Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 887 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

?. = — wa ap iy at, a elma t,o «” ee anil 7 —s ‘ = tee ager = er + ae ie el * ** Yes, and was about to return home. Are you going up-town?” ‘“ Yes, and will be delighted if I may accompany you. I am really glad to have met you,” ‘* Don't mention it. Weli, good-by, Battery Bob,” ‘*Good-by, Miss Allen,” Bob responded. He called her by that name, having noticed that she did not correct the young man for so Qoing. They went off together, and Battery Bob stood looking after them with his hands in his pockets and his lips ready pursed for a whistle. The whistle, however, did not come, though Bob watched the couple till they were out of sight. Then he unpuckered, winked his eye, and set forth to earn his promised reward. CHAPTER X. BOB HOT ON THE SCENT. HARVEY ALEXANDER, hey?” said Bob to himself, as he walked away. ‘‘I have froze lu that name, evenfif it isa hot day, and I will hold fast to it, too, you bet. Mister Alexander, I don’t know jest where you fig- ger in this game, yet, but, I don’t like the set of your sail and I wouldn’t stand Yong ’bout tellin’ you so either, if it came tothat. I have got my awful eye on you.” Battery Bob shook his head emphatically, just as if talking to some other person, ** Don’t jest know where your part comes in,” he wenton, *‘ Strikes me mebby youain’t got no business inthe play, but have got on the stage by accident, somehow. I hope you will kindly somehow get off again, if that is the case; don’t want any more on my hands ’n I have to have, certain. What with savin’ suercides, and findin’ lost property, and huntin’ out rogues, and makin’ matter-o’- money-al matches, don’t know where I’)l fetch up.” Bob still had the address he had learned from Jack Tarr. In fact, he never lost anything that he ayers away in his rememberer—as he called t ‘This was the place where John Barr was held a prisoner, and it was here the chief villain was likely to be found, sooner or later, and he was the man Bob wanted to tackle. Not that the boy saw his way clear, for he didn’t; it was all a puzzle. The place to which the address called him ‘was not the most elegant quarter of thegreat city, by any means, i truth, it was a street that was not held ‘in good repute, and on his arrival the Dock Detective found that the number did not dis- cover a house which one might feel proud or anxious to enter, ‘‘That’s a hard hole, and I know it,” Bob said to himself. ‘* Know it jest as well as if I was a, prisoner there myself, If that is where you are, John Barr, I bet you are in a bad fix, ees all around, Who is John Barr? Is he a villain? or is he straight goods?” Bob scratched his head, and evidently gave it up. While he was looking and thinking, a man came out of the house—a man with long hair and a slouch hat. | ‘‘Hillo! I know you, Mister Gibson,” Bob immediately exclaimed under his breath, at sight of him, ‘‘ Would know you in the dark, by that hair and hat, from what Jack ‘Tarr said.” The man paused onthe step fora moment, looking up and down the street: but, as there were other boys on the street at the time, no notice was taken of the dock-delegate. After looking, the man left the house and walked down the street. He had been gone but a moment when Bob tried the door of the house, and finding it fast, set forward to follow the man. Battery Bob, the Dock Detective. ‘ Didn’t s’pose I would get in,” he said to himself, ‘‘ but no harmtryin’. I would have let the rooster gone, if I'd found that door unfastened, and tried my hand at gettin’ John Barr out of his state of tribbylashun. That’s all right, though, and as this rooster is my game I'l] go gunnin’ for him,” So, he kept the long-haired man in sight. The Bowery was not a great distance off, and the man was soon on that great thor oughfare, It is noticeable that when a Westerner comes to town, that is to say, one of the type of the men here under consideration, the Bowery is pretty certain to be one of his haunts—in fact, is likely to become his fa- vorite resort. There is something homo- geneous, and there is something abcut the Bowery, generally, that reminds him of home. It is something like the main thor- oughfare of a successful mining-camp, only on a grander scale. The Bowery had already caught Owen Gibson, He turned into a popular garden, with the easy swagger of his native wilds, and look- ed edie gy eeetely Bob was not far away, piping lm, Seeing a vacant table, the man walked over to it and gave an order for something to. drink and some cigars. These were furnished and paid for, and with his broad hat set back from his. fore- head the man lighted a cigar and proceeded to make himself comfortable, Here it was cool and refreshing, a band was playing, at intervals a girl or man would appear and sing some popular ditty of the day, and the gambler-sport was in high delight—for gambler-sport he was, Battery Bob, had, meantime, edged into the room, and at last had worked his way out of sight behind a growing cedar in a huge tub directly behind this man’s chair, as hour and more passed. The man drank only lightly, but he smoked continuously, and occasionally he applauded a song, Finally, at the end of that time, another man came and joined him, having looked around on entering until he caught sight of the Westerner in his corner, The new-comer was a man younger in years than the other, but he had a look of dissipa- tion that made him look older than he really was, and his clothing had a rather gone-to- seed look, He dropped upon a chair in a tired way. “Well?” he demanded. As he made the demand, he filled a glass— two had been provided—and drained it at one draught. “Everything works nicely,” was the re- sponse, ‘‘ Take another, Charley, and put a little life into yourself. You look down in the mouth, to-day, fand you want to brace up.” ‘‘ Enough to make anybody look that way, ain’t it?” Ae took another?drink thefsame as the first, after which he shoved the glass and bottle back out of reach, almost, ‘Why, my boy,” cried the gambler sport, ‘we are on the high road to success, now, Only a few weeks more and that fair cousin of yours will be of age, and then you will step into a handsome fortune.” ‘‘ Have my doubts about it.” “Why” “Well, has.” ‘“‘T am going to take care of Barr, and don't you forget it,” was whispered, ‘‘ You will hear of a widow in the land before the moon is old.” ‘That will be your own doings, then; I am not into anything like that, and I want it un- derstood so,” and with clinched fist, the younger man spoke with somewhat of force. ‘You have no part in that, nor have I,” since Barr has flunked like he rears erg ew”. MR Ly _— was the rejoinder. ‘‘That is another dea altogether.” ‘*And what then?’ ™ ** Well, to fasten the proof of that mar- riage,” ‘And you can do that?” ‘€ You bet!” ‘* How, since you have lost the certificate?” ‘‘Ha, ha! That has been my work of the morning, to get that paper back again, or to get hold of it, since I did not lose it myself,” “*And you got it?” For answer, the gambler took the paper from his pocket and displayed it, greatly.to the delight of the watchful Battery Bob. ‘You see for yourself,” Gibson said, ‘* Now, all that remains is to establish this proof in the right way while the thing is still warm, but very quietly, and that will be all.” ‘* But, you won't have Barr, if he must be put out of the way,” ‘*He will meet, with an accident, and will be found and identified, and that will be the more proof,” ‘* Suppose the girl denies it, though?” ‘* She can’t, when there were witnesses to the marriage. Then, here is the biggest bit of proof of all. She can’t get over this docu- ment, you see, and it will be a big stroke to have it found in Barr’s pocket!” “Why?” ‘“‘Can’t you see? The reporters will get hold of it, and the newspapers will be full of the sensation, Then, that will place the matter right, and Barr will be taken home to the residence of his bride and let her deny it if she can. Oh, 1 ama thinker,” ‘*Should say you was, ‘Then where do I come in?” ‘You will come in from the West, put in your claim, and will come in for all the wealth; that’s where you’ come in.” ‘* I'd rather sce it than hear tell of it.” ‘You'll never see it, if I kin prevent,” de- clared Battery Bob to himself, in his place of hiding. ‘‘ Bob Dickery is in this game, ao fine fellows, right up to his chin, vou et.” CHAPTER VI. BATTERY BOB GETS NABBED. BaTTeRY Bos had now heard enough to convince him of one thing—that the young woman he was trying to serve was in the right in the game—whatever it was. Then, too, he had now heard enough else to give him some idea of the nature of the scheme on foot. A fortune was at stake, and these men were playing for it. Of course, he could not grasp the whole situation yet, but he now knew he was on the right side, and he meant to make it the winning side if possible. He still had some doubts about John Barr. It was his intention to save the man’s life, if that layin his power, but whether he de- served his sympathy or not remained to be seen. There could be no doubt but he had en- tered the scheme with these fellows in the beginning, but now, from what they said, he appeared to have changed his mind and wanted to draw out of their combine. And this was to cost him his life. But, not if Battery Bob could slip in hig little joker, and he thought he could, He was in it, as he declared himself, *‘ right up to his chin,” and he considered that deep enough for his purpose, If not—well, he was not afraid of plunging in head and ears, ‘“You ‘will see it, never fear,” the sport made rejoinder to the last quoted remark of his companion, ‘We hold the winning hand, and nothing cau hinder us from raking the pile. I have been thinking of a place for us to locate,” ‘¢ Why?” | | ‘*Tt will be better for us to be out of the com Cc Rie , EPs 7 ) * ae » 7 . As tes ~ Laadine * : ‘ 900