Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 935 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

} a \ = 20s es . ‘cheerfully invited. hold it was by so doing. The Ex-Newsboy Detective’s Chum. sti : eee —_—— His words caused the man to slacken his pace, nevertheless, for he had good re- gard for health. “T tell you to surrender!” he cried. “You ean’t escape me, and I will make it all the worse for you when I do get you, mind that! Come right down here, or 1 will blaze away at you!” '* And Dll blaze back again,” cried Bob. “Don't you dare to put your head in sight, for if you do I will knock some of the orna- ments off of it, sure as you are born!’ The man stormed, but he had_ stopped, and Bob crept silently to the nearest door, which he tried. It opened, and he passed in, and there being a key ‘n the lock, he locked it after him. No one was in the room, which looked like a private sitting-room. Bob thought it strange that no one had come to the man’s aid, for they had made a great deal of noise and had spoken in loud tones. ‘ He was forced to believe that there were no others in the house, or that they were all deaf, if there were others about. Hé wondered what kind of a place he had got into. . The man had heard the key turn. Bob heard him bound up the remaining steps, and the man threw himself against the door. This room looked like the one below— there was a door leading into another, and Bob believed that another door connected that room with the hall. No sooner the thought than he ran to see, He was right, and he was only just in time, for just as he turned the key and made it fast, the man tried it. ‘*No you don’t!” cried Bob. | “Ourse you! I have got you there any- how!” | “Yes, and I have got you there. * Look out for bullets!” Bob was amused as well as excited, for he had nerves that hardly admitted of fear. . He looked around the apartment, and tried to determine what kind of a house- The room showed a woman’s care, but there were DO woman's effects lying around. The man was thundering at the door with his fists. “Open this door, I tell you!” he was or- dering. “Open it, or I will break it in!” “Break away, if you want to,’ Bob “You will have to stand the damage and take the risk of a bullet as soon as you show yourself. I am all right, and I hope you are.” “Tl make you all right, curse you!’ Bob was making a closer inspection of “2 the room now. The closets were empty of clothes, which indicated that the room was not at. pres- ent occupied.’ In the end of one closet was a erack, and a door opened and disclosed « Pay th eS ar oa ie vey + , al pcan : v. mel * ‘, : & 4! nO v=, ‘ “Ot, | ve Ys Wed ; ; - Le , ; a | §uys { { i eke ; jet, 4 ; wr Cat ») 7 aa +y * oe, "i » } . % i ia. +. ae s alia >is P 4 \- g ‘ . . 4 Pee ae .a ave ie ik Oto er ASF a he ¢ aS» ~~ 7 $ *. . 7 - oe a Aon fd : vaeh. AS ae Ne ee, Tk EP. vy as ‘ : eS Dg rt ea ee Sk) Aa ae BG. t < pot , a ies Aas ace - . ? ma) . : YS ea wy a J : - oe é av. & q ac® Vero a, re ? sey yy & ates ee Pe ts wae ¥ ee : ‘ © oS Twi Seg es : “SPH 7 ae o«- ~~ ‘ <i L SNe flight of narrow stairs tending upward, and without hesitation Bob ascended, si- lently, to explore the region above, what- ever it might be. | ~The door closed after, him. . It was about as peculiar a staircase as “he had ever seen. _ It was barely wide enough for a person to pass, certainly not a bit more, and it was built in between the front and rear elosets. > eS a. es) 4 ole » ie ~ - a : wae | ST ae -~ x vA Reaching the top, he found there a door that seemed to have no knob or other ‘means by which to open it, but when he pushed it opened, rather stiffly, yet al most silently. ~ Here was another handsomely furnished room. - - Bob looked in cautiously, and saw that it was occupied, there being two women room where the women were, and Bob 11 One, an old erone, or almost such, was listening intently at the hall door, to learn what was going on in the halls below, while the other was sitting up in bed, a look of fright upon her face. The latter was a young, handsome worm- an, with a pale face. She had her eyes upon the old woman at the door. Neither had seen Bob. Softly Bob let the door close again, until there was only a crack for him to look through. There he stood and watched, listening. The man below was storming louder than ever, but now began to throw himself against the door with all his force, and the young woman in the bed wrung her hands in very terror. “What does it mean?’ Bob heard her gasp. “*Sh!’ cautioned the old woman, hold- ing up a finger. “Some drunken wretch must have entered.” “T believe you are not telling me the truth. but that some friends are coming to my aid. Oh! why will you not accept my offers and assist me to escape from this horrible place?” “Hold your tongue, fool!” | The old woman shook her fist savagely, angry at being interrupted at her listening, it seemed. “ But—” “Shut up, I tell you!’ This time it was so savagely spoken that the young woman lay down and covered her face with her hands. Just then came a crash below, as the door went in under the man’s strong as- sault, and Bob heard his voice plainer than before, demanding his (Bob’s) sur- render, at once. Bob thought that he was in a drap now certainly. Below was the man, who, he believed, would not hesitate to shcot, and here in this other room was the old woman who looked like a veritable wildcat. Bob was between two fires, as it were, but decided upon taking his chances in a scrap with the old woman the moment the man showed his head below. But, odd it seemed, the man did not appear. Bob looked down, but no ray of light was to be seen, : The door in the closet had closed after him, and he was in total darkness, for he had closed the door at hand. He heard the man running this way and that in the room below, heard him open and shut the closet doors, and heard him swearing like a pirate because the object of his search was not to be found. “Great Gowanus!” exclaimed Bob, “is it possible that he don’t know about this secret stairs?” | It certainly appeared so. The man made a thorough search, even raising the windows to look out, as the hiding prisoner could hear. But the detective apprentice was not to be found, and it was only too plain that the man did not know about the staircase, or he would long ere this have explored it to see if he was hiding there. Presently a door slammed, and, running steps were heard on the stairs. There came a knock at the door of the opened the secret door just a little. ; He hoped that it was a secret door, since it was not known to the man, and he was not mistaken, for such it was. When closed, it fitted tightly into the panels of the room, , , The old woman opened the door, and the man appeared, his face fairly distorted with rage. | ae “Where can that boy be?’ he cried. “ What boy?” | a he a “Wool! Idiot! To pretend that you have: not heard it all! A boy entered the raams under these and locked himself in, and I eannot find him. Where can he have con- cealed himself?’ CHAPTER XIV. BOB’S NEXT DODGE. The old hag looked as amazed as the man. “I'm sure I don’t know,” she declared. “He must have got out without your see- ing him.” “You know of no secret place in the rooms where he ean be hiding’ You know the old house better than any one else. L have looked everywhere, but he is pot to be found.” “No. There is no secret place, to my ee sir. He must have got out, as said.” : “ Well, I am forced to believe that you are right.” Bob, of eourse, felt highly elated as he listened to this. It was certain that the man did not know anything about the secret stairway! And it seemed equally’ as certain that the woman had no knowledge of it, unless. she was lying to the man. Bob waited silently, knowing that devel- opments would show whether she was lying or telling the truth. If the farmer, she desired to keep the secret from the man. “He must have slipped out at the mo- ment when you broke in the door,” the woman suggested. “T see no other way, and yet I could al- most swear that you are mistaken in that.” ‘“T must be right, if you are sure he is not in the room.” “ And I am sure of that part of it.” “Who was he?’ “That is what troubles me; I don’t: know.” “Do you think he was a spy, and that. we are likely to get into trouble?” ‘Not half as likely as he is, if he comes. poking his nose around here again, be sure: of that! I guess I gaye him a scare that will last.” : “T only hope it was a friend seeking: me,” sighed the young woman in the bed. “ You do not know who your real friends. are, or you would be content to remain where you are,” the man returned. “Your real friend is the man you saw here an hour ago.” : “He is a vile wretch! I despise him?’ “You have heard what he had to say; he offers you marriage; otherwise you will have to creep to him like a dog and beg his favor. The choice is open to you, and your answer must be given at ten o’clock to-night.” . ‘Never! never! I will die first!” | She covered her face with her hands and buried both in the pillow. The man turned to leave the room: “Keep your eye on her,” he said to the old woman. “I will make another good search below, and then I'll lock the doors tight, so if he is in there somewhere he will have to stay.” With that he left the room, closing the door after him. s ‘You had better take it easy,” said a8 | old woman to the young one, then. is no use for you to take on so, for you have got to do as they say, and the sooner it is agreed to tle better. You can’t help yourself, and I am not going to help you.” “You would take pity on me if you were human.” | | “T am altogether too human, that’s what's the matter, my dear.” > The young woman again buried her face, and the old hag went pottering about the room. £ . ' 4 ° ; ; , y V bh ee ‘ » “ * i. . a Wie y "ef po : es Efi a bet 7. ee , é é ons - a" - ~~ as ; : 7 +a" We : —" . a" rac | Kei os - : A - . st e* i <> 4 "7 ety ‘ he ) — 7 . “ 2 r a . ' ae a / « r 4 + 4 J 7 4 ~~. ry P aoe = 7 ‘ - £ »* - ' 7 » {ve me. ~ sl ee ER Fey Eek PN nde Ae Sy s ‘ey ee: - Pe ee Ne “s sey ‘ "as : > ee vem y < a yea = ef ‘ mo) . 7 a " he vals 4 “SS ) , ot 7 i £ Wa Ws . pe Napanee "f, to bs aa ae 8 i a ~ . “ f ; bs ie Lp ei i ia 2 | ar Verh se , a Y ow A a ¥ W « a | a ee oe Ae + ee a Pt a wie a Ps 4. |