Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 907 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

~S OP Da a st et ae - eee 5 e« . ~~ ss : 3 ut sion was not to be expected at such a crisis. He had been traversing the ball with a hap- py-go-lucky air, but his. lassitude was all rone now. He rushed up the second and ast flight of stairs with nimble fect. * As he progressed he had ample subject on which to found his suspicion of foul play, though somebody seemed to be still very much alive. Vociferous yells sounded ahead of him, but whether of pain or fear he did not decide, ** Crickey!” he added, ‘‘I'll bet ct’s that hayseedy chap who has Number 97. His lungs seemed pretty good fer yellin’, I re- amember,” | The door of the room from which the sounds proceeded was closed; but Reddy did not let that stop him. He flung himself iguinst it, and, as it was not locked, it flew open quickly. He then had view of the whole scene, but he saw only one man, a tall, lank*person, who was literally dancing with excitement or something clse. Reddy was quite as much excited. Iis eyes gleamed, and he looked around every- where. Then he turned a reproachful gaze upon the man, ‘‘ Say, Ulster County, where's the corpse?” he demanded. ** Help, help!” cried the man. ‘* W’ot fer, Uncle Sam?” ‘*T am lost, lost!” ‘* Never mind; we will find ye ef et takes a whole ‘lectric battery ter do ect. Where's the dead man?” ‘* What dead man?” ** Ain’t nobody killed?” ‘* Not as I know of.” ‘‘Then you are a base deceiver!” cried Reddy. ‘‘Here I hey my mouth all made up ter see a murdered man, an’ you go an’ spile the whole lay-out. Say, Uncle Sam, go an’ kill somebody, will ye, jest ter git in. ter the game?” - ** My name is not Uncle Sam. Robbins, of Ulster county—” ‘* Yes, I know that. Was you hollerin’ Tam Israel ter the folks at home, jest now? UDid they hear ye?’ ‘* Boy, Iam robbed!” exclaimed Nobbins. * W’ot of ?” 4 ‘A bag of gold!” ‘* Now you talk biz, an’ sorter git a gait on. Who did it?” ‘*T only know I am robbed—” ‘Isracl and Reddy were not advancing as fast as was to be hoped for, but, just then, the night clerk and the porter and the cliam- bermaid rushed to the scene, quite as much alarmed as Reddy had been by the late ring- ing shouts. rea , The Kinglike Hotel stood on the Bowery, and was not a place which rivaled -the Fifth Avenue in magnificence and kindred good things, but it was not aresortof known law- breakers, and its proprietor tried to make it quiet and respectable.. The night clerk was now in charge, and the first words he heard dumfounded him, . ** Robbed!” he echoed. ‘‘ What’s that?” ‘‘Just what I want to know,” answered Israel, rushjng around the room. ‘* He’s got ’em!” suggested Reddy. ‘*My gold, my gold!” moaned Robbins. ‘Guess you swallered et, by accident,” commented Reddy, with a skeptical smile, **Tell me all about this,” directed the clerk. ‘‘ We want this mystery solved.” ‘*So do I, by gum!” exclaimed Israel. ‘‘Have I slaved all these years, keepin’ city boarders every summer in Ulster county, only ter be robbed now? Oh, oh!” He threw up his chin and pulled frantic- pay at his hair, and the bell-boy shook his end. ‘“*He’s got. a knocker-out drink, fer sure, or else cl's the ginooine jim-james has got him,” | The clerk was a business man, and he re- turned to business, Israel Robbins was a guesiiof the house, and, though he was a é : - ‘*hayseed” person, as Reddy had declared, they were hound to protect him. The clerk asked for an explanation, and received it. ‘What time is it? Just twelve, eh? Wal, I went ter bed before nine—I always do that —and I slept good until I was aroused by somebody prowlin’ in my room. I was seared for 1 had the bag of gold, and up I got. I was too late; I didn’t ketch the thief; 1 didn’t see him, an’ I didn’t hear him. He must have slipped out powerful careful while I was risin’, But he went—he did, an’ he took my money with him. Ten thousand dollars all in gold, and put up fn a pretty bag with a blue ribbon to it, by gum!” : ‘* Slipped out careful, did he?’ inquired Reddy. ‘‘ Then when did that revolver shot come in?” . “Wal, I took a shot at him as I woke up.” } ‘Then it seems we have a thief in. the hotel!” exclaimed the clerk. ‘* Or clse this gent dreamed ali this!” added Reddy, doubtfully. é ** Dreamed it? Would a dream have stole my gold?” demanded Robbins. ‘*Maybe you only dreamed you had a watch,” suggested the boy. ‘‘Now, Reddy, you dry up!” ordered the clerk. He did not speak very harshly. Reddy was the son of Washington Rush, the pro- prietor of the hotel, and a privileged charac. ter. His vole of bell-boy was purely a fiction on his part, though he did fill that position for the fun of the thing when he felt like it. The hotel was .not of the aristocratic sort and the guests usually had to wait on themselves. Wow und then Reddy waited on them, and he proudly called himself ‘‘ Bell- boy 411-44.” © ; Israel was not to be pacified, and the only thing was aninvestigation, The clerk looked very scrious. ‘*T suppose you want the police in?” he slowly suggested. | ‘* No, I don’t!” declared Israel, quickly. **T don’t have no faith in them fellers; they are frauds.” The clerk seemed very much relieved, and so he was. Whatever his own opinion of the police, he did not like to advertise the hotel asa place where a robbery had taken place. ‘‘How much money did you say you had?” he pursued, plicd Isracl. ‘“Many people don’t have so much gold coin as. that.” , right from the diggings, an’ ten thousand dollars’ worth of it.” : ** Did you dig it in Ulster county?” asked Reddy, suspiciously. “It was brought from Australia by John Robbins, my cousin.” ‘* Ah! another of our guests?” dy Yes. * . \ ‘* Where is he?” : ‘In his room, I suppose. near here.’ | ‘* Number 108,” added the bell-boy. ‘*Go and call him, Reddy,” requested the clerk. The boy went, but soon returned with the announcement; . | ‘* He ain't there; his room is empty.” ‘* What!” cried Isracl. *‘ Jack gone? Say, by gum! maybe it was him who stole the He had one gold!” ings—”’ ‘* Yes, but I bought it an’ paid cash for it —ten thousand dollars, by gum!” look like a thief. Wasn’t he a bluff, solid- looking man in sailor clothes?” 4 “Yes; that’s him. He was a sailor— Hearty Jack Robbins, they call him. He ‘No, sir! What d’ye mean, say? | other part of the hotel. | | l& ‘‘Ten thousand dollars, all in gold,” re- } “Tt wasn't in coin; it was dust—gold-dust | ‘* As Tremember your cousin, he did not | Reddy Rusher, the Bell-boy Detective. » left his ship in Australia, set out for the dig- gings, struck it rich an’ got this gold. Now, now—oh! it is all gone, an’ I am ruined, ruined!” | Israel began to tear about the room wildly again, and the clerk had to take him in hand and quiet him. The investigation was pro- ceeded with. Eunice Jones; the chamber- maid, was again summoned and questioned, but she declared she had not even heard the sounds made by Israel, having been in an- She had seen no robbers, or anything that looked like rob- bers. The clerk said nothing on what now seem- ed to him the most important point of all, and one which worried him. If the thief had gone out by the street door, he had un- doubtedly seized the chance when the clerk deserted the office to see what was the mat. ter with Israel. It would not do to suggest this, so the clerk kept still. A search amounted to nothing; the bag of geold remained unfound, Mr. Robbins finally quieted’ down, and was left in his room by the others, who wended their way toward the office. ‘‘] wonder he don’t demand the presence of the police,” remarked Eunice, the cham- bermaid. | ‘‘He don’t knaw enough,” replied the clerk. ‘ ‘*] don’t believe he ever had a bag of gold.” snapped Reddy, ** Yes, he did,” answered Eunice. ‘‘I saw it, for he had it in his lap when I went in to make.the bed. He took out a handful of the little lumps and showed it to me. Oh! he had it, fast enough.” Reddy immediately. manifested fresh in. terest. He was not favorably impressed with Israel, and had been inclined to doubt all he said... But now that it was proved the gold had been there, matters seemed very different to the sharp-witted lad. ‘Ten thousand in gold dust!’ he mut- tered. ‘‘ Crickey! that’s a pile of the stuff! Wouldn’t I like ter hev seen et? Say Briggsey, I hereby apply fer a posish as chambermaid, so I kin see all the gold that our country jays briny in.” ‘“‘T don’t understand this robbery,” mur- mured Briggs, soberly. ‘‘ Where is the boy?” inquired Eunice, ** What hoy?” | ‘Why, the one he had with him, to be sure,” . ‘“‘TIe was alone; there was no boy with him,” answered the clerk. ‘‘Indeed there was a boy with him!” stoutly persisted the maid. ‘ This very evening J heard him and the boy talking for a long time, in that room,” ‘Reddy, were you in there?” demanded the clerk ‘Not by a long shot!” No 4-11-44 in that royal chamber!” | ‘‘ Very strange that if any boy was with him I did not see him enter or Jeave.” “There was a boy with him until an hour ago,” reassured Eunice, ‘‘Where is he now? Did herob the old man? Why didn’t Robbins mention him? This is queer!” muttered Briggs. CHAPTER II. REDDY TURNS DETECTIVE. ‘* WE will see about this!” So spoke the clerk, and.he turned and went back to Israel's room. He found the — old man still up. ‘“‘ Say,” began Briggs, abruptly, ‘‘ where’s “ You say he brought it from the dig-' that boy?” ‘*The sassy brat who was with you?” ‘* No, the one youhad with you, this even- ne ings.” “The one I— Why,” replied Robbins, | looking very innocent, ‘‘ I ain’t had no boy withme” ‘*No boy in this room?” ’ v 1 yh» - - = 4 * ‘ . a | - id > 2 “ * oa - Py ° -—_ ° > “ hd * ~ n = = , = a s a = a - " - - + ee >