Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 89 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

—— ee —_— —- — —— —— —EE _—--— —- but without producing much effect on the young man. After this a coolness amounting almost to an estranrement sprung up between the father and the supposed son. As Mr. Dimity was liberal in his donations of money to Jim, it may be wondered where the funds went. Belshazzar was the gulf into which the green- bacits were poured. The Gipsy was a great gambler and could not restrain his propensity for play. He rendered Jim’s 1 fe a misery and a burden to him by his repeated and incessant demands for money. Since his wife’s death Mr. Dimity had been very intimate with the Mandragons, both of them sympathizing deeply with him in his loss. When the forgery took place Mr. Dimity went to his friends and informed them of the distress- ing fact. : ‘It grieves me to tell you this,” he said, ‘‘ but you are my friends and neighbors.” “The boy is turning out badly, as I always predicted,” replicd Mr, Mandragon, ‘‘ and that shows the folly of making one child the pet of the family.” ‘Alas! Isce my mistake now.” “I have an idea, by means of which you might reform him.” Mr. Dimity looked up in surprise. ‘Will you impart it to me?” he asked, ‘‘Strictly in private.” ‘**Ts that a hint to me to leave the room?” in- quired Mr. Mandragon. ‘* Yes, my dear,” replied her husband; ‘ not even to you dare | impart the secret. It must pe known but to us two.” Mrs. Mandragon, always obedient to her hus- _ band’s will, did not hesitate a moment. The two gentlemen were left alone together. Their conversation was long and earnest. At the conclusion Mr. Dimity grasped the hand of Mr. Mandragon warmly. ‘* Tt will be a terrible ordeal,” he said, “‘ but I am convinced I ought to do it. If he commits any more enormities the plan shall be put in execution.” ‘Ts it a settled bargain?” ‘*Tt is.” What the bargain was will be seen as the story progresses. Meanwhile, Belshazzar had been very un- lucky in his gambling ventures and was more than ever pressing in his demands upon Jim for money. One evening he was playing cards in the Gip- sy’sroom of the hotel: ‘Wine sparkled in the rlasses and the air was perfumed with cigars of the choicest brands. ‘‘ Jamie,” exclaimed Belshazzar, throwing down his cards, ‘*my lucky star is in the as- cendant to-night, and I haven’t oa red to buck the tiger with.” ‘‘AlLT can get I give to you,” replied Jim. “T worry the old man nearly to death for money, and since that affair with the bank he has not been so free with the stamps.” ‘You. must get some.” ** How?’ ‘‘T have ascertained that Mrs. Dimity’s jew- els are in a drawer in the bureau of her old room. Bring them to me. The diamonds are worth some thousands,” ‘* Steal them?” “ Call it what you like; we won’t cavil about terms.” | ‘The old man won’t stand it,” said Jim. ‘“‘I tell you it’s a bu’sted racket, and we may as well throw the whole thing up at once.” “Ah, pshaw! Blood is stronger than water. You are his son—at least he supposes so—and he may bluster, but he will never disgrace his naine, I will have the jewels.” Give me a week.” ‘Take it,” replied the Gipsy, toying restless- ly with the cards, Jim drank more champagne than was good for him, and went home with his head in a whirl. stantly saw his condition. “You have teen drinking, sir,” he exclaimed. ‘What if I have?” replied Jim, insolently. “It is disgraceful. Go to bed and pray Heaven you may repent of your evil courses,” said the saddened father. Jim reeled up-stairs to his room and threw himself all dressed as he was on the bed. Fanny stole noiselessly into the room. ‘‘ Dick,” she cried. ‘* Don’t you feel well?” “ Very dizzy, sis,” he replied. _ ‘‘You made such a noise coming up, and I heard papascolding you. Oh! dotry to bea good Island Jim. ee ee ee Se boy! Papa wants to love you so and you won’t let him.” ‘* Don’t preach,” answered Jim; ‘‘I hate ser- mons. Lemme go sleep; can’t you?” With difficulty suppressing her tears, Fanny quitted the room to kneel down by her own bed- side and waft to Heaven a pure-hearted maid- en’s prayer for her erriog brother. That night Island Jim dreamt of robbery CHAPTER IV. WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE OLD WELL. Mr. and Mrs. Herschell, with their son Carl, and their daughter Lena, owned and lived on the ‘* Woodhine Farm” in New Jersey, a few miles from Elizabeth. Carl came in to breakfast one morning and said: ‘““T don’t know, father, what the matter is with Max.” Max was the dog. ‘‘ Hein!” said Mr. Herschell. ‘‘ Max vos von goot dorg. Vot he gone do wrong now?’ ‘1 can’t get him away from the old well.” ** P’r’aps der vos von skunk mit dot well?” ** No, I guess [ve killed all the skunks round this farm,” answered Carl. ‘*Der tog never do not’ings for not’ings,” re- marked Mr. Herschell. ‘** Did you take the boards up and look down?” asked Lena. ‘ “ Not I!” replied Carl; ‘‘ I wanted my break- ast, ** Vell, you eat your breakfast and I go look at dot t?ing,” enjoined Mr. Herschell. ‘** No, father, let me go,” pleaded Lena; “I am dying with curiosity.” ‘*Mebbe somet’ings hurts you, und den you die mit somet’ings else?’ answered her father. ‘* Please let me go!” ‘*Ponner und blitzen! Dot girl is like her mudder; she most always have her own way.” ‘You always let me have mine, too,” said Lena, Kelasing him. ‘Ya. I lofe my Lena. Go den and gom pack soon, mit der news,” cried her father. Lena, with the fair hair and blue, liquid, talk- ing eyes, ran off. , She was gone about five minutes, and when she returned her face was pale and her manner strangely agitated. **Oh! father,” she exclaimed, sinking into a chair and covering her face with her hands. ‘*Donner-wetter! der miidschen, has seen ein ghost?” Mr. Herschell asked. ‘** Worse,” replied Lena, recovering herself. ** What is it?” ‘* There is a man in the well, all covered with oe cima it is so dreadful! I think he is ead,” At this intelligence, farmer Herschell and Carl quitted the breakfast-table and ran eagerly toward the old well. Lena had removed the boards, and looking debi they perceived a body, doubled up as if aead, The dog howled dismally, as if he appreciated the discovery as much as they. ‘*Mein Gott in himmel!” cried the farmer; ‘this vos von murder! Get a rope, Carl! This vos von bloody murder. Hein!” Carl procured a rope, and with some difficulty the body was brought to the surface. There was a slight pulsation of the heart, and a blade of dry grass, placed against the lips, f ee showing that there was a feeble respi- ration, “He vos not dead yet!” said Herschell. ‘Send for der herr doctor and der richter shudge! Look at dot head! It vos all crushed in, poor boy!” Carl hastened to send one of the farm hands for a medical man, and then assisted to carry the body into the house, whereit was charitably placed upon a bed, 300d-hearted people were these Germans, and though the boy was ragged and looked poverty- stricken, like a tramp, they did not neglect to do their duty to their neighbor. Like the Samaritan, they refused to pass by on the other side of the way, but poured oil and wine—figuratively—into his wounds. The half-dead boy was Dick Dimity, whom Belshazzar and Island Jim thought they had si- | lenced forever. Tenderly, as if ithad been her own brother, | D Caen nc eee ecinenelinneetiennneneentineneeststenenemetneessetesementietiaadttntnnEiaeetnannannnnneaneennie _—— or _—_——--—/ —. = oe ee will be certain death. With you, he may re- cover.” Mr. Herschell spoke to his wife. ‘‘Doctor,” he said, “he shall stay here, Ve are Christians. I vill bay your bill. Isch dot satisfactory ?” ** Perfectly.” The doctor dressed the wounds, left a pre- scription for a febrifuge, and promised to call | again soon. For many days and nights Dick remained un- conscious, but he did not die. Thanks to the kind treatment, delicate nursing and medical skill he received, all aided by a strong constitu- tion, he battled bravely with death and gained the mastery. But when he grew well again, after the la of many weeks, he had a vacant stare in his eyes, an unmeaning expression about his face and an idiotic smile when fg to. All this was very sad and painful to his good friends, the Herschells, who appealed to the doc- tor about this strange symptom. He was of opinion that the brain was injured and that the boy was an idiot. Whether he would ever recover his faculties or not, he would not venture to say, though he had known cases of loss of reason, arising from a similar cause, cured in time. ‘Watch and wait,” he concluded. Again the charity of the Herschells was called into active operation. Most people, under the circumstances, would have sent the helpless boy to the County House, where he would have been placed among the insane pour, They did nothing of the sort; they kept him with them and let him wander harmless.y about the farm, and sit down at their table and live like one of themselves. ‘“What is your name?” asked Lena, over and over again. He would shake his head sadly. **T don’t know,” he replied. ‘‘ I had a name once, but it went away from me that night when all was so dark.” Pursuing her astute catechism, she would say; “Have you no home?” ‘No; L lived in a barn.” ‘‘Cannot you remember your friends?’ “It is all gone. I can recollect nothing,” he would reply. ‘I will try, though; some day it may come back tome, If I could only think of something, I might get it all; but now it is blank, blank, blank!” He was very grateful to them for their kind- ness, and always anxious to do any odd job they might have on the farm, compatible with his strength. And so, he got to be one of the family, and the ‘‘ boy,” as they called nim, was pitied and liked by all. We must leave Dick Dimity, struggling with his mind-darkness in the family of the Herschells, while we return to Island Jim and his rascally mentor, Eenas Belshazzar. CHAPTER V. THE BOY OBEYS A BAD COMMAND, ALTHOUGH his daring venture had been gue- cessful so far, and he was living in luxury such as he had never before been accustomed to, dark clouds were gathering around Island Jim. A storm was about to burst over his head, and though the storm was no bigger than a man’s hand at present, it threatened in process of time to assume formidable dimensions. He was, one morning, amusing himself by playing ball with Tommy Bennet in the gar- den at the back of the house. The ball went over the fence into Mr. Mandragon’s vard, ow- ing to Tommy’s carelessness, and its flight was followed by a slight scream. “There you go again, butter-fingers!” shout- ed Jim. ‘Now somebody’s hit and I’ve got the blame.” ‘* A lot you care!” replied Tommy. Without answering him Jim climbed the fence, and springing down on the other side be- held a charming young lady, who was holding her hand to her face, which had been grazed by { the ball. ‘How very careless you are!” she exclaimed, in a tone of vexation. Jim stared at her with admiration, and his fix- ed gaze was almost rude. Tall, dark, slim in figure, but wonderfully symmetrical, with long eyelashes that fringed Lena washed the clotted blood from his hair and | her lustrous eyes, and features so reeular as to face. When the doctor arrived, he examined the | | Greek art, he thought she was the most lovely body carefully. | rival those classic nymphs, sculptured — by Phidias and Praxiteles in the palmy davs o» ‘This has been a brutal attempt at murder,”.. creature he had ever seen. he said. there is concussion of the brain. To move him “The skull is fractured, and I fear | ‘I beg your pardon, miss!” he replied. ‘It was all Tom Bennet’s carelessness.” GOMIGVOOKS. GO