Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 897 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

\ Lf ee ee ee ey ——— eee —_——_ oe ee a - er rer — te oer —— 14 Davy Doon’s Big’ Bounce. PS ee eran TEESE SRS SSR SESE mse ee A A TE RE TT Davy Doon was playing a big card and it seemed to be a winner. The next few minutes would tell, however, and he watched the side- walk as they raced along, fully expecting to en- counter a face which he did not care to see. But nothing broke the monotony of the trip and when the cab entered a certain street with a ‘* Here we are!” from the driver, Davy laid his hand on the man’s arm and said softly: ** Not quite to the house, Jack, I don’t want to be seen driven right up tothe door. Business you understand, You remember the number, of course?” ‘* Yes, vas I well recall. I don’t forget such things. . It was 96 Are we near enough now?” ‘‘ Quite,” was the answer, ‘‘ You want, let me see,” and the hand of the boy ferret took from his pocket some silver, two dollars of which he handed to the man and then leaped to the ground, ‘‘ This looks like success,” he exclaimed. ‘ It ‘was a test-card and it seems to have won, I be- lieve I have found the web that holds Holly Lane!” He saw the cab turn and go back and in’a second he was moving toward 96, The hour was early enough to excite suspicion among many who saw the boy alight from the cab, but no one seemed to suspect anything and he came down upon the house with confidence, It was a rather small frame building which had an ancient look and Davy eyed it with a good deal of suspicion as it was closely shutter- ed and had a silent, deserted look, Should he go to the door and ring? He caught sight of a curious knocker which seemed to in- vite his hand, but he resolved to pass it first and take further note of its exterior. This he did passing it at a slow gait and while he went along he looked up at the house with keen eyes, *¢ All’s quiet there yet,” he remarked to him- self. ‘*I guess the people haven’t got up yet.” When fairly beyond the house Davy was in the act of turning back when a man came to- -‘ward him and with his eyes rivetei upon the boy detective, he continued to approach, There was something about the man that riv- eted Davy’s attention, and as they meta hand clutched his arm and he was spoken to in a voice ‘that seemed to send a chill to his very bones. ‘* That was a neat job, but you will come with me, I guess you won’t get to play out the hand ‘with the success you have been expec‘ing.” ‘* Jack Jason!” cried the young spotter, CHAPTER XV, ACCIDENT AND LUCK, To be captured the second time by the same hand which once before had nabbed him was not agreeable to Detective Davy’s plans. He fell back from the man who had been recognized despite the disguise he had assumed, but the hand did not let him get very far. ‘* You will come with me, 1 guess Iam able to take care of you. I will see at any rate.” Resistance was uppermost in the boy’s mind, but he knew that to resist might makeit un- pleasant for his future plans so he shut bis lips and said nothing. Jack Jason -who had probably penetrated his disguise from the first was overjoyed at his cap- ture and instead of taking the boy to the house in which he believed Holly was a prisoner, he took him round the street where, to Davy’s chagrin, be called to the same driver who had brought him to the spot and the man came for- ‘ward at once, ‘Hello! I thought you were ‘on business,’ ” ried the man on the box as his astonishment a a Se ieee ae ey - v ~ A See sg he i. % Ao g rs y ’ TF * 4) ., i by . ! YS ¢* ots |: ° . 4% | oe oe ' * a. ¥ ¥ £ a Sa ~ - * a —. S xs el > ras « Sr: : Lr» ~ehi re r a ih 4 7 be RW A eh showed itself in his eyes as he leaned toward the y. ** He was, but I thought he would like another ride. You will take both of us down-town @ piece, I will tell you where when we get near the spot,” this seemed a dream to the young shadow and when he saw the carriage door shut and found himself cooped up with the sharp eyes of Jack Jason i a. him, he felt fora single moment that the game was nearly played out nd that he was the loser. Away went the cab with the two in it and for some time neither spoke. ‘*' You must have played it fine to get out of the trap,” said Jack, “Thad to, You don’t su I cared to Femain thero all my life like the man who is there yet?” Jack turned a trifle pale, but in a second was himself again, ** You will not get to boast of your exploit ; oe > okt oher ee ee ee Se : : é « - ‘, fy " i we " : 6 : iy “Pr 4 . “Tweety : eel pas a, a —" very long. In the first place, you are engaged in business sure to get you into trouble and, secondly, you don’t have to embark in it.” ‘“Maybe not, but aren’t you in business destined to get you into trouble, too?” Jack smiled and passed his hand over his brow as he seemed to wipe off some drops of sweat. ‘‘ Never mind that, We will see that this time you don’t escape. You might have kept out of the net—out of the one I had spread for you, I mean—if you had not played this morning’s card, It was a fatal one in your career and you will regret it more than any card you have ever played.” 3 Davy said nothing to this and the cab carried them on out of one street and into another un- til the scene of bis first capture was reached, The Boy Spotter shuddered in spite of his accustomed coolness, He abhorred the thought of going back to keep the skeleton company, but there seemed no help for it. He knew that the driver was in the employ of the con- spirators and that he would do their bidding to the last. As they turned into a street which sesmed full of life for the earliness of the hour, they heard a shout and the driver suddenly drew aside and stopped. ‘‘ What's the matter?” asked Jack, poking his head out of the window. ‘‘A runaway. Heavens! we are right in the way of the team.” ‘““The deuce, you say! Driveon the sidewalk | Quick, man!” The horses were started toward the sidewalk as directed, but the driver dropped the lines and with aj ery sprung from toe box and ran away. Alreaiy Jack Jason had opened the door and was standing on the step undecided. He knew not what to do, but, what he did was done on the spur of the moment, He saw that a team attached to a large wagon was running off and that it was bear- ing down upon the cab with the fury of a charge. The horses attached to the carriage realized their danger and had recoiled, but, terror stricken by the danger, they seemed bereft of judgment and breathlessly awaited the collision. Suddenly crash, crash, came the shock and in another instant the two teams were all together in inextricable confusion. The collision reminded those who saw it of the meeting of two storm-cloutis and for a moment the air was filled with broken bits of vehicle while the crowd which had caught its second breath ran to the spot to rescue the imperiled, The horses were cut loose and held by strong arms and some one seized Jack Jason and pulled him out from among the ruins of the cab, He seemed more dead than alive and they placed him on the sidewalk under the trees while the crowd was kept back by those who declared in excited tones that the man must have air, ‘‘There must be another one under the cab,” saida man, ‘‘I am sure I saw another face at the door just before the teams came together. Look for him under that mass of wheels and you will find him, I am quite sure.” The crowd went to work again and threw aside the broken stuff, but nobody was turned out. ‘6 T’s mighty singular,” said the positive man. ‘‘T have good eyes and certainly saw another person in the cab. Where’s the driver? He ou bt to know whether there were two men or not. But the cabman was not on hand, He seem- ed to bave been frightened out of bis wits, or had gone away to escape censure by the owner of the team, Meantime the patrol summoned from the nearest box had come to the scene and Jack Jason had been lifted into it and taken to the hospital. @ was unconscious and seemed on the brink of death for his face was white and some bones seemed to be broken. ‘* That’s what I call by the skin of one’s teeth,” remarked a boy who ten minutes later stood in a room some nce from the scene of the.acci- dent. ‘*I wouldn’t have given much for wy chances when I saw those horses coming down the street like mad, They seemed bent on knocking us all to pieces and when they struck the cab we seemed to be lifted from the street and thrown twenty feet into the air. I wonder how Jack fared? I found myself lying under a wheel and pretty close to a hoof when I picked myself we as the crowd gathered and sg os a weasel, I think I got peidhen tr out seen, It was too near for me, But vs . ‘Ve a one | % as . ‘ eT ge OL © RES! bs it 4 . + ek, o 1 « “ar es ae Lae, ad 7" 7% MY LOrrEy . ‘ = a re Tt 4 ma jane pega pet y 4 a te gem re ee a. e. on a - » ss. U Oils oo I’m all O. K. now. Only a bruise on my left shin and a scratch on my neck,” He looked to his hurts, thankful that they were no worse and proud of his escape. The runaway had done him a favor and he did not stop to think how the horses had fared in the , catastrophe, It was enough for him to know that he was all right. An hour later Davy ventured back to the vicinity of the accident to learn that Jack had been taken off more dead than alive and on go- ing to the hospital he heard that the case was very doubtful, as the man was hurt_internally and had not recovered consciousness, ‘*That’s bad in one sense,” thousht Davy. ** Jack by remaining unconscious, won’t be able to tell that I was in the cab and if the driver don’t come forward with his statement, which I don’t think he will do as he wasn’t engaged in le- gitimate cab business, I will be all O. K. any- how. It was a complete shaking up and Nell will shudder when she hears of it, I think I know what’s become of Holly for I was near the web when Jack swooped down upon me like an eagle, Things are coming our way, if they do cause break-ups and runaways.” Davy walked toward his own home and was soon there, Presently he was startled by a quick knock at the door and ere he could open it it was opened by some one in the hall and Nickel Nell came in. The face of the girl was pale and seamed with eagerness, Well, what do you think, Davy?” she said, as she came forward and took a chair at the table, ‘*‘ You remember Bolivar Brass?” “Certainly. What’s the matter with the old fellow now, Nell?” ** He’s dead,” The boy ferret started. ‘¢ You don’t mean that!” he exclaimed, still eying the girl. ‘‘ Why, I have discovered that he left his house last night—left it suddenly and for good, [ thought.” ‘¢ But be is dead, allthe same, He fell dead on a street corner not two hoursago. I happened to be within half a block of him when the death occurred and when they picked him up I had a good look at his face and recognized him, They say it was heart disease brought on by sudden excitement,” Davy thought a moment before he replied. “‘ Don’t you know, Davy, that that man carried a secret in his hosom?” said the girl, locking at him, ‘' It isa bad death for Mrs, Lane, for she believes that he could tell what Hiram Honeybee knows, but now he never will,” | ‘‘ He never would bave told, Bolivar Brass has cheated the gallows or the prison, that’s all,” smiled the young ferret, ‘“*‘ He was on his way to one or both, but dying on the street he has cheated them, I say.” Then Davy related his adventure, and with Nell’: lips bloodless and her pretty face as white as sno'’, she said: ‘t Let us thank heaven for that runaway, Davy. If it had not happened there might bave been no escape from the second web of the fortune spiders,” ‘* I guess you're right, Nell; but I’m all O. K. now and ready to wind up the hunt for Hiram Honeybee,” ‘‘ Tf he is found all is well; if not the great wrong will never be righted. It seems to me that crime and luck are twin brothers,” and with this singular remark Nell become silent. CHAPTER XVI, IS IT ANOTHER TRAP? It was true, as Nicke! Nell bad informed Davy Doou, that old Bolivar Brass was dead. Death had come to the man when he was not looking for the shaft and his remains had been taken to the Morgue for want of a better place, for it was not known where be last lived and in all the great city there was not one who came forward to care for the body, Nell after telling Davy about the sudden death, went home where she expected to find Lucy Lane, the woman with a mission, but upon opening the door she discovered that the room was empty. Mrs, Lane was not to be found, and Nell, perplexed by her absence, waited awhile for her return, Davy’s friend was eager to acquaint ber with the tidings of Bolivar’s death and wished she would come back, but some hours passed with- out bringing her in. Bv this time the girl began to feel uneasy as she feared something had papbenen and going forth once more she began look for the olc< lady with the cane, All at once she heard some one talking in a { Ly 6re ——_—_— eae te ee il pO tt ns | Pion (RS WwW gary Be fe Rie iy OOKS.CO - OE LT TT om ee ~~ ~ > | } | Fe een ee o oie y ” ae — > er pe ee ee - 4 Yet Ay . . / ¢* ea 27 at > fat © 4 4 ™“ SAG ; ras i we _-= arn | 8) « Se | eke ol’ a m . « vere > a ”*.