Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 935 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

AOE Te -_- er ae tential + in oe tein on =" lt Ss | . —— - 12 The apprentice came to realize that he was in a pretty tight box. He had made some excellent and im- portant discoveries, but he was a pris- Oner and his discoveries were not likely tO amount to anything. Here in this room was the old hag, who would give the alarm if he ventured forth, and below was the man, who had Heclared his intention of securing the doors so that escape would be impossi- Dle. But Bob did not give up by any means. He set his mind at work to devise ‘some plan of escape, when the time came, for he had another purpose to carry out first. If possible, he wanted to get an oppor- cunity to speak to this fair prisoner, to learn. who she was and why she was there, although he had already learned something of that from what he had heard, “Tf I ean only do that and earry the news to the boss,” he said to himself, “he will Knight me, most likely, and put a dog's. collar on me, or somethirg like that. But I am not out of the woods yet, and I must look out that I don’t get collared and have a cellar of a different sort put on me.” Letting the door close tight witout a sound, he crept silently down the narrow stairs. Reaching the bottom, he listened. He heard the man moving around in ‘the room, searching everywhere, and he even entered the closet into which the ‘secret door opened. The boy pressed against the door, in vorder that it might not be discovered by the crack which had revealed its pres- ‘vence to him, and the man left the closet and went on, till finaly Bob heard him leave the rooms and close and lock the’ <loor. 3 The boy waited, .and next heard him ‘busy with the door he had broken but at Jast all was quiet. The latter door he had nailed shut, as ‘the sound of a hammer told. Bob now ventured forth. He took care to make no sound, and also took eare to leave the secret door ‘tightly closed after him. Looking around the room, he found that everything had been pulled out of its Zormer place, even to stands and bureaus, ‘behind which it would have been impossi- ble for even a cat to hide. * Bob had to smile. ‘“ A wonder he didn’t take up the carpet “ynd look for me there,” he said to him- self. ‘“ Well, I got the bulge on him in good shape, no mistake; and now he has got the bulge on me, But we'll see about that, I reckon!” : He stepped tc the door and tried it carefully. It was locked, of course, as he knew he should find it, and he stooped to see if the key was in the lock. ‘No, it was not, and Bob felt a thrill eof hope, for he still had with him the key he had taken from the door of the rear parlor on the floor below, and quickly pro- duced it. — If it would only fit! He tried it, taking care not to make a sound loud enough to be heard. Eureka! It went in, and not only 80, but turned the tumblers as neatly as if the key had been made for that lock—as, indeed, it had been, for it was identical with the one on the floor below. “We'll soon see about the bulge, I guess,’ he chuckled to himself, as he re- moved the key and cautiously opened tls ‘door. “If I can only get down to the front door unseen, and. get that open, ‘ve'll all be happy yet, you bet!” He slipped out into the hall, closed and locked the door, and, removing the Key, , listened. Nothing was to be heard, and the hall was not very light. There were places, and curtains, where he could find tem- porary concealment if need be—places which no doubt had been well searched. With the stealth of a cat, he advanced to the stairs and began to descend, at the same time on the alert for the least sign of damger, and ready to bolt in either direction. as circumstances might require. He reached the bottom safely. There he noted that the, parlor door was ajar, and he doubted not that the man was in there, alert for any sound that might be made. With back to the wall, he moved cau- tiously along, anxious to pass the range of vision from the room. without being seen, if possible, and in any event to reach the protection of a high-backed settee, This settee stood a little out from the wall, leaving just about enough room for him to squeeze behind it. Bob reached this point safely. Once there, the temptation to look into the parlor was great, so he lifted his head over the back of the settee and looked. Sure enough, there sat the man, with his face toward the door, reading, and there was nothing to hinder him from seeing Bob’s feet under the settee if he happened to look. The other end of the settee, however, was just out of his range of sight, so Bob moved along to that end with silent haste, and for the moment felt compara- tively safe. He took a careful look at the front door, to see, if possible, to what extent it was secured. At that moment a voice broke upon his ears: ‘Goes without a push or pall, Whether it am light or full; ‘Lectric power don’ git tired, ; ‘Cause it am so neatly wired!’ too, behind chairs CHAPTER XY. , PLAYING THE JOKER. Business Bob’s heart gave a bound. It was the yoice of his colored chum, Glossy Pete. And with the last word of the verse eame a tug at the bell, and the man in the room dropped his paper and hastened out. Bob feared instant discovery, but it did not happen, for, standing, the man could not see Bob’s feet on the floor under the settee when he came as far as the door, and he had no thought of looking. He stepped to the front door, and un- locked and unbolted it. Needless to say, Bob profited by this, for he saw just how the door was se- cured. The door opened; there stood the smil- ing darky with another note to deliver, which the man took and opened and hur- riedly read, And, as he read, a pleased look came over his face. “Any answer, boss?” the darky asked. “No, no answer.” The man closed the door, and the darky went off singing: ' “Don *yo’ spit upon d’e floor, Else d'ey fire yo’ out d’e door; Don’ yo’ teteh de ring-up draw, Blse yo’ ketch it on d’e jaw!” Fvidently the man forgot to put on the fastenings again, for he turned im- mediately back into the parlor. Bob thought of immediate flight, but hesitated, for now he had a desire to know what was contained in the message Glossy had brought, That, however, — 7 ooo 44 ~~ rT The Ex-Newsboy Detective’s Chum. ~ seemed a desire altogether too ulreason- wble. He watched the man from behind the settee, having discovered a row of fret- + work holes about midway down the back of it, and saw him read again the mes- Sage, and that he still smiled as he read. Then he tossed the paper upon the table and turned and came out. Bob held himself ready to spring in either direction, either toward the door or up the stairs, but he was not called upon ‘to do either. The man advanced to the stairs and ran lightly up them. No sooner was he out of sight than Bob was out from behind the settee and into the parlor, where he caught up ‘the mes- sage the man had thrown upon the table. It took him but a moment to master its contents: “Carper—I have reason to think that you were right, and I have made sure of the fellow. Have him in my New York rooms, where he will be safe until after the steamer sails, at four a. m. Will be there to carry out the programme at ten to-night, as arranged. “KERNER.” The apprentice read it through twice in order to fix it upon his mind, and having done so, tossed it down on fhe table again and glided from the room. He glanced cautiously up the stairs, and seeing no one, stepped to the front door. This he opened aoiselessly, and made his exit. No one had seen or heard him, and he ran lightly down the steps and away, looking out sharp for Glossy. Knowing the direction the darky had probably taken, he went in the same di- rection, and ere long espied the young scion of Ethiopia just ahead, his hands in his pockets and his head thrown back; and, as he came nearer, caught: “When yo’ think yo’ had enough, Tell de ’duc’ to let ‘er luff; But don’ git off ‘fo’ she stop, Else yo’ may hear somethin’ drop!’ “Great Gowanus!” cried Bob, rushing up. “Still at it? Is that the end of the song, Glossy?” “Goodness! How yo’ skart me!” ex- claimed the darky. ‘ Don’ yo’ know bet- ter ’an to holler at a feller like d’at, when he ain’ ‘spectin’ it? No, d’at ain’t d’e end of d’e song, Bobbsey.”’ “How near the end is it, then?’ ‘“T dun’no’; d’e verses d’ey keep right on a comin’ an’ a comin’, an’ dt seem like d'ey nebber would end.” “Then I think I will have you shut up somewhere till the fever runs its full course and you recover your right mind. You are a public nuisance, that’s what you are.” ‘“Don’ yo’ like my style, Bobbsey ?’’ ‘** Not a bit.” *D’en yo’ had better cut my company, d’at am all. yo’ can't sing, d’at am all.” “Well, drop it. Where did you get that note you just took to that house? I am more than a little bit interested in that, my olive-black maroon. I think we have got to put a finger in that pie.” “What d’at yo’ call me?’ * Chestnut.” “Ha, ha! D’at am way out ob date.” ‘Which shows that your mind is al- most as clouded as your skin. But, come, answer my question.” “Why, d’at same feller sent me again,” ‘Where did he find you?” “At d'e ferry.” ‘* But this note was from Kerner; that fellow was Wardhouse.’”” - : ‘“Qan’t help it, he kem’ off’n @e boat, | Bb =>. . y Ve 4 , ert. Yo’ is only jealous ’cause. a | | s.com wy \ ty! Ae: _ '