Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 932 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

tJ aa 1‘ eS ak Se & oF, 7 ~ rv. Se ae ele md Wriey na ? = - ~ ? a ee Sn rt e785 nih Be = wey were pleased to call themselves. away have mude a man of me, | this day, their haunts ™ re r York Nat lives there, - dezvous of the Ferret band. Ea ~The one a “They did not suspect that there was an awakening to their dream of security, and that I would dare return! _* How well I remember, now, how New York Nat held me a prisoner for long weeks in that old haunted house, a huge dog ury guardian, and with no chance of escape. * How it comes back to me, now, how they took me by night on board that ship bound for China, and exiled me, a mere boy then, to foreign lands, because | sought to better myself by betraying the band of Ferrets, Boy Police, as they “ But the three years that I have been for I am twenty, now, a youth in years, but old in bitter experience. my hard earnings for again in “I have laid by when I could stand New York and be their master! * Now, after weeks of shadowing, IL have tracked them to their new lair! * They are prospering immensely—these Unknown Ferrets, for they have given up in graveyards and old haunted rookeries, and “iy e' in yonder y elegant mansion, or at least New and it is the ren- os Now to gain admission there by some and, once I do so, my fortune is made!” ot The speaker was a youth, for, as he had said, he was but twenty years of age; but his face was bearded, there was the stamp of sin upon it which made him appear older. He was well dressed, his clothes being of an English cut and of a rather loud appearance, while he wore a glass in one eye and earried a cane. As he had stood and mused half aloud, the expression upon his face was tri- Rat As but full of evil and bitterness. He was upon an upper street in New / York City, near Central Park, and where the houses were somewhat scattering. opposite to his position was iy ; eg from the others, and a corner build- ene rant} ve new the history of the manston, cane <a ‘ ay > a large with the ing of pretentious appearance, ~ double house of five stories, usual high basement. ae, It had the appearance of having once been an elegant house, but for some rea- son had been deserted. _. There was a sign upon the front door, stating that a professor of music occu- d the first floor. The professor's going 7 live there had surprised those who for it had a history and a bad one, as several murders and strange deaths had occurred ere, according to Common report. The owner of the property dwelt | ae Sapien, and the agent had been glad to ‘rent it to the music teacher, furnished tina ‘tt was, for a very moderate price. It was thought by the few who in- f ~ terested themselyes in the affairs of. the ¥ seen going - professor, who appeared to be a youth- ful looking German, that he had a fairly large class of young students, as quite a number of youths and maidens had been into the mansion at differ- ent times. ye - More than that nothing was known of the professor or his home. . ake For some time the young man across e street had stood watching the house, ost in reverie. ‘Half a square away ran a_thorough- it was a good deal traveled, and ig 8 the youth said, as though some ate action had just dawned upon . Wx | go slow, for too much 2 all. New, York Nat, young | the shrewdest a and most » oe 4 . oe a4 v . ; me w ie » ° ‘ “3 £ * aud Upon. ine cot Pay a youth, in irons. ase siete sere Horn aes pustrall in two” New York Nat’s Drop. and I fall a see- [ may fare Worse “If he discovers me, ond time into bis power, than being exiled, for by this time the Unknown Ferrets may have learned kill when their interests demand it. “TI can afford to wait, now that [ am again in New York, and have shadowed the Unknowns to their den. “Yes, I will get a push cart and load it with fruit. Yonder corner shall be my stand, and a couple of weeks will show Ine just who enters the place, and advise me when no one is there. * But that dog. Have they vicious brute yet, | wonder? “Tt makes me shudder to think of him, and I must go slow, for to enter there with him on guard would be to throw my life away. “Never rot that mind! I'll first go into the fruit business, study my plan of action, learn all I ean, and then—act! “Ah! Wo is this?’ The young man, a self-confessed exile, returned for revenge, moved on toward the one he saw advancing. It Was a cei panic” 3 youth of eighteen, dressed in a neat, but neglige style, and with a form at Bie athletic and graceful. His face was a fine one—intelligent, handsome and full of daring and strength—strangely so for one of his ap- parent years. He merely glanced at the other as they passed, but there was much in the quick, searching glance he gave, which seemed to read one through and through. It caused the other to turn pale, while from between his lips came the muttered words: “New York Nat. the captain of the Un- known Ferrets, by all that’s holy. “By Heaven! He seemed to look into my very soul. ‘IT must be careful, for if he recognizes me as on his track my life will not be worth anything! * Dare I look back?’ He glanced quickly back behind him, and, as he walked on, said: “Yes, he has entered Ferrets’ den. “Tt was New York Nat.’’; CHAPTER II. THE YOUNG PRISONER’S PLEDGE. The youth who the shadower had said was New York Nat ascended the steps of the brown stone mansion and entered the double doors with a pass key. As he stepped ‘within the inner door a huge dog came down the stairs to greet him, a look on his savage face which be- tokened that he was ready to greet a foe if the one who entered had been such, *Ah, Guard, always on the alert, I see, especially since we had the misunder- standing some time ago, when you for- got your duty and accepted pay from, a prisoner. “But that was only one act of back- sliding on your part. Had you been hu- man you would have been guilty of se- rious sin, my old pard!” | The dog seemed to understand the words of his young master, for at first he drooped his tail and looked sheepish, then brightened at the praise bestowed at the Unknown | last. Up the stairs they went together to the top floor, where a center room was used as a prison. There was an entrance to this room only through a large closet, and the only means of light and air was by a sky- light in the roof. The room held scant furniture—a table, le chair, an iron cot bed and some S. . . - - 5h ° to» _ lawlessness. ae a i Se oY Se ee . - ——— — are a — His ankles were manacled, and a chain of length enough to enable him to move about the room was made fast to the iron cot. ¢ Fle was a youth with a face by no means prepossessing, and it had an ugly ex- pression upon it as he saw that he was to have a visitor. “ Rip, Neno will bring you your dinner, but I have come to have a talk with you,” and the visitor sat down in the easy chair. “Going to tell me that I’ve got to be kilt, 1 spose,” growled the prisoner, “Oh, no! We are crook catchers, try- ing secretly, as you know, to put down We do not intend to be- 'come law breakers by taking your life, though you did try to sell us out to the police. “ Now, you, as one of us, know well that this band was formed for a good purpose, and though many of the mem- | bers had been law breakers, they reformed | and are working hard for pagdon.”’ ‘And dust,” sneered the prisoner. “Oh, yes; we are not working for nothing, and the rewards we have won foot up a handsome sum to our credit, - “We have made a good record, as you know, as the Unknown Crook Catchers, and we hope before very long to let the Chief of the Secret Service and the Su- perintendent of Police know who we are, and ask for pardon, those who have to do so, for past offenses against the law. “But until we get ready to do so, we intend to maintain our secrecy, as it is absolutely necessary we should do. You sought to betray us, but in doing so you took the life of a crook who was our prisoner. “This act would hang you, so you dare not now betray us; but I do ‘not wish to hold you a prisoner here, not only for your sake, but for ours, so I am will- ing to make terms with you.” “What terms?’ “The same that I did with Sykes; the only other of our band who, like you, proved a traitor.” “Yer sent him off.’ “Yes, sent him aboard a vessel sailing for China, giving him his share of what we had saved up in rewards at the time. of his going.” ‘‘Hain’t yer never heard of him?” “No; and I hope we never shall; though, strange to say, as I came home just now I inet a man who reminded me of him. * But I do not think he will dare come back here, as I have the same hold on him I have on you.’ ‘What's that?” “He, too, had committed murder, so dared not, for his own sake, betray us, | for I could hang him.” “TI see.’ “Now I am' willing to offer you terms.” ve Shout, Captain New York Nat, Til hear ’em!’ - “There are, as you know, a band of thirty of us, from boys of thirteen to twenty-one, our Girl Mascot, or Queen, and myself, and we are all. working in a good cause and for money. “Mr. Sherman Canfield, the gentleman whose life I saved, and who stands be- tween us and the Secret Service chief, I saw this morning, and he learned from the Chief that he holds in rewards for us just eighty thousand dollars, earned in the past three years. * Besides this, our Girl Queen, as treas- urer, has a sum. in, keeping of fifteen thousand dollars, division, you would» get two cia ‘dollars. ‘**T am ready to give you this sum, g0 — with you on board a ship that sails and by our rules— ee ie 2 9 wee: