Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 907 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

Reddy Rusher, the Bell-boy Detective, ee CHAPTER XIV. He a WHAT BECAME OF THE BAG OF GOLD. | THe Rusher’s manner was such that the men paused, They believed he would keep his threat and leap, and they were not so much stirred up, but they considered what they believed would be the result. ‘Don't get the fool in the head boy,” cautioned one. ‘‘If you jump you will land dead on the ground beiow.” Re oe ** Yes, an’ you won’t get the coat,” retort- Os ed Reddy. nr ““ Com: here and give up—” ** Not much!” ~ ** Don’t be a fool!” * © Don’t you get gay. endo’ the restaurant. kitchen!” Reddy’s courage was rising, as he saw that they were not inclined to drive him to desperate courses, but the scene suddenly changed. A shout at the rear of the group was followed by the appearance of Mayo Montgomery, who did not seem much the worse for his recent fall. ' “Why do you lose valuable time?” he snapped. ‘‘ 1 will not delay here. Let the fool jump, if he will.” The sport dashed forward; and Reddy’s i) resolution was made. Quickly he turned his back on the crowd and then disappeared | from the roof. eS ‘* He's jumped.” Se ‘* He has gone to sure death.” yee ‘* That's the last of him.” oS See ‘‘ Skip, or we shall be witnessess to his Be death!” - Nobody was witness to what was happen- Il am runnin’ this Keep out o° the . ing to Reddy, He had taken the dangerous Be leap, and without one safeguard. Using WH 2 what precautions he could, he dropped to a 5 the second roof. He touched it, and then | shot down toward the back yard, He tried eo oe to slacken his speed all he could, and in a 4 Sn measure he was successful, but it appeared, feb even at that, as if the roof was greased and Ded 5 Bs all prepared for his fall. AS 97h He reached the eaves, Mies, ge) There he hung for a moment, and his PAO chance came to him. He saw the water- is. oa) pipe connecting with the eaves trough, and | he dropped the coat. He had just time to Pity PRS hang to the pipe and stay his fall. Se Hee Often he had swung from a like pipe for | ©. the fun of the thing—he now swung for his | life. Getting a good grip he pointed his | __ toes earthward and slid, ‘agen | __ Electricity seemed to run through his |. hands, but he held fast and went bravely _. down. He reached the yard. He released ai Wee! his hold and stood on the earth. ea) (toe ‘“‘Crickey!” he exclaimed. ‘‘I guess I a) ee am still in the swim.” | a -.- He was, and the coat was at his feet. aa nae .‘Vve got the prize—but wot ef the bag yo’ gold ain’t inter it?” a yea He made a dive for the coat, ran his hand “We into the pocket and brought out a well-re- membered thing. ~ : bey __ “Hil here’s the gold, sure-pop! Jiminy! | Treckon the Rusher ain’t done up yet,” ts ' -——_- He could see one of the men at the edge of |. the roof of the brick house, but he did not } * «delay to see more, Keeping close to the my ‘ he - Wall, so he could not be seen in return, he . ‘Yan along. —_ . “TI wonder how I am ter git out o’ this | yard—Hello! luck is still with me.” | _ This was, indeed, the case, for a gap- was i. Mi ‘ Sie » Sole ie se i presented in the line of houses where one % » had been pulled down to make room for a 7 -new structure. An open space was now eee _ there, and Reddy hurried out te the street, i) He had, of course, left the coat behind | _ him, but the bag of gold remained, and he wi? pet oa s ; | ’ ~)). | tucked it under his coat and hastened to get out of the vicinity. He was still excited af- ANS ee little a feeling of exultation took possession Rae ot bim. + ; > I've got that bag ad “as Bera ty of gold, by crickey! / ' . mr Awiais Vl oe A> | ' * yi - - - f - : St Aa! oa tt, Ye ; Y >: fi l wir ; ty, GL? 5 iy" ” a th eiten Th” bi + vw. v = » - TA is ot: . a - P b ya re ; mm a . Br Sr. ’ ly sae a r = Seb ws '. re Vs pd * ely Da al 1 Oe ake 7 . a": ___ ter his adventure, but when he recovered a | / a” ong - 4 “9 ahh pyiats eet an’ I’m goin’ ter hang to it. Jiminy gra. cious! ain’t this a snap!” He was soexhilarated that he could hardly keep from shouting his joy. The bag of gold had taken.full hold on his mind, and his young blood bounded like fire in his veins. ‘* Why, I’m as rich as all the Vanderbilts combined, I reckon. There must be a mil- lion of this stuff, I guess, an’ that makes me the richest man in New York.” He paused to cut a pigeon-wing, much to the disgust of a patrolman who chanced to ’ | be near. ‘‘ Here!” growled the guardian of the night, ‘‘ stop that monkey biz an’ get along home. Your old man will lick the dust out 0’ you!” ‘*Ha, ha, ha!’ laughed Reddy, merrily, ‘‘ you don’t know how much dust I hey got, Mr. Copper.” He was not inclined to explain, and his nimble feet soon took him home. Avoiding the gaze of Clerk Briggs stairs to his own room. ‘Then he locked the door and sat down to look at his treasure. He handled the dust and let the light shine on it, and chuckled and laughed in his glee. Never had he had such an experience before, and he gloried in his possession. ; ‘‘A million, ef there is a cenv!” he de- clared. ‘‘ Why, I'll go ter see every base ball game that’s played, next season, an’ I'll give the New Yorks a five-dollar bit o’ dust every time they lick the tripe out o’ the other fellows. I'll bribe them so nobody else will be champs. IT’ll— But hold on— hold on!” The Rusher had suddenly grown grave of expression. ‘*This gold ain’t mine!” He turned this melancholy fact over in his mind, and then added: | ‘*] don’t know whose it is, but I ain’t got no right to it. Israel may hev bought et from Hearty Jack, or he may not; but it ain’t mine. By crickey! I’ve got ter give up my dreams o’ bliss—the stuff ain’t mine, an’ that settles it. No puddin’ fer me!” It was much to the credit of the boy that he was honest under such temptation, but even when hope fled he did not lose sight of the gold. “Vil find out jest whose et is,” he de- cided, | Another period of meditation, and then he tucked the bag again under his coat and went into the hall. To .Israel Robbins’s door he walked, and when he heard some- body stirring within he opened the door regardless of ceremony. Israel was there, but looking in anything but a happy frame of mind, : He stared at Reddy, saying nothing, ‘* Hullo, boss!” cheerfully began the Rush- er. ‘*FTullo!” growled the man from Ulster county. ** How’s biz?” Vile!” ef vine ain’t comin’ your way, eh?” e cé o.. ‘* Wal, Ireckon you have recovered yer lost bag o’ gold?” ‘*No, I have not!” cried Israel, angrily. ‘*No? Why, that’s bad.” ‘‘ Bad? It’s villainous. I’ve slaved fer years keepin’ city boarders in the summer, up home, an’ saved up some money, an’ now allis goin’ wrong with me. First, my | wife died last summer right when we had the boarders there—mighty inconsiderate of her—an’ the fat was in the fire; but I got a housekeeper—” ei _ Israel’s gloom suddenly dissipated, and a smile stole over his face. He chuckled and added: : | “Say, you orter see that housekeeper o’ mine! She'sadandy! Why she ain't more than thirty years old, an’ she’s a corker! | ' Pretty as a picture, and the way she can ‘a dive for the bag of gold. Tat, too, was. ) ioe & ee ——— e i gl he mounted the |_ ss . ° i en an) ‘ 1 . ’ ‘ a) + t ms -i7 ous Dae te! 7 "hie , — ; . ¥ > + 2) 4 : . vl, , 2 Le] - , ‘Sw stint them upstart boarders is jest good fer sore eyes. The more money they pay fer their keep, the more she would stint the table, It cost me forty-seven dollars. ter bury my wife, but even at that I guess. I made money by her dyin’; my new daisy saved so much, was as poor in flesh as rails when they left us! He, he!” ‘‘Mr. Robbins, you seem ter be a corker.’”” ‘¢T have been, but 1 shall never take no more pleasure in this world. That bag 0” gold—oh! oh!” and Israel doubled up and twisted surprisingly. Reddy looked hard at him, ‘‘Be you sick, boss? Shall I git some: pain-curer fer you?’ “The pain is deeper than any drug kim go; itisof my heart, The gold; the bag 0” old!” ee Say, Uncle Sam, where did you git that dust?’ ‘ Bought it of Jack Robbins,” : “Sure?” =* Yes.” ; ‘Queer that a sailor should hev such stuff ” . ‘‘ Hearty Jack turned miner; that’s how,’” ** An’ you was presented with it by him?’” ‘No, no; I bought it, boy. Paid tem thousand dollars for it,” | Reddy had tried to catch his companion,, but he had not succeeded, Israel hung close to his original story. “ Kin you prove that it was a fair bargain? Kin you prove that the dust is yours?” ‘T have proved it; I told you it was mine.” ‘Got any witnesses ter the sale?” ‘‘ Witnesses ain't necessary; my word is good in the case, an’ my word is enough,” Reddy shook his head, Much as he dis- liked Israel, he would have handed the gold over if there had been proof; but, instead of furnishing such evidence, Robbins showed a disposition to dodge even a frank talk on the subject, 8 ‘‘ He don't act like an honest gent,” mused the Rusher, ‘‘an’ he don't get no points onter me. I'll hang ter the dust!” CHAPTER XY. REDDY WATCHES FOR EVIDENCE. Tue Rusher did not consume much more time with Israel. Ending the interview ina way calculated to make the man from Ulster county think he had dropped in out of pass- ing curiosity, the boy returned to his own room. | ‘‘No use ter chin with that Turk,” he muttered, in disgust. his idols, Issy.is; an’ the idols are Hottentot. hobos. , He’s a bad egg with a fringe o' blue vitriol on the A ee I won’t bother with him, an’ when I make my grand detective scoop he will get railroaded ter Sing Sing. That’s Issy’s size.” Reddy was all prepared to go to bed—all but placing his treasure for the night. Like all persons who have large sums of money, he now began to experience worry. | hat was he to do with the bag of gold? Where would it be safe? How could he secure it from thieves? pee al He prowled around his room for a long “| time, bo to settle this question, but with- — ng at any satisfactory decision, and out arri he finally took it into bed with him. _ ‘*T reckon somebody will murder me for it. before mornin’,” he muttered, as he snug- gled down. ‘I'll lay awake fer awhile an’ see ef they come.” * pat He did lie awake for awhile—just about. ten minutes. Then our amateur. detective slipped off to sleep in the fashion of boy- hood. He slept all night in safety, When. ' he woke it was day, and he looked around wonderingly. i4 baie ‘I’m alive, sure as you guns!” Amazement over this fact kept b tionless for a moment, bus’ he speedily made , " 4." a > ‘' * 4 .- . . i af.) eat e : as ‘ “ ‘ « ! we Meet . a te | ’ j ; Fi Ee ” : me 8 - ." a / ‘ ‘ n sy " 1h .f a rT - « * e Pd ° Ags 49 i” hd oo ewe Me) MRS kee Wg kt ot : "*) Fad 7 » wy") ‘ ; J wd well, a | oS ee ma | .s 7 we “ ’ - : rl) ee Cc * Wh Sia 7 / VAP a | ~ comi i sab Ot OP ae He, he! them city boarders: — ‘*He is wedded ter | . owe f,-4.'5 4 Pn het bate LU 5 * a : { i : ° 4 * Yau *e : é 7 Pi , ; . : tio # n * é ayy. ’ *) ' A ' A + A ‘ 2. * & : ot ' a pe \ - Mw) : ' f 4 + e * : on < Tis. ‘ 1 (ee . Png ? wi ba) aA ( ‘ ’ * A we 40 tab ae oks.com