Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 932 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

. ee sé Yes.” “and the dog is dead.” ‘Maybe so.” “ But he’s off duty, sure, and we've got nothing to fear from him.” “ Let’s celebrate.” “ How?’ “T’ve got a little something in a flask they didn’t find. “Try a pull.” He took from a pistol pocket in his breeches a small silver flask, and handed it to Sykes. “It’s rare old ‘stuff.’ “Well, I don’t drink much, for I’m afraid of getting drunk and telling some- thing; but Ill try a pull.”’ * Don’t be afraid of it, for it’s first class.” Sykes took a liberal pull at the flask and handed it to Rip, who turned it up with the remark: “ Here’s thanking you, pal.’’ The flask wasethen pocketed and Rip said: * Now we'll begin our search, and we'll begin with New York Nat’s ,.oom.”’ They went into the reom of the Fer- ret captain, and Sykes said: “Don’t you know nothing about the hiding places of the plunder, for he must have plenty here.” ‘IT kin only guess.” * But ter save time you take one room an’ I another.” Sykes tried to speak, but seemed thick. Then. his head seemed to feel strange. Sitting down. quickly he asked, with an effort: * Pid I drink much of that liquor, for I’ve a light head, and it affects me,” “ Not much— “*Tll get you sume water.” ‘* No—no—don’t leave me—Rip! have poisoned me, and I'll kill you—” He tried to rise and to draw a revolver, but Rip bounded through the door, and Sykes, staggering to his feet, fell heavily his full length wpon the floor. “Now I'll fix him,” cried Rip, and he ran to his prison room, seized the mana- cles unlocked from his wrists, clasped them heavily upon Sykes, who was breathing heavily. “Ther dog’s off duty, and he’s off duty. “Now I kin act, and I guess I gets all ther boodle. ‘* New York Nat’s awful clever, but ther cleverest of men makes mistakes, and he made one when he didn’t think ter take thet poisoned brandy away from me after [I give a dose of it to Fatal Fred, ther convict, thet put him ter sleep. ‘Now VTll see what's ter be done, fer I’m kinder upset,” and the young crook looked seared and bewildered. a his tongue You CHAPTER XXT. THE BOODLE. Rip was as merciless as Sykes where his own advancement was in question. He was free, and he thought nothing of the means he had taken. That he had not killed his brother crook was his dread. for Sykes had not appeared to take a large drink from the flask. He had no desire to have him come around and raise a scene, and so, after standing a few moments in thought and to recover his nerve, he said: “Tl do it.” A plan had flashed upon him as to what ‘was best for him to do. He therefore went to where the shad- ower lay. He hee not to breathe as Rip placed his hand upon his pulse and felt no throb- bing. Taking the form up in his strong arms, for he was a young athlete, he bore it SU hee es |e eRe ROT Bt cee New York Nat’s Drop. -_--——_———-—- = down-stairs, flight after flight, until he reached the cellar. There he halted and lighted a lamp. By its light, for all was dark there, he began to search the traitor Ferret. He went leisurely. to work, taking. the precaution to allow nothing to escape him. Sykes had been his own banker, carry- ing with him all he possessed. He had hidden his money in pockets made in his undershirt, next to his flesh. Out of a couple of these pockets Rip took seven hundred dollars in bills, and a dia- mond scarf-pin of unique design sticking to the searf, which showed that it had been wrenehed from the neck! The pin was a solitaire diamond of large size, set in a pair of eagle-claws. This Rip seemed to greatly admire, but he thrust it into his own pocket with the money, While he remarked: “It’s a good find. I’m than I thought. ‘* He carries a fine watch and chain, too, for a crook—stolen, of course. * Now, as he seems to be dead, I'll put him in the cellar and let the cops find him, and that will hang New York Nat, for as soon as I git away I'll send ‘em word ter raid the place, ‘I’m sorry I can't git no dust fer my infermation, but it better be what I has and be satisfied, than ter reach out fer more and git my neck stretched. “No; I’ll hunt fer what boodle dere is here, and git: for all I’m worth—see?” With this he sought the trap-door he had spoken of, raised it as he had seen New York Nat do when he showed it to the in more luck band, and at onee the dark, cavernous chamber below was revealed. Swinging his lantern into it, he saw that it was about fifteen feet square, a dozen feet deep, and had a dirt flooring, the walls being of stone and the Geiling, Which was also the floor of the cellar proper, was heavy and double, apparently built so to deaden sound from below. In the dungeon-like place he saw a stone pitcher, which caused him to remark: “The place has been a prison for some poor devil. I’m mighty glad New York Nat didn’t keep me in there; but then, he hain’t that kind, for he hev’ treated me most kind, and so hey’ the Girl Queen. “ But for all that, ll hang New York Nat, if 1 kin,” With this the young scamp, without waiting longer, deliberately rolled the handcuffed and apparently dead Sykes over into the dungeon. The form fell with a dull- thud, bad as he was, Rip shuddered. Quickly closing the trap, he began to pick up what he called his “boodle,” and which lay upon the floor of the cellar. The money and scarf with the diamond pin he had already pocketed. But there was a knife stuck in a peculiar scabbard, a watch and chain, and a forty- four caliber revolver. Putting out the lantern, he then made his way to the upper part of the house again, and went into the room which New York Nat oecupied. There he stood for a moment looking about him, and then began a thorough seareh of the room. A table with a drawer in it was closely looked through; then the bureau; next a closet, and yet he failed to see the iden- tical secret hiding place which the Girl Queen and New York Nat had referred to in what he had overheard. He saw a trunk, and the keys he had taken from Sykes soon opened it. ‘There was not much of value in it, but the clothing he saw there was good, and the sight of it suddenly impressed the young crook with the idea that he could alter his appearance greatly for the better. and, "a 13 ee He saw a pair of gold eyeglasses, a wig of blond hair, a high hat that just fitted him, a handsome suit of clothes, a pair of well polished boots, some shirts, a cane, umbrella, and a fine alligator satchel. “Tl be a reg’lar dude, and if I don’t talk no more than I has ter, I'll pass. “TH just fit myself up from this lay- out; but fu’st | must find ther boodle. “It were in a seeret Closet, they said. ‘ Now, thet hain’t no secret closet yon- der, and ther must be another. “Tl find it, fer its wu’th a fortin’ ter me.” He made another thorough search, ang was beginning to get alarmed at his not being able to find it, when his eyes fell upon a looking glass hung upon the wall. ‘* Maybe it’s behind that glass,” he said,. and stepping forward he took hold of the glass to look behind it. By accident he took hold just in the right place, the glass swung out on hinges, re- vealing the closet behind, with a few things on the shelves. He grasped the shelves; they yielded te: his pull; and he gave-a yell of delight at what he beheld. The “hoodle” was before him. CHAPTER XXII. IN THE MOMENT OF SUCCESS. There was the “boodle”’ right before his: ; sloating eyes. Accident, good luck, and what he had ioe a had guided him to the treasury- ceep. He stood spellbound. great wallet of money. He opened this first, and he could hardly keep back a yell of delight as he saw the large sum of money, There was other money there, too, a box of trinkets, the books of the clan, some paper, and the tin treasure box that the Girl Queen, as treasurer of the Ferrets, used to keep the expense money in, Rip was almost crazed with exultation over his big find. He seemed to forget all danger, and sat. down to count over the money. He did not realize that time was flying —that the day was nearing its close, He did not give a single thought to the silent form he had rolled down into the dungeon. All that he thought of was his wealth. He suddenly found himself in posses- sion of thousands of; dollars and other booty of value, a we It completely demoralized him for a long while. Then.-it flashed upon him that danger. He sprang to his feet, put the booty an@® money into the satchel, and began to make his toilet. The suit of clothes was a good fit, and with a white shirt on, a flashy necktie, high hat, the gold eyeglasses, and the eane and umbrella in his hand, while the valuable satchel was hung over his shoul- der, he did not look unlike a fast youth on his travels. ‘“T must Keep my mouth shet, for as sart’in as I open it [ll put my foot into it,” he nouttered, seeming to fully realize that he was an uneducated tough of the roughest kind, though he did play his part well in his borrowed phunage. | When he was all ready he started out of the room, and had just reached the second landing, when he was startled by something very like a howl. It came from the upper floor, the prison- room he knew so well, and where he had left Guard, as he believed, dead. 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