , the electric light. The words were these: CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE. ‘‘The plot begins to thicken,” the bo muttered. ‘‘ I'll bet my Edith Allenis a Mrs. Somehody-or-other, and her mammy don’t know anything about it— Sure enough, here it is, and married this very date, too—rather yesterday, now, for we have passed over into to-morrow, by the clock, Yes, here itis, plain as day: ‘Edith Alien made the lawful wife of John Barr, this so-an’-so day in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-four. Barr, old boy, you are at the bottom of that girl's trouble, but I’m onto you as big as a fire-horse, you bet!” CHAPTER IY. BOB IS RIGHT IN IT. ‘* Yus, and we are onto you.” These words were hissed into the boy’s ear, At the same instant rough hands made him a prisoner, and his struggles were useless, Struggle he did, nevertheless, as long as he could, but that was not many seconds, for he was in the grasp of two powerful men, _ Battery Bob had quickly thrust the mar- riage-certificate out of sight, and had made the effort to place his police whistle to his lips, but was prevented from doing the lat- ter. ‘* No ye don’t!’ hissed one of his captors. ‘* We'll see that ye don’t do nothin’ like that, sonny.” He clapped his hand over the boy’s mouth as he spoke, and next proceeded to gag him effectually with a handkerchief, which was quickly accomplished. ‘There, you young rat!” cried the other, ina whisper. ‘‘I guess we'll see to it that ou don’t do any further mischief. You now too blasted much to be let off, I can tell ye,” ‘* You are right he does,” the other agreed. This worthy had searched for and found the paper, which he transferred to his own pocket. , ** What’s to be done with him?” | ‘* We'll pitch him into the river.” ‘* Let’s be about it, then,” ‘* Come along.” Together they seized their victim anew, and bore him agi out of the circle of It was. now so late that the Park was almost entirely deserted, and there was every chance that they would be able to carry out their heinous scheme unseen. Not many paces had they taken, though, when they caught sight of a man moving toward them, not far away, and they sprung aside and dropped to the ground in a spot where the shadows were deepest and black- est. Battery Bob felt a knife at his throat. ‘If you so much as move a finger,” was the warning given, ‘“‘I’ll slit your neck for you!” : Bob was in no condition to answer, though he undoubtedly would have done so had it | not been for the gag that had been applied to him, spite of the threat that had been made, The man came on, and as he drew nearer it could be made out that he was a police- ‘man, Battery Bob knew who he was, if the others did not. Bob was in no situation to draw his atten- tion, however, for, besides the awful threat shat had been made, the men were holding him so that he could not move, and he was helpless, not quite near afr he officer moved on, enough to observe the men crouching in shadows, and Bob shared the fate of the he was whistling! about. , ; : Vv e “? Dock Detective. a a! ; +. ; Y te a " . - A Ae s ‘ pA APy Day ae: 7 Brks a * 1%) sim? P AS . ’ , ‘ ae - 4 bys 3 Dae « MJ Lh L ». i * : x 4 tT \y- » ad sj , . % ; iM wed bs a Jé, = * he ‘sy t. a 7 ; a? “ q ’ ‘y poabivil ha? ese geal ip auld dai Aidt mere ee ‘‘Danged if I didn’t think we wur it,’ growled one of the men, when the office had gone. ‘*Me too,” chimed in the other, relaxing his hold on Bob. ‘‘ See anybody else in sight?” ce 0.” ‘Then let’s do this job and get out of here.” Both had greatly loosened their grip upon the boy, and now, with a sudden move, Bob was on his feet. He essayed to run, but the men were too quick fof him and pounced upon him like a pair of cats upon a helpless mouse, and he was again taken prisoner. | ‘‘No ye don’t!” cried one. ‘‘ And if you try it again you'll git a taste of steel,” the other. They now hurried him in the direction of the river, taking the darkest route they could pick out. No further obstacle came in their way, and it certainly looked asif Battery Bob must meet the fate they had laid out for him. They came to the sea wall, and there they lifted the boy clear from the ground, one: taking him by the arms and the other by his. feet, and so they swung him. Two or three times thus, and one of the fellows whispered—‘‘ Gol” And Battery Bob went. With a tremendous swing, they sent him flying outward over the waves, and he drop- ped into the rolling water with a loud splash. Immediately the two fellows ran back again into the shadows, and nothing further was seen of them inthe Battery Park that night. Like shadows they had come, like shadows gone. For some moments nothing was seen of Battery Bob. In fact, he was not seen at all, but he might. have been had there been any one at hand to observe. o Presently his head appeared above the waves, and he shook it much as a water-dog would have done, after which he treaded water while he proceeded to untie the gag and free his mouth. He was at home in the water. ‘“‘ Well, them’s the softest guys 1 have rur up against in a long time,” he said to him- self, without the least show of excitement. ‘‘And there is one clue I have picked up ’bout ’em, too, They ar’ strangers in New York, or they would know they couldn’t drown a dock-rat without a stone to his neck. They would have tied my hands, I uess, if they’d knowed I kin swim to Staten sland an’ back again. And they got that dockyment, hang ’em! That was what they was after the first time, no doubt, an’ the have been playin’ the detective on me, an’ was such a gilly that { didn’t tumble to their game. But, then, never s’pected it.” He ceased treading water now, and swam easily and leisurely back again to the wall, and presently found a place where he could climb out. ¢ The night was a warm one, otherwise he might have shivered worse than he did, He did not tarry long there, however. Making his way in the direction of the dock under which he had his bunk, he had almost reached his destination when he came face to face with Terrence’ McDougal once again, sé Ma the officer cried. ‘Is it still out and a-prowling around ye are? It is a foine notion to run ye in Oi have.” ‘Don’t go to that trouble, Terry,” re- sponded Bob, cheerfully. ‘‘I am running in myself, as you can see.” | | ‘* And biess me if it isn’t all wet ye are!” © That’s what’s the matter, Terry.. Don’t touch me, or you will get spots on your fine indigo,” . ‘‘But, what the old mischief have up to, anyhow 7? ; Maid . _ ° . 7 * . P ‘. 7 : ; f . ee i yy hal » > 7 : LY . _*« . » iy ’ ° [sp a ; ee ae dort AY" Sea vif Cats " : a ih 7 at wei? el: . ' ad 7 R= } o¥ 4 Be Jas -. 1H “Wu e. ‘ “ j f ps al | A AE elm bot top rete ra Sie eA UCTIG These, 4 Nn - nbs nD se [ @ Ce Per & XI ‘ ’ f 4 4 + the divil fly away with ye, Bobby,” ye been