Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 938 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ee _ * o on ~~ ‘2 that. “keep together, but I skip us ‘pany with you or alone. Which is it to it DOR ike "Get th "waited. It was the report of a revolver, and the flash showed that the weapon had been held by Ruthven. Just how the rest of it happened Jim could not tell, but, in a mo- ' _ ports kept his zeal up. ment more, the members of the gang were alone, and a splash followed in the dock. “Great guns! Al Lee is overboard!’ gasped the boy. Stanford and his men stood motionless for a brief space of time, and then Nat broke forth explosively. ” We have lost him!” “No, we haven't,” declared the sport. “He has lost himself. He had me by the throat and was choking the life out of me, and I gave him his deserts. Lost him? Not much! I fired with the revolver touching his side, and you can rest as- sured he won’t make more trouble.” Stanford leaned over the side of the ves- sel, but his men seemed to be frightened. They did not join him, but began to look around apprehensively, and Jingo Jim saw what prudence demanded of him. He took shelter behind an obstruction to their vision. Jim was a good deal excited. It had not needed Stanford’s argument to tell him that Lee’s chances were small, and now he felt overwhelmed by the turn of af- fairs. “Al is a goner,”’ he thought, mournfully. “Is there any sign of the fellow?” asked Nat, presently. “No,” replied the sport. “TIsn’t he swimming away?” “Swimming?” cried’ Stanford. ‘T tell you he is a dead man. I shot to kill. He's gone, and I'll serve all my enemies the same way!” fod te OHAPTER XVI. THE MISSING MAN. Jingo Jim shrank further back and ‘shook his head. The sport’s threat had been a sanguinary one, and his manner had been equal to his words. “Ef they ketch me,” thought the boy, “they will make me a defunet kid in- ‘stanter.”’ There was no chance for him to ledve ‘the deck then, so he kept quiet and There was still a small chance that he would escape discovery, but he Was diveetly in among the enemy, and dis- covery appeared almost certain. Nat and the minor members of the party ‘were thoroughly alarmed, and Pat ex- ‘pressed the general opinion when he ex- claimed: f “YT can’t answer fer nobody else, but T am goin’ to get out of here on the run.” “Me, too,” added the third man. “Will you turn cowards?’ demanded ‘Stanford. NSE “Tt's just like this, boss. Ef you hus- tle and get away from here at once we will stick by you, but that revolver shot may bring policemen down here who will find the dead man in the dock. I ain’t going to wait for no such thing as If we can all skip together we ean now, in com- _ “Your way is best,” admitted the sport. } e girl to the wagon and all go together. Hustle!” ‘There was a flurry on deck, and, in a ‘brief space of time, all the party were on the pier and getting into the wagon. Jingo Jim was divided between two- opinions, but his loyalty to Aldrick Lee Bit, ‘finally led to his decision. —ssee that the wagon was stopped by the He wanted to ‘nearest -policeman, “but Lee might be drowning in the dock. -f . Agilely the spy mounted to the rail and “2h, : rt a he j Balk, cyt «then dropped down into the water. He | was in New York, so down I came, hop- | . looked all around, but was just as un- , Successful as Stanford had been. He Saw nothing of Lee. This did not lead him to despair. His theory that the boat- man might be elinging to one of the. sup- He looked long and carefully, but found | nothing. “That settles it!’ he finally muttered. * Al Lee is a dead man—murdered by the red-faced thug. By gum! he shall swing right nice chap, an’ I’m mighty sorry fer him. Say, but won’tI get a move on now? I'll go ter the police, an’ they may be able ter corral the gang this very night. I'll try it.” He climbed to the pier. Stanford and his aids had gone from view, and the Whole place was still and deserted by all but himself. He did not know where to find a police station, but he was not long in locating one, e was about to rush into the build- ing, when he remembered that, in all probability, he would be held as a witness aml deprived of his iLberty for some weeks to come, so he resorted to another method. He wrote a note and sent it to the station house instead. **Dun’no’ as they will take any notice of it,”’ he confessed, gloomily, ‘‘but I can’t afford ter lose my liberty now. It never would do. Well, I've wound up here, so now I'll skip back ter New York.”’ He went, and, feeling the need of com- fort from some one, sought Doctor Walk- er’s hotel at once. The man from Partridge Plains had just come in, looking serious and tired. *“ What luck?” asked James. ‘*T haven’t seen any of the gang,”’ ad- mitted the doctor. “In fact, I took a no- tion to go and see if I could meet this friend of yours, Aldrick Lee. I went to his boarding house, but didn’t find him there.” “T was afraid not.” “ Boy, I want to explain to you what all this is about; I don’t see any reason for secrecy.”’ ‘‘Nor me.” . “First, about that saddle—’ : Jingo Jim gave a start. For once h had forgotten his own interests in his zeal to help bring justice to Lee’s foes, and the saddle had been accidentally left at the pier in Brooklyn. “T will now state,” added Walker, “just why I want it. I have reason to believe it contains a will.” 7 “A will?’ “Yes. A testamentary document, you ares Gisposing of property.”’ “Yes. TI have told you about the doe- ‘tor whom I succeeded at Partridge Plains. He lived to be ninety-six years old, and only died a few months ago. He was a very eacentric man, and his mind weak- ened as he reached such extreme age. After his demise we thought for a while | he had made no will, but it was after- ward learned that he had done so and that, with mistaken cunning, he had con- eealed it in that old saddle, fancying it was safer thus than any other way.” “ Well, he was a queer blade,” admitted Jim. “His trolley must hev’ been twisted.”’ , “You will now see why I came down here, post haste, when we suspected that the long-haired man—your sport—had stolen the spangled horse and the saddle. . We learned by mere chance that the horse ing to find the will still safe in the sad- dle.” . “But why should Ruthven Stanford go. all the way up there ter Partridge Plains to steal it?’ inquired Jim. ‘““If there was no will he was, in one sense, heir to the old doctor.” “Oho! I see!’ “Now you have it all.” “No, I ain’t. Who was the will s’posed ter favor?” * Aldrick Lee,” * The dickens it was!’ “Yes. Stanford’s real name, as you have learned, is Timothy Alberts. Per- | haps I should not say he was heir to the fer that—he just shall! Poor Al! He wasa ; old doctor, though it amounted to that, as you will see. ‘ Alberts married the woman who was the true heiress. She has been a cat’s-paw in Alberts’ hands ever since, partly because she holds him in fear, and partly because she is not so strong-minded as she might be. She is a mere cipher in life. Few people know that Stanford—or Alberts, as he really is—ever has been married, but such is the ease. He has his wife, calls on her when he sees fit, uses her decently well, gives her plenty of money, and all that satis- fies her. Yes, she is a mere cipher, and it is the sport who will handle the cash if it ever goes to the Woman. See?” “Sure! Where does Al Lee come in?” ** Not an heir with her, but he would be heir to all if she was dead. However, that does not count, for it is known that the old doctor made a will which gave Lee everything. Find that will and the woman is out of it, and Lee will be moder- ately rich.” “Tf he is alive.” “Why, you don’t think anything has happened to him, do you?” “IT do that same!’ declared Jim. “T hope not.” ‘I know there has.” What?’ _* He’s dead.” “ What?’ eried the doctor, springing up. “Fact, by gum! Al has got done up an’ he’s shot an’ drownded.” | “You frighten me. Why do you think it? Speak out!—tell all!” James was not reluctant, and the story of the adventures of the night in the Twin City were soon told. Doctor Walk- er listened with eager attention, and the end left him excited and dismayed. “This is horrible, horrible!’ he asserted. ‘*T wish I had gone to young Lee as soon as I came to” New York, but I feared he would blame us for losing the saddle, and I thought I would try to recover it before seeing him. Dead? Boy, we must go to the police of Brooklyn at once.” The speaker caught up his hat and was ready to go, but Jim was not so anxious. He well knew that if he appeared on the scene he was likely to be sent to the House of Detention as a witness, and he had a strong desire to keep his liberty. He resorted to strategy. “Tell ye what, d6e, you go ter Brook- lyn an’ see ter this, an’ I will cruise around here in New York. It is pretty near certain that Sporty Stanford has crossed over here by now, an’ I may be able ter drop right onter him.” | “Well planned. Let it be so; we will work separately. Let us begin at once. Come!” James was not reluctant, and they left the house together. Walker hastened off to the Twin City, and Jim pursued his way alone. | | “Well, I've got rid of the doc, but w’ot be I ter do? My bluff fooled him an’ he didn't insist on me goin’ with him, but I have called my own bluff now. I don’t know of nothin’ to do.” - He paused on a corner. ‘No use 0’ goin’ up ter Mother Mag’s old home; they hev’ flown that coop for good. Then where shall I strike out?” The peddler indulged in a period of meditation, and then brightened up. — ’ ’ : + : 5 . . ? 4 ¢ . i ' « ; . 7 Pus . af a] — 4 15 - ~ é te ~~, > —s ~ o% edie . - ~