Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 938 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

o..7 = ‘ tA 3 a a a> - = "| em, 7 - ge Oe can. weet 7 ~ ost fi ; 4 ; im. When I knew bow the horse had been stolen my suspicions were aroused. I was aware that Tim Alberts had gone West and was a cowboy there, and as Stanford had long hair and a general Western air, I’ve mistrusted it was more than chance. Why didn’t you tell me Stanford's real name was Tim Alberts?” **T didn’t know et, an’ I don’t know et how. I found out last night that his name was Tim. The rest I didn’t know— it might have been Tim Bluebeard, fer all I knew.” ‘“He’s the man!” declared the doctor. **Now we begin to get into shape. How are we to carry on our case?” Jingo Jim’s old antipathy to policemen kept him from suggesting the advisability of securing their aid, and Walker did not speak of it, either. They planned for playing their lone hand, but, as nothing else occurred to them, it was decided that they should make a general hunt, first reconnoitering the home of the sport. They went that way, only to find that Ruthyen, Jugsand Mother Mag had slipped quietly away, taking little Kate and all their furniture. They had made themselves invisible with expedition. All that day James and the doctor hunted, but without success. At night the boy made a suggestion, the result of which was that Walker remained in New York to search through the evening, while Jim took his way to Brooklyn. Sitting in a Bridge*car as they rolled along over the East River, the young peddler meditated on the situation. “It may be all a wild-goose chase,’ he admitted, but Sporty Stanford had to. zo somewhere, an’, as he is said tev herd, jest as much in Brooklyn as New York, why may he not be there now?’ There was but one’clew to the place where Ruthven might possibly be, so, though that did not seem hopeful in the least, James took his way to the real es- tate office where he and Aldrick Lee had become prisoners in the wagon. At that hour of the evening business was suspended, but a boy of about Jim's own age was just closing the office up, and: the citizen of the Chatham Square region hastened to his side. The office boy was very trim and neat, but Doctor Walker had replaced Jim’s lost coat with one quite expensive, and the New Yorker was not snubbed now. “Say, cully.” he began, “‘who does biz here, anyhow ?” | “Mr. Pentecost Ikes,” replied the office boy. “ That’s a queer name, but so is mine— IT am named Constant Arms, Funny name, ain't it? Well, about Ikes. He's young, ain’t he?—say about thirty—” “No. Mr. Ikes is all of seventy years of age.” | “Oh! Does he do a dry goods biz, too?” ie) No.”’ “ Didn't I see a delivery wagon here, a day or two ago?” s* “Do you know about that?” demanded the office boy, quickly. _ “What do you know?” “Why, it was funny. Mr. Ikes adver- tised for a clerk here, and then he started to go out of town. He had just gone when the clerk sent me on an errand, When I come back the clerk had skipped and he hasn’t been seen since. It is dreadful queer, for nothing was taken from the office—no robbery attempted.” Jingo Jim thought he eould understand that much. Stanford had wanted a good place into which to lure Aldrick Lee, so he had posed as a clerk briefly until it - Was done. “T telegraphed for Mr. Ikes,” added the _ speaker, ‘‘and he is back, but the clerk is Still missing.” bee, ? ad a ir em | ro ire oN, he has biz on hand. I. I’m goin’ ter see this game out! ** How do you account fer et?” “Then about the delivery added the office boy, with animation. “Some of the neighbors do say there was a man kidnapped and taken away in that wagon while the clerk had charge here.” ‘* Any more?” , ‘ Nothing, except that we have learned that the wagon once belonged to a big dry goods firm, and was sold to a man down near the river, but that man can’t be found now.” “The man liyed near the river, eh? W bere?” , “I don't know, but it was down that way.” ‘ ‘Not very definite,” thought Jingo Jim, “put ef all signs point toward the river I guess I may as well point that way my- self.” Speaking aloud he carried on the con- versation with the other boy for some time, but did not reveal anything of im- portance. Finding that nothing was to be gained by the conversation, he walked off and moved toward the river, taking, as near as he could judge, the direction pur- sued by the wagon when it whirled him- self and Aldrick Lee to captivity. Several. times he hesitated, impressed With the idea that the section was not one which so much of a sport.as Ruthven Stanford would naturally frequent, but he was encouraged by the further thought that Ruthven might then be desirous of quiet, and that his real home was in a cirele just as humble as the river dis- trict of Brooklyn. Several blocks had been traversed when Jim almost ran Over a man as each tried to turn the same corner in opposite di- rections. Jim was not aggressive, and he dodged out of the way, while the man kept on without hardly looking at him. The young New Yorker, however, stopped short and looked hard. “Say, by jingo!’ he murmured, “ain’t that Nat?” Keeping his eyes fixed on the retreating man his suspicion received confirmation. “Yes, sirree, that’s one 0’ the skunks that Ruthven used ter trap Aldrick Lee! Crickey! but won't I foller? Wal, I should shout that I would!” And he did. Falling in behind the sup- posed Nat, he moved quietly along and was thus led toward the river still fur- ther. Finally the stream came in sight, and, though the point was new, Jim was encouraged. “It is Sporty Stanford’s pal, sure, an’ All right; so hey’ 1 _--— CHAPTER XIV. THE RIVER GANG. The supposed Nat walked out by the river side. Jingo Jim paused in the shadow of a house and reconnoitered. “He crosses over and goes close to the drink. Kinder seems that he is interested in the vessel that lays ,»by the pier. Yes, that is his home-base, I guess. He speaks ter some o’ the men who lounge on the pier. Wal, so fer that don’t prove nothin’; anybody could do that. Do I see Sporty Stanford anywheres? Not ter my knowl- edge.” James shook his head. Fora moment he was inclined to fear that he had followed a useless trail, and been drawn from all chance of seeing Ruthven, but this fear was forgotten the next instant. “Hey! W'ot's that?’ cried the spy. One of the men on the pier Had tossed some object into the air. “ Crickey!" exclaimed Jim, “that looked like a saddle! Will he do it again? Yes, up it goes! Say, itis a saddle!” | Forgetful of possible danger, the peddler wa von or 13 ran across the street, and gained a posi- tion much nearer the pier. * There it is,” he added, eagerly. “It is a saddle, an’ no less, an’ it looks jest like my piller. Can it be?” The man had tired of his amusement, and the object thereof lay unnoticed by the men, but Jim was all nerved up. “This ain’t a stable,” he pursued, “but a mighty queer place fer things that be- long tera hoss. I want ter see it closer.” If James had been prudent his curiosity would have been kept.in within bounds, but he forgot Ruthven Stanford, Doctor Walker and all else in what he considered a personal matter. ‘Ef that *s my piller I am goin’ ter have it?’ was his decision. Neither the street at this point nor the pier was an orderly place, and the various articles of little account—boxes and the like—furnished cover which he proceeded to utilize. Stooping, he crept closer to the saddle, and each moment gave force to his belief that it was the same of which he had been robbed. When he could get his mind off of it a trifle he satisfied himself that the man he had followed was none other than Nat, and his face lighted up. “T’m right inter et,” he declared, “an’ I shouldn’t wonder ef I made it lively fer them. My raid grows big.” The men, all of whom bore the stamp of. stevedores, or some other line of river workers, were three in number, and they seemed to be idling time away. Presently two of them walked to the limit of the pier, and Jim became more nerved up than ever. “Why don’t the other one go? I don't exactly like ter make a break while he is right there, fer he might get his claws on- ter me, but I must hev’ that thing, come what may. It is mine, an’—” : The third man yawned, rose and walked to join his comrades. * Crickey!” Jingo Jim leaped out of cover and darted like a hawk toward the saddle. His nim- ble legs played their best, and he was not long in reaching the coveted article. He snatched it up, and turned with it clasped to his heart; he ran like a deer toward the street. | For once his legs played him false. He — stumbled over a loose board, and both he and the board went flying with a tremend- ous clatter. Jim came down hard on the pier, but his wits were as active as ever. Even while he was falling it flashed upon him that all this noise was sure to be heard and that further running would be dangerous just then. He had fallen close to a box which lay on its side, and, with a quick motion, he rolied over and hid himself behind it: More, he noticed that the box was uncov+ ered and presented its open side invitingly. It was a good cover, and timely, | He crawled into the box. He did not dare to look out, so he hugged. the saddle and waited until the alarm, if such he had caused, should blow over. Lovingly he surveyed his trophy. “This is it, sure pop—this is my own saddle. I would know it among a thonu- sand. That ragged place, and that one, an’ the one back there—why, I could swear to them rags. Hi, hi! but I guess I will have my piller back, after all!” Footsteps sounded on the, pier and Ji shrank further into his lair and wait Voices came to his hearing, ge “I'm sure it was on this pier, Nat,” de- clared an unseen man, “It did sound close.” “But who could have done it?” ‘““T don’t see nobody.” ‘Sounds travel a long ways sometimes,’? “That sound didn’t,” } nm + - j "2d “Era! é f + a A, * « —s - : i'd “4 %s r p gu Y I900KS. \ \ » A _ > ¥ a ri A =e * 7 x all i ~~ ‘yee .